Shelf Candy Saturday No. 205: Edmund Dulac's Fairy Book, by Edmund Dulac

Welcome to Shelf Candy Saturday!

***Late Edition***

This is my weekly feature

showcasing beautiful covers!

It also provides information, 
if available, on their 
very talented creators!

Here's my choice for this week!

Edmund Dulac's Fairy Book
 Edmund Dulac
Hardcover, 174  pages
Portland House
December 14, 1988
   Fantasy   

My Thoughts About This Cover

Incredibly, I have never previously posted anything about this brilliant illustrator. How could I possibly have missed him? Thankfully, I came across this GORGEOUS cover while researching possible book covers to feature for "Shelf Candy Saturday".

This book is a collection of fairy tales from around the world, compiled and illustrated by Dulac.  

This cover is actually exquisite. I love everything about it! It clearly shows the influence of both Art Deco and Art Nouveau. It also has clear mythological influences, through the image of the horses, which remind me of both Pegasus and unicorns, even though they have neither wings nor horns.

The ornate spiral designs on each side of the cover are strikingly beautiful, and echo both plant forms, and geometric forms. They are repeated in the beautiful horses' manes, too.

I love that one horse is facing in one direction, and the other, in the opposite direction. It's as if they want to encompass the entire world in their flight across a starlit sky, although, again, neither one has wings.

This design is unique in that there's a column down the middle of it, in which the horses fly across the sky, and the book's title is displayed. Not that I've never seen this type of thing before, but most likely it was Dulac who pioneered it.

I love the background color of this cover, too. I'm not sure whether the cover actually is this color, or whether it looks this way because of the lighting used when the photo was taken. Either way, I think it looks lovely! It reminds me of burnished gold.

The font is a lovely calligraphy with an obvious Art Deco influence. The spirals on the two sides of the cover are repeated in several of the letters. In fact, it's the repetition of the spiral pattern all over the cover that gives the design such a satisfyingly unified look.

I didn't know much about this artist before finding this cover, although I had heard the name somewhere before. For some reason, I had been under the impression that he was a 19th-century artist. Perhaps that's because of his style, which so strongly reflects the influence of the Art Nouveau movement, although it also has very original elements.

It turns out that Dulac was actually a 20th-century artist, although he was born toward the end of the 19th century -- on October 22, 1882. He was born in Toulouse, France, but moved to London, England in 1904. He became a naturalized British citizen in 1912.

Dulac created covers for many classics, such as Jane Eyre, Stories from the Arabian Nights, Shakespeare's The Tempest, The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, The Sleeping Beauty and Other Fairy Tales, and Stories From Hans Christian Andersen. He later created the cover for this, his own compilation of fairy tales. I'm not sure whether or not he actually wrote these tales, with information he had gathered himself, or whether they were already written, and he just collected them. It really doesn't matter. The important thing is that he designed this cover, which I totally love!!

Dulac also designed postage stamps for Great Britain, as well as for France and Poland.

Needless to say, this artist has now been added to my growing collection of brilliant cover illustrators and designers!  

 

Online Links
Wikipedia

Amazon
JVJ Publishing
Art Passions

 

What do you think of this 
week's cover?
Please leave a comment
and let me know!

Tour Guest Post/Giveaway!! The Last Shadow Gate, by Michael W. Garza

 

Welcome to the blog tour for 

The Last Shadow Gate,

sponsored by

YA Bound Book Tours!!

For my stop, I'm featuring a 

Guest Post by the author!!

There's also a tour-wide giveaway!!

The Last Shadow Gate

(The Shadow Gate Chronicles, Book 1)

Michael W. Garza

Kindle Edition, 264 pages

NeverHaven Press

March 3, 2017

Fantasy, Young Adult Fiction

Summer vacation was never supposed to be like this.

It was bad enough Naomi had to be shipped off to her dad's home for the summer and deal with her half-brother Gavin, but when the siblings are forced to spend their break with their great-grandmother in upstate New York, everything changes. An investigation into the strange disappearance of their great-grandfather forces them to retrace his footsteps. They discover a gateway between worlds and encounter extraordinary creatures in a land where the people are desperate to escape the coming of a shade lord. To survive their adventure, Naomi and Gavin must settle their differences and find the elusive shadow gate that will take them home again.

*Grab a copy today and begin your search for the Shadow Gate*

THE SHADOW GATE CHRONICLES:

Book 1: The Last Shadow Gate
Book 2: A Veil of Shadows (Coming 2017)
Book 3: The Shadow of War (Coming 2018)

Praise for THE LAST SHADOW GATE:

"If this book had been around when I was a kid, I’d have held it right up there with The Chronicles of Narnia and The Lord of the Rings.”
- Sunshine Somerville, Author of THE KOTA SERIES

"You won't want to miss out on the thrilling yet perilous world beyond the shadow gates!"
- J. Cornell Michel, Author of JORDAN'S BRAINS

*If you love fast-paced, YA Fantasy, THE LAST SHADOW GATE is the book for you.*

Guest Post From the Author

For this guest post, I asked Michael Garza the following question: Which of your characters do you most identify with, and why?

Here's his answer:

For The Last Shadow Gate I identify with both Naomi and Gavin. They were inspired by my kids, so the attachment to the characters was there from the moment I started writing the series. This is the only book (series of books) that I’ve included my children in, so the entire experience has been a special one for me. I can see the fear in the main characters' eyes in certain situations because I’ve seen that same fear in my children’s eyes throughout their lives. I think I will have a difficult time when I finish the last book in the series. Putting these characters away for good will tug on my heart strings pretty hard.

PRE-ORDER FROM AMAZON!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Michael W. Garza often finds himself wondering where his inspiration will come from next and in what form his imagination will bring it to life. The outcomes regularly surprise him and it’s always his ambition to amaze those curious enough to follow him and take in those results. He hopes everyone will find something that frightens, surprises, or simply astonishes them.

Website/Goodreads/Twitter

Facebook/Amazon

To access the complete tour schedule, just click on the button below!

Book Blogger Hop No. 86: Novel Beginnings: Fast or Slow?

Welcome to the Book Blogger Hop,

hosted by Billy @

Ramblings of a Coffee-Addicted Writer!

For more information, and 

to find out the topic of next week's question, click HERE.

This Week's Question

When you start reading a novel, do

you prefer to be plunged right 

into the action, or do you prefer a

slower, more descriptive

introduction to the plot

and characters?

(Submitted  by Maria @ 

A Night's Dream of Books)

My Answer

In the past few years, I've become a very eclectic reader. From reading mostly classics, adult fantasy, and science fiction books, I've gone to mostly reading YA Fiction, which includes fantasy and science fiction, as well as paranormal romance and urban fantasy. I've also added historical and contemporary adult romance to my collection of books read.

All of the above genres have different characteristics, but there are two basic approaches authors take when beginning a narrative. I would have to say that I enjoy them both.

When reading YA Fiction, as well as other types of popular genre fiction, I do enjoy the style that plunges the reader right into the action. However, I also have a pet peeve regarding this technique. There are writers who will start off their novels with a bang, in the middle of the story, and then throw in a lot of flashbacks, with a lot of information dumping. This I certainly do NOT like. I think it takes away from the total enjoyment of the book.

On the other hand, I love how classics and literary fiction gently ease you into the story. I know there are some readers who don't like this approach, as they find it tedious and boring. I love it, though. I love poetic prose writing. I love descriptions of natural scenes or bustling city neighborhoods. It's very important to me to encounter a vivid setting, and that's what these types of novels provide. Of course, the popular genre novels also provide vivid settings, but they do so in a prose style that's much more immediate.

My selection of reading material will also depend on my mood at the time. If I want to just enjoy a light read, then I'll go with "the fast approach". If, on the other hand, I'm in the mood to indulge my brain and senses in some beautiful, descriptive, lyrical prose, then I'll go with the more leisurely approach.

One of the most important characteristics of classics and literary fiction is that the prose style is just as important as the plot and characters. It's the masterful use of language that I enjoy -- the skillful use of similes, metaphors, the flow, the music of the words.....

In both styles of writing -- the fast and the more leisurely -- a reader can find great plots and characters. Absolutely! These styles are very different, but yet, they can be equally enjoyable.


I guess I must confess to being torn between the two styles.....

 
Here's an example of an introduction from my favorite classic novel, Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë.

"There was no possibility of taking a walk that day. We had been wandering, indeed, in the leafless shrubbery an hour in the morning, but since dinner (Mrs. Reed, when there was no company, dined early) the cold winter wind had brought clouds with it so somber, and a rain so penetrating, that further outdoor exercise was now out of the question.

I was glad of it: I never liked long walks, especially on chilly afternoons: dreadful to me was the coming home in the raw twilight, with nipped fingers and toes...." (from Chapter 1)

There is such beauty in these sentences! I love the flowing, musical cadences. I love the way the author -- a great master -- lets you feel the young Jane's feelings as she describes, in a melancholy tone, just how dreary her afternoons at her aunt's residence are. We gradually get to know this precocious young girl, as she deals with her feelings of utter loneliness.

 
Here's the introduction to another of my favorite novels -- this time, Trinity Stones, by L.G. O'Connor. This is an adult urban fantasy novel. Although there's a preface, which is titled "Prelude", and is a slower-paced introduction, Chapter I jumps right in.

"One year later....

New York City, Wednesday, March 19, 7:30 AM EDT

"Heal me," he whispered.

What?

Cara ignored the man with the V-shaped scar on his cheek, who was pressed up against her side in the fast-moving subway car. With her face half-hidden behind a curtain of auburn waves, she continued to scroll through the e-mail on her work phone. Taking half a step away, she tried to create some distance between them.

The car banked hard to the left, a metallic squeal of brakes echoing off the tunnel walls as the train barreled around a turn. Cara swayed under the weight of the briefcase slung over her shoulder and shifted back into the man." (from Chapter I)

In this second example, the reader is thrust right into the story. Something is definitely going on between the protagonist, Cara, and this weird guy on the subway. The images are vivid, reminding me of swift cinematic shots. Cara is clearly uncomfortable in this situation, as she's pressed too close to this man, who is requesting healing from her.  Why would this stranger ask her for such an absurd thing, in the middle of a crowded subway car?

As in the opening from the novel Jane Eyre, we are feeling the protagonist's feelings right along with her. The style, however, is much more immediate, and our imagination shifts quickly back and forth between Cara, whom we have just met, and the stranger who is making the very unusual request.

The O'Connor novel is full of action, and the characterizations are awesome. The Brontë novel is, of course, full of wonderful characterizations, too, and it has the added dimension of the beautiful prose style.

The question is this: is one style better than the other? According to literary critics, the slower-paced, more flowing literary fiction style is vastly superior to the more immediate, action-and-image-packed style of popular genres. But, when you ask readers, do they find each equally enjoyable, perhaps depending on their moods? In the case of this reader, the answer is a strong affirmative.

I can only speak for myself, however. Not all readers will agree with me. In the case of literary fiction, I must admit that novels in this genre are not usually as easy to understand as those in the popular genres. They do require some type of effort on the part of a reader. I enjoy reading such novels, though, (with the marked exception of such experimental novels as Ulysses, by James Joyce) because to me, delving deeply into such a work is actually an enjoyable activity.

In short, I find that both narrative styles can be equally rewarding, and can pull me into a book, depending on my mood at the time.

What are your thoughts on

this topic?

Please leave a comment!

If you're participating in this meme,

I'll go comment on your 

own BBH post.

If not, I will then comment on one 

of your blog posts!

Thanks for visiting!!! 

Can't Wait Wednesday No. 6: Midnight Jewel, by Richelle Mead

Welcome to "Can't Wait Wednesday"!

  

This is a weekly event hosted by

Tressa @ Wishful Endings, and inspired by "Waiting On Wednesday", which used to be hosted by

 Jill @ Breaking the Spine.

For more information, please click HERE.

As in the previous meme, this one showcases future releases  we book  bloggers 
are eagerly anticipating!!
There's also a Linky widget, so participating blogs can link up!

Here's my choice for this week!

 The Crown's Fate

(The Glittering Court, Book 2)

Richelle Mead

Hardcover, Razorbill

June 27, 2017

Dystopian Fiction, Fantasy,  

Historical Fiction, 

 Romance, Science Fiction, 

Young Adult Fiction  

   

The Selection meets Reign in this dazzling trilogy of interwoven novels about three girls on a quest for freedom and true love from #1 internationally bestselling author Richelle Mead.Mira is not like the other Glittering Court girls. She is a war refugee, cast out of her home country and thrust into another, where she has learned to fight against the many injustices around her. For some, the Glittering Court offers a chance at a life they’ve only ever dreamed of, one of luxury, glamour, and leisure. But for Mira, it’s simply a means to an end. In the new world, she plans to earn off her marriage contract price, and finally be free.

Mira pitches herself as an asset to one of the passengers on board the ship: the sardonic and aloof Grant Elliot, whom she’s discovered is a spy for the prestigious McGraw Agency—and her ticket to buying her freedom. His cover blown, Grant has little choice but to take her on. Mira applies herself by day, learning the etiquette and customs that will help to earn her anonymity. By night, she dons a mask and slips into the city, fighting injustice and corruption on her own terms—and impressing Grant with her extraordinary abilities and insights into an elusive case. But the case isn’t all they’re fighting…

Neither of them can ignore the attraction burning between them—an attraction so powerful, it threatens to unravel everything Mira’s worked so hard for. With freedom finally within her grasp, can Mira risk it all for love?

Why I can't wait for this one!

Well, I can't believe I actually own the first book in this series.....but haven't read it yet! This seems to happen to me A LOT. Lol. So, once again, I need to catch up! Both covers are exquisite, and the plots of both books are, of course, AWESOME, because this is Richelle Mead, and she creates GREAT, kick-butt female protagonists!! So I need to read the first book, yadda, yadda, yadda...... Lol.

Here's the first book in the series!!

What do you think of my choice?

Leave your link below, so I can
come check out your pick(s)!