Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 110

Now Affordable for Home Libraries: The Teller's Tale: Lives of the Classic Fairy Tale Writers edited by Sophie Raynard

I announced the hardcover release of The Teller's Tale: Lives of the Classic Fairy Tale Writers edited by Sophie Raynard last November and admitted in the post that the book would be out of the price range of most readers here (list price $75), especially those on a student budget. That is no longer a problem with the paperback now released and priced at around $21 dollars on Amazon and other sites. The Kindle Edition is the best price at about $15.

Book description:

This book offers new, often unexpected, but always intriguing portraits of the writers of classic fairy tales. For years these authors, who wrote from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries, have been either little known or known through skewed, frequently sentimentalized biographical information. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm were cast as exemplars of national virtues; Hans Christian Andersen's life became—with his participation—a fairy tale in itself. Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont, the prim governess who wrote moral tales for girls, had a more colorful past than her readers would have imagined, and few people knew that nineteen-year-old Marie-Catherine d'Aulnoy conspired to kill her much-older husband. Important figures about whom little is known, such as Giovan Francesco Straparola and Giambattista Basile, are rendered more completely than ever before. Uncovering what was obscured for years and with newly discovered evidence, contributors to this fascinating and much-needed volume provide a historical context for Europe's fairy tales.

Table of Contents:

Introduction
Sophie Raynard

Part I. Emergence

Straparola: Sixteenth-Century Italy
Basile: Seventeenth-Century Italy

Europe’s First Fairy Tales
Ruth B. Bottigheimer

Giovan Francesco Straparola: 1485?–1556?
Ruth B. Bottigheimer

Giambattista Basile: 1575?–1632
Nancy Canepa

Part II. Elaboration

Perrault and the Conteuses Précieuses: Seventeenth-Century France

Sophistication and Modernization of the Fairy Tale: 1690–1709
Nadine Jasmin (translated and adapted by Sophie Raynard)

Charles Perrault: 1628–1703
Yvette Saupé and Jean-Pierre Collinet (translated and adapted by Sophie Raynard)

Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d’Aulnoy: 1650/51?–1705
Nadine Jasmin (translated and adapted by Sophie Raynard)

Catherine Bernard: 1663?–1712
Lewis C. Seifert

Marie-Jeanne Lhéritier de Villandon: 1664–1734
Lewis C. Seifert

Henriette-Julie de Castelnau, Countess de Murat: 1668–1716
Geneviève Patard (translated and adapted by Sophie Raynard)

Charlotte-Rose de Caumont de La Force: 1650?–1724
Lewis C. Seifert

Part III. Exoticism

Galland: Eighteenth-Century France

Antoine Galland: 1646–1715
Manuel Couvreur (translated and adapted by Sophie Raynard)

Part IV. Didacticism

Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont: Eighteenth-Century France

Jeanne-Marie Leprince (or Le Prince) de Beaumont: 1711–1780?
Elisa Biancardi (translated and adapted by Sophie Raynard)

Part V. Traditionalization

Naubert: Late Eighteenth-Century and Early Nineteenth-Century Germany
The Grimms: Nineteenth-Century Germany
Bechstein: Nineteenth-Century Germany

The Legacy of Eighteenth-Century and Nineteenth-Century German Female Storytellers
Shawn C. Jarvis

Benedikte Naubert
Shawn C. Jarvis

Jacob Grimm: 1785–1863, Wilhelm Grimm: 1786-1859
Donald R. Hettinga

Ludwig Bechstein
Ruth B. Bottigheimer

Part VI. Sentimentalization

Andersen: Nineteenth Century Denmark

Hans Christian Andersen
Peer E. Soerensen

Lister of Contributors
Index

Five New Books in the It's Not About... Series by Veronika Martenova Charles

It's Not About... Series by Veronika Martenova Charles: I wrote about the first five books in this series almost three years ago. This year five more books were added. I missed these earlier this year, but I am thrilled to see they have been published. I haven't seen these but I saw the original five since they were sent to me for review and they are great tools for sharing different versions of fairy tales in a classroom or elsewhere--well, you know, away from SurLaLune which offers a similar service. These versions by Charles are easy reading level for early and middle readers with cool characters sharing the stories, so they are safe for the classroom, too, unlike some of the tales shared on SurLaLune.

Series description:

More first books for fledgling readers that offer the enjoyment of a good story with the thrill of accomplishment that comes from independent reading. Written in short, easy phrases with carefully selected vocabulary and plentiful illustrations, each book helps youngsters achieve success as they have fun.

The series follows three friends who love to share stories. In each book, one is reminded of a well-known story:

It's Not About the Ball! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on The Frog Prince and has The Promise from Scotland, The Frog Boy from Vietnam, and The Singing Frog from Chile

It's Not About the Tiny Girl! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on Thumbelina and has The Peanut Boy from Chile, Little Inch from Japan, and Baby-man from Native America

It's Not About the Diamonds! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on the story of Diamonds and Toads and has The Three Gnomes from Germany, Rice Cakes from Indonesia, and Old Man of the River from Africa

It's Not About the Straw! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on Rumpelstiltskin and has The Elf from Germany, Lady in Green from Scotland, and The Bridge from Japan

It's Not About the Beanstalk! (Easy-to-Read Wonder Tales) is based on Jack and the Beanstalk and has the Bean Tree from Appalachia, Olaf and the Troll from Norway, and Molly and the Giant from Scotland

As one friend starts his story, the others are reminded of versions they know so each volume has three stories within one framework. The stories come from around the world, and Veronika Martenova Charles provides a note at the end of each book to describe the origins.

New Book: The Fairest of Them All by Carolyn Turgeon

From my email inbox--I may eventually get to other emails, too! Although I despair at how far behind I am. I changed the Amazon links to SurLaLune affiliate links so buying from Amazon helps Carolyn and SurLaLune if you use them. The rest are not affiliated. And I think this is my favorite cover of all of Turgeon's books so far:


Dear Friends,

My new novel, The Fairest of Them All: A Novel, comes out next Tuesday from Simon & Schuster. It’s an adult novel (with teen crossover appeal), and my first fairy-tale mash-up, about Rapunzel growing up to be Snow White’s stepmother. Eleanor Brown calls it “intricate, inventive, and charged with magic.” Jamie Ford says he “loved this unexpected spin on the story of Rapunzel, this strong-willed devourer of hearts.” Caroline Leavitt says that it “unfolds like a waking dream, with prose that shimmers like cut diamonds.” You can read more praise for it here. And here’s an excerpt.

Because of an ongoing battle between Simon & Schuster and Barnes & Noble, The Fairest of Them All will not be in brick-and-mortar Barnes & Nobles—and this may have a devastating impact on the book’s success. To support me or my books, please consider doing any or all of the following to help:

Buy The Fairest of Them All for yourself and your friendsBuy it for your enemies as a long-overdue peace offeringProclaim your love for it as often as possible—in person and/or via Twitter/Facebook/your blogAttend any of the events listed here and/or suggest them to your friends in those citiesWrite an online review for The Fairest of Them All on Amazon and/or GoodreadsRecommend it to any book reviewers/radio hosts/media types/movie stars you knowRecommend it to book clubs, friends in book clubs, or your own book clubLook for it at your local bookstore and request it if it’s not in stockTell friends that you will no longer love them if they don’t go buy it immediatelyRead it conspicuously on buses while exclaiming loudly about its meritsRequest that your local library add the book to its collectionCome up with awesome ideas for promoting The Fairest of Them All and email them to me
I will be eternally grateful to you, whatever you can do to help. Thank you!

LOVE,
Carolyn

Links for buying:Trade Paperback: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Indiebound, Powell’s, and eBook: Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooksore, Barnes & Noble Nook, and Simon & Schuster

Bargain Ebook: Enchanted (The Woodcutter Sisters) by Althea Kontis

It's a new month and there are some new fairy tale and fantasy bargain books in Amazon's Kindle Monthly Book Deals for $3.99 or Less. I will be sharing them in separate posts today.

Here's your chance! Enchanted (The Woodcutter Sisters) by Alethea Kontis, one of the most popular fairy tale books from 2012, is bargain priced at $1.99 in ebook format. This is one that was well-reviewed outside of fairy tale fandom, too, so it's a must-read for fairy tale fans. The second book, Hero, will be out October 1 this year and a third, Beloved, will follow in October 2014.

Book description:

It isn’t easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true.

When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises.

The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past—and hers?

Bargain Ebook: Fathomless (Fairy Tale Retelling) by Jackson Pearce

It's a new month and there are some new fairy tale and fantasy bargain books in Amazon's Kindle Monthly Book Deals for $3.99 or Less. I will be sharing them in separate posts today.

Fathomless (Fairy Tale Retelling) by Jackson Pearce has been discounted for the first time in ebook format to $2.99. This is Pearce's third fairy tale novel, after Sisters Red (Fairy Tale Retelling) and Sweetly (Fairy Tale Retelling) (both currently $7.59), and will be followed this fall by Cold Spell (Fairy Tale Retelling), timed well to coincide with the Disney "Snow Queen" movie, Frozen. Fathomless retells Little Mermaid.

Book description:

Celia Reynolds is the youngest in a set of triplets and the one with the least valuable power. Anne can see the future, and Jane can see the present, but all Celia can see is the past. And the past seems so insignificant -- until Celia meets Lo.

Lo doesn't know who she is. Or who she was. Once a human, she is now almost entirely a creature of the sea -- a nymph, an ocean girl, a mermaid -- all terms too pretty for the soulless monster she knows she's becoming. Lo clings to shreds of her former self, fighting to remember her past, even as she's tempted to embrace her dark immortality.

When a handsome boy named Jude falls off a pier and into the ocean, Celia and Lo work together to rescue him from the waves. The two form a friendship, but soon they find themselves competing for Jude's affection. Lo wants more than that, though. According to the ocean girls, there's only one way for Lo to earn back her humanity. She must persuade a mortal to love her . . . and steal his soul.

Bargain Ebook: The Last Dragonslayer: The Chronicles of Kazam, Book 1 by Jasper Fforde is $1.99

It's a new month and there are some new fairy tale and fantasy bargain books in Amazon's Kindle Monthly Book Deals for $3.99 or Less. I will be sharing them in separate posts today.

The Last Dragonslayer: The Chronicles of Kazam, Book 1 by Jasper Fforde is $1.99, a relatively new release with the paperback just released in July after the hardcover release last October.

Book description:

In the good old days, magic was indispensable—it could both save a kingdom and clear a clogged drain. But now magic is fading: drain cleaner is cheaper than a spell, and magic carpets are used for pizza delivery. Fifteen-year-old foundling Jennifer Strange runs Kazam, an employment agency for magicians—but it’s hard to stay in business when magic is drying up. And then the visions start, predicting the death of the world’s last dragon at the hands of an unnamed Dragonslayer. If the visions are true, everything will change for Kazam—and for Jennifer. Because something is coming. Something known as . . . Big Magic.

Bargain Ebook: East of the Sun and West of the Moon (Michael Hague Signature Classics) for $1.99

It's a new month and there are some new fairy tale and fantasy bargain books in Amazon's Kindle Monthly Book Deals for $3.99 or Less. I will be sharing them in separate posts today.

First up is East of the Sun and West of the Moon (Michael Hague Signature Classics) illustrated by Michael Hague for $1.99. The print version of this book is long out of print but it's one of my favorites for this beloved tale, one I've become even more intimate with over the past year of working with Beauty and the Beast tales.

Bargain Book: Little Red Riding Hood Illustrated by Daniel Egneus

Little Red Riding Hood illustrated by Daniel Egneus is currently bargain priced for $6 in hardcover.

Book description from the publisher:

Here are “Little Red” and “the Wolf” as you’ve never seen them before – stunningly reinterpreted by internationally renowned artist Daniel Egnéus. One of the most oft-told fairytales of all time, Little Red Riding Hood is an adventure story, a coming of age story, a cautionary tale – and it’s soon to be a major Hollywood motion picture produced by Leonardo diCaprio, directed by Catherine Hardwicke of the Twilight films fame, and starring Amanda Seyfried from Big Love, Mamma Mia! and Letters to Juliet, along with Julie Christie and Gary Oldman. Daniel Egnéus’s elegant, romantic, and hypnotic illustrations carry a new generation breathlessly into the deep, dark woods for a haunting, unforgettable experience unparalleled by anything else in the waking world.

Here are some images from the book courtesy of the publisher's website:







Finally, here's a video about the making of the book.  You can also learn more about him on his website which mostly offers a collection of images from his other projects, not this one currently.

New Book: Of Witches and Wind (Ever Afters, The) by Shelby Bach

Of Witches and Wind (Ever Afters, The) by Shelby Bach was released this week. This is the second book in Bach's The Ever Afters series following last summer's release of Of Giants and Ice (Ever Afters), which is now in paperback. These books are aimed at middle readers and sound quite fun. Fairy tale characters like Rapunzel and Hansel and Gretel are grown-ups running Ever After School and the Snow Queen is the ongoing villain of the series. The first book draws strongest inspiration from Jack and the Beanstalk. The second book's cover looks to be a take on Three Billy Goats Gruff. So there are many fairy tales to be enjoyed here for the savvy fairy tale reader.

Book description for Book 2: Of Witches and Wind (Ever Afters, The):

In this second book in a series that Kirkus Reviews calls a “fast-paced combination of middle school realism and fairy-tale fantasy,” it’s up to Rory to save the Ever After School—and deal with her father’s fiancée. 

After taking part in a successful real-life fairy tale, Rory Landon is now an Ever After School veteran. She has better friends than she’s ever had, and she’s stronger, more confident, and ready to take on whatever comes next.

Or so she thought. When a nefarious plan from The Snow Queen threatens the entire Ever After School program, it is up to Rory and Chase to save everyone. Between this new adventure and what is happening at home—where a potential stepmom has entered the picture—Rory wonders if she really has what it takes to come to the rescue.

Book description for Book 1: Of Giants and Ice (Ever Afters):

When Rory realizes fairy tales are the real deal at Ever After School, she embarks on a classic quest to fulfill her destiny in this “fast-paced combination of middle school realism and fairy-tale fantasy” (Kirkus Reviews).
Rory Landon has spent her whole life being known as the daughter of a famous movie star mom and director dad. So when she begins a new after-school program and no one knows who her family is, Rory realizes something is different. After she ends up fighting a fire-breathing dragon on her first day, she realizes the situation is more unusual than she could have imagined. It turns out the only fame that matters at Ever After School is the kind of fame earned from stories Rory thought were fictional. But as Rory soon learns, fairy tales are very real—and she is destined to star in one of her own.

This first installment of The Ever Afters series reimagines classic fairy tale characters in a modern context, merging familiar fantasy with the everyday realities of middle-grade existence.

Fairy Tales in Advertising: Capital One's Frog Prince

I haven't shared an advertising post in a while and this one came up on one of my login pages this week. Obviously a Frog Prince reference by Capital One's online ad campaign in the U.S. Cute!