These Boots Were Made For Walking

It's FALL!!!!!  That means time for me to actually start wearing shoes again.  To assist me in my transition back to the land of the shod, Hubbin bought me this spectacular pair of boots!

What does this have to do with books and reading you ask?  Well I will tell you...right after this sip of wine...SLURP...there we go...now where were we.  Oh yes, the connection between shoes and books.  I have noticed that foot wear plays quit a starring role in many books and stories.  A few examples.

Cinderella and Cinderella type stories - In the classic tale of Cinderella, and all the myriads of incarnations that followed.  A glass slipper, or a fur slipper, or some sort of weird yet oddly wearable foot wear is the secret to finding the poor little servant girl.  'Cause you know we won't recognize her with a bit of soot on her face, but slipping a shoe on makes for an unmistakable identity :-)

The Wizard of Oz - Weather the ruby slippers of the famous movie, or the more traditional silver slippers of the book, no one can deny that these shoes caused a whole heap load of trouble on the mythical land of Oz.  For being a sparkly pair of pumps these shoes held power that certain people were willing to kill for.  The slippers offered protection, transportation and a bit of prestige as well...not bad for a pair of shoes.

The Red Shoes - In this horrifying tale of morality, the shoes represent a punishment for vanity.  A young woman forced to dance continually after becoming a bit to proud of her red shoes.  She is forced to dance until she cuts of her own feet!  Anybody who has spent a day in a pair of red stiletto's may be able to sympathize with this poor girls pain.

Seven League Boots - These handy dandy boots that transport the wearer seven leagues in a single step are actually used in many many books and stories.  My personal favorites are The Two Princesses of Bamarre and The Grimm Legacy both of which add a bit of freshness to this classic foot wear.  It would be interesting to try and use these boots in modern times since we now have all kinds of stuff like skyscrapers and car filled roads to run into.

The Twelve Dancing Princesses - In this tale our girls are caught out in their secret dancing by the fact they dance holes through their shoes EVERY NIGHT!  To me this either means shoddy work...cause seriously EVERY NIGHT?!?  Or that these girls are really going to town on the dance floor in a way that was probably never even fathomed in the time period most of these versions are set.  Either way, stupid shoes giving away our girls.

So there you have it.  Shoes and books go together like wine and books...and coffee and books...and chocolate and books...and...well you get the idea.  Happy Reading Everybody!