As of December 9th, 2016, I have officially completed (and then some) Goodreads' annual Reading Challenge.
What this years selection lacks in quantity (compared to my completed challenge in 2015) it more than makes up for in quality.
Topping the list is Hermann Abert's "W.A. Mozart" by Yale University Press - a delicious monstrosity of a read - at a whopping 1515 full sized pages of ridiculously small print this tome was a delightful challenge to read front to back but well worth the effort - it's editor, the modern era's pre-eminent Mozart scholar (and fellow Canuck) Prof. Cliff Eisen recently unveiled a newly updated addendum in the form of a revised biography with the release of Deutsche Grammophon and Decca Records' Mozart 225 that I am simply champing at the bit to read..
other fabulous highlights of my Goodreads 2016 Challenge included SiriusXM / WQXR classical radio personality and newly-minted author Lauren E. Rico's powerful "Reverie," by Harmony House Productions: a novel of sin, debauchery and ethereal beauty - words synonymous with the subject matter of Unraveling Musical Myths; and the recently released "Franz Liszt: Musician, Celebrity, Superstar" by Oliver Hilmes and Yale University Press: a salacious romp through the salons - and the boudoirs - of the world's first documented megastar to possess a groupie following.
From music forbidden by Nazis to Johann Sebastian Bach's fateful encounter with the composer-king Frederick the Great, my selections for the 2016 year cover all of the bases of ingenuity and idiocy, of struggles and triumph, and of both debauchery and astonishing beauty.
Click the graphic above to review my Year in Books at Goodreads, and keep posted to Unraveling Musical Myths - I will be revealing an exciting surprise in the New Year.
HINT: It may have something to do with the book "I am currently reading" pictured above.
In the interim, enjoy a little Mozart: Papagena/Papageno duet, Die Zauberflöte
To read my reviews on books related to Classical Music here on Unraveling Musical Myths, check out Reviews by Rose.
For book reviews related to other subject matter, visit my profile at Goodreads.
Reviews for 2016 titles (and more) to come soon.
-Rose.
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