Books: Book Reviews: Wildwood

Hello, Bookworms!

Today, I want to tell you about Wildwood, by Colin Meloy.

Prue lives in Portland, right on the edge of the Impassable Wilderness. She has an ordinary life, ordinary parents, an ordinary baby brother. Until, one day at the park, Prue's brother is kidnapped by a murder of crows and taken to the Impassable Wilderness. Now, Prue has to get her brother back,
and a bothersome classmate, Curtis, keeps trying to help her. Once they are in the Impassable Wilderness, though, they discover it's not impassable at all. Creatures of all types live in North Wood or South Wood, many birds live in the Avian Principality, and the stretch in between, an untamed, dangerous place, is called Wildwood.

I gave this book three stars.

Pros:

Setting

All of the different areas in the Impassable Wilderness are so different, yet extremely believable, and the setting/scenery is incredibly rich. Also, talking animals is somehow magical.








Commentary

Meloy was trying to comment on some issues, one of them being that individuals' concerns often aren't heard in large governments, and I think this had the ability to be done very well.

Promise

So many things were promising about this book. The story was there, the commentary was there, it just needed more work.

Cons:

Characters

Although I liked Prue, at first she was quite mean. We didn't know why she was mean, she just was. She did become nicer by the end of the book, but it would've been nice if she was more rounded and had more of a character arc and motivations.

It Needed More Work.

I loved the idea, the story, the commentary was great, the setting was great, everything had tons of promise. But the pacing was off, the sentences were all structured pretty much the same, things weren't described in an engaging way. . . Like I said, it needed more work.

The story has so much potential, but it makes me sad to see this as the published copy. I'm not trying to be mean; I just think this book would easily be one of my absolute favorites with a little more work.

Have you read Wildwood? What do you think of it?

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/Wildwood-Chronicles-Book-1-ebook/dp/B004QWZC9W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1532639036&sr=8-1&keywords=wildwood

Fairy Tales: Modern Fairy Tales

Hello, Friends.

Sorry this is late! Today, we are talking about modern fairy tales. Fairy tales appear in many more places than we think, and archetypes can reduce pretty much anything to basic fairy tales.

However, our society still loves fairy tales, despite that they're centuries old. Disney's first movies were fairy tales, like Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. Recently, live action versions of these movies have been made. Books have been based on fairy tales, or if not based on fairy tales, contain some hint of folklore. The Shadow Queen, by C.J. Redwine, the Lunar Chronicles, by Marissa Meyer, and Uprooted, by Naomi Novik are some of them. The Shadow Queen is a retelling of "Snow White," with a few embellishments and characterizations. Cinder, the first book in the Lunar Chronicles, is a retelling of "Cinderella," but set in the future, and although you can clearly see the story of "Cinderella" through the book, the fairy tale is twisted into something completely new. And Uprooted has hints here and there of fairy tales, but doesn't follow one specific tale.

Once Upon a Time is a TV show based on fairy tales. (My mom and sister watch it; I can't. It's too stressful. It's basically fairy tale soap-opera.) George Lucas claimed Star Wars was a modern fairy tale.

What are some modern fairy tales you like? Why?

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://pixabay.com/en/castle-france-le-mont-saint-michel-1149756/

On My Mind: Books with Powerful Messages

Hello, Good People!

Before we start, this post is about books with powerful messages, as I'm sure you guessed from the title. :) If you do not like reading summaries of book messages, just go read the books. Skip this post. You'll see what I mean once you're done reading them.

As you know, I love books. I love many books. I love a variety of books. We all do. But today, I want to talk about books with powerful messages. What does that mean?

"Powerful" means compelling, soul-wrenching, making you think, life-changing.

"Messages" are themes, morals, ideas, the author is trying to convey (intentionally or unintentionally.)

Many books have messages of some sort, and most authors are trying to say something through their work, but some books have particularly strong messages. These books stay with us forever, and change us. These books (and movies) help heal us, show us truth, help us believe again. Here are some:

A Tale Dark and Grimm (Also, I reviewed this series here.)
A Tale Dark and Grimm, and the rest of the series, helps heal. There are very few people in the world who actually believe in the power of children, and Adam Gidwitz is one of them. Not many people are willing to believe children and trust that children are often wiser than adults, and not look down on children. Even I struggle to do this. Adam Gidwitz trusts children, believes in them, and listens to them. It's hard to explain.

Also, the way Adam Gidwitz writes makes you gasp with wonder. I can read the A Tale Dark and Grimm series more than once, and find beautiful things. I'm not going to ruin it for you, but read this series more than once, and pay attention. Adam Gidwitz is beautifully gifted, and captures the hurt so well. If you want to know more about this (sorry, I am being rather cryptic :) ) this article and this article are great.

Uprooted (For a full review, click here and here.)
Uprooted is a fairy tale-esque story. The messages in this book are so strong and so powerful, but not overshadowing. I really can't say much without spoiling everything. Just go read it. :) It's about love, though. Not romantic love, which is generally the first thing we think of, but loving others. It's about how sickness in our minds (don't worry--it's not psychological, it's very much fairy tale) makes us and others act differently, out of character. It's about how we are not seeing the person, we are seeing the manifestation of the sickness. Maybe that person chooses to try to get better. Maybe they don't. That is definitely their decision, and they are harming themselves and others if they choose not to get help, but it doesn't mean they aren't suffering, too. They are still sick.

Uprooted teaches you to look past the sickness, to ask: What would this person without this sickness look like? And suddenly you can see them truly, how they were meant to be.

Go read beautiful books, beautiful people.

What books have you read that have strong messages?

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/Uprooted-Naomi-Novik-ebook/dp/B00KUQIU7O/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529601259&sr=8-1&keywords=uprooted+naomi+novik

https://www.amazon.com/Tale-Dark-Grimm-Gidwitz-2014-03-06/dp/B01K9290RC/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1529601420&sr=1-4&keywords=a+tale+dark+and+grimm

Book Reviews: The Princess Bride

Good Day, Friends!

Okay, so I'm assuming you have seen The Princess Bride and know what I'm talking about. If not, shame on you. Go watch it right now. In any case, for Christmas, I got the 30^th Anniversary Edition of the book The Princess Bride was based on. (The book is also called The Princess Bride.) I just wanted to share my thoughts on it.

I gave this book 4.5 stars. I like the movie better, but there were definitely nice things about reading the book.

Pros:

• We got to read Inigo's and Fezzick's backstories! It was so fun to see where they were coming from and what made them who they are.
• Buttercup is sensible and practical! (Well, a little.) "Oh, the boys!. . . I do not care about 'the boys.' Horse loves me and that is quite sufficient, thank you."
• Humperdinck's Zoo of Death
  • This adds another trial/layer to the story, and it adds a good amount of depth to Humperdinck's character. However, it is cruelty to animals, so if you're sensitive to that, beware. (I do not like that part.)

Cons:

• The characters didn't have much more depth than they did in the movie. This doesn't seem like an issue, but usually, even though we don't realize it, book characters have more depth than movie characters, because we can't read movie characters' thoughts like we can in books, and movie characters have much less time to develop a well-rounded, not flat character. Therefore, the amount of depth a movie character has in order to seem realistic is much less than the amount of depth a book character has to have. So, it was kind of disappointing when the book characters in The Princess Bride were not more well-rounded and did not have more depth than the movie characters.
• Fezzick was portrayed as quite dumb and childish, which I didn't like.

Another note: The author has some. . . interesting commentary. You'll have to read it and research it yourself to get what I mean.

That's all for today!

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-Deluxe-Gift/dp/B000YE1808/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1529370642&sr=8-6&keywords=the+princess+bride+book

Book Reviews: The Paper Magician

Hello, Friends!

Today, I'm going to review The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg. (P.S. I read it a while ago, so I might not remember all my pros and cons.) The Paper Magician is about Ceony, a student who has just graduated top of her class, but instead of working metal magic, the very reason she wanted to become a magician, is assigned to an apprenticeship in the dying art of paper magic. Ceony is crushed. However, as she begins to learn paper magic, she realizes it has much more to offer than she first assumed. One day, an Excisioner, someone who practices the forbidden art of blood magic, pays Ceony and her teacher, Emery, a visit. When the Excisioner leaves, she takes Emery's heart with her. Ceony must find Emery's heart and restore it to his body, before his body dies. However, whilst on her quest, she gets trapped in Emery's stolen heart. She must now not only figure out how to return Emery's heart to his body, but first must figure out a way to get out of it.

I gave this book four stars. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and it was different than the typical YA fantasy book in this day and age, so it proved quite nice.

Pros:

• I really liked Ceony. She seemed like a very real, very nice person. Not the type like Cinder, who I always wish would be my friend, but would never actually be. I feel like I could be friends with Ceony.
• The story was different from the YA fantasy stereotypical protagonist discovers he/she/they/etc. have special powers, go on adventure, have a love interest (or a couple), and discover they have to save their kingdom/country/world. Yes, the government had been trying to catch the bad people, but it wasn't like everyone anywhere knew who Ceony and Emery were, and knew what had happened to them.
• The view of Emery's heart was really unique. I really liked how Holmberg relates the flesh-and-blood heart to the spiritual heart. Each of the four chambers of the heart has a specific emotion attached to it. It's kind of hard to explain. This provides uniqueness to the story, as well.

Cons:

• I felt like we didn't get to see much of Ceony's family. She has a few siblings and loving parents, whom she seems close with, so it felt like she should have thought of them/mentioned them more, even if we didn't actually get to see them a ton.
• SPOILER ALERT: The relationship (as in Ceony likes Emery, her teacher) is a little weird because he's so much older than her. This didn't bother me too much, though.
• There were probably a few more small ones, but I read it a while ago, so I don't quite remember. If I can't remember them, they were probably quite minor. :)

Another note: The world was taken as granted. In other words, it was London, but with a magic twist. Magic was involved in the government as well. I can't say more than that, because I don't know. There wasn't much world-building; rather, things were brought up like someone would mention the two-party system in government here: like the reader already knew what Holmberg was talking about. This left a bit for the reader to imply, but I think that was nice, in some ways. The magic was what was important in the book, and because the book was one person's quest and two people's relationship, the government structure didn't really matter.

The Paper Magician had a really nice flavor. It's definitely magic, but there's a good bit of romance, too (and by that I mean not very much, just a very nice flavor of romance. I don't normally like the flavors of romance in YA fantasy books.) I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I have the second book, and I believe there are four. Also, thankfully, the series is done! Charlie N. Holmberg has other books too, though, which is nice.

Have you read The Paper Magician? What did you like about it? What didn't you like about it?

Farewell!

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/Paper-Magician/dp/1477823832/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1527386554&sr=1-1&keywords=the+paper+magician&dpID=41mKb72zJoL&preST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Extra Week: Guest Post: (Not Really): Adam Gidwitz*

Hello, everyone!

So, as we know, for extra week posts I can write whatever I want. Today, I want you to read these two amazing articles by Adam Gidwitz. I put links to them, so it's not really a guest post, even though you're reading someone else's articles.

http://www.adamgidwitz.com/why-do-i-write-fairy-tales-if-theyre-so-bloody/

http://www.adamgidwitz.com/tears-into-blood/

I hope you enjoy these deeply thought-provoking, amazing, articles.

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/Tale-Dark-Grimm-Gidwitz-Paperback/dp/B01071EW46/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1504653856&sr=8-9&keywords=a+tale+dark+and+grimm

*Post actually written on September 5th. See here for details. 

Dragons: Who is your Favorite Dragon?

Hello, Dragon Riders.

Sorry, this is more a Creative Complex than a dragon post, but it's still fun. :)

Who is your favorite dragon?

a) Smaug (from The Hobbit)
b) Sapphira (from Eragon)
c) Toothless (from the How to Train Your Dragon movie)
d) Samaranth (from Here There Be Dragons)

Spruce Nogard

Attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/dragon-no-background-the-head-of-the-2471984/

Reviews: The Night Gardener

Hello, Friends!

It seems like this month is just the month of caution.

The Night Gardener, by Jonathon Auxier is about Molly and Kip, two siblings who go to work in a
freaky old mansion everyone claims is haunted. At first, besides the run-down mansion in the middle of nowhere and the tree that is almost a part of it, everything goes fine. The pair finally have a roof over their heads, and food. Although their position isn't the best, and the family is sometimes hard to please, it's much better than traveling, not knowing when their next meal will be. But then, footprints start appearing, footprints that could not belong to anyone living in the house, and the Windsor family keeps getting sicker and sicker--something that could not be, just could not be, "just a touch of the fever," as the doctor keeps saying. Could the mansion be haunted, just as the villagers say it is? And if so, what is haunting it?

If anyone has ever heard of this book, you'll know it's often described as a cautionary tale. This is very true. I gave The Night Gardener four stars, because I loved Molly and Kip, and their relationship, and that, even though Molly is only fourteen and Kip is only nine, they don't do stupid things most kids their age in books would do. Their ages do not impede upon the story for the reader, or only include a certain age group. In other words, the book did not read younger, despite the young characters. I also loved the Windsor family (their employers).

I love this book. You should just go read it. Then you'll know what I mean. (But beware, it is a haunting tale, so if that will freak you out, then maybe don't read it.)

The book also contains many good questions to think about, turn over in your head again and again. . .Questions that will come up a while later while you're walking home from school, or doing art in your room. . .

And, after all, it is a cautionary tale, so it examines why humans do what they do, and what is actually good for us. . .

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-night-gardener-jonathan-auxier/1116852579?ean=9781419715310

Topic of the Month: Consistency*

Hello, Friends.

First of all, sorry this post is up late. I had a busy week last week.

Anyways, this topic applies more to writers than readers, so sorry about that.

Have you ever read a book that was inconsistent in some way? Doesn't it just bug you to no end? I once read a fairy tale twist of "The Twelve Dancing Princesses," and with twelve sisters, I know it can be hard to keep them straight. However, in the next books in the series, not only the order of birth was different from the original book, but also the number of years in between each character. Honestly, authors should make sure their stories are consistent, and if the authors themselves can't do that, at least the editors should be able to. I know sometimes authors have contracts and have to get books done by a certain time, but it would be better to get it done late than have a not as high quality book.

Sorry for ranting about that. It's just something that really bugs me.

In any case, what can you do about this?

Answer: Make calendars and timelines.

One or the other might work better depending on what you need to check for consistency. For example, if you had a timeline of when all the daughters in "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" twist were born, you could just look at that whenever you couldn't remember the order. However, if you had events or the book took place over multiple years, it might work better to do a calendar. I once knew someone who, after reading her manuscript and finding too many full moons, got a calendar from a few years ago and put the events in her book on the calendar so the phases of the moon would be right.

I wish more people would be this meticulous and care about consistency this much.

Even though it's a pain to put your entire book on a calendar, it pays off. You don't get the reviews that take stars away for the lack of consistency. Not to mention, if you really want to share something so amazing with other people, don't you want to do your best?

What books have you read where the lack of consistency detracts from the book as a whole?

Spruce Nogard

*Post actually written on July 31st. See here for details.

Attributions: https://pixabay.com/en/diary-pen-teacup-writing-calendar-2116244/

On My Mind: My Book Rating System*

Wonderful Day, Friends!


On this lovely day, I'm going to explain how I rate books. (I thought it might come in handy with the Book Reviews section.) By the way, because of Goodreads, I use a five-star rating system. Why am I posting about this? Isn't it just five stars is best and one star is worst? Well, yes, but you might get a clearer idea if I just explain it all to you.

Five Stars
I only give five-star ratings to the absolute best books in the world. (And, obviously, my favorite books.) These books are so brilliantly done, so wonderfully flawless, and have such amazing characters that the book comes to life. You wish more than anything you weren't done with the book, that you could just live in the book, and you go around so happily and so joyfully you might just look a little crazy to everyone else. And you can't stop obsessing about your book, so you just carry it around and still live in the book world even though you really should be living in the real world again.


Four Stars
A four-star rating is a wonderful book. These books I enjoy thoroughly and look forward to the next installment. I love these books, just not as much as five-star books.


Three Stars
Three-star books are okay. They're not terrible; they're more meh. They may have had horrible grammar/word usage, a weak plot, characters that were difficult to relate to, unlikable characters, a too-sad ending. . .etc. However, the initial concept was interesting, and I would have liked the book if the author fixed the previously-mentioned problems. These books are still disappointing, though.


Two Stars
These books were awful books. Crappy books. This could be for a variety of reasons. For example, I once read a book that was mislabeled horribly. The back of the book described it as a mystery with a hint of romance. Instead, it was a horror-ish story about some characters preoccupied with falling in love and had messed up character shifts and morals. Because I do not like the horror-ish-love-messed-up morals genre, I did not enjoy the book. Another book had the worst grammar and word usage. The narrator said the same thing about three times whenever they said anything, and said it poorly all three times. I would give a book two stars for this type of reason.

One Star

Simply put, these books should not exist. They do not deserve to exist. These books have terrible endings, leaving the reader full of misery. The miserable feeling that nothing matters, that all you did for these characters is worthless. They have dashed your dreams. Your hopes. Your esteem for and love of the characters. I hate misery. Maybe I am an anomaly, but I read for enjoyment. For fun. Yes, I know that bad things happen in real life. That is precisely why I read. Because, no matter how bad it gets in a book, you know it will get better. I do not read to learn about other people's issues, and consequently be sad about my issues and their issues. That just compounds my sad feelings. I know some people read sad books when they're sad to know they're not alone. I understand that logically, but I am not one of those people. Therefore, I do not like miserable books. There are only two books I have read that I have rated as one star. I'm not going to tell you what they are, because I do not want you to be offended or upset.

I'm sorry about kind of ranting a little bit, but here's how I rate books. How do you rate books?

And, yes, if you're not a reader, it is very probable you will think I've gone horribly crazy.

Spruce Nogard

Attribution: https://pixabay.com/en/star-astros-astronomy-astronomer-2110436/

*Post actually written on July 2nd. See here for details.  

Book Reviews (Formerly "Favorites"): A Study in Charlotte*

Hello, Friends!

I decided to change the title of this section to "Book Reviews" because, recently, I read a book I wanted to write a review on, but did not like.

This book, however, I did like. I have decided to start writing my book reviews slightly differently. First, I will give you a description of the book, then my rating, then pros and cons. So, here goes.

A Study in Charlotte, by Brittany Cavallaro, is told from Jamie Watson's perspective. Jamie is descended from the original Watson, Sherlock Holmes's friend and writer. At boarding school, Jamie meets Charlotte Holmes, a descendant of Sherlock. When a classmate of theirs is murdered, and they are framed, they have to work together to discover the real murderer before they both end up in jail. I rated this book four stars.

Pros:

I really like Jamie's voice.

Jamie and Charlotte are both similar enough to the original Holmes and Watson so you can clearly see the resemblance, in their personalities, their actions. . . However, unlike all the new books and TV shows of Sherlock, you can't complain (like I do) but Sherlock wouldn't do this, or Watson wouldn't say that, or Sherlock is too kind. . . because, they're the descendants of the original Holmes and Watson, so while they maintain some aspects of the original characters, all the things that don't fit in with the original personalities are attributed to Jamie and Charlotte having their own personalities, and being quite different.

The mystery was well-done and made sense.

Charlotte's deductions were thorough, and she made them the same way Sherlock made his, which was very nice.

There were multiple references to the original Sherlock Holmes. :)

The mention of Watson's errors in "The Speckled Band" left me curious to see a list of all the errors he made in recording Sherlock's mysteries.

Cons:

Swearing. Lots of swearing. I mean, I know they're in high school, and most high school kids swear a lot, but still. Really?

Drugs and alcohol. I know Sherlock was addicted to drugs, but, still. Sigh.

Inappropriate. There are ways the author could have avoided this. However, I understand it was part of the story, which gives it a little leverage, but. . .

Mixed messages. I'm not going to explain more of this. I don't know if certain messages were intentional. I don't know if the mixed messages were intentional. It seemed the book was supporting one major message which I don't agree with. Maybe I read it wrong, but that was a disappointment.

Overall, I am happy I read this book and I do not regret reading it. I thought it was really cool to write a book about Sherlock's descendants, and therefore avoid unhappy readers because, well, there will always be something wrong if an author other than Conan Doyle writes a Sherlock story.

However, if you read this book and enjoyed it, I recommend you do not read the second book. Well, at least until you read my review about it. I'll post it next month. :)

Thanks, and have fun reading!

Spruce Nogard

*Post actually written on June 25th. See here for details.

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/Study-Charlotte-Holmes-Novel/dp/0062398903

Creative Complex: The Beast's Magic Book*

Hello, Friends!

How many of you have seen the new Beauty and the Beast? Do you remember the part with the Beast's book, and how they go to Paris?

Well, if you had a magic book that could take you wherever you wanted, where would you go? Why?

Spruce Nogard

*Post actually written on June 23rd. See here for details.

Attributions: https://pixabay.com/en/knowledge-book-library-glasses-1052011/

On My Mind: My Dream House*

Hello, Dreamers.

Today, I was wondering what your dream house would be like. Even though it's quite unrealistic, imagine what the perfect house (on Earth--we'll save fantasy/dystopian, etc. houses for later) would be.

Mine would have some main parts:

1) Library. I would have a library room, and tons of cats. Some relatives of mine have a library room, and it is one of the most magical places ever. Also, their four cats make the room complete. :)

I always imagine the giant libraries, like in both the Beauty and the Beast movies. Wouldn't it be fun to have that many books?

2) Garden. I would have a giant vegetable garden. Because my dream garden is so big, (and perhaps not doable), I'll have to give it its own post.

3) Cat rooms. I would foster cats, and of course, have my own. I'd have to make sure they all had plenty of space.

4) A cellar, or someplace to hang herbs, and a very big freezer.

5) A few bedrooms, a good-sized kitchen, dining room, and at least one family room.

What does your dream house look like?

Spruce Nogard

*Actually posted on May 31st. See here for details.

Attributions:

https://pixabay.com/en/cat-sweet-kitty-animals-323262/ 

https://pixabay.com/en/life-beauty-scene-library-books-863148/

https://pixabay.com/en/garden-vegetables-produce-2149259/

https://pixabay.com/en/herbs-drying-hanging-kitchen-food-801819/

Books: Favorites: Inkheart

Hello, Friends!

I haven't read Inkheart for a really long time, so I don't remember it exactly. However, I really like this book.

Inkheart is a book about books. That already makes it amazing, right? Meggie, 12, lives with her father, and her mother disappeared mysteriously when she was young. Both she and her father love books, and when a curious figure shows up at their house who seems to know Meggie's dad, she discovers that, whenever her dad reads out loud, the characters come out of the book. However, this has unexpected repercussions. . .

I loved Inkheart because, like I said earlier, it's a book about books. Also, it's really fun to have characters who love to read just as much as you do. This is kind of a spoiler, but not really: In trying to get characters back into their books, Meggie, her father, and her aunt get trapped in a book, and have to find their way out. Unlike we think, book worlds continue after the story is over, causing some interesting things to happen. . .


I really enjoyed this book, but it's the first of a trilogy. The rest of the trilogy isn't good. It's basically the same thing that happened in the first book over and over and over again.

Have you read this book? What do you like about it?

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/Inkheart-Trilogy-Cornelia-Funke/dp/0439709105

Books: Fairy Tales: Unusual Mythical Creatures

Hello, Fantastical Beasts!

We recently saw an exhibit about mythical creatures. Some of these creatures were mentioned there, but some weren't.

1) Kraken

Origin: Scandinavian

A kraken is a giant, octopus-like creature that sailors claimed sank ships. It had octopus-like arms, one giant eye, and a beak.

Here are links to pictures (I can't put them actually on my blog because they're copyrighted.):
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/1b/08/78/1b087858e78cc7092331505dd167d0dd.jpg
https://thoryshinwa.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/kraken-03.jpg

2) Roc

Origin: Madagascar/Other East African islands, Tales of the Arabian Nights

A roc is a giant bird that eats elephants. Many accounts of giant roc eggs exist throughout the islands where the roc was said to be found.

Pictures:
http://cdn.history.com/sites/2/2015/03/list-6-mythical-monsters-roc-E.jpeg
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/52/1c/fd/521cfd972090c9e35a307bc054208aa7.jpg

3) Kappa

Origin: Japanese

A kappa is a Japanese water spirit/creature that sometimes drowns people, and loves cucumbers. Also, it gets its power from water it keeps in its head.

Pictures:
http://i.imgur.com/Fv1o07V.jpg
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/05/30/article-2644036-1E53F56300000578-658_634x286.jpg

Spruce Nogard

Sources:

A Field Guide to Fantastical Beasts by Olento Salaperainen

https://www.britannica.com/topic/roc-legendary-bird 

Books: Favorites: Chalice

Hello, Friends!

Today, I'm going to tell you about Chalice, by Robin McKinley.

I just finished reading this book yesterday, and I really enjoyed it. The writing flows very well, and it's quite interesting because Chalice takes place in four parts, and although there are page breaks, there are no chapters. However, the page breaks separate the book into tidy sections, so it's not too much of a problem if you just want to read until a nice break before going to bed, etc.

Mirasol, the main character, is a woodskeeper, and her land and bees have been in her family for generations. One day, a neighbor gives her the news: the Master and Chalice have died in a fire. The demesne, which was already strained, is thrown into even more chaos, and a few weeks later, the Circle comes to tell Mirasol she is the new Chalice. Her head spinning, Mirasol must learn the duties of a Chalice, whose main job is to bind all parts of the Circle and the demesne together. At the same time, a new Master is put in place. To make matters even more difficult, the new Master is a Priest of Fire, and is not a normal human anymore. With threats all around her and the demanding task of healing a land that has been hurting too long, Mirasol must do what she can to save her people and her land.

An interesting aspect of this book was it's nonlinear storytelling. At first while I was reading, I kept second-guessing myself, and had to check that I had not accidentally started with the second book in a series. Although you don't get the traditional setup of the story right away, you do eventually get the beginning. The storytelling was unique from most books I have read, but it was unique in a good way.

I love Mirasol. Mirasol keeps bees, and a cottage, and I just love her home. I'm irrationally afraid of bees, but it was so nice to imagine having a bunch of soft, humming, little friends always around. I  enjoyed Mirasol's thoughts immensely, which is the primary way we learn information in the novel. It's hard to describe how the book reads without just reading it. :)

Not to mention, there's honey magic. Literally magic with honey. That was pretty awesome. :)

Also, is anyone else sick of reading pretty much any YA book and finding a good bit of romance in it? Because, I don't mind a little bit of romance, but I don't like a lot. And really, can't there just be stories where people don't care nearly as much about dating?

Chalice is such a relief in this sense, too. Although there is the slightest, slightest hint of romance, it's actually an interesting story about someone who does something other than fall in love.

Overall, I really enjoyed Chalice, and hope you do too! What are your favorite fantasy books?

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/McKinley-Chalice-Reprint-Market-Paperback/dp/B00SB1PCQ2/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1491683069&sr=8-2&keywords=chalice+robin+mckinley

Books: Fairy Tales: The Lure of Fairy Tales

Hello, Creatures.

What is it that we like fairy tales so much? Why do they draw us towards them so strongly? Why do we constantly recreate and reimagine fairy tales?

Is it because we like having stories to relate to? Is it because we wish for a place to escape, at least for a little while? Where did these stories come from? How many times have these tales been remade before they have reached our ears?

Because, you know, Disney's Beauty and the Beast wasn't the original tale. And out of the millions of versions of the Cinderella stories that exist, which was the first? How important is this really?

I believe that it's a vital part of our life and of fairy tales themselves to continually be recreated.

For, how else would we continue learning?

*On a side note, as I have been very excited about Disney's new Beauty and the Beast movie, I have kind of written very many posts on Beauty and the Beast. Here's a list:

• Books: Fairy Tales: What's Your Favorite Fairy Tale?
• Books: Fairy Tales: Hans My Hedgehog, or the Compilation of Tales Based on and Similar to the Greek Tale of Cupid and Psyche Part One
• Books: Fairy Tales: Hans My Hedgehog, or the Compilation of Tales Based on and Similar to the Greek Tale of Cupid and Psyche Part Two
• On My Mind: Beauty and the Beast
• Mental Library: Lenses: Feminism (Someone I know mentioned that Scarlet contains traces of Beauty and the Beast.)

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://pixabay.com/en/little-red-riding-hood-red-little-1130258/

Books: Favorites: The Secret Keepers

Hello, Friends.

I recently read The Secret Keepers, by Trenton Lee Stewart. Trenton Lee Stewart wrote The Mysterious Benedict Society, which is one of my favorite series. (Here is a link to my post about them.)

The Secret Keepers is about a boy who finds a magical watch. However, some evil people are looking for it. . .

I really liked that the explanation for the watch was so logical, yet not overly sciency on explaining how it worked. (I especially liked the comparison to magnets.)

I also really like that in this book, along with his other books, the main character is eleven, so it's supposed to be for around that age group. However, the books are really long, and don't seem "simplified." (This book is 501 pages.)

Another thing I like is the atmosphere The Secret Keepers creates. I don't know how to explain it better than that.

And, of course, you must just absolutely love the Meyers.

Spruce Nogard

Attributions: https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Keepers-Trenton-Lee-Stewart/dp/0316389552

Topic (Genre) of the Month: Heroes

Hello, Friends.

We're kind of running out of ideas for Genre of the Month, so instead I'm going to pick a topic for the month. There are probably lots of lesser known genres also, so we're just combining the two.

Today's topic is heroes. Have you read any good books with heroes in them lately? What makes them a hero? Why?

Spruce Nogard

Attributions:

https://www.amazon.com/Harry-Potter-Sorcerers-Stone-Rowling/dp/059035342X 

https://www.amazon.com/Hobbit-There-Back-Again/dp/061815082Xhttps://www.amazon.com/Disney-Beauty-Beast-Design-Doodle/dp/1474877796/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1488055397&sr=1-11&keywords=emma+watson 

https://pixabay.com/en/martin-luther-king-jr-i-have-a-dream-393870/ 

Books: Favorites: Here, There Be Dragons

Good Day, Friends!

I can't believe it's taken me this long to talk about Here, There Be Dragons. By the way, I'm sorry for the nearly week-late post (I'm writing this on February 10th, despite what the date says.).

Anyways, Here, There Be Dragons is about three young adults, as in just entering college to partially through college, who meet one night almost on accident. You see, they were brought together by a murder. Soon, they meet a mysterious man, with a mysterious book, and embark on a journey both old and new, familiar and fresh.

I can't tell you too much about this book without giving it away, so you'll just have to read it. :)

I loved the characters, and if you've read the book, you'll know why I like them so much. I wish I could say more, but it's really for your own good, you know. I know some of you would just read the spoilers anyways. One thing I can tell you is it was really fun and different to have young adults be the main characters.

Also, the author, James A. Owen, is the illustrator as well, and his illustrations are beautiful. There are illustrations throughout the book, even though it is a YA novel. (Similar to the cover illustration.)

Have you read Here, There Be Dragons? Post about it in the comments!

Spruce Nogard

Attributions:

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/here-there-be-dragons-james-a-owen/1100037891?ean=9781416912279