I try not to hop on bandwagons, but I could not help myself. The Wicked movie, based on the acclaimed Broadway musical, based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 novel, captured my imagination unlike any movie I've seen in forever. If Elphaba and Glinda were icons before this movie, they have been absolutely cemented into pop culture … Continue reading Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by Gregory Maguire
Tag: book-review
Holes, by Louis Sachar
Welcome to another edition of "Book that Stephanie Liked a Lot as a Kid But Did not Fully Appreciate Until Adulthood." And this time, we're covering the children's classic Holes. Holes appeared in me and my sisters' classroom libraries when the 2003 Disney movie adaptation came out. All three of us read it, and consequently, … Continue reading Holes, by Louis Sachar
Twelfth Knight, by Alexene Farol Follmuth
Of all Shakespeare's comedies to adapt for a modern audience, Twelfth Night is a terrific one. Playing around with gender and sexual identities plays very well into a comedy about everyone falling in love with the wrong person without it being too weird. And what a genius move it was to use an anonymous MMORPG … Continue reading Twelfth Knight, by Alexene Farol Follmuth
A Secret Princess, by Melissa de la Cruz and Margaret Stohl
I'm not sure when crossovers were invented, but my goodness, are they fun! Whether they happen in movies, TV, or in books, it's a mind-blowing experience to see different stories cross paths to make even more creative and epic adventures. I remember Nickelodeon and Disney Channel building up these huge crossover events between their biggest … Continue reading A Secret Princess, by Melissa de la Cruz and Margaret Stohl
Toil and Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft
I admit that I have not read a short story collection since grad school, but when you're looking for a very particular story, but you don't want to commit to a full-length book, these collections can come in real handy. In this case, being that it's spooky season and naturally I am all about the … Continue reading Toil and Trouble: 15 Tales of Women and Witchcraft
Weyward, by Emilia Hart
The same way I've discovered a fervent enjoyment for stories about crazy entitled or religious people, I've grown a fondness for stories about strong women discovering their own inner power. Or, in the case of Weyward, their own inner magic. In 1619 England, a young village healer named Altha Weyward is charged in court as … Continue reading Weyward, by Emilia Hart
Witch Child, by Celia Rees
It should come as no surprise that I loved learning about the Salem Witch Trials of 1962 and 1693. I didn't learn about them in depth until I did a research paper in my college Religion class, listening to spooky music and reading various accounts on the unfortunate accused, the manic accusers, and the legends … Continue reading Witch Child, by Celia Rees
Sweetly, by Jackson Pearce
Jackson Pearce began her fairy tale retelling series with Sisters Red, and that series continues with Sweetly, which asks what Hansel and Gretel's modern lives would be like. Probably doesn't need much more of an introduction than that. The day that Gretchen Kassel turned eighteen, she and her nineteen-year-old brother Ansel were kicked out of … Continue reading Sweetly, by Jackson Pearce
Steel, by Carrie Vaughn
For all the reading I've done in my life, I can count on one hand all the books I've read about pirates. To me, they all tell more or less the same story: an adventure on the high seas with rum-drinking, cursing, swashbuckling, cannon fights, and perilous quests for revenge. And especially after the runaway … Continue reading Steel, by Carrie Vaughn
Voices of Dragons, by Carrie Vaughn
It is a truth universally acknowledged that if you are a fantasy book lover, you have at least one beloved book that involves dragons. Whether they are arrogant monsters like Smaug in The Hobbit or gentle and shy homebodies like the titular Reluctant Dragon, dragons are a perennial symbol of the genre, akin to the … Continue reading Voices of Dragons, by Carrie Vaughn
The Library Key 