The not so past past has been a wonderful time for fantasy and science fiction books and films. One lucky story that has stood the test of both readers and cult film is that of The Last Unicorn.
Unlike many of the stories we get so wrapped up in of late, where Vampires and Were's run rampant, a more innocent creature is the focal point.The interpretations of the story can be different, but there is one theme that runs deep.
Love.
_______
The Last Unicorn
by Peter S. Beagle
212 pages
The original copyright says 1968, which I personally wouldn't have suspected. The story is beautiful, and hints at mytholigy at first. Telling how Unicorns were reacted to and treated in the past.
But the words of a hunter send the Unicorn on a journey to learn what's happened to her kindred. Through the pages and adventure, there are various lessons learned. The reader is introduced to a variety of mythological beasts at one point, only to have most of them to be revealed as fictitious.
But Love, in the end turns out to be the strongest thing by the end of the story. It is definetly a wonderful read. I do not know if a younger reader would find it an easy story to read, but it can be enjoyed by anyone.
_______
I loved the book. Honestly though, I was first introduced to the story via the film. It is enjoyable, though there are some discrepancies that finicky film watchers might not enjoy.
But that's a different story altogether, and this is a bookshelf, not a movie locker. ^_~
Comic books are a popular thing again, with the rise in the popularity of Manga. So the fact that this story made it's way into the graphic book world is interesting. Especially upon realizing the original copyright.
But then maybe I shouldn't be surprised, since it's a timeless story.
_______
The Last Unicorn
by Pater S. Beagle
Adapted by Peter B. Gillis
illustrated by Renae De Liz and Ray Dillon
This version is a lovely graphic rendition. Appropriate for comic book readers, or any collector that may have a copy of the original book itself. The artwork is amazing, and every time I pick my copy up I'm always afraid I might injure it in some way.
Honestly I never would have seen this book, if it Hadn't been gifted to me for my birthday earlier this year. I greatly appreciate it, because there's nothing better than a familiar story shown in a new way.
_______
I highly recommend any of the three incarnations of this book to you. And if you know of another one, feel free to let me know, okay?
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
A Story for Thanksgiving
Honestly, there aren't a lot of stories about thanksgiving. (Rather I am not having an easy time hunting for any). So for this "Holiday" I'm going to be a little bit lazy, and let myself off of the hook lightly. We're only going to give you one story to look at or read.
What is it about? Well, that's the best part, it's about food.
Big Tom
by Sandra Proto
18 pages
I personally enjoyed this story because it looked at a lot of the things that can go wrong when people start to get ready to have a big meal like the ones most of us think of related to thanksgiving.
The story revolves around a Turkey and it's effect on the household as well as the guests. You're in for a rare treat when you read this piece, and it doesn't disappoint.
Anyway, that's all I'm willing to say about it, because anything else I might say could ruin the whole story for those of you that end up reading it.
Have a splendid Holiday, and don't be afraid to leave me a note. I'd love to hear about your favorite holiday food.
I'm pretty boring myself, my favorite thing about thanksgiving is the mashed potatoes. Especially if there are real ones. Unfortunetly, constraints this year seem to imply that the boxed ones are the ones we will be going with. But a potato is a potato right? ^_~ Have a lovely Holiday (And I'll be seeing you after it I'm sure)
What is it about? Well, that's the best part, it's about food.
Big Tom
by Sandra Proto
18 pages
I personally enjoyed this story because it looked at a lot of the things that can go wrong when people start to get ready to have a big meal like the ones most of us think of related to thanksgiving.
The story revolves around a Turkey and it's effect on the household as well as the guests. You're in for a rare treat when you read this piece, and it doesn't disappoint.
Anyway, that's all I'm willing to say about it, because anything else I might say could ruin the whole story for those of you that end up reading it.
Have a splendid Holiday, and don't be afraid to leave me a note. I'd love to hear about your favorite holiday food.
I'm pretty boring myself, my favorite thing about thanksgiving is the mashed potatoes. Especially if there are real ones. Unfortunetly, constraints this year seem to imply that the boxed ones are the ones we will be going with. But a potato is a potato right? ^_~ Have a lovely Holiday (And I'll be seeing you after it I'm sure)
Monday, November 21, 2011
Fun Fantasy Reads for Younger Readers
Before Harry Potter and the whole Twilight craze, there were a lot of fun books concerning the same topics written for young readers. Most of them are probably hiding in your bookshelves now, or in the bottom of old backpacks and you don't even realize they're there.
You don't believe me? Well, what about if I told you the name of the author. I bet a number of you remember something he wrote. Bruce Coville.
I thought that would ring a bell with some of you. He wrote the Camp Haunted Hills series, the My Teacher Series and a lot of other fun reads for youth readers. I remember the laugh I had when I saw one of the My Teacher books in my little brothers backpack. He thought it was something new.
But the books he wrote that I want to share today are his Magic Shop Books.
There are three of them. (I wish there were more.)The Monster's Ring,Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, and Jennifer Murdley's Toad. They each had a different fun story to tell, and I won't lie, one made me cry. Anyways here's the simple details. (in case you didn't notice that I named them already ^_~)
The Monster's Ring
Bruce Coville
87 Pages
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Bruce Coville
148 pages
Jennifer Murdley's Toad
Bruce Coville
156 pages
All three books are well written. Each one has a separate story to tell. But a common theme they each share is the importance of following directions. But they each have different characters, and interesting outcomes.
Bullies are mentioned in them as well, and the effect their words have on other people. It's not that there aren't books that deal with this now, But I enjoy the way that the situations are shown in these books. I also like the way they are handled.
Now, I know it doesn't look like they're very long once they're added up. But you shouldn't let that be a deterrent . They're very enjoyable. Honestly, I reread one of them yesterday and it still makes me laugh. And in case you were wondering, I'm currently over 25.
Yes they do have reading level's on the back, but that should never be a reason not to read something. I've never really been one to pay attention to that. Either the content is appropriate and enjoyable or it isn't.
And I HIGHLY recommend these books. My copies are slightly tattered these days, but that doesn't change how much I've enjoyed them. You might find that the young folk in your life would enjoy them too.
You don't believe me? Well, what about if I told you the name of the author. I bet a number of you remember something he wrote. Bruce Coville.
I thought that would ring a bell with some of you. He wrote the Camp Haunted Hills series, the My Teacher Series and a lot of other fun reads for youth readers. I remember the laugh I had when I saw one of the My Teacher books in my little brothers backpack. He thought it was something new.
But the books he wrote that I want to share today are his Magic Shop Books.
There are three of them. (I wish there were more.)The Monster's Ring,Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, and Jennifer Murdley's Toad. They each had a different fun story to tell, and I won't lie, one made me cry. Anyways here's the simple details. (in case you didn't notice that I named them already ^_~)
The Monster's Ring
Bruce Coville
87 Pages
Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher
Bruce Coville
148 pages
Jennifer Murdley's Toad
Bruce Coville
156 pages
All three books are well written. Each one has a separate story to tell. But a common theme they each share is the importance of following directions. But they each have different characters, and interesting outcomes.
Bullies are mentioned in them as well, and the effect their words have on other people. It's not that there aren't books that deal with this now, But I enjoy the way that the situations are shown in these books. I also like the way they are handled.
Now, I know it doesn't look like they're very long once they're added up. But you shouldn't let that be a deterrent . They're very enjoyable. Honestly, I reread one of them yesterday and it still makes me laugh. And in case you were wondering, I'm currently over 25.
Yes they do have reading level's on the back, but that should never be a reason not to read something. I've never really been one to pay attention to that. Either the content is appropriate and enjoyable or it isn't.
And I HIGHLY recommend these books. My copies are slightly tattered these days, but that doesn't change how much I've enjoyed them. You might find that the young folk in your life would enjoy them too.
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Don't take a Book by its Covor
Here's another book that I own hard cover. (I own a TON of hard copy books, but not all of them are in great condition). I tend to pick them up at random, sometimes at thrift stores, bag sales, the library for sale bin, generally for no other reason than that the cover interests me.
Heh, this time I got a lemon.
Bard
by Keith Taylor
293 pages
I know that I said I was not going to be posting about any books that I didn't like. BUT I forced myself to read this whole book, hoping that as it got closer to the end it would improve, but it didn't.
The book itself is about a Bard named Fellimid mac Fal, and his adventures. How he interacts with the normal everyday people, as well as the people in power is shown to be simple and more or less the same in both cases.
But the writing is extremely dry. What irritated me most was the fact that it would lead up to an event, and then black out more or less. So there was no real release after the book made it to a climactic moment.
I am not planing on reading the sequel, even though I bought it as well. Before anyone jumps to the books defense and says that the Lord Of The Rings was also a dry read, they need to know one thing. Tolkien filled you in on what was happening, he didn't lead you into thinking you were going to witness a bloody scene and hold back. His was written as a history.
These are not written as histories, I suppose the best thing that i can say about their style is that they are very thorough. The descriptions would do well if the book was going to be made into a movie, but since this was written in the 70's i highly doubt that it is going to be made into one anytime soon.
The one thing I did enjoy about this book was the background of the main character they gave on the back of the book. He's a bard of Erin. There really aren't that many books about Bards that I've seen. So... It does get a small reprieve from my irritation for that small thing.
But I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless I knew they needed something to help them get to sleep. When I said I FORCED myself to finish reading this book, I mean it. I kept putting it down and trying to find other things to occupy my time. A book shouldn't make you want to be doing anything other than reading it.
At least, that's my opinion.
After completing it I let it sit for a while, hoping my impression would change, but when it didn't i decided to check out the original print date in the front of the book. It was started in the late 70's as a serial for a magazine. That means that the holes that bothered me weren't necessarily intentional, but were likely hook points where they'd left off.
That doesn't mean I like it, it just means that I'm not going to stop you from reading it and making your own opinion. But don't say you weren't warned.
Heh, this time I got a lemon.
Bard
by Keith Taylor
293 pages
I know that I said I was not going to be posting about any books that I didn't like. BUT I forced myself to read this whole book, hoping that as it got closer to the end it would improve, but it didn't.
The book itself is about a Bard named Fellimid mac Fal, and his adventures. How he interacts with the normal everyday people, as well as the people in power is shown to be simple and more or less the same in both cases.
But the writing is extremely dry. What irritated me most was the fact that it would lead up to an event, and then black out more or less. So there was no real release after the book made it to a climactic moment.
I am not planing on reading the sequel, even though I bought it as well. Before anyone jumps to the books defense and says that the Lord Of The Rings was also a dry read, they need to know one thing. Tolkien filled you in on what was happening, he didn't lead you into thinking you were going to witness a bloody scene and hold back. His was written as a history.
These are not written as histories, I suppose the best thing that i can say about their style is that they are very thorough. The descriptions would do well if the book was going to be made into a movie, but since this was written in the 70's i highly doubt that it is going to be made into one anytime soon.
The one thing I did enjoy about this book was the background of the main character they gave on the back of the book. He's a bard of Erin. There really aren't that many books about Bards that I've seen. So... It does get a small reprieve from my irritation for that small thing.
But I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone unless I knew they needed something to help them get to sleep. When I said I FORCED myself to finish reading this book, I mean it. I kept putting it down and trying to find other things to occupy my time. A book shouldn't make you want to be doing anything other than reading it.
At least, that's my opinion.
After completing it I let it sit for a while, hoping my impression would change, but when it didn't i decided to check out the original print date in the front of the book. It was started in the late 70's as a serial for a magazine. That means that the holes that bothered me weren't necessarily intentional, but were likely hook points where they'd left off.
That doesn't mean I like it, it just means that I'm not going to stop you from reading it and making your own opinion. But don't say you weren't warned.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Sometimes Being Different Is an Awesome Thing
When we look back at our childhoods, there are a number of us that look back at that time and feel sick to our stomachs. We remember the way that other kids taunted us for being different, the way their words hurt. But there are other things that being different taught us as we grew, that we were individuals, and that was a strength all in itself.
Bullying is a hot topic in the media currently. This book that I read, examines the results of Bullying, with a bit of magic thrown in.
The League of Freaks and The Secret Key
by Alberto Hazan
529 pages
In this book, Alberto Hazan looks at how kids with differences many kids today have learn to cope. Some are larger than the other kids, a different cultural background, glasses, or just plain different in general. But these kids, learn to cope in very special ways, because their differences give them unique powers that the kids that bully them do not have.
I feel odd trying not to share the plot, but still wanting to go over everything because of how much fun this book was to read.
We start out the story learning about one of the main characters, who is moving with her parents to a new place. Why? because her father got a job at a university. She is far from happy with the move, and when she starts school, she is even unhappier when she's taunted about a pair of shoes her best friend had given her as a goodbye present.
As the story gains momentum, you're offered glimpses at other students that are ill used, and how they react to it. Then comes the fun part, the outsiders become friends, and start out on an adventure all their own. That looks at history, as well as how fact and fiction can relate.
I recommend this book for all age groups, because it isn't heavy in nature, but is effective at getting multiple themes across.
One is that bullies don't always win. Another is that by trusting your friends as well as your own judgement, you become better yourself.
So if you know someone that might be feeling a little down, feel free to recommend this story to them, if they can relate to a character, it may cheer them up more than you realize.
Bullying is a hot topic in the media currently. This book that I read, examines the results of Bullying, with a bit of magic thrown in.
The League of Freaks and The Secret Key
by Alberto Hazan
529 pages
In this book, Alberto Hazan looks at how kids with differences many kids today have learn to cope. Some are larger than the other kids, a different cultural background, glasses, or just plain different in general. But these kids, learn to cope in very special ways, because their differences give them unique powers that the kids that bully them do not have.
I feel odd trying not to share the plot, but still wanting to go over everything because of how much fun this book was to read.
We start out the story learning about one of the main characters, who is moving with her parents to a new place. Why? because her father got a job at a university. She is far from happy with the move, and when she starts school, she is even unhappier when she's taunted about a pair of shoes her best friend had given her as a goodbye present.
As the story gains momentum, you're offered glimpses at other students that are ill used, and how they react to it. Then comes the fun part, the outsiders become friends, and start out on an adventure all their own. That looks at history, as well as how fact and fiction can relate.
I recommend this book for all age groups, because it isn't heavy in nature, but is effective at getting multiple themes across.
One is that bullies don't always win. Another is that by trusting your friends as well as your own judgement, you become better yourself.
So if you know someone that might be feeling a little down, feel free to recommend this story to them, if they can relate to a character, it may cheer them up more than you realize.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Just a Thought on Bullying
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I didn't write this, and I'm not entirely sure who did, but it was drifting around on FB and seemed to be something that was worth sharing, even though it's not a full book.
Hope you're reading something great!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Short Stories aren't to be Brushed Off
Recently I've been reading a fair number of short stories. Why? because they are generally enjoyable and there are a LARGE number of them available online from both well known and aspiring writers. This means that you never know what kind of treat you may find when you start reading.
I will be honest, there are some things that I have read that I will not bother to give a recounting of. I apologize to the authors of these un named pieces, but everyone has preferences. So as sorry as i am, i do not apologize for having different tastes than you.
____________
The Ugly Kids
by Renee Adames
73 pages
Part of me wanted to do a full entry on this story alone, but I couldn't quite come up with enough to say that wouldn't give away the story. The Ugly Kids is a fun trip to High School, and the life of a less than social student. There are some highly amusing moments, like when the character named Gohber eats Lily's clownfish.
Lily seems to be the main character, a taller than usual girl who raises fish. Gohber is a Goblin. Talk about a pleasent surprise for me. (after all how many Goblins are 'good' in books?) As a whole the story is quite fun, and I would recommend it as a fun read for ages 10 and up.
____________
Melvin the Dry Cleaning Zombie and The Vampire Shoe Warehouse
by PJ Jones
81 pages
This two story offering was very amusing. When I acquired it originally, I thought that it was going to be some sort of mini adventure story about a Zombie. But once I actually opened the file up I found out that it was two separate stories.
The first story, about Melvin, is about how Zombie's are integrated into society by having them do dry cleaning. Due to some content in this particular piece, I do not recommend these stories for younger readers at all.
The Vampire Shoe Warehouse is a cute story about how insecurities can affect the way we interact with others, as well as the way they interact with us. It also hints at ways to deal with them. This one is fun, but again, has content that is not recommended for younger readers.
____________
Magical Entities Are Not For Sale
by Chris Turner
48 pages
This story was charming, and had a more polished feel to it. The story looked at a girls existence at a 'toy' and 'candy' shop, and her education in the arts of the shop. A wonderful story for all ages.
____________
Two little Dead Girls
by Derek Clendening
92 pages
While Two Little Dead Girls has made it onto todays list, I will not say that it is the best one.(and I won't say it's the worst, after all I already said that there are stories that haven't made the cut.) But what I both like and dislike about this story is what it looks at. The story looks at the way Cancer causes a women to go through her life. Younger readers may find the story a bit hard to follow at times. But it says a lot bout how people see each other, as well as feel about each other.
____________
Now I want to remind you, that I have READ every item that I mention on this blog. I have no intentions of bad mouthing any writer, or discouraging other readers from exploring the written word. I simply want to help people see some of the stories that aren't as often mentioned. Whether they are hard copy or eText doesn't matter.
I will be honest, there are some things that I have read that I will not bother to give a recounting of. I apologize to the authors of these un named pieces, but everyone has preferences. So as sorry as i am, i do not apologize for having different tastes than you.
____________
The Ugly Kids
by Renee Adames
73 pages
Part of me wanted to do a full entry on this story alone, but I couldn't quite come up with enough to say that wouldn't give away the story. The Ugly Kids is a fun trip to High School, and the life of a less than social student. There are some highly amusing moments, like when the character named Gohber eats Lily's clownfish.
Lily seems to be the main character, a taller than usual girl who raises fish. Gohber is a Goblin. Talk about a pleasent surprise for me. (after all how many Goblins are 'good' in books?) As a whole the story is quite fun, and I would recommend it as a fun read for ages 10 and up.
____________
Melvin the Dry Cleaning Zombie and The Vampire Shoe Warehouse
by PJ Jones
81 pages
This two story offering was very amusing. When I acquired it originally, I thought that it was going to be some sort of mini adventure story about a Zombie. But once I actually opened the file up I found out that it was two separate stories.
The first story, about Melvin, is about how Zombie's are integrated into society by having them do dry cleaning. Due to some content in this particular piece, I do not recommend these stories for younger readers at all.
The Vampire Shoe Warehouse is a cute story about how insecurities can affect the way we interact with others, as well as the way they interact with us. It also hints at ways to deal with them. This one is fun, but again, has content that is not recommended for younger readers.
____________
Magical Entities Are Not For Sale
by Chris Turner
48 pages
This story was charming, and had a more polished feel to it. The story looked at a girls existence at a 'toy' and 'candy' shop, and her education in the arts of the shop. A wonderful story for all ages.
____________
Two little Dead Girls
by Derek Clendening
92 pages
While Two Little Dead Girls has made it onto todays list, I will not say that it is the best one.(and I won't say it's the worst, after all I already said that there are stories that haven't made the cut.) But what I both like and dislike about this story is what it looks at. The story looks at the way Cancer causes a women to go through her life. Younger readers may find the story a bit hard to follow at times. But it says a lot bout how people see each other, as well as feel about each other.
____________
Now I want to remind you, that I have READ every item that I mention on this blog. I have no intentions of bad mouthing any writer, or discouraging other readers from exploring the written word. I simply want to help people see some of the stories that aren't as often mentioned. Whether they are hard copy or eText doesn't matter.
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