Of Books and Books and... More Books!!!!

[Warning: this post is long. I took WAY too long to say what I was saying. Maybe it's 'cause I didn't really know what I was saying? I don't know... ]

I have been obsessed with books for... my whole life, basically. When I was really little, I had memorized my favorite book so that I could "read" it to myself - even turning the pages at the right moment. In my mind, nothing can compare to a good story. And I have to admit that as a kid, the illustrations were often a major part of how well I liked the book. The Seven Silly Eaters. A Spoon for Every Bite. Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch. It Could Always be Worse. These are just a few of the ones that I remember even now. As I learned to read on my own, Mr. Putter and Tabby and then the American Girl books and Mandie series were favorites.

For my ninth birthday, my grandma gave me some chapter books, including a few from the Sugar Creek Gang series. My word, if my Mom had only known what was going to come of that, she may not have let me open my presents! See, when I got those books for my birthday, I realized something. I could own my own books. Libraries are great, but wouldn't a personal library be better? Call me stupid for not realizing this before, but yes, at the age of 9 I decided that I, Emily Rose, was going to have a library. I started by buying more of the Sugar Creek Gang book. Then some of the Trailblazer series by Dave and Neta Jackson. I was still keeping my reading at a pretty easy level, but then I fell in love with Elsie Dinsmore and began to collect that wonderful series. Sure, I read Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys like most kids, but I remember being... stubborn and rather contrary about other things. "You shouldn't attempt to read Little Women yet," the librarian told me, "unless it's abridged. You're too young." So... I read the unabridged version of Little Women and absolutely loved it! Too young for Anne of Green Gables? Ha! I'd show them! L. M. Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott were the extent of the classics that I read for quite some time, but on my 12 (13?) birthday, my Mom got me Pride and Prejudice and made an instant Jane Austen fan of me. Then for school she had me read The Count of Monte Cristo. At the age of 14, I didn't get why people cringed when they saw it. What's wrong with a big book? I started reading non-fiction, too. Historical accounts of the lives of missionaries and war heroes. Survival stories from the Holocaust. All about the Titanic. I read why the South thought they were right in the Civil War, and then I read why the North thought they were right. I read about inventions. Different types of planes. How to fly. Etc. etc. etc. From the time I was very little until now, I have read probably every possible genre of book. (Wait... maybe not. Does Narnia count for Sci-Fi? haha)

Aaaaaanyyyyhow... Why did it take me so long to get here? What I'm trying to get to is that lately I have been reading a lot of princess stories. Not really the norm for me. Until now. Some of them were so good that I knew right away that I must add them to my library. Others were okay, but I doubt that I'll remember the author's name next year, nor will I likely read the books again. So today I'm going to share with you some of the books that I've read.

Good (Or should I say so-so?)

The Princess and the Hound by Mette Ivie Harrison

The Princess and the Bear by Mette Ivie Harrison

Winter's Child by Cameron Dokey

Princess Ben by Catherine Murdock

Better (Pretty much awesome!)

Forest Born by Shannon Hale

The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry

Belle** by Cameron Dokey

Best (Totally awesome!)

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

River Secrets by Shannon Hale

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale

Before Midnight by Cameron Dokey

Beauty** by Robin McKinley

** These two books are incredibly alike, but I thought that Beauty was a bit better. This might be based on the fact that I read it first, so Belle just seemed like a copy of a book I already loved.

Anyhow... I think I'm forgetting one or two, but it's not going to kill me. hehe I have found these books --- refreshing, I guess. Some of them were written down to the level of modern-day teens and (dare I say it?) adults. Because of this, I found them to be incredibly easy reading and got through some of them in one rather short sitting. After reading Wives and Daughters, North and South, Little Dorrit, etc etc etc, my mind was too focused on the Jane Austen era and those four-syllable words that Darcy searches for. lol It was nice to read something totally out-of-this-world. In fact, because of these fantasy/princessy stories, the novel I'm currently working on is a fantasy. It's good to stretch my brain in another, newer direction. Now, I will say that I read these over several months. Too much of one thing is really not a good idea. So I've read plenty of other fiction and non-fiction in between these books. Just so you know.

Now for two words you've probably been looking forward to since the list of books I liked when I was younger....

The End