(Photo courtesy of Polly Atkin*)

“The gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge.”
~Albert Einstein

fan⋅ta⋅sy: a genre that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, and/or setting.(Wiki)

fairy tale: a fictional story that may feature folkloric characters such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, giants, and talking animals, and usually enchantments, often involving a far-fetched sequence of events. (Wiki)

folk⋅lore: the traditional beliefs, legends, customs, etc., of a people; lore of a people; The traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a people, transmitted orally. (Dictionary dot com)

my⋅thol⋅o⋅gy: a body of myths, as that of a particular people or that relating to a particular person; a set of stories, traditions, or beliefs associated with a particular group or the history of an event, arising naturally or deliberately fostered. (Dictionary dot com)

Fantasy, fairy tale, folklore and mythology. The definitions above are a jumping off point, but those of us who have unabashedly reveled in between the pages of these genres know that each is so much more.

Continue reading Once Upon a Time III →

Those of you who have been regular readers for the past few years know that I was lead into a genre outside of my norm, paranormal romance, when Colleen Gleason sent me a copy of her debut novel, The Rest Falls Away. All concerns faded away within the first few chapters, and I found myself growing ever more attached to Victoria Gardella as her adventures staking vampires unfolded. As a hopeless romantic, I also found myself getting caught up in the tangled relationships of Colleen’s heroine. Each of the previous four novels has been better than the last and I’ve found myself devouring them in cover-to-cover reads.

Alas, all good things have their end, and with her latest novel, As Shadows Fade, Colleen Gleason will be closing the door on Victoria’s story.

As sad as that is, it means great things for you! Read on!

Continue reading The sun will come out… →

Though I would swear in a court of law with my hand upon the Bible that it is simply impossible for 365 days (or 366, leap year and all) to have passed by already, the calendar indicates that it is the time of year for looking back over the past year’s literary journey. For some, these Year End/Best Of lists are likely an obligation that they feel they must do because everyone else is doing it. Not so for this blogger. For me this year-ending ritual is a literary love letter for another year of having the privilege to read (mostly) great books. I have faithfully tracked the course of my literary journey over the past year with a great anticipation about what the end of 2008 would reveal. The only real challenge for me in constructing a Year in Review post is to not make the world’s longest year end post. In this challenge I will no doubt fail.

However, to spare you dear readers the agony of having to wade through this entire post I have broken it up into sections*. The first section consists of a some thoughts on the year in reading, particularly focused on the events of January 2008. The next section details Best Of’s and Pleasant Surprises. After that, for you stats geeks, the various breakdowns of things I tracked throughout the reading year. And finally, the comprehensive list with links to those books that I managed to do reviews of this year (63 out of 76). I put the list and stats at the end in order to give an out for those who simply will have had enough by that point and will want to end the torture of my Year in Review.

To make the post even longer, I will link to the Year in Review posts of my fellow bloggers. If you would like your list included here, please leave me a link in the comments section.

*sections brought to you courtesy of the Leia Heads from my June 2007 post “Picture Practice, or Fun with Leia”, in honor of the recently announced Sci Fi Experience 2009.

And now, for the fun part:

Continue reading 2008: A Literary Year in Review →

I’m back! Whew, although it has only been a few days of blog down time it felt like forever, especially considering all the things I would like to do/post about in the remaining half of October before the end of the R.I.P. III Challenge! On the other side, I did enjoy my time away and feel rested and rejuvenated, so it probably was a blessing in disguise! Thank you James for taking the time Sunday night after returning from your vacation to get me up and running again.

There are a mere 3 weeks left it the R.I.P. III Challenge! It is hard to believe that it is moving along so quickly. I am thrilled on this dreary Monday (in the Kansas City area anyway) to be able to announce that Dewey has agreed to allow R.I.P. III to be a part of the upcoming 24 Hour Read-a-thon!

Come along and I’ll tell you all about it.

Continue reading 24 Hour Readathon: A R.I.P. III Mini-Challenge →

(R.I.P. III banner, photo staged and edited in Photoshop by Carl V.)

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.

There is just something about this time of year, when the ghosts of past Autumns and the Autumn to come chase away the dog days of summer, that entices one to read books that fit into the above categories.

It was a desire share the love of eerie, creepy, things-that-go-bump-in-the-night literature that brought me into the online reading challenge game for the first time back in September of 2006. My goals today, in this its third iteration, are no different than the inaugural R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge:

1. Have fun reading.
2. Share that fun with others.

It is that simple. Read on.

Continue reading Something R.I.P.ing This Way Comes…for a third time. →