The Whittier Side Of Life

       Paige Turner (or ‘Pah-hee-na, as she would rather be called) isn’t your typical Poor Little Rich Girl. She couldn’t care less about clothing. Parties make her sick – literally. And if an eligible bachelor so much as slips an arm across her shoulders, she can’t help screaming bloody blue murder before running a mile.

       Because that’s what she is, see... A Runner.

       When the going gets rough, she goes and gets overwhelmed; her mind shuts down and she can’t think straight. Or at all, really. And that’s when the dreaded feeling comes over her – the tingling in her spine, the blood pounding in her ears, the hammering of her heart as it crashes against the wall of her chest. And it’s like she’ll die if she doesn’t just get the hell away from it all.

       But when her hearty-partying sister is found dead on the sidewalk outside The Gramercy Rose Hotel, Pah-hee-na takes ‘getting away’ to a whole new level. Instead of just shying away from her resulting stress and sadness, she runs away. Far, far away. Pah-hee-na Runs...using a pretty sweet set of wheels, that is.

       But Running is more likely to land her in Hell (no, no...not that one) than help her catch a murderer...isn’t it?

       With the help of a sexy, mysterious stranger, a jumbo-sized jack-of-all-trades, and an apparition (or possibly two), Pah-hee-na Turner is about to find out. And she’s in for the ride of her life.

This is a promotional video for the novel FAT BALLET by T.R Whittier.
All video and image work was created by TheMFish. "Fat Ballet Theme Song" written by T.R Whittier and TheMFish.

It’s not easy being Olga Dolovich. Orphaned at a time when she had only just begun to appreciate her parents, tormented by her beautiful-but-bitchy sex goddess of a sister, and doomed to clean the world’s dirtiest bathroom, Olga doesn’t exactly lead a charmed life. But worst of all, at least in her tortured mind, is the fact that she’s fat. Too fat for comfort. Too fat for beauty. And much, much too fat to be a ballerina.

But ballet, unfortunately, is what Olga lives and breathes for. What’s a poor, plump, bathroom cleaner with artistic ambitions to do? Under normal circumstances, she’d have no choice but to watch as her dreams got washed down the drain. But when Harold Pinsky, the eccentric heir to a toilet paper fortune, dances into her life, circumstances become anything but normal. Harold, like Olga, has the right kind of talent, but the wrong kind of body to be a professional ballet dancer. Unlike Olga, however, he’s not about to let some stupid societal convention stand in the way of their happiness.

With the help of a few equally imperfect friends, plus one extremely unexpected supporter, they start The Fat Ballet Company – a dance troupe dedicated to breaking down barriers, crushing conventionalism, and squashing stereotypes. But is the world ready for such an enlightened art form? And is Olga ready to come to terms with her less-than-flawless self? FAT BALLET – Dance Without Discrimination!

*Please note: this novel contains bad language and bawdy humor*

Coming June 25th, 2015!

       This collection of short stories, which revolve around the outrageous character of Stanley Featherstonehaugh Ukridge, helped turn a stiflingly boring subway ride into a huge GiggleFest! This work of Wodehouse's is second only to the classic Jeeves and Wooster novels in terms of hilarity. If Fry and Laurie have not yet done a film version of this series, they should seriously think about it! Laurie would be fantastic as Ukridge's sweet, somewhat naive, perpetually broke best friend, Corcoran (aka: "Corky" or simply "Laddie") :)

As much fun as the television series, if not more so! A few typos and inconsistencies in the text (e.g.: in the show, the Louisa character has flaming red hair, whereas in the novel it is once described as dark brown), but I feel that that just gives the book character :) A must-read for fans of The Queen of Cooks!

     Not as awesome as Cold Comfort Farm (then again, what is?), but this semi-Cinderella story is still a very enjoyable read. I did, however, find myself getting a little annoyed with the protagonists of this tale, Viola and Victor. His character is completely deplorable at first; hers is reminiscent of a wet dishrag. But, they grow and change for the better, thank goodness, and the ending is a satisfying one :)

Classic Wodehouse - complete with Love At First Sight, Impoverished Peers of the Realm, Highly Embarrassing Americans, and confusions galore :)

      Thank you to all those kind souls who recommended Carriger's work to me! I simply adore the characters in this alternative, Victorian world - the amazing Miss Alexia Tarabotti, the awful half-witted half-sisters, Miss Hisselpenny and her horrendous hats, and, of course, Lord Maccon, the gorgeous, sexy, Alpha werewolf. I'm very much looking forward to reading the rest of this series!

Hilariously Hypochondriacal :)

    Also known as The Little Warrior, which is a title that I prefer, this is, hands down, my favorite non-Jeeves and Wooster novel of Plum's :)

             Eons ago, when I was about seven or eight years old, I pulled a very dusty, battered copy of The Winter of Enchantment from the shelves of my tiny school library. The novel was, I remember, the most exciting, magical story I had ever encountered, and I fell in love with it immediately. After finishing it, I felt airy, optimistic, and aglow with the belief that magical things could happen at any given moment.

          It's a feeling that has never left me.

        For some reason, however, I didn't demand that my mother and I rush out to our local children's bookshop (back in the day when those still existed...) and buy a copy of The Winter of Enchantment for my very own. Instead, I chose to believe that the library book was the last remaining copy in existence. I adored the idea that another child, with similar literary tastes, would eventually pull it out and step into the secret world of Sebastian, Melissa, and Mantari. And then, we would be bonded by our wonderful, magical experience. It was an idea that seemed very, very romantic to me, and I was quite pleased with it.

          Much later, at the cusp of adulthood, the memory of the magical tale popped into my head. I remembered flashes of the plot, something about a cat, and the fact that the cover of the library copy had been very, very purple. And that was it. The title of the novel had left me; the name of the author had long since been forgotten. Even with the help of the internet, I had no way of finding this novel. My hopes of rereading this masterpiece had been dashed.

       And then, somehow, a miracle occurred. A friend, whose googling abilities were much more powerful than my own, somehow managed to track down both of Victoria Walker's works - The Winter of Enchantment and The House Called Hadlows. A small, Scottish publisher by the name of Fidra Books, which specializes in out of print works, had revived them. Joy reigned supreme! Astonishment overwhelmed me! And, most of all, magic was restored to my own, personal realm.

      And, I hope, it will never leave.

   Mary Norton was a woman after my own heart - a woman whose own heart, head, and soul was filled with magic. What a genius she was, to have created the world of The Borrowers. I will, of course, be reading all the novels. The 1998 BBC film version of the stories is amazing as well. I am now on the lookout for materials that will help me re-create Arrietty's hot air balloon!

   This is the final installment of the sexy, supernatural 666 Park Avenue series. Like the other two novels, The Lost Soul is fun and fast-paced, although the conclusion has its fair share of sadness and bittersweet moments. I found the ending to be quite a surprise, which is always welcome :) This series is highly recommended if, mentally, you really want to get away from it all.

       This was another fun read that I picked up during one of my random perusals through the shelves of my local library. Having always been fascinated by snobbery, mostly because it seems so completely ridiculous, I knew I would have to give this novel a go. It's the story of an outrageously unapologetic social climber, her lover, her husband, and their entire slew of both titled and non-titled relatives. If you're in the mood for a bit of gossipy scandal, this is just the ticket.

       I think this might be the only time I have ever preferred the second installment in a series to the initial novel! How intriguing :) The Dark Glamour is just as much of a fast, fun read as 666 Park Avenue, but the plot and pace seem to have matured (or perhaps, fermented?) since the opening novel in the series. This is a wonderful novel to read on a bus, a train, or perhaps while in a hospital - really anyplace that you would rather not be. The story completely swallows you; it lifts you out of real time and, most likely, you will find that you don't mind a bit.

       I can never resist a novel about witches. There's just something about 'em that calls out to me. *Shrugs* So, when I happened upon 666 Park Avenue while perusing the shelves of my local library one day, I just knew I would have to give it a try.
       This is an extremely fun, fast-paced read. The plot definitely sucked me in, and the references to magic were, of course, extremely satisfying. The only aspect of the story that bothered me was the pacing. Pierce wrote wonderful scenes, filled with excitement, drama, and romance, but her descriptions of them seemed somewhat rushed. It felt as though she was in a terrible hurry to just "get on with" the story.
       Being as this is a trilogy, I will, of course, be reading the other two novels in the series. I just hope that, in her continued divulgence of the saga of Jane Boyle, Pierce is able to slow down a bit.