Fairytale endings have threaded their way into my dreams as I lay down to sleep. "The Two Princesses of Bamarre" -- how romantic would it be to fall in love with a tall, dashing sorcerer, have him sweep you up in the warmest hug of your life, and lift you off the ground, sustaining both of you with his magical ability to fly, then end the day with a perfectly wonderfully satisfying kiss?
"Ella Enchanted" -- a twist on the classic Cinderella story: this time defining the poor, cinder girl as a strong-willed young maiden desperate to break free of a curse laid upon her tiny head at birth. The ending ends as usual, with Ella and Prince Char winning one another over and binding their hearts together in true love, but the adventure along the way is what makes the story so good.
"Fairest" -- one of my favorite of Gail Carson Levine's books. A retelling of Snow White, but not in the traditional sense. I love this story because it centers around a young girl who, at first glance, is not an ideal heroine: Aza is large, very large -- large boned, fleshy faced, wide-eyed... not the prettiest thing to lay eyes on. But she proves her worth on the adventure of her life, and has a singing voice unmatched since the ancestor-queen of Prince Ijori, which is the most tremendous prize in a realm where singing is just as important as breathing.
"The Hollow Kingdom Trilogy" is a series I've read four times now. And every single time the books leave me hungry for more stories of their like. Goblins -- but not in the sense most people understand them, not as Lord of the Rings, mindless, killing-machine brutes. Elves -- also different from other depictions. Certainly, they love dancing, and certainly they can be mischievous, but they are not wood imps, nor are they the somber race portrayed in The Lord of the Rings movies. How beautifully Clare B. Dunkle weaves her enchanting stories, making it ever so hard to pick your favorite character! -- which do I wish would happen to me, a human girl: to be captured by a Goblin King, to marry a young, Elf-looking Goblin after growing up to be best friends with him, or to be raised a Goblin's King wife only to end up marrying an Elf? Oh, goodness. My mind flies over the different, beautiful scenarios.
These "fluff" novels have filled my days the past few weeks. My part-time job barely scrapes by being called that: I work a measly eight hours a week. I am not the most go-getter kind of person and have not been trying my very hardest to find another part-time job... because novels are my best friends.
This moment I am reading yet another one, called "Just Ella" -- another re-hashed Cinderella story. This is my second time entering this particular world, and though it's not my favorite (in my humble opinion, it could have been written a bit better, a bit less modern), I do enjoy the perspective. Rather than telling the traditional girl-in-rags, lives-with-step-family, discovers-fairy-godmother...goes-to-the-ball, looses-the-slipper -- you know the story -- rather than writing about that, the author chooses to write about life for Cinderella after she marries Prince Charming. It contains twists here and there, which about make up for its random usage of modern-day language or terms.
Oh, dear. And now to enter the world again to find cleaning that needs done, dishes that need washing, food that needs preparing, and grocery stores that need visited...
Or, I could just curl back up on my bed and keep reading my book... except now, my coffee's gone. Sigh. Real life it is, then.
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