Everyone thinks of them in terms of poisoned apples and glass coffins, and forgets that they represent girls who walked into dark forests and remade them into their own reflections.

It felt odd to be laughing during a firefight. Then again, if you can't laugh when you're about to die, when can you?

There comes a point when you need to get over the fear and get on with your life, and a lot of people don’t seem to be capable of that anymore. From blood tests to gated communities, we have embraced the cult of fear, and now we don’t seem to know how to put it back where it belongs.

At least you know that you're crazy. That means you have the potential to recover.

Growing up in my family meant ambushes on your birthday, crossbows for Christmas, and games of dodge ball where the balls were occasionally rigged to explode. It also meant learning how to work your way out of a wide variety of death traps. Failure to get loose on your own could lead to missing dinner, or worse, being forced to admit that you missed dinner because your baby sister had tied you to the couch. Again.

Behold the power of the truth. When people see its shadow on the wall, they don't want to take the time to look away.

Librarianship is a form of heroism. It’s just not as flashy as swords and dragons.