The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

There was once a kindly old wizard who used his magic generously and wisely for the benefit of his neighbors. Rather than reveal the true source of his power, he pretended that his potions, charms, and antidotes sprang ready-made from the little cauldron he called his lucky cooking pot. From miles around, people came to him with their troubles and the wizard was please to give his pot a stir, and put things right.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard was written by J.K. Rowling as a supplement to the final book in her Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This collection of fairy tales, and the final story "The Tale of Three Brothers," is cited in the book as an important key to discovering the meaning of the Deathly Hallows and ultimately defeating Lord Voldemort.

Already a huge fan of fairytales as well as their retellings, I was immediately excited when I found out J.K. Rowling had created the very set of tales she had mentioned in her book.

The set up of the book is incredibly well-done. It claims to have been translated from ancient runes by Hermione Granger and includes notes from Albus Dumbledore on each tale and its meaning. Rowling writes as herself in forming the introduction and adding footnotes for Muggle readers. Beyond that, she is also the artist who created the gorgeous illustrations contained within.

Each tale is unique and interesting, written in the fairytale fashion as if for the wizarding community. Dumbledore's notes are just as interesting as the tales themselves and include extra tidbits from the world of Harry Potter that make a fangirl quite gleeful. Though a short read, it's definitely a worthwhile one.

I can especially imagine it being quite fun for a parent whose children are a bit too young for Harry Potter just yet to read it to their children. That way, they'll be familiar with a few of the characters and the tales themselves and will make the books seem even more real to them when they come of age.

All in all, it was a lovely read and a must for every Harry Potter fan. It takes less than an hour to read straight through, so ideal for a bit of light reading. I know I'll definitely read this one more than a few times.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

In Muggle fairy tales, magic tends to lie at the root of the hero or heroine's troubles -- the wicked witch has poisoned the apple, or put the princess into a hundred-year's sleep, or turned the prince into a hideous beast. In The Tales of Beedle the Bard on the other hand, we meet heroes and heroines who can perform magic themselves, and yet find it just as hard to solve their problems as we do. Beedle's stories have helped generations of Wizarding parents to explain this painful fact of life to their young children: that magic causes as much trouble as it cures.

Christopher Paolini at the Dallas Museum of Art

Right now, Christopher Paolini is having his last book tour for the Inheritance Cycle. He has recently published the deluxe edition of the final book in the series (which includes a great deal of goodies, including artwork of Shruiken and extra content) and he is going on a book tour to promote this version. Fortunately for me, one of his first stops happened to be at the Dallas Museum of Art.

I found out about his appearance, so close to where I live, via an email from the museum. I immediately called all of the Eragon fans I knew and purchased my ticket. When the day came for the event, my close friend Andrew and I drove up to Dallas, both of us definitely fangirling as we awaiting the beginning of the event. Both of us are aspiring writers and big Eragon fans, so it was a very exciting prospect for us.

The fans present filled a small auditorium that seated about three hundred or so and nearly all attendees were under fourteen or the parents of those kids, but that didn't put a single damper on the event, nor did Paolini let that dictate how he presented himself and his material in the slightest.

Christopher Paolini, author of the Inheritance Cycle series, was home schooled and graduated at the age of fifteen. Following his graduation, he tells us he was extremely bored. Not having schoolwork was fun for about two weeks and then he realized there was now nothing for him to do. After digging himself a nine by nine foot hole in his backyard and fashioning it into a Viking Mead Hall, he realized he needed to focus his efforts on something worthwhile. He chose to write the kind of fantasy novel he enjoyed reading.

Andrew and I with our tickets.

So Christopher Paolini set to work creating Eragon, the first in the series of four rather large books, and finished it within the year. Then he went back to read his work for the first time . . . and marveled at how terrible it was. It was so bad, he told us during his time onstage, that the main character's first name wasn't even Eragon. It was Kevin. And, to be honest, who would have read the tale of Kevin the Dragon Rider?

Instead of giving up, Paolini went through the tedious process of editing and rewriting the first draft, as all authors must. From that came the book we all know and love. When it was complete, the Paolini's chose to self-publish. Christopher's sister, Angela (inspiration for the character of the same name in the series) drew up the cover while he drew the map and eye that remain in each printing of the book to date, while his parents helped him self-publish and draw attention to the book through numerous events and engagements they secured for him. In order to garner attention during that time, he often attended those engagements in medieval clothing consisting of knee-high boots, a red pirate shirt, and similar items of clothing.

After a Q&A forum, during which he confirmed plans for further books set in Alagäesia and the fact that his current novel is sci-fi, he gave a few tips for aspiring authors that I took notes on and will share here:

-Good readers are good writers. Read as much as you can. The things you don't like can help improve your writing just as much as the things you do, even if it's only showing you what you shouldn't do.

-Learn as much as you can about the English language. The more you know about spelling, grammar, and writing in general, the better you'll be able to communicate what's in your head to your audience.

-Write about whatever it is that you care about most. If you aren't interested in what you're writing, you won't do a very good job at it and writing won't be nearly as enjoyable. Even if what you care about isn't that popular, there are a lot of people on this planet and there are bound to be plenty of people who will find what you love just as cool as you do.

-Write EVERY DAY. It keeps you in practice and helps you maintain your relationship with the material so that writing will come easier to you than if you write once a week and have to take the time to get back into the world of what you're writing every time you sit down to it. "Persistence beats out talent almost every time," he reiterated. If you keep putting it off, you'll never finish. Writing every day keeps you focused on finishing what you've started.

-Have fun. If writing isn't enjoyable to you in the slightest, you're probably pursuing the wrong thing. Enjoy what you're doing and do it well.

My signed copies of Eldest and Inheritance.

Overall, it was a wonderful event and Christopher Paolini is really quite an engaging speaker. I loved hearing everything he had to say. He's quite friendly and very relatable. Afterward, he signed books for everyone. I brought Eldest and Inheritance for him to sign and he seemed rather excited about the fact that I had purchased the European editions, which was pretty cool for me.

Christopher Paolini is a master when it comes to the skill of writing and I definitely suggest his books to anyone looking for a fantasy that will keep you hooked from beginning to end. He's a pro at his trade and a wonderful person, definitely worth seeing if he tours in your area. I'm incredibly thankful he came to Dallas and grateful that I had the opportunity to see him.

As You Wish by Jackson Pearce

All I've learned in Shakespeare class is: Sometimes you fall in love with the wrong person just so you can find the right person. A more useful lesson would've been: Sometimes the right person doesn't love you back. Or sometimes the right person is gay. Or sometimes you just aren't the right person.
Thanks for nothing, Shakespeare.

After falling in love with Jackson Pearce's sophomore novel, Sisters Red, she became one of those authors whose section in the library I check nearly every time I visit. Thus I found her debut novel a few weeks ago and immediately checked it out. I just now managed to get around to reading it, but I am immensely glad I did. I read it all on one sitting that lasted about five or six hours. My day off couldn't have been better spent.

Viola Cohen's whole world felt like it had been ripped apart when her best friend and boyfriend, Lawrence, admitted to her that he was gay. Months later, they're still best friends, but Viola feels invisible and alone, as if a part of her has been broken.

Her greatest desire is to feel like she's a part of something again, the way she felt when she was with Lawrence. She doesn't want to feel invisible anymore. She wants to love someone and know that they love her too. It's the strength of this inner wish that summons the jinn.

When the jinn appears, he informs her that she has been granted three wishes. He expects it to be a routine venture to the world of humans, but Viola isn't like any of the other masters he's come in contact with up to this point. She speaks to him like a person, not just a wish-granter, and she evokes something in him that he's never experienced before--a longing for the friendship both she and Lawrence extend to him and, even more consuming, a longing for her. These are unprecedented and entirely unusual for a jinn. They aren't meant to get attached. They're meant to grant their wishes and go, but Jinn's not so sure he wants to go home anymore.

Viola gets three wishes. Three wishes and Jinn will be gone from her life forever. She won't remember him and he'll go back to his world, Caliban, until he is summoned by another human with a wish. It's not until after she has made her first wish that they begin to realize that they're feelings toward each other are more than anything they could have expected. Will Jinn help heal the brokenness in Viola's heart, only to have it broken once more and break his own heart in the process?

Once again, Jackson Pearce has created a fantastic story based on a classic fairytale. Technically, it isn't a part of her series of fairytale adaptations, but I still think it fits in that category regardless. I don't think I've ever read an adaptation of any stories involving genies before. In fact, it took me a few pages to get the image of the Aladdin genie voiced by Robin Williams out of my head. But it wasn't that difficult. After all, Jinn is a whole other species of genie than the crazy blue one I'm thinking of.

I particularly liked her description of Jinn's home world of Caliban, where the jinn have been banished. It's a beautiful place filled with beautiful people, but because of its lack of flaws is subpar in a way that makes complete sense, yet is kind of mind-blowing. It's our flaws and differences that make the human race so different and, eventually, so appealing to Jinn.

One of the things I really enjoyed about Pearce's other book was the creation of characters that were believable, well-rounded, and that carried strong emotional bonds for each other. Though these relationships were inherently quite different than the ones portrayed in Sisters Red, they still bore that essential loyalty to the people that were most important in the main characters' lives. Each cared deeply for the others and wanted most of all for the ones they loved to be truly happy. They wanted them to be happy being themselves, not trying to be copies of anyone else or copying what others were doing. Being happy with oneself and being happy with that was a major theme throughout the book that I deeply appreciated.

Jackson Pearce is clearly a fabulous storyteller. I cannot wait to read more of her work and it certainly won't be long before I'm scrambling for the next of her books I can get my hands on.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

I'm . . . jealous.
Wait. No. I can't be jealous. My fingers tense and I can feel my pulse throbbing under my skin. My heart pounds in my chest and my mind races. The image of Viola and Aaron collides with the realization that I'm jealous. Jealousy is a mortal emotion. One that means I have something to lose--something that, if gone, will tear away a part of me. Jealousy is not for my kind. And yet there it is: I'm jealous.

I Am Scout by Charles J. Shields

A perceptive newspaper reporter had remarked that To Kill a Mockingbird "is written out of Harper Lee's love for the South and Monroeville but it is also the story of a father's love for his children and the love they gave in return.

I don't remember what year in school I was assigned to read To Kill a Mockingbird, but I do remember it becoming an immediate favorite. For quite a few years, it held the ranking of my absolute favorite book and even now it continues to stand stall among many other books that have been claimed as favorites of mine. It definitely holds a special place in my heart.

So when I spotted I Am Scout: The Biography of Harper Lee on display in my local Half-Price Books store, I was drawn to it. Of course I would want to read the biography of Harper Lee! Plus it had a typewriter on the cover, so there was no denying that I needed this book. Thankfully, my dad had already agreed to get me a book while we were there. You can rest assured that I was grinning from ear to ear as I walked out of the store clutching this book.

I wasn't disappointed. Before I read this book, I honestly knew next to nothing about the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, which is frankly unacceptable--at least in my book. I love knowing as much as I can about the authors I admire and I feel like that curiosity was sated by the reading of this lovely book.

Charles J. Shields does a spectacular job in answering all the questions a body could have about the much-loved author whose sole novel is a classic and continues to be read by thousands of students every year. I finished this volume feeling like every question I had was answered. Shields handled his material perfectly and with such an interesting and much-loved character as Nelle Harper Lee, that was absolutely necessary.

I have so much admiration for Nelle Lee and truly enjoyed the experience of finding out more about her and her creative processes, as well as the events and occurrences that shaped her into the woman she became. In many ways, I see her as a role model. She is the type of person who is exactly who she wants to be and is entirely unapologetic when it comes to being who she is.

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book. It was very well-written and put together. If you enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird or just want to know more about Harper Lee, you should definitely pick up this book. It's certainly worth a good read.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Poking out from the branches was a white envelope addressed "Nelle." Inside was a note: "Dear Nelle, You have one year off from your job to write whatever you please. Merry Christmas."
"What does this mean?" she asked.
"What it says." They told her to total up what it would cost for a year to stay home and write full-time. The sum was their gift.
Several seconds passed before she found her voice. "It's a fantastic gamble. It's such a great risk."
Michael smiled. "No, honey. It's not a risk. It's a sure thing."

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Not only did he keep talking, but he crossed the space between us in two long strides and snatched up my arm in fingers that were so cold, they burned. He held me in a grip of iron, so that I couldn't even dart down the stairs the way I'd planned.
What were you trying to do anyway?" Marco asked, with a sneer. "Protect him?"

I was wandering through the YA section of the library a few days ago when I decided it was about time I read something penned by Meg Cabot. I had heard a lot about her and couldn't help admiring exactly how much space her books took up, so I figured tis revelation was a bit past due. Looking through them, Avalon High was the one that caught my eye. I remember having seen the movie adaptation on Disney a few years ago and enjoying it (myths and legends being a particular interest of mine), so I went ahead and checked it out.

Avalon High is told from the perspective of Ellie Harrison, a junior in high school who has just begun school at Avalon High after moving from Minnesota with her parents for their year-long professors' sabbatical. Upon arriving at the school, she immediately finds herself drawn to Will Wagner, an incredibly popular guy whom she seems to keep running into and who, for some reason she can't fathom, seems to really enjoy spending time with her. Ellie considers herself an incredibly practical person and is not generally the type to fall head over heels for someone she's only just met, but it seems her heart has a mind all its own and it doesn't intend to listen to her reasoning.

Then things start to become strange. Not only does she stumble upon the information that Will's girlfriend, Jennifer, is hooking up with his best friend, Lance; but she keeps butting heads with Marco, Wills step-brother, Marco, who seems to be doing everything in his power to hurt Will. Now her teacher, Mr. Morton, has begun acting strange, referring to her as the Lady of Shallot, the medieval woman for whom Ellie was named, and insisting that Will is in grave danger.

Even she can't help missing the parallels between each of them and those to whom their names seem to correlate, but if this is true, if Will is truly the incarnation of King Arthur, then things are about to get much worse . . . and there's not a very good chance that they'll get any better at all.

I really enjoyed reading Ellie's tale, especially considering all the rich bits of medieval facts and legends that were peppered throughout its pages. Meg Cabot writes believable characters and I particularly enjoyed the main character and her resoluteness throughout the book to protect and to do everything she could to keep Will safe. Protectiveness is a quality I very much admire in a person.

It was an interesting adventure and definitely a page turner. I can't say it's my absolute favorite, but it was worth reading and a fun journey. It's an easy read and definitely worth checking out, especially for those of you who, like me, always enjoy a good retelling of a well-loved legend.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥

The reason there've been so many movies and books and poems and musicals about King Arthur--not to mention high schools like Avalon named after the mythical island he eventually went to die on--is that his story is a good illustration of the heroic theory of history: that an individual--not an army; not a god; not a superhero; just a regular Joe--can permanently alter the course of world events.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling

Ever since Barry's funeral, Gavin had dwelled, with a sense of deep inadequacy, on the comparatively small gap that he was sure he would leave behind in his community, should he die. Looking at Mary, he wondered whether it would not be better to leave a huge hole in one person's heart.

The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first book since her best-selling children's books, the Harry Potter series, and has been highly anticipated since the day she first announced she was putting out another book. This is her first foray into adult fiction and had many fans eager anticipating the release date in hopes of snagging it the moment it went on sale.

The question everyone's asking now: Did it live up to the hype?

Unfortunately, no. At least, not in my opinion.

The Casual Vacancy begins with a death. When Barry Fairbrother dies of an aneurysm, the small town of Pagford is thrown into chaos. The town mourns a man who had been thoroughly involved in so many parts of its society and, most importantly, fought for those many of the town's "elite" would rather push away and forget about.

In this book, we are given the opportunity to see through the eyes of many of the town's residents: watching them as they flounder in their own misery and search for what it is they want and who they really are; all the while fighting to fill the vacant council seat Barry left in his absence, each doing their best to further their own agenda, political or otherwise.

I wasn't a big fan of this book. I wanted, desperately, to enjoy it. I definitely look up to Rowling as an author and was disappointed to find that I just couldn't get myself to like this book. Her writing style and wording is fabulous. Even in a book I didn't like, I had to admit that the richness of her writing wasn't diminished in the slightest. Rowling has one hell of a talent there and even a tedious story can't manage to hide that.

On the other hand, like I mentioned, the story is incredibly tedious. The story itself was just hard to connect with, maybe because she came at it from so many perspectives. I mean, the varied points of view gave the full story, so it wasn't very avoidable, but it definitely made it take longer for me to connect with the characters at all.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't terrible. I've read worse. The last fourth of the book was pretty interesting. The conclusion was very cohesive and by then, I had come to know the characters well enough to want to read more about them. But there wasn't much of a resolution and the story over all came out dull in the end.

I would advise most to skip this one, unless they just really want to read Rowling again, which I would totally understand. Her voice, though more mature in the content of this story, is unmistakeable even in a story so drastically different from what took place at Hogwarts.

All in all, I'll be glad when she gets back to writing children's fiction (and YA!), which she has confirmed she will be writing next! I absolutely cannot wait. Nothing will stop me from reading those.

Rating: ♥ ♥ 

But who could bear to know which stars were already dead, she thought, blinking up at the night sky, could anybody stand to know that they all were?