Betty Adams's Blog, page 114

Book Review - The Bridge of the Golden Wood

The Bridge of the Golden Wood: A Parable on How to Earn a Living
by Karl Beckstrand (Author), Yaniv Cahoua (Illustrator)
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book at no cost for an honest review.
Some of the oldest stories known to humanity are instructional tales. They told children how to interact with elders and how to react with strange situations. These tales stood the test of time because they spoke to the reality of the world around the readers. “The Bridge of the Golden Wood” harkens beautifully back to these old fairy tales and expands on them in a manner that brings it into the modern world with all its complexity.
The artwork by Yaniv Cahoua has a soft golden beauty that is soothing and inviting. The watercolor style paintings are fairly simple but the characters from the fish to the people are expressive and engaging.
The story itself – by Karl Beckstrand – is engaging and easy to follow but not particularly gripping. It is clearly meant to be instructional following the tradition of the old fairy tales though the author makes the lesson as intriguing as possible. The young protagonist is believable and relatable to the point that most readers will be certain that they know the kid. The boy is met with a stranger in the wood – as in all the best fairy tales – and is faced with the choice of making the kind and responsible decision or selfishly going on his way. The story illustrates that it is not only the choice in the moment that matters to success and profit but preparation and readiness as well. At the end of the book there are suggested discussions and projects that an adult reader can guide a child reader through to gain a practical understanding of earning money and providing a service to their fellow creatures.
All in all and pleasant read and a good addition the library of any young scholar. 

Sick Day

Getting two viruses at once is no fun.

Reading, Writing, and Cats

This author has a long list of reading, quite a bit of writing to do, and lots of cats.
​That is all. 

Ordering Things

When one has any sort of home business such as writing, one gets a lot of things shipped to that location. It is good to remember return policies because no matter how carefully you research a product there is always the chance that it will arrive wrong. 

New Reading Project - The Fairy Queen

Going to set out to read "The Fairy (Faerie) Queen. If I am not back in two weeks send search parties armed with salt, iron, and caffeine. 

Chaos and Disorder!

Oh horror! My local(ish) library has completely rearranged my favorite section! Unannounced change, a lack of comfortable chairs; the horror! 
There were signs of course. The truly comfortably couches that were my favorite hang out for the past ... oh sweet cousin time ... it has been the past two decades, disappeared a few weeks ago. Also the manga was threatening to completely take over the section. This is I suppose a logical step...were the couches really that old? 
I will miss you my pea green reading stations! 

Marmots are Too Cute

That is all.
Just look at this little butter ball. 
​Too Cute. 

Becoming a Polyglot - Chicken Style

[image error] Phrases I have learned over the last week.

Slightly Confused Chicken:

"Why did the funny looking Top Chicken put me in this cage and where did these 25 annoying balls of fluff come from?"

"At least there is plenty of food...."

"GET AWAY FROM MY FOOD ANNOYING BALL OF FLUFF!"

"Very well, you may sleep by me tonight. I guess you are not that annoying."

"The funny looking Top Chicken is bringing more food. I suppose I must teach these 25 helpless little ones how to eat it."

"Hey! Top Chicken! You have let the feeder run out and my 25 precious babies show signs that they will be hungry in a few hours! Fix this!"

"The Great Chicken help me I don't care if you are the Top Chicken and fifty times my mass, if you so much as look at my precious babies wrong I will rip you to shreds and feed them your entrails." 

"Ah, my precious babies, the world is a beautiful place where the Top Chicken brings us slightly moldy blueberries, rejoice!." 

"IT'S OVER 100!" Free Book Drawing Winner Announced

And the winner of the "IT'S OVER 100!" Free Book Drawing for Tumblr is Undertheinnocentskies7787! Congratulations and I hope you enjoy your book. And no I will not be the least bet upset if it shows up on E-Bay ;) Well, not unless it is one of those $0.01 priced books, that might upset me...
Anyway, things that I have learned from doing this.
1) Think about contacting the winners to see if they wan't their information released to the public before you release it AND preferably before the day you were going to release it resulting in a week's delay.
2) Camera phones are very useful.
3)When one has lost one's car key down one's pants leg and discovers this fact in the post office one might wait until one is back in the privacy of one's own car before retrieving it no matter how stretchy one's pants are and how easy it might be to get the key.... 

Such a Nerd

The scene. The inside of a station wagon containing two grown women.
Grown Daughter: -but get this-get this! It was actually chapter seventeen! *bursts out laughing*
Mom: chuckles 
Grown Daughter: *Stares out into the rain quietly.*
Also Grown Daughter: "I am such a nerd..."
Mom: "Well, I wasn't going to say anything...."


The scene: The checkout counter of the local Goodwill. Two lines at the checkout. 
Now dear reader, let's play a little game shall we? 
Do you que up behind the "woman of a certain age" and her middle aged daughter who are clearly about to begin haggling over a slightly damaged piece of furniture with the painfully young clerk.  
OR
Do you que up behind the woman with fifty delicate champagne glasses that are being meticulously wrapped by a ... meticulous,,, clerk while an eager first grader "helps"?