Fairytales from Verania - T.J. Klune

Title: Fairytales from Verania
Author: T.J. Klune
Genre: Fantasy, short stories
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 329
Date read: August, 2021

In the opening story—The Unicorn in the Tower—Gary is a princess trapped in a stone tower by the evil Lady Tina DeSilva, who plans on sacrificing him on the first full moon after his eighteenth birthday. With help from his friends—a bird named Tiggy and a mangy weasel called Sam—Gary interviews potential suitors to rescue him and love him above all others, as he so rightly deserves.

The Unicorn in the Tower is followed by Sam and the Beanstalk, wherein a poor farm boy exchanges his family’s bull for magical beans and the promise of treasure in the sky. But when he climbs the beanstalk, Sam finds things are not as he expected them to be.

The Good Boy sees Todd and his immaculate ears taking center stage. When Todd’s father dies, he leaves his son in the care of his evil stepmother and two stepsiblings who live to make Todd’s life a living hell. It’s not until the household receives an invitation to attend a ball for the mysterious Sir that Todd begins to wish for a life beyond what he knows.

David’s Dragon, the final—and only canonical—tale, is set a thousand years before the rise of the Dark wizard Myrin. It begins simply: a lonely boy in a small village befriends a dragon. What follows is a story of love and sacrifice, hope and heartbreak, and what it means to earn your place amongst the stars.

Welcome back to Verania. It’s going to be a hell of a ride.


I really wanted to love this, but just... didn't :-/ It was okay, but didn't come close to TJ Klune's usual standards.

The Unicorn in the Tower, 3 stars
Stereotypical Gary-as-Rapunzel. I liked this one alright. It was pretty over the top in places, but very on-point for Gary.

Sam and the Beanstalk, 4 stars
Probably my favourite of the lot. It emphasized the friendship between Gary, Sam, Tiggy and Ryan, which has always been my favourite part of the series. For a moment there, I was afraid for the ending, but it turned out alright :-)

The Good Boy, 2 stars
Todd-as-Cinderella. I really didn't care for evil!Gary and the dom/sub plot wasn't my cup of tea either. Also, it was just too long! Could easily have been shortened some.

David's Dragon, 1.5 stars
Though it was the only completely original story of the lot, it was also my least favourite :-( The sense of dread and foreboding that followed me for most of the story made it almost painful to read.

So a 2.6 star average.

Outer Order, Inner Calm - Gretchen Rubin

Title: Outer Order, Inner Calm
Author: Gretchen Rubin
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 165
Date read: August, 2021

For most of us, outer order contributes to inner calm. In a new book packed with more than one hundred concrete ideas, she helps us create the order and organization that can make our lives happier, healthier, more productive, and more creative.

In the context of a happy life, a messy desk or crowded coat closet is a trivial problem–yet Gretchen Rubin has found that getting control of the stuff of life makes us feel more in control of our lives generally. By getting rid of things we don’t use, don’t need, or don’t love, as well as things that don’t work, don’t fit, or don’t suit, we free our mind (and our shelves) for what we truly value.

In this trim book filled with insights, strategies, and sometimes surprising tips, Gretchen tackles the key challenges of creating outer order, by explaining how to “Make Choices,” “Create Order,” “Know Yourself–and Others,” “Cultivate Helpful Habits,” and, of course, “Add Beauty.”


A very quick read - it's only 165 pages, and pages with very little writing on them at that. It was a decent enough book, and made some solid recommendations, but for somebody who's read both "The Happiness Project" and "Happier at Home" as well as FlyLady's "Sink Reflections" and Marie Kondo's "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up", there was very little new information.