Carl has posted information about his Once Upon a Time Reading Challenge. Here are the details:
"The Once Upon a Time Challenge will take place beginning Thursday, March 22nd (I’m late, per usual) and will end on Midsummer Night’s Eve, June 21st. It is a reading challenge to celebrate spring, the time of rebirth and renewal, by experiencing the type of storytelling that connects us with our past."
He has a variety of "quests" you can choose from, but I am leaning towards reading one book from each genre: Fairy Tale, Fantasy, Folklore and Mythology, to be followed up at the end with Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Maybe I will get in a play yet! As I generally don't read books in these genres I am a bit hazy as to what the difference between some of them is. Carl has very kindly posted some reading suggestions.
I don't think I am going to have a definitive list of books I am going to read as I never stick with these lists (though I am wonderful at making them). Instead I am going to have a few possibilities in each genre and choose as I go depending on mood.
Fairy Tale:
- Stardust, Neil Gaiman
- The Bloody Chamber or The Magic Toyshop, Angela Carter
- The Goose Girl, Shannon Hale (YA)
- The Ladies of Grace Adieu, Susanna Clarke (short stories)
- The Princess Bride, William Goldman
Fantasy:
- Over Sea, Under Stone, Susan Cooper (YA)--I think I have to read this one, so many people recommended it.
- The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
- His Majesty's Dragons, Naomi Novik
- Freedom and Necessity, Steven Brust and Emma Bull
- The King of Elfland's Daughter, Lord Dunsany
- The Stress of Her Regard, Tim Powers--This is out of print, so I requested it from ILL not sure I would get it and I received notice today that it is here!
Folklore:
- Saints and Strangers,Angela Carter
- Iliad, Homer--I want to read this this year...I wonder if I can squeeze it in during the challenge?
- Italian Folktales, Italo Calvino
Haven't a clue. I need help on this one. Carl considers this a darker genre, and I am just not sure what book to choose. I don't mind dark reads, but I want to choose something appealing and not just pick a title out of the air. This is my hazy area. Any suggestions?
Edited: I did get some suggestions--Thanks! I feel better having a few books to choose from...may add a few more...
Mythology:
- The Mists of Avalon, Marion Zimmer Bradley--I started this last Fall, maybe this will help me finish it!
- The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus, Margaret Atwood
- The Once and Future King, T.H. White
- The Romance of Tristan and Iseult, Joseph Bedier
I have quite a few of these titles already on my bookshelves and the rest I should be able to get fairly easily from the library. Now where to start?