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When Shlemiel went to Warsaw and Zlateh the Goat are both collections of short stories awarded a Newbery Honor in 1969 and 1967 respectively. They were written by Isaac Bashevis Singer, a Jewish author well known for his short stories, who received the 1978 Nobel Prize in Literature.

These two collections included several stories that I really enjoyed and many that I didn't much like. Several stories in each book took place in the city of Chelm and mentioned the 7 City Elders (described by the author as fools). One of the residents of that city is Shlemiel, who appears in several stories and is also, undeniably, a fool. Although I like to think I have a sense of humor, and I enjoy a good taste of the ridiculous every now and again, sometimes, it's just a little too much. The two collections contained just a few too many stories dealing with the utter foolishness of these people for me to truly enjoy the reading. To give a quick example, a short story from Zlateh the Goat entitled The Snow in Chelm begins like this:

Chelm was a village of fools, fools young and old. One night someone spied the moon reflected in a barrel of water. The people of Chelm imagined it had fallen in. They sealed the barrel so that the moon would not escape. When the barrel was opened in the morning and the moon wasn't there, the villagers decided it had been stolen. They sent for the police, and when the thief couldn't be found, the fools of Chelm cried and moaned.

For some, I'm sure these stories would be very enjoyable and amusing tales. However, reading story after story involving more and more absurdities became just a little too much for me. Between the two books, almost half the stories dealt in some way with the preposterous happenings of the residents of Chelm.

However, I generally found the stories that did not mention Shlemiel or the Elders (and people) of Chelm to be very entertaining, and often delightful. I especially enjoyed the stories, Rabbi Leib & the Witch Cunegunde, and Shrewd Todie & Lyzer the Miser and the message of Utzel & His Daughter Poverty from Warsaw. My favorites from Zlateh were the stories Fool's Paradise, and Zlateh the Goat. These stories are all clever and well written, often with a warm moral, subtly teaching the reader ways to improve and become better without beating you over the head with the moral.

For the most part, I enjoyed reading these stories. It's always nice to get a new look at a culture I know very little about. In the foreward to Warsaw, Singer mentions that while each are retold using his own language and ideas, several of the stories within came from legends and stories told by his mother and grandmother. I love the different folk tales from various cultures, so that was fun. I did enjoy reading these short stories, and am glad I picked them up.

Our current guest is Mel U from The Reading Life. Mel has an awesome post for us today about two of Oscar Wilde's fairy tales. I hope you enjoy the reading. I know it did.

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"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." — Albert Einstein
Fairy tales and their cousins the fable and parable are the sources of much wisdom. They evolved in time into the novel and the short story. They have been around probably longer than the written word. They came before Homer and the great Indian Epics. I was very happy to see the announcement for Fairy Tale Fortnight and decided I would do a post on two of my favorite Oscar Wilde fairy tales.

"The Selfish Giant" by Oscar Wilde (5 pages, 1888)

Oscar Wilde (1854 to 1900-Dublin, Ireland) is the author of Portrait of Dorian Gray (1890) read and loved to this day by readers all over the world. I loved it many years ago when I read it for the first time for the many epigrams that seem to defy the conventional too adult world. Like many people, I wished I could come up with remarks like those spoken in The Portrait of Dorian Gray or even to know someone who could. It is also a great study of the corruption and hypocrisy of late Victorian English high society.

Wilde also wrote and published a number of short stories done in the style of a classic fairy tales. Among the more famous is "The Selfish Giant". As the story begins the giant is returning from a long trip and is not happy when he sees the beautiful gardens surrounding his castle have become the play ground for local children.

One day the Giant came back. He had been to visit his friend the Cornish ogre, and had stayed with him for seven years. After the seven years were over he had said all that he had to say, for his conversation was limited, and he determined to return to his own castle. When he arrived he saw the children playing in the garden.
"What are you doing here?" he cried in a very gruff voice, and the children ran away.
"My own garden is my own garden," said the Giant; "any one can understand that, and I will allow nobody to play in it but myself." So he built a high wall all round it, and put up a notice-board.

TRESPASSERS
WILL BE

PROSECUTED

When the spring returns next year there are flowers, and birds and happy scenes in all of the gardens but that of the selfish giant. It is still winter in his garden. Wilde's prose is simple and echoes masterfully the rhythm of simple fairy tales.

'I cannot understand why the Spring is so late in coming,' said the Selfish Giant, as he sat at the window and looked out at his cold white garden; 'I hope there will be a change in the weather.'
But the Spring never came, nor the Summer. The Autumn gave golden fruit to every garden, but to the Giant's garden she gave none. 'He is too selfish,' she said. So it was always Winter there, and the North Wind, and the Hail, and the Frost, and the Snow danced about through the trees.

Here is a simply perfect description of winter:

He did not hate the Winter now, for he knew that it was merely the Spring asleep, and that the flowers were resting.

If you like, The Portrait of Dorian Gray I think you will like this simple story. It is also an easy way to sample Wilde's style. I read it on line here and I enjoyed seeing the original illustrations by Charles Robinson that were published with the story. It appears all of Wilde can be read on line. This story can be read in just a very few minutes and it is well worth your time, I think.

"The Happy Prince" by Oscar Wilde (1888, 7 pages)

As "The Happy Prince" opens we are given a description of a statue that has sort of become the symbol of the town.

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.

"When I was alive and had a human heart," answered the statue, "I did not know what tears were, for I lived in the Palace of Sans — Souci, where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the Great Hall. Round the garden ran a very lofty wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. My courtiers called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead yet I cannot chose but weep.

I read it on line here and I really liked the inclusion of the original pastel illustrations.

Yesterday, I posted my review of Blue by Lou Aronica. Click if you missed the review.

I received the book for review, and was asked to include some information about a contest the Lou is hosting. He's giving 10 writers the chance to be published. All the information I have is below, and it's quoted directly from Lou and the tour coordinator I was working with for the blog tour. However, if you have any questions at all, please let me know! I'd be more than happy to answer any questions to help you with the awesome opportunity!

CONTEST!!!

How often do you hear about something that sounds too good to be true? Well, I am here to offer 10 lucky winners the opportunity of a lifetime.

New York Times bestselling co-author, novelist, and former Publisher of Avon Books and Berkley Books, Lou Aronica has created a unique and exciting offer to anyone that is going to follow his upcoming book tour with Pump Up Your Book. His extensive experience in the publishing and editing fields has given him insight into an industry that continues to grow and change daily. Once again, that insight has led him to offer a contest that is truly special in so many ways. Lou will be accepting story pitches from followers of his blog tour. These story pitches must be for short stories pertaining to the fantasy world of his novel, “Blue.” This contest will allow 10 lucky people the opportunity of a lifetime, the chance to have their story published in an upcoming companion anthology to “Blue.” Lou will hand pick the winners, edit their stories, include them in the anthology and give them a pro-rated share of the royalties. How can you pass up an opportunity like this?

Now for the details:

The pitch should include a synopsis of the proposed story and a sample of the submitting author’s fiction writing. Specify the expected length of the story.

The pitch needs to be submitted by April 16, 2011
Please email your submission to Lou at laronica@fictionstudio.com

All winners will be notified by email by May 27, 2011.

If you have any questions or problems please let me know. Thanks!

We all know that there are myriads of great (and not so great) books that have been turned into movies, plays, animated cartoons, TV shows and etc. etc. etc. I always roll my eyes at people who respond to the question — How did you like that book? With some variation of, "Oh ya, I loved it! The movie was so great!" Gag. Really?! You just said that?! You just smeared the name of literature by telling me a book was great because you liked the movie?! (Ahem...) Well, the other day I shamefacedly realized that I was guilty of this myself. (Insert horrified gasp here) One of my fondest memories of Christmas, most beloved childhood memories and in my top 3 favorite Christmas stories was missing something...

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is one of the most recognized, well known, and cherished Christmas stories in existence. There are numerous versions and adaptations for both children and adults, in animation, live action or produced live on stage. You can find it serious or slightly comical or even as a musical. Some follow the original script closely while others use only a loose interpretation of the story. Whatever versions you've seen, most people are very familiar with the plight of the Cratchit family and Tiny Tim, the cold, miserly heart of Ebenezer Scrooge, and the eerie spirits who visit him during the night of Christmas Eve.

However familiar we are with the story, how many of us have actually read the book? I imagine not very many. It's included on BBC's The Big Read and I wonder how many people include it because of the story rather than the book itself. So, to avoid this horrible reader faux pas, I decided to pick up this favored story and read it for myself. It's a short book, more of a novella than a novel, and I already knew that I loved the story.

I did really enjoy reading this book and I'm glad I can now say that I've actually read it. However, I must admit that I am more in love with the idea of this book than its reality. It's a wonderful story, with a wonderful message and wonderful characters, but I didn't have the same emotional connection to the written story that I do to the various productions I've seen. I know that this is more due to past experiences and the relationship it has to my childhood than anything negative about the book. I loved the book and will definitely reread it in the future, but it's just not the same as watching Scrooge, the Musical or The Muppets.

The book places more emphasis on the characters and the realizations they make than just the story of Scrooge. Most movie or live productions emphasize Scrooge's discovery of the Christmas Spirit, and becoming a more generous person. I love that, and it is a very important part of the story. However, I love that reading the book offers more insight into why Scrooge became the way he did and the relationships he had with those around him.

It is a great story to invite the Christmas spirit and remember the true meaning of Christmas, but it is also a cautionary tale. Be careful the emphasis you place on money and things. It is usually more important to focus on the people in your lives than the things in your life and this story, no matter how you experience it is a great reminder of that.

Photos courtesy of Gary Benson, a scenic designer. For more images and more information, you can find him on Webshots here and he also blogs at Bascombe Mania. If you are interested in his photography, please contact him through one of the links provided.

Pirate Treasure and The Lost City of Atlantis are the first two books in the middle grade adventure series, The Traveling Trunk Adventures written by Benjamin Flinders.

In the first book, Pirate Treasure, Ethan and Dallin's father brings them a gift; an old looking chest, said to have previously been owned by pirates. Although confused at first (because pirate chests don't really fit in with their awesome jungle themed bedroom, complete with vines) they open the chest and start to play around a little. When they jump in the chest and close the lid to hide from their little sister, they are amazed, and more than a little scared to open the lid and realize they are no longer in their bedroom, but in what looks like the cabin of a ship.

After their adventures in the first book aboard a real life 18th century pirate ship, the boys manage to unlock the mysteries of the chest and return home. A short time later, they return to the chest and find themselves in the City of Atlantis, listening to men preach in the streets that the city is doomed and will fall any day unless drastic changes are made.

While reading these two books, there were a few moments when I just had to roll my eyes at the unlikeliness of their situations. I found that the adults in these stories were just a little too dumb to be believable and people in both books were a little too willing to help these brothers out. They patiently explained unfamiliar words and phrases, and accepted whatever the boys told them as explanation.

However, these books are designed to be read and enjoyed by young middle grade readers, and I think they were written perfectly for that age group. They are quick reads with eye catching illustrations, and the language is on level with what kids that age would understand and enjoy.

I wasn't exactly sure how I felt about these books immediately after finishing, until I thought about how much I would have loved these books as a kid. I was fascinated by history, and loved the idea of kids being able to go back in time to live through, and maybe alter, history. In 5th grade, when I just knew I was going to be a writer someday, I wrote a little mini-series of (awful) time travel stories and this brought all those memories back.

I would definitely recommend this series to younger kids, whether they are interested in history, like the idea of traveling through time, or just like the idea of an adventure. They might not switch between adults and children as smoothly as other MG books I've come across, but they are perfect for children and would easily be enjoyed by many MG readers, boys and girls alike.

Each book also contains a little bit of historical fact at the end of the chapter. Pirate Treasure includes a pirate glossary. How cool is that?! With this book, on International Talk Like a Pirate Day (Sept. 19) you can totally sound legit!!

*Disclaimer: I received these books from the publisher in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

This is my review, and BTW, I'm totally going to spoil the ending... You have been warned.

Liam the Leprechaun by Charles A. Wilkinson is a short book, only 46 pages, with pictures placed throughout. I accepted this book for review because it looked like a fun, cute story that I could sit down and read with my nephews (ages barely 3 and almost 5) who already love books. (Yay! Big smile). When I received the book, I was excited, but quickly realized my nephews probably wouldn't enjoy the story. There are full pages of text with only a few pictures placed in between (7 pictures total). I was a little disappointed it wasn't going to work to read with the boys, but excited to read it nonetheless because I'm not too old to admit that I still like a good picture book.

But, I didn't really like it. I feel bad saying that, because most of the story was fun. It's a little bit wordy and repetitive, but overall, that wasn't too much of a problem. I think the writing is on the level of those I-Can-Read-Books, designed for kids who are just beginning to read on their own. So, the writing wasn't a problem for me, but the story itself, was.

I enjoyed the beginning of the book. Liam was a sweet little guy, who desperately wanted to fit in with the rest of the leprechauns. But his problem? He's short... Even for a leprechaun and no one notices him. Watching Liam attempt to find his place within the leprechaun society was endearing and he finally decides to seek out the wise, almost mystical O'Hoolihan to figure out what he can do to make a place for himself.

He takes 'Hooley's' advice, and begins to see an improvement. He's given a job finding lost things that are too small for normal sized leprechauns to see. I thought this was a great solution to his problem and was excited for the resolution, where Liam is so happy to be himself, because no one can contribute what he can and all that great stuff. But, that didn't happen.

Liam helps the department he works for find the missing emerald of Mzzzzzz. GloccaMoora McShaughnessy, daughter of the local judge, and a dumpy, screaming harpy/feminist. I'm not making this up. In two pages, she's described as having a rusty voice, screaming eyes, a voice like a worse than a Banshee, a terror, beady eyes and more. And on and on and on. But wait! Liam finds her missing emerald. Moora's daddy, the judge decides to reward him for ending the horridness that is Moora displeased, and has Moora give him a gold coin. And then, MAGIC!

Liam magically grows 8 inches taller, and Moora drops 20 lbs, and with another coin — 8 more inches and 20 more lbs. Somehow, this also makes her less shrewish and she becomes all sugary sweetness, and she and Liam are able to live happily ever after (or so it implies). So what lesson can we take from this people? No matter how useful you are, who you are isn't good enough if you don't fit the 'norm' and women who believe that men trying to put them in their "place" because we are "only a lass" and try to develop a "sense of themselves" as women are going to be labeled 'banshee' link or something otherwise horribly degrading and will never be able to find a husband, so you'd better get nice fast. (quoted from pg. 27)

I'm sure I'm reading more into their 'transformation' than was meant, but seriously. What else are you supposed to think?! It annoyed me that a book meant to teach you about accepting yourself and trusting in your heart instead teaches that you can't truly be great until you have changed who you are.

There will be people who enjoy this book, who really like and appreciate it, I'm sure, but I'm not one of them. I'll look for my moralistic stories in Stephen Cosgrove's Serendipity books (a favorite from childhood).

*Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

Although I've loved most of my experiences with Newbery novels, reading too many of them close together can make them all start to blend together. Because so many of them are a coming of age story, focusing on a young or boy learning to deal with whatever hardships life has dealt them, some of the details begin to merge together creating a giant Newbery read instead of the individual books.

Although some stories have a tendencies to run together, there are some which are a such a w original idea, completely unique unto themselves that they demand that you remember them individually. When You Reach Me by Re Stead is one such story.

This book is brilliant. I might repeat that again, because I can't think of a better word to describe the story (unless I'm just going to stick with basically amazing.) I can't imagine the flow charts, timelines and diagrams Stead must have used to create this book. Everything within the story is connected, but nothing feels contrived. Too many times in stories where plot lines overlap and characters connect in unexpected ways, the coincidences become too much and too unrealistic for the necessary suspension of disbelief, and it lessens the enjoyment of the story, because I can't believe any of that would actually happen. When You Reach Me offers no such feeling. It is simply an 11 year old girl trying to come to terms with a life changing experience.

Miranda (Mira) is our main character and her voice is strong. Throughout the book, Mira is struggling to determine her place in a world that is suddenly different from what she had always known her world to be. Her best (and only) friend no longer wants anything to do with her, there is a 'crazy-shaped person' living on their corner who sleeps with his head under the mailbox, and (the most disconcerting and unsettling of all) she begins finding letters within her things, asking for assistance from an unknown, unnamed source who seems to know things before they happen. Mira's mind is practical and she finds it very difficult to accept many of these new changes. I love that we are able to watch and listen as Miranda's mind broadens as she learns to accept the changes within her life.

One of the complaints I had with this book the first time I read it was the desire to know more about some of the periphery characters. While that is still true to a degree, after the second read through I decided Stead's way was better, especially with Marcus. I believe Marcus is one of my new favorite literary characters. He is just so individual and he lives by such a different set of rules without ever really acknowledging that his way is any different, any more right or wrong, than anyone else's. Although I would love to know more about Marcus and the other great characters in Stead's novel, it is a selfish desire to know everything about everything, not something her novel is actually missing.

I refuse to go into too many details here, because this is one book that it would be a shame to spoil. Knowing too much about this book the first time you read it ruins some of its magic. There is so much depth to this story, so much wonder and it is definitely one you must discover on your own. I believe that the brilliance of this story comes from its simple comp ties. Those are what make it such a magnificent first time read, but allows you to enjoy the story more each time you read it. The story is simple enough to appeal to the younger audience it was written for while also being complex enough to not only appeal to s and the older children, but also complex enough to withstand multiple readings. I re-read this book just the other day, about two months after my first read through, and I found myself noticing much that I missed the first time through, and enjoying it just that much more.

This book was nothing short of fantastic and managed to hit upon the perfect degree of interest. It left me wanting more of the story and more of the characters, but what I was given filled all the empty places. It was everything it needed to be.

I'm ducking my head in shame as I say this but... I liked the movie more than the book. And the movie wasn't even all the great (although I did enjoy it). And they changed a lot. But, I know why I preferred the movie, and I'll include that in my review.

What story am I talking about you ask? The Invisible by Mats Wahl. I'll talk about the book first...

The story itself had a lot of potential. The book starts with Hilmer going to class. It doesn't take him long to realize that no one seems able to see him. Then, a police officer comes into the classroom to announce that Hilmer has disappeared, and anyone with information should come forward. Hilmer is confused and concerned. He decides to follow the officer to determine anything he can about what is going on. He panics as he realizes that he can't remember anything from the day he disappeared. After that, other than a few disjointed, awkward paragraphs, we are no longer listening to Hilmer, and are instead following the police officer, Detective Fors, and it's his thoughts we hear.

Once we switch narrators, the book loses whatever momentum and appeal it had. There is absolutely no sense of urgency to the story. Everything meanders calmly from one place to another. This tempo is fine in certain stories, and at times, it can actually enhance the reading experience. But no one wants to read a meandering story about a boy who has disappeared and it is assumed that someone made him disappear. Every interview was the same — You are looking for the boy? — Yes, do you know anything? — No, can't say that I do. — Let me know if you think of anything. — Ok. — (SHORT TIME LATER, same person) You knew about this--seriously important piece of information--before?! — Umm, Yes... — Why didn't you tell me?! — I didn't know if it was important, and I didn't want to bring it up... It could cause unnecessary trouble, ya know? Don't make a big deal about it... It could be nothing. Wouldn't want to cause concern now and make the tourists think we were a bad sort, ya know?

None of the townspeople seem to care about this missing boy. Other than Fors, none of the police officers seemed overly concerned about it either, which is shocking because they suspect that someone killed him. It took forever for them to get the dog out to track the scent, and they made a big deal about sending anyone else out there to help. It just seemed ridiculous and bla. No one wants to read how unconcerned a town is when a local boy shows up missing, especially when all the information they have makes it pretty clear that it is very unlikely he would have chosen to leave on his own.

The book was dull, unimaginative and mostly a waste of time. It was originally written in Swedish, and some of the pacing problems I noticed could have come from the translation, but I'll never know and it just wasn't a great read. It wasn't horrible, there just isn't much to recommend the book. It's a great idea, with great potential but the book did nothing with either. This is probably the only time I will say this, but do yourself a favor and just watch the movie instead... (Lightning is now going to strike me down in my hypocracy, but seriously... It's worth it this time...)

I know that this is going to make me sounds ethnocentric, but I liked the movie better because they made it more American, and more something that I could relate to. The movie also focuses more on the missing boy, and we follow him as he desperately tries to figure out what happened to him, where his body is, why no one can see him, and what he could possibly do to save himself. They changed the actual motivation behind the attack as well as the reaction of his assailant, and they fixed the pacing problems. We actually care about Nick as a person (they changed his name.) and not just as Detective Fors' current assignment. Nick still can't remember what happens and is really confused. At first, he thinks he is dead and it takes him a little while to realize that he is still alive, somewhere. The scene with the bird when Nick realizes his body is still alive is one of my most favorites.

The movie really is quite a bit different from the book, but I can't help but think that each change is an improvement. I know I just committed like, the cardinal sin of being a reader/book lover, but I had a really hard time relating and being drawn into the book, but the movie was quite good, rather suspenseful and definitely kept my attention the whole time.

Have any of you read the book or seen the movie? Or both? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this! (And please, don't hate me! I always prefer the book to the movie. I'm allowed this one time, right?!)

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner is the first book of The Queen's Theif series. In this book, we meet Gen, short for Eugenides, named for the God Eugenides, the patron God of theives. When we meet him, Gen has been locked in the King's prison for an unknown length of time, although it's clear he's been there a while. We don't know much about Gen, and he doesn't bother to tell anyone too much about himself beyond the boast that is responsible for his current predicament; "I can steal anything".
He is taken from the prison by a man close to the King, and told that he is going to help him as a theif, or... else (cue omnious music). With no other choices, Gen leave the King's City with a small group of travelers on a journey with an as yet undisclosed destination. We know what Gen knows, which is simply that his expertise as a theif will be required.
The book is narrated by Gen, and we learn about him as the novel progresses. I loved his internal dialouge, and the way he speaks and interacts with the people taking him on the quest. Although he's a theif, just 'realeased' from prison, Gen has a strong moral compass, and seems very genuine, and very sincere. It is clear from the beginning that there is more to Gen than meets the eye, but very little information is given to us. Most of it we are left to wonder about, puzzle over, and wait until Gen sees fit to let people know more about him.
The book is very well written. We are given enough information throughout the story that I never felt frustrated by what I didn't know. I knew enough to be comfortable with the story, and I trusted that everything would be clear in due time. This is not one of those series that leaves you guessing about important details and facts for two or three books at a time. I thought Turner handled it brilliantly.
The characters are also fairly vibrant, even the supporting characters. But, my favorite part of the book was learning about their myths and legends. There are several occasions, as Gen's group is traveling where they sit beside the fire and tell legends and stories of the God's and the creation of the world. I've always been fascinated by mythology, and I loved Turner's versions of those myths. Most were similar to the Greek legends, and it's clear that Turner borrowed from them, but the myths do not feel stolen. They feel created. I could easily believe that these were genuine legends believed and honored by people thousands of years old.
I'm anxious to read the next books in the series. Not because I'm desperate to know what happens next because the author left us with a huge cliffhanger, because there isn't one. The Thief could easily be a story all it's own. This storyline is finished and although it is clear there is more to life for these characters than that which we have seen, this story is finished, and could easily be read on it's own and then left. But, I'm eager to read the remaining books in the series because the writing was beautiful, the characters engaging and the world is a treat to be in. I'd definitely recommend picking up this book. It's probably right close to the border between MG and YA, so it's just fine for younger readers, but there's enough to the story that older teens and even adults can enjoy it too.

There are so many books in the Once Upon a Time series and it's been so long since I've read many of them, that I just wanted to take a minute to give you a brief paragraph or so of my thoughts on each of the books in the series I consider my favorites. I'm going to give you a few tidbits here and there of parts of these stories that really stood out to me.

I've made no secret of the fact that The Twelve Dancing Princesses is my favorite of all fairy tales. It has been since I was a little girl. So, I was especially excited to read Suzanne Weyn's retelling, The Night Dance. I love that this retelling ties in Arthurian Legends with the tale of the 12 princesses. That connection really made the story stand out to me and gave it much more strength that it would otherwise have had.

I watched a stage production of Motzart's opera The Magic Flute, and it was stunning. I loved the music, the story and the costumes were beyond beautiful. (This link here will show you the costume design for the show I saw.) The retelling, Sunlight and Shadow by Cameron Dokey was beautiful. It is faithful to the spirit of the original while still bringing it's own pieces to the story. It is a retelling that honors the original while still adding much that is new.

I had never read a novelized version of The Frog Prince before I read Suzanne Weyn's Water Song. I was initially a little bit worried, because how are you supposed to build a romance between a girl and a frog and make me believe their story. Weyn's decision to have our 'frog' be an injured American soldier (during WWI) who feels more at home on water than on land (he grew up in the Bayou) was brilliant.

Cameron Dokey's version of Sleeping Beauty, Beauty Sleep is one of my favorites because I love Princess Aurore. She's a strong character who doesn't let her circumstances get the better of her. Unable to do traditionally princessy things, because they all require needles, she instead becomes very close to the people of her kingdom, and is willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to protect them. She is one of the strongest internal female leads in the series and I love her. The magic in this one, and the way the curse functions also fascinates me.

Tracy Lynn's only addition to the series, Snow (Snow White) is one of my favorites because it is completely unlike any other retelling of any fairy tale I've read. Rather than obsessively checking her magic mirror, the evil queen here is a bit of a mad, evil scientist. She is so desperate for eternal youth and beauty, and the ability to thwart or overcome death that she performs unnatural experiments on people and animals, searching for the answer and the path it puts her on is very nearly deadly for our heroine.

Cameron Dokey's version of Rapunzel is also a favorite because of it's uniqueness, and because it makes the witch a slightly more sympathetic character. In Golden, after the witch catches them in her garden, she makes the wife promise to give up her child if she cannot love her at first site. Recklessly the beautiful woman agrees and when she gives birth, she cannot find it in her heart to love her bald child. And so, the witch takes her, names her Rapunzel and loves and raises her with all the love she has to give. It isn't until nearer to the end of the story when we meet the character traditionally known as Rapunzel, locked in the tower with beautiful golden hair and the combining of these two lives is magical.

So there you have it. The books in the series that, as of right now, I claim as my favorites. There were many more I could have listed, many more I could have shared short snippets of why I loved them, but I don't want to overwhelm you, and it's not much of a favorites list if I include every title! I did include a list of books below that were almost, but not quite favorite enough to be included on this list. Have you read any of the Once Upon a Time series? Which books are your favorites?

Honorable mentions: Midnight Pearls (The Little Mermaid); Winter's Child (The Snow Queen); The World Above (Jack and the Beanstalk); The Storyteller's Daughter (The Arabian Nights tales); and Wild Orchid (Mulan)

It's one lovely fairy tale day down and thirteen glorious days to go! To kick off our second day of Fairy Tale Fortnight, we've got a fantastic guest post from the ever-lovely Zoë Marriott!
Take it away, Zoë! ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Why are some writers drawn back to fairytales again and again, even when they also write original fantasies and books in other genres, like Shannon Hale (The Goose Girl, The Book of a Thousand Days, Rapunzel's Revenge) ? Why do some writers love a particular fairytale so much that they retell it more than once from different perspectives, like Robin McKinley (Beauty, The Rose Daughter, Sunshine) ? Why are writers able to pull a fairytale to pieces, take the bits they like, discard the rest, put everything back in an entirely different order, and still call it a retelling, like Jackson Pearce (Sisters Red, Sweetly) ?

It's because fairytales are more than just the stereotypical trappings that first spring to mind when we think about them. More than the carriages and ball-gowns, the beautiful princesses, handsome woodcutters and wicked stepmothers. More than just spells, enchanted castles, fairy godmothers and happily ever after.

Fairytales have a magical quality that is entirely separate from the magic that goes on within them. They have been passed down from mother to daughter, father to son, for hundreds of years. Like a stone staircase burnished and worn by the passage of a thousand feet, fairytales offer us a familiar path which we instinctively follow — and yet, unlike a stone steps, they may take us to a different destination every time we travel them. Each successive generation has retold these stories in their own way, often pulling and warping them out of all recognition. A modern-day girl who reads the original story of Sleeping Beauty (which you can find in Italo Calvino and George Martin's Italian Folktales) would be shocked, disgusted and disbelieving to realise exactly what Prince Charming did to the sleeping princess (I know I was!).

But instead of wiping that sickening story from our oral traditions and our imagination as our societal mores and our moral standards have changed, we have brought it with us, retelling it again and again until it has become a story symbolising the strength of true love and patience and the triumph of good over evil. We can't leave fairytales behind us. Something within them is stronger than the outer trappings. Something — some universal truth — always goes on.

When I was a little girl my big sister and I fought like cats in a sack, and barely a day went by without our house being shaken by screams and complaints. One day when I was seven or eight, our mother sent us both out of the house with instructions to go to the library — TOGETHER! — and for heaven’s sake, STOP ARGUING. In tense silence, we walked the short distance to the shabby little building and went in. My sister abandoned me to browse the adult shelves. I poked around in the children’s section, and then, without much hope, looked in the Cancelled Box (where the librarians put books for sale). There I discovered a very special book. It was a large, hardback picture book, a bit peeling and worn on the outside, titled The Wild Swans. Within, children played in a fairytale castle. A wicked enchantress cast a spell. Horses tossed their manes, leopards and hawks hunted across the pages. A little girl became a beautiful woman, and wandered through a deep dark forest.

It was magic.

I would have done anything to have that book for my own – but I didn’t have any money with me or any pocket money saved up and I knew that by the time I came back, the book would be gone. It was too magical for the Cancelled Box. On the point of tears, I was about to put The Wild Swans back, when it was plucked away by a familiar hand. “I’ll buy you that,” my sister said coolly. I still don't know if she realises how, in that moment of casual kindness, she completely changed my life.

Seventeen years later, my version of the fairytale The Wild Swans was published under the title The Swan Kingdom . In my own mind, I acknowledge that very little from that beloved picture book actually made it into The Swan Kingdom unaltered. But I've read reviews which claim the story follows the original fairytale too closely and therefore lacks originality and suspense. I've also read reviews that say The Swan Kingdom is nothing like the original fairytale and that the changes I made destroy the story! The lesson I learned from these contradictory review is this: the universal truth within a fairytale is different for each person who reads it.

When I wrote The Swan Kingdom I kept all the elements which I felt were truly important to the
original story. I kept the quiet, valiant strength of the little sister, the idea of the brothers turned into swans, the painful task required to free them. I kept the idea that the heroine would be persecuted for actions which some people felt were 'witchcraft'. I kept the wicked stepmother, and I kept the handsome prince from a different kingdom with whom the heroine falls in love. Those formed the skeleton of the fairytale within my mind. But for others, my important points are not important at all. They’ve found different points of reference within the story, different ways of navigating through the landscape of fairytales. The fairytale is different for them. In their heads, it was already retold before I ever came along.

In July my second fairytale retelling will be published, and this time I've made life even more difficult for myself by picking a very well known story — that of Cinderella. The book is set in my magical version of Japan, and it's this which has most people excited about it. But the real heart of the story is the universal truth which I saw behind the trappings of the Disney Cinderella we've all grown up with. The truth that no girl, no real, human girl with a beating heart, could possibly be as spineless, as obedient, as perfect, as Cinderella pretends to be. Her perfection must be hiding something. Passion. Hatred. Intelligence. Fear. And a desperate desire for revenge.

I know that many people will be recoil from reading about a Cinderella who isn't beautiful, who isn't the slightest bit sweet or perfect, and who couldn't care less about putting on a pretty dress and dancing with the prince. Maybe people will be shocked to read about a Cinderella who lies, steals, cheats and fights her way to revenge for the wrongs done to her. A Cinderella who is broken and scarred — by her own hand. But I hope that others will see their own reality and their own universal truth reflected in my Cinderella's choices, and that in telling the story as I see it, I will allow her story to become part of the greater, timeless fairytale which mothers have been telling their daughters since before my grandmother’s grandmother was born.

That’s why writers can’t leave fairytales alone. Because fairytales ARE magic. Their magic is that of timelessness, of immortality. And by retelling them, we mere humans get a taste of immortality too.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Thanks for stopping by, Zoë!

Zoë is the author of The Swan Kingdom, Daughter of the Flames and the upcoming Shadows on the Moon, which is a retelling of Cinderella, set in Feudal Japan. You can find her online here:
Blog | Goodreads | Twitter | Youtube
Make sure you stop by later today when Ashley and I spread the love with a special Prize Pack from Zoë Marriott!

I have a whole bunch of books I know that I should be reviewing right now, but I'm in one of those moods where I'm just not interested in doing anything that will require that much thought, and I'm tired, which right now translates into I'm not going to write anything nice/worthwhile, and most of the books I have in my review que are books that I really, really enjoyed. I don't want those reviews to be crappy, because these books deserve more than that. I thought about not doing anything for today, but I did that yesterday. I was browsing my bookshelves, and I saw my copy of Walden by Henry David Thoreau. I read Walden (or Walden Pond, depending on your copy) about a year ago and wrote up a short review on goodreads. I've been wanting to read and talk about more than just YA lately, and decided that now was as good a time as any.

So, in my title I ask if I'm in the majority or the minority. Meaning — I want to know if anyone who has read this book actually liked it. I've talked to a lot of people who like Thoreau. And, after conversing with them further, I discovered that all of them (except for one) were lying. At least a little. They had read excerpts of Walden or individual quotations and thought them to be insightful and thought-provoking. I agree. When taken one sentence at a time, after, of course, carefully screening for only those which inspire deep thought and meditation, Thoreau is just fine.

I read most of Civil Disobedience in HS as well as excerpts from Walden and I spent a few years thinking Thoreau was pretty hot stuff (literarily speaking of course...) . So, when I found a pretty faux-leather bound copy of Walden and Other Writings at a used bookstore, I grabbed it, and went home so excited to read it, thinking I was going to be so edified. And then, after I started reading it, I realized I was so bored. Thoreau takes 300+ pages to talk about spending 2ish years in the woods, and with the amount he rambled, I'm thinking 100 to 150 pages would have been better. He told stories that related to nothing. In the middle of a chapter about walking around, he's suddenly start spouting off about this dove/dog/man who were all searching for each other and then... and then... and then... nothing. No resolution. He even itemized how much it cost him to build his little home in the woods. (Or rather, how much it should have cost him, because I swear, everything he took with him was donated by someone else...)

Anyway, I could have gotten past the fact that Thoreau's life was a little dull, because really — he's spending 2 years in the woods with very little human contact, and no amenities. Don't get me wrong — I love the woods. I'm not gonna lie — I'd totally go live in the middle of the woods if I had the chance, although I'd make sure I took electricity and a flushing toilet with me... So, I could have forgiven that, and probably enjoyed this book a lot more if Thoreau didn't come off as so darn pompous and self-righteous. I'm kind of glad I never had to meet this man, because his writing makes him sound like one of the most condescending men I've ever come across. And, living in the woods for 2 years without the luxury of a doormat and then moving back to your original home does not make you qualified to tell me that my luxuries are the beginnings of my downfall into evil. He doesn't exactly say this, but it's pretty close and I definitely felt like Thoreau was talking/looking down on the rest of us. I might take Thoreau and his preachings about the benefits of an entirely simple life if he had always lived by Walden. But he didn't. He went home after a few years. But, he's still better than all the rest of us who invite evil into our lives. Bully for you Thoreau.

I understand that this opinion very possibly makes me sound like an uncultured, uneducated philistine. I mean really, Thoreau is one of the Transcendentalists, right up there with Hawthorne, Whitman, and Emerson. I get that... But, I don't care. I didn't enjoy Walden. It's entirely possible that I was simply in the wrong mood to read this type of literature/philosophy when I gave it a shot, but I don't think so. Because I own the book and doubt I'll be getting rid of it (it's pretty and looks great on my bookshelf) I'll probably give this a try again in a few years, when I'm older and hopefully wiser and all that great stuff. And, if I'm still blogging, I'll be sure and let all of you know about my new opinion, if it changes at all.

But I'm confused by all the 5 star ratings on Goodreads. Many more than I would have expected. The 4 and 5 star reviews strongly outweigh the negative reviews. So I wonder... Is there something that I'm missing? Or has the general population bought into the idea that they have to give the book a higher star rating to prove that they did, in fact, get it, as so many of us lesser people seem to not. Perhaps this paragraph doesn't make as much sense as it should... Although I was quite put off by Thoreau himself and his writing, I can see where the basic ideas of economy and simplicity could really resonate with someone. Perhaps, because I was raised to understand that living within my means and avoiding debt and extravagant lifestyles made this book superfluous to me, so I didn't feel it connect with me, but regardless. Whatever the reason I or you come up with, Walden was not for me.

So, I'll ask you again. Am I in the majority, or the minority on this one? How did YOU feel about Walden and Thoreau's writing in general?

I'm archiving this page as a post to make room for Books Read in 2011!!

*If there is a link, it will take you to my review. If I received the book from another blogger, I will link them after the title. 1. I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil, and I want to be Your Class President - Josh Lieb 2. Ellen Foster- Kaye Gibbons 3. The Red Pony- John Steinbeck 4. Johnny Tremain- Esther Forbes (NB) 5. Rifles for Watie- Harold Keith (NB) 6. Scorpions- Walter Dean Meyers (NBH) 7. Wild Orchid- Cameron Dokey 8. The Winter Child- Cameron Dokey 9. What My Mother Doesn't Know- Sonya Sones 10. What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know- Sonya Sones 11. Punkzilla- Adam Rapp (PH) 12. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes- Chris Crutcher 13. Ransom My Heart- Meg Cabot (Mia T.) 14. Goddess of Yesterday- Caroline B. Cooney 15. That Was Then, This Is Now- S.E. Hinton 16. Book of a Thousand Days- Shannon Hale 17. A Visit to William Blake's Inn- Nancy Willard (NB) 18. Skellig- David Almond (PH) 19. Crazy Jack- Donna Jo Napoli 20. Everything on a Waffle- Polly Horvath (NBH) 21. I am Not Joey Pigza- Jack Gantos 22. Hoot- Carl Hiaasen (NBH) 23. Freaks, Alive on the Inside- Annette Curtis Klause 24. Burned- Ellen Hopkins 25. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks- E. Lockhart (PH) 26. Prom Nights from Hell- Anthology 27. The Girl Who Could Fly- Victoria Forester 28. The Rose and the Beast: Fairy Tales Retold- Francesca Lia Block 29. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom- Margarita Engle (NBH) 30. Jellicoe Road- Melina Marchetta (PA) 31. Rabbit Hill- Robert Lawson (NB) 32. The Dark-Thirty: Southern Tales of the Supernatural- Patricia McKissack (NBH) 33. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian- Sherman Alexie 34. Unwind- Neal Shusterman 35. I Capture the Castle- Dodie Smith 36. Wintergirls - Laurie Halse Anderson 37. The Rumpelstiltskin Problem- Vivian Vande Velde 38. Go Ask Alice - "Anonymous" 39. Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village- Laura Amy Schiltz (NB) 40. A Corner of the Universe- Ann M. Martin (NBH) 41. Gentlehands- M.E. Kerr 42. The Thirteenth Princess- Diane Zahler 43. Hard Love- Ellen Wittlinger (PH) 44. A Certain Slant of Light- Laura Whitcomb 45. Bella at Midnight- Diane Stanley 46. The Lovely Bones- Alice Sebold 47. Chalice- Robin McKinley 48. Because I am Furniture- Thalia Chaltas 49. The Unfinished Angel- Sharon Creech 50. Prom- Laurie Halse Anderson 51. Elijah of Buxton- Christopher Paul Curtis (NBH) 52. The Goose Girl- Shannon Hale 53. Enna Burning- Shannon Hale 54. River Secrets- Shannon Hale 55. Forest Born- Shannon Hale 56. The View from the Cherry Tree- Willo Davis Roberts 57. The Princess and the Bear- Mette Ivie Harrison 58. Night- Elie Wiesel 59. You Don't Know Me- David Klass 60. A Kiss in Time- Alex Finn 61. Palace of Mirrors- Margaret Peterson Haddix 62. Push - Sapphire 63. Calamity Jack- Shannon Hale 64. Hostage- Willo Davis Roberts 65. Going Bovine- Libba Bray (PA) 66. Sold- Patricia McCormick 67. When You Reach Me - Rebecca Stead (NB) 68. Fire: Tales of Elemental Spirits- Robin McKinley and Peter Dickinson 69. Legally Correct Fairy Tales- David Fisher 70. The Castle Corona- Sharon Creech 71. Ugly- Donna Jo Napoli 72. Inside Out - Terry Trueman 73. Scared Stiff- Willo Davis Roberts 74. The Invisible - Mats Wahl 75. Black Pearls- Louise Hawes 76. Violet Eyes- Debbie Viguie 77. One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies- Sonya Sones 78. An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793- Jim Murphy (NBH) 79. When Dad Killed Mom - Julius Lester 80. I Had Seen Castles- Cynthia Rylant 81. Fever, 1793- Laurie Halse Anderson 82. Daughter of the Flames- Zoe Marriott 83. Imaginary Lands- Anthology 84. You Remind Me of You- Eireanne Corrigan 85. PostSecret: Confessions on Life, Death, and God- Frank Warren 86. PostSecret: The Secret Lives of Men and Women- Frank Warren 87. PostSecret: A Lifetime of Secrets- Frank Warren 88. If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't be Hard: and Other Reassuring Truths- Sheri Dew 89. PostSecrets: Extraordinary Confessions from Ordinary Lives- Frank Warren 90. By the Time You Read This, I'll be Dead- Julie Ann Peters 91. The Diamond Secret- Suzanne Weyn 92. Letters from Rifka- Karen Hesse 93. Hitler Youth: Growing up in Hitler's Shadow- Susan Campbell Bartoletti (NBH) 94. The Twits- Roald Dahl 95. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory- Roald Dahl 96. Echo- Francesca Lia Block 97. The Cybil War- Besty Byars 98. Summer of My German Soldier- Bette Greene 99. The Map of True Places - Brunonia Barry (Lori @ TNBBB) 100. Full Tilt- Neal Shusterman 101. The Book - M. Clifford (Lori @ TNBBB) 102. Where the Sidewalk Ends - Shel Silverstein 103. When You Reach Me- Rebecca Stead (NB) 104. Chucaro: Wild Pony of the Pampa- Francis Kalnay (NBH) 105. how i live now - Meg Rosoff (PA) 106. Tenderness - Robert Cormier 107. When Shlemiel Went to Warsaw - Isaac Bashevis Singer (NBH) 108. The Invention of Hugo Cabret - Brian Selznick 109. A Light in the Attic - Shel Silverstein 110. American Born Chinese - Gene Luen Yang (PA) 111. Izzy, Willy-Nilly - Cynthia Voigt 112. Falling Up - Shel Silverstein 113. Zlateh the Goat and other Stories - Isaac Bashevis Singer (NBH) 114. John Lennon: All I Want is the Truth - Elizabeth Partridge (PH) 115. Forget You - Jennifer Echols (Review copy) 116. Zan-Gah: A Prehistoric Adventure - Allan Richard Shickman (Review copy) 117. Zan-Gah and the Beautiful Country - Allan Richard Shickman (Review copy) 118. A Journey into Tomorrow - Veronica Camille Tinto (Review copy) 119. I know I am, but what are You? - Samantha Bee (Review copy) 120. Before I Fall- Lauren Oliver 121. Figgs and Phantoms - Ellen Raskin (NBH) 122. If I Stay - Gayle Forman 123. Tiger Eyes- Judy Blume 124. A Season of Gifts- Richard Peck 125. Maus I: My Father Bleeds History- Art Spiegelman 126. Maus II: And Here My Troubles Began- Art Spiegelman 127. Jonathan Livingston Seagull- Richard Bach 128. The Report Card- Andrew Clements 129. The Tales of Beedle the Bard- J.K. Rowling 130. The Hundred Dresses- Eleanor Estes (NBH) 131. Knee-Knock Rise- Natalie Babbitt (NBH) 132. Coraline- Neil Gaiman 133. The Little Prince- Antoine de Saint Exupery 134. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad 135. The Wonder Book- Amy Krouse Rosenthal (Bri Meets Books) 136. Over Sea, Under Stone- Susan Cooper 137. The Dark is Rising-Susan Cooper (NBH) 138. Greenwitch- Susan Cooper 139. The Grey King- Susan Cooper (NB) 140. Silver on the Tree- Susan Cooper 141. One Child - Jeff Buick (Review copy) 142. Firelight - Sophie Jordan (ARC tour) 143. The Cricket in Times Square- George Seldon (NBH) 144. The Thyssen Affair - Mozelle Richardson (Review copy) 145. Morning is a Long Time Coming- Bette Greene 146. The Duck Song - Bryant Oden (Review copy) 147. Feed- M.T. Anderson 148. A Northern Light- Jenniger Donnelly (PH) 149. The Upstairs Room- Johanna Reiss 150. Ash - Malinda Lo 151. Looking for Alaska - John Green (PA) 152. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins 153. Catching Fire - Suzanne Collins 154. Mockingjay - Suzanne Collins (The Good, the Bad & the Ugly) 155. This Lullaby - Sarah Dessen 156. Just Listen - Sarah Dessen 157. My Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins and Fenway Park- Steve Kluger 158. To Be a Slave- Julius Lester (NBH) 159. The Phantom Tollbooth- Norton Juster 160. A Day No Pigs Would Die- Robert Newton Peck 161. The Voice that Challenged a Nation: Marian Anderson and the Struggle for Equal Rights - Russell Freedman (NBH) 162. The Chocolate War- Robert Cormier 163. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - David Levithan & Rachel Cohn 164. Extraordinary - Nancy Werlin (ARC tour) 165. Crank - Ellen Hopkins 166. Liam the Leprechaun - Charles A. Wilkinson (Review copy) 167. Glass - Ellen Hopkins 168. It's Like this, Cat- Emily Cheney Neville (NB) 169. Miracles on Maple Hill- Virginia Sorenson (NB) 170. Alphabet Woof- Doreen Cronin (Review copy) 171. Pirate Treasure - Benjamin Flinders (Review copy) 172. The Lost City of Atlantis - Benjamin Flinders (Review copy) 173. A Step from Heaven- An Na (PA) 174. The Body of Christopher Creed- Carol Plum-Ucci (PH) 175. The Duff - Kody Keplinger (ARC tour) 176. Hattie Big Sky - Kirby Larson (NBH) 177. Commodore Perry in the Land of the Shogun- Rhoda Blumberg (NBH) 178. Tales from Silver Lands - Charles J. Finger (NB) 179. The Princess and the Snowbird- Mette Ivie Harrison 180. Tangerine- Edward Bloor 181. The Forest of Hands and Teeth - Carrie Ryan 182. Saving Francesca- Melina Marchetta 183. Graceling- Kristin Cashore 184. Hunger - Jackie Morse Kessler 185. Fire- Kristin Cashore 186. The Thief - Megan Whalen Turner (NBH) 187. Little Brother- Cory Doctrow 188. 26 Fairmount Avenue- Tomie DePaola (NBH) 189. Stuck in Neutral- Terry Trueman (PH) 190. The First Part Last- Angela Johnson (PA) 191. Low Red Moon - Ivy Devlin (ARC tour) 192. Fallout - Ellen Hopkins (ARC tour) 193. Carver: A Life in Poems - Marilyn Nelson (NBH) 194. The Great Fire- Jim Murphy (NBH) 195. In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World- Virginia Hamilton (NBH) 196. Fallen - Lauren Kate 197. The Magic Circle- Donna Jo Napoli 198. Flipped- Wendelin Van Draanen 199. Paranormalcy - Kiersten White (ARC tour) 200. Personal Demons - Lisa Desrochers (ARC tour) 201. Losing Faith - Denise Jaden (ARC tour) 202. Mountain Born- Elizabeth Yates (NBH)f 203. When the Stars Go Blue - Caridad Ferrer (ARC tour) 204. The Queen of Attolia - Megan Whalen Turner 205. Being Jamie Baker - Kelly Oram (ARC tour) 206. Torment — Lauren Kate (ARC tour) 207. Hope in Patience — Beth Fehlbaum (ARC tour) 208. You - Charles Benoit (ARC tour) 209. The Replacement — Brenna Yovanoff (ARC tour) 210. Room — Emma Donaghue (ARC tour) 211. I'd know you anywhere — Laura Lippman (ARC tour) 212. The King of Attolia — Megan Whalen Turner 213. Eleanor Roosevelt: A Life of Discovery — Russell Freedman (NBH) 214. Sisters Red — Jackson Pearce (ARC tour) 215. Somewhere in the Darkness — Walter Dean Meyers (NBH) 216. The World Above — Cameron Dokey 217. Love, Inc. - Yvonne Collins & Sandy Rideout (ARC tour) 218. Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath — Stephanie Hemphill (PH) 219. Encyclopedia Brown's Book of Wacky Spies — Donald J. Sobol 220. Star Crossed — Elizabeth C. Bunce (ARC tour) 221. The Trouble with Half a Moon — Danette Vigilante (ARC tour) 222. Lipstick in Afghanistan — Roberta Gatley (Review copy) 223. Hole in my Life — Jack Gantos (PH) 224. The Body Finder — Kimberly Derting 225. Eve's Harvest — Anthology (Odyssey Books) 226. Revolution — Jennifer Donnelly (ARC tour) 227. The Other Side of Dark — Sarah Smith (ARC tour) 228. Angelfire — Courtney Allison Moulton (ARC tour) 229. Tricks — Ellen Hopkins 230. Daughter of Xanadu — Dori Jones Yang (ARC tour) 231. Case Closed? Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science — Susan Hughes (Review copy) 232. Matched — Ally Condie (ARC tour) 233. Fixing Delilah — Sarah Ockler (ARC tour) 234. Girl, Stolen — April Henry (ARC tour) 235. Pegasus — Robin McKinley (ARC tour) 236. Desires of the Dead — Kimberly Derting (ARC tour) 237. A Conspiracy of Kings — Megan Whalen Turner 238. Anna and the French Kiss — Stephanie Perkins (ARC tour) 239. Babe in Boyland — Jody Gehrman (ARC tour) 240. Cloaked — Alex Flinn (ARC tour) 241. Unearthly - Cynthia Hand (ARC tour) 242. Songs for a Teenage Nomad — Kim Culbertson (ARC tour) 243. The Gift of the Magi and Other Stories — O. Henry 244. Where She Went — Gayle Forman (Antony John) 245. Brooklyn Story — Suzanne Corso (review copy) 246. North of Beautiful — Justina Chen Headley 247. The Memory Bank — Carolyn Coman (GR 1st reads) 248. Willow Run — Patricia Reilly Giff 249. America the Beautiful — Sri Chinmoy (review copy/audiobook) 250. The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner — Stephenie Meyer

Would you like to share your memories too?! Just click and fill out the form to be a guest blogger, or just shoot me an email! I'd love to hear what you remember reading!

Because I am feeling rather nostalgic today, being that it is the first of the year and all, I thought I would talk today about the first books I remember having any experience with at all.
When I was little (like, 2) I had a hard time falling asleep at night. I used to get up all the time, ask for drinks, walk around, make noise etc. It didn't take long to really annoy my parents, because I wouldn't stay in bed. Nothing they tried worked, but they knew I loved to look at books, and I loved snuggling with my parents while they read my older sister and I stories.

So, my parents made a deal with me. I could stay up as long as I wanted and 'read' my books, as long as I promised to stay in bed, and be quiet. If I got up, or made noise they would take the books away. So, they left me a stack of books almost as tall as I was next to my bed and let me 'read'. And, for the most part, it worked.

The majority of the stack was made up of books by Stephen Cosgrove in the Serendipity series. They are fairly short picture books with poem like text. There are generally 4-8 lines per page, across from a vividly colored picture. And the last page is always the moral of the story, in the form of a 4 line poem.

I remember reading and loving those books all growing up. My mom would read them to us over and over, and when I got old enough to read on my own, I'd still go back and read them again. They are pretty hard to find now, but I look for copies in used bookstores and thrift shops any time I stop in. I've gotten lucky quite a few times, and I get so excited every time I find a new copy.

Does anyone else remember reading or seeing these books? I'd love to hear what you remember!

Alright everyone, here it is!

My interview with Jennifer Echols, the wonderful author of Forget You! Click HERE to read my review!

Jennifer was kind enough to agree to an interview after I read and loved Forget You. She is also the author of several other books for teens, including Going to Far, another romantic drama, and several romantic comedies, including Major Crush, and The Ex Games.
You can learn more about Jennifer and her books at her website, found HERE.

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First, I would like to say a huge thank you to Jennifer for agreeing to take part in this interview. It's great to have this chance to talk with you.

Ashley, I really appreciate the interview. Thank you!

So, when did you first start writing stories?

I think I was working on my first novel in third grade or so. My mom was reading Watership Down, which is about rabbits. My novel was about squirrels.

What did you want to be when you grew up? Have you always wanted to be a writer?

I was interested in writing, art, and music, and I pursued all three into college. My first college major was music education and composition. I wanted to be a composer and a high school band director. I was so interested in music intellectually, but I just wasn’t good enough. Writing was a creative outlet I felt much more comfortable with. In fact, I wrote a short story about band for the college literary magazine, people seemed to like it much better than any music I’d ever written, and I never looked back.

Why do you write young adult novels? Was that a conscious choice, or something that just sort of happened?

I finished writing my first novel when I was 20 and still reading YA myself. After that I wrote YA and adult, back and forth, but I guess YA was a part of me when I got my start and I never left. I still think YA novels are some of the best books out there.

Do you have any plans or desire to switch over to the Adult side of the aisle?

Since selling my first YA novel, I have written three adult novels, but they haven’t sold. Every time this happens, it breaks my heart, but publishing is a hard business and I knew this going in.

You already have several published novels out. Both comedic and dramatic. Were there any unique challenges to writing Forget You that you hadn't come across before?

This book is probably the one that’s most personal to me. The characters and events are fictitious, but I have felt all Zoey’s pain before. I have been that good girl who makes bad decisions. So I’m finding it a little harder than usual to share this story and listen to what other people say about it and about her.

Which of your books was the most challenging for you to write?

Endless Summer, because it is a sequel, and everything had to match what I’d written in The Boys Next Door.

Do you ever just sit back and think, "Wow. I'm a writer!"

Yes I do. Every single day I make sure that I reflect on the long, hard road I traveled to get here, and I am thankful that I finally have the career I always wanted.

I love getting new book recommendations. So, I have to ask. What do you read? What are your favorites?

Kiss It by Erin Downing and The Body Finder by Kimberly Derting were absolutely wonderful. And I hope everybody will check out the amazing When the Stars Go Blue by Caridad Ferrer, which is coming out in November. One of the coolest things about being an author is that you get to read other writers’ novels before they’re published!

Are there any books you can identify that have had the most impact on you as a person, and as a writer?

The best class I ever took was an American Moderns course at Auburn University. We read The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner, The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway, A Lost Lady by Willa Cather, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, and the collected poems of T. S. Eliot. Every one of these books made me see the possibilities of writing in a new way. The only book we read that wasn’t new to me was The Great Gatsby, and this wonderful professor made even that seem brand new. Have you ever taken a class like that?

Do you have a current work-in-progress? If yes, is there anything you can share with us about it now?

I’m finishing my next romantic drama for MTV Books. It will be published in July 2011, and it is called This Novel Has Such A Fabulous Title That I Can’t Even Tell You, or possibly OMG This Is The Best Novel Title Ever. My editor and I haven’t chosen which one yet but I will let you know.

Well, thank you so much Jennifer for answering all my questions!
My final question, just because I love them, what is your favorite pair of shoes?

In 2005 I ran my first 10K and the end of my middle toe kind of fell off. It was just a really bad blister. So I went to a local running store and said to the owner, “Please choose a pair of shoes for me that will not make my toe fall off,” and he did and I am on my fifth pair. They are Nike Equalons. This is probably not what you were asking, LOL!
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This was an awesome interview! Thanks again Jennifer for taking the time to talk to share with us! I'm looking forward to your new release, and to picking up some copies of your older books. And, if I ever decide to run a 10K, I'm definitely going to be looking for some Nike Equalons!