Music Monday (2): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Welcome to my not-so-weekly weekly feature Music Monday, where I make a short list of music I think fits the book I'm currently reading. This feature is far from weekly because I can't always picture music that would compliment the book that I'm currently reading. However, this week I want to spotlight The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale for a couple of reasons, the first being that I am totally obsessed with this book and I wouldn't dream of missing a chance to post about it, and the second being that the author mentions quite a few songs throughout this book, usually when Delphine, the protagonist is in the process of choreographing. I thought that it would be nice to make a list of a few of the songs that she mentions in the book so that the reader can immerse themselves farther in the story, by way of knowing the songs that are mentioned.

So, without further ado, here is a (very brief) list of some of the songs mentioned in The Ballerinas, for your convenience.

Tristan und Isolde - Richard Wagner. In the book, the part being used isn't mentioned, only that it its an excerpt of Tristan und Isolde, so I chose the prelude to link here.

   

La Boheme - Puccini. This, like the above is mentioned as Delphine is choreographing Tsarina.

These next few are from later in the novel, when Delphine is mapping out her Janis Joplin inspired piece, so the next few are all by - you guessed it - Janis Joplin.

Mercedes Benz

Cry Baby

Piece of my Heart

Little Girl Blue

Maybe

And that's it for this week's Music Monday! Look out for the Ballerinas release on December 7, 2021 and when you do come back and visit this post so you can listen to the music while you read!

First Line Friday (10): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

First Line Friday is a bookish tag hosted over at Abstract Books that is used to showcase your favourite first lines of books.

There really is something to be said about a good first line, and I'm going to be using this tag from now on to showcase my current read's first lines.

For this week's First Line Friday I have the first line from The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

"You start out as potential energy and then you fall.
       

Before Nathalie emailed and offered to take me back, before I killed anyone, I saw variations of the same quotation everywhere: Paris is always a good idea. On mugs, on throw pillows, on Instagram. Always attributed to Audrey Hepburn, always in pink. I couldn’t escape it; everywhere I went, there were those fucking words."

I love this first line, it's a bold attention grabber. 

At the time of writing this I'm only about 13% through this book but so far I am in love with the writing and I can't wait to see how the story develops.

Teaser Tuesday (17): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly meme hosted by MizB of Should be Reading. Anyone can participate in Teaser Tuesdays. Just do the following:
• Grab your read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• Be careful not to include spoilers!
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers.

This week my teasers are coming from The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale.

"English words echoed through my head as I raced down the Rue des Francs-Bourgeois: Lindsay, I'm about to give you everything you ever wanted."

"From afar, the blonde and brunette sitting in the booth sent a shock of adrenaline to my heart. Thirteen years since we’d seen each other;"

Page 24.

Waiting on Wednesday (7): The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

Waiting on Wednesday's is a weekly event hosted by Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating. *It appears that Breaking the Spine hasn't been active since 2016, but I still want to credit them as the creators.

For my 7th Waiting on Wednesday, I want to Spotlight The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale 

Expected publication date: December 7, 2021

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Goodreads Synopsis

Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive in a captivating, voice-driven debut novel about a trio of ballerinas who meet as students at the Paris Opera Ballet School.

Fourteen years ago, Delphine abandoned her prestigious soloist spot at the Paris Opera Ballet for a new life in St. Petersburg––taking with her a secret that could upend the lives of her best friends, fellow dancers Lindsay and Margaux. Now 36 years old, Delphine has returned to her former home and to the legendary Palais Garnier Opera House, to choreograph the ballet that will kickstart the next phase of her career––and, she hopes, finally make things right with her former friends. But Delphine quickly discovers that things have changed while she's been away...and some secrets can't stay buried forever.

Moving between the trio's adolescent years and the present day, The Ballerinas explores the complexities of female friendship, the dark drive towards physical perfection in the name of artistic expression, the double-edged sword of ambition and passion, and the sublimated rage that so many women hold inside––all culminating in a twist you won't see coming, with magnetic characters you won't soon forget.

Why I Can't Wait

The first sentence of the synopsis from Goodreads compares it to Dare Me and Black Swan, and I am a huge fan of both of those, so immediately after reading that, I was intrigued. This book is also classified as adult general fiction, which is different than my usual realm of YA but it's always good to expand your horizons, and I am looking forward to doing just that with this book once it is released