I finished the Hero and the Crown

I finished reading The Hero and the Crown two nights ago. And like most of McKinley's work that I have read, I found it to be good, but just like one drop to short of satisfactory. But I know that given the chance, I would add that one drop to the book. I think it's the lack of completely mental satisfaction with her books that keeps me reading them. They are great stories and so entertaining, but it's like the main character never quite manages to find that 'happily ever after' kind of life. They end up happy and their lives are good, but there is alway some aspects of her stories that she lives be. I love that she does this, because it makes her books more realistic. She doesn't add to much sugar or cover bad things up with a quick happy ending wrap up. She leaves them be and you just have to deal with reading a book that makes you think about the characters and ponder their lives and choices a little longer than you normally would. I felt that way with The Hero and the Crown.  I keep wondering about the Aerin's (the main character) decisions and life after the story ends. I don't how it is for everyone else, but for me that is the mark of a good book.

The Hero and the Crown

Well, keeping up with the Robin McKinley theme, I am now reading the Hero and the Crown.
It's so good so far. I haven't finished it yet. I give a full review on it once I'm done.

I'm in love with this book right now.

My Beauty and the Beast Thirst and Hunger

Well, I'm not sure how many people care, but I finally picking up on posting on this blog again. I went on a three year hiatus. Two of those were spent in preparation for an LDS mission, an LDS mission, and readjusting to life after my mission. I am back in school, (I have been for over a year now.) I am picking up on writing and I feel like I need to pick up on this too.
Just this past week, I have been getting back into heavy reading (despite my classes and class work.) I of course got sucked back in by none other than the lovely miss Robin McKinley. It was not of course all her fault. I had a lot to do with my sudden overwhelming need to read retellings of Beauty and the Beast. For weeks, nothing else would do. I of course googled this and got a long list on Goodreads. I had to sort through it all to find anything really good, but one of the ones that I found was Sunshine, by the queen herself. (Or is that Rowling?) I adored this book. It was so quirky and creepy and engrossing that I devoured it in a matter of days.

This is one good read. 

I then continued down the rabbit hole. I reread Beauty, followed by Rose Daughter both by McKinley. I found this decent one titled, Whispered Kiss by Marcia Lynn McClure. By decent, I do mean decent. I did enjoy it though in my unquenchable thirst for Beauty and Beast retellings. I kept on going and kept on reading. I couldn't seem to get enough. I finally came to the conclusion and realization that I was not looking for a good retelling of Belle's and the Beast's story, I was looking for a book, any book, that gave a lengthy account of their lives after the curse is broken. I wanted to know more about their "happily ever after," and more about their lives together then. But of course, each retelling followed the same pattern. Once the curse on the beast is broken, the story is quickly wrapped up. That doesn't prevent me from my search, but it is rather discouraging. Maybe it will be up to me to write such a book. (This would be for my own peace of mind and would be kept in my personal vault forever.) I have enjoyed reading extensively again. I have missed doing it.