Happy August Lovely Readers!
I hope you are enjoying another blissful month of summer and finding time to relax, read, travel, or accomplish things on your “to-do” list!
Speaking of accomplishing things on your “to-do” list, I’m happy to share that I have achieved one of my major goals this summer – Resuming piano lessons with my college professor! Since I stopped teaching in school 10 months ago, I’ve been working on playing and practicing the piano more (something I dearly wish I never had to stop doing!)
I know that with five years off from serious study and practice I was badly out-of-shape, so I spent many months working myself back into playing pieces I worked on during my college years (Beethoven, Rachmaninoff, Joplin). I waited until mid-June to resume lessons with my professor and it has been SO WONDERFUL! I love being a student again, I love visiting my university weekly, and I love studying the piano again! I feel myself grow and learn with every lesson!
Here are some little teasers of my playing for your listening pleasure! (they are only 15 seconds long!)
Mozart – Piano Concerto No. 23 in A Major K. 488 Movement II
Rachmaninoff – Prelude in C-sharp minor Op. 3 No. 2
I’ll be honest, finding the hours I need to practice is a lot trickier now that I’m a wife, teach piano lessons, and am “in the real world.” But it is so very, very worth it! I hope it is something I can continue to do for a very long time! And hopefully, I can continue to share some more Austenesque Melodies with you all! I’ve only done one! *gasp* I need to get on that!
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Speaking of Austenesque…Here is what’s on this month’s
Austenesque Agenda:
~ TO REVIEW ~
~ TO READ AND REVIEW ~
~ FEATURED AUTHOR VISITING THIS MONTH ~
Jeanna Ellsworth – August 26th
What about you, my friends?
Do you have a goal you hope to one day meet?
What are you planning to read this month?
Your playing is beautiful, Meredith! I wish I had your talent!
I just got back from vacation yesterday. I was gone for 12 days. Now that I’m back, I feel like I might have bit off more than I can chew! I am doing Nancy Kelley’s August TBR readathon, I want to make my Regency gown for the AGM, and we are starting school soon, and I need to read through my material and make some schedules! (plus, regular every day things like cleaning and cooking!) Wait, I have books for review to read too! Whew! Just thinking about it wears me out!
I just finished Mr. Darcy’s promise and really enjoyed it! Read the Memories books when they first came out and remember loving them! Enjoy your month!
Hi Candy! I hope you had a lovely time on your vacation! Wow! You do have a lot going on this month! Best of luck with getting it all done! Please do share some pics of your Regency gown! Going to the AGM sounds like fun!
It really sounds like returning to piano study has brought you a lot of joy. Thanks for sharing your talents with us.
Curious to hear your thoughts on Memory … I like her plots … but they’re so loooong. A cross country plane ride would be a good time to read those 🙂
Also can’t wait to hear about A convenient marriage. I really like Georgette Heyer, but haven’t read this one yet. I think I’ll read that one along with you.
I’m reading Pirates and Prejudice right now. Elizabeth has just figured out who the dashing Captain Smith is. Glad I listened to you; it’s a fun read.
It has brought me so much joy! With these lessons I feel like I becoming a better teacher for MY students too!
I just finished the first book of the Memory series this afternoon – I must admit the size of each book is daunting… but I did not find the first one to be too long or boring.
I think I’ll be starting he Heyer this weekend – I hope to have my review posted on my AND Georgette Heyer’s birthday next week!
OH YAY! I’m sooooo glad you are enjoying Kara’s great book! Love Captain Smith!
I love the Memory series, but I have liked all of Linda Wells’ books. They are always a great re-read but I am rereading the Pink Carnations 🙂
I’ve enjoyed the first book in the Memory series, Laura! I’m looking forward to reading the rest! It is my first Linda Wells’ Regency. I’ve heard great things about the Pink Carnations series – I hope to read that series too one day! 🙂
I loved hearing you play as well as watching your fingers move. heehee The Rachmaninoff was my favorite. Wow! I know it sounds crazy but I didn’t set any reading goals this summer. I’m trying the winging it approach. I’m not sure it’s working well but I sure have read alot of samples to try and help narrow down what I really want to complete reading. Plus I of course, always read your reviews to help. I also loved the Pink Carnations series. I love Heyer tho’ as well and she’s like a comfortable shoe so easy to slip on…most just make me laugh out loud and there’s never enough of that.
You are so sweet, Suzan. I’m getting less camera shy…soon maybe I’ll let more than my fingers be in the recording! 🙂
I’m sure reading samples help you make decisions on whether or not you want to read or buy a book. I’ve been doing that more to when I get sent review requests. It is no fun reading a book you don’t enjoy! I’m looking forward to reading some Heyer this month for just the reasons you said. I love her comedy!
My grandmother was a piano teacher… and MY piano teacher! I am of the opinion, that she would have preferred you as her student over me. Just lovely playing, my only complaint is it was all too short 🙂
That’s so wonderful that you learned to play piano from your grandmother! What special memories! Haha! I’ll post something complete here soon! Thank you for the kind comment!
Hola Meredith!
You’re such an accomplished lady! Lady Catherine De Bourgh couldn’t say anything bad about your music!. Thanks for sharing your melodies with us, it’s a pleasure. Keep playing the piano!.
Speaking of goals, I love writing and I have a lot of ideas in mind but, when putting them on the paper…well, it’s more difficult than I thought! LOL!, although I believe the most important thing is enjoy with the process.
In your book list I see a Georgette Heyer novel and I have one on my shelf waiting for me to read it but, at the moment, I’m reading “The silver rose” that is the third book of a trilogy by Susan Carroll: I recommend you this trilogy because it has romance, magic and it’ s set in France during the 16th century.
Happy August! 😉
LOL! Teresa! I’m trying to be! I’m sure Lady Catherine would remind me that I need to practice more! (and she would be right!) I think writing is very difficult! Good for you to try it out though – don’t give up! Please feel free to share your work anytime!
Thank you for the recommendation, it sounds interesting! I’ll have to look into it!
Happy August to you!
Way to go, Meredith! I had to stop piano lessons when I finished college and recently bought a (beautiful Kawaii) upright. Playing again shows me just how much technique I’ve lost! Super-excited for you to be playing 2 of my favorite composers (along with Chopin, Saint-saens, and Beethoven!) Bravo to you!
My (long-term) goals are to learn Chopin Piano Concerto No. 1–my piano teacher wanted me to learn it in high school, but then I got distracted by other pieces. But love it SO much! and 2ndly would be to “master” (i.e. be able to passably get through) Emperor (my Dad’s favorite piece).
And how much fun to also be playing JA music! Love the Pride and Prejudice music by Dario Marinelli (and was so excited to see that Jean Yves Thibaudet was the pianist for it!) Keep up the practicing and all your other goals!
Tell me about it, Joanna! I stopped when I graduated college too – and it took months to get back what I lost! So glad to hear you are playing again! And I love Beethoven and Chopin too! Best of luck with your long-term goal, piano concertos are a lot of fun!
Thank you for sharing and for the kind encouragement!!
Beautiful and inspirational! One of my goals has always been to learn to play piano. Perhaps this year I will finally start. My goal for August is pack my oldest son as he leaves for a post high school gap year program abroad. I am a bit emotional and trying hard not to drive him crazy acting like Mrs. Bennet begging him to have compassion on my nerves!!! The last JAFF book I read was Pirates and Prejudice,which I loved! I am currently in between and need to pick my next selection. In the mean time,I have been reading Kathleen Given’s Scottish Highland romance which are a bit fluffy but proving a good distraction.
Thank you, Joy! You are so kind! That’s a wonderful goal! 🙂 Wow, what a great experience for your son! I can only imagine how hard it is to let your son go!
Oh I loved Pirates and Prejudice too! 🙂