thearlybirdy's Nest

Hi, my name is Birdy, and I’m 18 years old. This is my first time with a thread and joining the 75’er group. I saw Ellen’s nice introduction on her thread and decided I wanted to post my own. I enjoy listening to music, Marvel Superhero movies, all things bird, and of course, the reason we’re all here, books! I mostly enjoy fantasy, Manga and Graphic Novels, books my mother recommends, and, of late, classics. Also, for the past year or so I have become slightly* obsessed with fairy tales. For the most part I love books with magic, whether that is real magic with spells and mythical creatures or the magic the story gives you while you read. The kind of magic that you get from remembering some old memory and sharing it with others.

Books I’ve read in 2017:

My Rating System:
5 Stars = So Excellent I will read over and over again
4 1/2 Stars = Loved it, might even reread
4 Stars = Loved it, but probably won't read again
3 1/2 Stars = Better than average, would recommend to someone I thought wound enjoy it more
3 Stars = Good book
2 1/2 Stars = Decent Book, but wouldn't recommend
2 Stars = Disliked
Below that = Hated

1. The Word Treasury of Fairy Tales & Folklore - 5 Stars
2. The Thief - 4 1/2 Stars
3. The Inquisitor's Tale: Or The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog - 4 1/2 Stars
4. Ghachar Ghochar - 3 1/2 Stars
5. The Complete Fariy Tales of Oscar Wilde - 5 Stars
6. We are Legion We are Bob - 3 1/2 Stars
7. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - 4 Stars
8. The Book of Goddesses - 4 Stars
9.

This post is for the books that I read for our Pecan Paradisio book club, as of now it includes me my mom and my two sisters. We will be reading a book a month that we choose together. This post is purely for my own curiosity, but if you want to join in feel free.

The Books Selected for the Book Club:

January - The Thief
February - Ghachar Ghochar
March - The Hobbit
April -
May -
June -
July -
August -
September -
October -
November -
December -

I love manga and graphic novels. A few of my favorites are Inuyasha, Bride's Story, Witch Buster, and Fruits Basket.
Manga and Graphic Novels Read in 2017:

1. Captain America: The Korvac Saga
2. The Lightning Thief the Graphic Novel
3. The Seven Deadly Sins Volume 1
4. Dance in the Vampire Bund Volumes 1-3
5. The Devil is a Part-Timer Volume 3
6. Dance in the Vampire Bund Volumes 4-6
7. Chinese Myths
8. Roman Myths
9. Greek Myths
10. Egyptian Myths
11. Inuyasha Vol. 1-56
12. Bride's Story Vol. 8,6,7,1, and 2
13. Monstress Vol. 2
14. Fruits Basket Vol. 1-23
15. Magia the Ninth Volume 2
16. The Devil is a Part-Timer: High School! Volume 1
17. The Devil is a Part-Timer Vol. 4-9
18.

This is for my A Study of Fairy-Tales, Myths, Legends and Poems class, and since I’m homeschooled, and my mom is awesome, I have been allowed to make this a real class. It’s all independent studying, but I already feel like I’ve leaned a lot.
I have learned that the term “fairy-tales” was originally used to describe these stories because at the time fairies were viewed as creatures of whim or fancy much like the progression of these tales. A fairy tale can truly go in any direction at anytime without much or even any explanation at all. This, I suppose, is one of the many reasons why I like fairy tales.

Completed Fairytale Books :

1. The World Treasury of Fairy Tales and Folklore by Professor William Grey with Joanna Gilar and Rose Williamson - 5 stars
2. The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde - 5 Stars
3. Alice's Adventure's in Wonderland - 4 Stars
4. The Book of Goddesses - 4 Stars
5.

This is just for your enjoyment, and to say Happy New Year.

That's all I need; the next one's all yours.

By rights your Mom should kick things off, but if I am to get the honour of welcoming your first thread into being - it certainly is an honour. Look forward to keeping up with you in 2017



I am part of the group.
I love being part of the group.
I love the friendships bestowed upon my by dint of my membership of this wonderful fellowship.
I love that race and creed and gender and age and sexuality and nationality make absolutely no difference to our being a valued member of the group.

Thank you for also being part of the group.

Thank you Paul for stopping by. I'm very glad to be here.

Welcome Birdy! You did an excellent job setting up your thread - I love your topper!

Hi Birdy! Welcome to LT :-)

Welcome, Birdy, happy reading in 2017!

>9 thearlybirdy: Thank you so much Mom. I can't wait!

>11 susanj67: Thank you Susan for coming I'm very excited to be starting my own thread.

>12 FAMeulstee: Thanks for coming Anita

Welcome Birdy and Happy New Year. I can't wait to see what books you choose for your book group.

>16 BLBera: Thanks for coming Beth. I can't wait either. Last year we did:
Something Wicked This Way Comes for October
James Bond (you got to pick which one) for November (I choose Goldfinger)
and East for December but none of us finished that one because of the Christmas Madness. So that might be Januarys.

Welcome, Birdy!

It's great to have you on board the 75ers train :-)

>18 katiekrug: Thanks Katie I'm glad to be here I hope that I can read 75 books this year. If not I'll just have to find some creative way of cheating.

Hey Bird welcome to the group I love post six and your topper.

>20 GeezLouise: Thanks Rae, I'm quite fond of those images myself.

Hi Birdy! I love your introduction! And I love your family book club. I'll be looking to your thread to add a bit more magic to mine.

Happy New Year!

>22 streamsong: Awwe thank you so much Janet. I do hope my thread won't disappoint.

Hiya, Birdy! So great to have you join us. I love the Totoro and quote up top.

I'm a reader of fantasy and graphic novels, among other things, so I'll look forward to hearing what you're reading in '17.

Hi Birdy. Welcome! Have a *.

>24 jnwelch: Thank you so much, I'm a big fan of Hayao Miyazaki.

>25 BBGirl55: Thank you. Everyone is being so nice, I'm just glad to be here.

Happy New Year, Birdy, and welcome to the group!

>6 thearlybirdy: Love this post!

Hello, Birdy, and welcome to the group!!

I love the idea of your fairy tale course, and I can't wait to see what you read for it.

Happy New Year! (dropping a star)

Welcome! I think it's so cool that the Paradisio has its own book club! I have my own mother to thank for steering me towards what are now some of my favorite authors when I was in my teens.

>27 tymfos: Thank you, I love that picture to.

>28 scaifea: Thanks for coming, I'm excited to read more fairy-tales, and learn their history.

>29 ronincats: Thanks glad you came, and I like your star.

>30 cbl_tn: I always wanted to be a part of a book club; so you can imagine my excitement when mom suggested this. I tend to find all the books my mom suggests are winners too.

Welcome! It's great to have another Paradisio-ite among us!!

Birdy, I grew up before fantasy had really developed into a genre, and fairy tales were an important part of my reading. The Andrew Lang series, The Blue Fairy Book, The Red Fairy Book and so on were collections of classic fairy tales, probably a little bowdlerized from the original Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson stories. I still love fairy tale retellings--are you including any of those in your reading?

Welcome Birdy and Happy New Year!

Good morning everyone.

>32 drneutron: Thank you, I'm glad to be here.

>33 ronincats: Most of the fairy tale books I have right now are collections of many authors works. However, I just read at least one Andrew Lang story last night, The Snake Prince. Also, I hoping to add more to my collection, including The Red and Blue Fairy Books. One of my books Best-Loved Folktales of the World doesn't have the original authors names, so I might have read more then I realize. I will certainly look for more of Andrew Lang's works.

>34 DianaNL: Thank you, Happy New Year to you too.

Lang produced 12 books of fairy tales, all a different color. I have a 1921 hardback of the Blue Fairy Book in my library, but my childhood libraries only had 2 or 3 of his books available. LT has a listing under Andrew Lang's Fairy Books. Again, these were edited for children. Lots of info on Wikipedia here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lang's_Fairy_Books.
The most well-known volumes of the series are the twelve Fairy Books, each of which is distinguished by its own color. Although Lang did not collect any fairy tales himself from oral primary sources, only he and Madame d'Aulnoy (1651–1705) have collected tales from such a large variety of sources. These collections have been immensely influential; Lang gave many of the tales their first appearance in English. As acknowledged in the prefaces, although Lang himself made most of the selections, his wife and other translators did a large portion of the translating and retelling of the actual stories.
798 stories in the 12 books, quite a collection.

After you read the fairy tale about the one sister having jewels dropping out of her mouth when she speaks and her step-sister having snakes and toads doing the same, there is a simply wonderful re-imagining of that story in Toads and Diamonds by Heather Tomlinson that I would strongly recommend--so original and engaging.

>36 ronincats: Thanks for the info, eventually I'm hoping to own all 12 books. Also, I have read that story it's called The Fairies, and it's by Charles Perrault from France. I read another story about the same tale as well Sharper than a Serpent's Tongue by Christine Johnson. It was really good. So, I will definitely look into Toads and Diamonds.

Hello, Birdy! I'm a huge fan of Miyazaki as you know and will be watching Porco Rosso soon. (I've been watching them in production order.) I also love fantasy so if you ever want some recommendations, feel free to ask. You might also check out 1001 Fantasy Books You Must Read Before You Are Turned Into a Newt. Check the Tags. Be sure the top two have 47 votes (The Fellowship of the Ring and The Hobbit. If not, click on the Tag and it will change to highest vote order. It's something the Green Dragon group did a few years ago.

It's not really 1001 unless you count all the books in a trilogy/series, etc. though. It's actually 400-something. It was fun to help create but it really needs an update!

Alright I finished my first book of the new year. I'm so excited, my first review.

The World Treasury of Fairy Tales & Folklore by Professor William Grey with Joanna Gilar and Rose Williamson (Sorry Touchstone doesn't recognize the book).
This book contains 49 tales, from 23 different countries or people, from 29 different authors, spanning form the sixteenth century all the way to the twentieth century. Since it would take forever to go into all these tales I'm just going to chose my favorites. Though, I love everything about this book. It has the stories sorted by century, the authors names. It also tells you where the author was from. There is a small note after each story, to better understand the author or the story itself. Plus, it has some beautiful illustrations. This is perhaps one of the most beautiful books I will ever own.

Alright on to the stories: (It was very hard to choose just FYI)

1. Constantino Fortunato by Giovanni Francesco Straparola
This is the first version of what most people call Puss and Boots. In which three poor brothers mother dies and leaves them each one thing, the elder two get useful tools. The youngest (Constantino) gets his mothers cat. The elder two refuse to help their brother, and the cat, who is really a fairy in disguise, goes out to seek his young masters fortune. By doing as the cat tells him Constantino later becomes a king. I liked this tale because I have already read Puss and Boots, and it was cool to compare the two. In Puss and Boots the brother that inherits the cat considers eating the cat, but the cat over hearing this decides to help his master. Also, there is no mention of the cat being a fairy.

2. Fair Goldilocks by Madame D'Aulnoy
This story is not a version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. It is about a fair maiden (Goldilocks) who refuses all her suiters. She is a princess with a beautiful palace, who is so rich "There were diamonds lying in heaps as if they had been just stones." So, of course, a king from a neiboring land wishes to marry her. One thing leads to another and the king lets his friend, Avenant, try to get Goldilocks hand for him. Avenant goes and Goldilocks likes him so much she gives him three impossible tasks to complete, thinking they will kill him. For she still doesn't want to marry the king. Though his kindness to others Avenant completes all three tasks. By this time Goldilocks has fallen in love with Avenant, but true to her word she returns with him and marries his king. Later on the king becomes jealous of Avenant and accidentally kills himself. Then Goldilocks marries Avenant. (Obviously I'm leaving out a lot of the story here, but I just wanted you to know enough not to be lost by my review.)
I liked it because I hadn't heard it before; and I really liked Goldilocks. She had a large part in the tale. In a lot of the fairy tales like this one, that I've read, the beautiful princess just comes in at the end, to marry the "hero". I thought her tasks that she set were a smart way to avoid an unworthy suitor. I also admire that she kept her promise and married the king, even though she was in love with Avenant. Avenant is also one of my favorite heroes because everything he does is to help his friend. He is so loyal, he reminds me a little bit of my brother.

3. The Fairies by Charles Perrault
This story was mentioned above >36 ronincats: and >37 thearlybirdy:. So, I feel less of a need to rehash it. I mainly wanted to mention this tale because I like comparing it to the other version I read.
(Fun fact Charles Perrault wrote Puss in Boots)

4. Hansel and Gretel by The Brothers Grimm
I'm going to assume most of you know this story, even if you haven't read it. I did, and after I read it I was amazed. I didn't know what smart children Hansel and Gretel were. For instance I didn't know that the first time their parents try to leave them in the woods, Hansel suspects them and prepares by taking stones from their garden that glow at night. Thus, Hansel can lead Gretel and himself home again. Course the next time their mother locks them in their room, but it was a brilliant plan nonetheless.

5. The Firebird and Princess Vailissa by Alexander Afanasyew
I believe this is the best tale, so far, to accurately describe human idiocy. One man gets himself into so much trouble simply by picking up a feather, he was warned not to pick up. Course seeing no harm he does it anyway. Upon presenting the feather to his tsar, the tzar believes him capable of even greater feats. So he then must complete the tasks before him or be killed. I was laughing through most of this story because of this sad "hero". Honestly his horse does all the work.

6. Dinewan the Emu and Goomblegubbon the Bustard by Mrs. K. L. Parker
This is a different kind of fairy tale that I think would (or in my opinion is) a folktale. It explains why the Emu is a bird that cannot fly; and why the Bustard only ever lays two eggs. I actually had to look up what a emu was. According to the dictionary it is "a large flightless fast-running Australian bird resembling the ostrich, with shaggy gray or brown plumage, bare blue skin on the head and neck, and three-toed feet." I find the more tales I read like this the more fond I become of them. I choose this one because of it's trickery and intelligence. In this type of tale we are told the story of why something is the way it is. In this tale we are told that emu used to be able to fly, but was tricked into removing it's own wings. Thus, from that time on the emu could no longer fly. Something similar happens to the bustard.

7. The Touchstone by Robert Louis Stevenson
Alright my final pick. I picked this story because it doesn't have a happy ending. The story is about a two brothers, who fall in love with the same women. Her father says "for one thing I will give you my daughter, and that is the trial stone. For the light of that stone the seeming goes, and the being shows, and all things besides are worthless." It is a stone that shows the truth of things basically. So the younger beings him back a mirror which the maidens father accepts "there is no truth but the plain truth",and then the younger marries the girl. The older brother decided to go out into the world to search for the touchstone, and knows none of this. After years of searching he finally acquires the real touchstone and returns to claim his bride. Upon his arrival, he leans of what transpired. He looks at both his brother and the maiden through the touchstone and sees that his brother has no love and the girl is dead inside. He then leaves.
I liked how the touchstone of truth was found, and how the "real truth" was presented. The absents of a happy ending was different for this kind of tale. Usually the good are rewarded and the bad punished. However, in this story nobody really won.

Okay, now I feel slightly bad because of how long this post ended up becoming. I didn't know how else to review this kind of book. So, I'm sorry and congrats if you actually read it.
(Please feel free to comment if you think there is something you think I could do better I the future)

>38 Morphidae: Thanks for the suggestion, I'll look into it. I really liked Porco Rosso, I'm sure it won't disappoint.

>39 thearlybirdy: What a great first book of the year, Birdy! Very nice review. It's hard to do what you did, with so many stories.

Welcome and



nonalcoholic, of course!!! : )

I love your review, Birdy. I think it is witty and insightful - well done!

>41 jnwelch: Thank you so much. I probably spent about an hour on it, so I'm glad you thought it was good.

>42 Berly: Thanks for dropping by, you guys have been so nice to me.

>43 Crazymamie: Thanks Mom, I'm rather proud of it.

Fear not, around here we love the long reviews as long as we don't have to write them, and you did really well!

Oh, I almost forgot I wanted to post some illustrations form the book


This is the cat from Constantino Fortunate.

This is Hansel and Gretel.
These are probably my favorite pictures in the book.

>45 ronincats: Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. I can see why you don't like writing them.

Hi theearlybirdy! I hope all is well with you. This is my second year as a full time 75er. Mamie has been a great influence and very kind in welcoming me to the group. I will pay that forward. Welcome to the 75ers.

>48 brodiew2: Thanks for dropping by, I think paying it forward is a great sentiment. It's nice to meet you.

You did great on your first review! And the photos are beautiful. They alone make me want this book.

Birdy, I saw that you posted your review to the book's page, so I am giving it my thumb!

>50 Morphidae: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. The book is beautiful, and well worth owning.

>51 Crazymamie: Thanks Mom, this is the first real review I've done so I'm glad it turned out well.

Excellent review, Birdy! I am very partial to fairy tales myself, so will be following along.

Welcome to the group!

Aha, Birdy, you now have a hot review on the Home page. Congratulations!

>53 Matke: Thank you so much, I'm always glad to have another fairy tale lover here.

>54 ronincats: That's amazing, I'll have to check it out thanks for telling me.

Happy new year Birdy and welcome to the group!

>56 souloftherose: Thanks, I'm glad to be here.

Hi Birdy - welcome to the group!

Welcome to the group Birdy! Those are some lovely illustrations in >46 thearlybirdy:!

" all things bird" That is music to my ears, Birdy! I started doing serious "birding" this past year and I am now a convert.

Happy New Thread! It is so nice to have you join the Mighty 75. It is a very special place, with very special people. Of course, your Mom is one of them, one of my best LT pals.

Look forward to following your reading life in 2017!



^Dark-Eyed Junco. We have been getting these cute little guys at our feeders.

>39 thearlybirdy: What a fantastic review! I loved every word. Growing up I loved fairy tales and look forward to hearing about what you're reading this year!

Welcome to the 75er's, Birdy! You're going to love it here and I look forward to your reads this year.

>39 thearlybirdy: I'm deserving of your congrats Birdy because I did read your first LT review and I am jolly glad I did.

First of many I hope too - If you can keep people interested with your words don't worry about the length of the post. xx

Hi Birdy.

Have you come across the work of Madame d'Aulnoy? I don't think she's very easy to get hold of, but she published the first fairy tale ever to appear in France, and also a collection in the same year as Perrault. I've never read any of them, but she just popped up in a book I was reading, so she might be worth keeping an eye out for.

Good morning, everyone.
>58 SuziQoregon: >59 leahbird: >60 msf59: >61 Dianekeenoy: >62 Carmenere: >64 lunacat: Thanks for dropping by, it's great to have so many people visiting. I'm really glad to be joining the 75er group.

>60 msf59: I love the photo. I've never seen a Dark-Eyed Junco before.

>61 Dianekeenoy: Thanks, I was a bit nervous about doing my first review on such a, I guess, difficult* book. (* in terms of content) I'm excited about read all of these fairy tales.

>63 PaulCranswick: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Congrats again.

>64 lunacat: I think I've read two stories by her Fair Goldilocks and The White Cat, and loved them both. Fair Goldilocks I just reviewed it.(Silly me I didn't know Mme stood for Madame.) As for The White Cat, the book I read it in though doesn't have any of the authors names so, I can't be sure. Both of these tales have been among my favorites. So, I will keep an eye out for more of her work. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

Good morning, theearlybirdy! I hope all is well with you.

>66 brodiew2: I'm doing very well, thank you for asking.

Welcome Birdy!

>68 The_Hibernator: Thanks, and Happy New Year!!!

Good afternoon, Birdy, I hope you are having a nice day :-)

>70 FAMeulstee: I'm having a great day, thanks for asking.

Hi Birdy, what are you reading today?

Hi, Anita, good question. I have started many books that I am "currently" reading. Which are:

The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner
Best-Loved Folktales of the World by Joanna Cole
The complete collection of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (this one I stopped in the middle of last year, but I'm planning on returning to very soon.)
East by Edith Pattou

There might be something else, but I can't think of it right now.

And how are the kitties doing?

>73 thearlybirdy: Looks like you have enough to read, Birdy!
East has a beautiful cover.
I have never read Sherlock Holmes, I only started reading mysteries last year, but I will probably read them some day...

Happy first review! I did not mind the lengh. As it was well thought out and whity!

I'm so excited that your mom loved The Thief - how are you liking it?
And I'm currently making my way through The Complete Sherlock Holmes, too!

Hi Birdy, and welcome!

I love that you and your mom & sisters are having a book club and The Thief is your selection. It's one of my favorite book series ever. My mom doesn't read much anymore, but a couple years back she'd been coming to my book club at the library and we had some great conversations about what we were reading together.

That's so cool that you're getting to have a "fairy tales" class. I was homeschooled too and did a self-directed (mostly) course on fantasy in ninth grade. I read most of the assigned books over the summer (oops), except for one or two that my mom hid in her room so I wouldn't get at it. My "textbook" for the course was A Landscape with Dragons (though I seem to remember disagreeing with some of it, and I'd kind of like to go back and look at it now that I've read a LOT more fantasy) and I watched "Aladdin" as part of it too.

Anyway... welcome to the 75ers, and looking forward to following your 2017 reading!

Great first full week in the group as the newest representative of the Pecan Paradisio - at this rate that serene spot will have turned out more group members than Harvard has Presidents.

Have a great weekend.

Hey everyone, I wasn't expecting so many visitors. Thanks for dropping by.

>74 Morphidae: The kittens are doing just fine. I, for one, am enjoying their company greatly.

This is a picture of Mischef shortly after we got her.

>75 FAMeulstee: I'm really enjoying all the books I'm reading. I have already read both A Study in Scarlet and The Sign of Four. I read them last year, but I'm planning on getting back to Sherlock Holmes really soon here. If you do decide to read it I'm sure you'll like it. If nothing else the stories are short.

>76 BBGirl55: Thanks so much, I'm glad that so many people like it.

>77 scaifea: I'm liking The Thief so far. (Though to be honest I'm not that far into the book.) I'm hoping to read more of it tomorrow. Glad to hear someone else is reading Sherlock Holmes. How are you liking it?

>78 bell7: Thanks for dropping by, I'm sorry to hear about your mom. Though I'm glad you got to read with her. I love to read books with my mom. I was thrilled when my mom said I could do my own fairy tale study. It's be really fun so far, and I can't wait to learn more. That's cool that you got to do a fantasy course too. I'll have to look up A Landscape with Dragons. Thanks for welcoming me to the group.

>79 PaulCranswick: Hope you have a good weekend to Paul.

Mercy, two years ago I think? Before we had the kittens, anyway.
Wishing you all a Happy (book filled) Weekend!!!

>80 thearlybirdy: Adorable!

>81 thearlybirdy: oh, my mom's still around, just reading less. Nobody in my family reads *quite* as much as I do. Happy weekend and love the kitty pictures!

Hi Birdy! Your review is excellent. I'll go on over to the work page and give it a thumb. I haven't read a lot of fairy/folk tales or other "famous" stories, and I'm trying to remedy that. I know the basics, but only the kid-friendly versions rather than the originals. There are certainly some beautiful collections out there - far too nice for messy little kids!

>82 thearlybirdy: Hiding between the books, I guess she didn't want her picture taken?

>81 thearlybirdy: I'm really enjoying the Sherlock stories so far. I'm hoping that I can have the will-power to hold off watching the Cumberbatch series until after I finish the book...

I love that photo of Mercy on your books, Birdy! It always makes me laugh.

Good morning, Birdy!

Mamie said you saw 'Rogue One' yesterday. How did you like it?

Morning Birdy! Your mom mentioned that you and Rae had threads so I thought I would stop by an say hello! Happy new year!

Thumbsie from me for your review, too. Great Job!

When I was in high school, I did a quarter long independent study of the King Arthur legends. I loved it. I'll be interested to see where your fairy tale unit takes you.

Happy Sunday, Birdy!

Love the Mischief and Mercy photos. I'm looking forward to hearing what you thought of Rogue One, too. We might go this coming week.

>83 Morphidae: She really is, isn't she. I have fallen head over heels is love with this kitty.

>84 bell7: Glad to hear your mom is still with us. Hope you have a good weekend too.

>85 susanj67: Thanks I'm glad you liked the review, and are giving it a thumb. I've really enjoyed learning more about fairy tales myself. They're nice in the way that you can just pick them up and down. Usually I sit down to read one or two tales, and end up reading for an hour or two.

>86 FAMeulstee: That or she just loves books that much. Maybe she was trying to "sleep on them" to see what she could learn?

>87 scaifea: Glad your liking the Sherlock series too. If you do decide to break down and watch the TV series I don't think it will ruin anything for you. I have watched the first season, (and odd episodes from the other seasons) and have been fine. The show doesn't follow the same story lines as the books. It more refers back to them in "easter eggs".

(For anyone who doesn't know what an "easter egg" is at least in a film sense; it's when they put a hidden message into the film that only certain or observant viewers would get the true meaning of.)

>88 Crazymamie: Thanks Mom.

>90 ChelleBearss: Thanks for dropping by, and Happy New Year to you too.

>91 streamsong: Thanks for the thumb, Janet.

>89 brodiew2: I just want you to know, I didn't forget about you. Since both you and Joe (>93 thearlybirdy:) asked about Rogue One I decided to give a short review of it.
I really liked Rogue One. However I was disappointed that there was no Star Wars in big letters, no scrolling text, and about the lack of real Star Wars music. Aside from that I thought they did a great job. It ties in perfectly with the known Star Wars movies; and adds some great depth into the history of the rebels. In this movie you get to see, and know so much more about the rebels themselves. So I thought that, that was pretty cool. Though the characters weren't as likable as in the other films, I don't think they were suppose to be. The humor was great, spot on. There is only one thing in the movie I'm still questioning, but it was small. (I was the only one who caught it in are group.) I would mention it here but I'm afraid of spoilers. (It was really close to the end of the film, but like I said it's not a big thing.)
As a whole I feel they did a good job. I will certainly watch this movie again.

On a sadder note, when going to see the film, I lost my Fitbit. Still kicking myself. At least it was a pretty old model. Still I really liked that model, and I don't think they make it anymore. :(

Happy Sunday everyone.

This perfectly describes me.

>97 thearlybirdy: Birdy, you nut! You crack me up with those demotivational posters. Those who doubt your abilities are idiots - that's what my poster would say.

Thanks, Mom.

>97 thearlybirdy: - *snork!*

My kind of humor :)

Too bad about the Fitbit. On the other hand, the new Flex2 is waterproof so you can wear it in the pool and you can snap it into a pendant or a wristband of your choice.

I somehow unstarred you! What the heck? Hey, you are starred again, Birdy! Hope you had a good weekend and got a little reading in.

>100 katiekrug: Thanks, I love to look up demotivational posters so, I'm glad they're appreciated.

>101 ronincats: Yeah, I can't believe I lost it.

>102 msf59: I had a very good weekend, Mark. Though not much reading, (besides the threads) I did nap a bit. Thanks for starring me twice though.

Goodmorning Birdy, wishing you a good start of the week :-)

>97 thearlybirdy: *snork!!*

>97 thearlybirdy: I had to look twice at that poster before it registered. You got me!

Hello and welcome to the group, Birdy! I'm dropping off my star on your thread and I'm looking forward to following your reading in 2017.

>95 thearlybirdy: Thanks you for the mini review, Birdy. I appreciate you thoughts. I know a lot of people missed the opening crawl. I guess it a piece of the tradition to which I did not attach much importance. I didn't miss it that much. The music, however was a bit jarring and sounded, at times like a John Williams knock off. That didn't even bother me that much. The story telling and vivid re-immersion into the 1977 visual world of A New Hope was enough to put me in fan boy heaven. The action was fantastic and the entire Battle of Scarif, from the surface to space above, was movie magic.

I'm sorry to hear you lost your fit bit. Time for an upgrade. :-)

>104 FAMeulstee: Thanks, and the same to you, Anita.

>105 scaifea: Glad you liked it.

>106 Morphidae: I love posters like that!

>107 EBT1002: Thanks for coming, Ellen. The star is very nice too.

>108 brodiew2: I'm glad you liked my review, and the movie. I totally agree about the battle on Scarif. I would watch it again if just for that.

Happy Tuesday everyone!!!

Hi Birdy! Thank goodness Monday is out of the way :-)

Morning, Birdy!

Yay, another Calvin & Hobbes fan!

>110 thearlybirdy: - Heh.

>110 thearlybirdy: LOL!

Hi, Birdy! Hope the week is off to a good start for you!

Leading 'rookie' thread in terms of posts so far this year, Birdie. Always great to see a new face burning up the threads even though yours is a tad familiar because of your Mom! Your hair isn't still blue by the way?

This one is my favorite:

>111 susanj67: My thoughts exactly.

>112 Crazymamie: Evening, Mom.

>113 drneutron: I'm a huge Calvin and Hobbes fan, Jim. I will have to post more at a later date.

>114 katiekrug: >115 jnwelch: Thanks, I know a lot of LTers are gettting snow. So, I thought you guys would like it.

>116 msf59: Thanks, Mark. Besides catching the LT cold, I'm doing pretty well.

>117 PaulCranswick: Wow, I never would have hoped for "leading rookie", and no my hair isn't still blue. Though I certainly want to go back to it one day.

>118 Morphidae: I LOVE that one too, Morphy! The winter Calvin and Hobbes are always great. Thanks for sharing it.

Hi, Birdy! I love your kitty pictures. Very sorry about you losing your Fitbit.

My husband and I saw Rogue One over Christmas vacation. I liked your mini-review of it -- we would tend to agree with you.

Love C & H. Happy evening to you!

I'm very late to drop a star here Birdy, and see I have been missing all kinds of good stuff including Calvin and Hobbes. I managed to wash an iPod once, so I feel your pain about the fitbit.

I love that the Paradiso has a Bookclub - my mum and I tend to overlap on crime fiction, whereas my dad usually will pick up some of the non-fiction I'm reading.

Happy Friday, Birdy! Hope you are feeling better and getting ready for the weekend.

Good morning, Birdy!

Hiya, Birdy!

Happy Friday - hope all is going well.

>121 tymfos: Hi, Terri. I'm glad you like the pictures, and Rogue One.

>122 streamsong: I love Calvin and Hobbes too, Janet. Hope you have a good day.

>123 charl08: Thanks for dropping a star at all. Sorry about the iPod. I'm really excited about the bookclub too. I love to read books with my family.

>124 msf59: Hi, Mark. I am feeling better so, Yay! Hope you have a good weekend.

>125 drneutron: Morning, Jim.

>126 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. Happy Friday to you as well.

Happy Friday, Birdy! Glad to hear you're feeling better.

>128 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. Happy Friday to you too.

Birdy, my youngest daughter celebrates her thirteenth birthday tomorrow. I suggested she might like to go to the bookshop tomorrow but I think she has far more expensive plans for me!

Have a lovely weekend and I am pleased to see the Pecan Paradisio is getting back to normalcy health wise.

Yay, it's Saturday!!! The Falcons are playing today!!!

Wishing everyone a great weekend.

>130 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul. I hope you have a good weekend too. I Hope you have fun with your youngest daughter tomorrow. Thirteen is a big one, finally a teenager.

>131 thearlybirdy: *snerk* I love that one!

>133 drneutron: Thanks, Jim.

>131 thearlybirdy: Yeah, but disaster for who?!?

>135 Morphidae: I put my money on the eagle, but I have no doubt the cat could do some damage. Unless your talking about the Falcons vs. Seahawks game today, then we'll just have to wait and see.

Good morning, Birdy. We went to see Hidden Figures yesterday and it was excellent. Have you seen it?

>136 thearlybirdy: I didn't even know that major league football played on Saturdays!

>131 thearlybirdy: Nice one. Looking forward to hearing about the success of your Bookclub.

Hi, Birdy! I hope you're having a great weekend!

>131 thearlybirdy: LOL! I love it!

>138 Morphidae: It's playoff time, Morphy. And college football is done for the season. So Saturdays become pro football playoff days so the NFL playoff games don't have to compete with one another -- two games Saturday and two games Sunday.

Hi Birdy!

>131 thearlybirdy: my money is on the eagle as well. Go Seahawks!

Happy weekend, Birdy!

I'm guessing Brodie doesn't know you are a huge Falcons fan.

>137 ronincats: Hi, Roni. No, I haven't seen it yet, but I have looked at the trailer a couple of times. I'm glad you liked it.

>138 Morphidae: I think they only play on Saturday's during the playoffs.

>139 charl08: Thanks, so am I.

>140 tymfos: Thanks, I am having a great weekend it's 29-13 in the fourth quarter FALCONS!!!!!

>141 brodiew2: Hi, Brodie. Thanks for dropping by. I'm going to disregard your Seahawks comment.

>142 FAMeulstee: You have a good weekend too, Anita.

>143 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mom. Go Falcons!!!!

I'd echo Brodie's hearty "Go Seahawks!" except that they are playing badly. Oh well, it's a good thing there are more important things in life than football. Like college women's basketball! :-D
And books. :-)

>145 EBT1002: I'm sorry, Ellen. It's too bad your team had to lose for mine to win.

That being said I CANNOT believe the Falcons won!!!!! I'm thrilled we are still in the Playoffs!!!

Nice win by your Falcons, Birdy. They looked good!

So did the Vikings make it to the playoffs?

>147 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie. I'm still in shock that they won.

>148 Morphidae: No, the Vikings didn't make it to the playoffs.
If I'm remembering correctly the playoff teams were:
Falcons vs. Seahawks and Texans vs. Patriots (last nights games)
Packers vs. Cowboys and Steelers vs. Chiefs (tonights games)
So now the Falcons will play whomever wins the Packers/Cowboys game; and the Patriots will play the winner of the Steelers/Chiefs game.

Good summary, Birdy. I'm off to watch some of the Packers/Cowboys game right now.

What are you up to, lady? Reading anything good?

Hi Birdy. Happy Thursday!

Good morning!

>143 Crazymamie: No, but I gathered that she was not supporting the Hawks in the game last week. The truth is that the Falcons played better ball and beat up the Hawks defense. We could not find a way to stop them. Suffice to say, the Falcons are our post season nemeses. Enjoy the victory, Birdy.

Morning, Birdy! It still is morning here, albeit a rather rainy one.

Sorry, I missed a few days. I'm hoping to get back to other peoples threads very soon.

>150 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. That Packers/Cowboys game was really good. I'm glad the Packers won.

>151 Morphidae: I haven't been up to to much out of the ordinary. I have gotten some reading done, and I'm hoping to do more soon. I have been focusing on reading The Thief. I really like it.

>152 EBT1002: Hi, Ellen. Thanks and back at you.

>153 drneutron: Good evening, Jim.

>154 brodiew2: Thanks, I'm really excited that the Falcons have made it this far. They've only been to the Super Bowl once, and they lost to the Broncos. Though that was years ago.

>155 ronincats: Evening, Roni. I hope you had a good day.

I missed you, Birdy, glad to see you back.
Happy Friday!

^White Breasted Nuthatch. One of my favorite feeder visitors.

Morning Birdy! Happy Friday!

Morning, Birdy! It's Friday!

Oh, I love the Calvin & Hobbes strips you posted. Love, love, love C&H.

And who doesn't like fairy tales? One of my earlist "reading on my own" memories is reading a 500+ page copy of The Tales of teh Brothers Grimm. A non-censured version. It was amazing.

If you're into podcasts I highly recommend the Myths & Legends podcast. He regularly has episodes about the non-Disneyfied versions of famous fairy tales (The Little Mermaid, the Brothers Grimm tales, etc.)

>157 FAMeulstee: Morning, Anita. I'm glad to be back too. I finally got caught up on everyone's threads. Whew.

>158 msf59: Hi, Mark. I love the photo, I can see why you like the bird so much. It's very pretty.

>159 Crazymamie: Good Morning, Mom. I just came from your thread. I'm glad it's Friday. Hopefully it won't take too long to move Dad back into his office later today.

>160 PawsforThought: Hi, thanks for dropping by. I love Calvin and Hobbes too. I'm planning on reading the Brothers Grimm very soon, I got a beautiful annotated copy for my last birthday. I can't wait to read it. I don't think I've ever listened to a podcast before, but I will look into this one.

>161 thearlybirdy: I look forward to your thoughts on the Grimms. I'd really recommend reading the uncensored versions as they are the real versions. The censored ones are like watching an in-flight version of Die Hard 2 (not worth your time).
Never listened to a podcast? There are SO MANY good ones out there just waiting for you to find them! :)

>162 PawsforThought: I do believe my copy is uncensored, and I will certainly look into podcasts.

Hiya, Birdy. I hope you're setting up for a good weekend.

If you want an interesting companion to reading the Brothers Grimm, Shaun Tan, a very talented Australian illustrator, has a newish book called The Singing Bones. He takes an excerpt from each original Grimm story and illustrates it with a sculpture. I had some at the top of my last thread or so. And, at the end, he provides short 3 or 4 sentence summaries of each Grimm story.

>164 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I'll look up The Singing Bones, it sounds interesting. I hope you have a good weekend too.

Happy Saturday, Birdy! Have a great weekend. Hooray for Shaun Tan. He is one of my favorites.

Do you like retellings of fairy tales as well as fairy tales themselves?

The Grimms could really be grim as I recall. The fairy tales are much darker than I expected.

Have a lovely weekend, Birdy.

This is a bluebird in memory of the hue of your locks post a recent birthday - is it two or three years already?

>168 PaulCranswick: There is a fair amount of blood in them. They're really folk tales rather than fairy tales.

>166 msf59: Hi, Mark. You have a good weekend too.

>167 Morphidae: Yes, Morphy, I'm very fond of both. I always find it interesting how authors change the story. What they thought it needed, and what they drew importance to. That's one of the reasons I wanted to read the original tales, so I could get more out of the retellings.

>168 PaulCranswick: Yes, Paul, the Grimm's Fairy tales are a bit more violent then the disney versions. Though they're a lot of fairy tales like that. I hope you have a good weekend too, and it was three years ago because I got it for my 15th birthday.

>169 PawsforThought: What would you say the difference is between a fairy tale and a folk tales? I've been wondering about that for a while. I just kind assumed that a folk tale was more the stories about, how things came to be as they are; and fairy tales were the ones telling a tale of far off places, where anything can and will happen, at the drop of a hat. Either way I would be curious to hear how you classify them.

It's been raining all day.

>170 thearlybirdy: Hmm, I don't think I have a straight-up definition of fairy tale vs. folk tale. Fairy tales are sort of a sub-genre of folk tales so obviously a lot of things in common. I tend to see fairy tales as more for children and with more supernatural beings (fairies, elves, trolls, talking animals, etc.) but I wouldn't automatically count something as a fairy tales just because there is an elf in there. There's also a bit of an instructive part in fairy tales, similar to fables, that can often be summed up as "be good and it'll work out". I'm not sure all fairy tales have that but I'd argue they far more likely to than folktales in general.
It's a very interesting topic, and I'm pretty sure even scholars on the subject can't agree on where the lines go.

Hi Birdy! Falcons are looking really good. I think I watched this game last week. ;-) Go Falcons!

>170 thearlybirdy: My favorite retelling is of Beauty and the Beast set in early 1900s San Fransisco - The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey. Have you read it?

>172 PawsforThought: From what I understand after a bit of research, folklore is the overreaching word that encompasses ALL oral stories including fairytales. But it also includes stories like Johnny Appleseed, Paul Bunyan, limericks, sea shantys, jokes, superstitions, urban legends, and the like.

Hi Birdy - Love that in >171 thearlybirdy:

It reminds me of the e e cummings poem "anyone lived in a pretty how town ." It's been one of my favorites ever since high school when I first read it in class. anyone "danced his didn'ts and sang his did". I must do more dancing about my didn't's and letting the thunder overtake me. :-)

>174 Morphidae: There's a difference between folklore and folk tales, though, isn't there? I'd say folklore is more general beliefs and such (like that trolls can snatch babies and stuff like that) whereas folktales are specific stories.

>176 PawsforThought: All a folk tale is is a story passed on by mouth - which is what folklore is. A fairy tale is a specific type of folklore or folk tale which involves magic or magical creatures. A troll can be in a fairy tale or in a regular folk tale. It's hard to determine which is which except at a scholarly level (which I'm not at.) It has to do with how it is passed on, where it's passed on, and the structure of the story. Your best bet is to Google it and look at more scholarly sites. Wiki is a good starting point (especially Folklore) but other than some basic definitions and characterizations I found it confusing. And I don't want to know about it much more to go into scholarly sites.

>177 Morphidae: I don't agree with that statement. But that's okay, we can disagree.

>178 PawsforThought: Deleted because I was being snarky. Sorry.

>171 thearlybirdy: Like!
Did the rain stop eventually, Birdy?

>172 PawsforThought: Thank you for you opinion on the matter. I'm sure there are a lot of different definitions for this kind of thing. I also think it is probably a fine line between the two.

>173 brodiew2: I'm so thrilled the Falcons won. We're going to the SUPER BOWL!!!!!

>174 Morphidae: I have not read The Fire Rose, but I just added it to my list.
Thank you, for putting in your two cents on the matter. That does sound like a good way of defining the word, and one I wouldn't have thought of.

>175 streamsong: Thank you. I thought it was a cool poem too. I'll have to look up "anyone lived in a pretty how town".
I must do more dancing about my didn't's and and letting the thunder overtake me
I could do more of that myself, and I love the sentiment.

>176 PawsforThought: + >177 Morphidae: Thank you for your opinions, thoughts, and all the efforts you went to.

>180 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. The rain did stop, but it is still very wet. Our neighbor's yard looks like a pond.

Hurrah for the Falcons!!

>183 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. I'm so excited.

Morning, Birdy! Go Falcons! They played very well.

Happy Monday morning from Malaysia's Monday evening.

Happy Monday, Birdy!

Congrats on the Falcons win, Birdy. Super Bowl! Very exciting.

>177 Morphidae: You've pretty much got it, Morphy: Folk tales are all sort of stories that are passed down in an oral tradition; fairy tales are essentially a sub-genre involving, well, the faerie folk, witches, ogres...

I love that you're studying fairy tales - they're fascinating, aren't they? Did you know that the trope of the evil step-mother has its background in the fact that so many women died in childbirth at an early age and the husbands would re-marry and have more children with the new wife, who would, of course, generally want her own children to inherit the family stuff and so tended not to act terribly favorably toward the children from the first wife...

At some point I highly recommend that you read Neil Gaimans Instructions. Once you have a bunch of fairy tales under your belt, I think you'll really appreciate it.

Happy Monday Birdy

Go Falcons!!

Although I was kind of disappointed in both games yesterday because they were such blowouts that they were both rather boring. Usually the conference championship games are exciting games.

Hi, Birdy. Your Falcons looked so good yesterday; I am really hoping they can take out the Patriots.

>185 msf59: Thanks, Mark, I'm glad they're having such a good year. Also, I love the photo.

>186 PaulCranswick: Happy Monday, to you too, Paul.

>187 FAMeulstee: Back at you, Anita.

>188 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe, I just hope they play a good game at the Super Bowl.

>189 scaifea: Thanks, for coming by. I am fascinated by fairy tales and how their written. I like you can have the same stories told 7 different ways depending on the country and author; but still have the entire story take up only 12 pages. I find that amazing. I didn't know that about the evil step-mother persona, but it does make sense. I'll look into Neil Gaiman's Instructions. Thanks for all the information.

>190 SuziQoregon: Thanks, I'm so happy the Falcons won. I hope you have a good week.

>191 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. I really want the Falcons to win. I'm glad the Falcons are doing so well.

Morning, Birdy! Enjoy your day!

I started the Andersen fairytales last year, Birdy, I will read some more soon.

Happy Tuesday, Birdy. I heard about poor Barnum from your mom. I hope things otherwise are going okay for you.

Have a great day, Birdy!

>194 msf59: Morning, Mark. Though it's now a different morning. Good morning all the same.

>195 FAMeulstee: That's great, Anita. I haven't read all of Anderson's tales yet, but I'm planning to this year. I hope you like them.

>196 jnwelch: Hi, Joe. We were all really worried about Barnum, but he's doing a lot better now. Otherwise things are going pretty well. Hopefully by typing that I haven't invited something else to go wrong. *Knocks on wood.

>197 brodiew2: I hope you have a great day too.

Good morning, Birdy, happy Thursday :-)

>199 FAMeulstee: Hey, Anita. Sorry it took so long for me to get back to you. I decided to take a few days off from LT. I hope you had a good Thursday, and have a good weekend.

Hey, Birdy, a week to go. Hope practice is going well for the Falcons! My Jayhawks just beat Kentucky in college basketball (that's a really big deal, in case you didn't know)!!

>201 ronincats: I know, Roni, I hope they do well. I'm happy for your Jayhawks.

Happy Sunday, Birdy. Hope it's a good one for you.

Heard there's been a lot of cleaning out your way. How are the kitties doing with that? Barnum getting around okay?

>203 jnwelch: Hey, Joe, thanks for dropping by. I hope you have a good week.

>204 Morphidae: Morning, Morphy. We have been been doing a lot of cleaning. Though it will be nice when it's all done. The kittens are doing fine. Barnum seems to be doing better. He's walking around more, and whining less.

The first one is Mischief, and the second is Mayhem.
I thought you guys might like to see some more recent photos.

Such cute kitties! Mischief looks quite comfortable there!

LOL. What is Mischief doing? Hugging a rug?

>206 thearlybirdy: Awwww! Lovely kitties!

>203 jnwelch: Hey, Joe. I hope you have a good week. I did have a good Sunday.

>204 Morphidae: Morning, Morphy. We have been doing a lot of cleaning. It should be really nice when it's done though. The kittens are doing fine, and by fine I mean dashing out of the room where the vacuum is running. Besides that they've been up to their usual antics. Barnum seems to be doing better. He's walking a bit more, and whining less.

On the reading front I managed to finish three GNs over the weekend. (All from the library.)

Captain America: The Korvac Saga
In this comic, Captain America is thrown into the 30th century, and must fight along side it's heroes to defeat a new enemy, and return home.
This was very short, but a good story all the same. Decent art.

The Lightning Thief: the Graphic Novel
Percy Jackson discovers that he is the son of a God. Worse he is accused of stealing Zeus's legendary master lightning bolt. Now he has ten days to find the real thief, and return the lighting bolt to clear his name.
I have not read the actual book of this, but the graphic novel was pretty good. The art was okay, though I think I would have liked it as much had I read the book,book version.

The Seven Deadly Sins: Volume 1
This is a story set in the land of Britannia. The third princess of Liones has set out to gather together The Seven Deadly Sins.
"The Seven Deadly Sins were the kingdom's strongest and most menacing chivalric order made up of seven savage criminals who bore the mark of seven beasts on their bodies. Ten years ago, they were suspected of plotting to overthrow the kingdom and suffered a full attack by all the Holy Knights in the kingdom. After that, they scattered and were dispersed."
Elizabeth (the princess) wishes to gather the Sins to over-throw the Holy Knights who are now plotting to start a war.
I really enjoyed this one. I've watched the TV show on Netflix, and I loved it. Thats the main reason I picked this up. There were only small differences between the two. I might have to invest in this series. (Netflix has only made one season so far, and I want to know what happens next.) Also it had good art work, so that was a plus. I'll have to keep an eye out for the other volumes.

Mischief

and Mayhem
I thought you'd all enjoy some updated kitty photos.

>211 thearlybirdy: Oh, they are growing up!

>212 ronincats: Yes, they are Roni, but their still adorable. (I reserve the right to be biased.)

Great photos of Mischief and Mayhem, Birdy. Did you take those?

>214 jnwelch: Thanks, and yes I did, Joe. I took them on my phone, and I was rather pleased with how they turned out. I need to get back over to your thread. I'll have to catch back up. I'm waaaaay behind.

>215 thearlybirdy: Nice job!

The kittens are really growing!

Hi, Birdy! I see there is plenty of Mischief & Mayhem still going on here. Carry on...

>216 jnwelch: Thanks again, Joe.

>217 drneutron: Yes they are, Jim.

>218 msf59: Always, Mark, always.

Okay, mom pointed out that I managed to post my photos twice. >205 thearlybirdy: +>206 thearlybirdy:, >210 thearlybirdy: >211 thearlybirdy:. Perhaps my thread is rebelling against me, I don't know. I posted >205 thearlybirdy:+>206 thearlybirdy:, and when I returned later they were gone. So I thought there was some kind of glitch, and it deleted my posts. I rewrote them >210 thearlybirdy:+>211 thearlybirdy:, and now there back. Figures.

They are so adorable that no one minds seeing them twice, Birdy!!

>221 ronincats: Thanks, Roni.

Hello Birdy!

>210 thearlybirdy: The 30th Century? In DC, that is the time of the Legion of Superheroes. Are you familiar with them? Sorry, I left Cap out. It would be interesting to crossover in which Cap is the inspiration for the Legion rather than Superboy.

>211 thearlybirdy: Cute cats, Mischief and Mayhem. I love how cats can stretch themselves.

>220 thearlybirdy: Never enough kitty pictures, Birdy, better twice than none at all!

>223 brodiew2: Hi!
The Legion of Superheroes is cool, and that would be an interesting twist/crossover. Though it probably won't ever happen seeing as the Legion is DC and Cap is Marvel. Still it's fun to think about isn't it?

I love how cats stretch themselves too.

> 224 Hey, Anita. I suppose your right about that.

I finished a book yesterday, which I will review later, once my computer is charged.

Hi Birdy! The kittens look very cute :-) LT does sometimes do strange things with the posts, despite our best efforts.

Morning Birdy! Sweet Thursday! Hope you are having a great week.

Happy Thursday, Birdy!

>226 susanj67: Morning, Susan. Thanks, I was shocked to see my posts come back.

>227 msf59: Morning, Mark. I hope you have a great week too.

>228 FAMeulstee: Hi, Anita. It should be, it's Abby's birthday today!!!

>299 Happy Birthday to your sister, Birdy, I have my birthday tomorrow.

>230 FAMeulstee: Thanks, thats great that your birthday's tomorrow.

Evening, Birdy!

Hi, Birdy! I'm way too far behind to properly catch up with your thread, but I did see those adorable kitties! Great photos!

>232 katiekrug: Hey, Katie. I hope you have a good weekend.

>233 tymfos: Hi, Terri! Don't worry about keeping up with my thread. I really don't mind lurkers or drive by's. I'm quite fond of the kittens too. Thanks.

Happy Friday, Birdy!

Any plans for the weekend?

>235 jnwelch: Hey, Joe. The only plans we have are to watch the Super-Bowl tomorrow.

>236 thearlybirdy: We'll be doing the same, Birdy. My wife likes to watch the expensive commercials. :-)

Are you all rooting for the Falcons, now that you're Georgians?

Morning, Birdy! Happy Sunday! How are those current reads coming?

Go Falcons!!

>237 jnwelch: I like the commercials too. Yes, we will all be rooting for the Falcons.

>238 msf59: Afternoon, Mark. I finished The Inquisitor's Tale a few days ago. It was really good. I need to post my review.

GO FALCONS!!!

(Personally I'm hoping the Falcons CRUSH the Patriots.)

GO FALCONS!!!

>241 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mom. Your support is always welcome.

Am I too late, or just in time to say "Go Falcons!"?

>240 thearlybirdy: I love it! Go Falcons!

>243 FAMeulstee: You're not too late, Anita.

>244 drneutron: Thanks, Jim. The support is great.

Go Falcons! I didn't want to miss throwing my support to you before the game, Birdy.

Good start so far! Go Falcons!

Looking good at the moment. Keep it up, Falcons!!

As the Tenth Doctor would say: 'I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.'

That sucked.

Big Time.

:(

:-(((

>246 brodiew2: Thanks, the support was very welcome.

>247 katiekrug: They did have a good first half.

>248 ronincats: Unfortunately, they didn't listen to you.

>249 brodiew2: Thanks, I'm sad that the Falcons didn't win. That did suck.

>249 brodiew2: >250 katiekrug: I full heartedly agree.

Still, Falcons played some pretty good football!

Yeah, it was great game. Sorry your Falcons didn't pull it out, Birdy, but it certainly was one of the most exciting, well-played Super Bowls in a long time.

I am sorry Birdy :-(

Hi Birdy! I am NOT talking about the game (I was so disappointed!) but I love the pictures of Mischief and Mayhem. They are so adorable and I love them when they're at that gangly age.

>253 drneutron: That is true, Jim. I'm glad that they put up a good fight.

>254 jnwelch: It was a good game it kept us guessing till the very end. I agree that it was one of the better Super-Bowls we've had in a long time.

>255 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita.

>256 EBT1002: I feel the same way, Ellen. The kittens are at a pretty cute stage right now.

Good for you, Birdy!

:D

>259 Crazymamie: Thanks, mom.

>260 drneutron: ;-)

Sorry I haven't been on lately guys. I've just been really busy. I hope you are all doing well. I will try to at least be better about my own thread.

>261 thearlybirdy: What has kept you so busy, Birdy?

Happy Sunday!

Happy Sunday, Birdy!

Good morning, Birdy!

How is Mayhem doing, Birdy? Any luck keeping him "quiet"?

>262 DianaNL: Thanks.

>263 FAMeulstee: Hey, Anita. A lot of things, in addition to our normal days, we've been cleaning room by room (reorganizing, rearranging, and just totally cleaning). I also decided at this time I wanted to completely clean and reorganize my room too. Then Mayhem got surgery, and my room is the best room for him to stay in so I had to "move out" and move in to my sister's room. Aside from that mom is sick and her knee is giving her a lot of pain. So all in all it's just been a bit busy around here.

>264 jnwelch: Hi, Joe.

>265 streamsong: Hey, Janet, good morning to you too. Granted this is a different morning.

>266 ronincats: Hi, Roni. Mayhem is doing rather well, all things considering. I don't think he knows the word "quite" but he hasn't been bad. Still, he will be very excited when he can leave my room on Friday.

On the reading front I have managed to finish Ghachar Ghochar, which we decided will be our book for February, and a manga.

Morning Birdy! Happy Wednesday! Sorry, to hear your Mom isn't feeling well. We miss her. Congrats on finishing Ghachar Ghochar. How was it?

The Inquisitor's Tale or Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz - 4 1/2 Stars

This is an amazing tale loosely based on historic events and characters. It's a story about three magical children and their holy dog. This tale is told not by one narrator, but by many *possibly drunk* tavern goers. All of whom are happy to share their part of the tale to an inquisitive stranger. As long as the ale keeps coming. What terrible crime could three children and one dog have possibly committed to have their King declare war upon them? Listen to their story and you might just find out.

There were so many things I loved about this book. The way the story was told, the in depth characters, and the honesty of it. How it portrays, that everyone is coming from somewhere. Some people you believe to be your friends may in fact be your enemy; and your enemies, at times, may be the only friends you have. How you treat, and perceive people, and their religions differently depending on how you are raised. This book tells a wonderful story. I read the entire thing in one day, (which for me is rare) and I could barely put it down. It had just the right amount of humor, sincerity, and curiosity about what was going to happen next for me.

"Inside her, great castles of comprehension, models of the world as she had known it, shivered. She could not decide whether to let them crumble or to try desperately to save them."

"Sometimes, it turns out, the most important decisions in life are made by your dog."

A lovely review, Birdy! And I really like the quotes you chose. Thumb from me if you posted that.

I just posted it mom, thanks for reminding me to do that.

I added my thumb!

>269 thearlybirdy: I've seen that one around on the threads, but it was your review that just made me add it to my wishlist, Birdy.

>272 Crazymamie: Thanks, Mom.

>273 ronincats: Thanks, Roni. I'm glad you liked the review. I'm sure you'll like the book.

Good review of The Inquisitor's Tale, Birdy. Thumb from me, too. Thanks for the tip - I've added it to the WL.

>269 thearlybirdy: Good review, Birdy, thumbed it.

Sometimes, it turns out, the most important decisions in life are made by your dog.
Yes, for me that is true!

>269 thearlybirdy: What an excellent review, Birdy! I'm giving it another thumb.

Happy Hump Day!

>275 jnwelch: Thanks, Joe. I'm glad you liked it.

>276 FAMeulstee: Thanks, Anita. I feel the same way about my dog.

>277 EBT1002: Thanks, Ellen. Happy Hump Day to you too.

Birdy--So, even though I left you a glass of fizzy way up top, apparently I forgot to star your thread!! Found you again. And I'll try to stay caught up now. ; )

>279 Berly: No worries. Thanks for the star.

>281 thearlybirdy: HA! That reminds me of Mercy!

>282 Crazymamie: You're right!!! Mercy always thinks she in stealth mode, even if in reality, only the top of her head is covered.

>281 thearlybirdy: Very like one of our cats! The others are all fairly proficient but I don't think he's ever managed to catch or pounce on a single thing. He's just too thick. Thanks for the smile.

>281 thearlybirdy: LOL. Very funny. And I am still caught up!! Happy Thursday.

>284 lunacat: I'm always glad to bring a smile.

>281 thearlybirdy: Happy Thursday to you too. I'm glad I could bring a laugh. (I know the feeling of being behind thread wise.)

>281 thearlybirdy: You got a snort of laughter out of me.

>287 Morphidae: Excellent.

>281 thearlybirdy: Made me laugh out loud with that one, Birdy!

>281 thearlybirdy: *snork!* Poor, Miles. You keep trying, fella!

>289 EBT1002: I was hoping to get a few people laughing.

>290 scaifea: Something tells me he already thinks he's hidden. Maybe it's that look in his eye.

Good morning, Birdy!
>281 thearlybirdy: Miles made me laugh too.

>292 FAMeulstee: Morning, Anita! Miles is very funny.

It's Friday!!

>294 Berly: I love that image! I'm also VERY happy it's Friday!