Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Absent-Minded Professor [Book Review]

"The Absent-Minded Professor" is a book written by George R. Sherman. It was published in 1961. This is an extremely obscure book that nobody cares about today... which makes it one of the very books I tend to look for. I also want to say that this book was very old and barely held together. I had to tape the spine up, and a few of the pages had crazy crayon swirls on it, likely made by some child. However all the pages were there, and that's what counts.

This book is a literary adaptation of the Disney movie of the same name, and it's one of those movies that I never get tired of. The story is about Professor Brainard who keeps missing his wedding due to his obsession with science and his own experiments--thus the title of the book. He doesn't mean to miss his wedding, and he does love his fiancé. The problem is simply that he is too easily distracted.

Despite being absent-minded, he is actually very smart. The whole impetus of the story was his creation of a rubbery substance called flubber which creates its own energy. Normally if you bounce a rubber ball, it will bounce lower and lower until it stops entirely. But with flubber, it will actually bounce higher and higher. faster and faster, forever. He even found a way to implement flubber into his old Model-T to make it fly.

Needless to say, Flubber is a real impossibility. It cannot exist within our universe due to the Laws of Thermodynamics. Perpetual energy machines will never happen, but the idea of them can still occur within the human imagination. This book is about what would happen if someone actually invented perpetual energy and the effect it would have on the world. Brainard has to deal with not only the mob but with the U.S. military as well.

I was actually surprised to see the poor guy getting shot at and stuff for his invention, but despite these moments of excitement, the story mostly remains a family friendly comedy. The bulk of the flubber content is used to show its uses in a more common setting. For example, he can iron it onto the shoes of a basketball team, allowing them to jump extremely high. This was actually a very funny part of the story, showing how easy it made everything once you could just freely hop everywhere.

The story does have a really awful villain. One of the fathers of the main characters was a rich man who had mob ties. He came across as someone who would sell his own mother if it would make himself an extra buck. My only criticism was that he was a little over the top, and I felt bad for his son who was getting all of his bad qualities from his corrupt father. It's not a story-killer though. The way the book deals with him was actually really funny.

All in all, I do recommend "The Absent-Minded Professor" as a genuinely good read. Although it does follow the movie pretty closely, the narrative helps give everything better context. I will warn you though that this book is not easy to find. I only found one copy, and it was falling apart, but if you do find it, chances are it will be very cheap. Either way, you can always just see the movie, and that is frankly good enough.

This blog was written on February 16, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Murders in the Rue Morgue [Short Story Review]

I haven't really been reviewing most of the Poe stories I have been reading. I made this decision because I am assuming that my dislike of his writing might be more of a subjective thing. But here I think that reviews in general are subjective in nature. For this reason, I am officially issuing an apology to anyone who likes this story.

"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" is a short story written by Edgar Allan Poe. It was published in 1841. I don't like it.

Now, not liking it has little to do with the story. If anything the story itself is decent enough as a clever murder mystery or a detective story. I even found the whole ending revelations to be rather intriguing. The problem was the entirely emersion-breaking aspects of the writing itself. This entire story is absolutely pumped full of Poe's unique brand of ego. It's inflated with all of his hot air. I spent the entire reading feeling completely annoyed, which sadly affected how much I wanted to care about what was going on. 

The idea of the story, just so you know, is that there is this guy named Dupin who is extremely good at the science of investigation. He is so incredibly good at it that it's almost like he can read people's minds. He reminds me a lot of Sherlock Holmes but far more talkative. Like... he won't shut up. There were so many times I wanted him to shut up. If you can't explain yourself more succinctly, then you might as well not talk at all.

Needless to say, this Dupin pretty much can solve any murder or mystery just by glancing at it. He's that smart. The problem is that he has to explain the entire process to us laymen. And he can't just be plain about it. He has to do what a lot of Poe characters do and just randomly mix in quotes in foreign languages.

To put that latter complaint into better perspective, I want to mention two big annoyances that I had with this one:

1. It's fine and dandy when your character likes to speak French or Latin randomly, but when the local Gazette starts doing it while reporting a crime, that's when you realize that you're just listening to Poe himself. There was a big loss of emersion from those articles. It was dumb. When a local newspaper reports about crimes, they don't (or at least shouldn't) put in random words in different languages just to be fancy. Maybe newspapers were doing it back then. (?!) I don't really know. If they did, then the story was accurate, but I still hate it.

2. The very last line in the entire story was extremely clever and cool... but it was also in French. I had no idea what it said. I had to break out a freaking translator app on my phone just to read it. What if I had not had that?! It was annoying as heck.

Maybe you like the story or are still interested. The story itself is good, but I don't really want to recommend something that's written this badly. Keep in mind that not all of Poe's stories are like this. He has some really good ones. But he has a lot of bad ones too, and this is one of them. I'm sorry but I don't like it. I hated reading it, and I am looking forward to the day that I wrap up all my Poe stuff.

I'll leave you with one final question that you should take to heart before you make your decision: "Trouvez-vous cela irritant?"

This blog was written on February 5, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: 2001: A Space Odyssey [Book Review]

"2001: A Space Odyssey" is a novel written by Arthur C. Clarke, and it was published in 1968. Although it was based on the screenplay for the movie of the same name, it actually came out first. Is it a literary adaptation of a movie, or is it a movie based on a novel? In this weird case, it was kind of both. Besides, most literary adaptations are much shorter and tend to be a bit disposable in the grand scheme of things. This one is different.

The book is a mixed bag. Most of it is just normal everyday life stuff but set in the future. It goes over what life will be like in the perceived future of the 60's. That said, the outlook was done more realistically than usually found back in those days. Many of the things found in this book did actually come true, and a lot of them will probably come true eventually... and that is extremely cool.

When the book isn't just showing every day life, there is actually a very serious science fiction story happening. When these plot points peak, the story suddenly has a genre, whether it be action, war, or even a horror situation. These moments are very cool, but they are the minority of the book's contents. Most of it is just people doing extremely ordinary things in a very cool futuristic environment.

The story does unfortunately assume that evolution is true, but it can't just let it work on its own. They need alien involvement for any of it to make sense. If it had not been like this, I probably would have hated the book. I already considered evolution to be fiction, so if the author is going to present it in a fictional way then I really could care less. I actually liked how it all worked out from beginning to end. Heck, I've even ordered the next book in the series. I had no problem with it.

I think it is very important to say here that if you were confused about the ending of the movie, the book explains absolutely everything and does it in a great way. But more than anything, if you go into this book, please know that it is 100% a science fiction. Although some parts of it are surprisingly realistic and predictive of the future, the main story concerning extraterrestrials, evolution, and transhumanism is pure science fiction. It's all made up, and what exists here is well written and wonderful to read. And besides, even if the author believes in evolution, he had to invent his own version of God to make it work anyhow. Good stuff.

I absolutely recommend "2001: A Space Odyssey." It tells a story of many things that would inevitably happen and likely shows stuff that are still to happen given enough time. For that reason, it is a damn cool book to read. Christian or atheist, put it on your list.

This blog was written on February 2, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Famous 40 of Oz

The very first Oz book was called "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." It was written by L. Frank Baum, and it was published by the George M. Hill Company in 1900.

His second Oz book released in 1904, called "The Marvelous Land of Oz," had a different publisher called Reilly & Britton. This publisher continued to publish the following books by Baum:

3. "Ozma of Oz" (1907)

4. "Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz" (1908)

5. "The Road to Oz" (1909)

6. "The Emerald City of Oz" (1910)

7. "The Patchwork Girl of Oz" (1913)

8. "Tik-Tok of Oz" (1914)

9. "The Scarecrow of Oz" (1915)

10. "Rinkitink of Oz" (1916)

11. "The Lost Princess of Oz" (1917)

In 1918, Reilly & Britton was rebranded as Reilly & Lee and continued to publish Oz books for Baum starting with his twelfth book called "The Tin Woodman of Oz." And so these books continued:

13. "The Magic of Oz" (1919)

14. "Glinda of Oz" (1920)

L. Frank Baum unfortunately passed away here, and the series was taken over by Ruth Plumly Thompson. The books continued to be published by Reilly & Lee, beginning with the fifteenth Oz book known as "The Royal Book of Oz," published in 1921. And so they continued:

16. "Kabumpo in Oz" (1922)

17. "The Cowardly Lion of Oz" (1923)

18. "Grampa in Oz" (1924)

19. "The Lost King of Oz" (1925)

20. "The Hungry Tiger of Oz" (1926)

21. "The Gnome King of Oz" (1927)

22. "The Giant Horse of Oz" (1928)

23. "Jack Pumpkinhead of Oz" (1929)

24. "The Yellow Knight of Oz" (1930)

25. "Pirates in Oz" (1931)

26. "The Purple Prince of Oz" (1932)

27. "Ojo in Oz" (1933)

28. "Speedy in Oz" (1934)

29. "The Wishing Horse of Oz" (1935)

30. "Captain Salt in Oz" (1936)

31. "Handy Mandy in Oz" (1937)

32. "The Silver Princess in Oz" (1938)

33. "Ozoplaning with the Wizard of Oz" (1939)

Still under Reilly & Lee, the series then continued to be written by long time illustrator John R. Neill. He wrote the thirty-forth Oz book in 1940 called "The Wonder City of Oz." And so the series continued:

35. "The Scalawagons of Oz" (1941)

36. "Lucky Bucky in Oz" (1942)

Author Jack Snow took over briefly. In 1946, Reilly & Lee published the thirty-seventh Oz book known as "The Magical Mimics in Oz." Followed by:

38. "The Shaggy Man of Oz" (1949)

At this point Reilly & Lee were losing faith in the marketability of the Oz franchise, but they still continued to publish them every once in a while. In 1951, the thirty-ninth Oz book called "The Hidden Valley of Oz" was released and authored by Rachel R. Cosgrove.

Finally, in 1963, Reilly & Lee would published Oz book #40 known as "Merry Go Round in Oz," written by Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren McGraw Wagner.

After this, Reilly & Lee gave up on Oz and never bothered with it again. These forty books are known in the Oz world as "The Famous 40." Although the series did continue under different publishers, the first forty are considered to be the main set of Oz books. If you read all forty books and stop there, you are well within your right to brag about reading all of the Oz books. That said, there are more within the main canon which had to be officially canonized by an organization called "The Baum Trust."

I read all the books listed. I just wanted you to know that. And yes, I do plan to continue. I love Oz far too much to stop here.

This blog was written on January 30, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Merry Go Round in Oz [Book Review]

[Contains spoilers for a book that nobody reads anymore.]

"Merry Go Round in Oz" is the fortieth book in the Oz series originally created by L. Frank Baum. It was written (for the first time) by two people: Eloise Jarvis McGraw and Lauren McGraw Wagner. It was published in 1963. This book marks the moment publisher Reilly & Lee officially lost all interest in the Oz series.

The story is actually three stories that converse in the middle. It is the story of Robin, a boy from Oregon, and his living Merry-Go-Round horse, simply named Merry. It is the story of Prince Gules of the small country of Halidom found within Oz. It is also the story of Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion as they go on their own quest.

Robin simply was trying to find a way home after accidently flying into Oz on a wooden horse who suddenly came alive. Merry is adorable. She is new to being alive and would constantly get confused by things. One adorable thing she would do would be to impulsively gallop in a circle because of her time as a Merry-Go-Round horse. Even though she learned how to finally go straight, she would still go in circles when she got nervous.

The story of Prince Gules was a full on knight's quest to find the three missing circlets of his kingdom. He was joined by a whole party of adventures which included Fess, his page. A steed named Fred who had a massive, crippling ego, a unicorn with quite a bit of grace and fairy-like qualities, and a humble, little bat named Flitter who liked making up songs.

Dorothy and the Cowardly Lion were simply trying to get an order of Easter eggs from the one-and-only Easter Bunny when they accidently got lost and fell into their own adventure in an attempt to find their way back to the Emerald City.

All three of these storylines converge late in the book in a beautiful fashion. The authors did a wonderful job at combining them. I was tickled so much as I read through it.

I think through it all I have to say that this must be the best appearance of the Cowardly Lion I have ever come across. He was so well-represented here. His bravery and cowardly nature was full on display in every scene. His little nervous quips were always welcome. I especially loved when everyone was running away from a bunch of crazy children who were trying to capture them. The Cowardly Lion leaps into a hiding spot next to Dorothy and simply says, "So how is your vacation going?" Absolutely hilarious. Great comedic timing.

The bat called Flitter was my second favorite. He was presented as the humblest character in the entire book and really a great role model for anyone who dislikes their own ego. This would end up being the character God appreciated the most. He was super cute and spent most of his time trying to create little songs about the stuff that was happening. He was a joy to read about.

I have few complaints about this book. Early on, there were some really hard and ancient words being used that most children would have trouble with. Most of these words are explained in the book but much later. I worry that some kids would put the book down before it would be explained. It doesn't really hurt the book that much though. I really did enjoy this one.

One thing the authors did so well was the extremely heart-warming ending. It makes you feel so wonderful. I mean, this is literally the opposite of anything Hans Christian Andersen ever did. It is a 100% happy ending and is totally earned. For these reasons, I highly recommend "Merry Go Round in Oz" to everyone. It's worth your time. It's very well written, full of thoughtful content, and delivered in a smart manner. Cheers.

This blog was written on January 30, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: The Priest's Supper [Story Review]

[Some spoilers included.]

I found another one!

"The Priest's Supper" is a short story written by T. Crofton Croker. It was published in 1825. It is an Irish fairy tale about how some fairies are simply sinful angels who walk among us.

And the latter point was probably the hook that got me reading this one. The Bible warns us about who and what we entertain in this world. Some of these fairy tales are based on real supernatural entities. But I digress.

The story of "The Priest's Supper" is all about a group of fairies who were wondering if they would ever end up in Heaven on the Final Day. They try to convince a poor man to ask a priest about this, apparently too nervous to ask the man themselves.

The thing I like about this is that there was a similar incident within the book of "Enoch." Fairies are actually surprised that when they turn from God that they actually end up damned. Although this story is fictional, it's not really that far away from the truth. I have no idea if the author knew anything about "Enoch," but even if he didn't, the two stories line up pretty solidly.

I totally recommend "The Priest's Supper." It is very short and a super easy read. A very entertaining story about fairies with a realistic bent to it. Great job.

This blog was written on January 28, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Ethna the Bride [Story Review]

[Some spoilers included.]

Hey, check it out. I'm reviewing an actual fairy tale for a change!

"Ethna the Bride" is a short story written by Lady Jane Francesca Wilde. As far as I can tell, it was published in 1888 in Ireland.

The story involves the concept of fairies coveting our women... as well as making off with them. Ethna is a beautiful bride who is married to a young lord. Despite already being married, a powerful fairy known as Finvarra casts a spell on her which causes her to have extremely pleasant and hypnotic dreams. A few days after this happens, she disappears completely.

The lord realizes that he will have to outwit the fairy in order to get his wife back. It's either that or never see her again. The interesting thing here is that the lord was actually friends with Finvarra and even gave him and his fellow fairies offerings to keep the relations good. It didn't matter though. Finvarra easily breaks the bond of friendship in order to take the woman he wants so badly.

I won't spoil the ending, but I do want to say that this is a good example of how selfish some fairies can be, especially in Irish folklore. They can be remarkably greedy and will betray humans to get what they want. Another thing that I found interesting was that Ethna was not unhappy in the care of Finvarra. The fairy male was very charming and kept her sedate with the enchanting music heard within the fairy kingdom. She would have likely stayed there forever (and happily so) without any intervention from the young lord.

It's a good story, and I do recommend it. I'm rather surprised it took me so long to find this one. It's an easy read and gets straight to the point. I think it's pretty easy to find nowadays too, and you might even locate a free copy of it on the internet. Enjoy.

This blog was written on January 28, 2023.

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Fairy Tale Spotlight: Books and Convenience

Remember those things called libraries? If I had begun my reading kick back before the internet, I might have made a lot of visits to one of those. In fact, I did do it for a while back when I was still in collage. There was no real reason not to. I was right there after all. But that fell apart after a while, and the books I was borrowing were not really ones worth reading.

The truth was that I had not really begun my true journey into literature yet. That would not happen for many years yet. I had read books before, but they were either school-assigned books or silly ones that I had chosen to read because I thought it would be easy. I remember some of them were the "Red Dwarf" comedy/science fiction novels, which don't take a whole lot of brain power to read.

Since I've lost track of the time, I can't properly give you a timeline, but there came a day when I decided I wanted to become a reader. The idea of getting physical books, however, seemed like a pain to me. That was when I made the decision to buy a Kindle. I wanted to start with classics to train myself to read on a higher level from the start. I knew it would be hard, but I didn't want to deal with the time it would take to get there slowly over who-knows-how-long it would take. I chose "Of Mice and Men" and "Moby Dick."

"Of Mice and Men" really wasn't that bad, but "Moby Dick" was the actual trial that I had to face. I faced it though and then kept going. I finished it and then kept looking for more. I didn't care so much about how old the book was but that the theme of it was interesting to me. Over time, I got better at reading older books and got so much more relaxed when I was reading a high level book.

But, you see, the idea of a library had passed away. I was downloading books to a digital device and reading them all in a convenient way. I was not even touching real books anymore. I might have gone to the library, but I didn't have a real reason to. Everything I wanted was conveniently placed in my hand, digitally downloaded from the vast internet.

I can't remember what book it was, but there came a point where I was running into more obscure books that I wanted that was not available on Kindle. This frustrated me, because I would have to get psychical copies of something I wanted. I also did not think a library would have these. Libraries feel more like dice rolling then a sure thing. I did not think I had a reason to go to one. I still decided to depend on the internet in some way, and it was hard... at least for a while. Amazon.com wasn't really helping much.

A sudden change came about when I discovered a rather wonderful website called ThriftBooks.com. I actually found it as an Android app first, and then later found out that it was just a website that was condensed into the form of an app. This website is like a place where obscure books go to die... and then come back to life if you happen to be looking for it. I have found so many good books there that nobody cares about anymore.

It was around this time that I started adding physical books to my reading list, but I still read my Kindle most of all. I absolutely love how much reading I am doing, and I'd be lying if I said it wasn't affecting the way I think and perceive things. I'm 100% more thoughtful about everything I do, and I also consider things more deeply than I have in the past.

I don't have a problem with libraries, mind you. I even really think they are very cool, and I am sure they are perfect for some people. I just don't think they are a fit for me. I tend to look for very specific things, and a library cannot guarantee that it will have the thing that I want. There is also the object of old books being rather cheap. It doesn't really cost me much money to buy them off of Kindle or ThriftBooks.com. I'm not getting finacially killed over it, and I am getting what I want.

I am glad I live in a world where it is so easy to get the literature I am looking for. I've been having a wonderful time exploring these different worlds with all their exciting adventures. I'll probably never stop reading for as long as I am allowed to, and with how convenient it is now-a-days, there's no excuse for me to stop.

This blog was written on January 22, 2023.

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