Borders, Books, and Pirates

Yo Ho Heave Ho!  Posting’s been light this week because — wait for it — I’ve been in the land of mermaid and princesses. And survived to tell the tale.  (Ariel survived my eye-rolling, too.)

Before our arrival and departure, I spent some time in the airport bookstores searching for my “plane book” — a book so good it makes me forget I’m flying. Both times, I was seriously impressed by the staff at the stores.  The Orlando store, in particular, had a fabulous clerk who hand-sold me a book that got me through a three-hour delay and turbulence.  (Meaning I looked longingly at the book for the three hours that I played with the small fry.) It’s called The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield, and it’s the first book I’ve read in a very long time that I can’t put down but don’t want to have end. Check it out if you get the chance.

The vacation was a blast from start to finish (well, maybe not the three-hour flight delay) but one of the highlights was stumbling across The Magic Kingdom’s League of Pirates, where small children can be transformed into blood-thirsty scoundrels and parents can have their wallets plundered.  But it was just so much fun, we didn’t much care.

Bess Wavewrecker, pirate empress

A special shout-out to pirates Lonnie and James who transformed my reserved girl into a crazy, kick-butt pirate empress heroine all her own, complete with new name.  If you ever get to go, give them a pirate high-five for me.

And speaking of heroines, I’ve closed comments for the contest, and the winner is Elizabeth Loupas!  Congrats, and thanks to everyone for playing.