Tuesday, February 4, 2025

New Beauty and the Beast Inspired Book: Black Woods, Blue Sky: A Novel by Eowyn Ivey



For all of Beauty and the Beast fans, a new book inspired by the tale and set in Alaska: Black Woods, Blue Sky: A Novel by Eowyn Ivey (Author), Ruth Hulbert (Illustrator) is officially released today.


Book description from the publisher:

Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Snow Child Eowyn Ivey returns to the mythical landscapes of Alaska with an unforgettable dark fairy tale that asks the question: Can love save us from ourselves?

“No one writes like Eowyn Ivey.”—Geraldine Brooks
“You will find yourself in places you have never been.”—Louise Erdrich
“A stunning tale told by a master of her craft.”—Jason Mott

Birdie’s keeping it together; of course she is. So she’s a little hungover, sometimes, and she has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge, but she’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town. Still, Birdie can remember happier times from her youth, when she was free in the wilds of nature.

Arthur Neilsen, a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons, brings Emaleen back to safety when she gets lost in the woods. Most people avoid him, but to Birdie, he represents everything she’s ever longed for. She finds herself falling for Arthur and the land he knows so well. 

Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emaleen move to his isolated cabin in the mountains, on the far side of the Wolverine River.

It’s just the three of them in the vast black woods, far from roads, telephones, electricity, and outside contact, but Birdie believes she has come prepared. At first, it’s idyllic and she can picture a happily ever after: Together they catch salmon, pick berries, and climb mountains so tall it’s as if they could touch the bright blue sky. But soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she could have ever imagined, and that like the Alaska wilderness, a fairy tale can be as dark as it is beautiful.

Black Woods, Blue Sky is a novel with life-and-death stakes, about the love between a mother and daughter, and the allure of a wild life—about what we gain and what it might cost us.

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Sunday, January 26, 2025

Bargain Ebook: Workers' Tales: Socialist Fairy Tales, Fables, and Allegories from Great Britain


Workers' Tales: Socialist Fairy Tales, Fables, and Allegories from Great Britain (Oddly Modern Fairy Tales Book 12) by Michael Rosen (Editor) is also on sale for $2.99. This one is at least $10 normally so this is a great bargain.

Book description:

“Plain-language, kid-friendly introductions to socialist politics . . . striking allegories that remain pertinent now, even on the other side of the Atlantic.” —J. C. Pan, The Atlantic

In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, unique tales inspired by traditional literary forms appeared frequently in socialist-leaning British periodicals, such as the Clarion, Labour Leader, and Social Democrat. Based on familiar genres—the fairy tale, fable, allegory, parable, and moral tale—and penned by a range of lesser-known and celebrated authors, including Schalom Asch, Charles Allen Clarke, Frederick James Gould, and William Morris, these stories were meant to entertain readers of all ages—and some challenged the conventional values promoted in children’s literature for the middle class. In Workers’ Tales, acclaimed critic and author Michael Rosen brings together more than forty of the best and most enduring examples of these stories in one beautiful volume.

Throughout, the tales in this collection exemplify themes and ideas related to work and the class system, sometimes in wish-fulfilling ways. In “Tom Hickathrift,” a little, poor person gets the better of a gigantic, wealthy one. In “The Man Without a Heart,” a man learns about the value of basic labor after testing out more privileged lives. And in “The Political Economist and the Flowers,” two contrasting gardeners highlight the cold heart of Darwinian competition. Rosen’s informative introduction describes how such tales advocated for contemporary progressive causes and countered the dominant celebration of Britain’s imperial values. The book includes archival illustrations, biographical notes about the writers, and details about the periodicals where the tales first appeared.

Provocative and enlightening, Workers’ Tales presents voices of resistance that are more relevant than ever before.

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Bargain Ebook: Fairy Tales for the Disillusioned: Enchanted Stories from the French Decadent Tradition

 


Fairy Tales for the Disillusioned: Enchanted Stories from the French Decadent Tradition (Oddly Modern Fairy Tales Book 14) by Gretchen Schultz (Editor), Lewis Seifert (Editor) is on sale for $2.99. This one is at least $10 normally so this is a great bargain.

Book description:

A collection that subverts the conventions of the traditional fairy tale—to entertain and startle even the most disenchanted reader: “Thoroughly engaging.” —Gramarye Journal

The wolf is tricked by Red Riding Hood into strangling her grandmother and is subsequently arrested. Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella do not live happily ever after. And the fairies are saucy, angry, and capricious. Fairy Tales for the Disillusioned collects thirty-six tales, many newly translated, by writers associated with the decadent literary movement, which flourished in France in the late nineteenth century. Written by such luminaries as Charles Baudelaire, Anatole France, and Guillaume Apollinaire, these enchanting yet troubling stories reflect the concerns and fascinations of a time of great political, social, and cultural change. Recasting well-known favorites from classic French fairy tales, as well as Arthurian legends and English and German tales, the updated interpretations in this collection allow for more perverse settings and disillusioned perspectives—a trademark style and ethos of the decadent tradition.

In these stories, characters puncture the optimism of the naive, talismans don’t work, and the most deserving don’t always get the best rewards. The fairies are commonly victims of modern cynicism and technological advancement, but just as often are dangerous creatures corrupted by contemporary society. The collection underlines such decadent themes as the decline of civilization, the degeneration of magic and the unreal, gender confusion, and the incursion of the industrial. The volume editors also provide an informative introduction, biographical notes for each author, and explanatory notes throughout.

“Sometimes sardonic, sometimes brutal, often blackly funny.” —Sydney Morning Herald

“A wide variety of cynical characters, forgotten forests, and perverse plots . . . The work will delight and possibly disenchant both fairy-tale enthusiasts and scholars.” —Marvels & Tales

“A perfect book, perhaps, for the moment.” —The Washington Post

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Bargain Ebook: Little Red Writing by Joan Holub (Author), Melissa Sweet (Illustrator)


Little Red Writing by Joan Holub (Author), Melissa Sweet (Illustrator) is on sale for $1.99 most likely for today only.

Book description:

A little red pencil embarks on a creative writing adventure in this delightfully illustrated children’s book with “style, humor, and solid writing advice” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).

At the Pencilvania School, all the young pencils are given a writing assignment. With a basket of nouns, Little Red embarks on the storytelling path, discovering the joys of creative writing. But when she gets tangled in a run-on sentence full of descriptive adjectives, she must escape a dangerous encounter with the pencil sharpener, Wolf 3000!

Acclaimed writer Joan Holub and Caldecott Honoree Melissa Sweet team up in this hilarious and exuberant retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. “The artwork—which integrates written text in a variety of lettering styles—fills the pages with a riot of color, shape, movement and design… Every writers’ group should start with this story.” (Kirkus, starred review).

A Kirkus Best Children’s Books of 2013

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Tuesday, January 7, 2025

Bargain Ebook: Hunted by Meagan Spooner is a Kindle Daily Deal for $1.99

 


Hunted by Meagan Spooner is a Kindle Daily Deal on sale for $1.99 today. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling.

Book description from the publisher:

New York Times bestselling author Meagan Spooner spins a thoroughly thrilling Beauty and the Beast story for the modern age, expertly woven with spellbinding romance, intrigue, and suspense that readers won’t soon be able to forget.

Beauty knows the Beast's forest in her bones—and in her blood. After all, her father is the only hunter who’s ever come close to discovering its secrets.

So when her father loses his fortune and moves Yeva and her sisters out of their comfortable home among the aristocracy and back to the outskirts of town, Yeva is secretly relieved. Out in the wilderness, there’s no pressure to make idle chatter with vapid baronessas…or to submit to marrying a wealthy gentleman.

But Yeva’s father’s misfortune may have cost him his mind, and when he goes missing in the woods, Yeva sets her sights on one prey: the creature he’d been obsessively tracking just before his disappearance. The Beast.

Deaf to her sisters’ protests, Yeva hunts this strange creature back into his own territory—a cursed valley, a ruined castle, and a world of magical creatures that Yeva’s only heard about in fairy tales. A world that can bring her ruin, or salvation.

Who will survive: the Beauty, or the Beast?

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Bargain Ebook: If the Slipper Fits: A Cinderella Sisterhood Series by Olivia Drake for $2.99

 


If the Slipper Fits: A Cinderella Sisterhood Series by Olivia Drake is on sale as a Kindle Daily Deal for $2.99. This is a romance novel using Cinderella tropes, of course.

Book description from the publisher:

“A tale filled with gothic overtones, sensuality, sprightly dialogue, emotion, an engaging cast and a beautiful pair of perfectly fitting slippers.” —RT Book Reviews (4 stars)

Raised in a girls’ school, Annabelle Quinn longs for the world outside the walls of the academy. When she’s hired as the governess to an orphaned duke, Annabelle never expects the child’s breathtakingly handsome guardian to capture her imagination—or her heart.

Falling for his young nephew’s governess is an irksome complication in Lord Simon Westbury’s orderly life, but Annabelle’s quiet beauty and wry intellect are too much to resist. Meanwhile, a mysterious danger looms over the remote Cornwall estate. Will their newfound desire stand the test of time? Or are some happy endings just too good to come true?

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Wednesday, January 1, 2025

KDD Bargain Ebook: A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher for $1.99

 


A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher is on sale as a Kindle Daily Deal today. This is a Goose Girl retelling.

Book description from the publisher:

Named a Best Fantasy Book of the Year by NPR, Elle, and Paste

A Goodreads Best Fantasy Choice Award Nominee

From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes A Sorceress Comes to Call—a dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's "The Goose Girl," rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic.

*The hardcover edition features a foil stamp on the casing and custom endpapers illustrated by the author.*

Cordelia knows her mother is . . . unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn't allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother's beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him.

But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers.

When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother's next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother's plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.

"Kingfisher never fails to dazzle."—Peter S. Beagle, Hugo, Nebula, and Locus Award-winning author of The Last Unicorn

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Thursday, December 19, 2024

Off Topic Bargain Book: The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter is $2.99

 


The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter is on sale for $2.99. I wanted to share this one because I read it a few months ago and really enjoyed it. No, no fairy tale tropes in this one per se, but it's an entertaining Christmas adventure. I have read over 215 books this year and this one stands out as a personal favorite for the fun expertise of the story. It can be taken as light and fluffy but it has depths if you want to plumb them. The plotting and the skill Carter uses are admirable, too. I would pause every so often and applaud her mentally at the deft storytelling which I wasn't noticing because I was entertained until I would notice because I'm a writer at heart. She also uses flashbacks really well and I have an aversion to flashbacks. I paid full price at over $10 so $2.99 is about the cheapest treat you will get this holiday season.

Book description from the publisher:

"Full of tongue-in-cheek humor, excellent dialogue, and fantastic characters, this expertly crafted story from Carter (The Blonde Identity) is a heart-melting rivals-to-lovers romance combined with a delightful locked-room mystery." — Library Journal (starred review)

Knives Out gets a holiday rom-com twist in this rivals-to-lovers romance-mystery from New York Times bestselling author Ally Carter.

The bridge is out. The phones are down. And the most famous mystery writer in the world just disappeared out of a locked room two days before Christmas.

Meet Maggie Chase and Ethan Wyatt:

She’s the new Queen of the Cozy Mystery.

He’s Mr. Big-time Thriller Guy.

She hates his guts.

He thinks her name is Marcie (no matter how many times she’s told him otherwise.)

But when they both accept a cryptic invitation to attend a Christmas house party at the English estate of a reclusive fan, neither is expecting their host to be the most powerful author in the world: Eleanor Ashley, the Duchess of Death herself.

That night, the weather turns, and the next morning Eleanor is gone.

She vanished from a locked room, and Maggie has to wonder: Is Eleanor in danger? Or is it all some kind of test? Is Ethan the competition? Or is he the only person in that snowbound mansion she can trust?

As the snow gets deeper and the stakes get higher, every clue will bring Maggie and Ethan closer to the truth—and each other. Because, this Christmas, these two rivals are going to have to become allies (and maybe more) if they have any hope of saving Eleanor.

Assuming they don’t kill each other first.

The laugh out loud holiday "romystery" that you've been waiting for!

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Wednesday, December 18, 2024

3D Wood Carved Little Red Riding Hood and Frog Prince LED Lights

 


Jimeva 3D Wood Carved Frog Prince Rainbow LED Night Light and Jimeva 3D Wood Carved Little Red Riding Hood USB LED are $5.99 each at Amazon. They light up! Where do I have room for these? I love the details in these, like the prince and princess in the center of the frog and Granny Wolf to the right in Red Riding's hood. 





Here's some images of them illuminated.



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Bargain Ebook: Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles by Taisia Kitaiskaia for $1.99

 


Ask Baba Yaga: Otherworldly Advice for Everyday Troubles by Taisia Kitaiskaia is on sale for $1.99 in ebook format.

Book description from the publisher:

Dear Baba Yaga,

I think I must crave male attention too much. I fear that, without it, I would feel invisible.

BABA YAGA:

When you seek others this way, you are invisible nonetheless. Yr shawl is covered in mirrors in which others admire themselves; this is why they greet you so passionately. It is good to be seen, but it is better to see. Find a being to look hard into, & you will see yrself and what is more than you.

In age-old Slavic fairy tales, the witch Baba Yaga is sought out by those with a burning need for guidance. In contemporary life, Baba Yaga—a dangerous, slippery oracle—answered earnest questions on The Hairpin for years. These pages collect her most poignant, surreal, and humorous exchanges along with all-new questions and answers for those seeking her mystical advice.

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here. 

Bargain Ebook: Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk & Fairy Tales by Jack Zipes

 


Breaking the Magic Spell: Radical Theories of Folk & Fairy Tales by Jack Zipes is on sale for $2.99. This could end at any time since it was a deal for yesterday but it still active as I post this. 

Book description from the publisher:

“Zipes ably demonstrates that moral, political, religious, and other ideologies have shaped these apparently innocent narratives.” —Lore and Language

This revised, expanded, and updated edition of the 1979 landmark Breaking the Magic Spell examines the enduring power of fairy tales and the ways they invade our subjective world. In seven provocative essays, Zipes discusses the importance of investigating oral folk tales in their socio-political context and traces their evolution into literary fairy tales, a metamorphosis that often diminished the ideology of the original narrative. Zipes also looks at how folk tales influence our popular beliefs and the ways they have been exploited by a corporate media network intent on regulating the mystical elements of the stories. He examines a range of authors, including the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Anderson, Ernst Bloch, Tolkien, Bettelheim, and J.K. Rowling to demonstrate the continuing symbiotic relationship between folklore and literature.

“The name Jack Zipes is synonymous with highly regarded and widely read anthologies and critiques of fairy tales.” —Choice

“Fairy Tales are a highly fashionable study today for literary scholars as well as folklorists, and another new book shows what a range of interest can be evoked by them. This time in Jack Zipes’ interesting and vigorous study.” —Encounter

“Places traditional tales in their socio-political, economic and cultural contexts.” —Teacher Librarian

“Zipes reveals the extraordinary breadth of his acquaintance with both recent and classic literature in the field of folk and fairytale research.” —Fabula

“Zipes manages the impressive trick of communicating both detail and overview without simplifying either . . . the serious folklorist should definitely have this on his bookshelf.” —Fortean Times

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Sunday, December 15, 2024

Bargain Ebook: So This is Love: A Twisted Tale by Elizabeth Lim for $1.99

 


So This is Love: A Twisted Tale by Elizabeth Lim is on sale today only for $1.99. It's a retelling of Disney's version of Cinderella, part of the Twisted Tale series.

Book description from the publisher:

What if Cinderella never tried on the glass slipper? Unable to prove that she's the missing princess, and unable to bear life under Lady Tremaine any longer, Cinderella attempts a fresh start, looking for work at the palace as a seamstress. But when the Grand Duke appoints her to serve under the king's visiting sister, Cinderella becomes witness to a grand conspiracy to take the king—and the prince—out of power, as well as a longstanding prejudice against fairies, including Cinderella's own Fairy Godmother. Faced with questions of love and loyalty to the kingdom, Cinderella must find a way to stop the villains of past and present . . . before it's too late.

As an Amazon Associate, the SurLaLune Fairy Tale site earns a percentage from qualifying purchases as a referral incentive which helps support the site. Your cost does not increase by using the links on this site. Read SurLaLune's Privacy Policy here.