The Princess and the Pea

by Carol11 Comments
"The Princess and the Pea" by Hans Christian Andersen Most of us have heard or seen versions of this fairy tale, called "The Real Princess" in the version of Andersen's Fairy Tales I read at Project Gutenberg. A prince wants to marry a princess and travels far and wide to find the perfect woman, but there is something wrong with each woman he meets. He can't be sure they are "real" princesses, so he returns to his castle alone. On a dark and stormy night, a young lady pounds on the door, stating she is a real princess. She is invited to stay the night, but the Queen-mother sets up a test to see if the woman truly is a "real" princess. The Queen-mother puts three peas under the twenty mattresses and twenty feather beds that the woman is to sleep on. As we all know, the princess does not sleep well. "I have scarcely closed my eyes the whole night through. I do not...
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Spider’s Bite by Jennifer Estep

by Carol5 Comments
Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep Gin is an assassin. She makes that clear from the beginning of this book. She doesn't apologize, make excuses, she is who she is. She's a tough woman, strong mentally and physically, but like most flawed heroines, has a soft side, the side that is devastated when her handler and father-figure is killed. She is determined to find who did it and she will kill them and anyone who gets in her way. Gin took a while for me to warm up to. She's so determined to be emotionless, cold as ice, that she's hard to like at first. But she's a more complicated character than she first appears. She's a survivor, but one who believes in protecting her friends, one who keeps her word when she gives it. She's a Stone elemental, able to hear the vibrations in the rocks around her and manipulate the stones themselves, and has a touch of Ice magic that comes...
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The Problem Child by Michael Buckley

by Carol7 Comments
The Problem Child by Michael Buckley Suggested reading level: Ages 9-12 Amber (10) and I read this one together. It's the third in the Sisters Grimm series, about Sabrina and Daphne Grimm and the grandmother, Relda. They are fairy tale detectives who solve mysteries in and around Ferryport Landing, a town where a lot of Everafters, fairy tale folk, live. In this one, the bad guy is a psychotic Little Red Riding Hood who has a  pet Jabberwocky. Unfortunately the Jabberwocky takes Puck, Amber's favorite character, out of commission for most of the book. The girls also meet Uncle Jake, who no one in town aside from Granny Relda seems to remember. Sabrina is drawn to him and his unabashed use of magic. Sadly, he's addicted to the magic he uses and believes it's the answer to every difficulty. "You wouldn't believe the power! It's like a waterfall, like the sun. I'm bigger than life, bigger than even the most powerful Everafter. I'm the kind...
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The Granite Sang

by Carol6 Comments
As I worked, my hands brushed the stone of the building. The granite sang under my fingertips. The music from the orchestra's performances had long ago permeated the rock and now ran through it like a vein of ore.  I closed my eyes and flattened both hands against the rough stone. The sound was so rich, so pure, so beautiful... (pg. 38, Spider's Bite by Jennifer Estep) Gin is a Stone elemental who, among other powers, can actually hear stones, from the pavement on the road to the Appalachian mountains. I love the concept and I especially appreciated this description of the Ashland Opera House, that each of the performances has been absorbed by the building, become part of it. Are there any buildings that "speak" to you, even if not so literally? Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Play along. I cheated, but the rules are easy. Grab your current read, open to a random page, and give...
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Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland by H. G. Wells

by Carol7 Comments
Mr. Skelmersdale in Fairyland by H. G. Wells I tend to associate H. G. Wells with science fiction, so I was surprised to come across this short story, which was first published in 1903. It's a fairy tale for adults, more or less. The narrator of the story hears about a shopkeeper, Mr. Skelmersdale, who everyone seems to believe has actually been to fairyland. Eventually, the narrator gains Skelmersdale's trust and hears the story. After an argument with his girl, Skelmersdale wandered out to Aldington Knoll and fell asleep. When he awoke he was somewhere entirely different and elves escorted him to fairyland. There he met the beautiful, enchanting Fairy Lady, who becomes his companion. A time came, indeed, when she sat on a bank beside him, in a quiet, secluded place "all smelling of vi'lets," and talked to him of love. Eventually he has to leave fairyland and has nothing to show for his time spent there. He wants to return desperately, but can't. Often,...
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