Systematic Student [Search results for pretty awesome] 

This awesome interview comes to us courtesy of Bonnie from A Backwards Story. We've already mentioned Bonnie and the sphere of awesome she inhabits — she's really gotten on board with Fairy Tale Fortnight, and on top of posting scads of awesome reviews on her blog during the event, she's also sending some pretty terrific content our way, to share with you.
For today's post, Bonnie sat down to talk with Heather Dixon, author of the debut fairy tale Entwined, based on Misty's childhood favorite, The 12 Dancing Princesses.
(Yay!)

Heather Dixon’s debut novel, Entwined, is a re-telling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The novel is lush and fleshes out the classic tale in a beautiful, descriptive fashion. For a review of Entwined, please visit A Backwards Story or Books From Bleh to Basically Amazing

Heather was kind enough to not only sit down and take the time to answer some questions, but scrounge up some awesome Disney trivia for everyone! Thanks so much, Heather!

1) What were your favorite fairy tales growing up? What drew you to them?
I really loved Disney’s Cinderella, and, of course, The Twelve Dancing Princesses, for the same reason: the visual aspect! I loved watching Cinderella’s rags transform into a beautiful dress, and I loved going through The Twelve Dancing Princesses picture books and seeing all of their dresses, and the sparkling forests. Call me shallow…I like pictures.

2) Was it hard coming up with your own spin on The Twelve Dancing Princesses when you began world-building for Entwined? How did you bring everything together?
The early-early drafts of Entwined were horrendous. It was much closer to the original Grimm fairy tale, took place in the medieval time period, and there was a lot to do with witches and blood magic. But it was so dark; I didn’t enjoy how I felt when I worked on it. It wasn’t until I established the theme of the story—forgiveness between the princesses and their father—that it started to take off. The Victorian time period, with its rules and mourning, was the perfect backdrop. Not to mention the dancing with waltzes and balls, and the courtships! Like magic, everything unfolded after that.

3) What are some of your favorite fairy tale inspired novels and/or authors?
I like all of them, from Ella Enchanted to Beauty! My favorite though is Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt. It is a beautiful story with so much depth.

4) If you could live out any fairy tale, what would it be and why?
Yikes, I don’t know if I’d want to live one out. They’re all kind of Grimm. (Ber-dum ching!) I wouldn’t say no to Sleeping Beauty. She has a pretty cushy life and gets to sleep for 100 years. I could handle that.

5) Will you be writing any more fairy tale novels? Can you tell us anything about your upcoming work?
Right now I don’t have any fairy tales in the novel pipeline, but I can see myself doing a princess comic or picture book, or a long rhyming fairy tale. (A fun one: a retelling of Undine, but with the princess trapped in reflections rather than water.) I’d also love to do a novel of The Nutcracker or Candyland.

6) What’s your favorite Disney rendition of a fairy tale? What makes it so special?
I love all the Disney fairy tales. They do a tremendous job with their adaptations. I feel a real kinship with Disney’s Sleeping Beauty though because of the spectacular art. The beautiful Eyvind Earle backgrounds/art direction and the Tom Oreb character designs are so inspiring. I find it very touching.

And, because I'm a sucker for animation, here are a couple of tasties about Disney's fairy tales:

-Disney's Cinderella is based off of the Charles Perrault version, not the Brother's Grimm (Nearly all the versions of Cinderella I know of have been based off of Perrault's).
[Misty says: That's because Perrault is awesomesauce. Hands down fave.]

-The backgrounds in Disney's Snow White are muted and soft because the artists were unsure people could handle brighter colors in a feature-length film.

-Disney's new movie, Tangled, was originally meant to have a rococo look, but when the project switched direction, the makers chose Disney's Cinderella and Disneyland's Fantasyland (!) as inspiration for their new look.

-Some little-known fairy-tale adaptations Disney has done: The Tin Soldier (from Fantasia 2000) and The Little Match Girl (a short at the beginning of The Little Mermais’s re-release). They've also been working (off and on) with Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen.

-The tall, vertical trees and square bushes in Disney's Sleeping Beauty were based off of medieval tapestries.

-Right now Pixar is working on Brave, a fairy-tale story about a girl archer.

-Disney's Cinderella takes place in the late Victorian era.

Final Update 6:00am Hour DONE!

I MADE IT! All the way! There might have been about 10 minutes around 1:30 when I dozed off a little bit, but I'm not sure. BUT, I did it! And I'm crazy proud of myself! I feel like I did an awesome job with this read-a-thon! I got a lot of books read, and feel very accomplished!

How did you all do?! Link me your completion posts, and I will stop by to tell you how awesome you are!:)

Books I have read:

*Little Bee — Chris Cleave: 68 pgs (finished last few chapters) *The Swan Kingdom — Zoe Marriott: 258 pgs (reread) * Stargirl — Jerry Spinelli: 186 pgs *Glimpse — Carol Lynch Williams: 484 pgs. *The Fairy's Mistake — Gail Carson Levine: 87 pgs. (reread-novella) *The Fairy's Return — Gail Carson Levine: 104 pgs. (reread-novella) *Princess Sonora and the Long Sleep — Gail Carson Levine: 107 pgs. (reread-novella)
*The Summer I Turned Pretty — Jenny Han: 276 pgs.
*The Emerald Atlas — John Stephens: 417 pgs. (ARC)
*The Hero and the Crown — Robin McKinley: 227 pgs. (reread)
*The Princess Test — Gail Carson Levine: 96 pgs (reread-novella)
Total: 11 1/2 books 2310 pgs.

Update 3: 7:00 Hour 13
This is just a quick update to say Ooops! Last update I said I was at 7 1/2, but I wasn't.: ( I was at 6 1/2. But, I just finished The Summer I Turned Pretty so I am now!:)
Oh, and also — My hands are FREEZING! Especially the right hand. My room is cold, since it's a "balmy" 35 degrees here is good ole SouthEast Idaho, so the hand holding my book is a little numb. But fear not! I shall prevail! The cold can't stop me!:)

Update 2: 4:15pm Hour 10 1/4
I'm pretty proud of my progress today! I've been doing great so far, making sure I'm 'on task' and have spent most of my time reading today. I plan to read one more book, and then spend about an hour or so visiting everyone who has stopped by to cheer me on. I'm at 7 1/2 6 1/2 books now, although the 3 last books that I read are more novellas, but I'm okay with that. I'm counting them anyway.:)
I hope all of you are doing well with your reading! Good luck!

Update 1: 12:30pm Hour 6 1/2

I feel like I've been making pretty good progress with the read-a-thon so far, although some part of me thinks that I might be able to do better... But I shouldn't be complaining, because I have already completed two books, and I finished the last bit of a third book. Hopefully, I can keep it up throughout the rest of the day!!

End Point Survey!!

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?
Most daunting for me was probably somewhere around 21 or 22. It didn't help that the book I was reading was dense, and has very small font. Probably not the best choice for the homestretch.:)

2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?

Books written in verse move really quickly, so you feel like you are accomplishing a lot. I was also rather partial to rereads, because you are already familiar with the story, so they generally move quicker.

3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
Still nope... :)
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?

I don't know how to answer this question. And, I'm exhausted. So I won't.:)

5. How many books did you read?
11 1/3

6. What were the names of the books you read?

I listed them all in another post. Here is the link.

7. Which book did you enjoy most?

Most? I don't really know. I enjoyed a lot of them differently. Some were old favorites that I reread, some were new. I don't know that I could pick one!

8. Which did you enjoy least?

I feel guilty saying this, but that book I enjoyed the least was The Hero and the Crown. I feel guilty, because it's one of my favorites. It's a reread for me, and my lack of enjoyment was not the books fault. It's just fairly dense writing (that's McKinley for ya) and the font in my copy is tiny, and I started it at one o'clock in the morning. Let me tell you — When you've been reading for 19 hours, dense writing with itty bitty font is probably not the best idea.

9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?

I wasn't a cheerleader this time.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?
Definitely will! I will be a reader for sure, and probably a cheerleader.

Here is my mid-challenge survey! I will most likely also be using this post for the final survey also, but we'll see.:)

1. What are you reading right now?
I just finished reading The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han, and now I'm waiting on Twitter to help me decide what to read next while I fill this out!:)

2. How many books have you read so far?

I have 8 books on my 'read' list. One of those was just finishing the last 70 pages, and three were short novella, but I'm feeling pretty awesome about my progress!

3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?

Most looking forward to? I have no idea! My interests keep shifting, so right now, I'm just interested in making sure I finish!

4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
Not really. I don't work on Saturdays, so I mostly just told people that I was uninterested in being social.
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?

I had a few phone calls, and a friend came over for a second, but I just didn't talk much. All in all, I think my total distraction time is less than 15 minutes, and that includes the few minutes it took me to walk around the corner to go get the mail, and then open my packages! I'm really proud of myself! Normally I get completely sucked into Twitter or something, but I've been really great at keeping focused!
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
Like I mentioned above, mostly I'm surprised at how well I've kept my focus! And, that I'm passing through hours 13 and don't feel like gauging my eyes out yet.:)

7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? Umm... Not really.

8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I think next year I'd like to set up a slightly different area in advance with more sitting options. I don't have a chair in my bedroom right now (no room) and it's the quietest part of the house, with no distractions. I think after everyone goes to be, I might migrate, but I'd like more ready made options. I will also buy a little more food with substance to it.:)

Also, next year, I think I want to sign up to be an official cheerleader. I plan to spend some time cheering later tonight, but I'd like to be able to make it 'official'
9. Are you getting tired yet?
Nope! My tired time was this morning. That first 3 or so hours was a little hard, because I am not a morning person. I'm just hitting my stride!:) I thrive at night, so I imagine I'll be doing great for a while yet! I usually start getting sleeping around 3 or so, and if I can push past that, I'm golden!

10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
I don't really know... I'm still pretty new to this, so, take it for what it's worth. But, it's been working out really well for me to finish a book, write it down as completed and then jump on Twitter and update, or cheer people on for about 5-10 minutes. It gives me a chance to get my mind around the book I just finished, and then swiftly shift for the next one. I doubt I'm the only one to figure this out though!:)

Alright. So, after a lot of counting and recounting and losing my place because people kept talking to me, I finally have the giveaway winners from my Blogfest contests!

This was an incredible experience for me and I'm a little overwhelmed by the response I received. It was incredible! I figured I'd have a lot of entries in my contests, because this was a big event, and a lot of people were involved, but I was not prepared for the 169 people who entered my Vertical Run contest, let alone the 366 who entered my "Wishlist Surprise". It's a little mind-boggling but makes me pretty happy.:)

I also was not expecting the number of new followers from this event! It's almost scary, and a lot humbling, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't make me feel pretty good. I've more than doubled my followers, and that makes me really want to do something extra special for you guys. (Stay tuned, because I'm thinking of a really cool giveaway, just for you!)

Anyway, what you are actually interested in here — who won my giveaways? Well, because this response I received from Blogfest WAY exceeded my expectations, I'm going to exceed yours!:) I decided to pick a second winner for my wishlist surprise giveaway, just because I can.:)

So, for my US giveaway — The winner of Vertical Run is Lisa, who blogs over at Once Upon a Chapter. I'm pretty excited to hear what she thought of the book, as well as anyone else who added it to their tbr this weekend.

For my international (and really super awesome, if I do say so myself) Wishlist giveaway, the two winners are The Book Vixen and Ashley at Book Labyrinth. I'm pretty excited, going through their wishlists and deciding what I'm going to send them and I can't wait to hear from them once they've received their package! If you are interested in what they are going to get, stay tuned. The Book Vixen has already told me she would be including this in a future IMM, and I will include a link to her post once it's live so everyone else can see what she received as well, and if Ashley is interested, I'll do the same for her!

Thanks again to everyone who entered my giveaway. I'm thrilled by the response, I found a TON of really great blogs that I'm now following (and very few are blogs that had followers as a requirement for their giveaway.) It was a great weekend, and I hope you had just as much fun as I have!!

Oh, and just in case you're interested — I've added an astounding number of new books to my TBR shelf. Going through the comments you left me, with the titles of your favorites I saw a lot of great books. I kind of feel that if a book is someone's absolute very favorite (even if it is just for right now...) that it must have some merit. I know that not every book is for everyone, and there are some genre's that I just don't read, I tend to give a book more consideration if I know it's a specific someone's personal favorite. I was thrilled to see some of my favorites and books I just really liked included (Pride and Prejudice, The Book Thief, Harry Potter), and a great childhood favorite (The Girl with the Silver Eyes) that no one seems to know about anymore. I also saw a lot that have been on my TBR for a while that have now been moved up higher (Jane Eyre, Graceling/Fire, finally finishing The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) and many more that I've now added to my TBR pile (Her Fearful Symmetry, The Hand that First Held Mine, Still Alice). Thanks again to everyone who participated in anyway, and I really do hope that everyone else's weekend went just as well as mine!

I don't usually do a Mailbox-eqs post, partly because I don't usually get a ton of stuff, but mostly because I just... don't. But, this last week I got so much awesomeness that I just can't keep it all to myself, so I'm going to share it!:)

I participated in a blogger Secret Santa exchange, and my Secret Santa (Margot from Joyfully Retired) was made of awesome. I got a box which included a really pretty purple journal, a hardback copy of Revolutionby Jennifer Donnelly (in my blog for my review -loved it!) and a book called How to Plant a Tree. Each was individually wrapped, which is always lots of fun. I opened the tree book first, which I admit threw me for a minute, but then I opened the journal, which I included in a list of wants on a Chronicle Book list a few weeks back. I remembered that I had also linked a photographic coffee table volume of trees, with the aside, I seriously love trees. It's amazing how much thought she put into what to get me, and it definitely makes me feel warm and fuzzy. Basically, it was just amazing.:)

Then, as if that wasn't great enough, today I got 7 packages in the mail. In fact, my packages were the only mail that came today. We didn't even get any junk mail! 4 of those contained tour books, which I never bother mentioning, because I figure the reviews are usually up within a few weeks, so whatever, but the other three packages were all mine, and most exciting.

The first was a box from amazon, filled with books I've wanted for a while that I bought to get free shipping for my little brother's Christmas present. (I spent at least 15 dollars more than I would have spent on shipping, but I got new books!:) ) I bought Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdhal, The Thief and The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner, and The Prophet of Yonwood by Jeanne DePrau. Yay for books!

A while ago, Jamie at The Perpetual Page Turner had a birthday giveaway, and I won a journal. I love journals. When I was in high school, I wrote in them all the time. I filled 9 journals in 2 years. I can't promise that anything I said was at all interesting, but I was definitely diligent. I admit that now I seem to like the idea of a journal better than the actuality, but I still can't seem to stop buying/obtaining all these really pretty journals. I got my new journal today, and it's lovely. The pages don't have lines, which is, I admit, a potential problem, but there are really pretty flowers placed throughout the book, so I think I might turn it into something special, rather than the mundane ramblings of a potentially crazy person.;) Also included in that package was an 'Old School Ledger'! How cool is that?! The front has to-do lists with perforated edges, the middle looks like a way to track money, and the back is a lined notebook! I'm totally excited for it, and kind of wish I was cool enough to have something official to use it for.:)

And finally, the package I was the most excited for. Antony John had an awesome giveaway on his blog the other week, and I won!! I received a personalized copy of his novel, Five Flavors of Dumb, which I have wanted to read for a while now. It looks really interesting. And, I also received an ARC copy of Where She Went by Gayle Forman. This book has been eating at me for a while now, I want to read it so bad, so I was ecstatic when I found out I had won. Both books are definitely on my radar, and now they are mine! Mwa hahaha!;)

I'm so incredibly excited about everything that I got this week, I can't even handle it! It's beyond amazing. BooYa!

Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan is narrated alternately by both Nick and Norah.

For the most part, I enjoyed reading this book. It haven't read many books written by two different authors, but I was thrilled by how this book turned out. Both Nick and Norah were great characters, and their voices were incredibly unique. They were very developed as individuals, and I really enjoyed getting their separate interpretations of the night's events.

But, really, I kind of expected them to be strongly individual, because they were written by different authors, so it makes sense that they would sound different. What I thought was even better than Nick and Norah's characterization was the secondary characters, and the story arc. They both remained consistent throughout the whole story, regardless of who was actually narrating. The story didn't feel like it was being told in two different ways, like it often does when you have two people trying to tell the same story. It flowed and moved well, and read like one fluid story with two main characters/narrators. And, the secondary characters were each individual and unique, even when they didn't have a lot of face time.

It was a really fun story, if a little improbable. I had a hard time believing some of the things they went through would actually have happened, but once I got over that, I did enjoy the story. A lot of their silly antics made me chuckle a little to my self, or smile and there is just enough reality in the story to make it (almost) relateable. I enjoyed their reactions, thoughts and emotions, and thought the story had an almost whimsical quality that made it really fun to read. Except-

I probably would have given the story 4 stars (a pretty awesome rating) if it wasn't for the over use of the f-word. I hate that word. However, I understand that it's used fairly regularly by a lot of people. Even though I don't like the word, I understand it's used, and therefore can read/enjoy a story that uses that word. But, when it's written on almost every page, often multiple times per page, I find that I have a difficult time enjoying the story. I don't know anyone who uses any word that often. It's a little bit like it jolts me out of the story every time I read it. I can usually ignore it, but not when it's used that many times. And, I've felt this way before about certain other authors overuse of other words too. The fact that it's the f-word just makes it worse. So, both authors' prolific use of the f-word really got on my nerves. It made it really hard to enjoy the story, because I kept wishing they would use a different word. Seriously, I don't think it's really that hard to find a different (read-better) adjective/adverb/noun/verb than that one. Mix it up a little!

I know this post is a few days late, (been crazy busy) but I wanted to celebrate America's Independence Day with a review of a childhood favorite set during the Revolutionary War, because without that war, and the brave people who fought it, we wouldn't have an Independence Day.

Time Enough for Drums by Ann Rinaldi is the one of three reasons I decided in 8th grade that it was okay to read and enjoy more than murder mysteries. (Robin McKinley is reason one and two but more on that later.) Because this book is one that I credit with vastly expanding my literary horizons, I'm going to tell you that this book is basically amazing. However, I understand and recognize that if I were to read this for the first time now, I imagine my rating would be more along the lines of pretty awesome. Thus, the dual tag.

Time Enough for Drums is enchanting. Jemima, (Jem) our heroine, is a strong, well crafted character. Although she is young, she has strong convictions, intense loyalties and a vast capacity for love and other emotions. When war breaks out between the colonies and the British, Jem knows which side she'll be rooting for. Her and her family and strong patriots who believe in what the colonists Americans are fighting for. Imagine the outrage when headstrong 15 year old Jem is forced to suffer through tutoring sessions with that horrid Tory John Reid. Although John has been a friend of the family for some time, Jem is none too fond of him. He is a strict tutor who demands respect and compliance and tells her what to do. Plus, he's a Tory.

I'll admit, this book is fairly predictable. It isn't terribly hard to figure out some of the major plot points, but in this story, that almost seems irrelevant. It doesn't matter that the storyline flows in a relatively straight and predictable manner, because Jem has such a hard time walking along it and that is where we find the great elements of this novel. There are also enough offshoots and unexpected moments that the story never feels trite or contrived. It is in large part due to those small side routes that we are able to see a true change in Jem from the spoiled and stubborn young 15 year old girl who will abandon her lessons at the drop of a hat (or the whinny of her horse) into a responsible, mature and determined young woman. War changes people. It changes some for the better, while bringing out the worst in others. Jem is one of the strong ones, truly changed for the positive and I consider myself lucky that I was able to watch her grow and learn what it means to be an adult.

Jem finds herself in many tough situations that really challenge her thinking, and force her to evaluate who she is, what she wants from life and what she is willing to sacrifice in order to achieve it. Some of the decisions Jem is forced to make are incredibly hard and have the potential to be seriously detrimental to the people she loves and cares for. These decisions were handled in an honest and realistic manner that made Jemima's character all the more real.

I also believe Rinaldi did a wonderful job contrasting the colonists with the British without turning the British or the British sympathizers into villains or stock characters. They were people too standing up for what they believed in, and trying to act as they found best. Rinaldi is also a master at knowing just how much information to include. She added just enough of the history within the story that I learned something but I never felt overwhelmed by all the details shoved into every single crack and crevice in the story. It always makes for awkward reading when you come away with the feeling that the author just had to show off how much research they did. This tends to bog the book down heavily and really disrupt the flow of the story. There was none of that in this book. Rinaldi transports the reader back in time, allowing us to experience life along with Jemima. There were moments after reading this book (every time) where I halfway expected to walk out of my house into the cobblestone streets in my petticoats and bonnet to fetch fresh fruits from the market. And I was almost always disappointed when I realize I'm a few hundred years late. (And then I remember indoor plumbing and tic-tacs and I'm happy again.)

Time Enough for Drums is a story that I connect with on several levels. I love Jemima's strong patriotism, her desire to do what she believes to be right and her fierce devotion to those she loves. I respect the choices that characters make when they are fighting to preserve what is most dear to them. And yes, there's also that part of my that just loves the happy ending.

One of the most amazing scenes in this book is when Jemima stands at the bottom of the Courthouse steps listening to community members read the Declaration of Independence. Although she doesn't stay for the entire reading (sigh... what a bummer) the emotions of the nameless characters experiencing it with her seep from the pages. You can feel the excitement and the energy is almost tangible. Perhaps it is because our Independence Day just passed, but at this moment, if I were able to visit one day or one event in history, I would choose to attend one of the readings of the Declaration of Independence. It is such an important and decisive moment in American history. It means so much to me personally, but I can't even begin to imagine how much more it meant to the people it was written for. They felt the bonds of tyranny and this document was the first blow to those chains. How powerful would it have been to have listened to those words read for the first time, and truly begun to believe that you could be free.

Although it is not the most complex story I've read about the revolutionary war, nor the most intense, it is one that has stayed with me over the years because of the emotions it invokes. It leaves me with a strong feeling of love and support for my country. (As well as the strong desire to hug my sister and tell her how much I love her.)

In September, I participated in Blogfest, a weekend full of giveaways with blogs from all over. I had (if I may say so) a pretty awesome contest, where I would chose a book from the wishlist of the winners, and mail it to them, all secret like.

One of the winners received her book this week, and posted about it in her IMM this week. You can read it about it on her blog, The Book Vixen. It's a fun post, I hope you check it out, to see what I picked out for her!:)

Millions of custom mugs and funny t-shirts can be found at CafePress for unique gifts!

I received an email a few weeks ago from CafePress asking me if I would be interested in a review/giveaway for my blog. I said yes, because CafePress has all sorts of awesome bookish stuff on their site and it make me really happy. And, if you don't like the pre-selected images, you can just upload your own! I mentioned something about this earlier (in my blog to read it) and now I am *finally* getting to the actual review and giveaway. This post is a little late in coming, but in my defense I've had a really crazy few weeks and things are just now starting to settle down. So, here is what I received from CafePress. Oh, and I feel I need to give myself a disclaimer — my camera is really old and I am a crappy picture taker. So, the quality is not super great, but it's proof that it's mine!:)

I've wanted a wall clock for my room for a while now, and thought that this one would be perfect. What book lover can't relate to the idea of Read, Read, Read, BUY!:) I haven't hung it on the wall yet, but I have it propped against the wall and I can see it from my reading/blogging area, which is what I was going for. And, a definite bonus — the ticking noise isn't very loud at all.

I love magnets. Everyone should have fun magnets. So, I got these two, which you cannot see, hardly at all. But trust me, they are hysterically funny. The one on the left is a picture of Shakespeare and underneath it says "Prose before Hos" and the magnet on the right is a slightly deranged looking lady carrying a large stack of books with the caption "Crazy Book Lady". Love!

The final thing I received is a thermos/water bottle. I've been looking for a good water bottle for a while now, and haven't been able to find one that I like. There is always something about it I don't love. So, I saw this one online and decided that it looked like something I could definitely go for. And, I love it! Seriously. It's metal and designed to keep your liquids at the temperature you put them inside. It says it lasts up to 12 hours. I haven't tried anything hot in it yet, but it definitely keeps water cold! I put ice cubes in it around 11:00am and there were still solid pieced of ice in it at 6:00pm or thereabouts. My only complaint is that it's a little small. It's only 12oz, but I knew the size before I ordered it, so I can't complain about that. Oh, and the caption? "I like big BOOKS and I cannot lie". How can you not love that?! So awesome!!

********GIVEAWAY INFORMATION!!*********


I have $30 in free merchandise for one lucky entrant!! You can chose anything at CafePress and trust me, there is tons of awesomeness to chose from! The giveaway will run from now until March 31st, and I will announce the winner on April 1st. (And I promise I'm not trickin'!)


How do you win? I'm making this one really easy. I want to keep everything in the comments this time. So, leave me a comment with your email address (no email — no entry). You get one entry just for leaving me a comment.


You can get up to 5 additional entries by spreading the word. You can tweet about it, put it in your sidebar, whatever. Just come back and leave me a link in a new comment, letting me know where you mentioned it. (You can tweet it more than once, but if you do, I ask that they not be all right next to each other. The giveaway is open for almost 3 weeks. Spread it out a little.) This can all be done in one comment, OR you can come back and add your additional entries in another comment later. If you do use more than one comment, just be sure to leave your email address each time.


Any questions? Go forth and enter! I hope you all love CafePress as much as I've begun to! I look forward to using their site in the future. Pretty sure that's where I'm going to be getting Christmas and birthday gifts for the next while!:) So, do you want to win some awesome stuff?! I thought so! Comment away!


**EDIT:** I cannot believe I forgot to mention!! This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL! CafePress ships all over the world! So everyone can enter!


Also, MAKE SURE YOU INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL!! If I can't contact you via email, you can't win!

The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher sounded awesome. Set in a dystopic future where there isn't enough water for everyone, and only the truly rich and powerful are even able to obtain pure water, the book sounded like an awesome read. I love dystopian fiction and thought the idea of a world without enough water was plausible enough to truly be scary. However, the reality of the story didn't live up to my expectations.

Don't get me wrong. There was a lot to like about the story. But the most important aspects of the story, the relationships between the characters and how they interact within their world never felt fully realistic, or solid to me.

One day while waiting for the school bus, Vera meets Kai and sees him wasting a few drops of what is obviously fresh water. It's pretty obvious he's from a wealthy family, but he becomes friends with Vera and her brother Will anyway. We are told that they chat at the bus stop nearly every day, and that when possible, they hang out. Then, one day, Kai vanishes and Vera is certain he's been kidnapped. Given that his apartment (which they snuck into) has been ransacked, and the insulin for his diabetes was left behind, they have a pretty solid reason to suspect something sinister. Their narrow escape from the evil guys in suits who enter Kai's apartment was a little too easy, and they make off with the meticulous (although slightly coded) notes of Kai's father, a water driller. Seeing something in the papers, they set out to find Kai.

Although there are some parts of the story that don't really work for me (ahem... Vera and Kai's first kiss. Lamest first kiss ever, which definitely did not fit into the proper flow of the story) but up to this point, I'm willing to believe it. I can definitely understand wanting to find your friend, and could have seen a younger me go off searching. But, once they realize that Kai is not where the only lead they have takes them, Will is ready to go home, but Vera is adamant that they keep searching. And, I didn't buy it. They have very little food or money, their transportation just fell apart, meaning they have no idea how to get home across the scorching desert, let alone keep going, and I really didn't feel like they spent enough time with Kai, even with Vera's kiss, to warrant that extreme of a reaction within Vera.

And then, none of the characters that come later are at all believable. Some are around for such a small amount of time that I seriously wondered why they were included at all. The 'villian' was a rude jerk to whom the author added 'fangs and claws', kind of like little kids who put in those fake vampire teeth and think they are scary. We were supposed to believe he was this hard-core bad nasty, but I just thought he was kind of a jerk. Definitely not someone to inspire too much fear.

I also thought that the pacing of the novel was off. There were no segues, no real transitions. We went from this, to that, to this, to this, and on and on. There was never anything to bridge the distances and I found myself rolling my eyes more times than is good in a novel supposed to instill fear of the future.

Ultimately, I felt no connection to the characters or their predicament. And then, when the ending is revealed, and all is understood I felt a little cheated. It was not explained well enough, and the conflict was resolve far too easily. Without giving away the ending, I'm just going to say that there is no way the main bad guys would have given up so easily.

I really wanted to love this book, but there were just too many things missing. However, I do think this was an enjoyable read. I don't regret it at all, and will probably read any follow ups Stracher releases. (I'm assuming there will be more, because there always are). Stracher has a lot of potential as a writer. The idea here was solid, but the execution needs a little more work.

*Disclaimer: Received through Around the World Tours.

Today's post is a part of the Teen Book Scene Tour for Nickel Plated by Aric Davis. Aric joins us today to share his Top Ten Tattoos!

Not all of my tattoos are something I would get again. Not to say that I regret having them, more that I wish something else were there in place of them. On the other hand, there are some tattoos that I wear that I cannot imagine not having. These are some of them.

10. AmazonEncore logo on my right ring finger.
This is my newest tattoo, done by my friend Johnny Spinoso. I knew as soon as I started writing that if I ever got published, my first publisher’s logo was going in that spot, so it was an easy decision to get it done. I still haven’t told them, how much longer should I wait?

9. “Old School” Sailor Girl with British Flag on my inner right bicep.
This one was done in 1997 by Mario Barth while he was guest spotting at a rival shop in town. I got the tattoo to celebrate my English heritage, and well, girls. The design my tattoo was sourced from was found in the book “Pierced Hearts and True Love”, but the name of the original artist escapes me.

8. Heart on my left bicep.
It might be risky for some people, but I am never going to regret having my wife’s name tattooed on me. Scott Sylvia did the tattoo for me at a convention a few years ago, and added a calla lily, the flower she carried at our wedding. It’s almost too pretty for me to wear.

7. Bird on my right hand.
Pure simplicity. A bird cribbed from the work of Sailor Jerry, carrying a ribbon with my lucky number in it.

6. Mask on my shin.
Jon Clue did this one, it’s really ornate. The tattoo is a stone mask, with huge ears like me. There’s a city in the mouth of the mask, with a river of blood pouring from its lips, and atop the mask is a green snake. The detail is seriously amazing, especially considering I had this done in late 1999, it’s held up really well. This tattoo holds my personal record for the longest I’ve gotten tattooed in one session, ten and a half hours! I’m not ever breaking that one.

5. Shai’ Hulud with mandala and crazy rocks on my right forearm.
My Dune tattoo! I’ve loved these books for a really long time, and the artist who first did this left my forearm a mess. Luckily, my friend Guy Aitchison was able to make this sucker really sing. He also did some rocks and a mandala on the back of my arm. If you’ve seen Guy’s work before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. Guy is quite possibly the most talented tattooist to ever live, being able to wear his work, and call him a friend is a huge honor.

4. Book on my left hand.
My dear friend Shawn Heath did this one for me, and it’s super awesome, but really simple. I told my wife when I was twenty that I wanted a book on my left hand, and a bird on the right. She said fine, but to wait ten years. She didn’t think I really would! The book is different than I first imagined, but it’s better than I imagined, too. It celebrates my love of reading and writing, but hilariously, most people think it’s a bible.

3. Remembrance tattoo on the back of my neck.
The death of my maternal grandparents hit me hard, and I knew that I wanted a tattoo to celebrate them. My friend Johnny Spinoso was again my partner in crime for this one, and he did an awesome job. A banner with my mother’s maiden name in it, a hammer symbolizing a lifetime of building for my grandfather, and a spoon symbolizing the joy my grandmother took in cooking for her loved ones.

2. Infinity symbol on my left ring finger.
My wife and I had these done when we got engaged, mine by Guy Aitchison, hers by Guy’s wife, Michele Wortman. We sat in the same room and all four of us had a really great time. I’m pretty sure it was the first time Guy and Michele had done something like that as a couple, and of course it was a wonderful bonding experience for my wife and me.

1. My daughter’s name.
First name on my right wrist, middle on my left wrist. Just as simple as that, totally beautiful.

Thanks so much for joining us today Aric! Stop by in April for my review of Nickel Plated and be sure to check out the rest of the stops on the tour!

WARNING: I think this review contains some mild spoilers. The main spoilerish thing I give away is something I had mostly figured out from the synopsis, but if you don't like anything to be spoiled, you might want to wait.

Angelfire by Courtney Allison Moulton could have been a great read. I mean, really. The heroine is a (supposedly) normal girl, who fights evil demon reaper things in another dimension, and happens to be the only being on the planet capable of wielding angelfire. How cool is that?! The synopsis of the book sounded good, so I was quite excited to read the book. Every once in a while I like to go for those kick butt heroines who definitely do not need the love interest to save the day. He's just there to look pretty.;) (ahem...) But really. I get a little tired of the supposedly strong female constantly in need of rescue by a conveniently placed attractive male. I get that often people do need help in dangerous situations, but the 'damsel in distress' routine is getting a little old.

So, when I got the chance to read about Ellie, who sounds totally and completely hard core, I was really excited. So, I think you can imagine my disappointment when the first and second time these reapers show up, Ellie freezes/has no idea what to do when (bum ba ba ba!!) Will 'appears' to the rescue. He touches her head, a light flashes and suddenly Ellie just knows she can take this thing. Bam. I was a little bummed, but was willing to go with it, because it's a reincarnation thing, and she's spent the last 17 years thinking she's completely normal. Okay, fine. But, she never really changes. Will always needs to be there in order for Ellie to remember that she not only knows how to walk, but she can also will flaming swords to appear from no where.

Which actually reminds me of my second complaint with the story... While sometimes the writing worked well, others the words and phrases chosen were trite and clichéd. Like Ellie having swords 'appear out of thin air.' That's the only example I wrote down, but it happened frequently. I found myself rolling my eyes a little too often.

But, even with those two complaints I was really enjoying the story, and I was able to overlook them (besides the occasional (esq.) eye roll. I understood that Ellie needed to grow into her abilities. Just because her past lives have been doing this for thousands of years doesn't mean that a 17 year old isn't going to be a little weirded out. So fine. I enjoyed watching Ellie learn about herself too. There were moments when she would learn how to harness a particular power or ability and it was awesome being inside her head, because she was so excited about it.

I also liked that Will wasn't love at first site for Ellie, even though he has been a part of her past lives. She feels a weird tingle of recognition, that she brushes off because she knows she wouldn't have forgotten a boy that hot and that's pretty much it. He talks to her, she thinks he's totally hot, but a little weird and she continues to skirt around him, deciding whether he's nuts or not. It's only later, after she's been around him a bit more and has spent more time getting to know him (again) that she realizes she's in love with him. Which, I was more than okay with. Love at first site just doesn't really work for me...

I did have mixed feeling about Will. He has the potential to be a really great character, and there was a lot I liked about him. I actually liked most things about him, but he has the tendency to play the martyr... A lot, which got old really fast.

I enjoyed Moulton's idea of the Grim dimension, and the reapers that live within, feasting off human souls. Although there were a few flaws, I mostly enjoyed the characters, especially because I watched them grow over the course of the novel, and Moulton left them a lot of room to grow in the later books.

But, and this is THE big but, I didn't like the book, because I disagree strongly with some major parts of Moulton's logic, reasoning, and angelic philosophies... First, there is the idea that the reapers snatch your soul to build the armies of evil. But, I'm a believer in agency and choice, not fate. And, I have a really hard time believing that just because you had the bad luck to be mauled by the soul snatcher that you are now destined to march alongside the devil in a battle against heaven. If we are talking about what sends you to heaven or hell, I'm going to have to go with personal choices every single time. I don't believe that a truly good person who has done all they can to follow what they believe to be right is going to go warring against heaven just because a reaper snatched their soul.

I also really did not like the major reveal at the end of the book. We kind of start to get an idea of who Ellie really is, and why she is actually able to do what she does. But, I don't buy it. At all. I won't tell you why, because that is a major Major spoiler, far bigger than anything I've let slip thus far. But, suffice it say, unless Moulton means something totally different from what happened at the end of the book — I do not like it. And, if you aren't a fan of the deus ex machina endings, you are probably not going to like this one either.

I don't mean to sound harsh in this review, although I have a feeling it's going to come across that way, because for most of the book, I was enjoying myself. I was able to overlook the things that bothered me about the story, and just enjoy it for what it was. It wasn't until the very end of the book that I just really couldn't enjoy it anymore.

This is a book that had a lot of potential, but just didn't manage to do it for me.

* Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.

I cannot possibly talk about books that have impacted me or bring about strong memories without talking about The Babysitter's Club series by Ann M. Martin. There are over a hundred books in the regular series, along with The Babysitter's Club Mysteries, Little Sister, Super Specials, and Special Character Additions. It all started with Kristy's Great Idea. Why not give parents one place where they can find several babysitters all at once?! And voila! That BSC was born. The original characters were Kristy, Mary Anne, Claudia and Stacey. Over time, other characters came and went, including Dawn, Abby, Mallory, Jessi, and Mary Anne's boyfriend, Logan.

Claudia was always my favorite character, probably because she ate junk food all the time and she loved to read. Although, I must say I find it interesting that she read Nancy Drew nonstop, and I didn't pick up a Nancy Drew book until long after my obsession with all things Babysitter's Club ended. I feel like I should have been just in love with Nancy Drew as Claudia. But, I digress.

When I was 9 and 10, we lived just around the corner from the public library, and my mom decided that, because I didn't have to cross any streets, (and because I begged and begged and begged) she would allow me to walk to the library on my own, as long as I promised not to go anywhere else, and to come straight home after getting my books. This is probably one of the few times I didn't try to push my limits, and just accepted the rules my mom gave me. Going to the library was important enough to me that I didn't even try to disobey or take advantage of the privilege. And, being the awesome mom that she is, and understanding just how much I loved needed to read, she also told me that I was allowed to check out as many books as I could carry home, as long as I consistently returned them without losing any, or aquiring late fees. And let me tell you, I definitely took advantage of that!

One of my first experiences on a computer was using my libraries online catalog to find more BSC books to place on hold. When I was 9, I memorized my 17 digit library card number because I entered the information into the computer system so many times. And once, when I forgot my card, I asked the librarian is I could just tell her my card number. I don't think she believed me, until I spouted it off. And she was quite impressed. All the librarians also recognized me by name, face, and choice of books. They'd see me approach the desk, and pull down my stack of 7-12 BSC books before I even got to the front. Pretty impressive for a 9 year old, I'd say.

Given that I was completely obsessed with the babysitter's club. I wanted to start my own club, and even made plans with my best friend to start one when we turned 12, because that's how old my mom said I had to be before I could start babysitting other people's kids. I also used to purchase anything Babysitters Club related in those Scholastic book orders that came through the school. My mom told me once that there would come a day when I wasn't going to want to read these books anymore, and asked if I'd like to save my money. I'm pretty sure I thought she was blasphemous. I almost cried the day I realized she was right. There came a few times over the years when I almost sold the books, or gave them away, but for one reason or another, I always ended up holding onto them, and now I'm incredibly grateful that I did. I'd also like to fill in some of the gaps on my shelf, especially of the earlier books.

I love that the books I've held onto have stories for me, and you can obviously tell which ones were my favorites. For years, even after I no longer loved the books in the same way, they were my go to books (along with Where the Red Fern Grows) anytime I didn't know what to read next. All of them are a little roughed up, but there are some that have very definite wear and tear to them because I read them to pieces. Each of those stories has such powerful memory triggers for me. Like in Stacey's Emergency. Stacey is diabetic, and in one book she ignores the rules, and ends up getting really sick. I think she ends up in the hospital over it. My favorite aunt growing up (we share the same birthday, so she was my favorite.:) ) is also diabetic and I spent weeks after reading that book terrified that something would go wrong.

All of these characters were so alive for me. I sincerely loved them, and always wanted for things to work out for these girls. I can't wait to hear what you all remember about this great group of girls (with one guy). Please, comment away!!

If you would be interested in guest blogging with a Memory Monday idea of your own, please in my blog for more information and fill out the form. I'd love to have you!

About a month ago, I wrote up a post discussing the upcoming Fairy Tale Fortnight event that Misty from The Book Rat and I are hosting. I've been really excited for this event since I signed on with Misty to co-host. But, if you follow me on Twitter, you know that I've been talking about almost nothing else... Why is that you say? Because it seems like every single time I open my email or check my Twitter feed, some new fairy tale awesomeness awaits me!

So, this post has two purposes — to give you a teasingly small glimpse into the greatness that is headed your way in April, so you can experience so of this excitement that has me squealing most unattractively at odd moments and doing strange dance moves up and down the stairs... But, it's also to get YOU involved. If you click on the pretty button, or anytime Fairy Tale Fortnight appears in this post, you will be directed to the initial introductory post, where there is a place to mention your favorite fairy tale, both original and retold, as well as volunteer to guest post. (You know you want to!) We would LOVE to have you involved.

We know that's more than some people can contribute, but we have something else for you!! Below you will find a list of the current authors who have committed to an interview as part of Fairy Tale Fortnight. Misty and I want YOU to tell us what you would most like to hear from these wonderful authors, and we can tailor their interviews to you! Your questions can be general questions directed at each or several of the authors, or you can ask a specific author a specific question.

So, who will be stopping by?! Well, let me tell you!

Elizabeth C. Bunce, author of A Curse Dark as Gold and Starcrossed.

Jessica Day George, author of Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow, Princess of the Midnight Ball, Princess of Glass, and etc.

Donna Jo Napoli, author of many retellings, including Zel, Crazy Jack, Sirena, Spinners, Breath and etc.

Janette Rallison, author of My Fair Godmother, My Unfair Godmother, Just One Wish, etc.

Mette Ivie Harrison, author of Mira, Mirror, and and Princess and the... trilogy, including The Princess and the Hound, The Princess and the Bear, and The Princess and the Snowbird.

Diane Zahler, author of The Thirteenth Princess and A True Princess .

Jaclyn Dolamore, author of Magic Under Glass and Between the Sea and Sky.

So, now that you are just as excited as we are, maybe doing a happy dance of your own, start asking questions!!

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled for more updates! Misty and I are pretty sure there is going to be an Ask the Author 2 sometime soon, because we just can't stop the awesome!:)

Fall for Anything by Courtney Summers is the kind of book I've always loved, but haven't read much of lately — contemporary fiction, with a protagonist full of painful somethings, struggling to add balance back into their world. (How's that for vague?;) )

Eddie is reeling from the suicide of her father, struggling to understand why he could do something like this. His suicide note was vague and Eddie is left needing to know why her father felt the need to end his own life. Her mother hasn't gotten dressed in anything except his bathrobe since he died, let alone remember to go grocery shopping or take care of Eddie, so Beth, her mom's best friend, moves in temporarily to try and help out. But, although she means well, I seriously wanted to slap her. She isn't helpful. Almost everything she says/does makes things harder on Eddie, and increases the weight pressing against her shoulders. Eddie is already in a pretty black place. She doesn't need the judgements of her mom's best friend making things worse.

Her best friend, Milo, wants to help her, but she is keeping part of herself back right now, and she also knows that Milo is keeping something from her about the night her father died, information Eddie feels is necessary for her to begin understanding why her father did what he did.

Then, Eddie meets Cullen. He was a photography student of her father's and they sort of share grief. Eddie is desperate for someone she can relate to, who also feels a gaping loss and needs to know why, so she latches on to Cullen and makes some pretty reckless decisions.

Milo is awesome. He is just a rock solid best friend, trying to be there for Eddie when she needs him while he is also struggling through some changing emotions. He's not sure how to help Eddie, and you can definitely sense the pain he's in, because he doesn't know how to help. Cullen was a strange character, right from the start, and he's one I was never quite sure how I was supposed to feel about. Initially, I liked him because he seemed to be someone for Eddie to share pain with as a way to heal. But then, I honestly believe that Cullen became toxic. Thinking about him now makes me shudder. And yet, he isn't necessarily a bad person, just seriously misguided and maybe a little deranged.

The pain in this book was so real it's palpable. I loved that photography was such an integral part of this story, because, to me, reading this book was like looking at a particularly powerful photograph. It's so real you can almost reach out and touch it, but it's also one of the more distant art forms, because no matter how intimate the shot, the photographer is removed from the subject and only has contact with the lens. I don't know if that makes as much sense to you as it does to me, but I definitely felt like it could not have been done better.

I hadn't read anything by Courtney Summers before picking this up, but I ended up buying a copy of Cracked Up to Be a few days after finishing this one because I was so amazed and wowed by the story. It's a heartbreaking story made powerful by the writing and a couple weeks later, the story still leaves me reeling every time I think about it.

The ending was just as powerful as the rest of the story, and I was left with a feeling of rightness. Not everything was completely resolved and it isn't even a particularly happy ending. But, that's life. Real life doesn't come with wrapping paper and bows for our struggles, so books about pain shouldn't either.

If you haven't read this book yet and you enjoy contemporary YA I think you are seriously missing out. It's raw, emotional and powerful. It's going to make you uncomfortable. It will make you wonder, and it kind of blurs a few lines between right and wrong, but it makes you think and it makes you feel, and I don't know what else you can ask from a book.

*Disclaimer: This book was received through Around the World Tours.

Today our guest is Bonnie! Bonnie has been an amazing addition to Fairy Tale Fortnight! She contacted me, asking how she could be involved and managed to add seven (yes, seven) additional authors to our line-up. Those interviews will be coming up later in the event, and we'll give Bonnie another shout out with each of them, because she's pretty much awesome! In discussion with Bonnie about favorite fairy tales and retellings and Bonnie and I have decided that we are Fairy Tale Soul Twins. So now, I will let Bonnie introduce herself and then get to her awesome post! ~*~
Bonnie Lynn Wagner is currently hard at work on her own fairy tale novel, which she hopes to start querying later this year. She runs A Backwards Story, a book blog that focuses on reviews and design. Reviews for all of the aforementioned novels can be found here, as well as other retellings every day for the duration of Fairy Tale Fortnight. She is a life-long fan of fairy tales and would love nothing more than to wake up one morning and find herself living in one.
When most people think about fairy tales, they envision a magical realm brimming with triumph, valor, and true love. Who doesn’t love reading about the heroes and heroines destined to embark on virtuous quests or struggling to break free from a dangerous curse? There are so many repetitious elements linking such tales together that I’ve come to savor the flip side of the story no one ever thinks twice about. While I love the traditional classics we all grew up with, these days, I’m more interested in the unexpected. I don’t know if there’s an official name for this, but I tend to call the sub-genre “fractured fairy tales.” The current fairy tale novels I most enjoy are ones with unique takes on the stories we all know and love.

HEART’S BLOOD by Juliet Marillier (read my review here)

This was one of the best books I read last year. It’s also become one of my all-time favorite fairy tale renditions because it’s beautiful and well-developed. I think I like this version of Beauty and the Beast even more than the famous Robin McKinley rendition that was a staple in my Favorite Novels Collection for years. Blasphemy, I know, but true. I love the fact that Heart's Blood is grounded in “our” world and entwined with Celtic lore and the arrival of the Normans. This could have actually happened, for the most part. The “beast” wasn’t a human transformed into a frightening creature. No, this time around, he’s an Irish Chieftain who suffered from a terrible palsy (a stroke) as a child, causing him to be partly-paralyzed with lopsided features. He takes the heroine in as a hired scribe when she seeks shelter as a terrified runaway. Even the “curse” is something that could have possibly happened long ago (in some worlds, at least) and has nothing to do with bringing “Beauty” and “Beast” together.

MERMAID by Carolyn Turgeon (read my review)

This is one of my favorite books so far this year. When I saw it at the bookstore a few weeks ago, I was lured in by the unique way the novel retold The Little Mermaid. The point of view flips back and forth from the mermaid to the princess that the prince ultimately marries. I’d never seen a version from the princess’ perspective before and was stunned. On top of that, the descriptions were beautiful, especially while in the mermaid’s realm. I loved the book so much that I quickly purchased Turgeon’s other novels, Godmother and Rain Village (which is loosely based on Thumbelina, another tale seldom re-envisioned). Godmother reminds me a lot of The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey. Both novels deal with the life of a fairy godmother. How often do we think about these women outside of their traditional roles?

GODMOTHER by Carolyn Turgeon (read my review here) and THE FAIRY GODMOTHER by Mercedes Lackey

In Godmother, our heroine falls in love with Cinderella’s prince and is banished to our mortal world, an outcast for depriving her charge of a happily ever after. The novel is one of the darkest fairy tale renditions I’ve read. The way everything comes together really leaves you thinking. I also love the fact that Turgeon wove the true historical account of the Cottingley Fairies into the tale. The Fairy Godmother, on the other hand, is a lot more uplifting. I was enamored with the way Mercedes created The Tradition, which forces people into fairy tale roles at the expense of everything else. Sometimes, the magic goes wrong. If you’re put onto the Cinderella path because you have a stepmother and stepsisters, you might wind up with a prince much younger or older... or he might die before he can marry. If a person doesn’t fulfill his or her happily ever after, there’s a bad build-up of magic that accumulates around them. Our main character is one such person. Rather than give up her magic when her happily ever after doesn't pan out, she chooses to become a fairy godmother and help others. She becomes such a strong person that she breaks from Tradition and creates her own tale.

THE SEVENFOLD SPELL by Tia Nevitt (my review here)

Just this past week, I read this unique self-published e-book. It really challenged the way I think about fairy tales. What compelled me to download this to my nook was that it’s told from the POV of a village girl. We always hear about the heroes/heroines, or even the villains of a fairy tale. How often do we hear about how their happily ever afters effect the rest of the kingdom? This novella takes place in the world of Sleeping Beauty. It’s about a girl and her mother, two spinners whose spinning wheel is taken away. Having lost their sole source of income, the heroine is forced to dip into what little dowry she had. Now, she has no chance of marriage and must look at unsavory methods of work in order to make a living. Her life is completely destroyed by the curse placed on the princess. At the same time, Nevitt introduces a new twist on the original christening ceremony, one where a Sevenfold Spell is created specifically for the newborn princess. When one of the seven fairies is unable to lay down the final part of the spell in order to reduce the curse’s severity, it results in something unexpected that hinders the princess throughout her life.

There will always be an author who is able to look at things we didn’t notice when reading our favorite tales, pull it out, and create something fresh and exciting. I already have two shelves brimming with renditions; this is one of my favorite genres to curl up with. With all the movies and novels coming out in our genre over the next couple of years, I’m optimistic that I’ll soon have new favorites to discover and add to my bookcase.

What about you? What are some of your favorite alternative fairy tales, new and old alike?

Saving Francesca is the second book by Melina Marchetta that I have read, and I must say — I'm reasonably certain that this woman is completely brilliant. The only reason that this book isn't 'Basically Amazing' is because I read Jellicoe Road first. And that book, well... That book simply blew my mind.

Francesca is having a really bad year. She has attended the same all girls school for years, but it is only for girls up to year 10. All of her friends are going to one school, while Francesca has to go to St. Sebastians, which used to be an all-boys school and they think that just because they gave the few girls who now attend their school their own bathroom, that makes them co-ed. If that wasn't bad enough, her mom, who has always been full of life, energy, ambition, and action no longer even gets out of bed. Her dad doesn't know how to handle it and her younger brother is scared, and Francesca is scared too, and depressed. It definitely doesn't help that she doesn't have any friends at this school, and that the few girls she recognizes from her old school are all... weird.

Tara is the loud mouthed feminist demanding equality in everything on campus. Sibhoan was Francesca's best friend in year 7 (I think), but they haven't been friends for a while, and everyone is pretty sure Sibhoan is a bit of a tramp. Justine is nice, but strange. She's a musician, and she plays the accordion. Then, there's Will. She's not quite sure how she feels about him, but he's definitely attractive, even if he can be a bit of a jerk. But, there's definitely a something there. Then, a couple boys in her year, Jimmy and Thomas (Tom) start popping up, and she can't seem to get away from anyone.

This book is awesome. Marchetta really knows how to write a book and give you amazing characters that you are rooting for. What I had previously heard about this book made it sound almost light-hearted. I knew that Francesca was in need of saving, but thought that had more to do with being one of a very few girls in what used to be an all boys school. The blurb on the book wasn't very informative, and really, I picked this one up because I so loved Jellicoe Road and wanted to see if this author was a really great writer, or if Jellicoe Road was just a one time deal. And people, it wasn't. Marchetta is awesome!

The depression was handled very well. Francesca's mom just can't do it anymore. She can't get out of bed, doesn't want to eat and is so completely unlike herself that no one knows what to do. And it really weighs on Francesca and for most of the novel, she is really depressed as well, although she is still functioning, and she puts a brave face on.

Although the story is done wonderfully, what really makes this book shine is the characters. Every single character in this book was well developed. I cannot think of a single stock character. Everyone had their own parts to their story, their personality and their role in Francesca's life, and I loved them all. Although, I am going to admit that even by the end, I wasn't completely won over by Will. He's a good guy, but I'm not yet totally convinced that he's great. Love them or hate them, each of the characters had an their own unique and important part to the story. Some of the characters add to her depression, many of them are doing what they can to lift it, and others don't even notice.

Francesca has been insecure about a lot of things for a while, in large part due to the stifling effects of her former 'best friends'. It was one of the constant points of contention between her and her mother, while her mother was still a powerhouse of whirlwind energy. The new group of friends that Francesca joins up with help pull her out of that insecure place, and I loved watching her grow into her skin, accept herself, and totally rock it. I also loved learning about their previous family dynamic, how close everyone was with each other, even when they fought, and how much Francesca loved and cared for her younger brother. It was hard watching them suffer with their current situation, and struggle to get back to where the used to be. That is something that it took the family a long time to learn. Even if mom does start getting out of bed again, things are never going to be the same as they were before. There is always going to be a difference.
There was one scene, at the end of the novel where everything becomes too much for Francesca, and she 'overloads'. I won't give you details, because this is a critical part of her story, but my heart was racing in my chest and caught in my throat as I waited to see what she would do, and how she would handle herself. Those girls and guys that she spent the beginning of the story at a casual distance to become an extended part of her family. If everyone could have friends like these to support and care for them, and a family that, overall, really is there for them the way that Francesca's family is there for both her and her mom, I think the world would have a lot less problems, and people would be a lot less dysfunctional.
There are really powerful messages of friendship, family, trust and love contained in these pages. I almost don't like the cover of this novel, because it, like the back excerpt, imply a light-hearted read when in reality, this book is so very much more.

Seriously people, do yourselves a favor, and read this book.

I've been rather behind in updating about this story, One Child. If you missed my earlier posts about this book, you can view the first one HERE.

One Child is a thriller set in Afghanistan and NYC. The story itself is an interesting concept, and one that would probably interest me on it's own. But even better, it's released in real time and the characters are interactive. No really. One of the characters, Russell, is a reporter staying on a military base in Afghanistan. And when he writes and records a story (he's a video journalist) we get to watch it! Seriously! There's three of them so far, and I believe at least one more. It's pretty legit.

Other characters have facebook and twitter accounts. You can friend them and interact with them, and they supposedly respond to you. (I haven't actually contacted any of them yet, but if any of you have, let me know what happened!) You can also look up the business websites for many of the companies mentioned in the story. It's like, super cool!

I'm a little bit behind where the story is currently, because there were a few days when I was out of town with no internet access, and a few other days when I did very little on the computer at all. I thought about waiting until I was all caught up, but didn't want to wait. I just had to mention it again, because it's really awesome! Some of these characters, like Halima (the 'one child'...) and her father. They live in a really rough part of Afghanistan (although, isn't it all rough?!) and they are really just trying to survive. Halima's father seems like a great man, desperately trying to do right by his three children, and support them as best he can.

Reading about the lives of these characters with the added experience of social networking is very interesting, and definitely makes the story come alive in ways I didn't imagine. I doubt I would have checked out their social networking sites and blogs etc. if I hadn't been reading as the chapters were released (although, if I knew they were there, I might have checked once or twice, probably at the end) but I think it's really added an extra level to the reading. I also really like that the social networking aspect is believable. Only the people who would probably have a facebook have one (which means the crazy CEO of Carson's company doesn't, although Carson, a recent MIT Grad does.) It makes sense. Logical. I like that.

Really, what I'm trying to say, is that if you haven't heard about this book before, shame... You should have. If you've heard about it, and done nothing? Bigger shame. Fix that now. You can opt in for a free 9 day trial before you buy full access to every day (as well as the really cool video reports!) I definitely recommend looking into this book. Click HERE to check it out!! But hurry, there's only a few days left before the last chapter is released! (Although, then you could buy the actual book, or the ebook all at once...)

If you are reading it, what do you think so far?!

UPDATE:

I just got all the way caught up with the One Child releases, and I don't know if I'm going to be able to wait it out any more. This is getting intense. I'm worried that whatever is going to happen next is not going to be pretty. I'm going to see what happens tomorrow, and if it's more of the same, and I feel tomorrow the way I do today, I'm going to be pulling out my ARC (which is lovely, and signed! (Thanks Jeff!)) and cheating. If you are following the daily releases, don't hate me! And don't worry. I won't spoil anything for you.

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White is one of those books I've been hearing about my whole life, and everyone who has ever read this has loved and told me that I have to read it because it is just so amazing. I read Charlotte's Web as a kid and really enjoyed it, so I fully expected to love this book.

I bought a really nice copy of it on impulse a couple years ago, because I just knew it would be awesome, and pretty copies of awesome books are great, right? I had a feeling it was going to be a while before I would get to it, so when Adam over at Roof Beam Reader started his 2011 TBR Reading Challenge, I thought it would be a great excuse to read this book.

So, I read the book. And, I didn't like it. I mean, it was okay, I guess. I actually really enjoyed the first couple of chapters, when the boy is our main character and the story is told by him and from his perspective. He goes camping in the wilds of Canada with his dad, and stumbles across a nesting pair of Trumpeter Swans, which are big, loud and beautiful. Being a nature and animal enthusiast, he does what he can to observe them and share a little part of their world. He's quiet and doesn't move as he observes the swans, because he doesn't want to alarm them, both because he doesn't want to threaten the home they have created for them and their eggs, but also because swans get downright nasty and you do NOT want to be on the receiving end of their territorial attacks.

And then we get a section from the swans point of view about this strange human boy who has invaded their space. But, it's kind of all right, because he just sits there, quietly, never moving. Just watching. So the swans get used to him. And then, a fox tries to attack the Mrs. and the boy saves her. So, they like the boy and allow him into their world, and when their chicks hatch, he is part of their lives also, at least for a few weeks.

If that was the only time we heard from the swans themselves, I would have been just fine. But it's not. The entire rest of the book becomes narrated by the swans and I didn't like it. They are ridiculous and far too human for me to believe any of it. And their understanding of the world is far too advanced for an animal. Like the son who cannot speak. He goes to school and learns to read and write on a little chalk board that hangs around his next. The teacher, of a first grade classroom, allowed a giant bird, notorious for its mean streak, into a classroom full of small children so it could learn to read, and it does.

And then even more craziness ensues, including the aforementioned swan learning how to play a magnificently beautiful trumpet, that more than makes up for the fact that he cannot 'trumpet' himself. Something has been wrong with his vocal cords since birth. But here's the things guys. I have played a trumpet. I know how they work. I know how hard you have to work to play one. And, if you don't have a working set of lips, you ain't getting any sound out of that thing. And if you can't depress the keys with your fingers, which takes more effort that the feathers on a wing could manage, you are vastly more limited in the notes you are able to play. So I didn't buy it.

I will admit right from the start that I want nothing but contemporary from my contemporary and realistic novels. I do not think there is any room for the abstract or unimaginable when I'm reading a book that I fully expect to be a realistic contemporary. If my book has impossibilities mixed in with it, I'm automatically more inclined to dislike it, and I didn't believe a single thing in this book after the swans took over the narration. And, it doesn't help that the father swan was one of the absolute most annoying characters I have ever read. He's full of ridiculous bluster, rambling pretension, and thoughts of inflated self, while his lady swan was very down to earth, practical and calm.

I feel bad that I didn't like this book, and I recognize there is a good chance I would have liked it a lot more if I had read it as a kid. But, I didn't. I read it now, and I didn't like it. The only thing that would possibly motivate me to read it again would be reading it aloud to my future kids someday.

Oh well. At least my copy is pretty.

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I know I am, but what are you? is a book written by Samantha Bee, currently the Most Senior Correspondent on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I haven't watched a lot of The Daily Show, because I don't really watch much TV, but I've seen a few clips and it always makes me laugh. So, I don't really know how funny Samantha is on TV, but I can tell you that she is hilarious in writing.

This book is a memoir, or more accurately, a collection of personal essays detailing the many adventures of young Samantha. She adopts a frank and droll tone as she discusses the events from her past with an almost resigned acceptance. Her writing is so clear, and her voice so well drafted that there were times I could almost hear her sigh and admit, Yes. That really is what happened. This really is my life.

Although her stories were funny, what really made this book for me was her writing. She has such a strong voice as she writes that I think she could probably make a quiet Thursday evening watching TV into something wildly entertaining. Some of the stories that she told felt a little like that. They were interesting, but told by someone else would probably end up as one of those stories that trail off awkwardly as the teller looks embarrassed and mumbles, Well, you probably just had to be there...

I didn't really know what to expect when I accepted this book. Although I enjoy comedy and humorous writing, there's a pretty thin line between really funny — makes you laugh out loud — and the wow, you really just said that?! I know you are trying to be funny, but maybe you should stop. You all know how those situations go. Someone thinks they are so funny, but no one else seems to agree. I never once felt like Samantha was trying too hard with this book. It was just the perfect blend of an interesting story, good writing, comedic timing, fact, and probably just a little bit of fiction. I don't know how much creative license Samantha Bee used when telling the story of her life, but whatever it is she did, it definitely worked for me.

I laughed out loud reading this book more than I can remember ever laughing before. And, since I read this book on more than one occasion in public, it made for some interesting conversations, and some really awkward looks. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. From the pictures and the reader comments on the dust jacket to the very last line, this is a wonderfully entertaining and amusing book.

I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of The Daily Show, anyone who has ever felt like their life is too weird for words, and everyone who likes to laugh. I can only hope that Samantha Bee will be writing more in the future.

And, stay tuned because the awesome publishers have made copies of this book available to giveaway! More information coming soon!