Vague memories of a book I read as a child have been bugging me for years now, and I don't know why I never thought to ask in here if anyone remembered it.

My sister received a book for her birthday once that I coveted beyond belief. She let me read it once, but then wouldn't ever let me borrow it again. It was a paperback collection of short fairytales that had been turned around. Rapunzel was rewritten as man, for example, and there were pen and ink illustrations. What I remember most about it was the humor. The rapunzelesque guy was sleeping in a tower and the heroine had a terrible time getting him to wake up and stay awake.

There was also a story where one of the fairy godmother wishes for a princess was that she always have long flowing golden hair. When she got tired of it because of the weight and heat, she cut it off... and it went crazy and grew and grew and no one could figure out how to stop it until a guy had them put her on one scale, the hair on another, and then chopped it so girl and hair weighed exactly the same. I believe said guy and princess then married and lived happily ever after.

Do any of you remember this, what it's called or the author? I think the author was a woman, but I don't know why I think that. I believe the book was published in the early to mid-70s.

However, Spider, for example, does seem to have a market and has sold books since that time, so generic meanness does seem misplaced, in his case.

His writing, which I used to really like, went downhill with no brakes and last I checked, still hadn't hit the bottom yet.

I know I'm not the only former SR fan who stopped bothering to buy his stuff after repeat disappointments.

You certainly aren't, Plei.

I can't place the book, Deena. Sorry.

Oh, Deena, I remember this. Damn. I don't remember the author, but I think the title was The Practical Princess ? Maybe? I remember it was "The something-that-begins-with-P Princess". Practical? Prudent? Hell. Off to check Amazon.

Edit: Yes!

I don't remember that book either, Deena. You could post it on Fiction-L, and see if it pings anyone's memory there.

[ETA: xpost, of course!]

Just finished Laurie King's latest standalone, Keeping Watch, and really enjoyed it. It's tied in with Folly, but you don't need to have read that to follow the plot.

About half of the book is a pretty standard (but still well done) Vietnam vet memoir, the other half is a mystery involving an abused child, and whether he's turned out to be as psychotic as his abuser. Creepy and very good at making you second-guess everything the kid does.

Thanks, Kim, you're awesome. I'm going to add that to my list of things to get for Kara as she grows.

Is it completely silly to make an Amazon wish list for the baby?

No, it's wonderful!

Aimee, what a fabulous idea!

And that reminds me, I have a couple of parenting books I'm looking to pass on.

Sears / The breastfeeding book
Eliot / What's going on in there?

If any of the currently/recently sprogged Buffistas want them, just send an email to my profile address.

The best Arthur book to me, aside from Mallory, is Rosemary Sutcliff's Sword at Sunset, with Arthur as a chieftain trying to hold civilization together in post-Roman Britain. Rosemary Sutcliff is one of my favorites anyway; her books set me off on my adolescent obsession with Roman Britain.

Ginger, sistah! I pimp Sutcliff whenever I can, and I'm bummed that much of her Roman Britain stuff is OOP.

I know I'm not the only former SR fan who stopped bothering to buy his stuff after repeat disappointments.

Indeed not. I came close to throwing one of the Callahan's collections across the room. Something about brothels and a nuclear bomb, and it was just awful. Granted, the Callahan's books were never brilliant, but they just got worse and worse. I won't read him anymore, although I adored Stardancer when I was 15.

I didn't splurge at Powell's too much, but I did get 5 books. I'll do the full list when I'm at home so I get the authors right.