Saturday, November 30, 2013

Leroux Readings

Ah, my dears, I have some jewels for you! Recordings of readings from Leroux by YouTuber MaskedLion! I can't even describe them, you just HAVE to listen!

Dying of Love monologue



Dressing Room Confrontation (all right, so this is from Kay, but it's still good!)


The Unmasking Scene (you'll have to settle for a link. Sorry.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuyLzYvaq8o

Your pal,
Angels

 

Friday, November 29, 2013

Review: Manifestations of a Phantom's Soul, Volume 2 - Michelle Rodriguez

I'm slacking over here, I know...forgive me!

Continue a journey through the catacombs of the opera house in the epic love story of The Phantom of the Opera. Published author Michelle Rodriguez brings you 10 more of her most loved stories, previously posted for the “phans”, and a few from her vaults. There is something for everyone on the pages of Manifestations of a Phantom’s Soul, volume 2 as a man seeks to prove he is more than the portrait of his face and that love can transform a soul.

MY RATING: 5 STARS

I can't say anything about Michelle's writing that I haven't said before, and yet I can't say enough in praise of it, either. She consistently remains among my favorite authors, and this collection is excellent proof why, with her best and most daring Phantom retellings to date. As with the original Manifestations, I'll break this review down with a few comments on the highlights of the collection.

"Haunted" - a previously unpublished story that was definitely a surprise. Michelle crosses territory not usually covered and puts in it a bittersweet light. The outcome is bleak, but she rarely leaves off without some ray of hope, and this is no exception. I appreciated Erik's view on how faithful music always is to him, and yet it's still a cold comfort without Christine. This line in particular got me: "But he beckoned insanity and convinced it to possess him to every corner and fingertip. When she nodded and set her hand in his, it felt real, and he knew he was crazy and welcomed it."

"Ordinary" - another unpublished one, another bittersweet one that ends with hope, and another of her famous filler fics. This one flip-flops the original obsession angle, putting Christine in Erik's shoes and makes him her obsession, which intrigued me right away. The masquerade theme made this one, just as it made "Monsters and Masks" in the previous Manifestations, and Christine's earthbound angel costume felt perfect in the light Michelle painted the story. I loved the imagery of an angel chasing Red Death across a crowded dance floor, and the story opens up some interesting questions about what it would truly mean for Erik to be ordinary. Exquisitely done!

"Captivated" - holy flying sheep in a ship wreck! This one is more territory that is very, very, VERY rarely covered, and I give Michelle a standing ovation for going there. Not many Phantom writers dare to, whether out of blind love for the characters or fear of backlash from readers, and it's about time we took the blinkers off! There's some intense moral complexity in this one...Erik's actions as a captor are, on the surface, despicable, and yet his motivations are desperate enough to inspire pity. The decisions he makes are appalling, and yet there is always the chance of redemption in his love for Christine. And in the end, it's love and nothing less that matters. Love through desire, and desire through love...yes, you can read between the lines and tell that this one definitely isn't for the faint of heart. But if you like steamy, kinky stuff, forget Fifty Shades of Grey! Don't even give it a thought! This is what you should be reading!

"Forget Me Not" - an amnesia story, as you might have guessed from the title, and one of the most haunting Michelle has ever written, in my opinion. A classic fanfiction twist, and I have to call this one my favorite rendition. If "Ordinary" and "Haunted" are bittersweet, then this one is doubly so. Again, Erik's actions are deplorable, but his motives still drive it home. This is a man desperate for his beloved to love him in return, and it drives him to do desperate things. This one is probably the most tragic Michelle has ever written, because it might have ended happily! If not for another lie, it would have! I don't really blame Christine for her reaction, but my heart still breaks!

"A Twist In My Story" - an oldie, but a goody. I love angry Christine! You never see enough of her in other retellings, as most authors opt for the bland, one-dimensional airhead (thanks a freaking lot, Webber). Christine as Leroux wrote her had backbone, and she was rightfully furious that Erik had deceived her by pretending to be the Angel of Music, and I'm so glad Michelle explored that aspect in greater detail. It hurts to see him trying so hard to make up for the lie and getting nowhere, but I'm 100% on her side in this one. It takes a monster to manipulate someone like that, and his further actions do nothing to atone for it. Under close examination and after deep thought, I'm going to call this one my favorite of the book. Nice psychological insight, and more of the music that binds these two together, no matter how irritated Christine is by that simple fact. Brava!

"Let It Bleed" - no, wait, this might also be a contender for the favorite...Too many people shy away from an Erik that's this aggressive, but I love it! His duality is summed up perfectly here, with anger and rage followed by tenderness and repentance and topped off with a little of his trademark self-loathing. The aspect of the original story that always attracts me is the symbolism of mirrors, and Michelle uses it to good effect here. She brings her story full circle, from a monster reflected in a mirror to a man in need of forgiveness and understanding and back to his determination to be a monster if it means he can have the woman he loves. Christine's line from the musical comes to mind: "It's in your soul that the true distortion lies." Erik in a nutshell!

So, bottom line; if you like The Phantom of the Opera and you want more, you need to give this one a shot. Everyone is guaranteed to find something to love here, and definitely something to think about. The face doesn't make the man. It's what's in his heart and the choices he makes that reveals a flawed but beautiful human being. A worthy addition to any Phantom collection, and I'm already eager for a third volume!
 


 ***

Your humble book nerd,
Angels

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Lyrics of the Week: Neon Moon

This week's ditty is a little depressing, but it's still a good song.

Neon Moon - Brooks and Dunn

When the sun goes down on my side of town
That lonesome feeling comes to my door
The whole world turns blue

There's a rundown bar cross the railroad tracks
I've got a table for two way in the back
Where I sit alone and think of losing you

I spend most every night beneath the light
Of a neon moon

Now if you lose your one and only
There's always room here for the lonely
To watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon

I think of two young lovers running wild and free
I close my eyes and sometimes see
You in the shadows of this smoke-filled room

No telling how many tears I've sat here and cried
Or how many lies that I've lied
Telling my poor heart, she'll come back someday
Oh, but I'll be alright as long as there's light
From a neon moon

Oh, if you lose your one and only
There's always room here for the lonely
To watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon

The jukebox plays on, drink by drink
And the words of every sad song
Seem to say what I think
And it's hurt inside of me ain't never gonna end

Oh, but I'll be alright as long as there's light
From a neon moon

Oh, if you lose your one and only
There's always room here for the lonely
To watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon

To watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon
Oh, watch your broken dreams
Dance in and out of the beams of a neon moon


Your pal,
Angels

NaNoWriMo 2013

I'm behind on the post, but not on the event! National Novel Writing Month is here again! My goodness, where has the time gone?

Since I'm already in the middle of a novel (about 170 pages into it, so far), I'm going to skip that part of the challenge, along with the 50,000 word count. That just ain't happening. And I'm not going to be stupid enough to try and edit three novels in thirty days ever again, either. I thought I'd shake it up this year...one poem a day, every day for two weeks, then a short story per week for two weeks. I'm alternating between the two, and I've already got my first two poems done.

Wish me luck for the rest of the month, and for my fellow scribblers, the best of luck to you!

Your pal,
Angels

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Book Trailer: Bellman and Black - Diane Setterfield

Now, here's an example of where I think a book trailer fell flat. It's fast and sleek, but...it doesn't tell you anything! If I hadn't read the summary first, I would have been perplexed! Let's try an experiment. Watch this:

Bellman and Black - Diane Setterfield



Now tell me if you want to read the book? Of course you don't! You don't know what it's about! To spare you the confusion, here's the blurb: "Bellman & Black is a heart-thumpingly perfect ghost story, beautifully and irresistibly written, its ratcheting tension exquisitely calibrated line by line. Its hero is William Bellman, who, as a boy of 11, killed a shiny black rook with a catapult, and who grew up to be someone, his neighbours think, who "could go to the good or the bad." And indeed, although William Bellman's life at first seems blessed—he has a happy marriage to a beautiful woman, becomes father to a brood of bright, strong children, and thrives in business—one by one, people around him die. And at each funeral, he is startled to see a strange man in black, smiling at him. At first, the dead are distant relatives, but eventually his own children die, and then his wife, leaving behind only one child, his favourite, Dora. Unhinged by grief, William gets drunk and stumbles to his wife's fresh grave—and who should be there waiting, but the smiling stranger in black. The stranger has a proposition for William—a mysterious business called "Bellman & Black . . ."

I think it sounds good, but who in the world made that video?!

Your pal,
Angels

Friday, November 1, 2013

CHANSON IS HERE!!!!

All three books of Chanson de l'Ange were officially released last Wednesday, and my copies arrived today! WOOT WOOT!






Who's ready for a read-along?

Your pal,
Angels

30 Week Phantom Challenge: Week 5

What is your favorite part of the stage version?

NOT A FAIR QUESTION! Who has just ONE favorite part?!

 I'll break it down in Act 1 and Act 2. First one is definitely "Music of the Night." Not only is it one of my favorite songs, period, it's one of the most beautiful scenes in the whole production in either the show or the movie. And I think my favorites IN the scene are Gerard Butler and John Owen-Jones. Both have such magnetic auras, they command your attention, and while they have very different voices, they both give me shivers.






Act 2..."The Point of No Return" all the way through the Final Lair. It's impossible to break that one down. So much passion and drama, and oh my Lord, the feels! The feels! As for favorites, I'm sticking with GB and JOJ. Hugh Panaro is high up there as well, but Gerry and John have the ability to tear me apart and leave me a blubbering, emotional wreck.




Your pal,
Angels