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Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal: Book Review
‘It isn’t the show that counts, but the story you spin.’ Elizabeth Macneal, Circus of Wonders One truly enjoyable thing about the Circus of Wonders is the way Elizabeth Macneal crafts her Victorian atmosphere around the subversive world of the circus with echoes of Frankenstein, Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid, and the Brothers Grimm. …
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Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell Book Review: And This Gives Life to Thee
But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st: So long as men can breathe or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. William Shakespeare, Sonnet…
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Buttons, Books, and a Baby: South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber
Publication Date: July 21, 2020Publisher: Macmillan Publishing Group ‘It was the kind of day in Buttonwood, Alabama, where trouble slipped into town with the breeze, jarring awake sleepy springtime leaves on the massive oaks and sky-high hickories. It scraped parched dirt, sending dust skittering along the trail like it was running for cover. It whistled…
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On Love, Revolution, and Storytelling: Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
“She sowed in my mind the idea that reality is not only what we see on the surface; it has a magical dimension as well and, if we so desire, it is legitimate to enhance it and color it to make our journey through life less trying.” Isabel Allende, Eva Luna In one of her…
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Slavic Gods of the Sky: Dazhbog and Zorya – The Provider and the Auroras
The sky was still the colour of a thick ink stain when Dazhbog emerged from Nav at the root of the World Tree. He clasped his large fists at the nape of his head, stretched and yawned making a sound that a herd of Perun’s cattle couldn’t surpass. He brushed his steeds, whose fur sparkled…
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the Wind
the Wind is back with her willowy fingers and her icy breath she’s stroking the hair scratching the cheeks rustling the leaves like the pages of an oft-read book she’s stirring the smells in her grey cauldron summoning the memories of all the Windslong blown by she’s fanning the fire drying the polish on her…
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Zmey, the Slavic Dragon
The day was still. The lake, as sleek as a crisp sheet of glass, mirrored the clear skies and the pointy tips of the surrounding pine trees. The sun was moving westwards and the crickets’ subtle melody bounced off of the smooth surface. Then, it happened. First, the bubbles shattered the glass to reunite with…
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Morana: Slavic Winter Witch
The snow was thawing. Icy drops fell from the trees, like heavy, grief-laden tears, and formed muddy rivulets that snaked downhill and into the overflowing village brook. Morana stood beside the brook, leaning against a tree stump that jutted like a broken tooth from the wet soil. It used to be an apple tree, but…
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Slavic God Veles: the Trickster
Veles leaned against the gates of Iriy. His gaze rested on the retreating forms of Lada and Gerovit. A bird landed on one of his horns and started chirping a merry melody, but he grunted and waved it away. The story repeated every spring; after months spent in Iriy, he watched her golden hair flutter…
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Slavic Myth of Creation: Rod
It all began with a golden egg nestled in the darkness. Inside the egg was Rod, the soon-to-be creator of the world. He grew lonely so he created himself a companion, Lada, the goddess of love. The eggshell cracked and out spilled love and light. The Slavic myth of creation is quite a paradoxical story,…
Myths & Stories 