Monday mood-lifters!

It's Monday again and we're halfway through March!

That's the spirit.

I'll admit my mood flagged a little over the weekend, partly because of my back injury*, partly because of the rain that has returned after two months of dry spell**, and partly because of this remark that I could care less about - "You should work on something more meaningful than your novels. Don't waste your time on something that yields nothing."***

* Just heal completely already!

** Yes, goodbye haze, and good riddance - but hello, dark clouds and slippery floors. I think I've developed a phobia after this recent fall.

*** First off, meaningful for whom? And how do you define meaningful - by its monetary returns? Does that mean I should only devote all my time to things that I get paid for? Why should writing a story be considered a waste of time if it makes me happy and no one is hurting from it (unless, of course, my stories suck and they hated it)?

Ugh. Writing a novel is an endeavour that's trying and lonely enough without the naysayers and their two cents' worth on something they don't quite understand.

So yes, mood-lifters are very much needed.

Some inordinate amount of cuteness from this little munchkin. Look at those cheeks!

I must have watched this at least twenty times since I first came across it last Saturday. I love her unabashed smile - so much innocence in a world where we need to educate children to say no to strangers.

Speaking of cute,

What? He's a guilty pleasure, okay?

The Snow Queen, illustrated by Natalia Salienco

Just finished reading Cold Spell over the weekend, and it's good enough for me to want to own it. It's plot heavy, but the prose has improved a lot since Jackson Pearce's first book.

Plus, more than anything, I'm taken by the idea of childhood best friends turned lovers (as in the illustration above). The romance between Ginny and Kai is so sweet and pure in the story, and the love they have for each other is believable and something you want to root for all the way till the end - which is particularly important since that's an integral part of The Snow Queen.

Also, there's a good buildup towards the climax, where every secondary character and villain came into play so there wasn't any plot device or purple prose or extraneous anything. No flab at all! Although that could be the work of the editor.

But still, a vast improvement from the first book, Sisters Red, which was kinda forgettable, to be honest (sorry!).

Yes, take me to Neverland where the words will flow.

I'm going through a Gilmore phase right now. Again. Yes, I'm rewatching it. You can never watch Gilmore Girls too much.

See, things don't look so bad already. I mean, on the bright side:

1. The injury is healing. Slowly, but at least it's healing.

2. No more baking in the insane heat. And no more haze. Always a good thing.

3.

Because good books are the best defence against folks who don't like reading and think that fiction is a waste of time.

And while I'm at it, I shall

Because

Rumi

Have a great week, everyone! :0)