Why I Loved the New "Cinderella"

I'll admit: I loved the new Disney movie Cinderella.

Why? It certainly wasn't because I liked the first one. In fact, Cinderella has been one of my least favorite fairy tales up until now. Beauty and the Beast was probably my favorite, but this new movie has blown that out of the park. Why?
For starters, isn't every girl's dream to be loved and valued by a man? A good man who'd do anything for her? The prince chose to spend an entire party with Cinderella (a serving woman) instead of thousands of other beautiful women. Then he kept the shoe she left behind and spared no effort in using that shoe to find her again out of an entire kingdom full of people. Now tell me - don't you think Cinderella felt valued by him? Girls, wouldn't you love to feel that way? Well I know I would.
Of course, that is the basic story of Cinderella. Why did I like the newest version of it in particular so much? The answer isn't too surprising: it was the characters.
One of the primary complaints against some fairy tales is that the princess and prince are one-dimensional. No one likes one-dimensional characters. The new Cinderella managed to give both the prince (the only name I've got for him is Kit) and Cinderella herself actual characters. Cinderella was still the optimistic, dreamy, kind girl we know from the first Disney movie . . .

Please tell me I'm not the only one that was annoyed by her incessant cheeriness.

. . . but she was different in that she wasn't supernaturally cheerful. She didn't sing while she worked, she collapsed exhausted to go to sleep by the fire place after she was done working, she was hurt when the step mother and sisters left her out of something so basic as a meal.

In others words, she had more than one emotion. She didn't prance through her hard life singing to birds.

As for the prince, he had character because he existed outside of Cinderella's life. He was worried about his dying father, his father was pushing him to choose a princess for a bride, and he tried to keep the fact that he was a prince from Cinderella because he thought she'd treat him differently otherwise. He had a nickname. It made him more human, as opposed to a cutout picture of the perfect heroic prince we got in some of the older Disney fairy tale movies (Cinderella, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Sleeping Beauty, etc.).

Another thing to like about the new version is that, wonder of wonders, the prince didn't fall in love with Cinderella at the ball. They met beforehand, and yes - it was a little bit of instalove - but their relationship had a little bit more time to develop than it did in the original Disney movie. Their initial meeting is what motivated the prince to invite all the maidens in the kingdom to the ball, and motivated Cinderella to try to get there. It made the whole plot so much stronger.

A few other things that made the movie fantastic? Helena Bonham Carter as the hairy dogfather I mean fairy godmother . . .

. . .Cinderella's incredible ball gown . . .

I want to twirl around like that too.

. . . the animated mice . . .

 . . . and the fantastic job done on the costumes and the excellent acting from Cate Blanchett as the evil Lady Tremaine.

Just go see it. My dad even liked it, and if you're a girl and want to feel all gushy inside, this movie should just about do it. Take a fluffy blanket and a bar of chocolate to the movie theater. Fantasize that you're Cinderella. You'll love it. 

Have you seen the new Cinderella? What about the older ones? What do you like and dislike about each? Leave a comment!

Inspiration From the Battle of Gettysburg

You should know that I'm not a fan of reading nonfiction. I much prefer my fantasy worlds that keep reality away, thank you very much. But recently, I've had to research the Battle of Gettysburg for a school project, and that involves doing a little bit of nonfiction reading. For those of you who somehow haven't yet heard of Gettysburg (if you live outside of the U.S. it's excusable, but if you're in the U.S. and are out of grade school . . . you should be paying more attention in school), it was the bloodiest battle of the Civil War. A lot of heroes were discovered that day. Real heroes, not fictional ones.

A memorial to Maj. Gen. John Reynolds, who died at Gettysburg

You see, I've been reading several short biographies of officers that fought in the Battle of Gettysburg. A few of them are Daniel E. Sickles, Joshua L. Chamberlain, James E. Longstreet, Henry Heth, John Buford, Robert E. Lee, and George G. Meade. I thought I'd find this part of the project boring - I'd rather research the battle tactics. But it turns out I was wrong. I've enjoyed reading these short little biographies very much. Why? Because I found that they are stories, with real, interesting characters and plots worthy of novels.
Take James Longstreet, for example. While reading his biography, his "coolness under fire" was mentioned several times. Everything painted a picture of a cool, cautious, unflustered man who wasn't scared to tell Robert E. Lee when he thought that the battle plan was a little ill-advised. His reputation suffered because he was outspoken, and yet I think he sounded wise. Through his life he had three children die in rapid succession, his first wife died after the Civil War, and his relationship with Robert E. Lee degenerated after Gettysburg. The South hated him for supporting the Republican party and Ulysses S. Grant's campaign for President, and then for accepting a political office under Grant. But, Longstreet went to West Point with Grant. They were friends. What kind of emotional roller coaster must it have been for this man to endure all that? Warring against his friends, watching his family die, losing the trust of his home? And through all that he was still noted for being able to inspire the men under him. Heroic? I think so.
Another character I discovered was Daniel E. Sickles. This guy is single-handedly responsible for some of the bloodiest fighting during the Battle of Gettysburg because he moved his men out of line against orders. Yet the guy still got a Medal of Honor because of how well he fought and encouraged his men, even after losing a leg in the fighting. Oh yeah, plus he donated his amputated leg to a museum with a card that said, "with the compliments of Maj. Gen. D.E.S." And what do you know? The museum still has it on display (ew). So the guy had issues with authority but was still a brave man and a good leader. I got the impression that he was a sort of rogue. Imagine trying to write that kind of character realistically!

Maj. Gen. Daniel Sickles - I don't think he really LOOKS like a rogue . . .

My point here is that sometimes the best stories and characters are from real life. If you pay attention in history class, who knows? Maybe you'll find your next story inspiration, or that character you've been looking for. Nothing is better inspiration than real life.
And did you know that some Civil War soldiers reportedly found a pterodactyl? There's a photograph. Beat that for story inspiration.

Where have you gotten real-life inspiration from?

The Cake Book Tag

Cait @ Paperfury said that if I liked cake, I could consider myself tagged. It just so happens that I do like cake, very much, because no one with a sweet tooth as large as mine would ever turn down a good-looking piece of baked genius. Combine cake and books and I can't imagine many things better. So I am quite pleased to be doing this tag.

No, seriously, I mean, come on, does this or does this not look fantastic?

Yes, it does, and if you think otherwise, well . . .I don't know what has come over you. I can't imagine what would cause someone such as yourself to not like the idea of eating that.

Ehem. Anyway. 

Flour
A book that was a little slow to start off with but really picked up as you went along.

I love Brandon Sanderson. He's probably my favorite fantasy author ever. But The Rithmatist, at least for me, felt like it had a sort of slow, unexciting start. It was hard for me to get involved in the first third or so of the book, even though Sanderson did hint at the coming escalating conflicts. I probably should have been hooked - probably would have been if I wasn't so busy doing things that stop me from reading. The later portion of the book though - yes. Just yes. It was exciting and fast-paced and intriguing and made me scratch my head in a good way. 

Butter
A book that had a rich, thick plot.

Haha, I don't even have to think about this one:

This was the most intense book I have ever read. I don't usually read high/epic fantasy and I'll admit that I had a hard time getting into this one just because the world was so detailed (right from the start) and one of the characters annoyed me at first. But as I got further in the character no longer annoyed me, I fell in love with another (Kaladin <3), I felt like the pages were pulsing with the life of the imaginary world, and the plot just got more intricate and complicated and multi-layered. and JUST READ IT. The one-thousand pages are SO. WORTH IT.

And yes, it was Brandon Sanderson. 

Eggs
A book you thought was going to be bad but actually turned out to be quite enjoyable.

I first picked Nobody up nearly a year ago, probably. I read a couple chapters and was bored, so I put it back down. Then I went and read Barnes's The Naturals and decided to give Nobody another chance. I am very happy I did, because I loved every minute of it. I loved the idea that some people cannot really be noticed by others, and that some actually force others to notice them. It seemed like a exaggeration of wall-flowers and popular people. Plus, there was action, moral debate, a little bit of romance, missions to save kids, evil organizations with guns, and everything else good. Plus one of the main characters is named Nix. Is that not the coolest name ever? I assume it is a spin on "nox," a Latin word for night. I love Latin. It looks awesome.

Sugar

A sweet, sugary book.

Errr . . . ummm . . . hold on, I know I can think of one . . .

This is probably as close to sweet and sugary that I read. And it isn't really all that sweet, even. It's just written in a much more lighthearted, ridiculous sort of tone than I usually go for (talking idiot English miniature dinosaurs and rutabagas and characters named after prisons included). Alcatraz is a fantastically sarcastic, straight-faced narrator and makes a few digs at authors (which I very much appreciated) and the whole book just made me laugh. So it made me feel sugary and sweet even if it sort of wasn't . . . if that makes any sense at all. 

Icing

A book that covered every element you enjoy about a book (funny moments, action moments, sad moments, etc.)

                           

Catalyst: I love this book and its two predecessors. Tom is a great main character, even though he makes me cringe - repeatedly - with the stupid stunts he pulls. I sit there wincing wondering when mean old Blackburn is going to come and give Tom a real earful (and possibly more than that). Plus the tech is cool, and I love how Kincaid explores just what sorts of weaknesses and problems could come with computers implanted in a brain. The humor was amazing, the plot wrapped up exquisitely, and the sad moments were . . . well, incredibly sad. But I call that good writing, because not many books actually make me feel that way. And A+ for characters. I already mentioned Tom, but I also just love Vik and Wyatt and Yuri. They're all to die for. 

Mistborn: The Final Empire: I'm pretty sure I've talked about this one before. But I couldn't not mention it because it was phenomenal, along with its successors. Vin was deep, complex, troubled - everything that makes a good character. Kelsier was interesting, and I never knew what to expect from him. Breeze is hysterical. Spook was curious. Ham was a amateur philosopher and pro warrior who lived to puzzle Breeze. They were all brilliant and I love them all so much. But I also love how Sanderson (yes, another Sanderson book, just go read them all) manipulates the relationships of the characters so realistically. Especially between Vin and Elend. Nothing feels unrealistic. Also, the world was extraordinary, as I've come to expect from Sanderson.

Sprinkles

A book series that you can turn back to for a little pick me up when you're feeling down.

The Ranger's Apprentice is one of my favorite series from before I was a teenager. I've read the first book about eight times, read all of them at least twice, and have reread portions more times than I can count. I can always count on them to make me laugh. Halt was my mentor is learning how to properly raise my eyebrow. I think my family wishes I hadn't learned that particular facial expression. :D

The Cherry on Top

Your favorite book(s) of the year.

THE AFOREMENTIONED WAY OF KINGS BY BRANDON SANDERSON. Also:

Look at that clever cover art. DNA strands in her hair? Love it. I read Uninvited because it has a similar premise to my WIP Shadows and Light, so I was curious what it would be like. (Thankfully) it is totally different from what I'm working on. It was excellent, too! I loved it all. The book rolled along at a decent clip, the character relationships were always shifting, and every time the main character got comfortable with a change in her life another change came whacking into her and she had to adjust to survive. It was a great read. :)

There is my book-cake. Cait @ Paperfury, who I mentioned and linked to above, said if you like cake you can consider yourself tagged, so I'll just pass along that message. Go check out her post, because I think she likes cake more than I do and she had some interesting books listed.

What about you? Have you read any of these? Any that you now want to read? What flavor of cake is your favorite? Comment away, darlings.