Tonight's the night! That one night of the year when all those little monsters will be traipsing door to door in search of chocolate and and high fructose concoctions. They'll walk past lighted Jack-o-Lanterns and some will bob for apples. It's an all-American scene at the end of every October, or is it?
You might be surprised to know that the origins of Halloween aren't American at all. We actually have the Ancient Celts, the ancestors of the Irish, to thank for this fun holiday which was rather different two millennia ago.
Sometime around the end of October, the Celts celebrated a pagan holiday called Samhain, which was the start of their new year, the end of the harvest, and the time to bring the cattle in from the fields for the winter. They believed that because of the equinox, this time of year had special, supernatural qualities; they believed the boundary between the world of the living and that of the dead was at its thinnest, allowing spirits to roam the earth. When Christianity came to Celtic lands, Samhain was absorbed into the holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.
Other Halloween traditions are also rooted in Samhain practices. Trick-or-treat, Jack O'Lanterns, bobbing for apples, costumes, bonfires, and even the colors orange and black all come from the Celts. Things may have evolved a bit over 2,000 years but the key concepts remain intact.
So, when you carve your pumpkin and dress up in that zombie costume this year, take a moment to remember the Celts for giving us a reason to party and act crazy!
Awaiting (good) spirits and treats on the perch.
Monday, October 31, 2011
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
My Favorite Halloween Books
Interestingly, I blogged about Halloween movies in my last post on October 13 (the date wasn't intentional). Appropriately, I have to blog about Halloween books today, thirteen days after my last post (also not intentional; I just happen to have a few spare moments on the perch before tomorrow's Halloween party).
The Ancient Greeks had the right idea about blood, guts, and gore--anything violent happened offstage in their dramas because they believed 1) the audience shouldn't be visually assaulted and 2) whatever the audience imagined could be far worse than anything presented on the stage (try telling that to the Romans, though). The point I'm trying to make is that with books, you can turn up or turn down the macabre in your mind. The author may suggest the idea, but it's up to you, the reader, to decide how far you're willing to go with it. Maybe that's why I'm generally less spooked by Halloween books than by Halloween movies.
Nevertheless, allow me to share with you some of my favorite Halloween reads. If there was ever a great Halloween story, Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is it. Now I admit that I'm a little biased with this work of literature. I was born in the Sleepy Hollow (back then it was called North Tarrytown), and growing up in that part of New York it was hard to avoid hearing the real local lore or being taken to Irving's estate, Sunnyside, on a school trip. Heck, even the high school athletes in Sleepy Hollow are known as the Headless Horsemen. Aside from all this, however, Irving's tale is full of intrigue, suspense, and a healthy dash of fear without being overdone. I love returning to this story on a cold, windy, fall night.
I can't say I'm a big fan of the original Dracula, but I do enjoy Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, which balances Stoker's character with the real Dracula, Vlad the Impaler. There aren't many books in English that are set in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, and this book entertainingly and interestingly tells the different legends surrounding the iconic historical figure against these geographical backdrops in the present time. I loved getting a non-preachy lesson in history and culture while also having my heart race reading some of the book's scary plot twists. It kept my imagination to the end and beyond.
Now, I have a confession to make. I'm a bit of romantic, and I've been in love with Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera since I was a teenager (I was/am also in love with the Broadway musical based on the book). A young opera singer is loved by a genius composer/musician/architect who is also her singing teacher, her "Angel of Music." So what if he has no looks and wears a mask? So what if he has a great house that has it's own lake in the basement of the Paris Opera? So what that he terrorizes the Opera management and its principal singers? The woman has a guy who loves, worships, and adores her. A twisted romance, maybe, but a good Halloween read.
Whether you read one of my picks or a pick by Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Rice, or any other author, have a great Hallowread!
Hauntingly yours from the perch! :-0
The Ancient Greeks had the right idea about blood, guts, and gore--anything violent happened offstage in their dramas because they believed 1) the audience shouldn't be visually assaulted and 2) whatever the audience imagined could be far worse than anything presented on the stage (try telling that to the Romans, though). The point I'm trying to make is that with books, you can turn up or turn down the macabre in your mind. The author may suggest the idea, but it's up to you, the reader, to decide how far you're willing to go with it. Maybe that's why I'm generally less spooked by Halloween books than by Halloween movies.
Nevertheless, allow me to share with you some of my favorite Halloween reads. If there was ever a great Halloween story, Washington Irving's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is it. Now I admit that I'm a little biased with this work of literature. I was born in the Sleepy Hollow (back then it was called North Tarrytown), and growing up in that part of New York it was hard to avoid hearing the real local lore or being taken to Irving's estate, Sunnyside, on a school trip. Heck, even the high school athletes in Sleepy Hollow are known as the Headless Horsemen. Aside from all this, however, Irving's tale is full of intrigue, suspense, and a healthy dash of fear without being overdone. I love returning to this story on a cold, windy, fall night.
I can't say I'm a big fan of the original Dracula, but I do enjoy Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, which balances Stoker's character with the real Dracula, Vlad the Impaler. There aren't many books in English that are set in Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey, and this book entertainingly and interestingly tells the different legends surrounding the iconic historical figure against these geographical backdrops in the present time. I loved getting a non-preachy lesson in history and culture while also having my heart race reading some of the book's scary plot twists. It kept my imagination to the end and beyond.
Now, I have a confession to make. I'm a bit of romantic, and I've been in love with Gaston Leroux's The Phantom of the Opera since I was a teenager (I was/am also in love with the Broadway musical based on the book). A young opera singer is loved by a genius composer/musician/architect who is also her singing teacher, her "Angel of Music." So what if he has no looks and wears a mask? So what if he has a great house that has it's own lake in the basement of the Paris Opera? So what that he terrorizes the Opera management and its principal singers? The woman has a guy who loves, worships, and adores her. A twisted romance, maybe, but a good Halloween read.
Whether you read one of my picks or a pick by Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, Anne Rice, or any other author, have a great Hallowread!
Hauntingly yours from the perch! :-0
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Halloween Movies: The Not-So-Scary and the Scary
Halloween is just around the corner, and kids (along with some adults) are getting their costumes and trick-or-treat bags ready for the big event. Dressing up and eating candy have always been a big part of the festivities, but watching Halloween movies has also become a popular tradition over the years. It seems that every year Hollywood tries to outdo itself with another new horror movie in mid to late October. Then, of course, there are all those horror movies from Halloweens past on DVD.
Personally, I'm not into scaring the bejesus out of myself and apparently my co-workers aren't either. So we came up with our own list of 10 not-so-scary Halloween movies:
However, if this year you must find the perfect horror movie to get into spirit (no pun intended), check out the following websites: Chicago Tribune, boston.com, The Reader's Digest, and infoplease.
Whatever your taste in Halloween movies, scary or not-so-scary, enjoy!
On the perch awaiting the Great Pumpkin.
Personally, I'm not into scaring the bejesus out of myself and apparently my co-workers aren't either. So we came up with our own list of 10 not-so-scary Halloween movies:
- The Addams Family
- Beetlejuice
- Casper
- Corpse Bride
- Ghostbusters
- Hocus Pocus
- It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Spookley the Square Pumpkin
- Young Frankenstein
However, if this year you must find the perfect horror movie to get into spirit (no pun intended), check out the following websites: Chicago Tribune, boston.com, The Reader's Digest, and infoplease.
Whatever your taste in Halloween movies, scary or not-so-scary, enjoy!
On the perch awaiting the Great Pumpkin.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Warm Recipes for Cool Days
Normally, I would tweet or blog to come to the library and get out of the cold. I'm still going to promote coming to the library, but I can't make promises about getting out of the cold since we're having problems with our heating at the moment. With the staff feeling a little chilly, I thought of looking up some tasty fall recipes that are good for warming up both the body and the spirit.
Mulled wine, which is a red wine served warm with spices, is the perfect treat for curling up on the sofa with a good book on a cool, windy day. Some good recipes for it that can be found on the Internet include one for a crockpot adaptation, a simple stovetop version, and a 7 ingredient concoction. If you're not into alcoholic beverages, mulled cider is also a pleasant warm drink to make. Look up recipes at Simply Recipes, All Recipes, and The Food Network.
Of course, what better to go with mulled wine or cider than a pumpkin cake or pumpkin bread? They just scream out autumn! But if you're looking for some other fall recipes to warm up with, check out Taste of Home, Whats4Eats, BrownEyedBaker, and Busy Cooks.
Do you know any good cooking websites or fall recipes? Share them with us!
Getting hungry and drooling from the perch.
Mulled wine, which is a red wine served warm with spices, is the perfect treat for curling up on the sofa with a good book on a cool, windy day. Some good recipes for it that can be found on the Internet include one for a crockpot adaptation, a simple stovetop version, and a 7 ingredient concoction. If you're not into alcoholic beverages, mulled cider is also a pleasant warm drink to make. Look up recipes at Simply Recipes, All Recipes, and The Food Network.
Of course, what better to go with mulled wine or cider than a pumpkin cake or pumpkin bread? They just scream out autumn! But if you're looking for some other fall recipes to warm up with, check out Taste of Home, Whats4Eats, BrownEyedBaker, and Busy Cooks.
Do you know any good cooking websites or fall recipes? Share them with us!
Getting hungry and drooling from the perch.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
The Book vs The Movie
I know I'm probably beating a dead horse here, but I'm gonna beat it anyway. For as long as there have been movies based on books, people have been asking, "Which was better: the movie or the book?" And most of the time the answer to that question has been "the book."
I have to admit that in general I personally agree with the populace at large. There's only so much of a book that you can squeeze into a 2 hour movie; you'll get a good taste but you'll be left feeling hungry for more. That's why sales of books made into movies, like Kathryn Stockett's The Help, have gone up and why the waiting lists for copies in libraries have grown.
One of my recent "boovie" experiences has been with Eat, Pray, Love. I have to confess I saw the movie before reading the book; I liked the movie, but I liked the book so much more. Why? Because so many little things about the main character's personal growth were left out. Somebody told me, "You can see how they got the movie from the book, but could you see getting the book from the movie?" Undoubtedly no.
There are some exceptions to the boovie, though (and I apologize in advance to any Robert James Waller fans out there). I absolutely loved the movie, The Bridges of Madison County. The way Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood portrayed characters who shared a brief but intense union was truly magical. I couldn't wait to put my hands on the book...and be disappointed. Where was the magic? All those little nuances between the characters came across much better in the movie. This goes to show that talented actors can add different dimensions to a story from what can be found on the written page.
I'm sure the boovie debate will continue as long as books are made into movies. Take your pick: sometimes you'll prefer the book over the movie and vice versa. And for the record, I think the Harry Potter book series and the Harry Potter film series were equally well made and enjoyable.
Reviewing from the perch.
I have to admit that in general I personally agree with the populace at large. There's only so much of a book that you can squeeze into a 2 hour movie; you'll get a good taste but you'll be left feeling hungry for more. That's why sales of books made into movies, like Kathryn Stockett's The Help, have gone up and why the waiting lists for copies in libraries have grown.
One of my recent "boovie" experiences has been with Eat, Pray, Love. I have to confess I saw the movie before reading the book; I liked the movie, but I liked the book so much more. Why? Because so many little things about the main character's personal growth were left out. Somebody told me, "You can see how they got the movie from the book, but could you see getting the book from the movie?" Undoubtedly no.
There are some exceptions to the boovie, though (and I apologize in advance to any Robert James Waller fans out there). I absolutely loved the movie, The Bridges of Madison County. The way Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood portrayed characters who shared a brief but intense union was truly magical. I couldn't wait to put my hands on the book...and be disappointed. Where was the magic? All those little nuances between the characters came across much better in the movie. This goes to show that talented actors can add different dimensions to a story from what can be found on the written page.
I'm sure the boovie debate will continue as long as books are made into movies. Take your pick: sometimes you'll prefer the book over the movie and vice versa. And for the record, I think the Harry Potter book series and the Harry Potter film series were equally well made and enjoyable.
Reviewing from the perch.
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