Book Spotlight: THE NIGHT CIRCUS by Erin Morgenstern

Hello, hello! It's September already, can you believe it? Soon it will be Christmas, and then 2013 will come rushing in. Yes, I know, it's too early to say such things. But really, in the Philippines, people start putting up Christmas trees and lights in September. No kidding. If you go to the mall, chances are, you'll be singing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer along with the music blasting from every corner. Since they don't  celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas is the most anticipated holiday.

A-nee-way, that's not what I came here for. Not to talk about Christmas, but BOOKS! (Man, I'm such a scatterbrained mama. That was the worst intro to a book spotlight EVAH. Forgive me. I only get a few hours of sleep each night.) Since I can't do much (read: any) writing these days, I've been reading a lot of books. See, it's doable. When I'm feeding the baby, I only need to get the book propped up just so and voila! I'm reading. Hooray for efficient multitasking! I believe I have read about 21 books since baby boy was born a month and a half ago. Not bad for someone whose life is soooo crazy at the moment.


Blurb and image from Goodreads:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Written in rich, seductive prose, this spell-casting novel is a feast for the senses and the heart.

Author:

Erin Morgenstern is a writer and a multimedia artist, who describes all her work as "fairy tales in one way or another." She grew up in Marshfield, Massachusetts. She currently lives in Boston, Massachusetts with two very fluffy cats. The Night Circus is her debut novel.

You can visit her website at http://erinmorgenstern.com/

The Book: Adult Fantasy

I absolutely enjoyed this book. I first heard of it from the Golden Eagle of The Eagle's Aerial Perspective when she posted a teaser about the book on her blog. It caught my attention and I quickly jotted down the title and author's name on my TBR list.

Things I loved about this book:

~the otherworldly atmosphere
~the prose
~the multiple, varied POVs (which added to the atmosphere. No, really. It worked beautifully.)
~the magical feel of the circus
~the sense of mystery

I'm a sucker for books with atmospheric, unusual settings. The circus itself is very much a character in this story.  There's magic, there's love, and there's a game with deadly consequences. Really, a must read. :)

What have you read lately? There's always room in my TBR list, so fire away the recommendations! I'll post more book spotlights. I've read so many good books lately, it'd be a shame not to share.