Muse was just the kind of historical fiction I like to read. Set in 14th century Avignon, and filled with lots of historical detail about the time period, the author also created wonderful characters and filled in the storyline about Petrarch's mistress with tidbits of fact she was able to glean from extant resources (and granted, there is very little known about this woman, but I liked how the author created a strong female voice within a very male-dominated time period.)
I finished things up with The Last Unicorn. I'm so glad I had this book to close out the year's challenge. Lovely, lyrical, filled with magical things and a fairy-tale based in reality, this was one that I will keep close to hand when I need a smile or an uplifting moment in my day. Peter Beagle writes well, and his turn of phrase and choices of words make this one a definite favorite of the year for me.
Next week, a quick recap of my favorites and not-so favorites of 2015, and a peek at the topics for 2016!
WEEKS & TOPICS
1. a book with more than 500 pages: Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth. FINISHED.
2. a romance: Katherine by Anya Seton. FINISHED
4. a book published this year: The House of Hawthorne by Erika Robuck. FINISHED.
5. a book with a number in the title: The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield. FINISHED.
6. a book written by someone under 30: Eragon by Christopher Paolini. FINISHED.
7. a book with nonhuman characters: The Greyfriar by Susan Griffith. FINISHED.
8. a funny book: Bossypants by Tina Fey. FINISHED.
9. a book by a female author: Fever 1793 by Laurie Anderson. FINISHED.
10. a mystery or thriller: Séance in Sepia by Michelle Black. FINISHED.
12. a book of short stories: Tapping the Dream Tree by Charles deLint. FINISHED.
13. a book set in a different country: The Winter Palace by Eva Stachniak. FINISHED.
14. a nonfiction book: The Fossil Hunter by Shelley Emling. FINISHED.
15. a popular author's first book: The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. FINISHED.
16. a book from your favorite author that you haven't read yet: Forests of the Heart by Charles deLint. FINISHED.
17. a book a friend recommended: Botelo by Alyson Hagy. FINISHED.
18. a Pulitzer-prize winning book: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. FINISHED.
19. a book based on a true story: The Wild Princess by Mary Hart Perry. FINISHED.
20. a book at the bottom of your to read list: Before I Go To Sleep by S.J Watson. FINISHED.
21. a book your mom or dad loves: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. FINISHED.
22. a book that scares you: The Blackhouse by Peter May. FINISHED.
23. a book more than 100 years old: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte. FINISHED.
24. a book based entirely on its cover: Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliot. FINISHED.
25. a book you were supposed to read in school but didn't: The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. FINISHED.
26. a memoir: Two Rings by Millie Werber and Eve Keller. FINISHED.
27. a book you can finish in a day: India Black by Carol Karr. FINISHED.
28. a book with antonyms in the title: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt. FINISHED.
29. a book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit: Iceland by Betsy Tobin. FINISHED.
30. a book that came out the year you were born: Mary, Queen of Scots by Antonia Fraser. FINISHED.
31. a book with bad reviews: The Last Unicorn FINISHED.
32. a trilogy (the first): Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clarke. FINISHED.
33. a trilogy (the second) Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clarke. FINISHED.
34. a trilogy (the third) Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clarke. FINISHED.
35. a book from your childhood: Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. FINISHED.
36. a book with a love triangle: Muse by Mary Novak. FINISHED.
37. a book set in the future: Cinder by Marissa Meyer. FINISHED.
38. a book set in high school: The Small Rain by Madeline L’Engle. FINISHED.
39. a book with a color in the title: Scarlet by A.C Gaughen. FINISHED.
40. a book that made/makes you cry: Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott. FINISHED.
41. a book with magic: Grave Witch by Kalayna Price. FINISHED.
43. a book by an author you've never read before: My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira. FINISHED.
44. a book you own but have never read: The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro. FINISHED.
45. a book that takes place in your hometown: Magic America by C.E. Medford. FINISHED.
46. a book that was originally written in another language: Island Beneath the Sea by Isabel Allende. FINISHED.
47. a book set during Christmas (or similar holiday): A Child’s Christmas in Wales by Dylan Thomas. FINISHED
48. a book written by an author with your same initials: Silver Lies by Ann Parker. FINISHED.
49. a play: The Odd Couple by Neil Simon. FINISHED.
50. a banned book: Beloved by Toni Morrison. FINISHED.
51. a book based on OR turned into a tv show: Deja Dead by Kathy Reichs. FINISHED.
52. a book you started but never finished: The Tudor Rose by Margaret Campbell Barnes. FINISHED.
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