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Category: Arts & Literature

Review: How to Listen to Great Music by Robert Greenberg

[ 2 ] May 4, 2012

Reviewed by Caitlin Busch

Before beginning this book, the reader should know it is part of a continuing education series, perfect for the avid and/or adult student or hobbyist musician. But no one should assume it’s a dry old textbook! I found it to be quite the opposite: How to Listen to Great Music reminded me of my university days. While reading, I re-experienced, with sweet nostalgia, “listening” to an engaging lecture by beloved professor on a favorite subject. Now, I didn’t actually study music at university, but I have a background in piano, violin and orchestra which may make me more prone to enjoying this text than those with non-musical backgrounds – or at least those who aren’t interested in composed (a.k.a. “classical”) music.

Even with my musical background, How to Listen to Great Music is a bit of a beast, due to the amount of material covered in about 300 pages. It is a very complete history of Western music from 1600 – 1900 (the common practice, or what we call “classical” music), bookended by brief exposés on ancient and twentieth century music, and interspersed with lessons in musical syntax, trends, trivia and charts of specific compositions. Greenberg’s major point is the importance of the relationship between the development of Western music and Western society to contemporary listeners. Hearing the music in the right historical, national, and theological context is not only edifying – it makes a difference when attending performances! 

Vocabulary is presented clearly and a glossary is included for quick reference. This book also includes a separate index of compositions, organized alphabetically by composer. At first, I wished the selections were organized by period, but then I wouldn’t have been able to learn to identify them by listening for the technical and stylistic indications discussed by Greenberg.

Greenberg’s voice is charming and his asides are well-timed. He reviews important information just as the reader may start to feel overwhelmed – much as any good professor would. The material never goes dry (a risk with such an academic topic) because of the relatively quick interchange between lessons in music history and musical syntax. Greenberg himself obviously enjoys what he does and demonstrates so throughout the book – even by using humorous chapter titles and making puns on them in the text.

Anyone with an interest in composed (“classical”) music will enjoy How to Listen to Great Music. I do not believe readers with a deeper background than mine in composed music would find this text condescending. Those who make music as a hobby or attend performances regularly will certainly find pleasure in this read – whether they’re already familiar with the material or not. It is a truly thrilling review of the common practice – what we commonly call “classical” music – which includes enough music theory to bring new depth to the listening experience. Highly recommended for readers new to composed music or anyone looking for a refresher course on Western music history!

Rating: ★★★★★ 

Caitlin is a fiction writer who also dabbles in poetry, creative nonfiction and acrylic painting. When not reading, she enjoys hiking, cooking and spending time with friends and pets. She earned her B.A. in English from the University of Portland and currently resides in Louisiana.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by FSB Media. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Rossetti: Painter and Poet by J.B. Bullen

[ 3 ] April 26, 2012

Reviewed by F. Scott

Rossetti: Painter and Poet by J. B. Bullen is an overview of the life and works of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, a nineteenth-century English painter, poet, and translator. The large-book format lends itself well to all three of its main elements: Bullen’s readable prose, prints of artwork by Rossetti and others, and excerpts of poetry, mostly by Rossetti himself.

Bullen takes us through the whole of the artist’s life in the exciting time of artistic and intellectual change that was mid-Victorian England. Rossetti was the son of the ex-patriot Italian Gabriele Rossetti and Frances Polidori, half-Italian herself, of a now London-based family. Born the first son in 1828, he is also brother to Christina, a poet in her own right.

Rossetti was one of the founders of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB), which true to its name sought inspiration from the Middle Ages as opposed to the Renaissance. This is a term I had often heard but did not quite understand.

Dante Alighieri and Beatrice figured prominently in his whole career. He was a also a translator of Dante’s Vita Nuova, and the opposition of purity and sexuality haunted Rossetti for his whole life. But if Dante was his focus and inspiration from the start, another influence also emerged in mid-career—Malory’s Morte d’Arthur. It is thus that we learn that those Arthurian legends have been bowdlerized for our moral sanitation. All manner of adultery and even incest can be seen throughout the original versions of knights and damsels and round tables. Thus the attraction for Rossetti amid his triangular sexcapades.

Dante Gabriel was attracted to somewhat masculine-/androgynous-looking women, and—let’s say—obsessed with a certain type of female face. Christina Rossetti sums this up very well in her “In an Artist’s Studio”:

“One face looks from all his canvases/One selfsame figure sits or walks or leans.”

And that face can be described as a slightly prettier Eric Roberts or an uglier Drew Barrymore. It appears in just about every painting and drawing presented here in this book. It starts to get rather creepy, to speak the truth. Even when he uses three of his favorite models/paramours in the same painting, they all look similar—whether they did in life or not.

But I do have to say that my favorite paintings in the book are not by Rossetti.

In the end, however, Dante Gabriel seems in this treatment to be all about sex, whether Bullen intends it or not. Just about every work, at least according to Bullen, has something to do with sexual desire, practice, and/or expectation, even when the subject is overtly sacred, such as his Ecce Ancilla Domini! (The Annunciation). Thus, for Bullen and most other art scholars and critics who write about art in general, anything long and pointing is a ——, and anything roundish and ovular (and red) is a ——. This is not for anyone under the age of thirty-five.

But we can thank Bullen for not being too full of academic jargon to be understood. A few flights of scholarese do appear, but not very often.

Artwork is presented very well and on almost every page. Only a couple times did I wish a certain print could have been bigger.

Rating: ★★★★½ 

F. Scott enjoys the work of the master artists, even if not sexual in nature.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Frances Lincoln. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher

[ 3 ] March 28, 2012

Reviewed by Nina Longfield

Shockaholic by Carrie Fisher begins with a rambling, seemingly unrelated series of thoughts. With the progression of her story, though, Fisher delves into her personal battles with self-medication, depression, being bi-polar, weight problems, personal loss, and the challenge of once being Princess Leia (thirty years after the role ended). Fisher’s stories are at once vivid, engaging, sometimes charming and a few times shocking. Fisher reflects upon her past and present with dry humor, at times laugh out loud funny, and other times pensive.

Fisher’s writing style is straightforward. Her digressions, though, are too numerous to count, which makes me wonder whether this entire book was produced during a blitz of mania. However, Fisher speaks candidly about her continuing fight to remain sober, her battle with depression and her choice to battle the debilitating mental condition through ECT (electroconvulsive therapy, otherwise known as shock treatment).

Despite the name dropping, which I guess should be expected in a celebrity’s memoir, Shockaholic shows the reader a glimpse of Carrie Fisher battling her inner demons with the use of her sharp wit, a bit of sarcasm, and a hint of vulnerability.

Rating: ★★★½☆ 


Nina Longfield is a writer living in Oregon’s fertile wine country. When she is not reading or writing in her spare time, Nina enjoys hiking in the hills surrounding her cabin.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Simon & Schuster. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Louisa May Alcott: A Personal Biography by Susan Cheever

[ 4 ] March 18, 2012

Reviewed by Christen Krumm

Louisa May Alcott has been one of my favorite American authors since I was ten. I loved Little Women and loved The Inheritance even more. As a writer myself, I am always very excited to get the chance to read biographies of other writers and explore their lives. Susan Cheever’s account of the life of this beloved author, while beautifully written, is a tad luke-warm.

Louisa May Alcott: A Personal Biography begins with the story of how Little Women came to be — out of necessity to feed her family and at the bullying from her publisher. From there, Cheever switches gears and begins the story of Bronson Alcott, Louisa’s father. We are thrown little tibbits of Abigail “Abba” Alcott’s, Louisa’s mother, life, however, it seems the main spotlight in these first few chapters, and ultimately the rest of the book, goes to Bronson.

I do understand that biographies, in general, touch on the lives of the parents and other family members in order to show where the subject of the biography came from — and these glimpses give the subject more life then simply just focusing on the subject themselves. However, the author needs to be mindful of the fine line of sharing family life to give their subject life and loosing site of the subject by writing the biography on the family.

Life for Louisa was nothing like what was painted in Little Women. While some critics will argue that Louisa was describing life of the Alcotts when she wrote Little Women, after reading Cheever’s account of her life, I would dare say that Alcotts account of the May family was what she dreamed life to be for her and her sisters. Cheever’s account of Alcott’s life brings light to the almost occult type lifestyle that Bronson desired for his family. It seemed Bronson was a bit of a dreamer and ruled his family with a sad dominance. Life was hard for Abba and her girls with Bronson, the dreamer, in charge. He rarely provided for his family, and often relied on others to pay his debts. I did find it interesting that the Alcotts were close neighbors with the likes of Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Thoreaus.

While Cheever has written a beautiful story of the Alcott family, this biography of sorts was just so-so for me. The bi-line “A Personal Biography” was a little strange to me. I am not sure if Cheever meant the bits of personal inflection throughout to be her biography within the story, or if she had something else entirely planned, but it just left me scratching my head. I wish it had a tad bit more of Lousia herself and less about her domineering father and his failed dreams.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆ 

Christen graduated from the University of Arkansas Fort Smith with a BA in English. She’s a coffee drinking stay at home mom by day and a freelance writer/editor by night. She currently resides in Arkansas with her husband and daughter and is excited to welcome a son in August.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Simon & Schuster. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Edwardian Country Life by Helena Gerrish

[ 2 ] March 4, 2012

Reviewed by Poppy Johnson

As coffee table books go, Edwardian Country Life does not disappoint the reader yearning for photos of the English countryside.

Henry Avray Tipping lived for 1855 to 1933. He was a man who was best known as an academic, a writer and a collector. His hobby included visiting the great country houses in the UK and writing about his experiences in Country Life, a magazine of the time. Tipping wrote extensively as an authority on houses, furniture, landscaping, and gardening. He also restored older homes, and bought several estates in Middlesex, Oxfordshire, and Monmothshire.

Edwardian Country Life chronicles the contents of a diary which is a year in Tipping’s life as an Edwardian gentleman. He was born in France to cultured parents and lived in various chateaus during his childhood. His father was an educated man and he was encouraged to study architecture. Tipping’s mother, who was a Quaker, raised four sons with Henry being the youngest. After his other brothers died, he was the sole heir of his parent’s estate.

This book reviews Tipping’s impressions of his life and how he chose to influence others. He is described as the type of man who today would be on the board of directors of major corporations, and in his time he was a member of many local and prominent society organizations. He worked to ensure that people were able to enjoy open air spaces and what we now call “green spaces” in communities around the UK.

Edwardian Country Life is a coffee table hardcover version of the life of Tipping and includes photographs as well as quotes, anecdotes and stories of his life. I especially enjoyed the full color photos of the gardens, landscapes and copies of Tipping’s personal letters. His comprehensive work as a garden designer gained him recognition even after his death. His work at Country Life and his legacy in developing gardens was of enormous influence to other architects, landscapers, and natural designers. Edwardian Country Life is the perfect book for anyone interested in architecture and the history of the region, or anyone wanting to learn more about Tipping and his enduring legacy.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

After a decade of working in several NYC law departments and teaching, Poppy decided she enjoyed writing full-time. She currently works as a freelance writing consultant, and lives with her husband and sons on the East Coast.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Frances Lincoln. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Style Me Vintage: Make-Up by Katie Reynolds

[ 3 ] February 14, 2012

Reviewed by Wendy Fitos

Style Me Vintage: Make Up by Katie Reynolds is the second book in the Style Me Vintage series and covers makeup looks from each decade starting with the 1920’s. The book is targeted for makeup artists as well as women looking to create a look for a party, so the application techniques are very clear and concise.

Many of the looks featured in this colorful book can be easily worn today by slightly changing up the colors and refining the technique if the look needs to be professional. The Marlene Dietrich look from the 1930’s is very classic and would work great for either the office or a cocktail party. The Audrey Hepburn look from the 1960’s can be seen today in many style and fashion magazines. What is refreshing about Reynolds’ technique is that it isn’t picture perfect in terms of application, but the angles of the pictures make it easy to see each step of the application without having to try too hard.

Reynolds gives a short list of what is needed to create the look, quick tips and several pictures for an easy application. She transforms one decade to the next and makes it fun by using a picture of a model from the actual decade and then a picture of her modern day recreation.

Style Me Vintage: Make Up would be great for teen or themed parties as few materials are required to recreate the looks inside. It would also work well for a woman who is trying to give her current makeup a trendier look without having to spend a lot of time.

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Wendy Fitos is a makeup artist and esthetician with 22 years of experience. Her goal is to educate women on how to create looks that will meet both professional and personal styles. Wendy lives in Cleveland, Ohio and enjoys reading and exercising.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Pavilion. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas by Ace Collins

[ 2 ] December 20, 2011

Reviewed by Alyssa Katanic

I am a huge fan of Ace Collins books! He has quite a few focusing on Christmas, and specifically the stories behind some of our favorite aspects of this wonderful Holiday season. His most recent book, Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas, lists off America’s favorite Christmas songs (think Casey Kasem’s countdown, for those of us who are old enough to remember, focusing on Christmas music), the story behind what made that song a “hit,” as well as the story behind how the song was originally created.

Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas is similar to Ace Collins’ Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas (which I gave as a Christmas gift to a music loving friend a few years ago), however, it gives a bit more focus to how those songs came to weave themselves into the fabric of Americans’ Christmas celebrations.

We all know these songs! And have probably been hearing them in the stores and on the radio since sometime in October. Here is your chance to read why songs like White Christmas, Jingle Bell Rock, and Silent Night continue to see daily play on the radio during December, and to fall all the more in love with them for knowing that much more about their background.

For fans, there is also the Stories Behind Christmas Boxed Set, including: Stories Behind the Greatest Hits of Christmas, Stories Behind the Best-Loved Songs of Christmas, and Stories Behind the Great Traditions of Christmas (another one that I’ve read with my family often during this season).

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Alyssa is a wife and stay at home, homeschooling mother of five, with two boxers, two cats, a soft shelled turtle named after Bob the Builder, and 7 frogs (admittedly a homeschooling project gone froggy). In all her spare time, she loves to read and believes that there is no such thing as having too many books!

Review copies were provided free of any obligation by Zondervan. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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Review: Pearl Buck in China by Hilary Spurling

[ 4 ] September 29, 2011

Reviewed by Nina Longfield

Pearl Buck in China: Journey to The Good Earth by Hilary Spurling is an extraordinary review of a remarkable woman’s life. Pearl Buck was a woman who knew world leaders and artists. She advocated for equal and civil rights. She introduced the western world to the dying Imperial China of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Yet, in our modern world, the works of Pearl Buck are nearly forgotten. It is within the pages of Pearl Buck in China that Spurling reintroduces Pearl S. Buck in a fresh, sometimes fierce, scope. Spurling reminds us that Buck wrote several dozen books, she won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel (The Good Earth) in 1932, and she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1938.

It is in rural China, a place untouched by western missionaries at the time, that Pearl Buck’s life and subsequent career formed its foundation. Spurling’s Pearl Buck in China delves into Buck’s existence in China from Buck’s toddler years to her early adulthood. Spurling writes that “(Buck’s) own bestsellers combine hypnotic elements of fantasy and wish fulfillment with glimpses of more disturbing truths secreted beneath the romantic formulae, and occasionally disrupting it.”

It is in this dreamlike ether that Spurling gives new life to Pearl Buck’s life and career; yet, within the hypnotic elements, Spurling also displays the secreted truths. We, the reader, are shown a little blond child collecting the bones of throwaway female infants and burying them as she had witnessed at official Chinese burials. There is the constant reminder of Buck being different than her neighbors; she is spat on and called demon simply because of her blond hair and blue eyes. Buck flees revolutions with little more than her life. All these elements remained buried with her until they began to emerge through her varying written works.

Spurling’s writing is well structured, clean and engaging. She seems to have thoroughly researched her subject as she correlates Buck’s life with those of Buck’s written creations. Spurling shows how stories and storytelling encompassed Pearl Buck’s life from infancy and through her adult years. It was through stories that Buck could forget her troubles and reinvent herself. “She [Buck] said that every one of her own novels included a character who was a version of herself, and that her imaginary world of dreams, projections, and fictional presences came to seem to her as substantial as the real world.”

Within Pearl Buck in China, Buck is drawn as a multifaceted character imbued with significance. I suppose it’s the mark of a good biography that has me reading the subject’s (Buck’s) works once more.

Rating: 5/5

Nina Longfield is a writer living in Oregon’s fertile wine country. When she is not reading or writing in her spare time, Nina enjoys hiking in the hills surrounding her cabin.

Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Simon & Schuster. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.

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