Thriller: The Last Cato, by Matilde Asensi

Precious relics, fragments of the True Cross, are being stolen from churches across Europe and Asia. The  body of one of the suspects, covered in cryptic tattoos, is found. The Vatican assembles a team, to track down the thieves and recover that relics.  Ottavia is a Catholic nun who is a renowned paleographer; Farag is [...]

Modern Lit: Capote in Kansas, by Kim Powers

Metaphor
Capote in Kansas is a ghostly story, in which a pair of childhood friends attain tremendous literary fame, only to have their relationship destroyed by their success. The novel opens as both Truman Capote and Harper Lee are nearing the ends of their respective lives. Each has been a “one book wonder” of a [...]

Classic Lit: Puck of Pook’s Hill, by Rudyard Kipling

Factual and fanciful

With all the renewed interest in fantasy over the past decade, the 102 year old historical fantasy, Puck of Pook’s Hill, deserves consideration. Two early 20th century children, living in Pevensey, England, have a chance encounter with the legendary Puck, who undertakes to bring them a series of first hand accounts [...]

Paranormal Fiction: Inkspell, by Cornelia Funke

Lose yourself in a good book
Ignoring her own better judgment, Meggie does the impossible, reading herself into Inkworld. She’s planning a sort of sightseeing vacation, a brief tour to see the fairies, talking trees, and other amazing elements described to her so vividly by her mom. Just like Gilligan’s, Meggie’s own little tour [...]

Watch This: Fairy Tale – A True Story, with Peter O’Toole

Important and Delightful
A charming  tale of magic and mystery, “FairyTale – A True Story” is based on the remarkable reaction that swept WWI  England, after   two young girls took photos of the fairies living at the bottom of their garden. Their family, like so many in wartime, is mourning the loss of their [...]

Modern Lit: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by JK Rowling

Into the annals
With this final episode of the Harry Potter saga, the series has cemented its place in the annals of classic children’s literature. Deathly Hallows is Rowling’s masterpiece, probably her best writing to date. While following Harry on his quest to meet at last, face to face, his destiny, readers are treated [...]

Folklore and Fantasy: Coraline, by Neil Gaiman

The other side of the door
Old English houses must be the most interesting in the world, full of nooks, mirrors, wardrobes, and mysterious doors. While exploring her new home, young Coraline discovers a door that goes nowhere, bricked up when the house was subdivided into flats. A bit bored this summer, one day [...]

Modern Lit: Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman

There and back again

All London office worker Richard Mayhew tried to do that evening was help a damsel in distress, but he got more – way more – than he bargained for. Neil Gaiman has spun another magical mystery tour from the elements of the mythological quest paradigm.
Link to full review:
full review

Watch This: Stardust

among the stars

Let me start by stating that if you watch Stardust the movie hoping that it achieves the aura of Stardust the book, you will be disappointed. That, however, is the fate of most book into movie productions. That said, Stardust the movie has its moments.
review:
http://www.amazon.com/review/R2XUYHQ4XQ39I5/ref=cm_cr_rdp_perm

Fiber Folklore – Mother Holle

From the Brothers Grimm Household Tales

A widow has two daughters, one, a beautiful stepdaughter, and the other, her natural daughter who is lazy and ugly. They make the stepchild work like Cinderella, carrying out the ashes and doing all the spinning, until her fingers bleed. One day as she [...]