Author Obsession: Jessica Day George

I love Jessica Day George.  The thought I might love her when I read Dragon Slippers.  This is a story about a young woman named Creel whose aunt offers her as a sacrifice to the local Dragon hoping that she will be rescued by a knight and subsequently wed.  Creel instead talks herself out of trouble and then heads into her kingdom’s metropolis with only some embroidery thread and a mysterious pair of slippers.  Her adventures and successes are steered by her own convictions and supported by sheer determination.  The next two books in the series are just as good.

Then, I read her Castle series.  So good.  My love was growing.  Tuesdays at the Castle introduce the reader to Castle Glower and Princess Celie.  Castle Glower is remarkable because on Tuesdays the Castle changes by adding a room or a turret or sometimes a whole new wing.  Princess Celie is the only resident who is interested enough to map our the Castle and its new additions.  When her family and home are attacked she, like Creel, steps up to defend herself, her home, and her kingdom.  I love a strong woman!

Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow cemented my undying love.  This book is just as good as anything Jessica Day George has written with the added benefit of being based on the Nordic fairy tale East of the Sun, West of the Moon.  While I have gone through bouts of obsessing over Native American folklore, Irish fairytales, and even a period in college of immersing myself in Non-Western Culture I know nothing about Nordic fairytales.  Still, like most fairytales you will see some familiar threads.

Give me a strong woman, a strange land and an intriguing quest and I am happy.  Jessica Day George always delivers on all three and this book kept me ignoring my housekeeping and general personal hygiene until the very last page.

So there it is.  Author obsession for today.  Now that I have fully stalked her website I know that there are a couple of books I have missed.  I’m off to read!