The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1)

by Catherynne M. Valente

“For the wishes of one’s old life wither and shrivel like old leaves if they are not replaced with new wishes when the world changes. And the world always changes. Wishes get slimy, and their colors fade, and soon they are just mud, like all the rest of the mud, and not wishes at all, but regrets. The trouble is, not everyone can tell when they ought to launder their wishes. Even when one finds oneself in Fairyland and not at home at all, it is not always so easy to remember to catch the world in its changing and change with it.”

I also love “Red” by Martha Tilston, which is a Red Riding Hood song, and “Neptune” by S.J. Tucker, a phenomenal dark oceanic love song. These days, I’m obsessed with Hadestown, a folk opera retelling Orpheus and Eurydice in a Depression-era sort of musical style, and anything by Parov Stelar, who creates swing-punk dubstep techno versions of old 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s dance tunes. All of these are fantastic to write to.

Now, my favorite novel is Little, Big by John Crowley. It’s a mildly post-apocalyptic “Midsummer Night’s Dream” and just a perfect, heartbreaking,