Cinderella Conclusion - Original Fairy Tales Challenge

The conclusion of my Cinderella retelling (click that for the first part) for my Original Fairy Tales Challenge. Let me know what you think, I love critiques (honestly, I can't get better without them).

Flamingos by ~emeph on deviantART

     Ella held up the edge of her shimmery, purple gown and carefully placed a heeled foot on the next wooden step, then another heeled foot on the Astroturf.  She patted the pink flamingo by the gate for luck. One of Marjorie's many admirers was sitting in his beater truck waiting for Ella. He honked the horn and revved the engine so she stopped hugging her aunt and went stumbling across the gravel to the door.
     "Make sure you say hello to the birthday boy!" Marjorie called, watching the truck disappear around the bend with Ella's hand waving elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist out the window. Then she sat in her lawn chair to light up again and wait until midnight. Ella would be back to return the dress by then or else Hadley would catch her before she got home around one. That woman needed her beauty sleep, and still it did nothing for her.
     Ella left her hand dangling out the window to feel the breeze. She was hot and flustered. Her chest constricted like it did when Jessica was sitting on her and pulling her hair just for fun.
     She arrived at the party and realized the air inside the club was worse than the truck. The elegance of the gold chandeliers and the pink champagne with floating strawberries was too overwhelming.
     Girls in pretty dresses swirled around the dance floor on their partners' arms. She felt more dazzled by the flirtatious smiles all around her than the twinkling lights. Ella ducked and weaved through the crowd to avoid her stepsisters. They were obnoxiously loud in one corner where they were recounting their dances with the birthday boy for a few other girls in their class.
     "He was just so sweet."
     "Ain't he just perfect?"
     Following the wall, she found the birthday boy, greeted him dutifully, and then escaped to the back lawn. She hadn't paid enough attention, because someone had followed her.
     "Do I know you?"
     Ella whipped around to face the deep, sultry voice.
     "You wished me happy birthday, but I don't think I know you."
     "I was invited," Ella stammered. One of her heels was stuck in the grass from her quick turnaround. Her ankle was twisted at the oddest angle and she was trying to hide her grimace as she yanked on her foot.
     "Are you ok?" the boy with the square jaw and shiny blue eyes said. He peered around her legs.
     "I'm fine." Her foot flew out of the shoe. She kept her gown over it to hide her embarrassment.
     "Well, can I know your name?"
     "No." She looked right at him, daring him to ask again.
     "Ok. Um. My name is Darryl."
     "Yes. I know."
     "Ok."
     "Ok."
     "Well this is awkward," Darryl said with a breathy laugh.
     "I was just about to leave anyways." Ella adjusted her dress and switched her weight from her sore ankle.
     "You just got here. Do you want to go for a walk?"
     She glanced at the clock above the patio door. It was just about to strike 11:45 and she knew she needed to get back. Marjorie had taken so long with her make-up she had only had about an hour at the party. It was all fine for her, she was done. There was no need to try this stunt again.
     "No. Thank you. I really do have to go."
     The boy, Darryl, showed no sign of leaving, so Ella gave up and turned her back. She left her shoe stuck in the ground and limped to the truck in the driveway. She heard Darryl laughing behind her, but she threw her shoulders back and held her head high as she wobbled across the soft, dewy grass and into the dirty truck.
     She looked back to see Darryl holding her shoe like a teddy bear and squinting to read the truck's license plate.

* * *

     Then things happened in a flash. Ella made it home and was in her bed before her evil caretaker would stumble in. But she woke the next morning to bright sunshine caressing her face and the sound of trucks on the highway overpass – not a single screech or moan or complaint.
     She sat up in bed and rubbed her eyes. And then she saw flashing red and blue lights circling their way closer and closer to her bedroom window. The police car stopped outside and walked up her path. She ran for the door, breathless with fear.
     "Ma'am, I'm sorry to tell you this but your guardian and sisters died in a car crash last night."
     He held his arms out, ready to catch a fainting girl, but he was disappointed when she jumped up in the air and whooped.
     She moved in with her aunt, she found a job at the local ice cream parlor, she went back to high school, she continued with life. But then one day, she was invited back to the country club by a boy who had just moved to town. He went to the public high school with her, but he was part of the elite sweaters-on-shoulders crowd. He took her to the pool and then they walked around the gardens in the back of the club.
     They sat on a stone bench, enjoying the feeling of the sun and the hormones coursing through their veins. Ella looked up into the dazzling sky and saw the top of a fountain that hid in the middle of a hedge maze. It was her shoe. She grabbed the boy's hand and tugged him through the maze, darting this way and that to find her way through. They reached the middle and she gaped at her shoe, on top of a three-tiered birthday-cake fountain, with a plaque at the bottom that read:
     For the girl I lost.

Drabble Dienstag - How I Felt

I had an experience last week that I have never had before. Let's see if you can feel what I felt. What do you think? This style is different from what I'm used to, please critique me in the comments.

The anticipation; the bouncing knees; the slimy palms; and the people sitting around me all participating. Should I? What could it really hurt? There’s no fear of addiction, that’s silly. There’s also no fear of passing out or being eaten or getting cancer. Well, maybe that last one. The most it could do is embarrass me, make me cough. They pressure me, but I wouldn’t if I didn’t want to. I take it in my hands. Breathe in. The taste fills my head; taste buds have nothing to do with it. Without coughing, I exhale the hookah smoke and giggle.

Peter Pan Fever

Peter Pan and Wendy Kiss - monaco

Finding Neverland is a wonderful movie. Not only does it capture J.M. Barrie's imagination (him walking into a bedroom that is really an African plain...) but it pulls lines directly from Peter Pan. I'm kind of in a frenzy over the whole thing right now. I finished The Complete Adventures of Peter Pan (which I enjoyed immensely) and have rewatched that most awesome movie. I'm in the process of writing my own short story based on Peter Pan and Wendy.

But in the midst of it all, my kindle died.

I'm guessing it was airport security. Hopefully I can get it replaced. But in a pinch I needed my highlights from my kindle. I downloaded the kindle app on my phone and found my highlights in just a few minutes! So now a few of my favorite quotes.

"All children, except one, grow up."

"'You see, Wendy, when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies.'"

"'To die will be an awfully big adventure.'"

"'Proud and insolent youth,' said Hook, 'prepare to meet thy doom.' 'Dark and sinister man,' Peter answered, 'have at thee.'"

"'The window must always be left open for them, always, always.'"

"'Keep back, lady, no one is going to catch me and make me a man.'"

Of course a lot of those are simply timeless and everyone's favorites. Pan is such a saucy little creature. He is definitely not human, that much is for sure.

Drabble Dienstag - Falling Rain

There’s nothing quite like a rainy day. I wake to pattering raindrops and smile, stretching in my bed. The light coming through the window is glossy, filtered, hazy. I make coffee and call in sick; it’s a mental health day, a stay-at-home day. I tie my hair back and pick a book off the shelf. Coffee in hand, I cuddle on the couch and don’t move. Every once in a while I pop in the kitchen and grab an apple. When the rain stops and the sun sets, I make dinner and crawl back in bed to finish the book.

Drabble Dienstag

I had a horrible situation this last week. Well, I suppose it started a few weeks ago. My husband has been gone during the week every week for a few months now. On night a while back I found a ginormous spider in our bedroom just before I feel asleep. I tried to smash him but he ran fast. Then I called a friend to come catch him, but he disappeared. I didn't sleep.

This past week I found him again. I went to go to the bathroom before bed and he was in there. I tried to put a bowl over him but he crawled away and freaked me out. So I just shut the door. Again, I didn't sleep.

The next night Albert came home. I told him to immediately go in the bathroom and find it. This spider was so big he couldn't even fit under the door, he was still there. So now I can sleep.

The spider didn’t mean any harm, at least initially. He skittered across the floor and hid in the corner of the room. The shadow covered him, and he thought no one would see him. But the little girl came into the room and flicked on the light, illuminating every crevice. She put her teddy down and saw the spider. She screamed. He ran. Her parents calmed her and put her to bed. She sat shivering, thinking that big spider would eat her. When she finally dropped off, the spider crawled up and chomped a good chunk out of her cheek.

Kindle Review and Books I Read in 2010

I've really enjoyed my Kindle, especially because I live in Germany where the supply of English books is limited. I used to go to the library once or even twice a week back in Colorado. So not having access to that many books was hard for me.

The Kindle e-ink screen is superb. I can't stand staring at a computer screen forever. It hurts my eyes. But the e-ink is just like paper.

It's really easy to get books on the Kindle. They've even made it possible to search the web (it's slow because of the e-ink) and buy books right from the Kindle.

One problem I have is that it's not very intuitive to move around and do things. I haven't used the notes feature or highlighting because it's actually a bit intimidating to me.

My sister bought me a first generation in 2008 but I returned it. I didn't think I would use it. Back then I probably wouldn't have, but I really like having it now. (And now even Borders will be gone so it's even more important.)

Books I read in 2010. The last set. I rate on a scale of 1-5.

Persuasion by Jane Austen - 4

Of all her books this is my favorite. There's some depth to the characters that the other books just don't have.

Why Men Don't Have a Clue and Women Always Need More Shoes by Pease

Serpent by Clive Cussler - 3

He's always a great escape into an adventure novel.

Uglies by Scott Westerfield -2

I wrote a review here. Great ideas. Good writing. Horrible ending because it's so open waiting for the next in the series. END your books please, don't leave me hanging. There can be an open-ended hook, but end the story. I don't want to feel like I'm reading a chapter and now have to wait years to read the next chapter.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - 4

I wrote a review about this one here. I felt everything. I thought we didn't have any food in our pantry because the character's food supply was running out. The emotional impact of this book is incredible.

Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines - 3

Ran a little dry for me. Was a quick read but didn't get as deep as I was hoping for.

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher - 4
If you want to understand what it's like to be bullied as a teenager, read this book. If you did the bullying, read this book. But it's not for the faint of heart. It will make you hurt.

The Elephant Keeper by Christopher Nicholson - 3

Lovely novel.

You Wish by Mandy Hubbard - 3

Really great wit. Such dry humor. The characters were very real.

Clair de Lune by Christine Johnson - 3

Cool concepts.

Prada and Prejudice by Mandy Hubbard - 2

I was hoping for another like You Wish, but this one fell flat for me. It was a little too girly and silly.

Dreamfever by Karen Marie Moning - 4

My secret indulgence...these books are so fun.

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater - 4

She writes love so well. It's so natural. And the revelations in this book, wow! I absolutely can not wait for the last one.

That's the end of my 2010 reading list. I'm a little worried about next year as I've been reading a ton more. I'll figure something out!

Giveaway Winner and Books Read in 2010

Congratulations to Andrea for winning the Amazon gift certificate to celebrate 200 followers! Thanks to those who entered.

Another installment of books I read in 2010. We're getting down to the bottom of the pile. But still quite a few to go! I rate on a scale of 1-5.

The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides - 4

Definitely a book that will go down as literature to be read by future high school kids.

Julie and Julia by Julie Powell - 3

She's very witty. The movie was wonderfully done as well.

Letters from Africa Isak Dinesen

Heard of the movie Out of Africa? These were the actual letters written between Baroness Karen von Blixen-Fineke and her family. Sometimes a little boring (as normal life is) but enlightening.

The Help by Karen Stockett - 3

The story was nice, the dialect was horribly difficult to get into. I don't enjoy stories written in dialect, I try to correct the grammar as I read.

So You Don't Want to go to Church Anymore by Jake Colsen

Gave me some fresh ideas.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith - 2

I found it a bit trite. It was fun and all, but basically taking most of someone else's work word for word and adding in your own element...I don't know. It just didn't hit me right.

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater - 4

Very engaging writing and characters. Lovely stories. (Even if there is a lot of kissing :))

Northern Lights by Phillip Pullman - 3

I watched the movie first and was intrigued. The story was wonderful. I liked the movie as well, even though it ended differently.

The Vampire Diaries 1 by LJ Smith - 2

Fun and quick read. A little silly though. I like young adult, just needs to be believable and have some depth to it.

The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson - 3

I couldn't put it down...because I was scared half to death. The writing was good, but the story was gripping! The movie is awesome (the Swedish one). I'm worried the English remake will horribly ruin it.

Selected Stories by Alice Munro - 3

Every once in a while it's nice to read short stories. Hers are all a bit confusing, but good.

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - 3

I didn't know where she would go with this second book, but I liked it!

Reckless by Cornelia Funke - 3

A little high fantasy. It's like a breath of mountain air when high fantasy doesn't seem silly.

Grimms Fairy Tales by the Brothers Grimm - 4

I had to read these, I do live in Germany!

Night Probe by Clive Cussler - 3

I'm not much for adventures, but ever since I was given a stack of books with one of his, I like to read them here and there. Funky, fast, and definitely alluring.

Books Read in 2010

Another installment of what I read in 2010. I rate on a scale of 1-5.

The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark - 2

I was really hoping for more from this book. It takes an intriguing idea (an 18th-century apothecary obsessed with deformities) and just bored me. There was no meat; it was superficial.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - 2

I reviewed this book, just click here.

Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning -3

If you can get your hands on this series do it. So much fun. Sexy, adventurous, fantastical, and just plain hilarious. It's about faeries, and Dublin, and the world falling apart.

Treasure of Khan by Clive Cussler - 3

What can I say about Clive Cussler besides the fact that he's awesome?

A Place Called Here by Cecilia Ahern - 4

I really love the movie P.S. I Love You, but this was the first book by Cecilia Ahern I have read. ( She wrote P.S. I Love You.) It was exactly what I like. Literature with a little bit of magic thrown in. I wrote a review, click here.

The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood - 3

Again, literature and magic. My favorite mix. I wrote a review, click here.

Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning - 3

Read above.

Faefever by Karen Marie Moning - 3

Read above.

On the Fifth Day by AJ Hartley - 2

Honestly, I don't really remember it. I think it was good.

German Short Stories

Can't rate this. Just something I picked up at the library because I was interested.

Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver - 3

I didn't like the Poisonwood Bible, but was convinced to try Kingsolver's other books. I wrote a review on this one, click here.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer - 2

I wanted more. I did like how well connected it was to the other books. I wrote a review, click here.

That's it for today. I'll keep posting about the books I read in 2010. There are still 27 left. Next year is going to be hard to do like this. It's only April and I've already read 25 books. Sheesh.

Books Read in 2010

Starting with the first books I read this year and plowing through to the end. I won't bore you with the whole list at once. I rate on a scale of 1-5.

Graceling by Kristin Cashore - 3

Good but I don't quite remember it, so either it was a really fast read and I breezed through, or it was not significant enough for me to remember. I would reread it though.

Fire by Kristin Cashore - 3

I liked this one better. Now I can't wait for the third.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - 2

Strange. Good, but strange. Seemed to mix fantasy with literature...strange.

Zoe by Dirk Wittenborn - 2

About a model. Not my thing.

Dune by Frank Herbert - 4

My first experience of this. Wow.

Hopeful Monsters by Nicholas Mosley - 2

Long, long, interesting, but long.

Culture Smart Germany by Barry Tomalin - 4

Wonderful short snippet on how German culture works and why. Really helped me understand better.

The Other Hand by Chris Cleave - 3

Took a while to get interesting, but man is the end surprising.

Marie Antoinette The Journey by Antonia Fraser - 4

I love a history book that doesn't bore me.

Teach Yourself German

Can't really rate this. It probably shouldn't be included in my book count, but it is a book, and I read all the way through it!

The Last Chunk

The last chunk of books I read in 2009.

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon - 4

I absolutely love this series. Any writer who can hold my attention locked for 1000 pages and then seven subsequent books of the same size deserves cookies. She's got humor, action, romance, history, fantasy...all of it. This one was a little annoying just because of the cliff-hanger ending. The next one isn't even written yet!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - 5

Yes, a rare 5. I read this book in Germany. Let me tell you, I've read a lot of holocaust books but reading one while living here was unsettling. The narrator of this book is Death. It is a must read.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - 5

Anyone disagree with this number 5? Sadly, it was the first time I read it. But it will not be the last.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner - 2

This was greatly intriguing until the end. It felt like a cop out. Not the ending I was expecting, besides the fact that the book had me so scared and then ended like cotton candy, all fluff.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - 3

This one bored me. I kept wanting to scream at Fanny to stand up for herself, or just say something.

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - 3

Not nearly as good as the first one but worth the read. I didn't think the story could go any further, but she kept me hooked and wanting more.

Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit - 3

Cute. Better than the movie. Strong morals hidden inside.

1984 by George Orwell - 3

Political junk is usually too tedious for me, but I liked this one.

The Apple by Michel Faber - 2

Liked it, didn't love it. But you should still read it. He's wonderful with words, really paints pictures.

A Recipe for Bees by Gail Anderson-Dargatz - 2

Reminiscent of Alice Hoffman. A good story, not one I would read again.

The Dark Mirror by Juliet Marillier - 2

I had to push my way through this fantasy and another of her books. I was desperate for books when we first came to Germany. They were good, but not amazing.

Wolfskin by Juliet Marillier - 2

Artemis Fowl the Graphic Novel - 4

My first graphic novel and a great one. We found it hiding under a bed in our temp apartment.

A little disclaimer: these are all my opinion. I don't think I have the right to say whether these books should be best sellers or not. But if they are above a 3 I would highly recommend them to you. And even if they are a 2 or a 1, you should read them anyways just to broaden your horizons. Books open your mind.

It's a Book-Reading Sunday

More books from my 2009 reading list:

The Lady Elizabeth by Alison Weir - 3
Not as good as her straight history books, but this novel about Queen Elizabeth when she's a child and teenager is rich with color and history.

The Lost Art by Simon Morden - 2
Great idea, not so great execution. It's a sci-fi book.

Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris - 3.5
I won't quite give it a 4, but this book has stuck with me. Just your normal everyday novel, with a beautiful story.

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink - 3
Rather sexy with a turn you won't expect. I learned a lot about Germany after World War II that I didn't know. Did you know some of the Nazi's were put on trial for war crimes? I didn't until I read this. It's a tough concept to think about because weren't they just doing what their superiors told them to do?

Sleep, Pale Sister by Joanne Harris - 3
Great writing, but a story that was dragged out beyond it's point of interest. It's told from multiple points of view and has strange turns and twists like any gothic novel should.

The Big Fellow by Frank O'Connor - 2
To tell you the truth, I was so confused that I barely read this book. There were so many random names thrown in that I felt like to keep up I had to keep looking back, but I didn't have the energy to look back. I read this non-fiction with my book club so we could watch the movie with Liam Neeson, which made so much more sense than the book.

The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley - 4
Nothing will match her book Beauty, but this one was just as fantastical and amazing. It is a mix of four stories, two well known and two original. For anyone who likes reading about princesses, fairies, and magical frogs definitely pick up this book.

Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh - 2
If you want to discover who you are as a woman read this book.

The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley - 2
Another version of Robin Hood. I know she put a lot of research and time into this book, but it was just really slow for me.

Paper Butterfly by Dianne Wei Lang - 3
A mystery, not my norm. I listened to this one on tape with my sister on a road trip. Only problem was, we figured out the end before it happened. I like guessing at mysteries, but I don't like the ones that I actually solve.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - 2
I have to love classics, and after I saw the movie and it made me cry I had to read this one. But it wasn't as strong as the movie and fell flat for me. Makes me wonder if it would have been better if I had read it before the movie.

The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons - 4
I've never read a World War II book from the Russian side of things. It was a beautiful love story and had a lot of history that opened my eyes.

A little disclaimer: these are all my opinion. I don't think I have the right to say whether these books should be best sellers or not. But if they are above a 3 I would highly recommend them to you. And even if they are a 2 or a 1, you should read them anyways just to broaden your horizons. Books open your mind.

Read, Read, Read

The Language of God by Francis S Collins - 4
A very good book about the mix of God and science.

The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen by Syrie James - 3
I'm rating it a three just because I have a lot of respect for people who have the guts and the patience to take someone historical and write a fiction about them. It was good, but not on of my favorites.

The Six Wives of Henry the VIII by Alison Weir - 5
Yes, it was a five. An amazing history book that kept me enthralled through its entire bulk.

This Is Not Chick Lit Short Stories edited by Elizabeth Merrick - 2
They just weren't up my alley. But you might like them.

Who Switched Off My Brain by Dr. Caroline Leaf - 3
A how to on controlling anxiety and stress.

Truancy by Isamu Fukui - 4
Another prodigy writer, but he is very good. His world in this sci-fi was well thought out.

Here On Earth by Alice Hoffman - 3
I don't think there is a bad Alice Hoffman book out there.

Tristan and Iseult by Joseph Bedier - 4
You can never go wrong with classics. This one was beautiful. Basically another rendition of Romeo and Juliet, but better.

Business for Beginners byFrances McGuckin - ?
Another that I can't rate. Read it if you need to start a business.

Craft Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco - 3
I have to rate this one just because it was so wonderfully done. The design of the book alone is stunning. She hit a niche that is very big right now, and she did it well.

The Loon Feather by Iola Fuller - 3
Really great historical story about the Indian tribes in Michigan.

Hard Laughter by Anne Lamott - 4
This is one of my favorites by her. It's a fictional autobiography about a family and their lives when their father gets brain cancer. Her first novel.

A little disclaimer: these are all my opinion. I don't think I have the right to say whether these books should be best sellers or not. But if they are above a 3 I would highly recommend them to you. And even if they are a 2 or a 1, you should read them anyways just to broaden your horizons. Books open your mind.

Mehr Bücher - More Books

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott - 4
A classic for any writer or writer-wanna-be.

Brisingr by Christopher Paolini - 2
He's a good writer, but he made his trilogy into four books, and he tends to have ideas that sound just like other fantasy writers.

Business Plan in a Day by Rhonda Abrams - ?
I can't rate this book. It was very good, but it's not like I would recommend it unless you needed to write a business plan.

Colors of the Mountain by Da Chen - 3
I love learning about other cultures through a good story.

Confessions of a Pagan Nun by Kate Horsley - 3
Cultures through fiction, loving it.

Crooked Little Heart by Anne Lamott - 3
I got on a Lamott kick and the books got boring by the end of it, but she is such a good writer.

Innocent Traitor by Alison Weir - 4
If you want history books that aren't boring, read Alison Weir.

Paper Towns by John Green - 2
Very good, but exactly the same plot line as Looking for Alaska.

Rosie by Anne Lamott - 3
Part of the Lamott kick.

The Entrepreneurs guide to Writing Business Plans and Proposals by K. Dennis Chambers - ?
Again, if you really need it it was a big help.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows - 3
Wonderful book. If only the title had been better I would have picked it up a lot sooner.

A little disclaimer: these are all my opinion. I don't think I have the right to say whether these books should be best sellers or not. But if they are above a 3 I would highly recommend them to you. And even if they are a 2 or a 1, you should read them anyways just to broaden your horizons. Books open your mind.