Past Fairy Tale Reviews

For some reading ideas, and just for fun, here are some Fairy Tale books I've already reviewed.  Click on the picture to see my thoughts on these.

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow

From Goodreads:    Blessed—or cursed—with an ability to understand animals, the Lass (as she’s known to her family) has always been an oddball. And when anisbjorn (polar bear) seeks her out, and promises that her family will become rich if only the Lass will accompany him to his castle, she doesn’t hesitate. But the bear is not what he seems, nor is his castle, which is made of ice and inhabited by a silent staff of servents. Only a grueling journey on the backs of the four winds will reveal the truth: the bear is really a prince who’s been enchanted by a troll queen, and the Lass must come up with a way to free him before he’s forced to marry a troll princess.






My Thoughts:

-    I've always loved this old Folk Story.  I want my own snow bear!  I also loved The Storyteller's adaption of Hans the Hedgehog.  

-    I love the characters in this book.  The Pika is such a believable young girl.  I admire her strengths, and I can relate to her weaknesses.  Hans Peter was one of my favorite characters.  I think every girl needs a big brother!

-    The mom is a piece of work!  How could she call her children a waste!?!?  How could she be so disappointed in an infant to not give her a name?  So sad!  As a mom, I think that lady is crazy!

-    I love that the Lass received strength, courage, and comfort when she was reminded of her true name.  I think names are so important, and there is meanings to them!  

-    This is probably my favorite Jessica Day George book!    I think this one is more dear to her heart than the others.  I think it is her best work!

-    The whole journey from beginning to end was a complete delight!

Fairy Tale Read-a-Thon Updates

Here is where I'll be logging my progress throughout the Read-a-Thon!
Check back for updates each day!

Day 1

Books Read:   .5

Pages Read:    202

Total Books Read:   0

Total Pages Read:   0

My Thoughts:    I had a pretty busy day, so I didn't get to read as much as I wanted to.  Hopefully I'll be able to plow through more Fairy Tale goodness for the rest of the time.

Day 2

Books Read:   3

Pages Read:   422

Total Books Read:   3

Total Pages Read:   624

My Thoughts:    That's more like it!!  I had a great reading day!  I could have squeezed more in, but I had to go to rehearsal.  I hope tomorrow is as productive...or lazy...depending on how you look at it.

Day 3

Books Read:   1.5

Pages Read:   347

Total Books Read:   4.5

Total Pages Read:   971

My Thoughts:    I had a decent reading day.  I got a little burnt out and played a video game for a bit today, but I still think I read a fair amount.

Day 4

Books Read:   0.5

Pages Read:   94

Total Books Read:   5

Total Pages Read:   1,065

My Thoughts:    Just because I'm participating in a read-a-thon doesn't mean life gets put on hold so I can read as much as I want...even though I wish it would.  I was SO busy today.  I had Teen Book Fest, my sister's rugby game, and my parents came over.  It left me little time for reading.  I had to read while waiting in lines and in between time outs.  It was crazy.  I'm really sad I didn't get to read too much today.

Day 5

Books Read:   0

Pages Read:   79

Total Books Read:   5

Total Pages Read:   1,144

My Thoughts:    No comment.

Mini Challenge and Giveaway

  

I am hosting a mini-challenge and giveaway in honor of the Fairy Tale Read-a-Thon!

Re-tellings are some of my favorites!  I was way excited to participate in this!

Here is how you play:

I'll show you a book cover, and you'll have to tell me what
Fairy Tale is being retold in that book.

Pretty Easy!

                                           

1.2.  3.

4.  5.  6.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Fairy Tale Read-a-Thon

The Fairy Tale Read-a-Thon starts tomorrow!  It is being hosted by Debz Bookshelf, and it goes from October 17-22.  This is my first time participating in a read-a-thon, so wish me luck!

The books I have lined up are:

I've read all but 1 of these before, but I figure this is a great opportunity to re-read some fun books and get a review written for them.  I might deviate from these books or add to them.  It just depends on what I feel like.  

Let the reading BEGIN....tomorrow!!!!

Killing Kennedy

Goodreads Synopsis:    A riveting historical narrative of the shocking events surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy, and the follow-up to mega-bestselling author Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln

More than a million readers have thrilled to Bill O'Reilly's Killing Lincoln, the page-turning work of nonfiction about the shocking assassination that changed the course of American history. Now the anchor of The O'Reilly Factor recounts in gripping detail the brutal murder of John Fitzgerald Kennedy—and how a sequence of gunshots on a Dallas afternoon not only killed a beloved president but also sent the nation into the cataclysmic division of the Vietnam War and its culture-changing aftermath.

In January 1961, as the Cold War escalates, John F. Kennedy struggles to contain the growth of Communism while he learns the hardships, solitude, and temptations of what it means to be president of the United States. Along the way he acquires a number of formidable enemies, among them Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev, Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, and Alan Dulles, director of the Central Intelligence Agency.  In addition, powerful elements of organized crime have begun to talk about targeting the president and his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy.

In the midst of a 1963 campaign trip to Texas, Kennedy is gunned down by an erratic young drifter named Lee Harvey Oswald. The former Marine Corps sharpshooter escapes the scene, only to be caught and shot dead while in police custody.

The events leading up to the most notorious crime of the twentieth century are almost as shocking as the assassination itself. Killing Kennedy chronicles both the heroism and deceit of Camelot, bringing history to life in ways that will profoundly move the reader.  This may well be the most talked about book of the year.

My Thoughts:

-    I loved Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly, so I was super excited that he was doing another one about Kennedy's assassination.  It didn't disappoint. 

-    Every history book should be written this way!  It would make History one of the favorite subjects in school! 

-    The PT-109 experience reads like a good castaway book.

-    I  learned a lot about what kind of man JFK was, and let me say, it wasn't good.  He was a very vein guy and very immoral.  I can't believe he was able to keep all of his philandering a secret.  

-    I think JFK handled the Cuban Missile Crisis well, and I learned a lot of stuff I didn't know about that crisis.  

-    I just learned a lot period.

-    I KNEW IT!!  I knew Martin Luther King Jr. was a scum!  I'm so glad the book addressed that.  

-    I was sad to learn some things about Peter Lawford.  He is one of my favorite MGM stars.  He had a nice voice.  Too bad he didn't have a nice life.  

-    I wish O'Reilly would write a book about all the President's and their time in office.  It would be fun to learn about each one.  

-    The book was so interesting, and even though I knew what the outcome of many things were, I still loved it and it kept me turning pages.

-    Lee Harvey Oswald was a messed up guy!  He just didn't know what he wanted in life, so he took someone else's.  YES!  LET IT BE KNOWN THAT LEE HARVEY OSWALD WAS THE MAN WHO KILLED KENNEDY!  I also believe he acted solo!

-    Even though, I don't really like Kennedy (or his family), I was still sad when I read about his death.  It was a terrible thing.  I feel bad for Jackie.  I can't even imagine seeing my hubby's head explode.  

-    If you love history, and even if you don't, I highly recommend this book.  It is good to know about your country, and this is a book anyone could enjoy.  

Series Info:

Killing Kennedy is a companion book to Killing Lincoln.  Click on the photo to read my review.  

Legend of the BoneKnapper Dragon

My Thoughts:

-    This is a really weird short film with the cast of How to Train Your Dragon.

-    The animation changes during Gobber's stories, and it is really weird.  Was their budget low for this or something?

-    A lot of this was pretty dumb.

-    The disc has some other features, like a DreamWorks Jukebox that has some music videos from various DreamWorks films.

Tyson's Thought:

-    The Kung Fu Panda music video was the best thing on the DVD.

Hubby's Thought:

-    I don't get why the bone dragon liked to be scratched on his armor.

How to Train Your Dragon

My Thoughts:

-    This is probably my favorite DreamWorks movie.  The story and characters are so great!

-    It is very funny and very heart warming!  The story has something for everyone.

-    Toothless's head is Stitch's head.  

-    The CG in this is pretty good.  There are some really nice environments, and the flying sequences are really amazing!

-    I like that they created different types of dragons.  It was really fun to see the different classes that do different things.  They were really creative with the dragon designs.

-    Toothless is SO cute!!  I want one!  His expressions are so cute and funny.  I love how he shows so much emotion just using is facial expressions.

-    The voice acting is spot on!!  I love the people they got for the voices.  They fit their characters perfectly! 

-    I know this has been out for a while, but if you haven't seen it, SEE IT!!

Tyson's Thought:

-    I want one of the big fat dragons.

Frankenweenie

My Thoughts:

-    I love that Tim Burton decided to make his short into a full length feature!  If you haven't seen his short film of this, go check it out! It is live action.  I love that he chose to redo it with claymation.

-    It parodied a lot of old school horror movies like Frankenstein and Dracula.  It was fun to see the similarities.

-    A lot of the movie had an Edward Scissorhand feel.  The community, the music, and overall theme was a lot like it.

-    The Asian boy cracked me up!  I loved his accent.

-    If I could bring my Mr. Nibbles back to life, I would!

-    The music was awesome!  I LOVE Danny Elfman!

-    The little girl with the cat was creepy, but funny.

-    This movie was very Tim Burton.  His style, weirdness, and comedy was everywhere!  I loved it!! 

-    This is a great movie for this time of year!

Lois Lowry

I had a the pleasure of seeing Lois Lowry last night with my friends!

Jenni Elyse, Penelope, Me, Emily, I forgot her name (SORRY!), Suey, Jenny, and Jessica!

I also snapped a picture of Enna, but it came out fuzzy!!!  I was going to use it as blackmail, but alas...she befuddled my camera to fuzziness to keep her secret identity.

Here is Lois Lowry telling us about her books.  I was so happy she told us how they are all connected!

 Here she is signing books!  I had the pleasure of standing in line behind "Tiger" ;)

It was a fun night!  I look forward to more Author events at the library!  

Although, it was Courtney's last event, and I'm sure future Authorlinks won't be as awesome.  SO SAD!