Browse Bookie Brunch discussions (after July 2011, archive): The Fluidity of Time
Find Bookie Brunch
You’re invited! Feel free to join us every Sunday for great
company, fun discussions, and occasional goodie giveaways. Some
upcoming dates are listed below, it’ll be great to see you there.
Calling all bookies - grab a seat and let’s talk books.
Upcoming Bookie Brunches in July 2011:
We’ll be talking about e-readers vs. print editions, fantasy vs.
realism in books, characters vs. plot, and lots of other cool and
As one of the mates - ahoy, matey! - sailing with this crew of
buccaneers, would like to say thank you for visiting the blog on my tour stop and hope you also enjoyed some of the other great
blogs on the tour.
I want to thank Sasha for giving me the opportunity to participate in this phantasmagorical blog tour and for her Random Magic, truly a gem of a book. This Random Magic Tour was so fun and I wish I had more time to comment on every single stop. I also want to thank Velvet from vvb32 reads for her most entertaining posts.
Dulcis in fundo, If you didn’t enter to win Pirattitude, no worries, you have still time. But hurry! The contest ends tonight at midnight.
(video – the parting glass – Cara Dillon)
For the wrap day of the tour, we’re just going to raise a final pint
o’ grog to say thanks for the good company. Smooth seas be ahead o’
ye. As this particular traditional toasting song goes, good night and
When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice
in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice
before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes.
Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch
with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan.
Such as it is.
Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Strüths,
and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful
vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually
inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.
If you’d like to find some more fun pirate features, feel free to
visit Random Magic Tour: Pirates! for reviews, video
features, photo galleries and more free audio books about pirates and
other seafaring rebels.
Also - browse costumes for stylish corsairs or sing along to rowdy sea shanties.
You might also have fun reading about seafaring grub, pirate slang, or
famous pirate queens (Pirate Queens series), or just checking out some
great pirate quotes from Random Magic.
All told, it’s a treasure trove of all things piratical. If it sounds
like fun, feel free to jump aboard as we weigh anchor and hoist the mizzen. Yo-ho-ho!
Bonus: Find even more pirate plunder, with Little Pirate Prizes,
these aren't marked on the schedule and they're not part of the hunt,
but they're out there for visitors to find, so have fun finding some
pirate things: Follow the tour!
* One fresh, plump grasshopper, stifled (can be large)
Three pond apples (diced)
One pineapple (optional)
Twist of citrusvine
Bottle of vermouth
One splinter of Gorrigan root
Plateful of Tinderman’s Erebus Root jelly
Pomegranate juice, dash of essence of tadpole
Cattails or gorse brush (half dozen)
Two lengths of bumblesprud vine (minced)
Handful of poison oak
Blend all ingredients into simmering kettle. Mix gingerly, bring kettle to boil.
Pour into copper baking box, spread evenly. For better lumps, mixture should be shaken, not stirred. Pop into oven, give it the third degree.
Stew for the length of a good pipe on the back porch. Let cool. Parcel into blocks. Garnish with ladyfingers, if available.
Drink the vermouth.
Food’s up!
Notes: This was a ‘recipe’ just for fun in Random Magic, because Baba Yaga has a sweet tooth and wonderful garden filled with all kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables and flowers – and a lot of other things that are more unsavory and hazardous to your health.
There wasn’t room for the recipe, so it was cut from the book, but here’s Baba Yaga’s unusual ‘recipe’ for perusal.
As with Hansel and Gretel, who visit a spooky witch, Baba Yaga also has nefarious plans for some of her unexpected visitors - the ‘grasshopper’ in her recipe for Grasshopper Surprise is either Winnie or Henry, who’ve come knocking on Baba Yaga’s door. Oh, no for our heroes, will they escape?
The Hangman’s Wood is a place that Winnie and Henry visit, even if they’d rather be elsewhere. They also visit some vampires, so maybe Baba Yaga knows some vampires and bats, also.
The Erebus Root and pond apples are found in Winnie’s world. Henry and Winnie collect pond apples along the way to the Black Forest, and Erebus Root is a magical root that’s a scent screen, they use it to hide themselves from the scary creatures and beasties in the Black Forest.
A lot of the other ingredients might come from Baba Yaga’s poison garden or elsewhere in her scary magical garden, with some of her visitors transformed into bushes and shrubs and trees.
Even if her recipe for Grasshopper Surprise sounds delicious, definitely don’t try this at home!
It’s also inadvisable to knock on Baba Yaga’s door for directions or anything, because she’s a wise and powerful but dangerous and tricky old lady and you never know quite how that story will end…
And, whatever you do, if Baba Yaga sends you a charming dinner invitation carried by a pet toad or some other familiar and asks to ‘have you for dinner,’ - say no! Even if she promises dessert – you might not ever make it past the first course.
Tre ghiande provenienti dalla Foresta dell’Impiccato
Una manciata di ali di pipistrello (rosse)
Due colpi di coda di agnello
Muschio del coraggio (fresco)
Due lunghezze di ragnatela
Succo di battifalene spremute (fatto in casa)
Mezza bottiglia di fremibacche
Un cucchiaino di coda di lucertola sbriciolata
*Una cavalletta fresca e cicciottella soffocata (può essere grande)
Tre mele di stagno (a dadini)
Un ananas (a piacere)
Buccia di uva aspra
Una bottiglia di Vermouth
Una scheggia di radice Gorrigan
Un piatto di gelatina “Radice dell’Erebo” di Tinderman
Succo di melograno con una spruzzata di essenza di girino
Una spolverata di tifa o ginestrone (mezza dozzina)
Due pezzi di rampicante borbente (tritato)
Una manciata di edera velenosa
Unire tutti gli ingredienti nella pentola e far cuocere a fuoco lento. Mescolare con cautela e portare ad ebollizione.
Versare il composto in uno stampo per dolci in rame, distribuendolo in modo uniforme. Per ottenere dei grumi migliori il composto deve essere agitato, non mescolato. Mettere in forno e fare il terzo grado.
Stufare in forno per la durata di un fischio prolungato. Lasciar raffreddare e dividere in cubi. Se disponibili, decorare con “dita mozzate”.
Bere il Vermouth.
Il piatto è pronto!
Note:Questa è una “ricetta” creata per divertimento e inizialmente presente in Random Magic, poiché Baba Yaga va ghiotta per i dolci e possiede un meraviglioso giardino pieno di frutta, verdura e fiori di tutti i tipi – e un sacco di altre cose più sgradevoli e pericolose per la vostra salute.
Nel libro non c’era spazio per la ricetta e per questo è stata tagliata.
Ma ecco a vostra disposizione l’insolita “ricetta” di Baba Yaga.
Come per Hansel e Gretel, che fanno visita ad una strega spaventosa, Baba Yaga ha pure in mente piani malvagi per alcuni dei suoi inattesi visitatori – la “cavalletta” nella sua ricetta “ Sorpresa alla Cavalletta” sarà o Winnie o Henry, che sono venuti a bussare alla porta di Baba Yaga. Oh, che sfortuna per i nostri eroi … riusciranno a scappare?
La Foresta dell’Impiccato è un luogo che Winnie e Henry visitano, anche se preferirebbero essere altrove. Fanno visita anche ad alcuni vampiri e forse perfino Baba Yaga conosce qualche vampiro e pipistrello.
La Radice dell’Erebo e le mele di stagno si trovano nel mondo di Winnie. Henry e Winnie raccolgono mele di stagno lungo la strada per la Foresta Nera, e la Radice dell’Erebo è una radice magica che copre gli odori. Henry e Winnie la usano nella Foresta Nera per nascondersi da creature e bestie spaventose.
Molti altri ingredienti possono provenire dal giardino velenoso di Baba Yaga o da qualche altra parte del suo inquietante orto magico, dove alcuni dei suoi visitatori sono trasformati in cespugli, arbusti ed alberi.
Anche se la sua ricetta “Sorpresa alla Cavalletta” sembra deliziosa, non dovete assolutamente provarla a casa!
È inoltre sconsigliabile bussare alla porta di Baba Yaga per chiedere direzioni o altro, poiché si è una vecchia signora saggia e potente, ma pericolosa e scaltra e non potete mai sapere come la faccenda rischia di finire …
E, qualunque cosa voi facciate, se Baba Yaga vi manda un adorabile invito a cena tramite un rospo da compagnia o qualche altro spirito al suo servizio e chiede di “avervi per cena”, rispondete di no! Perfino se vi viene promesso il dessert – potreste non riuscire a superare nemmeno la prima portata.
Bonus: Find even more pirate plunder, with Little Pirate Prizes,
these aren't marked on the schedule and they're not part of the hunt,
but they're out there for visitors to find, so have fun finding some
pirate things: Follow the tour!
When absent-minded Professor Random misplaces the main character from Alice in Wonderland, young Henry Witherspoon must book-jump to fetch Alice before chaos theory kicks in and the world vanishes.
Along the way he meets Winnie Flapjack, a wit-cracking doodle witch with nothing to her name but a magic feather and a plan.
Such as it is.
Henry and Winnie brave the Dark Queen, whatwolves, pirates, Struths, and fluttersmoths, Priscilla and Charybdis, obnoxiously cheerful vampires, Baron Samedi, a nine-dimensional cat, and one perpetually inebriated Muse to rescue Alice and save the world by tea time.
Whip Alice in Wonderland, Baba Yaga, Muses, gods, vampires, pirates and other entertaining characters from different stories and myths with a quirky, brilliant, unique writing style until weirdness becomes magic. Add humor, doublespeak, verbal acrobatics and nonsense. Beat with colorful descriptions of a surreal world filled with puzzles and adventures until the story is enchanting, whimsical and funny.
Random Magic is an incredibly hilarious book that will make you laugh with delight!
Quando il distratto professor Random smarrisce la protagonista di Alice nel Paese delle Meraviglie, il giovane Henry Witherspoon deve saltare nel libro per recuperare Alice prima che la teoria del caos diventi realtà e il mondo svanisca.
Lungo la strada incontra Winnie Flapjack, una strega arguta quanto pasticciona con niente in tasca, al di fuori di una piuma magica e un piano.
Se così si può dire.
Henry e Winnie affrontano la Regina Oscura, stralupi, pirati, Struth, e battifalene, Priscilla e Cariddi, vampiri insopportabilmente vivaci, Baron Samedi, un gatto a nove dimensioni, e una Musa perennemente ubriaca per soccorrere Alice e salvare il mondo in tempo per l’ora del tè.
Montare Alice nel Paese delle Meraviglie, Baba Yaga, Muse, divinità, vampiri, pirati e altri divertenti personaggi, presi da storie e miti differenti, con uno stile bizzarro, geniale e unico fino a che la stranezza non si trasformi in magia. Aggiungere umorismo, doppi sensi, acrobazie verbali e controsensi. Sbattere con descrizioni colorite di un mondo surreale, pieno di misteri ed avventure, in modo da creare una storia affascinante, stravagante e divertente.
Random Magic è un libro incredibilmente spassoso che vi farà ridere di gusto.
In Random Magic, our heroes Winnie
and Henry run across some wicked pirates, with an even more wicked way
of talking:
“You stay whar you be,” he growled, “or ye’ll wake up dead.”…
“Scupper the poxy dog!”
“Begads!” shouted the captain. “Cork yer flaps, or oi’ll ‘ave the
cat o’ nine settle it for ye.”
“Aye!” said Stone-Eye Jo. “Send ‘em to Davy Jones’ locker!”
“Aye! Keelhaul ‘em!” “Make ‘em snog the gunner’s daughter, har, har!”
“Naw! Take the ship!” said Jean “Alligator” Tooley, who’d been
waiting for the chance ever since Skull Island.
“Aye! Use yer deadlights, mates,” yelled Hammer Jack, “the
Captain’s naught but a scurvy tar -- let’s send ‘im to Jack Ketch!
Take the ship!”
“Crk!” said the parrot.
What does all of this mean? It’s nautical or seafaring slang; or, if
you like, pirate talk. We can’t cover the entire vocabulary you’ll
need to be a swashbuckling sea dog, but you can tell just from the
exclamation points that they’re not happy.
In the meantime, let’s learn some basic pirate-speak, if that sounds
like fun. Even if you don’t have time to learn Advanced Pirate, you
can still learn how to sound like a pirate if you know five basic
words, and you can find them here:
* (Details) The winner will be selected at random using random.org.
* (Details) You'll need a mailing address or P.O. box so the prize can
be sent to you.
* (Details) This surprise prize is INTERNATIONAL. Open to all.
* (Details) Offer open through May 30, 2011, midnight, EST
* (Details) Winners announced June 6, 2011
The main Rum + Plunder treasure hunt is open internationally!
Here’s another fun way to win something piratey and cool: Browse prizes or join the hunt…
I <3 Reading (I Love Reading) Twitter: @iheartreads Review (Dual language, Flemish/English) Bonus: Video lecture about pirate queen Grace O’Malley Bonus: Game: Blackbeard’s Gold
