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It was rather inevitable that witches would need to appear in a collection of cat tales, so there are several in Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World . Witches and devils are almost always evil and need to be destroyed in these stories, so they are not the happiest of tales, but definitely an interesting subgenre of folklore. From my introduction: It would be negligent to not include tales of cats as witches� animal manifestations, familiars or companions since that is one of the most prevalent associations for cats in folklore. While I collected many short anecdotes featuring cats and witches�or devils which are interchangeable with witches in many of these stories�finding full stories to share was challenging. I have enough material and notes for a short book devoted to the topic, but it�s not one that is as interesting to me and has been addressed in greater depth elsewhere. However, I wanted some representative tales of witches and cats to be included here and so...

ATU 560: The Magic Ring is the tale type that I had the least amount of experience with and consequently learned the most about during the research for  Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World . For this reason, it became one of my favorite tale types offered in the book. This is also one of the rare tale types where I was able to find more English translations of Eastern versions than European. And there was sufficient difference between the variants to make them interesting, especially the Eastern Hemisphere ones. From my introduction: Another vast tale type that features a cat as a key player is ATU 560: The Magic Ring which is often conflated with ATU 561: Aladdin�the more recognized tale in popular culture�since there are not many distinguishing factors between these magic object stories. However, a cat usually appears in the tales that fit best into ATU 560: The Magic Ring. There are hundreds of known Magic Ring stories and no single tale is considered the def...

Have you seen the Snow White collection by Lauren Conrad at Kohl's ? It is selling quick because it is cute and/or romantic with most pieces not splattering anything overtly Disney on them. That's okay if you like that, of course, but I prefer subtlety when it comes to every day fairy tale themed clothing. I'm middle aged and was trained by my dad to not pay others to be their walking billboard. Unless I really ADORE something, of course, because clothing is rarely about absolutes. I love florals so some of these pieces are my taste exactly. Same thing happened with the summer line of Alice in Wonderland by Lauren Conrad. And I don't even LIKE Alice in Wonderland but I own some cute pants from that line. Now I am crossing my fingers there will be a Beauty and the Beast line in the spring in conjunction with the movie with more clothes like these. Of course, Hot Topic and Torrid (since they are the same company) will have some, too, but they tend to be more kitschy altho...

So another small section--but one of my favorites--in  Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World  offers Animal Brides. Another famous folktale cat can be traced directly to the French salons and a specific author, �The White Cat,� by Madame la Comtesse d�Aulnoy. While her creation is literary and very long, it is part of a long, rich tradition of women who are rescued from living in animal form in folklore. These tales can be typed as ATU 402: The Animal Bride. Several animal bride stories featuring enchanted cats are included in this collection. Most ATU 402 tales do not feature a cat; many feature an enchanted frog or mouse instead, but cats are more common than most other animals. Animal bride stories can include several variations from other tale types but the overarching plot usually involves a third son who through service and various challenges breaks the enchantment of a princess and thus wins her hand in marriage. He usually doesn�t know that the animal...

Although I could share more about Puss in Boots, I wanted to move on to other tales to be found in  Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World . One of my favorite tale types from this book is ATU 1651: Dick Whittington�s Cat. It's such a simple tale but with a rich history that can be found in many cultures, primarily the seafaring ones for obvious reasons. I cannot think of another animal whose usefulness to humanity is explored so well in folklore. Doesn't mean there isn't, but I've not run into it yet. The crux of this tale type centers around the much needed vermin controlling aspects of cats. They are essentially unknown and thus valuable to the cultures that don't know about them in these tales. There's a subtle humor to it, too, since so many societies with cats find themselves overburdened with a feline population at times, something you realize with a little thought while reading the tale. So an abundant, but skilled animal--one that is co...

Get $5 off book purchases over $15 by using promo code GIFTBOOK through 12/8/16 at Amazon.com : Terms & Conditions ? To use this promotion, you must enter "GIFTBOOK" at checkout under the "Gift cards & promotional codes" section to receive $5 off any books purchase of $15 or more. ? This offer is valid on print books only. Excludes eBooks and Audiobooks, Book Rentals and Amazon Gift Cards. ? The promotion is valid for a limited time, on orders placed between December 2, 2016 at 12:01am EST and December 8, 2016 at 02:59am EST. Amazon reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time. ? Offer only applies to products sold and shipped by Amazon.com. ? Limit one promotional code per customer and account. ? Each code may be used only once and may not be combined with other offers. ? The maximum benefit you may receive from this offer is $5. ? Offer good while supplies last. ? Offer is non-transferable and may not be resold. ? If any of the products or...

Today I'm sharing more about Puss in Boots since the book,  Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World , got its name from him. I am so tempted to jump ahead to the other tales in the collection because they were more fun with me--I already knew quite a bit about Puss and his cohorts before I started the book. Many of the other tales were very new to my knowledge base. But we may not be here discussing ATU 545B tales at all if not for the genius of Charles Perrault and his version of the cat. So from my introduction: Charles Perrault�s influence on the ATU 545B tale type cannot be overstated. His �Le Ma�tre chat ou le Chat bott�,� commonly known as �Puss in Boots� in English�the �Master Cat� is usually omitted [ 1] �is the most recognized version of the tale in the modern world. While we can only conjecture about which oral and literary versions of ATU 545B stories inspired Perrault and to what degree, there is no doubt he left his literary stamp on the tale when he pu...

The plan for Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World was to always have a sizable section devoted to the most famous of fairy tale cats, Puss in Boots. I say famous, but the cat has waned in recognition over the years even with the boost provided by the Shrek film franchise. There are 25 variants of Puss in Boots offered in  Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World  in addition to two articles--examples of early scholarship--about the tale and two additional translations of two of the earliest versions. That alone was enough to create a sizable book--165 pages are devoted to Puss in Boot stories. Today I am sharing some excerpts from my introduction about the tale type in general and the earliest recorded versions, both Italian. From the book's introduction: The best known tale type featuring cats is ATU 545: The Cat as Helper which includes a cycle of related tales, primarily ATU 545A: The Cat Castle and ATU 545B: Puss in Boots. ATU 545B i...

Amazon's Kindle Daily Deal offers 57 titles in the Kindle Books Kids (and You) Will Love sale. There are several fairy tale and mythology titles--including several of Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. There are also several fairy tale novels by Melanie Dickerson . And Chris Colfer is on the list , too, which his books are generating fairy tale questions to me these days, too. So there's a lot to find there for all ages! Hidden in the list is also Mechanica by Betsy Cornwell , a steampunkish Cinderella. And The Orphan Queen by Jodi Meadows ... So there's a lot of reading goodness. Best sale I've seen for people like us--folk and fairy tale lovers--so far this holiday season. And I doubt there will be a better one!

Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World (US Link) and Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World (UK Link)  are now available for ordering on Amazon and Amazon UK. The titles will start populating at other booksellers in the coming days. You can see the table of contents on my previous post at New Book: Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World . The first question I am asked when I have mentioned this book in the last few years is, "Do you love cats? Why a cat book?" Well, to be honest, no, I am not a cat lover although I love books and have worked as a librarian, stereotypical cat lover stuff. I am allergic to cats which has given me a very difficult relationship with them over the years. My husband has developed a severe allergy to them even worse than mine that will send him into a migraine if we aren't prepared to take preventative measures. So no cats in our home. But that doesn't mean I don't love the folklore abo...

Hallelujah! By Monday, but probably much sooner, Puss in Boots and Other Cat Tales From Around the World will be listed for ordering on Amazon. It will soon follow on other book seller sites. At the moment, the link is a dead one, but it could change at a moment's notice so I am inserting it. One of the last items I read during my research was The Tiger in the House by Cal Van Vechten , a book published in 1920. I was quite amused, especially near the end of my journey into cat folklore, to read this: There are so many folk-tales about cats that some enterprising young man of the future may fill a large book with these alone. Ha! I may be a middle-aged woman--when did that happen?--but I've certainly filled a large book with cat tales alone. Well, a handful don't feature cats, but there are 271 entries in the book so there's plenty of cats within these pages. Throughout December, I will be posting about the book with more in-depth posts about particular tales, finds, e...

Classic Storybook Collection with Hayley Mills will be released on 1/17/17. The 2-DVD set includes all 32 segments from the show's run: Synopsis: Travel to a world of make-believe with your host HAYLEY MILLS as these fanciful, educational stories come to life. Come away on a journey you�ll treasure forever with this enchanting, animated anthology. Target Audience: Kids 3-7, Parents 30+ Notable Cast/Crew: Voice talents of James Earl Jones, Mickey Rooney, John Carradine, Tammy Grimes, Ruth Buzzi, June Foray (Granny in Looney Tunes cartoons and Cindy Lou Who in How The Grinch Stole Christmas), Hans Conried (Captain Hook in Peter Pan and Dr. T in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.), Lucille Bliss (Smurfette in Smurfs), Jack Angel (King Zarkon in Voltron) and more! Key selling points: - Produced for TV and school libraries as The Storybook Series with Hayley Mills - Reminiscent of �Reading Rainbow� which has enjoyed a recent resurgence - The entire collection of stories were produced by Bosus...

The Complete Poems by Anne Sexton is on sale for $1.99 in ebook format. The book merits mention here since the complete poems includes Sexton's landmark Transformations collection of fairy tale poems. Transformations is currently selling for $7.99, $14.95 in paper , so with this book you get it and all of her other poetry for $1.99. That's exceptional and a price break I have never seen before unless you buy a used copy. Sexton's work is often studied and mentioned in literary fairy tale studies so it's an important part of a fairy tale library, too. Of course, the poems are not for the faint of heart either, so be aware of that. Book description: The collected works of Anne Sexton showcase the astonishing career of one of the twentieth century�s most influential poets For Anne Sexton, writing served as both a means of expressing the inner turmoil she experienced for most of her life and as a therapeutic force through which she exorcised her demons. Some of the riches...

The Shadow Queen (Ravenspire) by C. J. Redwine is on sale in ebook format today for $2.99! This was the only book in the 442 ebooks on sale for Cyber Monday on Amazon that was fairy tale related. That's rather rare, but if I had a book to choose for the list, this would be on my short list. Redwine lives in my area and I got to hear her speak last month at the Southern Festival of Books. It wasn't my first time, but each time is more fun than the last. She's so funny! This is part of a planned long series with lots of world building and several fairy tales in the mix. This is the first time the book has been bargain priced to my knowledge, so get it now if you haven't already! Reminder! Today is the last day to Get $10 off $25 print book purchase on Amazon! Book description: A New York Times bestselling dark epic fantasy inspired by the tale of Snow White, from C. J. Redwine, the author of the Defiance series. This breathtakingly romantic, action-packed fantasy is per...

Get $10 off $25 print book purchase on Amazon! I look for this every Thanksgiving and use it to get a book off my wish list. Terms & Conditions ? To use this promotion, you must enter �HOLIDAYBOOK� at checkout under the �Gift cards & promotional codes� section to receive $10 off any books purchase of $25 or more. ? This offer is valid on print books only. Excludes eBooks and Audiobooks, Book Rentals and Amazon Gift Cards. ? The promotion is valid for a limited time, on orders placed between November 24, 2016 at 12:01am EST and November 28, 2016 at 02:59am EST. Amazon reserves the right to modify or cancel this offer at any time. ? Offer only applies to products sold and shipped by Amazon.com. ? Limit one promotional code per customer and account. ? Each code may be used only once and may not be combined with other offers. ? The maximum benefit you may receive from this offer is $10. ? Offer good while supplies last. ? Offer is non-transferable and may not be resold. ? If any o...

West of the Moon by Margi Preus is on sale for $3.72 in ebook format, down from its usual $7 price. This has been on my wishlist so I grabbed it at this price. Book description: In West of the Moon, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Margi Preus expertly weaves original fiction with myth and folktale to tell the story of Astri, a young Norwegian girl desperate to join her father in America. After being separated from her sister and sold to a cruel goat farmer, Astri makes a daring escape. She quickly retrieves her little sister, and, armed with a troll treasure, a book of spells and curses, and a possibly magic hairbrush, they set off for America. With a mysterious companion in tow and the malevolent "boatman" in pursuit, the girls head over the Norwegian mountains, through field and forest, and in and out of folktales and dreams as they steadily make their way east of the sun and west of the moon.

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm taking a "sit break" real quick from my Thanksgiving hosting demands and sharing this treasure because it makes me smile just to think about it. The Cecelia and Kate Novels: Sorcery & Cecelia, The Grand Tour, and The Mislaid Magician by Patricia C. Wrede (Author) and Caroline Stevermer (Author) is on sale for $1.99--it's usually $9.99 so that is a bargain. That's 3 books for two bucks and they are excellent books, too. I've recommended these repeatedly over the years with about a 98% success rate of people loving them. Sorcery & Cecelia was a cult classic for years that was out of print with paperback editions selling for sometimes $100. Yes, that was years ago and I am old. But Wrede and Stevermer then wrote the two sequels and the first book got reprinted as a result. Now they never have to go out of print again with the digital age. Love that! So if you haven't read these, they will make a nice escape once your six hours...

Beast by Brie Spangler was released last month. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling so that's catnip for the majority of the readers here. It's on my own TBR list for that reason. Book description: A witty, wise, and heart-wrenching reimagining of Beauty and the Beast that will appeal to fans of Rainbow Rowell and David Levithan. Tall, meaty, muscle-bound, and hairier than most throw rugs, Dylan doesn�t look like your average fifteen-year-old, so, naturally, high school has not been kind to him. To make matters worse, on the day his school bans hats (his preferred camouflage), Dylan goes up on his roof only to fall and wake up in the hospital with a broken leg�and a mandate to attend group therapy for self-harmers. Dylan vows to say nothing and zones out at therapy�until he meets Jamie. She�s funny, smart, and so stunning, even his womanizing best friend, JP, would be jealous. She�s also the first person to ever call Dylan out on his self-pitying and superficiality. As J...

Elf Queens and Holy Friars: Fairy Beliefs and the Medieval Church (The Middle Ages Series) by Richard Firth Green was released a few months ago. I learned about it shortly after and have been stalking it ever since. Which is funny because it's not my top tier catnip but this topic and time period fascinate me. Book description: In Elf Queens and Holy Friars Richard Firth Green investigates an important aspect of medieval culture that has been largely ignored by modern literary scholarship: the omnipresent belief in fairyland. Taking as his starting point the assumption that the major cultural gulf in the Middle Ages was less between the wealthy and the poor than between the learned and the lay, Green explores the church's systematic demonization of fairies and infernalization of fairyland. He argues that when medieval preachers inveighed against the demons that they portrayed as threatening their flocks, they were in reality often waging war against fairy beliefs. The recognit...

Egg and Spoon by Gregory Maguire  is on sale in ebook format for $1.99. This book features Baba Yaga and Russian folklore. Maguire has written several fairy tale retellings for both young and old although he is of course most famous for his Wicked. This is the first time this has been on sale to my knowledge. Book description: In this tour de force, master storyteller Gregory Maguire offers a dazzling novel for fantasy lovers of all ages. Elena Rudina lives in the impoverished Russian countryside. Her father has been dead for years. One of her brothers has been conscripted into the Tsar�s army, the other taken as a servant in the house of the local landowner. Her mother is dying, slowly, in their tiny cabin. And there is no food. But then a train arrives in the village, a train carrying untold wealth, a cornucopia of food, and a noble family destined to visit the Tsar in Saint Petersburg�a family that includes Ekaterina, a girl of Elena�s age. When the two girls� lives collide, an ...

(Small sample of my collection. You can click on the photo above to see it larger.) This is an edited repost from previous years for the weekend: Okay, so it's that time of year when we start thinking of pulling holiday decorations from their dark, almost forgotten storage areas. I have noticed that a few people are ordering the fairy tale themed ornaments on CafePress. They are finding them in the CafePress Marketplace for $14.99 each, sometimes able to use a coupon there to purchase. But for you loyal readers here, I'll let you in on a secret. They are available for $7.99 in the SurLaLune CafePress shop. You can't use a coupon there but this price still beats any coupon promotion in the Marketplace. Many Golden Age illustrations are available in the Ornaments shop I created years ago. And, yes, SurLaLune gets more than double the commission on the sale, too, despite the much lower price. Everyone wins! SurLaLune isn't getting rich but proceeds from CafePress help pa...