Meg to Mildred

From Meg to Mildred - thoughts on How witches in children’s books make us more accepting of the ‘other’.  

I’ve always kept a soft spot in my heart, and my heaving bookcase, for all the wonderful witches that appeared in children’s books.  If we ignore the bad witch stereotype portrayed in fairy tales and look towards works published within the last century, there is a whole barrage of women and girls who were good witches.

Starting with Meg, of ‘Meg and Mog’ at age three, we see a girl and her cat who wants to be a friend to all, then onto Dorrie the little witch, who was always getting into mischief, who had odd socks and a little black cat, showed us it was ok to make mistakes as long as you learn from them, then moving onto other stories where the witch took on the role of the fairy godmother or grandmother figure, taking the witch from a clumsy but friendly child into an older figure who was to be respected, but was also friendly and warm too.

Moving on again from the wise old ladies back to younger girls, and onto Mildred Hubble of ‘the worst witch’ we were reminded once again that the witch could be the outsider, the girl who is bullied for being a little bit different to everyone else. Mildred wasn’t the best witch at her school, she wasn’t the smartest or best at flying or at potions, and still triumphed in the end. These girls started planting the seed from day one that it was ok if you were different, or if your friend was different to everyone else around you, a seed that has carried on by an extent to Hermoine Granger of Harry Potter, and fully onwards into this decade by  the natural successor to the ‘worst witch’ series, ‘Witch Wars’ written by Sibéal Pounder.

It is these girls who paved the way for us to carry on being different, by showing us when we are young and have not learned the prejudices of the world that it is ok to be the odd one out as we grow up, whether that means being gay, transgender, having a disability, being mixed race, lack of skin pigmentation, and so on,  or even becoming the tattooed vegan in a family who are allergic to vegetables, they all beat their bullies, overcame their obstacles and revelled in being the ‘other’, giving us that permission gained in childhood to wave our broomstick [flag] high.

Will travel for books

Where have all the bookshops gone?Thoughts on living in a one bookshop area.

I live in a north-western town in England, a country which is home to so many wonderful stories, yet they cannot be found. The town is quite typical, in that there’s a waterstones [UK bookstore chain] and a branch of the works [discount bookshop chain] - sells a lot of crime and post WWII style romance/drama type fiction, of which the charity shops are full of, so where do I go when I want something new?  

Once upon a time, there was an independent bookshop in the vicinity, called Sweetens. As a child I used to imagine it was split into sections, a space for every child and grown-up to buy a book they’d like to read, and rows of jars of sweets so you’d have the perfect lollipop to go with Blyton, a gobstopper for Dahl, a licorice for a western. I never went in as a child, my mother would always say ‘oh, sorry there isn’t time today, we’ll go in next time.’ As a teenager and allowed to travel alone, I finally made it into that shop, which has now since closed down. No split sections, no jars of sweets, and no real selection of books beyond local history, crime/thriller novels and yet more pre or post WWII romantic dramas. I fell out of love for independants.

I want to walk into a bookshop knowing that I want, no, I desire a new book, but I do not know what it will be until it is in my hands, where I can run over the cover in my hands, smell the pages and guess where it was printed and bound before opening it [I can smell the difference between UK and USA new editions!] The thrill of discovering the unknown book has gone, replaced by dictated table displays and books selected based on hype alone. Not that books don’t deserve that hype, but what of the new authors and new stories and old stories that deserve that promotion but are still unknown?  

As an adult, I decided to try again, whilst on a visit with friends, tentatively testing the waters with a beautiful independant bookshop called The Hive, which is in Norwich. The Hive, whilst not having jars of sweets, is a sprawling shop, winding around and around like the branches of treehouses in the books of my childhood, each alcove turned into a small room, each with it’s own genre, and a bookcase just for moomins. I fell in love that day, and won’t let go of that love this time.

I will travel for books, and whenever I find myself in a new area, I will hunt for book shops. Sometimes all I find is more waterstones or religious book shops, which do not appeal to me, I’m wanting fiction, to be taken on a ride to a place or feeling new.   Although sometimes I’ll strike it rich, and find a new place hidden within the sprawling metropolis. The thrill has now returned and the hunt is now afoot.

Camp NaNoWriMo Round 1 - April 2016

Hello everyone! So, you may have noticed that Bookshany has been quiet these past couple of weeks... of which there is a reason for that!

1) I have started volunteering at my local library on Saturdays. This is because I love libraries, and keeping libraries going is important. I'm also lending a hand on any evening events that the library hosts. The first one I did was this week, on Wednesday,  (06/04/16) for the crime author Michael Knaggs.

2) I am participating in Camp Nanowrimo, which is a more relaxed version of NaNoWriMo [National Novel Writing Month] Camp is held twice a year, usually in April and July.  visit http://campnanowrimo.org  or    http://nanowrimo.org for more information. It is free to join and participate in, with prizes for successful participants.

As part of Camp NaNoWriMo / NaNoWriMo, there are often virtual write-ins hosted on youtube, and following on from a conversation I had last night (07/04/16) with some of those participants who wanted to see more events, I shall be hosting my own version live on youtube on Saturday (09/04/16) at 5pm (UK time)

If anyone would like to participate in the event, it can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spAW-acNhmw   - this link will also work for viewing a recording of the live broadcast after the event has happened.   During the event, participants may select a colour: Purple, Green, Blue, Orange. These colours decide what type of writing prompt will be read out next. Purple - inspired by film and tv, Green - inspired by books, Blue - everyday objects and images, Orange - it's a mystery.  After the prompt is read out, a timer will start (usually about 5 or 6 minutes) after which, participants may post their word count, or a blurb from their writing, or a message they want to say to me [the hostess] to be read out live during the broadcast.

The book give-away for World Book Night 2016 is still on going, it's not too late to enter, just look for the blog post and follow the instructions. 

World Book Night 2016 - Giveaway! (giveaway now closed!)

World Book Night, an annual charity-led literacy event aimed at non-reader / occasional reader adults and teenagers, with the hope of encouraging those who don't read or can't afford books to pick something up, by giving books away for free.

Last year, I was selected as a chosen volunteer, meaning that I was allocated a box of books for free, to distribute in my area to those who may want that encouragement to pick up a book. I liked being a volunteer but had a bit of trouble getting others into the spirit of the night, but never mind! Unfortunately, this year, due to rising costs, there were less books for distribution than on previous years, and I was not selected to be a world book night volunteer.  Here at Bookshany, not being given a box of books to distribute doesn't matter!

So here's the deal!
If you would like a book from the list below, for free* [ free to UK residents, for a donation towards p&p rest of the world... Can't afford full airmail costs at this time ]
Comment with your preferred book [Main choice and a second choice in case several people ask for the same book], and an email address where you can be reached for a postal address. No junk mail will be sent to you.  If you are chosen as a winner, I will be in touch on April 14th, so that your book will be with you by World Book Night, on April 23rd.

The List [Choose one main choice, and one second choice]

For Fans of Comedy:
Mock The Week's Only Book You'll Ever Need

For Fans of Sci-Fi:
The Liberty Gun - Martin Sketchley

For Fans of Manga :
I-Doll vol 2 - tokyo pop
I Wish vol 2 - tokyo pop
Mail Order Ninja vol 2
Dark Prince [not suitable for under 18's due to sexual content/ yaoi themes]
Arm of Kannon vol 2 [not suitable for under 18's due to graphic images/gore] - tokyo pop

For Fans of Historical Lit:
Courtesans - Katie Hickman [nb this is historical /non fiction orientated]

For Fans of Angel:
Angel - Image [TV tie-in novel] - Mel Odom

For Fans of Womens Lit:
A Crowded Marriage - Catherine Alliott
The Godmother - Carrie Adams

- All books are in new or very good condition -

Good Luck!

International Womens Day 2016

Today, 8th March is International Women's Day, a day when the achievements of women are meant to be recognised and celebrated across the world. [and to anyone who is wondering where the men's day, is, it's on November 19th when they will get their turn]

Here at Bookshany, we're celebrating by highlighting a few bookish achievements made by women. so here's my personal top five, along with the reasons why I believe they are an achievement, even if others may not agree.


(1) Aphra Behn, 1640?-1689 - First known paid female author 
Not a great deal is known about Behn, except that she appeared to have had several careers in her lifetime, one of which was working as a spy for the crown. In her later years, she wrote multiple plays that were performed on the stage, and at least six of her novels were published during her lifetime, she has been credited as being the first ever female author who was paid for her work, but is not the first known female author, as that honour belongs to Sappho [C. 570 BC], which sadly much of her work has been lost in time, but was recognised by her contemporaries, most notably, Plato. 

(2) J.K. Rowling - Harry Potter series - biggest literary franchise so far in living history
This year marks 20 years since the first ever publication of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (aka Sorcerers Stone in the US) as the initial print run began in 1996. The Potter franchise itself due to the popularity of the books and subsequent film adaptations and merchandise means that the series is worth an estimated £7 billion. Love or loathe the book series [here at Bookshany we <3 Harry Potter] there's no denying the achievement of producing so famous a work and being able to see the fruits of that labour during your lifetime. 

(3) Anne Bradstreet - 1650 - first published American female author
Bradstreet's book of poems, The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, was published in England in 1650 [from what I gather, no publishing houses had been set up in America at this point], making her the first American woman to get a book published. 

(4) Phillis Wheatley - 1773 - first African American female published author
Phillis, 1753 - 1784 was kidnapped as an 8 year old and sold as a slave to John Wheatley, who intended her as a slave for his wife, who then, during her time in their household, she was educated, eventually mastering Latin and Greek, being taught alongside the Wheatley's two children, which was against the norms of the time. Upon being freed, Phillis had a book of poetry published. Her birth name is sadly unknown.   


(5) Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf - 1909 - First ever female winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature. 
Selma, who hailed from Sweden, was the first female author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, and out of the current list of 111 winners, she is 1 of 13 women, and ninth over all. [the prize started in 1901, and had joint and single male winners prior to her entry. Some years the prize was skipped due to wars, or lack of remarkable entries] This makes her the first in a very small female minority. Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel prize, however, Curie's was for Physics.  


  

World Book Day 2016

Selection of WBD books from 2016

Every year, around the first week of March or so, always during term time, World Book Day, is celebrated, an event at which children of school age all receive a coupon worth £1 which can be exchanged at a participating book shop or supermarket for one of the special world book day edition books (these books can often also be purchased for £1 each, should the child or parent wish to buy more) The proceeds from the books helps to fund child literacy programs ran by the charity behind world book day. The adult version of the event, world book night, is held every April 26th, at which volunteers give out books for free. Sadly, this year there were not enough books to go around, and so I'll be hosting my own give-away nearer the time.

This year, world book day landed on 3rd March. The list of titles was quite long, but as I am no longer the target audience, I selected the three titles that appealed the most to me, as a childhood reader of Roald Dahl, and an adult reader of Rainbow Rowell's books. I'm unfamiliar with Juno Dawson's work, so a shorter book seemed the ideal way to sample their work.

Title: The Great Mouse Plot [WBD edition]
Author: Roald Dahl , Illustrated by Quentin Blake
Date Started: 06/03/16
Date Finished: 06/03/16
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Thoughts and Quotes:  
"When I was seven, my mother decided I should leave kindergarten and go to a proper boys' school." With this, so begins the great mouse plot, and the tale of the prank involving a dead mouse (the mouse was found dead) and four other boys that Roald Dahl had made friends with during his two years at Llandaff Cathedral School.
The Great Mouse Plot tells of a practical joke played by an 8 year old Roald Dahl on a shopkeeper with very dirty hands indeed. I won't say more because of spoilers, but I'd recommend it to any mischievous children (or adults!)
Great short story taken from the childhood memories of Roald Dahl himself, with a chapter sampler and activity page at the back, featuring the BFG in this World Book Day 2016 edition (£1 rrp)

The Sin Eater's Daughter

Originally, this next post should have been about Middlesex, but I've just not been able to settle into it, so I will try again in a few weeks, however, I've had a few particular books sat on my shelf that I have only recently started itching to read.... and The Sin Eater's Daughter was one of those books.

 

Title: The Sin Eater's Daughter
Author: Melinda Salisbury
Date started: 03/03/16
Date finished: 04/03/16
Star Rating: 4 out of 5
Thoughts and Quotes:
Being a fan of the film 'the sin eater' which stared the late Heath Ledger, I was already familiar with the concept of a sin eater, one who 'consumes' the sins of the dying or recently deceased in order for that person's soul to pass on to the afterlife or heaven or where ever it is believed that we mortals go after death. I expected this novel to be about the family of whomever performs that role, and perhaps their training to be the next replacement, which to an extent, was the life of Twylla, the 17 year old protagonist of The Sin Eater's Daughter, before she learned she was destined to be Daunen Embodied, the living incarnation of the daughter of the two gods worshipped in the kingdom of Lormere. The Daunen Embodied is the queen's own executioner, only the royal family are immune to her touch, as within her skin, a deadly poison resides.

Twylla does not enjoy her role, but performs her duty in order to keep her queen happy and her family provided for, waiting for the day to arrive when she will marry the crown prince, Merek. Lormere has it's own rich history of myths and legends, one in particular, the sleeping prince, is reminiscent of the pied piper of hamlyn, with a grizzly twist, and folk songs, sung by Twylla at the court. A few of the lyrics appear in the book, appearing to follow the same tune as the sung version of "Annabel Lee" by Edgar Allen Poe. The only welcome distraction from Twylla's lonely life, is her new personal guard, Lief.

**Potential Spoiler Alert**








Lief helps Twylla see past what she believes is her destiny, and encourages her to choose a new future for herself....with him. Whilst the prince is a likeable character once we get to know him, I'm still team Lief, as he was the one that showed Twylla that she could indeed love as others do, as well as being a rather attractive piece of forbidden fruit.

I rather enjoyed reading The Sin Eater's daughter, which is the first in a trilogy, and I have the second book in the series, The Sleeping Prince, ready to go. I would have liked to have seen the queen get her comeuppance,  as her punishment is only hinted at in the book, as well as a little more detail into how deep her madness runs, of which it must run pretty deep as she wanted to marry her own biological son after her second husband had usurped her one time too many.

The cover art is beautiful, and I hope the third book will match, as the second book does, and I found the pacing to be quite steady, then speed up a little towards the third part of the book, where in all the major drama occurs. There are a few deaths along the way, and  several titbits of information as to what foods should be served to the sin eater for the eating of sins, such as crow should be served for a murderer.

I do not want to go into more detail as that would spoil the story for anyone who has not read it yet. This is a YA title, and suitable for anyone over the age of 13 due to mature themes.