Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Spring into Horror Progress


Progress
Day 1 April 28












pg 82 to pg 93 8:28 to 8:39 in Swan Sister by Ellen Datlow and Terri Wendling
pg 93 to pg 106 12:36 to 12:52
pg 106 to pg 134 10:43 to 11:10

Pages Read: 52
Time Read: 54 minutes

Day 2 April 29












pg 134 to pg 165 10:05 to 10:42 am













pg 0 to 16 11:41 pm to 12:03 am

I'm in love with Open Road Summer by Emery Lord so far.

Pages Read: 47
Time Read: 59 minutes
Total Pages Read: 99
Total Time Read: 1 hour 53 minutes
Books Finished: 1

Day 3 April 30












pg 16 to pg 43 1:46 to 2:20
pg 43 to pg 64 2:48 to 3:11
pg 64 to pg 80 4:00 to 4:22
pg 80 to pg 112 11:04 to 11:39

Pages Read: 96
Time Read: 1 hour 54 minutes
Total Pages Read: 195
Total Time Read: 3 hours 47 minutes
Books Finished: 1

Day 4 May 1












pg 112 to pg 120 10:11 to 10:20
pg 120 to pg 141 1:45 to 2:07
pg 141 to pg 148 4:55 to 5:27
pg 148 to pg 166 5:37 to 6:03
pg 166 to pg 187 9:14 to 9:37
pg 187 to pg 207 10:25 to 10:48

Pages Read: 95
Time Read: 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Pages Read: 290
Total Time Read: 6 hours 2 minutes
Books Finished: 1

Day 5 May 2












pg 207 to pg 227 1:22 to 1:47

Pages Read: 20
Time Read: 25 minutes
Total Pages Read: 310
Total Time Read:6 hours 27 minutes
Books Finished: 1

Day 6 May 3












pg 227 to pg 233 12:12 am to 12:19 am
pg 233 to pg 242 8:12 to 8:24 pm
pg 242 to pg 251 8:56 to 9:09
pg 251 to pg 268 9:23 to 9:43
pg 268 to pg 286 10:33 to 10:56

Pages Read: 59
Time Read: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Pages Read: 369
Total Time Read: 7 hours 42 minutes
Books Finished: 1


Day 7 May 4












pg 286 to pg 305 4:38 to 5:29
pg 305 to pg 332 5:45 to 6:25
pg 332 to pg 342 8:45 to 9:08













pg 0 to pg 20 11:10 to 11:26


Pages Read: 76
Time Read: 1 hour 54 minutes
Total Pages Read: 445
Total Time Read: 9 hours 34 minutes
Books Finished: 1

6 Rainier Drive by Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cove # 6) Character Follow Along (Spoilers Included)

Justine and Seth Gunderson went from having a very small part in the last novel to having a big part in this novel. Their restaurant, The Lighthouse burned down at the very end of 50 Harbor Street. Anson Butler, the dishwasher they just fired was a suspect of arson. As to be expected this crisis was detrimental to their marriage. They couldn't agree on anything especially when it came to the restaurant. Seth wanted to find out who burned down The Lighthouse so they could rebuild. Justine for the first time since they had owned The Lighthouse was finally taking time to relax and spend time with her son Leif, who is already 4 and attending preschool and Seth. Justine did not want to go back to the life they had where she would get to spend one hour a day with Leif and spent all her time at The Lighthouse. So as you could guess their differences in opinion about The Lighthouse created problems. Justine ended up making it worse by turning to her ex-boyfriend Warren Saget as a shoulder to lean on. Justine took a joy at the bank and Warren made every excuse to come to the bank to visit Justine. Seth took a job at the boatyard and discovered he liked it more than he thought he would. Once Seth was ready to listen to Justine about her new idea for the restaurant. He discovered it was quite a good idea and she would go forth with his support. Justine wanted to build a victorian teahouse that serves breakfast and lunch. This way all the women in Cedar Cove would have a place to visit and she would always be home at night with Seth and Leif. This way they weren't giving up their dream of the restaurant, but they wouldn't be going back to the life they had either. I'm sure by now you are wondering Who Burned down the Lighthouse? Throughout the novel all the evidence pointed to Anson. They even found a pewter cross that belonged to Anson. Anson was a witness to Warren Saget's license plate and every piece of evidence ended up confirming Warren as guilty. He even confessed to it on tape over lunch with Justine. He didn't want to hurt Justine, just Seth, but ended up hurting everybody. Warren has always made his feelings for Justine clear that he wants to be more than a friend. Justine's marriage with Seth is strong and will last thanks to this mystery being solved.

Allison Cox graduates from high school in this novel. Allison is unhappy most of the novel because she is worried about Anson. She knows in her heart that Anson is not guilty of setting the fire to The Lighthouse, but doesn't understand why he won't come back and clear his name. Allison hears from Anson twice in the novel and each time she is super excited to get the call. She holds on to every word that he says. Then she has to tell Sherriff Troy Davis everything. Anson is instrumental to solving the mystery. He was at the scene of the crime trying to put the fire out. He recognized the person who set the fire from around time and saw the first three letters of his license plate SUL. Anson comes back to Cedar Cove after completing basic training to clear his name. Allison can not believe how much the man she loves has changed. She still doesn't understand why he wouldn't tell her where he went. Anson wanted to prove to Allison that he could do this.

Cecila Randall had a very small part in the novel. She continued to be a source of support for Allison Cox. Cecila is the person who gets to rent out Grace Sherman Harding's old home on 204 Rosewood Lane. She is so excited to finally have a house to raise her son Aaron in when Ian announces that he is being transferred to San Deigo. The boxes aren't even unpacked and already they are going to be forced to move again.

Maryellen and Jon Bowman continue to have a difficult time. Maryellen is on bedrest during a difficult pregnancy. Maryellen's mother Grace and her stepfather Cliff stop by to help out with their three year old daughter Katie as much as possible and Jon takes Katie with him on this photo shoots. Maryellen realizes that they can't do this alone. She is stressed out about Katie's care which is not making her pregnancy any easier. It is fate that she gets a call from Jon's estranged Step-mother, Ellen. She tells Ellen everything that is wrong and Ellen tells her that Joseph and herself are coming no argument to take care of Katie so Maryellen can take it easy. Jon agrees as long as his parents are gone before he comes home. Ellen and Joseph abide by Jon's wishes. Maryellen's stress melts away and it is all thanks to Jon's parents. She is able to finally relax because she knows they have everything taken care of. Katie flourishes under their care and Ellen and Joseph eyes shine with the joy their granddaughter has brought them. Jon continues to be harsh towards his parents until one day they accidentally stayed late and Jon came home to see them playing in the yard with Katie. Jon and his father exchange a few words. Jon allows his parents to be at his house when he is there also as long as he doesn't have to see them. He stays downstairs in the darkroom. It was a good thing he was home one day because he saved Katie's life. Katie has a scary moment towards the end of the novel. She was playing hide and seek with Joseph when she fell into the creek. Joe chased after her and fell in also. Jon found them both on a log Joe gasping for breathe. Katie is save in Maryellen's arms when he rescues Joe. He demands Ellen take Joseph to the hospital. He checks out just fine. Maryellen also goes to the hospital that night and spends 20 hours in labor before giving birth to their beautiful baby boy, Drake Joseph Bowman. Jon has a revelation that now that he has two kids and he loves them both equally which one would he choose to send to jail and although he believes his father is still guilty for playing God as he did. He begins to forgive his father and names the baby after him. This does not mean that his relationship with his father and step-mother is going to be perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.

Rachel Pendergast continues to be difficult with her relationship with Nate. She tells everybody that they are just casually dating now and that she is not in love with Nate. She spends more time with Bruce Peyton's daughter Jolene as an excuse not to see Nate or meet his snooty parents. She had one conversation with Patrice Olsen and she knows that Patrice believes Rachel is not good enough for Nate. After an awkward dinner with Nate's parents Nate announces that he is being transferred to San Diego with the George Washington. Rachel does not want to leave Cedar Cove or her friends, but in order to be Nate's wife she has to move. Nate asks Rachel to be his wife and gives her three months to decide if she can handle being away from him. I do so hope that Rachel will decide to stay with Nate.

In other interest news I have to talk about the scandal that Justine hinted about in the summary of this novel. Cal Washburn has been dating Linnette Macafee when he decides to head to Wyoming to rescue wild mustangs. Cliff hints to Linnette that although one of the reasons Cal was going there was for the mustangs another part of him was almost too excited to leave. No other, but Vicki, the vet, from Cliff's ranch follows him to Wyoming. That is where they both confess their love for each other. Linnette's brother Mac hinted to Linnette that she was smothering Cal and she would eventually lose him, but this heartbreak is almost too much to bear. Cal comes back from Wyoming and his stutter has improved so much. He apologizes to Linnette and tells her that he plans to marry Vicki. Linnette makes a decision of her own. She is going to pack up and leave Cedar Cove. No other than Dr. Chad Timmons. He is interested in Linnette's sister Gloria, but he begs Linnette to stay. We will see what happens to Linnette in the next novel.

Charlotte (Olivia's mother) continues to be the town's biggest gossiper. She is worried about her husband Ben. He isn't acting like himself. He admits that after his son David Rhodes goes to jail for insurance fraud that he believes he might have set the fire to The Lighthouse. He would repay Seth every penny if his son committed the crime. David does try to make amends in this novel by giving his father checks that bounce every time. No debt has been repaid so far. Charlotte's son Will announces that he is moving back to Cedar Cove after his marriage to Georgia ends. Charlotte is afraid he is going to interfere with Grace's marriage to Cliff. She realizes her son is no angel, but tries to continue to believe in him.

Olivia Griffin and Grace Harding didn't have a very big part in this novel. It seems that married life is going great for both of them. Grace is a shoulder to lean on for Linnette with her difficult time with Cal and we see glismps of Grace's character through Maryellen, but otherwise she wasn't in this novel. Jack is eating healther now thanks to his heart attack and is running circles around Olivia. Olivia is seen briefly in Justine's chapters when they have lunch together, but otherwise she is also a minor character in this novel. I would have loved to see more of both of these characters.

Terri Miller is the character I enjoyed least of this novel. I thought she was a fine character on her own, but a bit implusive. She flies to Seattle, Washington to cut Bobby Polgar's hair. He shows up in Cedar Cove and is immediately in love with Terri despite hardly knowing her and he asks her to marry him. Terri is resistant at first, but Bobby isn't ready to give up on her. After meeting all of three times and barely knowing each other Terri marries Bobby in a shotgun wedding in Vegas. After they are married Bobby continues to go to his chess tournaments and spends very little time with Terri as her husband. They see each other for two or three days at a time. Terri has all the money she could ever need and buys a house for them on 74 Seaside Avenue. She begins to receive death threats from some stranger which is the mystery to be solved in the next novel.

As I admitted in my review I do not really enjoy Terri as a character. Her marriage is too good to be true and will never last. Bobby just believes because he has all the money he will ever need he can get whatever he wants including Terri and Terri is just foolishly in love blind that this marriage will never last. They might prove me wrong in the novels, but in real life this marriage would be over within a couple of years. They never spend any time together. I will read the next novel soon and maybe I will soften to this character.



Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Summer Reading Program Sign Up


I used to participate in the summer library program every summer. Now Katie has created a Summer Reading Program for book bloggers. 

The Challenge Runs from May 1st to September 1st. I'm going to count any books finished during this time even if I start them before the first. 

My goal is going to be to read 25 books. I think this is a challenging, but manageable goal. I read an average of 6 books a month so if I read 6 books for 4 months I would read 24 books so why not bump it up to 25. 

I even made a score card to keep track of my progress. My library always had neat score cards for us to mark off on. 
As you noticed I kind of ran out of room at the top. If you are reading 25 books and would like to use the scorecard go ahead. If you are reading a different number of books and would like me to make you a scorecard just let me know. It really did not take me that long to make so it would be no problem. 

This is going to be a wonderful summer. 

Book Review: 6 Rainier Drive by Debbie Macomber (Cedar Cove # 6) (no spoilers)

Book: 6 Rainier Drive
Author: Debbie Macomber
Publication: January 1st, 2006
Source: Local Library
Read: March 9th- 14th, 2014
Summary (From Back of Book):
6 Rainier Drive 
Cedar Cove, Washington 

 Dear Reader
 As you may have heard, we've recently had quite a shock. My husband, Seth, and I lost out business, The Lighthouse restaurant - to arson. The investigation continues. The prime suspect is a young ex-employee named Anson Butler, who disappeared right after the fire.

 So Seth and I are trying to sort out our lives. (And let me tell you, this kind of crisis is not good for a marriage.) In the meantime, life goes on for everyone else in Cedar Cove- with marriages, births, reunions and even the occasional scandal. One of the most interesting pieces of news is that Cal, who works on Cliff Harding's ranch, is now rescuing wild mustangs from Wyoming.

 I have to run- I'm meeting an old friend, Warren Saget, for lunch. Let's talk soon, and I'll fill you in on everything that's happening in town!

 Justine


My Thoughts:

I do not know why I waited so long to come back to this series. I have not read a Cedar Cove book since July. I enjoyed 6 Rainier Drive so much.

Justine has always been my favorite character so I was excited to learn more about her life in 6 Rainier Drive. I used to not imagine her like the character on the show, but I totally do now. I think the actress that plays her fits Justine perfectly. I also liked seeing more Linette and Rachel in this novel. Allison Cox also had a big role. I always enjoy Maryellen. I hope she gets her own book eventually.

I would have loved to see more Olivia and Grace, but I guess married life is just so serene for them both that they don't have much news to catch us up on.

I always enjoy the Cedar Cove series. Debbie Macomber makes this novels feel like home. She makes me think these people are people I know and I have enjoyed every book in this series. I'm going to be disappointed to finish the series, but at least I have a ways to go. The ending of 6 Rainier Drive was shocking as usual. I had no idea that this person would have set the fire.

The only thing I'm not very happy about is that the next book is about a character I don't really care for. I probably shouldn't put off reading it for too long. My library at college has this book so I hope to check it out and read it soon.

Check Out My Character follow along Spoilers included.

Monday, April 28, 2014

Book Review: Though a Tangled Wood (no spoilers)

Book: Through a Tangled Wood
Authors: Katie French, Ariele Sieling, Sarah Dalton, Marijon Braden, Jamie Campbell, H.S. Stone, Zoe Cannon
Publication: December 6th, 2013
Source: Amazon Kindle Freebie
Read: March 9th-April 26th, 2014
Summary (From Goodreads):
A variety of writers come together to twist traditional fairy tales into unusual and mysterious stories. From Beauty and the Beast, to Hansel and Gretel, to the Ugly Duckling, these stories will be sure to pull you into a fantastical world of princes, romance, and maybe a little science fiction.

 "Plan B" by Katie French. When Nolan is selected as one of the few candidates to work in the Breeders' hospital, he thinks all his troubles are over. Now he can afford precious medicine to save his ailing father. He’s heard of the Breeders’ cruelty, of their inhuman experiments, but he’s sure they’re fabrications. Then he stumbles into the Plan B room and learns how truly awful the Breeders can be.

"Tailless" by Ariele Sieling. A retelling of the Ugly Duckling, set on a far away planet in an unknown galaxy. While fighting a war with her people's biggest enemy, young Bode struggles to understand why she feels out of place in her community, and why she, unlike her comrades, was born without a tail.

"I Am the Maid" by Sarah Dalton. A hostile zombie killing Maid Marian meets an ill-behaved ex-soldier Robin in this post-apocalyptic retelling of Robin Hood. When a young girl falls deathly sick, the two are forced to join forces in order to outwit the Sheriff, and the mysterious Guy Gisbon.

"Three Wishes" by Marijon Braden. When Aladdin rubbed the magic lamp, things went pretty well for him. But a few thousand years later, the world has changed and the genie is old, cranky, and doesn't play fair. Young Alison thinks she's found the answer to all her prayers, but instead finds that having wishes come true isn't all it's cracked up to be.

"Killing Snow White" by Jamie Campbell. A magical retelling of the story of Snow White, told entirely by the Evil Queen who supposedly tried to poison her. Think Snow White is innocent? Think again.

"A House in the Woods" by H.S. Stone. At the conclusion of a scavenger hunt for Old World artifacts, Hansel and Gretel find themselves lost on the outskirts of the city after dark. They stumble upon a house in the nearby woods, hoping that they will find help inside, but the house's inhabitant has other ideas.

“Flight” by Zoe Cannon. A retelling of Beauty and the Beast. Dragged to the palace at swordpoint, commanded to cure the cursed prince with a kiss, Lucia wants nothing more than to return to her solitary world of books and magical study. But she soon discovers that she and the prince share more in common than she could have imagined… and that the truth behind his curse could destroy—or save—them both.
.

My Thoughts:

Plan B
I really didn't know what to expect of this series of short stories coming into the novel. I knew it was a set of fairy tale retellings. The first is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty, but in a way I have never seen it done before. Nolan goes to work for the Breeders hospital to get money to help his ailing father. It isn't long before Nolan sees the Breeders cruelty and lives through the nightmare with his supervisor Samuel. This first story was achingly beautiful. Nolan cared deeply for his father and the sleeping girls. He wanted to do what was right in every situation even if it meant losing his life. What a nightmare Nolan went through, but the ending of Nolan's story was so beautiful that everything he went through was worth it.

Tailless
I don't think this will be my favorite short story of the novel, but it was pretty good. This one was a retelling of The Ugly Duckling. Bode is a soldier. She has no tail and can not shoot the same kind of gun the other soldiers can. I can't say too much more because I would spoil the ending. The implications of the Ugly Duckling of wanting acceptance were a big part of this story. I feel like that is problem enough just being a woman in the military, but adding these other flaws make it even more difficult. The ending the of the short story was great. It explained so much about her situation and had the aha sweet moment attached.

I am the Maid
I didn't overly care for this retelling of Robin Hood. The story was way too long for this set of short stories. I found myself bored with Marian and Robin talking and not doing anything. The ending of the story proved to be excited and intense as they reached their conclusion. I love the story of Robin Hood, but I have difficulties with book adaptations of it. I haven't really found any that I have loved. I think this might just be another example of a Robin Hood adaptation that didn't fit with me. I did like that the story took Marian's side of the story more and made her the hero versus Robin Hood. Robin Hood was more of a sidekick in this story.

Three Wishes
This is my favorite story of the book so far. This one was a retelling of Aladin or One Thousand and One Nights. The girl in the story Ali has a lot of spunk. She thinks about her decisions carefully and weighs her options. Her best friend Shel is also a noble character in this book. She helps Ali to make her wishes and stands by her side. Then there is Etok, the genie. Etok proves to be a sneaky genie that makes these wishes sound great, but doesn't follow through. Not all genie are as helpful as Genie in the Disney movie. The ending of this story is truly shocking and that is what won me over. Unlike other stories in this anthology I was able to read this story in one sitting without feeling bored. I think so far this is the story that has won me over.

Killing Snow White
I have Cinderella is Evil on my computer also from Jamie Campell and after reading Killing Snow White I can't wait to dive into that one. I loved how this story switched places. The queen was not evil, Snow White was. The queen felt guilty for never building a mother-daughter relationship with Snow White. It also followed the original Grimm Fairy Tale extremely well. It also added to the Grimm fairy tale also because who said that only Snow White gets to have a happily ever after. This was by far my favorite story of the anthology.

A House In the Woods
This one was a retelling of Hansel and Gretel. A fairy tale I actually don't know a whole lot about. I really like the changes the author made to the story and the author added a lot of depth to the fairy tale. I overall thought this story was a great addition to the book and had a modern feel to it, but still felt like a fairy tale in the wood.

Flight
This was one I did not like at all. I don't actually know which fairy tale it was off of. It had a feel of beauty and the beast, but it wasn't totally beauty in the beast. This one was much too long and left me feeling bored while reading it. It got to be repetive. Lucia was a strong female character which I liked while the Prince was bitter and mean.


That's a Wrap
Overall I think Through a Tangled Wood was worth my time to read. I did not like some story and I liked others. Killing Snow White was my favorite of this anthology. I also really enjoyed Three Wishes. Through a Tangled Wood is still a Kindle Freebie on Amazon so if this review has made you interested go ahead and check it out.


I'm linking this review up to Fairy Tale Fortnight, a celebration of fairy tales. I'm excited to add another review to their list. 

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Bout of Books 10.0 Sign Up

Bout of Books
Bout of Books

My official sign up for the Bout of Books 10.0. 

This is my fourth Bout of Books and I always get some of my best reading done during this readathon. I'm hoping to read for a total of 24 hour during this week long readathon. I will have a goals post of books up soon. 

Thanks to Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. for hosting.



Dewey's Readathon Spring 2014 Finish Line Hour 24


  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? Hour 17 I ended up going to sleep and missing the last few hours of the readathon. 
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? This year I read Attachments by Rainbow Rowell through most of the readathon and it was such a great readathon book because it was short and entertaining. 
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? I love this readathon so much. I think you guys do a great job. 
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? The hourly posts are always my favorite. 
  5. How many books did you read? 4
  6. What were the names of the books you read? 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber, Heaven Changes Everything by Todd and Sonja Burpo, Through a Tangled Wood by Various Authors, and Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. 
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? I really enjoyed them all, but Attachment was probably my favorite of the day. 
  8. Which did you enjoy least? I enjoyed them all. 
  9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I was not, but they were great and gave me so much motivation. 
  10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I will definitely be back in October although that is much busier time. I will be a reader once again. 


Wow what a readathon. I was worried that I would not accomplish much this readathon because my friend would want to do something most of the day. She was more than happy to just let me lay around and read.

I did my last formal update at Hour 16, but I ended up staying up until 12:40 am central time which is Hour 17. I stayed up just long enough to finish Attachments by Rainbow Rowell and then I was off.  I ended up not falling alsleep until 1:30 am central time because I was still on the readathon high, but I knew I wouldn't be able to read any more so I let myself go asleep.

pg 260 to pg 294 from 10:56 to 11:34
Then I took a shower in an effort to stay awake. I shower in the morning usually because it wakes me up. Then I put on my pajamas and climbed into bed to finish Attachments
pg 294 to pg 323 from 11:51 to 12:41

Cummulative Total
Books Finished: 4
Pages Read Since Last Update: 63
Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour 28 minutes
Total Pages Read: 440
Total Time Read: 11 hours 24 minutes

Overall I had such a fun day of reading. I was able to finish 4 books although the only one I started during the readathon was Attachments. I was able to finish 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber, Heaven Changes Everything by Todd and Sonja Burpo, Through a Tangled Wood by Various Authors, and Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. 

I read through almost 1/2 of the readathon and 440 pages which I have never read that much in a day. I'm extremely excited and will be glad to participate again in October. Although I'm bit more busy when that one comes around. 

And If you are still looking for more readathons to join. 

Bout of Books is Coming up in May



Bout of Books

The Library Books Readathon is Coming Up in June 

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Dewey's Readathon Spring 2014 Hour 16 Update


I'm still awake and still reading. I'm just taking a short break to update and see who is still up. It is 10:21 pm here right now which is about the time I usually go to bed, read until 11, and then go to sleep. I'm go to try to make it to 12:30. We'll see. I can tell I'm starting to get tired, but Attachments is so good and I'm almost finished.

pg 125 to pg 169 from 7:16 to 8:06 while I waited for the dryer to finish. 
Then I read pg 169 to pg 187 from 8:12 to 8:33
Then I read pg 187 to pg 192 from 8:40 to 8:45
After that I read pg 192 to pg 260 from 8:51 to 10:09

Running Tally
Books Finished: 3 
Pages Read Since Last Update: 135
Time Read Since Last Update: 2 hours 34 minutes
Total Pages Read: 377
Total Time Read: 9 hours 56 minutes

I have put almost 10 hours of reading into today and I'm still not done. Hard to believe. 

Mini Challenges
Your Name in Books Hosted by The Geeky's Blogger's Book Blog
6 Rainier Drive
Asunder
Cress
How to Love
Attachments
Eleanor and Park
Firefly Lane

These are all books I have read this year. I was pretty close to having one for every letter of my name. Looks like I just need to work on R and L. 

Pg 35 Sentence 3 Hosted by The Biboliophibian
"Staying Calm/Being Calm/Calmness." ~ Rainbow Rowell Attachments

This may or may not be my last update for the day. I might do one more before I go to sleep for the night, but I'm not sure so I will see you at the finish line if I don't get one more update in. 



Dewey's Readathon Spring 2014 Hour 12 Update


pg 124 to pg 150from 3:28 to 4:12
pg 150  to pg 170 from 4:12 to 4:50
pg 170 to pg 200  from 4:50 to 5:43
In Through a Tangled Wood by Various Authors. 

I read straight through, but I wanted to record how long it took me to finish each story. I really do not enjoy reading on my computer, but I did enjoy this anthology. I finally finished it after almost a month of read. My review will be up during fairy tale fortnight. 

I have took almost an hour break from reading now to eat summer and rest my eyes from looking a page full of words. I just threw in a load of laundry. I think I'm going to put in Tangled and get back to reading. 

Running Tally
Books Finished: 3 
Pages Read Since Last Update: 76
Time Read Since Last Update: 2 hours 23 minutes
Total Pages Read: 242
Total Time Read: 7 hours 22 minutes


Mini Challenges
First Edition Hosted by The Blue Stocking Society
Attatchments by Rainbow Rowell is a relatively new book only published in 2011 so this is the first edition. 

Mid Event Survey
1. What are you reading right now?
Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
2. How many books have you read so far?
3 actually. I have been in a weird reading slump this month and have been starting books like crazy, but not finishing them. The readathon gave me the needed motivation to finish some of those books. So far I have finished 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber, Heaven Changes Everything by Todd and Sonja Burpo, and Through a Tangled Wood by Various Authors. 
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon?
I'm looking forward to the continued reading of Attachments and then starting Swan Sisters by Ellen Datlow. 
4. Did you have to make any special arrangements to free up your whole day?
I was free the whole day, but I had to arrange reading around spending time with my friend because I did not tell her about the readathon and didn't want to act as if I was avoiding her all day. 
5. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those?
I haven't had too many interruptions. I just take breaks when needed. I often stop to talk to people while I'm reading and then go right back. 
6. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far?
How well I have done. I always love the energy of the readathon, but I have been reading for the last 12 hours of the day and I'm still going pretty strong. I'm hoping to make it to hour 15 or 16 before passing out for the night. 
7. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?
I don't know if I will ever do this well again, but I sure have fun trying. 
8. What would you do differently, as a Reader or a Cheerleader, if you were to do this again next year?
I would still be a reader, but maybe I would sign up to be a cheerleader. 
9. Are you getting tired yet?
No, ask me in a few hours. I usually go to bed around 10. 
10. Do you have any tips for other Readers or Cheerleaders, something you think is working well for you that others may not have discovered?
Just keep enjoying the readathon. It is the best way to stay motivated. 

Dewey's Readathon Spring 2014 Hour 9 Update


I doing good on updating constantly right now. I can't believe we are already 9 hours into the readathon. 

Still plowing through Attatchments right now. 
pg 73 to pg 88 from 1:35 to 1:56
pg 88 to 125 from 1:59 to 2:46
Running Tally
Books Finished: 2 
Pages Read Since Last Update: 52
Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour 8 minutes minutes
Total Pages Read: 166
Total Time Read: 4 hour 59 minutes


So far I have read in my bed, my chair, and my friend's futon. I'm thinking about reading in the MUC later aka our eating place and then the library. 

That's all I have for this update. How are you doing with your read? I have read almost 5 hour hard to believe. 

Happy Reading!

Dewey's Readathon Spring 2014 Hour 7 Updates

Not much reading since the last update. We went and ate lunch and I got back to reading after that. From 12:06 to 12:23 I read pg 46 to pg 51 in Attachments. Then from 12:29 to 1:06 I read pg 51 to pg 73. 

Running Tally
Books Finished: 2 
Pages Read Since Last Update: 27
Time Read Since Last Update: 54 minutes
Total Pages Read: 114
Total Time Read: 3 hour 51 minutes

Mini Challenges
Best of Your Year Hosted by World of Books
Best Book: So hard to choose.  Pivot Point by Kasie West
Best Young Adult: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
Best Adult: True Colors by Kristin Hannah

Happy Reading

Dewey's Readathon Spring 2014 Hour 5 Update

Hour 4

I'm so not sorry for flooding you feed reader today. It's readathon day and I'm having a lot of fun so far.

Since my last update I have finished Heaven Changes Everything by Todd and Sonja Burpo. Not as good as Heaven is for Real, but still really inspirational and great. I read chapter 27 to chapter 42 from 8:23 to 9:09. 

After a quick shower I went back to reading Attachments by Rainbow Rowell. It is such a cute story. The characters are beginning to become more lifelike, but I do have to admit I wasn't connecting to them at first. I talked to my roommate and read pg 10 to pg 14 from 9:40 to 10:06. Then my roommate left and I was able to get some undistracted reading in from 10:13 to 10:49 and read from pg 14 to pg 46. 

Running Tally
Books Finished: 2 
Pages Read Since Last Update: 36
Time Read Since Last Update: 1 hour 48 minutes
Total Pages Read: 87
Total Time Read: 2 hour 57 minutes

It doesn't look like I have read a whole lot of pages since I listened to the audiobook, but I feel quite accomplished. 


Mini Challenge Cover Puzzle Challenge Hosted by Little Miss Reader
Completed

Happy Reading

Dewey's Readathon Hour 2 Check In

My alarm went off at 7:00 and after a quick trip to the bathroom I was back in bed reading by 7:05. I started 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber for this readathon at page 362. I finished 74 Seaside Avenue at 8:00 on page 403. I wasn't quite ready to get out of bed yet so I started 

From 8:00 to 8:14 I read the first 10 pages of Attatchments by Rainbow Rowell. 

I'm currently eating breakfast and listening to a couple chapters of Heaven Changes everything by Todd and Sonja Burpo. 
After I'm finished eating I'm going to take a break for personal hygenie. I will hopefully be back to reading by 9. 

Mini Challenge: Pick a Paragraph 
The two lines at the bottom show how funny of a novel Attatchments by Rainbow Rowell is. 

Happy Reading!



Dewey's Readathon Starting Line


1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?
I'm reading from South Dakota, United States
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
All of Them. I'm currently reading 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber. Then I'm planning on starting Swan Sisters by Ellen Datlow. I'm also going to be listening to Heaven Changes Everything by Todd and Sonja Burpo. I would also like to make progress on Through a Tangled Wood by Various Authors.  I have been reading Through a Tangled Wood on my computer for a long time so I'm hoping to finish it or get close to finishing it. 
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Yogurt
4) Tell us a little something about yourself!
My name is a Rachael. I have been a book blogger for 16 months now. I love reading YA and Adult fiction. I am 2 weeks away from finishing my Freshman Year of college.  When I'm not busy with school work I'm always reading or with my friends. I also enjoy running and love living a happy active lifestyle. 
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?
This is my 3rd Dewey's Readathon. I'm actually hoping for the first time to read into the wee hours of the night. I don't share blogging with my friends so I will be reading and updating in between hanging out with my friend at college. We will mostly likely watch a movie Saturday night and I will get a nap in during the movie, but I'm hoping to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning reading. We will see how it goes. 

Readathon TBR
I might finish 74 Seaside Avenue by Debbie Macomber before Saturday so in that case I will just start with Swan Sisters by Ellen Datlow. If I am able to finish Swan Sisters then I will start Open Road Summer by Emery Lord. I'm currently listening to Heaven Changes Everything by Todd and Sonja Burpo. I will continue listening to that. I'm reading Through a Tangled Wood by Various Authors on my computer and have been for a while so I'm hoping to finish the anthology. 

I plan to start the readathon as close to 7 am central time as possible. 

Thursday, April 24, 2014

Original Fairy Tales Compared: The Twelve Dancing Princesses by The Brothers Grim



I partiticipate in Project Disney from time to time. As you know Project Disney covers the original novels or fairy tales the became Disney movies, but every so often I like to read fairy tales that have not yet became Disney movies so that is when this feature will come in handy. This feature covers original stories by  Grimm, Hans Christina Anderseon, etc that have not been made into Disney movies. If there is a movie that I can find based on the tale I will review that also.

Book: The Twelve Dancing Princesses or (The Shoes that were Danced to Pieces)
Author: The Brothers Grimm
Publication: 1812
Source: Project Glutenberg or Read here 
Summary (from Goodreads):
Where do the king's beautiful daughter disappear to night after night? And who can solve the mystery of the twelve pairs of dancing slippers, worn to shreds by the morning?

The life of the fun-loving princesses of the classic Grimm fairy tale, as they boldly escape the confines of their father's castle. Each one is a character in her own right--a loving sister and a not-so-dutiful daughter--enjoying their moments of freedom as well as their beautiful brocade ballgowns. 
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Review (Spoiler Free):
As with all of the Grimm fairy tales The Shoes the were Danced to Pieces was a very short story with little character development.

This story was much more light than most of the Grimm Fairy Tales. The princess were innocent in the fact that they danced the night away, but their father did not like it so he took matters into his own hands. I would have liked to get to know the sisters a bit better, but alas it gives book and movie creators a lot of room for creativity in their personalities. There just wasn't enough pages to really develop the characters. Unfortunately this is all I can say without spoiling the story. Take a few minutes to read the story and then continue reading below for my spoiler review/ movie comparision.



*Spoilers Below of both the movie and the book*

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Disney has yet to tackle the 12 dancing princesses, but a few years ago a barbie movie featuring The Twelve Dancing Princesses or The Shoes that were Danced to Pieces by The Brothers Grimm. I have fallen in love with this movie especially the music used. It is one of my favorite Barbie movies. 
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The story begins with a king who has 12 beautiful daughters, each one more beautiful than another. Then the living quarters are described. The princess's bedroom is an essential part of the story since
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their underground dance palace is in their bedroom. The door is locked each night when the 12 princesses are in bed, but somehow when the king comes in the morning all 12 pairs of shoes are worn to pieces.

The king does not understand how the princesses are getting out of the bedroom to find a place to
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dance so he makes a deal with the kingdom if somebody can figure out where the princess dance then they can choose a daughter to marry and will be king after the father dies. If the person is not able to find out where the princess dance after three days then they are to forfeit their life.

The barbie movie changes a number of elements. The father is blindly oblivious to the princess midnight dancing excursion because he is deadly sick. Duchess Rowena notices the princess worn out shoes and asks Desmond to sit outside the princesses chambers and tell her if anybody leaves. The thing is the princess do not have to leave their chambers to go to the magical dance palace. Another difference is that the princess can only go to the Dance Palace for three nights whereas in the Grimm tale it seems to be an endless amount of times.

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In the original tale each of the princes that came to find out about the dancing princesses would try to stay awake to find out where they went, but their eyelids would grow heavy and they would wake in
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the morning when the shoes were worn to pieces. Many princes had to forfeit their lives because they could not find out anything about the princesses.

Then there was a wounded soldier who met an old woman on the road. He joked that he thought he might go visit the castle, find out where the princesses are dancing, and becoming king. The old woman tells him that the task is easy that all he has to do is not drink the wine and pretend to be asleep. The solider did as he was told. When the eldest princess gave him the wine he let it drip onto a sponge he had attached to his chin and he fake snored like he was in a deep sleep. 

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The solider watched the princess dress in their pretty dresses and touch each of their beds to open up a stair case into the Dance Palace. The solider followed the youngest one down. At the base of the stairs the Solider saw 12 princes in row boats. Each princess chose their beloved and got into the boat. The
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solider rode across with the youngest. The prince could not understand why the boat was so heavy. The solider seemed to become invisible in the dance palace.  The whole time they were dancing the youngest heard the solider breaking off branches and worried that they had been caught. The eldest told the youngest not to worry that many others had failed. The next morning the solider did not tell the King anything, but instead followed the princess again the next night.

When it came to time to tell the king he showed the king the cup and the branches he had broken off.
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Then he revealed the underground Dance Palace to the King. The King called in his daughters and they knew they had been betrayed. They confessed and the King asked the Solider which daughter he would like. He replied that he was no longer young and would like to marry the oldest. So they were married and he was set to become king after their father died. The princes were bewitched for as many nights as they had danced with the 12 princesses.

In the movie the princess have to dance on 12 tiles in their room to get to their dance palace in birth
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order. Then they are transported to the dance palace that is made of gold and is absolutely beautiful. They too must go to the dance palace on boats, but there are no princes waiting for them. They dance with each other until their shoes are worn to pieces. They do have gold princes that dance with them some nights though.

When Duchess Rowena finally finds out where the princesses are going she forces Desmond, her
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humble servant to smash each of the 12 tiles in their room that lead to the dance palace. They are stuck down in the dance palace and have to dance on the tiles to find their way home. They are never allowed to go back there again.

Their father figures out that Duchess Rowena is poising him to steal his crown and forces her to dance for the rest of her life along with Desmond. The princesses are allowed to dance as much as they would like. Derrek and Genevieve (Barbie) are married.
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The Shoes that Were Worn to Pieces was a fun quick read. I especially had fun comparing it to the barbie movie which sticks to the basic storyline, but changes some elements. This is one of the lighter Grimm fairy tales. If I had kids I would probably actually be comfortable reading this one too them. I recommend taking the ten minutes to read The Shoes that Were Worn to pieces. 


*As usual I was not able to showcase all the fan art I found. I do not own any of the beautiful pictures shown above. I tried to give credit where credit was due, but if any of those links are wrong please let me know. If any of the pictures shown above are your pictures and you would like them not to be shown on this blog email me and I will get them taken down. *

Deviant Artists Queens RevengeMifti Stock and Sed Rah . Hosted by The Book Rat and A Backwards Story

I'm linking up to this wonderful event. I hope to have one anthology done to review before May 3rd and I may have one more Grimm Fairy Tale post or Project Disney post to put up during this timeline.