Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 159

Harrods to Celebrate Disney Princesses

[image error] Valentino's reinterpretation of 'Beauty and the Beast' for Harrods' Christmas windows.

From Harrods to celebrate Disney Princesses:

Harrods will be a little girl's wonderland this Christmas as the luxury London department store is set to partner with Disney to showcase a glamorous take on the iconic entertainment company's fairytale Princesses.

Kicking off the festive season in November, the Knightsbridge store will unveil a set of window displays showcasing couture re-imaginations of classic Disney Princess dresses by the likes of Valentino, Elie Saab, Versace and Oscar de la Renta.

The fairytale windows will be accompanied by in-store events and promotions which will pay tribute to Disney's much-loved Princesses - Ariel, Aurora (Sleeping Beauty), Belle, Cinderella, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Snow White and Tiana. A one-off 7,000 square foot area on the store's fourth floor will be entirely Disney-dedicated, housing a pop-up boutique which will sell limited edition items especially for Christmas.

A 7,000 square foot area. Wow. Harrod's is big but that's a lot of space, even for them...

Christian Louboutin's Cinderella Shoe Released

Cinderella (Three-Disc Diamond Edition: Blu-ray/DVD + Digital Copy) will be released on October 2, 2012 and part of the pre-promotion is the announcement and release of a specially designed Cinderella slipper by Christian Louboutin inspired by the Disney version, of course. Here are various images from around the net--credits were elusive--and some excerpts of articles. So what do you think about the shoes?

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From Access Hollywood:

None other than famed designer Christian Louboutin has teamed up with The Walt Disney Studios to create a “Cinderella” slipper. Aren’t they gorgeous!?????

“The inspiration behind the shoe of Cinderella, is coming from Cinderella herself,” says Louboutin. “If you’re designing shoes, definitely, Cinderella is one of the biggest icons, if you think about it. You have few people who are so linked to shoes.”

So true, and Cinderella is one very, very special gal to have her own pair of custom designed Louboutins! Only 20 pairs of the priceless shoes were created.

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From The Telegraph:

The shoes - which of course include Louboutin's trademark red soles - are constructed of delicate crystal-adorned lace with two sparkling butterflies resting on the shoes, one landing on the vamp while the other sits closely behind atop of the crystal covered heel, gently brushing the ankle.

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New Book: No Bears by Meg McKinlay and illustrated by Leila Rudge

No Bears by Meg McKinlay and illustrated by Leila Rudge was released last year in Australia and this year in the US. In Australia, the book has been shortlisted for their CBCA Awards. (Think of it as their equivalent to the Caldecott Medal in the US.)


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The book isn't a straight out fairy tale retelling, but it uses tropes and imagery from fairy tales to tell a story in which there are NO BEARS since the narrator is sick of them in her books. Of course, the bear is the silent, unacknowledged hero of the book, providing rescue and humor along the literal sidelines. The fairy godmother, for example, is too busy searching for her wand to help when needed.

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Book description:

Ella is in charge of this book, and she will tell you something right now. There are NO BEARS in it. Not even one.

Ella wants to tell you a story — a story with absolutely no bears. You don’t need bears for a book. You need pretty things like fairies and princesses and castles and maybe funny things and exciting things. In Ella’s kind of story, there are no bears in the village or the castle or the deep dark forest or faraway lands. But there might be . . . a monster! Riffing on well-known fairy-tale themes, this fun, offbeat story is perfectly matched by playful illustrations with a running visual joke that will keep even bear lovers smiling.

There is also a word find page on the Australian publisher's site. You can download the PDF here. But it gives you an idea of what fairy tales to expect in the book. Or it's just fun for a child or adult who enjoys word finds! There's also some classroom ideas for the book for teachers--or parents--looking for ways to expand the book's usage.
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New Book: Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge and illustrated by Andrea Dezso

New release today: Lies, Knives, and Girls in Red Dresses by Ron Koertge and illustrated by Andrea Dezso.

No, it's not a picture book and not for the preschool set as the cover makes clear, but with Candlewick as publisher and an illustrator on the cover, a few of you might have wondered!

Book description:

Writing in free verse honed to a wicked edge, the incomparable Ron Koertge brings dark and contemporary humor to twenty iconic fairy tales.

Once upon a time, there was a strung-out match girl who sold CDs to stoners. Twelve impetuous sisters escaped King Daddy’s clutches to jiggle and cavort and wear out their shoes. A fickle Thumbelina searched for a tiny husband, leaving bodies in her wake. And Little Red Riding Hood confessed that she kind of wanted to know what it’s like to be swallowed whole. From bloodied and blinded stepsisters (they were duped) to a chopped-off finger flying into a heroine’s cleavage, this is fairy tale world turned upside down. Ron Koertge knows what really happened to all those wolves and maidens, ogres and orphans, kings and piglets, and he knows about the Ever After. So come closer— he wants to whisper in your ear.

Here's an excerpt from Diamonds and Toads--most of it actually, but it gives you a full taste of the book, courtesy of Publishers Weekly which actually has three full excerpts:

Do you see the ending? Some nice prince gets a slot machine for a wife. The other marries a herpetologist.

Except it isn't that simple. The gift/curse can't be turned off. There's no such thing as a casual conversation:

Out come the rubies and pearls. Or the vipers and toads. Making love means scribbling notes and destroying the mood.

Rueful. Everyone is rueful, the husbands especially. At first it was fascinating. Later, not so much. And now. Yikes!

The sight of two servant girls gossiping excites those guys more than the local pornography. They start coming home late.

"Where have you been?" the sisters shriek, covering the floor with pearls or asps. The men hedge and stammer, then admit,

"All right. We've been listening to somebody else, somebody who doesn't puke every time she opens her mouth."

Next morning the men are found swollen and disfigured, with diamonds where their eyes used to be.

Sneak Peek into Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles

I know many of you are eager to read the next book by Marissa Meyer after enjoying her Cinder this past winter/spring. Well, I was surprised last week when USA Today shared the cover reveal and an excerpt for the book. In July 2012. For a February 2013 release. For a fairy tale retelling. I know this is one of the most successful fairy tale novels so far this year, but that's hype, folks. Yay for Meyer's publicist, publisher, agent, whoever finangled this.

From the article, Cover reveal, excerpt and interview: 'Scarlet' by Marissa Meyer:

Due out in early 2013 from Macmillan, Scarlet is the second book in Meyer's The Lunar Chronicles young-adult series. Cinder reappears in the next futuristic tweaking of a familiar fairy tale — as does Prince Kai, the evil lunar ruler Queen Levana, and a heap of intergalactic intrigue.

Debuting in the new book, however, is Scarlet Benoit, a young French woman who enlists the services of a street fighter named Wolf when she finds her grandmother, a former military pilot, gone missing.

Two more fairy-tale fantasies will follow Scarlet, including Cress (2014), Meyer's take on the Rapunzel legend, and the Snow White-inspired conclusion, Winter (2015).

Don't forget there is also an excerpt if you are interested. So far the book is only listed on Amazon as an audio book, the paper and ebook versions aren't listed yet. And if you haven't read Cinder yet, why not? It's a fresh take on the fairy tale, a nice change from the high fantasy and horror versions that are dominating right now. I like those, don't get me wrong, but Cinder is different and when you deal with as many fairy tales as I do, well done different takes on fairy tales are charming and refreshing and stand out in the crowd.

Bargain Ebook: The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson

   
The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson was one of the most praised YA fantasy novels released last year. The sequel--The Crown of Embers (Fire and Thorns)--is due out in a few months and in anticipation the ebook edition has been dropped in price temporarily to $2.99. I bought this one for full price myself a few months ago although I haven't read it yet--when I know a sequel is coming soon, I tend to wait and read the first one as close to the release of the second release as I can. Advance praise for the second book is strong, too.

Anyway, many people whose opinion I value enjoyed, even loved, this book so I thought I would share since so many readers here enjoy fantasy of this nature since it definitely builds upon themes similar to fairy tales and folklore. When more than one reviewer compares Carson to Megan Whalen Turner, I'm forking over a little money to try a book.

Book description:

Once a century, one person is chosen for greatness.

Elisa is the chosen one.

But she is also the younger of two princesses. The one who has never done anything remarkable, and can’t see how she ever will.

Now, on her sixteenth birthday, she has become the secret wife of a handsome and worldly king—a king whose country is in turmoil. A king who needs her to be the chosen one, not a failure of a princess.

And he’s not the only one who seeks her. Savage enemies, seething with dark magic,are hunting her. A daring, determined revolutionary thinks she could be his people’ssavior, and he looks at her in a way that no man has ever looked at her before. Soon it is not just her life, but her very heart that is at stake.

Elisa could be everything to those who need her most. If the prophecy is fulfilled. If she finds the power deep within herself. If she doesn’t die young.

Most of the chosen do.

NBC's Grimm at Comic Con

Have you seen these? Grimm has a presence at Comic Con this month and here are images of some of the promotional posters available there. And did you realize you only have about five weeks until the show returns? Glad to see NBC is supporting the show...
From TVLine:

TVLine not only has your first look at Grimm’s Season 2 key art below, we also have comic book whiz Whilce Portacio’s limited-edition Comic-Con promotional poster for the show!

Until then, you can go right on buzzing about the supernatural thriller. It’s certainly given us enough to discuss, what with NBC giving it an early premiere (on Monday, August 13, at 10pm/9c) to capitalize on Olympics hype and Lost alum Mark Pellegrino being cast as a coyotl.

Around the World: African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) by Roger D. Abrahams

Today's adventure around the world in folklore is African American Folktales: Stories from Black Traditions in the New World (Pantheon Fairy Tale and Folklore Library) by Roger D. Abrahams.

Product Description:

Nearly 100 stories from over 40 tribe-related myths of creation, tales of epic deeds, ghost stories and tales set in both the animal and human realms.

From Library Journal:

This volume sports a hefty 95 stories gleaned from the notes of the earliest missionaries on up to recent anthropological studies. Abrahams admits that reading the stories lacks the full impact of hearing them told aloud but contends that they can nonetheless still be enjoyed. The stories feature numerous illustrations.

Of course, with such a large continent, any book like this can only be considered a most basic overview. It is rare to find collections of folklore from specific African countries available in English so overviews are often the only resources available to casual and even somewhat enthusiastic readers. Still, this is one of the best of those available, especially for the price.

Table of Contents:

Preface
Introduction 3
1 Never Seen His Equal 41
2 The Man Makes and the Woman Takes 42
3 Bringing Men and Women Together 45
4 The Fight over Life 46
5 The Wind and the Water Fighting 47
6 The Word the Devil Made Up 48
7 The Knee-High Man Tries to Get Sizable 49
8 Pig's Long Nose and Greedy Mouth 50
9 Getting Common Sense 52
10 Hankering for a Long Tail 53
11 The Devil's Doing 62
12 The John Crows Lose Their Hair 63
13 Tadpole Loses His Tail 65
14 The Owl Never Sleeps at Night 66
15 Why Hens Are Afraid of Owls 68
16 The Gifts of Dipper and Cowhide 69
17 Buh Nansi Scares Buh Lion 72
18 Testing the Good Lord 74
19 Mr. Possum Loves Peace 75
20 Get Back, Get Back 77
21 No Justice on Earth 78
22 Meeting the King of the World 85
23 Mr. Bamancoo Gets Dropped 87
24 The Tug-of-War between Elephant and Whale 89
25 Tiger Becomes a Riding Horse 91
26 The Telltale Pepper Bush 94
27 Making the Stone Smoke 97
28 The Latest Song 99
29 The Signifying Monkey 101
30 The Singing Bones 105
31 A Boarhog for a Husband 108
32 The Woman Who Was a Bird 111
33 My Mother Killed Me, My Father Ate Me 113
34 What Makes Brer Wasp Have a Short Patience 119
35 Between the Fiddler and the Dancer 121
36 Being Greedy Chokes Anansi 122
37 The Doings and Undoings of the Dogoshes 123
38 Spreading Fingers for Friendship 124
39 Don't Shoot Me, Dyer, Don't Shoot Me 125
40 Little Eight John 128
41 The Poor Man and the Snake 130
42 The Little Bird Grows 132
43 Tricking All the Kings 136
44 The Feast on the Mountain and the Feast under the Water 140
45 Hide Anger until Tomorrow 141
46 Buying Two Empty Hands 142
47 Cutta Cord-La 144
48 Brer Bear's Grapevine 147
49 A Foolish Mother 149
50 Old Granny Grinny Granny 151
51 You Never Know What Trouble Is until It Finds You 153
52 He Pays for the Provisions 159
53 The Cunning Cockroach 163
54 Little Boy-Bear Nurses the Alligator Children 164
55 The Girl Made of Butter 167
56 Poppa Stole the Deacon's Bull 169
57 The Trouble with Helping Out 173
58 The Rooster Goes Away in a Huff 175
59 Why They Name the Stories for Anansi 182
60 Brother Rabbit Takes a Walk 183
61 The Lion in the Well 185
62 A License to Steal 192
63 The Race between Toad and Donkey 194
64 Crawling into the Elephant's Belly 197
65 A Strange Way to Sleep 199
66 Goobers Gone, Rabbit Gone 200
67 Assaulting All the Senses 202
68 Brer Rabbit's Riddle 203
69 The Horned Animals' Party 206
70 Anansi Plays Dead 207
71 Anansi Climbs the Wall 210
72 Dancing to the River 211
73 "Trouble" Coming Down the Road 214
74 No Chicken Tonight 216
75 Golden Breasts, Diamond Navel, Chain of Gold 223
76 The Flying Contest 230
77 Loggerhead 232
78 Trying to Get the Goldstone 234
79 Stackolee 238
80 Escaping, Slowly 240
81 Turning into Nouna - Nothing 241
82 The Old Bull and the Young One 244
83 Fasting for the Hand of the Queen's Daughter 251
84 Weak in the Day and Strong at Night 253
85 Jack Beats the Devil 255
86 Three Killed Florrie, Florrie Killed Ten 260
87 They Both Had Dead Horses 270
88 You Talk Too Much, Anyhow 274
89 Making the Eyes Run 275
90 Making a Wagon from a Wheelbarrow 276
91 The One-Legged Turkey 277
92 John Outruns the Lord 278
93 A Flying Fool 280
94 Horses Stay Outside 281
95 The Sinking of the Titanic 282
96 Competition for Laziness 283
97 John Outwits Mr. Berkeley 284
98 Black Jack and White Jack 288
99 Philanewyork 291
100 The Barn Is Burning 293
101 Big-Gut, Big-Head, Stringy-Leg 300
102 A Chain of Won'ts 300
103 Animal Talk 301
104 A Comic Conversation 302
105 A Smoking Story 303
106 The Things That Talked 304
107 Endings 305
Appendix: Sources, Annotations, and Index of Tales 307
Bibliography 321
Permissions Acknowledgments 325

Bargain Book and Ebook: Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce has been temporarily marked down in ebook price to $2.99 in anticipation of her upcoming release of Fathomless this September. And, darn, I don't like the cover nearly as much as those for the hardcovers of Sisters Red and Sweetly! To illustrate what a deal this is, the ebook of Sweetly is $9.99. I had a paper ARC so I now own the ebook, too, since that is my preferred method of reading novels these days.

But, wait, you don't read ebooks yet? Well, good news! The hardcover of Sisters Red is also bargain priced right now at $6.80 which is 60% off list price. That's great and there is absolutely no guessing when it will end since it is based on inventory numbers. Once the bargain editions are sold, the regular price will resume. Could be today or next week. If you want it, don't delay ordering it.

Book description:

Scarlett March lives to hunt the Fenris--the werewolves that took her eye when she was defending her sister Rosie from a brutal attack. Armed with a razor-sharp hatchet and blood-red cloak, Scarlett is an expert at luring and slaying the wolves. She's determined to protect other young girls from a grisly death, and her raging heart will not rest until every single wolf is dead.

Rosie March once felt her bond with her sister was unbreakable. Owing Scarlett her life, Rosie hunts ferociously alongside her. But even as more girls' bodies pile up in the city and the Fenris seem to be gaining power, Rosie dreams of a life beyond the wolves. She finds herself drawn to Silas, a young woodsman who is deadly with an ax and Scarlett's only friend--but does loving him mean betraying her sister and all that they've worked for?

 

Bargain Ebook: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Beastly by Alex Flinn is temporarily marked down to $2.99 in ebook format--cheaper than the $3.99 I paid for it when it was previously discounted a few years ago! I'm never sure when these discounts will end--hours, days, weeks?--so I am sharing on this holiday.

Book description from the publisher:

I am a beast.

A beast. Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright—a creature with fangs and claws and hair springing from every pore. I am a monster.

You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll stay this way forever—ruined—unless I can break the spell.

Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly . . . beastly.

And yes, this was the inspiration for the movie of the same name.