Holiday Classics Corner: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum; A Very Pagan Holiday Reading Tradition

Holiday Classics Corner: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum; A Very Pagan Holiday Reading Tradition

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Every Holiday, we all have traditions we do every year or it just doesn't seem right. There are those favorite decorations that we put up in the same places. The movie or cartoon special we watch every year even though we know the words by heart. Maybe that favorite place we go filled with lights, songs, and familiar characters that was cute when we were younger and is now a little embarrassing but by God that inner child still has fun and at least for a few minutes still believes. Well, I have favorite holiday traditions too. Favorite reading traditions. There are two books that I read every year without fail.

This is favorite Holiday Reading Tradition #1: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum. While Baum’s OZ books take the lion's share of credit for Baum's brilliant and original journeys into a fantasy world, his not-as-well known book, Life and Adventures of Santa Claus also deserves that distinction as well. (See my previous entry Forgotten Favorites: The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks about the difficulties when one book or series by an author is so well known that their other works, which are often equal or better in quality, are overlooked.) The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus offers rich details to the Santa Claus Story but most importantly delivers a unique pantheon that hovers close to Pagan deities and concepts, so close that many Pagans have claimed this work as their Yule tradition. (It is to many Wiccans what A Charlie Brown Christmas is to many Christians. It explains Pagan beliefs in a way that is informative and engaging and shows what the Holidays are about without being too maudlin or preachy.)


The opening describes a ritual in which The Great Ak, the Master Woodsman of the World and his companion Queen Zurline, the Fairy Queen, in which they drink from the same Golden Chalice. This ritual resembles the Great Rite in which the Goddess and God drink from a Chalice to show their sexual intimacy. Not to mention the Great Ak's horned helmet, long beard, mastery over the forests, leadership of the Immortals, and home in the Forest of Burzee is intentionally similar to various Pagan gods like Cernunnos, the Celtic god of the Woods and Odin, the King of the Norse gods and God of Wisdom. The beautiful Queen Zurline guards the Fairies similar to Danu, the Celtic Mother Goddess (whose Fairies are called Tuatha de Danann, Children of Danu.) Like Odin’s wife, Frigg, Zurline influences the sterner Great Ak with a gentle reprimand. The two share a duality as leaders as many who follow Wicca honor the God and Goddess equally.


While it is uncertain how familiar Baum was with Paganism and the organized tradition of Wicca was not officially established until Gerald Gardner brought it to light in the 1930’s and ‘40’s. (It wasn't made an official religion in the U.K. until after laws against witchcraft were repealed in 1951 and then didn't enter the U.S. in large doses until the 1960’s with the Hippie and New Age movements.) Gardner claimed he learned the tradition from an older woman and many of the Celtic, Norse, Native American, and Greco-Roman myths were familiar to many, including Baum, throughout the 19th and 20th century. Many thinkers and authors such as Henry David Thoreau and the Romantic poets wrote of these legends as well as a deep connection to nature through books and poetry in ways that were reverent and almost worshipful.

Baum was also known to be a strong supporter of women's suffrage as his mother-in-law was an ardent suffragist. Keep in mind the major heroes and leaders in his OZ books are all female such as Dorothy, The Witches notably Glinda the Good, and Ozma, ruler of OZ and are proven to be strong, courageous, and capable. (While many of the male characters are often found wanting like the Wizard who starts out as a con artist or Dorothy's friends who believe they lack a heart, brain, and courage but in reality lack self-esteem and awareness they already have those things.) So it's not out of the realm of possibility for Baum to become familiar with what would later be identified as Wicca in an early form and certainly believable that he might have conceived of writing about a world that was receptive to Pagan philosophies without his being aware of it.


One of the strongest Pagan concepts the Baum book explores is the concept of pantheism, that spirits reside in all of nature. Besides the Great Ak and Queen Zurline, there is Kern, the Master Husbandman of the World who oversees grain, farmlands, and domesticated creatures, Bo, Master Mariner of the World, who cares for the Seas, the Queen of the Water Sprites, the King of the Sleep Fays, the Gnome King, King of the Sound Imps, the King of the Wind Demons, King of the Light Fays, Peter Knook, King of the Knooks, Guardians of the Animals, and the King of the Ryls, Guardians of Flowers. Each spirit has their function and aid the world in their many tasks. The equally excellent 1986 Rankin-Bass special (which incidentally was the duo's final stop motion animated holiday special) presents an indelible image during the opening when the various Immortals arrive beautifully individualized to the haunting song, “Ora e Sempre (Immortality).” The song reflects the life of an immortal, never aging or changing “'til the last trumpet sounds/On the first crack of doom.”

The link between the Immortal Spirit World and the Mortal Human World is provided by Santa Claus, who like many heroes in myths and legends is led by the Immortals who act as Spirit Guides. His connections with Immortal magic turn Claus from ordinary human to folk hero.

Baum takes the folk hero of Santa Claus and gives him a back story rich in detail and explanation.
Baum tells of the figure’s birth and abandonment in the Forest of Burzee, a magical forest filled with sentient creatures and immortal beings. The infant is found by the Great Ak but is nurtured by Necile, a lovely nymph who is bored by an immortal life of little emotion. While Necile technically breaks the Great Ak's Law that Mortal Humans Are Not Allowed to Remain in Burzee, he relents and lets Necile raise the infant. (His name Claus, short for Neclaus, means “Necile's Little One.”) A moving passage illustrates how beautiful this book is describing a magical world that is fully aware of the darkness in the real world. It shows how difficult it is for Immortals and Mortals to coexist. The Ak and Necile sadly recall how Claus’ feelings for Necile will change the older he gets and she doesn't get. Claus thinks of Necile as a mother as an infant, then a sister as a youth, then a daughter as an adult, then a granddaughter as a senior all while Necile never ages.

As a child, Claus is sheltered by Necile and the Immortals in relative peace and ignorance. However, The Great Ak is aware that Claus is not filling his potential as a mortal. So he tells him the truth and shows him the human world of poverty, illness, war, mercantilism, and eventual death.

Claus is moved particularly when he sees the faces of children prematurely aged by poverty. So he decides to settle in the Laughing Valley of Hohaho (Ho Ho Ho, get it?) and make his life’s mission to make children happy. As Joseph Campbell showed us, The Great Ak takes Claus down a Road of Trials in the Mortal World where he receives his Call to Adventure to make children happy and become the generous gift giver of Legend.

All of the details of the Santa Claus Mythos are present and are provided with imaginative explanations on how they began. The first toy Claus makes is a wooden figure based on his pet cat, Blinkie (and were colored by the Ryls, this book's answer to the Elves). After he gives the toy cat to Weekum, a little boy, he delivers toy cats to other children seeing how happy the toys made them feel. Like many budding entrepreneurs, Claus also learns to diversify his brand by creating other toys such as a doll based on Necile for Bessie Blithesome, a rich lord's daughter (proving the ideal that children are children whether they live “in a cottage or a palace”) and a baby doll for Mayrie, a nervous poor girl who accidentally breaks the toy cat Claus gave her.


Other details are given brilliant attention and explanation. The reindeer? Provided by Peter Knook who also gives Claus magic acorns to make the reindeer fly. (But only on Christmas Eve which is for the good becauses as Claus’ fame spreads to all children, desires for his toys increase as well.) The stockings? They are “hung by the chimney with care” by four children who dry their wet and cold clothes. Claus realizes what a time saver it is and the children share that secret with others. The tree? Claus sets a tree freshly decorated with candles and ornaments for a group of poor children who live in an area without trees (perhaps the city slums).

Even the name Santa Claus gets an interesting reinvention as the children believe that if Claus could magically travel to different houses in one night, then he must have the powers of a Saint. While this adheres slightly to Christianity as does the name Christmas itself, neither terms are explored much for their religious contexts. This suggests that these terms are frames of reference from a world that is familiar with them on a cultural level.

Fortunately, one piece of the Santa Mythos is left out: The Naughty and Nice List. The book explains that Claus realizes that kids are kids and will mess up and shouldn't be punished for bad behavior. It helps in this world that children's bad behavior is often influenced by the Awgwas, a group of dark Immortal creatures that cause children to bad things. The Awgwas also cause friction in Claus’ trips by stealing the gifts and kidnapping Santa Claus. The troubles between the Awgwas and Claus culminates in a battle between the Awgwas and Claus's Immortal friends. The battle is given short shrift but shows the contrast between Claus’ mortal vulnerability who is incapacitated through the battle and the Immortals such as The Great Ak and Queen Zurline who are able to carry the day with their magic and powerful weapons like the Great Ak's ax which delivers a definite strike against his enemies.

Claus also transcends his mortality as some who follow Pagan philosophies believe many heroes and legendary figures did (such as King Arthur, Gilgamesh, Hercules, and others)
As he lies dying, the Immortals bestow the “Mantle of Immortality” on him so he can continue his mission to bring happiness to children. So he continues to live on in deeds, stories, and song.
Claus is also similar to the Holly and Oak Kings of Wiccan lore. Every year the Oak King surrenders his rule to the Holly King during Winter Solstice. The Holly King does the same for the Oak King during the Summer Solstice. Some believe that the two battle each other for dominance. Others believe that they are one in the same and the one must become the other (a reincarnation.) Like them the mortal Claus must die so he can be reborn and transcend into the immortal Santa Claus.


While I explored the Pagan connection to The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus in great detail, other Readers will find something to love in this book. Christian Readers will perhaps enjoy reading about a character who exhibits the Christian principles of charity, faith, and “doing unto others what you would have done unto you.” (The Golden rule, a basic principle applied to all faiths and beliefs whether spiritual or secular.) Readers of other faiths and secular Readers will perhaps enjoy the dissection of a legend and the detailed back story that Baum gives to the legendary figure. Above all, any Reader will find it a beautiful enchanting story that will lighten up any Holiday Season.

New Book Alert: Trailer Trash: An ‘80’s Memoir by Angie Cavallari; Totally Detailed and Radical Memoir Is Perfect For Children of The ‘80’s

New Book Alert: Trailer Trash: An ‘80’s Memoir by Angie Cavallari; Totally Detailed and Radical Memoir Is Perfect For Children of The ‘80’s

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




I have two reasons to identify with Angie Cavallari's book, Trailer Trash: An ‘80’s Memoir. 1) Like Cavallari, I was a child of the ‘80’s and spent some of that gnarly time growing up in Florida (Ft. Walton Beach to be precise) and 2) My Mom grew up in Tampa, Florida as Cavallari did. So we both understood and enjoyed many of the things Cavallari spoke of in her book.

Cavallari, her parents, sister, and brother moved to the Pelican Mobile Home Park in Tampa, Florida in 1980 where her parents managed the trailer park. Cavallari's childhood was forever linked with the park, its eccentric residents, and memories of MTV music videos, Rubik's Cubes, and E.T.

Trailer Trash doesn't have a large plot so much as it features several small moments organized into chapters with minimal dialogue. That works well for this book. Cavallari's reminisces are rich in detail and recall that bring these moments to life. When she describes the tedious task that she and her siblings had of cleaning the trailers, the Reader's nose wrinkles at the accounts of soiled sheets, drug paraphernalia, broken bottles and who really wants to know what else.

The highlight of any book set in the ‘80’s, especially for those of us who grew up in that time, is the constant parade of trends, fads, entertainment, and other signs of an ‘80’s upbringing. The book is peppered with various songs and music videos such as Genesis’ “Land of Confusion,” Debbie Gibson's “Lost in Your Eyes”, and The Bangles’ “Eternal Flame” that are probably meant to present earworms for the average Reader. Cavallari described various activities like playing on a Slip and Slide and going to a skating rink (called originally enough, the United Skates of America) as well as watching prime time shows like Thee A Team, Dukes of Hazard, and Knight Rider, and You Can't Do That on Television on Nickelodeon and Don Knott's movies on the Disney Channel. She also writes about fashion trends like extremely permed hair and large fist-sized hoop earrings. These memories will fill former ‘80’s kids with warm nostalgia or embarrassed derision (and will no doubt give children or younger relatives and friends more fuel with which to tease them.).

Cavallari also captures the Florida setting so well that my mother who is also a former resident of Tampa Bay recognized them. Cavallari frequently watched Dr. Paul Bearer, the local Creature Feature host who showed older cheesy horror movies (no doubt directed by the likes of William Castle). She also writes of visiting the Ben T. Davis Beach (AKA Tampa Bay Beach) which far from being a paradise, Cavallari considered it crowded, noisy, hot, and extremely polluted and dirty. Cavallari even states that the only thing she hated more than cleaning the mobile home units was “going to the beach with (my) Mom.”

Cavallari also captures the eccentric spirit of a state that thrives on tourism. She visited the usual theme parks such as Walt Disney World (which she described as the only place her “family behaved themselves.”) and Busch Gardens. She also acknowledges the stranger tourist sites that Central Florida had to offer like Gibsonton, a small town that was home to various carnival workers during the winter season. Cavallari described the homes with amusement park rides in their front yards and dives run by sideshow entertainers in a way that both teases them for their weirdness and respects them as people who live for standing out in the crowd and being themselves.

Cavallari also offers helpful lists including glossary terms and descriptions of the various tenants. The glossary terms offer the lingo that is used in the trailer park as well as nearby Gibsonton. The glossaries are hilarious and helpful with terms such as “Mobile Homes” (what the residents prefer to call trailers) or “TPD” (the Tampa Police Department who seemingly get called in at least once a day.) The Gibsonton section is rich in terms like such as “Mark” (people who attend carnivals so named because the employees could easily con them to take part in the rigged games) and brilliantly foreshadows the Cavallari's eventual move to Gibtown (Gibsonton to the locals).

The residents are also described in a list format which focuses on their oddities making them a bizarre memorable bunch. They range from Florence who wore halter tops and no brassieres and was often seen walking to and from the liquor store to “Drive-Thru Bob” who was the first person Cavallari met who had an emergency tracheotomy and Bob’s wife, Alice, who was an expert in all things sitcom and would often describe various episodes in great detail. The Pelican Mobile Home Park appeared to be an odd assortment of alcoholism, drug addiction, and peculiar traits that could be signs of mental illness. It's no wonder that many of the tenants would eventually die of heart disease, natural causes and other means. These deaths would eventually cause the Cavallari's family to move and apparently traumatized her so much that she would later recall them in great detail and abandon in her book.

Cavallari captures her youth brilliantly. The end appears to set up a sequel in which the family moved from the trailer park to Gibsonton. I look forward to another trip down Cavallari's memory lane.

New Book Alert: Dead Dreamer: To Dream Is To Die by Sarah Lampkin; Dark Fantasy Features Unique Abilities and World

New Book Alert: Dead Dreamer: To Dream Is To Die by Sarah Lampkin; Dark Fantasy Features Unique Abilities and World

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: What happens when we die? Do we go to our particular versions of the Other World? Do we hover around this world with unfinished business? Do we fade away into nothingness?

Even more mysterious are near death experiences, those who have been to the Other Side only to return with tales of bright lights, relatives telling them their work isn't finished, and a new purpose when they return to share their story and make the world a better place.

Sarah Lampkin's book, To Dream Is To Die which is part of the Dead Dreamer series is a unique take on near death experiences. The Dark Fantasy novel offers us a college freshman who wakes from a coma to discover that she has unusual abilities and must use them to help others.

When she was a teenager, Brenna Harp got into a severe car accident which temporarily killed her. She was restored to life but received some unusual powers in the process. When Brenna sleeps, her spirit travels outside her body and she can also see and hear spirits and other magical creatures during astral projection.

Besides having these supernatural abilities, Brenna also has to deal with the problems of a typical college freshman including maintaining her independence from overprotective parents, suffering through a large class load, arguing with her party girl roommate, and befriending a couple who though are nice often cause her to feel like a third wheel.

To Dream is To Die is in the grand tradition of “Young Person With Abilities Saves The World” but what makes this take stands out is the commitment that Lampkin gives in creating an original power and world that Brenna inhabits.

During her somnambulist jaunts, Brenna, who is called a Dreamer, enters a place she calls The Fade where she can see the dead and other beings. Spirits, including her college's late President, often give her cryptic comments leaving her to guess what their motivations are.

Besides the Spirits, Lampkin also rewrites Demons and Fairies in her books. While common consensus features demons as hateful monsters who torture humans for fun and Fairies as mischievous but ultimately helpful creatures, Lampkin reverses the stereotypes. Instead Demons are the more helpful creatures while Fairies are the ones Brenna definitely does not want to mess with. This is particularly important when Brenna infiltrates a secret organization that is so determined to destroy all demons that they won't let little things like murder or the sacrifice of a child get in the way of that goal.

Lampkin doesn't make her protagonist perfect. Brenna has limitations to her abilities. Because her spirit travels during sleep, her body doesn't actually rest so during the day, she is often fatigued, bad tempered, and sarcastic. Also her body is defenseless when she travels so she is at the mercy of dark spirits who possess her or roommates who play practical jokes on her. Thankfully she is helped by her friends, Damon, a Watcher who can sense ghosts and his girlfriend, Aeria who, though doesn't have any such abilities, is a good friend and as protective of Brenna and Damon as a tigress to her cubs.

The mystery that surrounds Brenna in her first year of college is solid. There are passages such as early conversations which require the Reader to pay attention as they provide intriguing clues. There are also some genuinely frightening moments such as Brenna's encounters with a female spirit who delights in physically and mentally torturing her human victims. Most importantly Brenna discovers the back story of her abilities and discovers other people are Dreamers. She also learns of a wider conspiracy and more frightening creatures on the horizon just waiting for her or another Dreamer to close their eyes.

The ending is completely open ended and purposely sets us up for a sequel. If this book is any indication, then it should be another interesting, unique, and terrifying trip to the Other Side.

December Schedule

November was not as successful as I hoped so I had to move some reviews down to the end of last month-beginning of this month. Oh well, part of writing a blog is dealing with the daily hassles,
Here is the list of reviews for the final month of 2018!

New Book Alert: Dead Dreamer: To Dream Is To Die by Sarah Lampkin
New Book Alert: Trailer Trash: An 80's Memoir by Angie Cavallari
Classics Corner: The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum
Weekly Reader: Marley's Ghost by Mark Hazard Osmun
Classics Corner: House of the Spirits by Isabelle Allende
Weekly Reader: A Winter's Tale by Mark Halprin
Weekly Reader: Other Kingdoms by Richard Matheson
Lit List: Best of the Best Favorite Books Read in 2018

*If I run out of time these will get bumped up to January.

Forgotten Favorites: The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks; A Beautiful Detailed Modern Fairy Tale

Forgotten Favorites: The Fairy Rebel by Lynne Reid Banks; A Beautiful Detailed Modern Fairy Tale

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews




Spoilers: It can be rather annoying when an author's book is so popular that their other works are often ignored or not held in as high regard as the favored book. In October, I reviewed what I feel was Anne Rice's best work, The Witching Hour over her more well known, Interview with the Vampire. While J.D. Salinger's Franny and Zooey is well regarded by many (and J.D. Salinger himself actually preferred The Glass Family), it doesn't have the same academic and cultural impact as Holden Caulfield and his book, Catcher in the Rye.

\Another author that falls in that category is Lynne Reid Banks. I remember when her Indian in the Cupboard was seen everywhere: bookstores, libraries, book fairs, and in the pages of book order forms. Banks wrote five sequels and many Readers thrilled to the adventures of Omri, a young boy, and Little Bear, a tiny figure turned human and the title character. Because of the popularity of the Indian in the Cupboard books, many of Bank's other works have often been ignored.

Her best work however is The Fairy Rebel, a beautiful modern fairy tale about a young fairy who helps a childless English family despite orders from the rigid Fairy Queen.

Jan, a former actress, and Charlie, a General Practitioner, have a loving marriage except they want to have children. One day as Jan sits in her garden, a fairy appears dressed in a flowing top and a pair of blue jeans. Jan and Tiki, the fairy, become friends so Tiki helps her human friend by magically creating a baby for her. Unfortunately, the Fairy Queen learns about Tiki assisting Jan so she imprisons Tiki in a wasp’s nest. (The book explains that fairies are afraid of wasps. One sting and they become fairy dust) Jan, Charlie, and Tiki’s Elvin friend, Wijic rescue her.

A year after Tiki's rescue, Jan gives birth to a baby girl, Bindi. When Bindi is 8-years-old, the Fairy Queen prepares a final assault on Tiki, Wijic, Bindi and her parents.

The book is filled with interesting unique touches that show that Banks took a lot of thought into creating the Fairy World. She creates terms such as “Earthed” (when a fairy touches a human and is therefore able to be seen by the human). Even Bindi’s name is a Fairean word meaning “expensive” or a “treasure.” (Because Tiki had to borrow magic from various friends to create her).There are whole chapters describing Fairy culture such as that fairies sleep in bird's nests, flower petals, and tree notches or that fairy babies come from sugar eggs.

One of the most enchanting chapters is one that reveals magical presents that Tiki leaves for Bindi each year on her birthday. Because Bindi was born in June and Tiki admits to being a “pink rose fairy,” the presents are shaped like roses and reflect Bindi's interests and age. Tiki's presents for Bindi include a large rose that tells a story every week for a year, a rose comprised of letters so she can learn how to spell in school, and a pink and green gown that gives her the confidence to play a queen in the school play. The Fairy World is so detailed that I wish there were parts set entirely in that world and so we could get Tiki and Wijic's  point of view

The book mostly focuses on Jan, Charlie, and Bindi and the Reader learns about the Fairy World as they do. That's not a big loss in that they are all great characters. Jan is a woman of deep sensitivity and kindness with some regret. (Her acting career ended early because a lamp fell on her in a TV studio giving her a limp. For a long time, she believed that the injury may have been responsible for her inability to bear children.) Charlie is the stern straight man of the family, but is not above showing kindness such as when they first encounter Wijic after he is frozen during the winter. While one would expect a kid surrounded by magic to be spoiled, Bindi is not. She is emotional and very enthusiastic, a sweet little girl, so the Fairy Queen's manipulations to get Bindi to do rotten things like shop lift candy and using magic for selfish purposes are deliberately out of character.

Tiki and Wijic also make for an interesting duo. Tiki is a kind soul with a penchant for rebellion hence why she wears blue jeans (The Fairy Queen forbids it). Wijic is more cautious less willing to break the Queen's rules until Tiki is in trouble. (Though he does long to be a human boy because he is tired of using magic and eating sweet foods preferring savory snacks like chips).Tiki and Wijic are that type of couple that are forever arguing and teasing each other but are actually close friends who might be more.

The Fairy Rebel is not a well known book but it should have a better reputation of being a charming, beautiful, detailed late 20th century fairy tale.

New Book Alert: Stranded in Love by Victoria Grant; A Charming, Cute, But Formulaic Romance Novel For The Holiday Season

New Book Alert: Stranded in Love by Victoria Grant; A Charming, Cute, But Formulaic Romance Novel For The Holiday Season

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: While the weather outside is frightful
Two strangers find each other delightful
Cute Characters and a plot that's so-so
As romance grows, as it grows, as it grows.

There are worse ways to spend your time this Holiday Season than to read a romance novel. Romances spring to life around Christmas as often as they do on Valentine's Day. Many Readers delight in the scenes of winter pageantry, cozy passages of togetherness between the main couple, a subplot involving someone trying to help others such as the poor or injured or ill family members, and of course exchanges of gifts (one of which is no doubt a small box just the size of a ring), and of course a kiss under the mistletoe. Romances are big business right now. (That's probably why the Lifetime and Hallmark channels are saturated with Christmas Romance films this time of the year.)

One of those romances is Stranded In Love by Victoria Grant, a cute charming novel about a cute charming couple that meet during a big snowstorm and through several days of the female party getting stuck in the man’s home, a romance develops between the two.

Laney Calderone is the somewhat spoiled, but smart only daughter of Boyd Calderone, a prominent Toronto businessman and CEO of Calderone Industries, a leading telecommunications company where Laney works as a Vice President. On what will qualify as the worst day of her life, Laney discovers that she is pregnant and her fiance, Ramone breaks up with her claiming he “isn't ready to settle down with a kid.” Not only that but her car breaks down during a blizzard (in Toronto snowstorms can last for several days) and she is stranded.

Fortunately, she receives assistance in the form of Tyler Hammond, a soon-to be-divorced Investment Adviser. He takes one look at the beautiful woman and invites her to stay at his apartment to wait out the snow.

In reality or psychological thrillers, this invitation would receive more suspicion and mistrust and Laney would be shoved into a basement where she would be regularly tortured. Fortunately for Laney, this isn't that kind of book. Instead she and Tyler spend the next few days arguing, getting on one another's nerves, apologizing, talking about childhood memories and current goals, and dancing together (except Laney doesn't tell him about her pregnancy). During their short time together, the two become lovers and settle into a comfortable existence until the snow stops, the plows arrive, and Laney realizes that she has to return to reality, her close and smothering family, and impending single motherhood.

Laney and Tyler make for a sweet charming couple. There are times where their emotions are all over the place and the two bicker like high schoolers. However, there are plenty of sweet moments to spare particularly when they are stranded at Tyler's apartment during the snowstorm. In one passage, Laney panics after Tyler leaves concerned that the flickering power means that he got stuck in a powerless elevator. Of course he returns and all is well, but this moment solidifies their relationship from one of animosity between strangers to one as friends and potential lovers.

Laney and Tyler also show a deep physical connection when they observe the Toronto skylights on the cold rooftop and dance together (earning each other the pet names of “Fred” and “Ginger.”).

Their time together is complete bliss that while creates conflict between two stubborn argumentative people is also one of affection and kindness.

At times the plot of Stranded in Love is formulaic, so formulaic that even someone who does not read many contemporary romances, like me, can recognize the patterns. We see the Other Man, who is superficial and only reappears in Laney's life so he can get a good paycheck. The Other Woman is also present and she is conniving and manipulative towards her ex and rival. We also have the Heroine's Snobbish Mother who doesn't care for her daughter's savior even though he is handsome, kind, helpful, and polite. Of course these characters are mere distractions on the road to the inevitable Happy Ending. This book sticks to formula so much that it is a nice surprise that Laney's father and four brothers are genuinely friendly towards Tyler and supportive of Laney's pregnancy and her new relationship.

This makes it sound like I don't like the book. On the contrary, it is sweet the way Romances often are. It is the type of book that a person reads to be entertained and for the pure escapism that can be found in such a love story. Stranded in Love makes for a nice stress reliever for the pressures of the season including shopping for gifts, decorating the house, and welcoming relatives. For a book like this, all that is needed is a pleasant setting and a sweet couple to inhabit it. Victoria Grant delivers what is a great early Christmas gift for the Romance lover.

New Book Alert: Dancing You/Dancar Te by Gisela Pereira; Book of Lyrical Poetry is as Lovely and Graceful as a Dancer

New Book Alert: Dancing You/Dancar Te by Gisela Pereira; Book of Lyrical Poetry is as Lovely and Graceful as a Dancer

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Gisela Pereira is the modern definition of a true Renaissance Woman. She is a woman of many talents, a writer, poet, producer, director, artist, and dance student. She reveals many of those talents in her beautiful and lyrical book of poetry, Dancing You/Dancar Te.

The book was originally published in Portuguese in 2000 and translated in 2017 and features poems in both English and Portuguese. In her intro, Pereira explains that the English translations are not literal translations. Instead they use simile, rhyme scheme, and symbolism that pertain to the two cultures so English and Portuguese Readers will understand and relate to them.

Either in English or Portuguese, Pereira's poems sound as lovely as a song and move as graceful as a dancer. She combines several of her interests in dancing, poetry, art, mythology, and legend to create these gorgeous works of literature and art. Her poem “Hermaphrodite” involves a mysterious fairy creature rejecting a lover after claiming to be a “creature of water and air” transcending nature and spirit as well, as the title implies, male and female. The speaker is beyond the lover's perception and therefore unable to be with the lover.

Another poem that reflects mythology and legend is “Mirror.” In this poem, the Speaker travels through a mirror ala Alice Through the Looking Glass and enters a vibrant almost hallucinatory world. In this world, dolls come to life, magic exists, and a strange hatted figures enchants the Speaker.

Many of the poems express some of the strongest emotions such as love, heartbreak, sadness, and intimacy. For example Pereira's poem, “Enigma” compares sexuality between two lovers like a dance where the two move in synchronization completing each other through movement.

Pereira writes:

“In a kiss’ mystic blaze
In our most intense gaze
Forgetting our body’s gravity
Dancing another reality
And flying in the earth's center
Where only few can enter.”

Besides the poems themselves, another highlight of the book are the gorgeous illustrations. The watercolor art reflects various fairies and other creatures in ways that are both passionate and innocent. They hearken back to the fairy illustrations from the late 19th and early 20th centuries which portray fairies as beautiful but at times intimidating. The poems and illustrations are perfect companions to each other creating an experience that is verbally and visually pleasant.

Dancing You/Dancar Te reflects beauty in myth, legend, dance, and art. Truly, Gisela Pereira displays her talents in ways the Reader won't soon forget.