Thurston T. Turtle Moves to Hubbleville, a Review

Thurston T. Turtle Moves To Hubbleville by Micki Bare.

Thurston T. Turtle Moves to Hubbleville is a charming story geared towards older elementary school students that tackles some interesting and thought-provoking subjects. We are introduced to Thurston as a stranger that is making his way into a small, southern town. Thurston is seen through the eyes of two of the citizens and their initial interactions. It is a perfect example of a small town and the small town life that so many people are searching for. I was surprised to see that I admired the way Micki handled the characters and gave them all a sincerity that made me want to move to Hubbleville. I wasn't expecting that from a book where the characters are all animals. So, one lesson was about life in a small town and how kind people can be.

Part of the story involved Thurston learning about the town and seeing if he would be able to fit in. Any child that has had to move or change schools would identify with our Turtle. Thurston spends time meeting all of the people in the town and using the various services, like the locksmith, clerk and bank. There is some adjustment that needs to be made and Thurston takes his time and doesn't rush into anything.

Acting as more than a comic foil, one of the other characters we follow is Mr. Possum who suffers as Hubbleville's newspaperman. Unfortunately, Mr. Possum has everything slightly wrong and can never seem to find Thurston to interview him for the paper. A smaller lesson is that you need to make sure that you try and get your facts straight.

Micki has authored a very charming read that will be sure to delight kids that are looking for a more serialized story. The tale is very episodic and offers humor and a little bit of mystery. I can't wait to see what happens next in Hubbleville.

You can find Micki at her website, Inspiredscribe.

The author provided a review copy of the book.

Prince Concert Review Blurb with Sheila E and Eric Leed

Rock star Prince has wowed fans at Vienna's Stadthalle auditorium with a show that drew rave reviews. "Driven forward by Shela E.'s rhythmic drumbeat and Eric Leed's nervously driving saxophone riffs, Prince presented a show which will remain without parallel for some time to come," wrote Austria Press Agency's rock critic, Werner Mueller.

A strange little clipping from my scrapbook. I am assuming that this is from the Sign "O" the Times tour.

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• Prince Sign of the Times Album Sticker (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)
• Purple Rain Postcard: Prince and the Revolution (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)
• Newspaper Article about Wendy & Lisa (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)
• Prince New Breed Fan Club Postcard (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)

Prince New Breed Fan Club Postcard

I believe this set is from 1986. This is the suit that Prince wore during his birthday celebration in Detroit. It is the same suit from the Anotherloverholenyohead live video.

Prince would like to thank you for writing and take this opportunity to invite you to join The New Breed, an organization that will involve you with Prince and the events and causes that interest him. 

When you join you will receive:

1. an Embossed membership card
2. A full color poster/program
3. A full color pocket folder filled with Prince's photo's (sic)
4. A subscription to the New Breed newsletter
5. The opportunity to purchase Prince Merchandise

In addition there will be many surprises! 

PURPLE RAIN BONUS
SEND AN EXTRA $5.00 AND WE WILL SEND YOU A PURPLE RAIN TOURBOOK AND 3 PURPLE RAIN BUTTONS 

ALSO AVAILABLE LIMITED QUANTITIES OF EUROPEAN TOUR PROGRAMS $12
FOR ADDITIONAL MERCHANDISE PLEASE SEND A STAMPED SELD ADDRESSED ENVELOPE

Photo of Prince in Concert

Another piece from my Prince collection. This was part of a set of photos that I purchased at the Dixie Classic Fair, probably in the early 1990s.

Related articles

• Prince Postcard: Purple Rain Movie Poster Card (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)
• Prince Postcard: Sign Of The Times Tour 1987 (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)
• Prince Sign of the Times Album Sticker (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)
• Purple Rain Postcard: Prince and the Revolution (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)
• Newspaper Article about Wendy & Lisa (biblioadonis.blogspot.com)

Newspaper Article about Wendy & Lisa

I can't figure out why I would have kept the second half of an interview from a local newspaper. This article looks at the self-titled release Wendy and Lisa from 1987.

This was a fantastic album to follow up the Girls work with Prince on Parade. It is a good bridge between their influence on Prince and the development of their own work.

Prince Sign of the Times Album Sticker

A much, faded sticker that I removed from the two-record Sign "O" The Times  release from 1987. I cut it off of the plastic wrap and it was taped to a mirror in my room for over 5 years. When I scanned the heart-shaped sticker, I colored the background black to make the image stand out.

I reviewed the Sign "O" the Times DVD here.

Prince Postcard: Standing in Front of a Window

Another postcard from the 1984 Purple Rain era. This was also a poster that was produced in color.

Prince Postcard: Purple Rain Movie Poster Card

I imagine that the reproduction from this postcard adorned millions of bedrooms in 1984. This image was the included poster with the Purple Rain album. It is also one of the iconic images from the When Doves Cry video. I always wondered why "Doctor" Matt Fink was transparent. Bobby Z. is leaning against the stairs while Matt seems to be floating there. Another Prince-related mystery, eh?

Prince Postcard: Sign Of The Times Tour 1987

The 1987 release, Sign "O" the Times, was going to be a three-record release called the Crystal Ball. Warner Bros. stepped in and cut the album to two records of near perfection. At this point, Prince began struggling with the decline in his popularity after Purple Rain. When he toured in Europe to support the album, he recorded a concert film to promote the album.

I reviewed the concert film, here.

The front of the 1987 Sign of the Times tour postcard.

I love the graphics and images from the Sign of the Times tour. Prince went with a fairly, simplistic logo design that hearkened to a 1960s revitalization. Color me peach and black. Color me taken aback.

Notice the MADHOUSE logo? It is interesting to think of Prince performing two shows every night.

The back of the postcard.

Purple Rain Postcard: Prince and the Revolution

The Purple Rain postcard from 1984.

An iconic image from the 1984 film and album, Purple Rain. It is more evocative of the When Doves Cry video with the flowers strewn about a white background. The purple font with the yellow shadow takes me back almost 30 years.

The back of the Purple Rain postcard.

Book Reveiw: The Accidental Time Machine

I'm a nut for time travel fiction.

Yes, I do watch Dr. Who and Torchwood.

When The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman came in, I was excited and apprehensive. I had selected it for my library (I am trying to boost the sci-fi collection), so I knew it would have received a good review. At my other blog, I am always updating and reviewing Disney-related books (thanks to my lovely wife for scoring so many of them for me!), so there isn't much time for fiction. I have about 25 Disney books I need to get through.

One of my few reading times is during my lunch break. I usually have a bowl of soup or a sandwich of some sort. I always round out my lunch with a good book. I knew that I could use my lunch hour for reading a Disney book, but this one was way too tempting. So I picked it up and was hooked right from the begining.

A bored M.I.T. doctoral student accidentally creates a time machine while working on another project for a Professor. The catch is that the time machine can only move forward. It moves forward based on a certain mathematical formula; each time going further and further into the future. The story plays out very well, with some very unexpected situations.

Joe Haldeman crafts a very believable story and he writes hi-tech science for the lay-person. I would plant Haldeman squarely between Orson Scott Card and Michael Crichton. He magaes to write a technological page-turner like Crichton, but he also writes very believable and likeable characters like Card.

It isn't your traditional time travel narrative, but it is a lot of fun

Book Review: Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman

Cover of Soon I Will Be Invincible: A NovelSoon I Will be Invincible by Austin Grossman.

I loved this book. If you've ever spent time reading comic books, pretending you were Superman (or Lex Luthor) or watching the Justice League and The Incredibles--you will love this book.

You follow the adventures of Dr. Impossible and Fatale: a maniacal evil genius and a female cyborg superhero. Both of the characters tell their stories (and their origins) through alternating chapters. Grossman takes you behind the mask and you get to experience what it might be like to be a misunderstood megalomaniac and a rookie superhero.

It is a riveting tale with a secret island base, a world renowned super team and, ultimately, love lost. You also get to see that being a super or a villain may not be all it is cracked up to be.

Soon I Will Be Invincible is a great weekend/beach read. It is a quick and fun read to occupy your time.

DVD Snapshot: Prince Sign O The Times

Prince Sign O' the Times(DVD) 1987

Originally released in November 1987, Prince's 85 minute concert film is an energetic romp through the album of the same name. In my neck of North Carolina, the film only played for a few weekends in a midnight-only showing. Obviously, the film did not find a wide audience. I was a senior in high school and went to see it twice with another friend from school.

Both of us were Prince fans. As for me, I was a true fanatic. I had all of his albums, 45s and 12-inch singles. I had seen him live on the Purple Rain Tour in 1984 and was hungry to see him live again. Since the release of the concert film, I have seen Prince live many times: the LoveSexy tour, Emancipation tour and the Hit N Run tour of the early 2000s. Besides the live performances in Purple Rain, this is one of the rare times you will see Prince command a large stage in front of thousands of fans.

The sound quality is fantastic, yet, sadly, the video quality is not quite up to today's high-definition standard. I watched the disc on a SONY 3D blu-ray player and a 42" 1080P and it still seemed to lack a lot of the sharpness. Also, there are no bonus features included.

Color Me Peach and Black...

The performances are stellar. This is Prince at the top of his game with a well-rehearsed and well-disciplined band of musicians. Cat Glover is an admirable and exciting dancer/partner for Prince. In 1987, she was very ebullient. Watching her performance almost 25 years later and she seems juvenile and unstudied compared to modern performers like Beyonce, Rihanna and early Britney. Seeing Sheila E. drum for Prince is still mind-blowing; she offers an energy that is palpable and a levity through her facial expressions. Eric Leeds and Atlanta Bliss round out the sound with their impressive horn work. I remember Prince stating once that Eric Leeds played saxophone exactly the way he would. (Prince has stated that wind instruments might damage his voice.) Miko Weaver and Levi Seacer Jr are standout musicians and provide a heavy and talented rhythm section for Prince. With  a guitarist and bassist that can play anything and are able to follow anything, Prince is able to highlight himself through his vocal and guitar performances. He never has to worry about these guys faltering.  Wally and Gregory are poor replacements for Morris Day and Jerome Benton and do little to keep the minimal storyline flowing.

Featured songs:

1. "Sign o' the Times"
2. "Play In the Sunshine"
3. "Little Red Corvette"/"Housequake"
4. "Slow Love"
5. "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man"
6. "Hot Thing"
7. "Now's the Time" (Charlie Parker cover by the band excluding Prince)
8. Drum solo by Sheila E.
9. "U Got the Look"
10. "If I Was Your Girlfriend"
11. "Forever in My Life"/"It"
12. "It's Gonna Be a Beautiful Night"
13. "The Cross"

This is a great DVD to add to your collection if you are a Prince fan. I was reminded how powerful and amazing Prince was--as a songwriter and performer.

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Comic Snapshot: Dr. Horrible Graphic Novel

Dr. Horrible and Other Horrible Stories by Zach Whedon.

I was blown away by the Doctor Horrible web series that debuted in 2008. My whole family loves it. We sing the soundtrack (Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog)all the time. My wife picked up the Dr. Horrible graphic novel for me for Christmas, knowing that I love comics and anything by the Whedons. My major complaints are that it wasn't long enough and there is no accompanying soundtrack!

The stories were penned by Zach Whedon and focus on the major characters, as expected. Each one is an origins story, for lack of a better term and really gives a lot of insight into the characters. There several telling panels where you see the delusions that Doctor Horrible and Captain hammer actually suffer through. Penny's tale was particularly satisfying because you get a glimpse of what might have happened if Doctor Horrible had just been himself.

This is a great read and adds to the Dr. Horrible universe. The graphic novel had me jonesin' for more!

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