Jackie's Booklikes

Insights for the Booksites - reading mostly for my own pleasure

Jackiez
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Under My Hat: Tales from the Cauldron - Jim Butcher, Frances Hardinge, Holly Black, Delia Sherman, Neil Gaiman, Tanith Lee, Peter S. Beagle, M. Rickert, Tim Pratt, Margo Lanagan, Isobelle Carmody, Ellen Klages, Jonathan Strahan, Diana Peterfreund, Ellen Kushner, Charles de Lint, Jane Yolen, Garth Nix, Patricia A

A witch is a "woman practicing sorcery." The Oxford English Dictionary explains that sorcery is the "supposed art of influencing [the] course of events by occult control of nature or of spirits, witchcraft." By definition a witch, differs from a sorcerer, in that they do not use physical tools or actions to curse; their maleficium, is perceived as extending from some intangible inner quality, and the person may be unaware that they are a witch or may have been convinced of their own evil nature by the suggestion of others. So a witch's magic comes from within him or herself, and she may not even know she is a witch!

With that said, the first Tale from the Cauldron, Stray Magic, is about a dog who lost his master in a terrible car accident. The dogs' name is Goneril. He was separated at the scene of the accident and was taken to the dog pound. He will die unless he is reunited with his master, who is a wizard and is able to cure him alone.  He's a very old dog and his master is very good to him. But little does anyone know, Goneril's master likewise is suffering in ICU in the hospital and the only one who can make it better is his dog. Aww, people and their pets :) It's a cute story and I recommend it to animal lovers.