Well this is a longform book for young adults, so I suspect there are a lot of parts that are more fleshed out than in the traditional myth. I believe the trolls eat people, and she found a field with their remains - very upsetting. Or something like that.

Well, caution: You should read it yourself first before giving it to a youngster. There are some pretty gruesome scenes at the troll queen's castle, as I recall. I think I could give it to my 12-year-old but not my 10-year-old. I just read your summary of the legend, and East follows it quite closely! I just loved the…

Cinderella 3 is my favorite Cinderella. It goes back in time to before the ball, and Cinderella has to free herself from her stepmother WITHOUT the help of her stepmother. No magic solution, just audacity and hard work. The animation isn't first-rate, but who cares. I loved it for my little girls.

Pre-Bush.

I'm with ya.

Seriously, who are the fragile ones again? The ones who hike mountains in subzero temperatures? The ones who command armies of Ents?

We loved it. Have a great time! Happy birthday! Give your mommy an extra hug from us!

Yes! Did you read East by Edith Pattou? It's a great retelling of this myth. Now I'm going to have to read it again. In fact I can't wait to.

Yes! This is my family's favorite version. We saw the new Cinderella today, but we talked about the Brandy Cinderella all the way home. Whitney and Brandy win.

Yes! Have you read East by Edith Pattou? It's a retelling of that myth and I loved it. Now I'm going to have to reread it.

This is a great point, and helps explain to me one of my own reactions upon seeing it. When the captain comes into Cinderella's attic, where she's being held prisoner, I was just convinced that Cinderella should and would say, "Captain, I am being held here against my will and I request asylum from the King." I was…

Go Vixens!

I am so glad you're there for them. I went to a women's college undergrad and two co-ed grad schools too. The difference was astounding, and it was both the teachers and the students. In the first grad school, classes were small, and after feeling frustrated, but not sure why, I finally sat back one day and took…

Moment of silence for John Lennon, tho.

Your father was John Lennon??!!! :-)

I think you should double-check with your mom on that story about how the drycleaner "lost" the cape.

As a lawyer who practices in this area (capacity, not Alabama)... The law generally knows there are varying degrees of capacity as well. For example, you might have capacity to sign a will (low bar) but not a contract (higher bar). Lawyers dealing with clients with capacity issues will generally make sure to meat with…

If this were my state, one possible result of the investigation would be to have such a person appointed. A guardian. Currently her lawyer seems to have authority to make decisions for her. That kind of arrangement is common and ok (usually it's a relative or friend, not a lawyer) as long as the person doesn't take…

The state might be able to do more. Financial abuse is a type of elder abuse. If they found that someone was taking advantage of her financially, they could get a restraining order against that person and ask a judge to undo that person's actions. It's not clear that this is financial abuse, of course. It depends on…

Preach.