Week Three: Enchanted

If there's one thing I could talk about forever, it would be books. I could spend hours, days, and months talking about my favorites, my disappointments, and the one that made me cry long after the final page was turned. For as long as I can remember, reading has always been a big part of my life, so it's only fitting that books are held in such high esteem in my eyes. I even work at a library, surrounded all day by novels, which pile onto my never ending reading list.

There are a lot of books that I love. My favorite series is Harry Potter; my favorite classic is The Count of Monte Cristo; my favorite mysteries are Nancy Drew. I love mythology and comics. But, there is one book that beats out the rest, hands down. It is my absolute favorite-- one that I could read a thousand times and never tire of. It's called Ella Enchanted.

I was introduced to Ella by my sister. We listened to the audio book together and it just stuck. I was utterly enchanted by the re-telling of fairy tales and the timeless story of a heroic and admirable girl. It's a book that teaches the power of good and of love. It's inspiring and heartfelt.

Ella isn't just my favorite book because of the story or how it's written, though. I love the way it makes me feel. It makes me feel timeless, it makes me fall in love. It takes me back to those many years ago when I first heard the story-- it reminds me of my old house and the old purple walls of my room, it reminds me of cassette tapes that you had to fast forward or rewind. It reminds me that even though a lot has changed in my life, my love for that story has never wavered. And that makes me feel safe. And happy.

Long ago, I memorized the first couple pages of my favorite book. And whenever I had a particularly bad day, I would close my eyes and recite, "That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me. She meant to bestow a gift..."