Wednesday, May 28, 2014

#BEAhappytoread - we are so ready


It's that time of year again! Jenn N and I are getting our empty suitcases together, stretching out our walking muscles, and prepping our instagram feeds for the amazingness that is BEA.

This year we'll be going on Thursday and Friday and we've got lists the size of our arms of authors we're excited to meet, booths we want to visit, and publisher's we want to talk to.

We'll be posting stuff throughout the days we are there both on our Twitter @borderlessbooks and our Instagram @bwobny, so follow along if you need to live vicariously through us.

Are you going to be there this year? We'd love to see you!

If you've never been to BEA, you're in for a real treat.  We'd also like to help BEA newbies by bestowing some of BEA wisdom upon you.

Do bring a small wheeled suitcase to tote your books home but don't forget to bring money for the bag check, as wheeled luggage is not permitted on the show floor.

Do plan your day in advance by looking over the autographing and events listings on the BEA home page.  This will ensure you don't miss out on anything that you really want to see.

Don't forget to take a breather periodically and do wear comfortable shoes.  BEA is an amazing but long day.  You may also want to consider bringing your own bottled water or snacks to avoid lines at the concession stand.

If you have any BEA tips that you'd like to share, please post them in the comments below.

In addition, we're reprising the "BEA Superlatives" that we did 2 years ago. But this time we're going to be posting nominees to Instagram throughout the day. Then, next week, we'll put together our list of Best Dressed, Most Organized Publisher, Funniest Author, and so forth taking your likes and comments into consideration.

 So, please comment and follow along on @bwoby via Instagram and @borderlessbooks via Twitter.

Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Laydown Lowdown



Happy Tuesday!  I hope you're all enjoying warm weather like we are in the Hudson Valley.  The longer days are perfect for relaxing outside with a good book such as one of today's new releases.

Cassandra Clare brings her "Mortal Instruments" series to a close with "City of Heavenly Fire."  Other new releases in Young Adult include "One Man Guy," by Michael Barakiva, "Rumor Central: Truth or Dare," by ReShonda Tate Billingsley and "Take Me On," by Katie McGarry.


Over in Romance there are plenty of new books sure to turn up the heat.  "All I Want Is You," by Toni Blake, "Honor Reclaimed," by Tonya Burrows, "Baby, It's You," by Jane Graves, "Tease: The Ivy Chronicles," by Sophie Jordan, "The Once and Future Duchess," by Sophia Nash," and "Love With a Perfect Cowboy," by Lori Wilde are all available today.


Take a walk over to Science Fiction/Fantasy and wander into "Strange Country," by Deborah Coates, "Artemis Awakening," by Jane Lindskold, "Crown of Renewal," by Elizabeth Moen, or "The Given," by Vicki Pettersson.


If you're looking for chills, check out a Mystery/Thriller like "Skin Game," by Jim Butcher, "The Detective and the Pipe Girl," by Michael Craven, "Suspicion," by Joseph Finder," or "The Directive," by Matthew Quirk.


Will any of these new reads make your "to-read" list?  Share with us.  Happy Reading and remember to support your local bookstores whenever possible.

Saturday, May 24, 2014

March Book Club: Jim Henson the Biography by Brian Jay Jones

Jim Henson: experimental film maker, puppeteer, father, variety show performer, friend, creative innovator, director, actor, inspiration. From his earliest work with puppets in high school to his final negotiations to sell a now world-famous company to Disney, Jim Henson never settled for anything less than his best and he brought out the best in others as well. Whether it was making commercials for coffee, collaborating with Brian Froud on The Dark Crystal or Labyrinth, or becoming Kermit Jim continually pushed the boundaries of what TV and Film could do. This biography traces Jim's life and, inevitably, becomes almost a biography of the Muppets as well. Jones weaves the story of a man who will never be forgotten in a well-written, engaging, and fascinating style.

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Rebecca T: I loved this biography so much. I got it on audio knowing I would have limited time to read and the narration is phenomenal. I highly recommend it. The book itself is fascinating. I grew up with the Muppets so learning more about their inception and development was very interesting. I also really enjoyed learning more about Jim's other projects and his innovative film-making side. Over and over he would look at the way technology was developing and want to do something that wouldn't be feasible for 10-15 years. He was always looking ahead and pushing boundaries. Reading this also made me want to go watch every Jim Henson related film or tv show. I've since watched The Dark Crystal, the first season of The Muppet Show, and Emmett Otter's Jug Band Christmas. After reading the biography I felt like watching the credits of these shows was like seeing a list of friends. You feel like you really get to know them because Jim was so close to the people he worked with. If you like biographies, are a fan of any of Jim's work, or just want to read a fascinating book you will love this.

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Down Unders: Lost and Found by Shaun Tan


Book Details:

  • Illustrated by Shaun Tan

Important Things to Know:
  • These stories are dark and deal with things like depression, loneliness, and the problems of colonization.

Why Wombly and I Enjoyed This Book:

  • Shaun Tan just does beautiful art. There are so many layers. I've read this book three times, Wombly has read it twice, and each time we see something new. I stared at one of the pages for a good long while, tracing my fingers across every detail I could. And then Wombly started poking me because he wanted to continue with the story.
  • The stories are so powerful. They deal with difficult issues while maintaining hope, all without being up front and in your face. There's a lot of use of symbolism. The message is fluid and subtle. I really, really enjoy subtlety in a story. Probably because I tend to be rather terrible at being subtle.
  • Wombly loved that Shaun Tan trusted him as a young reader. Sometimes we read Down Under books and it feels like the author doesn't trust Wombly (and other Down Under readers). Like truth has to be sugar-coated or glossed over or forgotten. It was good to feel trusted, to know the author took the reader seriously.

Wombly and I Read This Book Because:

  • My friend introduced me to Shaun Tan and I have been reading him ever since. He just came out with a new book Rules of Summer, and I wanted to re-introduce Wombly to Shaun Tan since we haven't read him for awhile.
  • We hope that you, too, will read this book and be able to experience these three emotive stories that Lost & Found offers.

You Can Find This Book At:

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

10 Things I Loved About Ever After High by Shannon Hale

I am a giant Shannon Hale fan. I have never been disappointed when reading any of her books and, having had the chance to meet her in person at Book Expo American, she is also amazingly sweet. So when I saw these books with her name attached I had to read them as soon as possible. And once again I wasn't disappointed.

So far the first two books are out: The Storybook of Legends and The Unfairest of Them All, but there is another one due out later this summer (August, if my sources are correct...)

You should totally check out Shannon's website where you can learn a little bit more about the series and about how she ended up writing these books. It's a story complete with secret code words and everything! Or you can check out the Ever After High website where you can learn more about the world, play games, take quizzes, and find out about other cool stuff related to the series!
But for now I give you my Top 10 Things I loved about the first 2 books! (completely spoiler free! I promise!)
  1. The premise: Basically fairy tale characters have children who are destined to relive the stories in order to keep the tales alive. Apple White, the daughter of Snow White, and Raven Queen, the daughter of Evil Queen, are both attending Ever After High to learn everything they need to know about their destinies. And they're roommates. And Raven's tired of everyone wanting her to be evil. Shouldn't she be able to choose her own destiny? Tell me you're not intrigued already.
  2. Fairy tales! I am a sucker for all things fairy tales as our regular readers will know by now. And Hale is a master at reinventing them. She does it again - although the traditional stories are a bit more traditional than many of her personal novels, Hale plays with the stories in a delightful way.
  3. The puns: Oh the puns and the word play! So ridiculous and just on the edge of being too cutesy, but never crossing over. I loved every minute of it. For example, as she is packing for school, Raven Queen is listening to Tailor Quick's new album. They eat in the Castleteria and take Chemythstry and exclaim "Hexcellent!" And it all just adds to the delightful-ness of the story.
  4. Madeleine Hatter: Raven and Apple may be the main characters, but Maddie will steal your heart. (And I appreciated that there is an explanation as to why the Mad Hatter and his daughter are in fairy tale land). She is quirky and just wonderlandiful! And her conversations with the Narrator are hilarious.
  5. The Narrator: Shannon makes the narrator a character and I love it. It's not overdone, but it's a great little quirky addition to the story.
  6. Chapter Titles: I have a tendency to get wrapped up in the story and miss out on chapter titles, but with these I force myself to pay attention because the titles are usually changed or crossed out and written over or, at the very least, make me giggle.
  7. The Antagonists: I like the fact that there is both an external antagonist (actually many of them and not all ones you might initially expect) and internal antagonists with the characters sometimes becoming their own worst enemies. There are moral dilemmas, confusion, and a lot of soul searching as each character tries to deal with the things that come up. Yet...
  8. Age appropriateness: ... it's all done with the audience in mind. One of the biggest pet peeves I have with another book series that is tied to doll merchandising (which I will not name here) is that the books are written for an older audience than the dolls will most likely be appealing to. This means that parents and grandparents looking for books for their younger children or grandchildren often feel uncomfortable buying them. Mattel and Little, Brown have worked hard to make the merchandise and books aimed toward the same group. The title may include the word "High" as in high school, but there is nothing in the books that would keep even younger primary school kids from enjoying them. I think they would make fun read-alouds as well! So I have no qualms about putting these books in the hands of a grandmother. And I have a new recommendation for people frustrated or confused concerning the other series.
  9. Fun AND deep: I mean this in the best way. As I noted in #7 above, there are some pretty deep philosophical dilemmas that arise, including an easy to follow discussion of the differences between fate and free will. There's also discussion of consequences, loyalty, friendship, determination, family issues - all tied up in a fun, romping story that never ever gets anywhere close to pedantic or moralistic.
  10. Fun: Did I mention these are fun? They are so much fun. They make me happy. I want to read them again. I want to read more! I am so happy I picked them up and I hope you'll give them a read too, whether you're reading them with a child in your life or just for the child in your heart.

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Laydown Lowdown


Memorial Day is less than a week away and with it the unofficial start of Summer.  Perhaps one of this week's new reads will be just the thing to kick of your summer reading. 

"Sixth Grave on the Edge," the latest novel in the "Charley Davidson" series by Darynda Jones is available in Science Fiction/Fantasy today along with "The Boost," by Stephen Baker, "The Girl in the World," by Monica Byrne, "Thief's Magic," by Trudi Canavan, "Cyador's Heirs," by L.E. Modesitt Jr., and "My Real Children," by Jo Walton.

"Catching Cameron," by Julie Brannagh is the latest novel in the "Love and Football" series is available now in Romance as well as "Woo'd in Haste," by Sabrina Darby, and "Daring Miss Danvers," by Vivenne Lorret.


Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl team up again for "Dangerous Creatures," a new series spun off of their hit series, "Beautiful Creatures."  "The Art of Laney," by Paula Stokes is also available in Young Adult today.


"Borderline," by Lawrence Block, "The Stranger You Know," by Jane Casey," "The Playroom," by Frances Fyfield, "Booty Bones," by Carolyn Haines, and "The Devil's Workshop," by Alex Grecian, are all available in Mystery/Thriller today.


Will any of these books make your "to-read" list?  Share with us!  Happy Reading and remember to support your local bookstores whenever possible. 

Sunday, May 11, 2014

Fairy Interesting: OUaT - Snow Drifts & There's No Place Like Home


3.21 "Snow Drifts" & 3.22 "There's No Place Like Home"

Whoa. What a finale!
In tonight's humdinger of a two-part episode we find out that Zelena really is gone for good and it was just her residual magic from the pendant that opened the portal.
I might possibly be a little excited over this. Maybe.
Ahem.
In addition Emma struggles to figure out where she actually belongs, which gets even more complicated when she and Killian get sucked into the past and have to act as matchmakers for Snow and David while trying not to make everything worse. Which of course, they epically fail at - at least when it comes to Regina's happy ending. Again. And they manage to bring back another ... villain? from the Dark One's secret vault. Fantastic.

So this kind of puts last things first, but all through the episode Robin and Regina are abso-flippin adorable. I should have known they couldn't leave Regina with a happy ending. *sigh* Like mother, like daughter - Emma manages to destroy Regina's love, which Regina takes in stride a whole lot better than she would have even a year ago. Though I'm pretty sure that we haven't seen the last of Regina's anger/revenge/plotting. However, Regina did claim the bit of light magic in her heart, she has her heart again, and she's got Henry in her life for good now. So...

Perhaps I should have recognized Marian; I thought she was vaguely familiar, but I was so caught up with Emma and Killian that I didn't realize it. So the ending was a bit of a shock to me. I can't wait to see how this plays out. I'm pretty much still waiting for her to encounter some horrific death to "course correct" the saving that Emma did.

Looking at relationships on the rocks, Rumple's going to have all of this blow up in his face. His inability to relinquish the dagger for real, while lying through his teeth to Belle? It can only end in tears. However, I do have to say that Belle's and Rumple's vows were so perfectly perfect. "Sometimes the best book has the dustiest jacket." Love it. I adored the wedding scene and I'm really scared for the fallout when Rumple's lies are revealed.

Home and family continued as major themes of this season. One thing I love is that the true love of family is consistently the love that breaks curses - it's more important than romantic love, more important than anything. Emma kissing Henry broke the curse, Regina's love for Henry broke a curse, and now Emma's realization of how important her family is allows her to regain her magic and travel back home.

I am continually amazed with the way that Snow and David come across as parents/grandparents. It still makes me chuckle when Henry calls David "Grampa." However, Emma's love of her parents at the end is purely sweet and perfectly played by all involved.

The look on Emma's face when seeing her father for the first time in the past, along with her emotions when Snow and David begin to fall in love was absolutely priceless. From the moment she sees David on the road I knew she was starting to realize that she would miss them if she left - that home had arrived right under her nose.

I am so happy for flashbacks where we get to see Neal even though he's dead. But I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the new baby being named after him... It's a nice gesture, but something feels weird about it to me. What do you think? I do love that Neal is the one who taught Emma what home was and Hook is the one who helps her see that Storeybrooke, and him, are her actual home.

Speaking of Hook *sigh* can we just talk about how flippin' adorable he was this entire episode. I have been super hesitant about Emma moving on from Neal so quickly, but the pacing on this two-parter made it perfect. Made it right. "One of these days I'm going to stop chasing this woman," Hook says. But the truth is, he doesn't. Every single time he needs to follow her, help her, be there for her he is. And selling the Jolly Roger in order to bring her back to Storebrooke? To save her family? To bring her back in contact with Neal? What greater sacrificial love could there be from Killian? He was basically my favorite throughout this whole episode and I'm totally shipping Swan/Hook now. Which means that Regina is probably going to do something stupid and ruin everything. Or Emma will. Or Killian will.

It was adorably priceless when Killian got outrageously jealous of himself. I loved Emma's comment, "At least I know I'm his type." And I sort of feel like the consequence-less flirting she can do with past Hook in the bar allows Emma to face the development of her feelings for him. She couldn't act that way with now-Hook for many reasons, but they are the same man, technically, so she unwittingly opens herself up to the possibilities.

Then we have the waltz at the ball and they're so cute and perfect and he gets to be there as she watches her parents fall in love and he comes to rescue her (even though Emma manages to save herself) and *sigh*

NaomiRuth pointed out that Hook is really good at just rolling with the punches. He just kind of shrugs off and works with whatever curve balls come his way - except when it comes to Emma. She's pretty much the only thing that ever really discombobulates him completely. Which is probably why he has fallen so hard for her.
When Emma knocks Marian out and says, "Then I guess we're kidnapping you." Hook's reply of "I always knew there was  little pirate in you, Snow" and the look on his face was hilarious.

Now for the ending....
I'm torn. On the one hand if they try to do "Elsa" in Storeybrooke, it's just way too soon after Frozen's release to play with it. AND Elsa is not actually a villain. And it wouldn't be interesting without an actual big bad.
I will be okay with this if they make it the Snow Queen like from the fairy tale who is really a villain and cold and ... adopts little boys!? Like Roland?! Hmmmm

I read somewhere that Elsa was originally going to be more of a straight-up villain, but they changed the storyline of Frozen and made it a sister story, which I appreciated. Here's hoping that they do what they've done all along and don't stick to any original fairy story lines.

Either way there are a lot of things to make next season interesting - Emma and Killian's blooming relationship, Marian's return and Regina's reaction, Rumple's deception and new marriage, the chaos of Emma trying to settle into her new life, and Snow and David's new baby.

I did notice that without that final scene, this would have been a really sweet ending to the series. It made me wonder if they were unsure as to whether the show would be renewed. Everyone's happy ending would have been quite satisfying. But I'm glad we get to see more next season!

Thanks for tagging along on our journey and I'll see you in the fall!

Thursday, May 8, 2014

Horten's Miraculous Mechanisms


I just realized I took a picture of the sequel and not the first one,
which is the book I actually read *facepalm*

Book Details: 
  • Written by Lissa Evans (I couldn't find an author website but if you check out the link HERE you can find out about the book and watch an interview with the author.)
  • Illustrated by (I think Lissa Evans? I don't have the book in front of me and I can't quite figure it out, so that's my only guess)
  • Published by Sterling Publishers (originally published in Great Britain)

Important Things to Know:

  • This book not only has a great cover - I really love black and white artwork of this style - but the story is wonderful as well.
  • Really, I just couldn't think of anything to put under this category.
  • I just thought there should be some bullet points here.

Why Wombly and I Enjoyed This Book:

  • Stuart is adorable. He's short for his age, he moves to a new town, and he is annoyed at life. But then, starting with a mysterious phone booth, he starts on an adventure.
  • Stuart's dad writes the clues for crossword puzzles and so uses all sorts of bizarre and arcane and old words that nobody really uses in day to day life. This is not only a great way to expose down unders [and up overs(?)] to a larger vocabulary, but it's a great way to add character to what could otherwise be a flat character. It's nice to see there being a reason and a depth to a parent's actions. Anyway.
  • There was a blind lady. Okay, that sounds weird. However. My reason for saying this: Wombly and I have noticed a lack of people with disabilities in children's literature. I think it's an important part of life and an important perspective that is oftentimes overlooked in children's literature. I was excited that, without making a big to do over it, this author had a blind lady and had a very honest and respectful way of handling Stuart's reaction to her. It made Wombly and I very proud.
  • April. What she does to buy Stuart extra time is fantastic. (I won't tell you more so you can go read the book and find out what I'm talking about.)
  • Magicians. Magicians are always exciting.
  • The characters were quirky, the adventure was exciting. You were never quite sure what was going to happen next. And there was a sense of magic intertwined in the mundane in a believable way.

Wombly and I Read This Book Because:

  • A customer left it lying about and so it was at customer service as a re-shelve (I'm working at Barnes & Noble now). I brought it home to read with Wombly because I liked the cover art of the book. Wombly and I are very glad I did!

You Can Find This Book At:

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Laydown Lowdown


Mother's Day is just a few days away.  Don't forget to treat your mom or special mother figure in your life to a little something special to show her how much she's appreciated. There are some great new releases perfect for gifting today.

One of my favorite contemporary romances authors, Julie James releases "It Happened One Wedding" today.  Other new releases in Romance include "Giving In," by Mayra Banks, "Her Only Desire," by Delilah Devlin, "Good Girls Don't Date Rock Stars," by Cody Gary, and "Breakable," by Tammara Webber.


Now that she's finished the Sookie Stackhouse series, Charlaine Harris moves on with a new series beginning with "Midnight Crossroad," today.  "Mirror Sight," "American Craftsman," by Tim Doyle, "The Oversight," by Charlie Fletcher and "Gemsigns," by Stephanie Saulter are all available in Science Fiction/Fantasy today.

Over in Mystery/Thriller, Ace Atkins keeps Robert B. Parker's legacy alive with "Robert B. Parker's Cheap Shot," (A Spenser novel).  Other new releases in the genre include "Invisible City," by Julia Dahl, "Death at the Door," by Carolyn G. Hart, "Field of Prey," by John Sanford, and "Murder in Murray Hill," by Victoria Thompson.

Kiera Cass' "The Selection" trilogy comes to a close with "The One" today.  "Blonde Ops," by Charlotte Bennardo, "Pulled Under," by Michelle Dalton, "Since You've Been Gone," by Morgan Matson,  "After the End," by Amy Plum, and "Boys Like You," by Julianna Stone are all available in Young Adult today.


Will any of these books make your "to-read" or "to-gift" list?  Share with us. Happy Reading and remember to support your local bookstore whenever possible.




Sunday, May 4, 2014

Fairy Interesting: OUaT - Kansas

3.20 "Kansas"

Tonight we learn a little bit more about Zelena's Oz story *yawn* and Zelena forces Emma into performing really bad CPR on Hook to take away her powers. Henry has the best idea in the room. Again. Charming gets a little snarky with Emma and Hook and Henry finally becomes a nephew!

There were two major ideas vying throughout tonight's episode even more strongly than we've seen before. Rumple tells Zelena "No matter what you change of your past, one thing shall remain the same - who you are. And that is a fate you can never escape." Glinda, however, emphasizes the importance of choice and Regina tells Zelena, "Don't tell me what I can be."

Are you born evil? Or is it something you become? Regina certainly emphasizes (and inhabits) the idea that it is free choice. She is the hero "for today" and she can be evil when she needs to be. She chooses her destiny - finally. However, Zelena continually behaves in an evil way, even when she's given a choice, she chooses evil. Does that mean she chooses to be that way? For a short period time she seems to choose to be "innocent" but she always reverts. Does that mean she chooses it or that she is naturally that way?

The question is exacerbated by the side story line with Rumple. He is trapped into specific behavior when Zelena holds the dagger. He doesn't kill Zelena because Regina holds the dagger. It looks like he's choosing freely when he offers Belle the dagger - and he is, but choosing to do evil. He deceives her and then tries to kill Zelena after all. He's continually fighting against his evil side... and it regularly wins out - but not every time. So is he evil, or does he choose to be evil? This idea has been explored throughout the series, but it was definitely brought to the forefront with a definite leaning toward the nurture rather than the nature side of the argument.

Though it was only really brought up in 2 short back-to-back scenes, the question of what happens once Zelena is defeated is significant. Henry summed up his feelings succinctly when he tells Jiminy Cricket, "What's to talk about? We're home." At almost the exact same time Emma is plotting her return to "normal life" as she talks to Hook. She thinks they were happier there, but now that they both know the truth could they ever really be happy in New York again? I just hope that this conflict isn't simply avoided when Emma gets sucked into a new world making it a completely moot point.

Okay, now on to the more superficial observations:

Zelena needed some serious makeup and wardrobe help in her flashback. The first flashback, her makeup was so bad. And the brown dress was not at all flattering to the green at all. And not really to her even without the skin tone thing. I have other nitpicks too, but if you've followed my posts you know I'm not a Zelena fan anyway...

I was so excited for about half a second at the end of the epsiode and then she had to go and not be actually dead. blrgh. Here's hoping for a spectacular defeat in the finale so we don't have to see her next season. Ahem.

The look of her spell was pretty amazing, though I'm impressed Rumple was able to make such perfect circles.

It was nice having the band of misfits together again, facing down their foe, but that was probably the lamest fight scene the show has ever had.

And when the dagger went flying I'm not sure I understand why no one went running for it immediately. That's kind of an important thing to not leave lying around.

The father/daughter dynamic between Emma and David is still going strong. I'm impressed with the way the actors (and writers) make it work. And I was dying over the brief little exchange with Emma, Hook and David:
Emma: What is he going to do? I have magic. He's got one hand.
Hook: I'm rather good in a fight.
David: At the very least he can draw fire.
Hook: What, now I'm cannon fodder?

Oh, and someone really needs to teach Emma how to do CPR. I'm thinking it was the blast of her magic leaving that woke up Hook, because there was really no actual mouth-to-mouth resuscitation going on there.
However, Emma choosing to relinquish her magic to save Hook - significant, but not as big as I'm afraid a lot of people will make it out to be. Emma is the savior - she is a good person - she would have saved whoever it was, whether Doc Hopper, Hook, David, Regina, or probably even Rumple. This doesn't prove that she's madly in love with Hook; it proves that she chooses to do good, no matter the consequences. So am I saying that she doesn't love Hook? I don't know. But I do know that it's far too soon after the death of Neal for her to do much of anything. Even she has said that. There has been too much chaos. Is there some sort of attraction there? yes. But is it love? That I'm not sold on yet.

So, I guess that Dr. Whale is some sort of super doctor who specialized in ... everything? Since he's so far cared for poison victims, coma patients, trauma, and now is magically an ob-gyn? Because there is only 1 doctor in the entire hospital?

Also, how adorable is it to think that Snow and Charming, I mean Ginnifer and Josh are going to be going through this for real any day now!?

Got to love the way Robin pops up out of nowhere to offer Regina his support, and I really felt like I needed to start clapping and chanting, "I do believe in Regina. I do believe!"

I do have one bone to pick with Regina though. First, why does she even bring the brooch to the jail where Zelena is locked up. Wouldn't it have been better to hide it first? Then she says she's going to put it somewhere safe - like in her vault that everyone knows about? And that Zelena breached before? Sure Zelena doesn't have magic, but this doesn't really seem like a good idea to me.

I loved seeing Belle and Rumple together again, but I kept saying he didn't promise her he wouldn't go after Zelena. He pulled a great sleight of hand followed immediately by pretty much the biggest distraction he could think of. However, I was much more giddy over the proposal before he revealed his deception and betrayal of Belle's trust in him.

So now Zelena's turned into Smokey's green angry cousin and she's still bound and determined to make the spell work. Though I'm not really sure how she can without her ingredients.

I guess we'll find out next week in the 2 hour season finale! I can't believe we're here already! I don't want to make any promises, but NaomiRuth and I may get to actually watch the finale live and if so, maybe we'll keep you entertained with our unedited snark on Twitter :)

Thursday, May 1, 2014

Kat, Incorrigible




Book Details:

  • Written by Stephanie Burgis (author website HERE blog HERE)
  • Illustrated by Annette Marnat (blog HERE, which is in French, btw, and has great images of her work)
  • Published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers (link HERE) which is an imprint of Simon & Schuster (link HERE)

Important Things to Know:
  • This book is geared toward female down unders, however, I think young boys will enjoy the sense of adventure and the magic.

Why Wombly and I Enjoyed This Book:

  • It was a middle grade book in the same time period and style as Jane Austen books (plus magic). I've never read a book of that time period and style as a middle grade book. It was quite fun.
  • It was written in an engaging voice.
  • It was intriguing. I didn't want to stop! I wanted to know what happened and got completely wrapped up in the story.

Wombly and I Read This Book Because:

  • Mostly because of the title. Incorrigible is just such a fun word.

You Can Find This Book At: