Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 135

Fairy Tale Gifts 2012: youstillshine

Our next entry in the Fairy Tale Gifts 2012 Giveaway is from youstillshine:

I have so many fairy tale items on my wishlist!


1. First of all, there's Once Upon a Time, a cross-stitch pattern by Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum under the name Butternut Road. It's not about one tale specifically, but between the name and the actual design, it always makes me think of fairy tales! (From Heidi: See my long ago post here. I'm about a quarter of the way through the Fairy Godmother pattern but this year has kept me from any cross-stitching.)


2. Beauty & the Beast: A Pop-up Book of the Classic Fairy Tale Then there's this stunning Beauty and the Beast pop-up book. B&TB is one of my favorite tales, and this has some of the most gorgeous illustrations I've seen in a picture book. (From Heidi: Pop up fairy tales are pretty much auto buys for me, indulging two of my passions. Next pop up from Reinhart and Sabuda's studio: Sleeping Beauty! Probably for NEXT Christmas.)


3. There's also Bound by Donna Jo Napoli. I've read most of her other fairytale retellings, but this one somehow escaped my attention until recently! I love reading stories set in places that aren't Western Europe and America, or some thinly-veiled fantasy world based on those areas, so I'm excited to read it.


4. White As Snow (Fairy Tale) by Tanith Lee. Her fairytale collection, Red As Blood, is probably my favorite compilation of short stories (although Kissing the Witch by Emma Donoghue gives it a run for it's money) and I'm extremely intrigued by this book. Snow White mixed with the Demeter and Persephone myth? Sign me up! (From Heidi: How I miss this series...)


5. Lastly, there's Shelley Duvall's Faerie Tale Theatre: The Complete Collection. I remember watching - and loving! - some of these stories as a child, and I'd love to rewatch them now that I know more about fairy tales.

Fairy Tale Gifts 2012: Giada M.

Our next entry in the Fairy Tale Gifts 2012 Giveaway is from Giada M. (who shares some of my French editions wishlist):

My top five:


1) Nutcracker (Creative Editions) by Roberto Innocenti


2) Babayaga by Rebecca Dautremer or in France: Babayaga

 
3) El pequeno teatro de Rebecca / The small theater Rebecca (Spanish Edition) by Rebecca Dautremer or in France: Le petit théâtre de Rébecca: Edition augmentée




4) Ondine by Benjamin Lacombe or Ondina (Spanish Edition)


5) Blancanieves / Snow White (Albumes Ilustrados / Illustrated Albums) (Spanish Edition) by Benjamin Lacombe at in France at Blanche-Neige

Thank you for the lovely giveaway! :D

Fairy Tale Gifts 2012: Davina

Our next entry in the Fairy Tale Gifts 2012 Giveaway is from Davina:

Here is my wish list of fairy tale things for this year:


A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz. From what I saw from SurLaLune's feature, it looks fantastic! I appreciate the darkness of the original Grimm tales and the idea of pulling them all together into a common story thread is brilliant. (From Heidi: I added the sequel because my niece is receiving it this year. I'll get to read it aloud with her during her visit.)


Mirror Mirror: A Book of Reversible Verse by Marilyn Singer. I am fascinated by wordplay like this! I can't wait to read this book. (From Heidi: If I were a billionaire, I'd give this book away by the handfuls.)


Can You Guess My Name?: Traditional Tales Around the World by Judy Sierra. I checked this book out from the library and was very loath to return it. It would make a perfect gift for a young person or an avid fairy tale reader.


Miss Minoes (DVD). The only item on my list not a book. This movie is not a traditional fairy tale or retelling, but the story -- a cat is unexpectedly transformed into a human girl and helps a shy reporter get the best news from the local cats -- has a lot of fairy tale elements besides being charming and sweet. A good gift for the young and the young at heart. (From Heidi: This one is new to me!)


Servant of the Underworld: Obsidian & Blood, Book 1 by Aliette De Bodard. A murder-mystery-fantasy set in the ancient Aztec world where mythology is very much alive! I loved the delicacy with which the author incorporated the sacrificial blood magic. I'm gifting this to my friends who read mysteries.


Faerie Bound: Beyond the Wagon Attic by A.S. Angelo. An intriguing illustrated fantasy novel about getting swept into the realm of faerie where nothing is what it seems.


Windigo: An Anthology of Fact and Fantastic Fiction by John Robert Colombo. A bit on the pricey side, but I would dearly love to own this book. The Algonquian myths of the Windigo, a cannibalistic spirit haunting the north American forests, are as delightful as they are creepy and I'm sure the additional information provided will be fascinating -- and chilling!

Thank you! Happy holidays to everyone!

Free Ebook: Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs

Sweet Venom by Tera Lynn Childs is free in ebook format today. This is a repeat freebie as they call it, having been discounted in September for a few days, too.

Book description:

Grace just moved to San Francisco and is excited to start over at a new school. The change is full of fresh possibilities, but it’s also a tiny bit scary. It gets scarier when a minotaur walks in the door. And even more shocking when a girl who looks just like her shows up to fight the monster.

Gretchen is tired of monsters pulling her out into the wee hours, especially on a school night, but what can she do? Sending the minotaur back to his bleak home is just another notch on her combat belt. She never expected to run into this girl who could be her double, though.

Greer has her life pretty well put together, thank you very much. But that all tilts sideways when two girls who look eerily like her appear on her doorstep and claim they’re triplets, supernatural descendants of some hideous creature from Greek myth, destined to spend their lives hunting monsters.

These three teenage descendants of Medusa, the once-beautiful Gorgon maligned in myth, must reunite and embrace their fates in this unique paranormal world where monsters lurk in plain sight.

Bargain Book: Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale

Princess Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale has temporarily dropped to 50% off in HARDCOVER for $8.49 on Amazon. It was on my list for a Christmas present so I've snatched up a copy for my niece. It is the sequel to the Newbery Honor book, Princess Academy. Which she is also receiving. I should do an entire post on the books she is receiving for Christmas, shouldn't I?

Book description:

Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city is a thrill to Miri. She and her princess academy friends have been brought to Asland to help the future princess Britta prepare for her wedding.There, Miri also has a chance to attend school-at the Queen's Castle. But as Miri befriends students who seem sophisticated and exciting she also learns that they have some frightening plans. Torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city, Miri looks to find her own way in this new place. Picking up where Princess Academy left off, and celebrating the joys of friendship, romance and the fate of fairy tale kingdoms, this new book delivers the completely delightful new story that fans have been waiting for.

Fairy Tale Gifts 2012: A.L. Loveday

Our next entry in the Fairy Tale Gifts 2012 Giveaway is from A.L. Loveday:

I love fairy tale products myself, but I also have a little niece who loves them so a lot of the fairy tale stuff I look for is suitable for children...so this is mostly a fairy tale I-want-to-give list rather than a wish list!


1) Gossip from the Forest: The Tangled Roots of Our Forests and Fairytales: A Search for the Hidden Roots of Our Fairytales by Sara Maitland (I don't know if you've come across this book before, but it looks at the relationship we have with our forests and the connections to fairy tales)

(From Heidi: Yes this is the same book as From the Forest: A Search for the Hidden Roots of our Fairytales in the US. Similar covers this time, except for the different titles.)


2) Finger Fairytales: At John Lewis in the UK and at Amazon at Finger Fairytale in the US, if not sold out! (From Heidi: For Christmas, I want to go shopping for an afternoon with my sister at John Lewis like I did in 2005. She was in London for a semester. I was mooching a bed from her. Good times...)


3) I think bottled fairy dust is an enchanting gift! (See this one at Etsy from seller BottleFullofMagic)


4) What better way to link Christmas to fairy tales than with a gingerbread house? Much more fun if you do it yourself rather than just buy one! (At ASDA in the UK) (From Heidi: Amazon images are easier to embed so I added one here for convenience!)


5) Mix and match fairy tales! (From Heidi: Mixed Up Fairy Tales with Hilary Robinson (Author), Nick Sharratt (Illustrator) which is out of print in the US as Mixed Up Fairy Tales


Perhaps Eeboo Once Upon A Time Matching Game instead?

Fairy Tale Gifts 2012: Marilyn

Our next entry in the Fairy Tale Gifts 2012 Giveaway is from Marilyn:


1. Cinderella Tales From Around the World by Heidi Anne Heiner


2. Fairy Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A New English Version by Philip Pullman

 
3. A cloak - maybe something like this one here or here.


4. A Peau du Bete necklace like yours (From Heidi: See my original post about this.)



5. Ivan Bilibin nesting dolls (From Heidi: Cool!)

Dreams? Why not?

Fairy Tale Gifts 2012: Jamie at What I Did Today

Our next entry in the Fairy Tale Gifts 2012 Giveaway is from Jamie at What I Did Today. And guess what? She shared some things I didn't know about. And now want, darn it!

From Jamie:

My list in order of want. :)

 

Princess and the Pea Bedding from Land of Nod (From Heidi: Oh noes! I'd missed this. And now I want a Pea pillow. That fits none of my decor.)


Little Gnomes Embroidery Pattern


Tales from the Brothers Grimm: A Classic IIlustrated Edition (Classic Illustrated) by Cooper Edens


Red Riding Hood inspired coat (From Heidi: Oh yes!)


The Twelve Dancing Princesses (Mulberry books) by Marianna Mayer (Author), Kinuko Y. Craft (Illustrator) (From Heidi: One of the best!)

Heidi's Wishlist: Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss

Eros (Cupid) & Psyche by Antonio Canova Greek Roman Mythology Lovers Statue, Marble Finish 11-inch is another item on my personal wishlist. The statue is actually titled Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss.


There are a few pieces of art in the world that are beloved by many. While it sometimes feels trite to love them when they are so popular, there are some that have such power that no apologies can really be expected. And, of course, several of these are in the Louvre. No, I don't mean the Mona Lisa. She leaves me cold. But Cupid and Psyche by Antonio Canova and the Victory of Samothrace are two of my favorites. Another favorite is the Unicorn Tapestries in the Cloisters in New York. Their power over me quite shocked me but that is another entry for another day.


I have been to see the real Canova piece in the Louvre several times, but this is a wonderful statue and I hope to see it many more times. Since I am currently working on Beauty and the Beast Tales from Around the World, Cupid and Psyche is particularly frequent in my thinking these days. I've always been drawn to these ATU 425 tales more than any other so I am really loving working on this book.


These images are my own from my 2008 trip. It is so hard to get good pictures of this piece because it is large, it's corner can be dark, and it is usually swamped by tourists. I am actually surprised I got photos this good, although my desired close-up studies overall turned out too blurry to share. In these situations, I'm an amateur photographer and tired tourist with a basic touristy camera trying to get some shots before someone jostles me or steps into my view range. Very frustrating. But the statue makes me forget.


The statue may have to be my reward for when I finish the Beauty and the Beast tales book. And if you, too, love Cupid and Psyche in art, I highly recommend The Tale of Cupid and Psyche: An Illustrated History. It costs more than the replica statue, but it is a pleasure.

New Book: Elemental Magic: All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey

Elemental Magic: All-New Tales of the Elemental Masters by Mercedes Lackey was released this past week.

Book description:

Elemental Magic is the nineth book in the Elemental Masters series. It will feature all new stories featuring characters from the previous works.

That's the only description I can find. There is none on the publisher site. The above is from Lackey's site. Supposedly there are nineteen short stories in this collection. I am tempted to get it despite my lack of upkeep reading in the series. I admit I enjoyed the early books but lost interest after one of the books dragged too much for me, can't even remember the title, either Reserved for the Cat or Wizard of London or Unnatural Issue, I can't remember which is telling isn't it? I prefer these over Lackey's Hundred Kingdoms series since elemental magic is a spark for me and I enjoy the setting of this series. Then there's the references to beloved characters like Peter Wimsey and others. So I am tempted by short stories, since I like those in December when life is too tiring for me to settle into a full novel some nights. Hmmmm.....

Books in the Elemental Masters series:

The Fire Rose
The Serpent's Shadow
The Gates of Sleep
Phoenix and Ashes
Wizard of London
Reserved for the Cat
Unnatural Issue
Home from the Sea
Elemental Magic
Steadfast