Characters Who Blog

The other day I caught the end of the Lord of the Rings: Two Towers film on TV. It's my favorite of Peter Jackson's adaptations, in no small part because of his depiction of Gollum. A tragic character, I always find myself drawn in by his multiple personality disorder and obsessive love for the object of his (both literal and figurative) demise. 

As such a fascinating creature, I couldn't help but wonder what he might write about if he participated in the A to Z Challenge. Let's take a look: 

I have such a soft spot for tortured characters, especially ones who are at odds with themselves. Gollum was definitely some of Tolkien's best work. I hope his blog inspires you in your upcoming A to Z Challenge foray! 

Have a great weekend everyone and as always, happy blogging!

S. L. Hennessy can be found blogging over at Pensuasion. 

Man-Made Islands ... Cities of the Future?

Problem: Many large cities, such as crowded Tokyo, are running out of space for an ever expanding population. And the problem is only getting worse as the global population increases. Especially for cities built on a shoreline such as an ocean or a major river where expansion is limited by mountain ranges or other geological obstacles. 

Solution: Artificial islands. Man-made islands are an answer to finding suitable space to expand living, work, and leisure space. Man-made islands are constructed by people rather than formed by natural means. They are created by expanding existing islets, construction on existing reefs, or amalgamating several natural islets into a bigger island. 

A number of countries have been reclaiming land for centuries such as the Netherlands. But man-made islands are an engineering feat that have only recently left the drawing board. And the vision will continue to grow exponentially into truly amazing cities and other marvels during our lifetime that will marvel the imagination 

San Diego's Plan for Floating Airport. Why Not?

But Wait, That’s Not All: Airports are also being built on man-made islands. Japan and China are helping to lead the way. Yep, a mini-series is on tap for this very topic that will truly amaze you. Really. It will. San Diego has plans on the table for a solution to their land-locked airport that is in need of expansion. Check out this Reference. 

Storyteller's Perspective: Story Books and Story News

I always like to see folktale and fairy tale news on my feed. It gives me hope that people are still interested in them, and also shows how much is still out there, waiting to be re-discovered. Storytellers, professional or not, are always on the hunt for new stories, and if you are one of my kind, the kind that mostly works with traditional tales, every new folktale collection you come across is a potential treasure trove.

Christmas is... well, more than a month away, but this past week my Facebook wall has been so clogged with folktale collection news and reviews that I decided I might as well compile a Storyteller's Most Wished For list for the season (and beyond). Here are my Top 3 picks:

(Note: I have not read any of them yet, so this is not an endorsement of their contents. I am just excited as a puppy about the upcoming possibilities)

The Turnip Princess and Other Newly Discovered Fairy Tales
Remember the flood of "500 New Fairy Tales Discovered" articles on your news feed? I do. It was around for more than a year. This new volume contains a collection of them translated into English. There has been a previous edition of some of the tales, and they were really great, so I am absolutely looking forward to this one. Have you ever seen a title and thought "whatever it is, I gotta read it just for the title?" Well, that's me and The Dung Beetle Prince.

The Original Folk and Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm: The Complete First Edition
All the gore and none of the Disney. This has been all over my feed this week; I even wrote about the hype and why dark stories are important for children on my own blog. This is the first complete unaltered English edition of the first Grimm collection, including tales that have been censored or left out of later volumes. Yes, Rapunzel gets pregnant. Cheers.

Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange
The first English translation of the oldest known Arabian stories, from the 14th century. Like the Arabian Nights, except from an even older source. Apparently it includes stories about treasure hunts similar to the City of Brass, one of my all-time favorite stories in the world. I am shamelessly excited about this one.

In advance I wish you all a holiday season filled with the smell of new books and quiet reading hours!

You can find Csenge (@TarkabarkaHolgy) at
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