In Pursuit of My Own Library

I was feeling nostalgic so went looking for a fairy tale to read.  Why not one about a 12 year old evil genius looking to steal the pot of gold?  Also Artemis Fowl  is about to get a silver screen treatment. I have always had very mixed feelings towards fairy tale retelling.  I understand fairy tales were meant to be passed along and that will include its own bit of telephone with each iteration.  However.  The amount of modern retelling that abuse classics to the point I can't even find the original backbone is exhausting. Artemis Fowl  is able to take the fairies of old and insert them into the modern world because this is inspired by fairy tales as a whole without trying to retell any specific story.  Artemis Fowl plans on putting his white collar crime family back on top by robbing the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. He is assisted by an intense mercenary trained from birth to complete any challenge, Butler.  He is hampered by a loony tunes mother.  He is definitel

Time does not flow like a river towards the sea in L'Engle's cosmos.  Many Waters  takes place somewhere in between A Wind in a Door  and A Swiftly Tilting Planet --and some 3,000 years in the past.   The story of Noah getting a fictional treatment gives me some mixed feelings.  I love that L'Engle's books have spiritual and quantum physics mixture, but taking a biblical story and making it her whole plot is a stretch for me. Yet despite my misgivings, I couldn't put the book down.  L'Engle's writing is enthralling and thought provoking.  I may not have loved the subject, but the lesson was one of her best.   The adventures of Sandy and Dennys start in the lab when they accidentally tamper with an experiment.  They find themselves in a desert with no way to return home.  Unicorns make a second appearance.  These aren't your standard fairy tale unicorns.  These are quantum unicorns that travel through space-time.  We are also introduced to water

I had really meant to put this review up in time for the scorpio races, but I missed it and the opportunity for ambiance. But everyone here already is aware of my lack of timeliness so we'll just get along to the review. On an island off the coast of what appears to be Britain of a begone era, a group of riders take on the ultimate challenge--racing water horses.  A young man named Sean has an astounding relationship with the water horses, but Kate wants to prove that it's not all about the local legends. This is a gut-wrenching tale about choices, home, and love.  The cast of characters is a vast array of usual suspects.  They have nothing extraordinary about them, and that is what makes them some of the best developed characters I've read.  I was incredibly impressed with the sense of reality even being in a fantasy island with mythical creatures. I picked this book off an Amazon sale for the horse race plot.  I want to be very forthcoming, if you are looking for a

Today is Dia de los Muertos, and I have a spooky treat for you.  This is a nice little story if you are looking for seasonal reads to enjoy with all the festivities of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. This is a side story from Lady Mechanika's past.  There is significance in character building, but none towards the plot that has been building in Volumes 1-4.   Lady Mechanika has just lost Dallas and headed to the remote village of Santa Catarina.  She is trying to hide from her pain but has arrived in Mexico during the Dia de los Muertos festival.  The citizens convince her to participate as it will be more healing than hiding in her room getting drunk. The citizens do not know, however, that Lady Mechanika always manages to run into the wrong people when she is on holiday.  The Jinentes del Infierno have been taxing the village for years as an order of protection.  Of course, Lady Mechanika can't abide bullying, so she gets involved. The three comic set is short and s