Beauty by Robin McKinley

A retelling of the story of Beauty and the Beast.

Where to start? It isn’t often one stumbles upon such a wonderful book! From the technical to the mundane, this book delivers! And to think I could have so easily missed out! I found this book in an antique store. I always check out the books, but I almost skipped over this small knot of books in favor of going back out the truck to wallow in my back pain misery in peace. I’m glad I toughed it out just a little longer.

One thing I like about older books is that the authors don’t seem to have dumbed down their writing for an almost illiterate audience. Released in 1978, this book impresses with it’s varied vocabulary and use of beautifully complex sentences. It is refreshing to come across a writer who actually knows proper grammar and usage! This book was an absolute joy to read. The vocabulary and sentence structure drew me in and wrapped me up in the story, completely obliterating the memory of all the other books that fail so miserably in this area.

And the story itself was very well told. Obviously, this being a retelling of the Beauty and the Beast tale, I knew what to expect. I knew where the story was headed and had a fairly good idea of the stops along the way. Despite that, the story drew me in and simply captivated me. I thoroughly enjoyed the parts of the story the author added. Although some of the story was the author’s original spin on the tale, those parts fit seamlessly and truly added so much to the story itself. Frankly, I would use this book as an introduction to the Beauty and the Beast tale if I had to introduce this story to someone who had never encountered the story of Beauty and the Beast.

Even the characters were wonderful. The characters in the book stayed true to the characters in the original tale, however the author imbued them with such deep personality! Even the author’s original characters didn’t disappoint. Sometimes in a book like this it is easy for the author’s characters to pale in comparison to the well known characters of the tale. Not in this case. The author took care to round out and build up the new characters until they had the same substance and appeal as those that had been in the tale all along.

Don’t miss this book! And don’t do yourself the disservice of thinking that a retelling of a fairy tale can’t really be all that great. This book has easily been one of the best books I’ve read in years. I can’t begin to praise this book enough. From its originality (yes, even a retelling of a classic tale can be original!) to its technical prowess, this book delivers on all levels. And unlike some retellings of fairy tales (ala A.N. Roquelaure's, aka Anna Rice's, disgusting Sleeping Beauty trilogy) this retelling of Beauty and the Beast is completely safe for older teens and adults alike.

I'm Still Here!

I'm still here and I haven't forgotten my followers or this blog!  I know it may seem as if I have, but I promise I have most certainly not!  At the end of last year I took on a new position at work.  Since then I've been working 12 to 16 hour days most days of the week.  Only recently have things slowed down enough at work to allow me to try to get my personal life back in order.  As things return to normal, I'll do my best to keep this blog updated with all the great stuff I'm reading.  Unfortunately, because I was so busy, I've read a lot of romance because it's easy and doesn't make me think.  So there will be some of that showing up, but I've also taken the time to read some better quality books so you'll see some of those too.  Until then, enjoy your reading and please don't give up on me!

Regency Christmas Magic by Various Authors

Regency Christmas Magic by Amanda McCabe, Allison Lane, Edith Layton, Barbara Metzger, Sandra Heath


As I do every Christmas, I just had to indulge in a good sappy Christmas read.  I always make it a point to read at least one Regency Christmas romance during the Christmas season.  Although I will admit I sometimes indulge in one of my Christmas books in the middle of summer!

This particular book was a mixed bag. I find this often happens with short story anthologies. Overall, I’d say the book was “ok”. I liked it, but speaking generally of the book, it didn’t exactly take my breath away. That said, certain stories within the anthology were great and I really enjoyed them.

My one complaint about this book was that it really took the whole “Christmas Magic” thing to heart. I wasn’t thinking in terms of “real” magic when I picked the book up. I thought the magic in the title referred more to an improbable match that worked out more than the whole concept of magic and fairies, etc. Not generally something that I would associate with the Christmas season.

The first short story in the book was “Upon a Midnight Clear” by Amanda McCabe. Now I truly enjoyed this story about two lonely souls, one far from home and the other suffering the after effects of a major trauma that left him scarred for life. I’m a sucker for sad characters like Captain Payne. And an even bigger sucker for happy endings where the downtrodden find happiness.

The second story was “The Ultimate Magic” by Allison Lane. This story really didn’t appeal to me. The whole story seemed a bit contrived and was rather forced. Throughout the story the leads really didn’t seem to see each other as a love interest. There was no spark. Then suddenly, in an effort to finish the story in the allotted space, they declared their love and found themselves in a passionate embrace. Huh? Where did that come from? It just sort of blindsided me. This story could have been left out of the anthology and it would have been fine.

The third story was “The Two Dancing Daughters” by Edith Layton. This story I liked. Again, we have a wounded male lead who ends up happy by the end of the story. The story itself was a little far fetched. I found the supporting character of the father to be a bit unbelievable and the ending of the story was a bit contrived, but I don’t want to give anything away by discussing that. Truthfully, the things I didn’t like about the story didn’t detract enough from the things I did like to make me give it a low rating.

The fourth story was “The Enchanted Earl” by Barbara Metzger. This story wasn’t bad. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad. I’m a sucker for any “remake” of the Beauty and the Beast story so I enjoyed this story simply because it was a different take on Beauty and the Beast.

And the last story was “Green Gauze Gown” by Sandra Heath. I really can’t say I liked this story. It was OK, but it really didn’t resonate with me. I found that surprising since there was another wounded male lead in this story as well. I think what detracted from this story was the whole fairy thing. Had that been left out, I think I would have enjoyed the story much more. I just found it much too far fetched. Especially the ending about the dress. That was really the deal breaker for me. Again, I don’t want to give anything away so I won’t go into more detail.

All in all, the book is fine for a quick read. However, there are better collections of Christmas short stories out there. I would skip this book and try something else if you’re interested in a truly satisfying holiday read.

A 5th Portion of Chicken Soup edited by Jack Cranfield and Mark Victor Hansen

A 5th Portion of Chicken Soup for the Soul edited by Jack Cranfield and Mark Victor Hansen carries on the well established Chicken Soup for the Soul legacy. This book, like the others in the series, is uplifting and thought provoking. Whether you read the book by reading a story a day or reading large chunks of the book at once, it doesn’t matter. Whether you read the book from cover to cover or skip around won’t matter either. However you choose to read this book, you can be sure you’ll enjoy it.


I truly appreciate the kind tone of the book. There is enough edginess in my day to day life, it is relaxing to pick this book up and lose myself in the kinder, gentler rhythm of a book whose sole purpose is to uplift and inspire.

Honestly I can’t say enough good about this book. I would highly recommend this book to anyone, but especially to those who need encouragement. I would also recommend this book for teens.

Model (Volume 4) by Lee So-Young

In this latest installment of Jae and Michael’s story we finally learn some of Eva, Ken and Michael’s story and why Jae has become so important in Michael’s house. Of course, there are still a lot of unanswered questions and half answered questions. As always, this book is satisfying enough to be enjoyable, but it leaves you wanting to pick up the next volume.

Model (Volume 3) by Lee So-Young

Lee So-Young continues to weave an intriguing tale. In this volume again the reader is left with more questions than answers. However, enough is revealed to make this a satisfying read. And with the addition of another paranormal character that has ties to Eva, things are getting really interesting. Add in the fact that we’re starting to see the more human side of Michael, and this book becomes one that simply can’t be put down.

One Bullet Away by Nathaniel Fick

This book has garnered some scathing reviews due to its unflinching look at how the military really works. Some reviewers have had some rather unflattering things to say about Mr. Fick. To those reviewers I would say: Don’t read this review. I found this book to be very interesting and I appreciated the author’s decision to tell it the way it is and not the way people think it should be.


I found One Bullet Away to be written in such a way that it didn’t come across as just a recounting of a time period in Mr. Fick’s life. While, yes, the book did recount Mr. Fick’s journey in the Marine Corps, the author’s writing managed to imbue that recounting with a life of it’s own that made it interesting and easy to read. The author used details and his own thoughts regarding each story he told to make it personal for the reader. Through his writing style, the reader could enter Mr. Fick’s world and see the things he wrote about for themselves.

I also found the brutal truth Mr. Fick used in telling his story to be refreshing. While I support our military, I am well aware that those who lead aren’t always the paragon of virtue they would have us believe them to be. I’m fine with that too -- so long as they are honest about it. Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen often. Thus it was refreshing to read an account of Mr. Fick’s time with the Marines that told the story with unflinching honesty. It might not always be pretty, but at least it was real.

I will say this book is not a weekend book. I took the time to read the book over the course of about a week and was glad that I did. If you read this book too quickly you will lose the whole essence of the book. Take the time to read the book carefully; and before you make any rash judgments, take a moment to think about what is really being said by the author.