For years I’ve had issues with short story collections. The whipping from one plot to another so quickly makes my brain feel like it’s on a very shaky roller coaster. But it’s the genre my mentor most likes to teach, so I’ve found myself reading a lot of it lately. Thanks to his patience, I have a newfound understanding of the short story, and decided to start off the year by revisiting the first short story collection I ever finished, Neil Gaiman’s “Smoke and Mirrors.” […]
If anyone tries the recipe at the end, I would love to know how it comes out!
Little Red Ruthie: A Hanukkah Tale by Gloria Koster and illustrated by Sue Eastland was a book I reviewed awhile back for my stores newsletter. I picked it up again to see if it was still the fun Little Red Riding Hood story with a Hanukkah twist. And it is still that fun Little Red Riding Hood story with a Hanukkah twist, turn and lots and lots of sour cream and applesauce to go along with the yummy latkes. Ruthie is going to Grandmothers house […]
Be careful what you wish for…
This is a Cinderella tale told from the point of view of one of the ‘ugly’ stepsisters. In the original story, Cinderella’s father married and brought his new wife and stepdaughters to his home. The stepsisters were spoiled and enjoyed privileges that Cinderella did not, and lived a life of leisure. Not so in this version. Here, the Jane and Maude Montjoy are the sisters. They live in a dilapidated house and do all of the chores to try to survive. Their mother is set […]
Why is it always the deal breakers that end up the hero in fairy tales?
While I definitely grew up with all the normal fairy tales that inspired Disney movies, I also remember Rumpelstilzchen (German version) leaving a deep impression. I can’t remember if it was because the story creeped me out (I mean, he tears himself in two when he loses the deal) or if I thought there was something unjust about the treatment of either him or the spinner’s daughter but I certainly thought it was an interesting choice when he became such a central figure in Once […]