Heidi Anne Heiner's Blog, page 44

Bargain Ebook: Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears for $1.99

Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling is on sale for $1.99 in ebook format for the first time, down from $6.15. Another book in the series was on sale in early November so don't get this one confused with that one.

Book description:

Sleeping Beauty, Rumpelstiltskin, Goldilocks, Hansel and Gretel, and other storybook icons are ingeniously reimagined in this stunning collection of updated adult fairy tales from some of today’s finest fantasists

For many of us, the fairy tale was our first exposure to the written word and the power of storytelling. These wondrous works of magic and morality enthralled us, enchanted us, sometimes terrified us, and remain in our hearts and memories still. Once again, World Fantasy Award–winning editors Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have compiled an extraordinary collection of reimagined tales conceived by some of today’s most acclaimed contemporary purveyors of literary fantasy, science fiction, and horror, including Neil Gaiman, Gahan Wilson, Joyce Carol Oates, Tanith Lee, Nancy Kress, Gene Wolfe, and others.

Remarkable things lurk in these dark and magical woods. Here Beauty confronts a serial-killer Beast, Hansel and Gretel’s witch resides not in a gingerbread house but in a luxurious resort, and Rumpelstiltskin is truly the devil demanding his due, rightfully or otherwise. The hilarious “Roach in Loafers” ingeniously combines the classic “Elves and the Shoemaker” tale with “Puss in Boots” and adds an insectile twist, while in a modern fable that blends The Wizard of Oz and Hans Christian Andersen, Dorothy is set adrift in Hollywoodland, ruby slippers and all. These are not the fairy stories you remember from childhood.

Bargain Ebooks: Tales from the Kingdoms Series by Sarah Pinborough for $1.99 Each

All three books in the Tales from the Kingdoms Series by Sarah Pinborough are on sale in ebook format for $1.99 each instead of the usual $7.99 price. The first two have been on sale briefly previously, but the third book is available for this price for the first time.


Book description for Poison (Tales from the Kingdoms Book 1):

An enticing contemporary retelling of the classic story of Snow White. While the the handsome prince, the jealous queen, the beautiful girl and of course the poison all appear, Sarah Pinborough’s charming and provocative spin on the story will captivate fans of the fairy tale all over again.

The first of three brand-new retellings of classic fairy tales by Sarah Pinborough.

Book description for Charm (Tales from the Kingdoms Book 2):

The classic Cinderella story is given a sexy contemporary makeover in this wicked fairy tale featuring all the heroes and villains that we know and love: the handsome prince, the fairy godmother, the wretched sisters, and the beautiful girl.

Book description for Beauty (Tales from the Kingdoms Book 3):

An enticing contemporary retelling of the classic story of Sleeping Beauty. While the the handsome prince, the evil fairy, the beautiful girl and of course the spindle all appear, Sarah Pinborough’s charming and provocative spin on the story will captivate fans of the fairy tale all over again.

The third of three brand-new retellings of classic fairy tales by Sarah Pinborough.

Bargain Ebook: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black for $2.99

The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black is on sale in ebook format for $2.99 for a limited time.

Book description:

In the woods is a glass coffin. It rests on the ground, and in it sleeps a boy with horns on his head and ears as pointed as knives....

Hazel and her brother, Ben, live in Fairfold, where humans and the Folk exist side by side. Tourists drive in to see the lush wonders of Faerie and, most wonderful of all, the horned boy. But visitors fail to see the danger.

Since they were children, Hazel and Ben have been telling each other stories about the boy in the glass coffin, that he is a prince and they are valiant knights, pretending their prince would be different from the other faeries, the ones who made cruel bargains, lurked in the shadows of trees, and doomed tourists. But as Hazel grows up, she puts aside those stories. Hazel knows the horned boy will never wake.

Until one day, he does....

As the world turns upside down, Hazel has to become the knight she once pretended to be. But as she's swept up in new love, with shifting loyalties and the fresh sting of betrayal, will it be enough?

The Darkest Part of the Forest, is the bestselling author Holly Black's triumphant return to the opulent, enchanting faerie tales that launched her YA career.

Fairy Tale Sleepwear

So I stumbled across these gems of sleepwear at Ulla Popken. There is a set of pajamas and a set of two sleep tees. They are both labeled as Red Riding Hood. 
"Fun!" I thought. And rare. I rarely see fairy tale themed clothing for adult women that is not Disney licensed. That was cool enough.
But it gets better! At least for me!
First, here's a close up of the image on the pajama set. Yes, that is Little Red Riding Hood with a very non-threatening wolf. Sweet, although I am personally not a fan of heart shapes. And I do like it, but LRRH admittedly doesn't make my heart go a faster pitty pat the way some other tales do. But I was tempted on principle.

Then if you look a little closely--I almost didn't!--you will see that the image on the shirt in the set of two sleep tees is different from the pajamas. "Odd," I thought, "Let me look closer!"


That's not LRRH! See, here it is up close:

That's the Star Child also known as The Star Money! Oh joy! It's one of my favorite fairy tales and rarely appears anywhere as a novelty. I have a picture book of it--I shared it here--and there is a toy I still wish for:


So of course I ordered the sleep shirt set and am hoping they arrive with the Star Child image on the one shirt. They were on sale with a Black Friday coupon code, too, so score! If they do have the Star Child image, I will be very thrilled--best Christmas present this year! And I will wear these at Christmas and use them to tell the tale to the young ones at bedtime. 
Ulla Popken sources European designs and was originally based in Germany according to its website, so it's a natural that a lesser known but beloved German fairy tale would appear on their sleepwear. 

Crafty Friday: Toad Alley Ring and Frog Prince Necklace by Heidi Daus

I have shared Heidi Daus jewelry in the past--she most famously did a collection for Snow White and the Huntsman for HSN a few years ago. I came across this ring and wanted to share it here. It, too, is available though HSN. 
Colorful and very Frog Prince and would drive me nuts to wear on my hand, but it is pretty to look at!
Daus is rather known for her insects and animal themes. She likes the Frog Prince especially when it comes to fairy tales and has many variations of her Frog Prince Necklace, one of the more recent iterations is shown below:

New Book: Prince Not So Charming: Cinderella's Guide to Financial Independence by Kathleen Grace

Prince Not So Charming: Cinderella's Guide to Financial Independence by Kathleen Grace was released a few months ago and I debated whether or not to post it. As I have mentioned before, I don't post about many self-help books with fairy tale themes, but I do find them fascinating. The many ways fairy tales are used in the world is why I am here after all. The breadth and depth is rather endless. This one goes under financial self-help and also plays with princess culture.

Book description:

In "Prince Not So Charming," you will take a riveting journey with Cinderella as she navigates romance, emotional upheaval, and near-financial-death experiences--all of which lead her to find inner strength despite seemingly insurmountable setbacks.
Nine out of ten women will be solely responsible for their finances at some point in their lives. "Prince Not So Charming," is a call to action that will inspire and empower you to take control of your finances regardless of the obstacles you face, plus you’ll learn:

Strategies for women to regain power and avoid financial ruin


The importance of and how to maintain financial independence--whether you're married, single, or contemplating divorce

Financial strategies to help you safeguard yourself and those you love

Ideas to reduce the financial and emotional burdens of divorce

Whether you're a high-powered executive or a single mom struggling to make ends meet, "Prince Not So Charming" will encourage you to claim your power to create and protect your financial future.

Melissa & Doug Fairy Tale Friends Hand Puppets

Melissa & Doug Fairy Tale Friends Hand Puppets
Melissa and Doug Toys currently have two fairy tale themed puppet sets. One is the rather generic Melissa & Doug Palace Pals Hand Puppets and the other, not surprisingly is Melissa & Doug Fairy Tale Friends Hand Puppets which is really Little Red Riding Hood as you can see above. Pretty much if there is a company makes a set of fairy tale themed puppets, their first set will be Little Red Riding Hood, sometimes their only set. It beats Cinderella, Three Little Pigs, and Goldilocks and the Three Bears. The concept is usually centered around having four characters--that seems to be the ideal in fairy tale themed puppet sets for some reason (although other sets will shoot for five for all fingers on a hand, like Five Little Monkeys, etc.). LRRH lends itself nicely to the four and is just that popular, I guess.

The Palace Pals set lends itself more to St. George and the Dragon which must make it more popular in Europe where that tale is much more commonly represented. I don't know many kids in the U.S. who are familiar with it.

The one puppet set I am missing in any iteration? Rumpelsiltskin. I wish I had one, but I don't. Because I've never seen one. I even have a full Snow White set thanks to a trip to Europe in 2008 where I found one randomly walking through Bordeaux (see Finger Puppet Fun: Lilliputiens) but no Rumpelstiltskin.


Melissa & Doug Palace Pals Hand Puppets

FAO Schwarz Fairy Tale Hand Puppets

FAO Schwarz Hand Puppets - Little Red Riding Hood
I haven't seen these before--and if you have been reading my posts for any length of time you know that I am a puppet enthusiast. I love the Little Red Riding Hood set but the other ones are charming, too. But since they are FAO Schwartz branded, they are not inexpensive. So I will enjoy the images.

I have actually found many new puppets for this year and will be sharing more this week. There will be others that are more affordable. I have nephews and nieces who are young enough to still enjoy storytime with me and the puppets are a key part of that. Sometimes I use them to share the story and other times I let the kids use them to enhance the story, acting it out as we read along. It makes for creative play that we all enjoy.


FAO Schwarz Hand Puppets - Goldilocks and the 3 Bears

FAO Schwarz Hand Puppets - Fairy Tale

Bargain Ebook: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones for $1.99

Because it is a fine book at a deal of a price today, I am sharing Howl's Moving Castle (Howl's Castle Book 1) by Diana Wynne Jones for $1.99 in ebook format. Definitely filled with fairy tale tropes, but no specific tales necessarily.

Book description:

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Fairytale Gloom

Fairytale Gloom, by Atlas Games, is part of their Gloom series but is standalone and doesn't require the other versions of Gloom or familiarity with them. Here are some of the game cards. There are definitely familiar fairy tales included.

The biggest criticism I am seeing for the game is that it is better to play with creative people. That is my same observation with my beloved Dixit. It's my family's favorite game but when I tried it with a bunch of teenagers, it wasn't as successful. Not a failure, just not as creatively fun as when my family (ranging in ages from 8 to 69) plays it.







Game description:

The Game of Grim Incidents
and Unhappily-Ever-Afters

A fairytale toad in a prince's crownLet's face it: Fairy tales are awful. Wolves and old women eat children, giants fall from the sky, and even young girls break-and-enter to steal porridge from unsuspecting families.

In Fairytale Gloom, custom collections of fairy tale characters like Jack, Gretel, Puss in Boots, and Little Red Riding Hood do their best to stay happy, but circumstances conspire to rain woe on their sad, benighted heads.

These heroes become beasts, give up on Grandma, and cry wolf once too often. Even though they look into magic mirrors and kill golden geese, most end their days living in giant shoes… or worse.

Eventually, enough Unhappy Endings come to pass that the game ends. And then? The most miserable collection of characters wins.

Fairytale Gloom is a stand-alone game that's also compatible with all existing Gloom core games and expansions.

In Fairytale Gloom…
Each player chooses their own collection of fairy tale protagonists.
Modifiers add or subtract points. You could play "Dwelt With Some Dwarfs" on "Rapunzel," for example.
Unhappy Endings lock in points for good or ill. Perhaps "Goldilocks" "Cried Wolf Once Too Often."
It's all about storytelling: Players weave tales around what comes to pass. What happened, exactly, when "Joe the Giant" "Married a Murderer?"
With transparent cards, the points you can see are the points in play — it's that simple!

Designer: Keith Baker | Artist: Jaume Fabregat
Stock Number: AG1332 | ISBN: 978-1-58978-158-0 | MSRP: $24.95 US
Format: Two decks of 55 transparent cards, and a rules sheet in a tuckbox
Release Date: June 2015