Once Upon a Bookshelf

I love this series. So much. Since I first read the first two books a year ago, I’ve reread each of them at least a half dozen times, so I was both super excited and a little worried for this installment. I needn’t have been worried…

The backstory of the series is that Katie is completely immune to magic, and can see through illusions that the majority of people cannot – include wizards, fairies, and the like. She works at a company that sells magic (Magic, Spells and Illusions, Inc.), and although it’s not in her job description, she spends most of her time foiling (or at least helping to foil) the plots of Idris, a magician who wants to sell spells that can be used to hurt other people.

Owen and Katie have actually started dating (a huge accomplishment for the both of them), and for once Katie appears to be having good luck in the dating department… until her fairy godmother, Ethelinda, shows up. Her plans are to make the relationship more romantic, but she seems to have a very skewed idea of what women these days find romantic, and just ends up making things more complicated. Plus, it looks like Idris has some seriously determined people backing his plans to open a store providing alternate spells to what MSI, Inc sells.

This book was pure fun, and though it didn’t end like I wanted it to, it left me satisfied. And wanting more. (Can I wait until the next one comes out?) I was a little disappointed that some of the minor characters from the earlier books had such tiny appearances in this book (really, I wanted more Trix and Isabel!), but other characters got a bigger role which was fun…

I don’t know how long I’ve had this sitting on my bookshelf – since I was quite young – and yet for some reason, when I was reading this book I had no recollection of reading most of it before. It’s a collection of Scottish folk tales, fairy tales and little poems, some of which we’ve all heard of before, some that are similar to other fairy and folk tales, and others that were completely new to me.

In the foreward, Manning-Sanders writes that all of these stories were told to her as a young child, spending the summers on a farm in the Highlands, but the stories themselves come from all over Scotland. So of course, the book includes the story of the Loch Ness monster … or rather the Loch Ness Kelpie.

Like I said previously, some of the stories were familiar. There’s a version of The Frog Prince, only in this case it wasn’t a kiss that turned the frog into a prince. The girl has to do whatever the frog asks her to do for a whole night, and then chop his head off in the morning before he’ll turn back into a prince. The Black Bull of Norroway seemed very familiar too, but I couldn’t figure out where I’ve heard it before.

Another addition for the Once Upon a Time Challenge, and my last for the challenge until A Midsummer Night’s Dream, because I need to step away from the fantasy for a while. (And I’m not counting Shanna Swendson as fantasy because it’s more chicklitish than anything else.)

It was the window in my bedroom that made me fall in love with my apartment the first moment I saw it. I have always wanted a window just like it, that one could curl up in a warm blanket and read a good book (or if one is lucky, watch a good thunderstorm!), and it thrilled me that I finally found my window.

For my birthday, my parents bought me Amy Butler’s book, In Stitches. I had mentioned to them how I was going to sew a few cushions for that window, but had never gotten around to it (such is the story of my life). Partially because I was extremely daunted. I made the curtains in my kitchen, and realized that I don’t know how to sew in a straight line . . . Very discouraging, let me tell you.

Anyway, this book got me motivated to actually go out and buy materials and give it a another go. So, I spent the majority of my May Two-Four weekend holed up in my apartment in front of Lord of the Rings while attempting cushions for my window. And look! I am happy to say that I now have the most comfortable window in the world. Or at least the most comfortable window that I’ve ever had. (You can click on the thumbnail to see the picture bigger.)

The best thing of it all, though, was that this book made the project so easy – the most stressful part was threading the bobbin (the instructions in my sewing machine manual are HORRID, and I had forgotten how to do it… alas). Good for beginners like me, which is awesome because I needed a hobby, and there were a couple other projects in here that looked like they’d be fun.

(Side note: I leafed through this book, and it was lust at first sight. Seriously. The design of the book – sleek, sassy, rather sexy – all book designs should be this drool worthy. End of Graphic Designer shpeal.)