April | 2011 | Fumbling Towards Nirvana

without a single word

Image with pink background and white text, in the style of the British WW1 "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster. Text reads "Keep Calm and Look Busy".

It’s been a while. And not in the ‘song from that creepy Butterfly Effect movie’ kind of way. I had a bunch of job interviews and then started a new job in February; I’d forgotten just how much working an eight-hour day takes out of my limited energy resources, and starting at an accounting firm right before tax season wasn’t the best of timing.

I’ve still been reading, but mostly visiting old favourites, or random books from my to-read pile that I didn’t feel strongly enough either way to want to write a review of. And some that I do want to review, but that I’m struggling to pin down just what I did or did not like about them. Hopefully I’ll get around to those eventually.

Now that tax season is coming to a close, I should actually get some time at home in the evening and most of my weekend back, so there should be more time for reading and reviewing. And chores around the house, sigh.

2011: 04/26
POSTED BY: Anne Ardeur
CATEGORY: dear diary
misc
TAGS: chronic illness
excuses excuses
it's life Jim
life is pain princess
work
wtf
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Review: The Sevenfold Spell

Cover for The Sevenfold Spell Grand adventure and romance always works out so well in fairy tales, but not every girl is a princess…

In an utterly unique and charming turn on the traditional fairy tale, Tia Nevitt takes us “behind the scenes” in the story of Sleeping Beauty, where plain spinster Talia loses her livelihood – and prospective bridegroom – when the kingdom’s spinning wheels are destroyed by royal edict.

The harsh realities of life, disastrous attempts at learning to weave, and an ever-dwindling supply of money soon result in Talia and her mother making the risky decision to try to build their own spinning wheel despite the ban – and with no money to spare, Talia has to find some way to pay in kind for the skills and materials they need…

An extremely enjoyable light read, The Sevenfold Spell appealed to both my love of fairy tales, and my far-too-infrequently-indulged liking for non-traditional romance. Talia is far from a pure, sheltered maiden, and her knight in shining armour is neither lordly, gallant – or even present for most of the book!

For those who enjoy an alternate take on a traditional tale, or who are just looking for some enjoyable spring reading, The Sevenfold Spell is highly recommended.