The Borrowed Rose: Beauty and the Beast Book Recommendations and Retellings

Heads up: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It’s no cost to you and I appreciate your support! Welcome, Friends, glad you're here! In this post we're exploring Beauty and the Beast movie retellings from beloved classics to hidden gems.  While researching this post, I even discovered a few adaptations I haven't seen yet, which sounds like the perfect excuse for a movie night.   Whether you're a longtime fairytale fan or simply looking for a movie recomendation, I bet you find something to pique your interest. Why Beauty and the Beast Stories Continue to Captivate Us First, let's explore why we are drawn to love affairs between a woman (or man) and a monster.  In traditional retellings, the notion of female empowerment where Beauty tames the Beast into a gentleman is attractive.   “I said: "He cannot be so bad if he loves roses so much." "But he is a Beast," said Father helplessly.  I saw that he was weakening, and wishing on...

So, how was your reading year?  Did you set goals?  Follow your moods? I've shared that I'm a mood reader and that's definitely reflective of what made it to my "read" pile in 2025.  No themes, other than the obvious, Beauty and her Beast. 📌 Quick note:  I participate in affiliate marketing. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for your support!  My goal in 2026 is enough to fund the move to a more user-friendly site. 📖  Kindle Unlimited  (KU) choices won the day this year, and surprisingly many of them were recommendations that also happened to be available on Kindle Unlimited .  That's a win.  I love shopping independent bookshops, I also appreciate the flexibility of Kindle Unlimited and the publishing avenue it allows all authors. 2025 Beauty and the Beast Retelling Round-up I definitely jumped moodily around with these Beauty and the Beast retellings.  I set a goal of at least one retelling per m...

Heads up: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It’s no cost to you and I appreciate your support! Like many young girls in the 1980s, my love for fairy tales began with the Disney classics.  They are great, after all. My first favorite was Sleeping Beauty ... until Disney released Beauty and the Beast in November 1991, and I was hooked.  I loved Belle and the different kind of princess she brought to the classic mix.  She loved books and independence and deftly navigated those around her that didn't agree with her perspectives. I collected posters, the Beauty and the Beast soundtrack CD to memorize all song lyrics, figurines, dolls, you name it, I probably had it.  I really loved this movie… and I was a senior in high school.  We were not too cool for Beauty and the Beast . My high-school sweetheart liked to draw, and was a good artist.  For my birthday he drew a frame-worthy masterpiece of one of the ballroom scenes.  I loved...

I have had a revelation.  The Phantom of the Opera is creepy, and disturbing on so many levels.  That bothers me.  But what bothers me more is that I still really love it.  #sorrynotsorry I love the desperate, creepy obsession the Phantom bears for Christine.  I love Christine's struggle with her adoration and draw to the Phantom.  I really love the haunting music that sets my soul to shivering.  I love the costumes and creative sets and the golden, filigreed ornamentation of well, everything.  While I hadn't connected the two until I began blogging about Beauty and her Beast (yes, I can be slow), I realized that Phantom is an over-the-top, wonderfully gothic, tragic Beauty and the Beast .  And Stockholm syndrome discussions aside, I. love. it. Quentin Oliver Lee is a terrific (and quite tall) Phantom + Emma Grimsley as Christine (in our production) My Bestie invited me to see the latest American Phantom tour on its stop in our neck...