Review: Indiscretion by Jude Morgan

I have been shockingly remiss in my reading and reviewing habits this month but to finish on a good note, here is a fresh review.
Indiscretion tells the story of young Caroline Fortune, a streetwise twenty year old daughter of a retired solider. Brought up without a mother's guidance or a steady home thanks to her father's habit of following schemes that leave them penniless and in debt. When he tells her he has truly lost everything, Caroline becomes the companion to a cruel and selfish old widow for employment.
Though it has themes of female dependency and gender relations that were so marked in the 19th century, Indiscretion is slightly fluffy reading (well compared with my usual literary diet), but not in a bad way. Though there is certainly some satirical wit at play, it's not to the level of Jane Austen. Perhaps that is because of the difference in time, Morgan was writing a historical novel, and Austen was writing about the way life was in her present day, not the way it was in the past. Still, all the characters are interesting and well drawn- Caroline is a delight with a sharp tongue and strong sense of self. Of course there is going to be romance. Morgan throws a red herring romantic possibility early on, but when the real romantic plot begins it is hard to miss. There are some surprising twists in the story, but it ends happily and in a way that anyone who grows to care for Caroline can approve.
Overall: a good summer read that cannot help but be compared to the prose of Jane Austen. In spite of the fact that the title makes it sound a bit like a trashy romance novel, it is actually quite sedate. I look forward to reading more of Morgan's work.

Concert Review: Radio 104.5 Summer Show

See, I do get out sometimes and have a slightly cool hipster side- though it is tainted by unstoppable geekery. Last night I traveled to Philadelphia for the Radio 104.5 summer show. The headliner was Silversun Pickups but Metric and Against Me also played earlier in the evening and the whole event was opened by a group called The Henry Clay People.
This year the event was held at the River Stage on Penn’s landing instead of Festival Pier. It was a wise move, River Stage has a stadium feel to it with room for sitting and standing on the stairs that fill the space. Behind the stage, the river created an attractive backdrop and occasionally boats would pass by. According to one of the women that works at the radio station, the levels make people feel less like they need to crowd the front of the stage to see anything and lessens the size of the mosh pit. Yes, overall it was fairly tame crowd with very illegal activities even by the end of the night when the Miller Light girls (like tattoo clad modern cigarette girls) had been by. A crowd highlight was a drunk shirtless guy complaining about a shirtless drunk guy.
The Henry Clay People were the opener, an enthusiastic if somewhat unpolished group. Metric followed. They started with some of their better known radio played songs like “Gold Guns Girls,” but they were having audio problems. A sound tech remarked that something was wrong with their mixer. It made the music sound unbalanced and tinny and painfully unenjoyable at places.
Against Me followed with less sound problems and truly rocked out in punk fashion playing songs such as “Don’t Lose Touch,” their well-known single “I Was a Teenage Anarchist” from their new album. Though some of their songs have clear political slants, everyone could enjoy the strength of their sound. Their speakers were covered with sayings such as “Into the Jungle the Noble Savages Run,” and their keyboardist was very entertaining, he swigged from a wine bottle and for one song played the accordion, proving that they are in fact cool. No one could tell they had a substitute bassist playing with them until it was mentioned, their regular bassist having left the tour the day before to go home for the birth of his child. Lead singer Tom Gabel called a friend who seamlessly joined them for this show and will continue with them for the rest of the tour. They are a group that will likely be invited back and eagerly anticipated.
Finally, after a delay to fix some things in the sound booth, the headlining act, Silversun Pickups started. Though they have a glossiness to their recorded tracks, they in no way fell flat live. Every member of the band played with energy and feeling, especially the drummer, Christopher Guanlao, who Jim Henson fans will perhaps equate to the muppet Animal. Their bassist, Nikki Monninger was one of the only females onstage that night and she kept up with the boys. After being begged for an encore, they returned to the stage a full five minutes after finishing to play a few more songs including “Part of Me.”
It was a great show and I would love to see some of the bands live again. Alternative Rock fans that will be in Philadelphia this weekend should know that Matt and Kim are having a free show on Saturday. I don’t know all the details but you can check out Radio 104.5’s website for info.

Series Five of Doctor Who: A Review (With Spoilers)

So, for the first time since the show's 2005 regeneration, the major story arch of the season has not been resolved. Yes, the cracks in time have been sealed and Amy's parents restored, but it is still unknown who put them there and why (well probably to eliminate the Doctor but to what end?).
The finale was manic and ridiculous but full of time manipulation and anxiety inducing moments. We learn about why Amy is so special: the crack has been eating away at her life, but she has also been hearing the universe in her dreams. Her memories are more powerful than the average, that's why in spite of his being erased, Rory could be brought back not just physically, but his heart and whole being as well. In the end it is Amy that saves the Doctor from being sealed off on the wrong side of the cracks. Perhaps this explains other little anomalies, ducks in the duck pond (probably sucked away through the crack), how Amy knew what to do in "The Beast Below," etc.
River Song becomes more intriguing as well. She clearly loves the Doctor, but he still doesn't know her and she's worried about how he'll feel when he finally catches up with her past. When he retrieves her from the time-loop in the exploding TARDIS, I loved the way he says "Honey, I'm home." It was very cute.
Overall I think that Moffat is writing Who to fully flesh out the fantasy aspect more than the scifi aspect. In an interview he said that the show always felt like it had more magic than science in it. This whole season has had a fairy tale feel to it, but more of a dark, adult fairy tale than say, Disney. Every episode has been solid, though some better than others of course. In the end, all the places they've been and creatures they've encountered have been significant.
The upcoming Christmas special will be the first time since David Tennant's first full episode, "The Christmas Invasion" that the regular companion appears. I'm also interested to see the dynamic of a newlywed couple in the TARDIS, another Who first. I really like Rory, he's grown on me through the series and I like that he challenges the Doctor sometimes, such as his decision to stay with the Pandorica. That was another lovely fairy-tale themed touch of the finale.
Though, I wonder, was it just because his time with Amy was reversing that the Dalek's shot didn't make the Doctor regenerate? Time being rewritten I suppose. Though it didn't resolve everything, it was a good finale that has left me eager for more. Those watching on BBC America have two weeks to wait to see the conclusion.

Everything Austen 2

I know I barely scraped in under the wire for my "All About the Brontes" Challenge, but this is Jane, I quote her daily, I've read all of her novel... except Mansfield Park, which I've never finished, and a few sequels, some of which were atrocious, and seen film adaptations of all her novels.
So, I'm going to do it. I missed the Challenge 1, but I'll come in strong in this second one. Here are the six reading/watching/crafting tasks I will tackle between July 1 and January 1:
1.Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (I will finish it this time, in spite of Fanny)
2. The Lost Memoir of Jane Austen by Syrie James
3. Cassandra and Jane by Jill Pitkeathley
4. Sense and Sensibility 1995
5. Lady Susan by Jane Austen
6. I will be designing and sewing a regency style reticule based off of period sketches (I think it's really cool that crafts are an option for the challenge)

Who knows, maybe I'll pick up a few more along the way, but these are what I'm committing to.

A Cautionary Tale

"I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library." Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

"The person, be it gentleman or lady, who has not pleasure in a good novel, must be intolerably stupid." Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

I started with a few quotes from Jane to make me feel that I am in good company and not quite as foolish as the following story may lead you to think.
I have been trying very hard to finish A Farewell to Arms for a few weeks now, but it is so very different than the styles I am used to that I decided to take a breather and read something a little more in my comfort zone before diving back in. I found a novel called Indiscretion by Jude Morgan, and no it's not a tacky romance novel in spite of the title. It's the story of a young girl in the early 19th century whose father squanders away any small fortune they had, forcing her to become a companion to a cruel old widow to make a living. It's very much in the style and spirit of Jane Austen. After a busy morning, I sat down to relax and read a few minutes before work. Three chapters later I look up at the clock and realize I have exactly five minutes to get to work and I'm not even properly dressed. Hence, summer reading made me late to work.
Of course I couldn't call and say I was going to be late because I was too engrossed in my literary pursuits, I just said something came up, but I was on my way. My shame was deep, but fortunately I was only ten minutes late and not missed much for those ten minutes.

Summertime Haikus

Here is a set of haikus:
June 22nd

Everything worn smooth
By grit of crumbled mountains,
Shrieking small children

The constant crashing
Like a lost limb, you still feel
When out, flesh reddened

Empty houses of the dead,
The ground under your feet pulled,
Hats, pasta salad

I'll be by later with a cautionary tale about the dangers of summer reading.

Alter Egos and Doctor Who

I have one. I also apparently have a doppleganger that lives in New Jersey, but I digress.
If you are curious about my other hobbies and what I do when I'm not being a Book Eater, check out this blog.

A quick mention about DW, the two-part season finale starts this Saturday (unless you're watching it on the US schedule, then you have 2 more weeks to wait), it looks really good. Leaked photos show that young Amelia Pond and Rory will both appear in the episode and the trailer indicates that we will see a hoard of the Doctor's old enemies return including the Daleks, Silurians, Cybermen, etc. I'm excited.
Speaking of Doctor Who villains, I was driving around the outskirts of town last night and as I turned onto a back road, I saw a weeping angel statue in someone's yard. What a nerd I am, I slowed down and creeped myself out watching it. Possibly creeped out the people that live there too.