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Hilary Mantel, Ben Miles
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The Mirror and the Light
Hilary Mantel

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The Wedding Tag

Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper - Harriet Scott Chessman The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q - Sharon Maas Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel Lamentation - C.J. Sansom In the Woods  - Tana French Birds Without Wings - Louis de Bernières The Complete Sherlock Holmes -  Arthur Conan Doyle Pride and Prejudice (Penguin Classics) - Vivien Jones, Tony Tanner, Claire Lamont, Jane Austen Gaudy Night - Dorothy L. Sayers

The Reader who Lives a Thousand Lives recently created this tag in celebration of a friend's wedding and invited all those who want to join in.  Alright, I'll play:

 

 

The Wedding Dress:

A book that was either simple and elegant
or breathtakingly over the top.

Harriet Scott Chessman: Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper

"Simple and elegant" is actually a pretty good description for this lovely novella about the relationship between impressionist painter Mary Cassatt and her sister Lydia, set in late 19th century Paris; told from Lydia's point of view and based on five beautiful portraits of Lydia painted by Mary, images of all of which are included in the book.

 

 

The Wedding Cake:

A book that was so scrumptious you just ate it up.

Sharon Maas: The Small Fortune of Dorothea Q.

Set partly in Guayana and partly in London, a beautifully written multi-generational tale of love, forgiveness, and three women coming of age and fighting to define their place in life.  Oh, and a valuable stamp.

My review.

 

 

 

 

The Wedding Party:

A book with amazing characters that you fell in love with.

Hilary Mantel: Wolf Hall

Damn that woman -- Ms. Mantel -- for turning one of those people whom I'd always happily pigeonholed as one of history's great villains into one of my new favorite characters.  The whole vast canvas of Tudor London and the Tudor court really comes alive in her writing, but Cromwell himself is the unquestionable standout. 

 

Love sequel, Bring up the Bodies, as well ... and I can see the as-yet unpublished third book of the trilogy, The Mirror and the Light, as a hot contender for the First Dance category even now.

 

 

The Wedding Reception:

A book that left you with a major hangover.

C.J. Sansom: Lamentation

That ending!! How dare you leave me hanging in the air like that over the fate of my favorite character, Mr. Sansom?

 

 

 

 

 

Runner-up:

 

Tana French: In the Woods

All those books about other Dublin Murder Squad detectives are fine and good, but c'mon, Ms. French --

when are we going to see Ryan and Maddox back together

(show spoiler)

?

 

 

 

 

 

The First Dance:

A book that was so beautiful you cried.

Louis de Bernières: Birds Without Wings

Major lump-in-throat time.  Two friends, one Greek and one Turkish, coming of age in a mixed-ethnic village in early 20th century Turkey, and ripped apart by the world events that are sweeping through their village and tearing it to shreds.  Not an easy book, but absolutely gorgeous writing.

 

Also a hot contender for the Best Man category.

 

 

The Maid of Honor or The Best Man:

A book with two amazing friends.

 

Arthur Conan Doyle: Sherlock Holmes (complete canon).

The iconic literary friendship to end all literary friendships.

 

 

The Bride and Groom:

A couple that you can't get enough of.

Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy forever.

 

Runners-up:

 

Harriet Vane and Lord Peter Wimsey