The Tales of Beedle the Bard

The Tales of Beedle the Bard (J.K. Rowling) is suppose to be for the Wizarding World, what Grimm's Fairy Tales or Mother Goose is in the Muggle (non magic folk) world.

They are fictional fairy tales, that Rowling made up to go along with the 7th installment of the Harry Potter Series.

These stories are suppose to be what wizard and witch children were read at bed time.

I really enjoyed the way it went along with the 7th book, especially since I just finished reading it. However, only one of the stories is linked to the Deathly Hallows.

Because it's about the Deathly Hallows; The Tale of the Three Brothers

Basically, it's about 3 brothers who cheat death and are given gifts from death for being so smart. The first brother chooses a wand that is unbeatable, the second a stone that can raise the dead and the third a cloak of invisibility. Though the brother seem to cheat death in the end the first two brothers are taken by death because of their gifts. Only the third brother is able to "hide" from death till old age.

This tale is key to understanding the last in the Harry Potter Series but you don't have to read this book or the other 4 mind numbing stories to get it. The whole of the story is in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

That's just how key it is.

This book wasn't great but it wasn't horrible either. Easy read for any Harry Potter fan.

2 stars

A to Z, Christopher Walken: The Man, The Movies, The Legend

A to Z, Christopher Walken: The Man, The Movies, The Legend by Robert Schnakenberg was one interesting biography.

I liked it, very much so because

1) I'm a Chris Walken fan, I will watch anything he is in despite bad reviews.

2) The format was fantastic. It read like an encyclopedia. (A to Z, get it?)

There was so much information in there that I would have never of thought could be true about an actor.

Like, did you know that Christopher Walken was a nude baby model in cat calenders or that he was a lion tamer one summer?

Who would have thought!

This is a great biography to read if you are interested in learning all there is to know about Christopher Walken. It touches on every part of his life without going into a long, drawn out narrative about the night he was born, who was growing up or any other mundane details that supposedly make a person.

However, the book wasn't perfect. I found some of the "entries" pointless and it left me wondering why certian things were important enough to get recognitions. But hey, I didn't write it so who am I to judge! And as always it could have used.....

MORE COWBELL!

4 stars

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

I re-read the 7th installment of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

Like most books when you re-read them, it was better this time around. I think it's because when you read a book for the first time most people tend to rush through to get to the end, you gotta know what happens, right?

I find this to more true when it comes to series, especially the end.

You catch details you missed the first time.

At least this is how I read, anyway.

So it was better than the last time I read it but it still comes in second to my favorite.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

If you haven't read this series, stop what you are doing and go to the library or the bookstore and start now! You will thank me for it, they really are good books. You will be on the edge of your seat from beginning to end!

5 stars! DUH!

Harry Potter, Christopher Walken, Michael Oher and Jackie Kennedy

To try and make up for my lack of reading and posts in July,

I fail, I know, I'm sorry,

I'm currently reading FIVE books!

1. Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

2. The Blind Side by Michael Lewis
*Facebook Monthly Reading Group Book for August!*

3. Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation by Ellen Fitzpatrick

4.The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling

5. A to Z, Christopher Walken: The Man, The Movies, The Legend by Robert Schnakenberg

"Book your Trip"

I found this in the September Issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray and just had to share!!
*Note: I'm copying the article as written in issue*

Bring classic children's books to life with a family get-away!


Read Charlotte's Web by E.B.White

Live it @ Liberty Hill Farm Inn in Rochester, VT

Guest Stay in farmhouse rooms on a dairy farm. Kids will love searching the henhouse for eggs, bottle-feeding the calves[just like Fern did with Wilbur] and swimming in the White River. Included are hearty breakfast and dinners using farm-raised produce, with all the fresh milk you can drink!
www.libertyhillfarm.com





Read Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Live it @ De Smet, SD!
The Ingalls family, as chronicled in the Little House books, migrated across the upper Midwest, stopping over several states. Many towns claim a connection, but the family settled in De Smet, SD, home to two artifact-filled Ingalls homes and the school Laura attended with her nemesis, Nellie. Also, a summer pageant reenacts family life on the prairie. Date are July 8-10,15-17,22-24, 2o11.
liwms.com





Read any or all of the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling

See it!

If you are feeling flush, fly to England, where Lynott Tours offers a six-day self guided tour of sites that inspired the books. lynotttours.com

Can't afford transatlantic trip?

Stay local and visit The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort.
Shop for wands and send postcards via owl.

Wish you were here, Muggles! universalorlando.com



Read Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry

See it!
The story of a wild pony-turned-child's pet was based on the horse roundups that still happen on Assateague and Chincoteague islands off the coasts of Virgina and Maryland. On Pony Penning day
(July 27,2011), wild horses are herded across the saltwater channel to auction on Chincoteague, and thousands of people come to watch. If you can't make it on the big day, don't fear. Head offshore to Assateague Island National Seashore to witness the animals grazing in the wild anytime. nps.gov/asis