New release – One Fell Sweep

Looking for something special for the X-mas tree? Look no further, on the 20th of December is the release date of the third book in the Innkeeper Chronicles. If you don´t know them go on over to Ilona Andrews website for more information on these great books Ilona Andrews Innkeeper Chronicles

One Fell Sweep (Innkeeper Chronicles Book 3) Kindle Edition (Amazon)

Dina DeMille may run the nicest Bed and Breakfast in Red Deer, Texas, but she caters to very particular kind of guest… the kind that no one on Earth is supposed to know about. Guests like a former intergalactic tyrant with an impressive bounty on her head, the Lord Marshal of a powerful vampire clan, and a displaced-and-superhot werewolf; so don’t stand too close, or you may be collateral damage.

But what passes for Dina’s normal life is about to be thrown into chaos. First, she must rescue her long-distant older sister, Maud, who’s been exiled with her family to a planet that functions as the most lawless penal colony since Botany Bay. Then she agrees to help a guest whose last chance at saving his civilization could bring death and disaster to all Dina holds dear. Now Gertrude Hunt is under siege by a clan of assassins. To keep her guests safe and to find her missing parents, Dina will risk everything, even if she has and may have to pay the ultimate price. Though Sean may have something to say about that.

Urban Fantasy, where to start?

Part 1

Picking up a new genre is never easy and when you pick up one that usually includes vampires, shape-shifters, fae and other such interesting creatures, you really need to open that first page with an open mind. If there is a rule where to start, not only do I not know about it and to be honest neither do I care. Instead I will give you a list of my favorites over the years. So if you want to have a go here is some options for you to look at but there are so many good collections out there that I will continue the list at a later stage.

A Hidden Fire

A Hidden Fire by Elizabeth Hunter

One of my favorites is Elizabeth Hunter,  I am absolutely addicted to her books and have no qualms with this recommendation.

A phone call from an old friend sets Dr. Giovanni Vecchio back on the path of a mysterious manuscript he’s hunted for over five hundred years. He never expected a young student librarian could be the key to unlock its secrets, nor could he have predicted the danger she would attract.

Now he and Beatrice De Novo follow a twisted maze that leads from the archives of a university library, though the fires of Renaissance Florence, and toward a confrontation hundreds of years in the making.

History and the paranormal collide in A Hidden Fire, the first book in the bestselling Elemental Mysteries series and semifinalist in the Kindle Book Review’s Best Indie Books of 2012.

Magic Bites

Magic Bites by Ilona Andrews

Another absolute favourite is the Ilona Andrews duo and their books are as good as it gets as far as reading UF goes.

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate’s guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta’s magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate’s guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she’s way out of her league—but she wouldn’t have it any other way…

Moon Called

Moon Called by Patricia Briggs

There is something about Mercy Thompson that once you start reading you won´t want to put it down.

Mercy Thompson’s life is not exactly normal. Her next-door neighbor is a werewolf. Her former boss is a gremlin. And she’s fixing a VW bus for a vampire. But then, Mercy isn’t exactly normal herself.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea by J.L. Murray

J.L. Murray is an incredibly talented writer but unlike the above authors she has a little darkness in her pen. The story doesn’t go the way you expect and the results are startling to say the least. One of the most fun reads ever in UF.

Niki Slobodian sees things – things that aren’t supposed to be there. Labeled an Abnormal by New Government, her name is tacked onto the Registry, which seems to be getting longer these days. Now she can’t work or she’ll end up the same place as her father: in prison. But with no money coming in, Niki’s getting desperate.

Kindling the Moon

Kindling the Moon by Jenn Bennett

There is a special story about this book, when it first came out Amazon did not deliver to Mozambique and I didn´t have a kindle at the time. I emailed the author and asked if it was possible to buy directly from her, I was after all desperate to read this book. Jenn Bennett did better than that, she sent me a PDF to my email. I have since then purchased all the books but the PDF is still in my email, it is a special momento which I am not quite willing to let go.

Meet Arcadia Bell: bartender, renegade magician, fugitive from the law. . . .

Being the spawn of two infamous occultists (and alleged murderers) isn’t easy, but freewheeling magician Arcadia “Cady” Bell knows how to make the best of a crummy situation. After hiding out for seven years, she’s carved an incognito niche for herself slinging drinks at the demon-friendly Tambuku Tiki Lounge.

But she receives an ultimatum when unexpected surveillance footage of her notorious parents surfaces: either prove their innocence or surrender herself. Unfortunately, the only witness to the crimes was an elusive Æthyric demon, and Cady has no idea how to find it. She teams up with Lon Butler, an enigmatic demonologist with a special talent for sexual spells and an arcane library of priceless stolen grimoires. Their research soon escalates into a storm of conflict involving missing police evidence, the decadent Hellfire Club, a ruthless bounty hunter, and a powerful occult society that operates way outside the law. If Cady can’t clear her family name soon, she’ll be forced to sacrifice her own life . . . and no amount of running will save her this time.

Storm Front

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Jim Butcher is a must if you read UF. Personally, I don´t think a UF list is quite complete without his name on it.

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago’s first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the ‘everyday’ world is full of strange and magical things – and most of them don’t play well with humans. That’s where Harry comes in.

Harry is the best at what he does – and not just because he’s the only one who does it. So when the Chicago P.D. has a case that transcends mortal capabilities, they look to him for answers. There’s just one problem. Business, to put it mildly, stinks.

So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry’s seeing dollar signs. But where there’s black magic, there’s a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry’s name. And that’s when things start to get . . . interesting.

Magic – it can get a guy killed.

Hope that you find something that you like here, these, are in my humble opinion, worth your time and money.

 

 

 

Ten books that every child should read before they leave school

I saw this article in The Independent on ten books that kids should read before they leave school, if I look at what (majority) of the kids post on social media, the ghastly grammar, lack of vocabulary and inexcusable spelling mistakes I think that this list of books is optimistic and sadly I have my doubts whether they will have the ability to understand the content. Of course Harry Potter is not that complicated but still requires a love of reading to get through them.

source: http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/the-10-books-every-child-should-read-before-they-leave-school–ZJKJg3s1Ne

The 10 books every child should read before they leave school

George Orwell’s dystopian masterpiece 1984 has beaten Harry Potter to the top of a list of books that “every student should read before leaving secondary school”.

The selection, dominated by classic literature, was chosen by 500 teachers.

1. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3. Animal Farm by George Orwell

4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

6. The Harry Potter series by J K Rowling

7. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

8. The Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger

9. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

10. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Banned Books Timeline: Where, When, And Why

Who the hell banishes Harry Potter and Charlotte´s Web? And where these people banning books when I was in school and had to read Shakespeare (without Shakespeare for Dummies available any where?)

PrinterInks.com lays out a timeline to provide the context in which they banishment occurred. Get informed and have some laughs along the way.

Here is how the story of Cinderella is told in nine countries and cultures around the world

1.Thailand

Like many versions from around the globe, Kao and the Golden Fish by Wilai Punpattanakul-Crouch and Cheryl Hamada includes the central elements of the Cinderella story: a young, hardworking girl bullied by her evil stepmother and stepsisters until she meets and falls in love with a prince.

However, in this Thai tale, the young girl’s mother doesn’t just die. She comes back in the form of a golden fish, an eggplant and a pair of trees that the girl talks to and finds comfort in during tough times. 

2.Nigeria

Chinye: A West African Folk Tale by Obi Onyefulu is a Nigerian version that revolves around Chinye, a young girl who lives with her greedy stepmother and stepsister.

While this version does not include a glass shoe or a handsome prince, it does focus on the morals of prosperity for the honest, and peril for the greedy.

Chinye is sent into the dark forest by her stepmother to fetch water for the household. The young girl, who is terrified by predators lurking among the trees, meets a woman who tells her to visit a nearby hut and collect only the most modest of gourds. When she does as she is told, the gourd smashes open and riches pour out. 

When her stepsister does the same, she ignores the woman’s advice and faces the consequences.

3.Poland

Set in a Polish village, Raisel’s Riddle is a Jewish retelling that focuses on a smart, motivated heroine and a hero (the rabbi’s son) who is drawn to wisdom and virtue. 

Raised by her poor but wise grandfather, Raisel grows up a strong, independent girl. After his passing, she finds work in the kitchen of a rabbi. On Purim, she gains three wishes and, after using them wisely, catches the eye of the rabbi’s son. Unlike the classic Cinderella character, Raisel agrees to marry him only if he can answer her clever, thought-provoking riddle. 

4.Iraq

Rebecca Hickox retells the Iraqi folktale, “The Little Red Fish and the Clog of Gold,” in The Golden Sandal, based on Inea Bushnaq’s Arab folktales.

In this story, Maha, the daughter of a fisherman, bears the brunt of her stepmother’s jealousies. She befriends a little red fish who helps her as she grows older. Instead of a ball, there is a wedding preparation where all the women gather for a henna ceremony. After the magical fish gives Maha a silk gown and golden sandals, she loses one of them in the river on her way home. Tariq, the brother of the bride, finds the sandal and asks his mother to try it on all the women around town to find his worthy bride.

5.Egypt

The ancient Egyptian version of the story centers around a slave girl named Rhodopis, who was stolen away from her home in Greece. Instead of stepsisters, she is ill-treated by the Egyptian servant girls. 

In this version, Rhodopis is given a pair of red dancing slippers from her master as she loves dancing, but she is unable to attend the pharoah’s court. However, one of her slippers is taken from her by a falcon and dropped in the pharaoh’s lap. The pharoah then vows to find the owner of the beautiful slippers and make her queen of Egypt.

This version of the story, first recorded in the first century B.C., is thought to be the oldest Cinderella story out there.

6.Zimbabwe

This version of the Cinderella story tells the the story of two sisters who approach the king’s search for a wife differently.

While Manyara is more concerned with position and power, Nyasha is humble and kind-hearted. On their way to the city, Nyasha shares her food and gives gifts to the poor and hungry, while Manyara rushes by to meet the king. When they finally arrive, the king appears to the haughty sister in the form of a vicious monster, while Nyasha sees a small garden snake that transforms into the king. He eventually marries Nyasha, while Manyara is forced to become a servant in her sister’s household. 

7.China

This version is retold by Ai-Ling Louie in Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella story from China, and is based on a tale that dates back to the T’ang Dynasty, between 618 and 907 A.D. It is also said to be one of the oldest known version of the Cinderella story.

Yeh-Shen is a young girl who befriends and shares a handful of rice with a magical fish in a nearby pond. Even after her evil stepmother kills and eats the fish, he comes back to help her get ready for the local festival. The king finds the tiny, golden slipper that she lost and searches for its owner.

When Yeh-Shen tries to steal back the slipper, he catches her and her identity is eventually revealed. You can probably guess how the story ends!

8.Greece

Based on one of several folktales from Greece (another has the stepsisters eating their mother), in The Orphan by Anthony L. Manna and Soula Mitakidou, Cinderella is never referred to by name, but only as “Orphan.”

The young girl becomes an orphan even though her father is still alive. According to the book, “As people say in Greece, ‘A child becomes an ophan when she loses her mother.'”

Her stepmother is also said to be so hateful that “She counted every drop of water the orphan drank.” After the orphan goes to her mother’s grave for help, her mother tells her to go home and wait for “true fortune’s blessings.” Instead of a fairy godmother, Mother Nature showers the orphan with gifts including brilliance from the sun, beauty from the moon, gracefulness from the dawn and a pair of blue shoes from the sea. 

After the prince notifies the village that he will be attending their church service, he catches a glimpse of the beautiful orphan. Struck by her beauty, he attends a second service and sets a trap of honey and wax around the entrance. While the orphan manages to escape, she leaves behind a shoe in the sticky mixture. 

9.France

Perhaps one of the most recognizable versions of Cinderella, Charles Perrault’s “Cendrillon” is closest to the Disney production that we all know and love. He first included the tale in a collection of stories published in 1697. 

While most of the tale unfolds in the way most familiar to American audiences, this version ends much differently: After marrying the handsome prince, Cendrillon’s stepsisters beg her forgiveness. The newly married princess forgives them and allows them to live a new life in the palace.

source: http://www.policymic.com/articles/90385/what-the-story-of-cinderella-looks-like-in-9-countries-around-the-world