My Introduction to Magic

(Where I talk about a great book I’ve read, recently or not)

The Fire Rose by Mercedes Lackey was my first introduction to magic (or Magick, with a capital M and a “k,” as it’s called in the book) other than werewolves, vampires, or ghosts. I’d been reading about ghosts for years, both because I feel a weird kinship with the dead sometimes and because ghost stories fascinate me. The Fire Rose was something different. Taking place in the 1800s, when the expansion out West is fairly underway but there are still lawless places, a female scholar seeks a position as a governess. I won’t give away the story, but let’s just say she finds something other than unruly, spoiled children.

                When I read this book as a nineteen-year-old in my first year away at college, I did so because it was given to me by my crush, Skya. She was a flamboyant, but definitely straight, woman whom I admired for her class and her cheek. We connected on a book level as she introduced me to several other books as well. This one, however, has remained one of my favorites.

                Fast forward twenty-plus years, and I’m loving the book all over again. Now that I’ve lost my eyesight nearly completely, so that print is no longer accessible to me, I’m learning to access things on my Kindle app. There is a great way to have the book read aloud—without AI involved! It’s called, at least on the iPhone, using VoiceOver, which is built into all iPhones for the blind to be able to access their books.

                I’ll leave you with the link to the book: The Fire Rose

                Find joy in reading!