Just one more fairy tale before I move onto other books (I can’t promise there won’t be more later.)
Beauty
by Robin McKinley
This is my own rather battered and much-loved copy of this beautiful tale. I first read it in high school after finding a copy of the hardcover in the library. I probably borrowed it and read it again at least four or five times after that. This book was an utter revelation. This wonderful, beautiful genius of a writer, this word-sorceress named Robin McKinley, had taken a fairy tale – my favourite fairy tale, no less – and turned it into a whole entire novel. I hadn’t known you could do that. It’s this book, more than any other, that made me want to be a writer and taught me what I wanted to write.
And look where I’ve ended up. 🙂