Monthly Archives: October 2013

Cheep Cheeper by the Dozen

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Nathan

The original Super Mario Bros. introduces two kinds of water-based enemies, the Bloober or Blooper and the Cheep Cheep. The latter is a pretty generic-looking fish, and in addition to appearing in the underwater stages, there are levels where you … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Mario, Monsters, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Television, Video Games, Zelda | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Oz Fish

Posted on October 30, 2013 by Nathan

Although L. Frank Baum wrote a fantasy taking place under the sea and referenced it a few times in the Oz books, he really didn’t say that much about aquatic life in Oz and its surrounding nations. In Glinda of … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Bill Campbell and Irwin Terry, Characters, Dick Martin, Eric Shanower, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Monsters, Oz, Oz Authors, Places, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Zeal Deal

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Nathan

Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth, by Reza Aslan – This book received a certain amount of notoriety due to a really stupid interview on Fox News, when Lauren Green asked why a Muslim would write about … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Christianity, Fox News, History, Islam, Judaism, Middle East, Religion, Roman Empire, Television | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bring Me My Bow of Burning Gold

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Nathan

Despite what its title might suggest, “Jerusalem” is a very popular national song in England. The words were originally written as a poem by William Blake, and Sir Hubert Parry wrote the music in 1916, presumably as part of an … Continue reading →

Posted in British, Christianity, Monty Python, Music, Mythology, Poetry, Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Laughing All the Way to Olympus

Posted on October 28, 2013 by Nathan

Ye Gods!, by Tom Holt – I’m currently in the process of reading Rick Riordan’s latest book, The House of Hades, but Holt actually wrote about Greco-Roman gods and demigod heroes in the modern world before Riordan ever did. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Authors, Greek Mythology, Mythology, Roman, Tom Holt | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Miracle of Rare Device

Posted on October 26, 2013 by Nathan

As I mentioned in my post on the book, the Ancient Mariner from The Pearl and the Pumpkin was originally a character from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. In the story, it’s the schoolmaster who … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, Authors, Dirk Gently, Douglas Adams, Dreams, Poetry | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Mouse in the House

Posted on October 25, 2013 by Nathan

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse in Color – I read the first two recently released collections of Floyd Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse strips last year, and while more have come out since then, the library system doesn’t appear to have them. They … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Cartoons, Comics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Plumber vs. Plant

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Nathan

Picture by Ribera The fact that there are plants that eat animals has certainly captured the popular imagination, including the world of video games. Many games contain carnivorous plants, but the most famous are almost certainly the Piranha Plants from … Continue reading →

Posted in Captain N: The Game Master, Cartoons, Mario, Monsters, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Television, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

A Pumpkin Under the Sea

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Nathan

The Pearl and the Pumpkin, by Paul Clarendon West and W. W. Denslow – After the success of a children’s book called The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (perhaps you’ve heard of it), there were many attempts to recapture it. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Halloween, Holidays, Hugh Pendexter, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Now I Know My A-B-Seas

Posted on October 22, 2013 by Nathan

I came across an interesting thought here that the A-B-Sea Serpent from The Royal Book of Oz might be either Unko or Inko, two sea serpents mentioned in The Sea Fairies. I posted before about Anko, the sea serpent who … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, John R. Neill, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments