When the limitations of publishing beat you to the punch

I have always hated looking at the stacks at Strand or going to B&N and seeing a book that looks interesting but never bought it due to price or unsure interest level.

As I was looking through sci-fi books to recommend to my husband I came across an Anne McCaffrey book that I saw in the store a few years back that I thought would be interesting:

From B&N

Her name was Killashandra Ree. And after ten grueling years of musical training, she was still without prospects. Until she heard of the mysterious Heptite Guild who could provide careers, security, and wealth beyond imagining. The problem was, few people who landed on Ballybran ever left. But to Killashandra the risks were acceptable....

And because I was stupid I didn't buy it when I saw it. So of course three years later when I'm looking for a book to read and I'm searching my bookstores I find part two. I don't know about the rest of you but I have to read a series in order.


Anyhoo, it happened to me with Dawn Cook, Anne McCaffrey and it's happening to me now with everyone from Merline Lovelace, Kathryne Kennedy and Victoria Thompson.

Thank goodness for Amazon.


However, the pain of realizing about three months down the road that you were actually interested in that random book that you saw but didn't think it would make sense to buy is actually gone and the sequel is coming out- ugh ick eep. Pain.

Any pain points of ya'll out there?

The first list - yes, the first- Fairy Tales part One

Yes, this picture has very little to do with actual books but I couldn't resist. Any receipt (the old-time term for recipes) that tells me to bake candy on a sunshiny day is a keeper in my book.

Anyway, I came across a list of fairy-tale imaginings on Sur La Lune and thought to myself, FABLES should be prominent on this page. So, I took up on myself to come up with a list of a few good Fairy-Tale re-tellings that are worth your time and effort.

Please allow me to direct your attention to the below list of Fairy-Tale Re-Tellings. Part One.

Fables

Bill Willingham and his crew of amazing pencillers, artists, letterers and the lot bring new life to the world of Fairy-Tales. In this re-imagning, the Fables are on the run from the "Adversary" after their Homeland has been razed, destroyed and subjugated to his blind, arrogant hateful whim. Fables such as Snow White, Rose Red, Bigby (the Big Bad Wolf), Boy Blue, Prince Charming, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, the witch from all those scary Hansel and Gretel type stories (Frau Totenkinder if you please) and Jack of all Fables, are now nestled into NYC, living on a peaceful stretch of Manhattan and hoping for a day that they can reclaim their homelands.

There are several rules in which one must abide by in order to be accepted into Fabletown but one glorious caveat to joining  - all your past sins are erased and you can start anew; Tabula Rosa.  Of course, there are those that just don't understand what it means to not commit crimes and intrigue and the first installment deals with the 'death' of Rose Red.

For those that aren't human enough to dwell within Manhattan, there is the Farm in upstate NY. Further adventures happen up there and animals such as the Three Blind Mice, the Goose that lays the Golden Eggs and the Cow that jumped over the moon are all hanging out up there. Sure, there are times of unrest but what unites them all is the constant threat of the Adversary on their new home and the thirteen installments (thus far) deal with the war, the characters and the intrigue that lies behind every Fable door.

Prologue - What this site is actually about

Ever been in a bookstore or library and really wanted to read a book but you have no idea what kind or book or what genre? Ever picked a book up and wrinkled your literate nose in confusion or hesitation?

I have. 

I'm a big reader, a bookworm, a nerd. I love the smell of ink and paper and bookstores are my happy place. I am a book whore who will open her wallet at the mere promise of a good story.

But.

I also have hundreds of books on my to-be-read list and sometimes I honestly can't remember the name of the book. There are also times when I am standing in the store hankering to read a particular genre but not knowing which book to read that will satisfy my desires.

Which is why that makes me sympathetic to the plights of friends and strangers who have no idea what to read and come to me for help or advice. Not only that but after I've read something that is amazing I do my damnedest to spread that book-love wide open like a five dollar hooker.

Whether it's fantasy, mystery, comics, graphic novels, classics, sci-fi, romance or some amalgamation of all of the above, I am here to help guide that needle of literacy in your supplicant brains until you can feel the sweet warm release of fun.* I will be posting reviews, lists, suggestions, quotes and the occasional sound of music.

What can I say, I'm a book pusher. A peddler. A peddling pied piper of prose.

* Buyer beware. You may experience a new found love of a different genre and that may increase your debt or burn a hole in your library card. If you have any suggestions on a book or have a particular review that you would like posted, please feel free to drop a line.