Thursday’s Tale: Kate Crackernuts

by Carol4 Comments
I admit it, I picked today's story based on the title. "Kate Crackernuts" just made me smile. It's a story from Scotland collected by Andrew Lang in the Orkney Islands and published in Longman's Magazine in 1889. Joseph Jacobs edited and republished the tale in his English Fairy Tales (1890). A king had a daughter named Anne, and his queen had a daughter named Kate, who was less beautiful. The queen was jealous of Anne, but Kate loved her. I'm sure no one's surprised that the queen is turns out to be an evil step-mother, this is a fairy tale. The queen consulted with a henwife to ruin Anne's beauty, and after three tries, they enchanted Anne's head into a sheep's head. Kate wrapped Anne's head in a cloth, and they went out to seek their fortunes. The sisters are surprisingly close in this story. Siblings in fairy tales don't usually stick together quite like that. And it's usually the boys...
Read More

How do I do chores?

by Carol6 Comments
My MP3 player died the other day. I ordered a new one, a Sansa Clip+ like my last one because I loved it and I know how to work it. It's supposed to come sometime today- my fingers are crossed. Yesterday evening though, I had good intentions of working around the house, cleaning up the basement a little, doing some weeding, but I couldn't listen to my book. :( I ended up sitting in front of the tv half the night instead. How do you get motivated to do chores when there's not the promise of listening to a story?...
Read More

The Buzz at Book Expo America: Guest Post by Daphne Michaels, author of The Gifted

by Carol2 Comments
Today, I'm happy to welcome Daphne Michaels, author of The Gifted, to my blog. She's talking about her experience at Book Expo America. The Buzz at Book Expo America This year at the International Book Expo in New York someone had a great idea to do something new and wild. While the Book Expo has traditionally been limited to trade professionals, this year they opened the last day to the public. It was amazing to be a part of this experience! One day people were holding business meetings and talking shop, the next day up to ten thousand readers made their way through long lines to be a part of the international readers experience. From tiny children being carried by adults to teens hoping to meet their favorite authors, people looking for gifts for loved ones and book club members deciding on their next selection, the enthusiasm that readers brought to the event was incredible. I was there to launch my new book,...
Read More

Origins Game Fair 2014

by Carol9 Comments
We go to the Origins Game Fair in Columbus every year. This year we thought we weren't going to be able to, but Amber traded a couple of band things around and we got to go after all. The day didn't start out so well - they were only doing day badges for Saturday not family passes and the line was ridiculous. once they got that straightened out a little and we actually go in, it was a fun day. We ate lunch over at the North Market, then checked out the vendors and played games all afternoon. We walked down the road for dinner and then played one more game in the evening. We picked up the new Ascension: Realms Unraveled, a stand-alone expansion. Ascension is probably one of my favorite games right now. Amber got a cool bag, a new dragon for her collection, and the obligatory Cthulhu expansion for Smash-Up. One I didn't pick up but wish I had was...
Read More

Thursday’s Tale: How the Dragon Was Tricked

by Carol3 Comments
I felt like a dragon tale today, probably because of all the How to Train Your Dragon 2 commercials I've been seeing, but came up with "How the Dragon Was Tricked" when I did a quick search. It wasn't quite what I had in mind, but a clever boy's never a wrong choice. It's is a Greek fairy tale collected by J. G. von Hahn in Griechische und Albanesische Märchen. The version I read was the one Andrew Lang included it in The Pink Fairy Book, 1897. An older brother was jealous of his younger brother and one day tied him to a tree to be rid of him. An old, humpbacked shepherd saw him and asked him why; the younger brother said it was to straighten out his back, and persuaded the shepherd to be tied there in his place, then drove off the sheep. He also persuaded a horse boy and a driver of oxen to come with him. He...
Read More

Audiobook Review: Dogs and Goddesses by Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich

by Carol7 Comments
Title: Dogs and Goddesses Author: Jennifer Crusie, Anne Stuart, and Lani Diane Rich Read by: Renée Raudman Category: Fantasy, Contemporary Romance Audio published: January 22, 2009 by Brilliance Audio Rating: 3 out of 5 stars Add: Goodreads Purchase: Audible | Amazon | Book Depository Abby has just arrived in Summerville, Ohio, with her placid Newfoundland, Bowser. She's reluctantly inherited her grandmother's coffee shop, but it's not long before she's brewing up trouble in the form of magical baked goods and steaming up her life with an exasperating college professor. And then there's Daisy, a Web code writer, and her hyperactive Jack Russell, Bailey. Her tightly wound world spins out of control when she discovers the chaos within and meets a mysterious dog trainer whose teaching style is definitely hands-on. Finally there's Shar, professor of ancient history at Summerville College, who wakes up one morning to find her neurotic dachshund, Wolfie, snarling at an implacable god sitting at her kitchen table, the first thing in her life she hasn't been able to footnote. What...
Read More