Holiday Reading Suggestions Requested

It's that time of year again. The leaves have changed color and the snow is threatening to fly outside my windows. It's a little depressing to think that this year has flown by so swiftly.

All things considered though it's gone well. Most of my family is fairly healthy, there have only been a few folk that passed away. We have a roof over our head and we have food to eat, not always that we feel full, but at least there is food to eat.

Oh, I'm rambling. What is this post about I bet you're asking yourself. Well, it's about Holiday Reading, as well as the posts that are going to be coming up through December.

I'm hoping to find some nice holiday themed stories, but that doesn't mean it will be easy. So if you have any recommendations, feel free to drop them my way ^_~ As you've likely noticed I don't stick to one genre, and am fairly open minded when it comes to the content in a story.

So recommend away ^_~ I'll appreciate them.

Treasured Tale of Far Away

We all run into different books as we go along over time. Sometimes a book is so sad that it clings to your memories. For me one example of that is the book Today's Post is about.

The Little Prince
by Antoine De Saint Exupery
111 pages

The author wrote and illustrated this book for the reader to enjoy. And the first thing you find when you open it is that is dedicated to a good friend, but not as he was at the time, as he was when he was a child.

That tells you a lot about the writer in my opinion. For a writer to care about a friend so dearly, but to acknowledge that children might find offense in his choice to dedicate it to an adult is charming.

As you read the story you find out various things, both about the Little Prince, but also about the narrator. They both have a lot to teach each other, even the one answers questions more often than the other.

As charming and sad as some parts of the tale are, there are some things young readers may not understand. Adults that indulge in the piece, after reading it in the past, may find more in it than they had in the past.

There's something sweet about a Little Prince that watches over a flower, and wants a sheep. But as in all things mortality is questioned, and there is no answer given for certain in the end, but your given the choice to decide the outcome yourself.

For sometimes the most unusual meetings are the ones that leave a lasting impression.

In The House

Okay. Short stories can be pretty weird. But that doesn't really stop us from wanting to read them anyway. Yeah, I know that you already know that I read weird stuff. So today for your enjoyment I'm recommending 2 short stories that involve "in the house" aspects.

Death on the Toilet
Robert Stikmanz
20 pages

This is an enjoyable story, about a man and his accidental introduction to Death. We get a unique description of what Death appears like, as well as to what Death smells like.

This story takes an interesting look at Deaths job, as well as the reactions people have at meeting Death. Recommended for mature readers, not because of the content, but because some of the items mentioned may confuse younger readers.
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Appliances Included
Mark Souza
50pages

A nice horror read for teens and adults. This story examines the history of a families 'new' home. It gives a recounting of the places history, and examines how rumors can be ignored. I enjoyed it's simple straight forward sty;e, as well as the unexpected twist at the end.

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Yeah I know this post is horribly short. But the stories aren't so long that I can give a deep analysis of them without possible spoilers. So feel free to read, please feel free to drop me some suggestions ^_^

From Book to Movie to Book Again

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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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?

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)

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.

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.