Books | Book Chatter

I just finished our book group pick for this month. It was readable but left no surprises. The story is told by Mona Lisa herself and although the characters seemed quite rich, the plot left a lot to be desired. Here is the synopsis from Barnes & Noble:

“Florence, April 1478: The handsome Giuliano de’ Medici is brutally assassinated in Florence’s magnificent Duomo. The shock of the murder ripples throughout the great city, from the most renowned artists like Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, to a wealthy wool merchant and his extraordinarily beautiful daughter, Madonna Lisa. More than a decade later, Florence falls under the dark spell of the preacher Savonarola, a fanatic who burns paintings and books as easily as he sends men to their deaths. Lisa, now grown into an alluring woman, captures the heart of Giuliano’s nephew and namesake. But when Guiliano, her love, meets a tragic end, Lisa must gather all her courage and cunning to untangle a sinister web of illicit love, treachery, and dangerous secrets that threatens her life. Set against the drama of 15th Century Florence, I, Mona Lisa is painted in many layers of fact and fiction, with each intricately drawn twist told through the captivating voice of Mona Lisa herself.”

Read it if you are a fan of historical fiction and enjoy a bit of mystery strewn in with romance.

You may not know this about me, but I get crazy when I do not have the time to sit down, and read a book. The past few weeks have been spent tackling all the little chores that I didn’t get done during the production week of Oliver. I guess you can say I am playing a mean game of “catch-up” right now. I hate playing “catch-up” although it does feel good to finally mark some stuff off my “to do” list.

Of course the downside is that all my reading.. the “to read” pile and the “currently reading” pile begin to collect a thick layer of dust as I rudely ignore them. In the back of my mind the clock is always ticking. Next week is book group and I have yet to crack the book open. It’s a long one too but life keeps getting in the way.

Last night my son started rehearsals for his next show, Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Audtions begin next week and the cycle starts all over again. With work, the commute home and extra-curricular activities I end up with 30 min to myself at the end of the day and usually I don’t do much with that 30 min. I usually end up collapsing in bed and calling it a day.

I guess there is no easy way to work it all in and sometimes it is just easier to throw your hands up, take a deep breath and just accept that you do what you can, when you can and that that may not be a bad thing afterall. Right?

Later,

Chatting with friends about books and life…