Wednesday, July 13, 2011

Much Ado





Just a quick post.....better quick than nothing, and as I'm not at Leakycon, as I'd like to be, I thought I'd share a couple of things. 

First, the Walt Disney World trip was great (mostly) and filled with delicious food.  I will share pics and more stories soon......I hope.  Travel was pretty smooth and painless, no airport delays or anything, which was nice.  Did get to look at wands at the Universal store in the Orlando airport.  That was the consolation prize for not getting to the park, but who's going to complain about a week at WDW?  Not me. 

Also, I read a couple of books.  Igraine the Brave is a fun story by Cornelia Funke about a 12 year-old girl who wants to be a knight.  Igraine lives in a castle with her magician parents, magician-in-training brother, and talking cat.   Igraine has no interest in learning magic, she only wants to be a knight, chivalrous and brave.  The family castle is home to the famed singing books of magic, which are powerful, musical, and much sought-after.  When her home is attacked by the greedy nephew of their closest neighbor, and her parents accidentally turn themselves into pigs, it is up to Igraine to set out to acquire the missing ingredient to return her parents to human form.  On her journey she meets new friends who help her on her quest.  I have enjoyed every Cornelia Funke book I've ever read, and this one was no exception.  I especially liked the castle's magical defenses like the enchanted moat that turns attackers into fish if they happen to slip in, and the gargoyles that eat arrows and cannon balls.  There is also a pretty cool secret escape tunnel.  The story is at once timeless and very original, with interesting twists along the way.
More to come....    : )