Gem ’s Comments (group member since Sep 12, 2022)

Gem ’s comments from the Once Upon a Time... group.

Lisa wrote: "Aurora really had time to learn and mature."

I found Aurora rather whiny and a bit self-centered. While I did notice her maturing I think she had/has a way to go.

I finished yesterday!

Lisa wrote: "Gem, I think some people are conservative with ratings too. I know I usually am. If I just enjoy and like a book it gets a 3, if I really like it then it will be a 4. It is rare that I will give a ..."

I'm the same with my ratings. Initially when I got involved with Goodreads and the groups there were a bunch of books that the summary sounded so good but when I read it I was disappointed. Then I started looking at the stars and realized all those books were lower than 3.75. So that's usually my threshold.

I'm a self-admitted star snob. That said, I've never been disappointed with a book that had 3.75 or higher... with a few exceptions. The one read tried to read last month and several by Virginia Woolf... she writes in run-on sentences that are holy cow Batman as long as some paragraphs. I can't follow what she's trying to say.

Shanna wrote: "Did you listen to it? I absolutely loved the narrator. I think certain aspects of the story are so much better being listened to. Like Claudia, God love her. 😆"

No, I read it. I actually want to buy this book. I'll wait a while and try to get one used because I want to read it again. I'll see about getting on the list for the audio book since you are recommending it.

My favorite narrator is Jim Dale who did the Harry Potter series. I loved the various voices... right up my alley.

Shanna wrote: "I’m also so glad to hear you had a good experience with Fairy Tale. It’s such a good story!"

I really did!

Kyle wrote: "King's Fairy Tale has been an anticipated read for me, will be curious to see how you like it. And I see that Shanna read and loved it. I'm a fan of his Dark Tower series (especially the first four..."

It was fabulous. Let me tell you it read to me like a YA novel. The protagonist was a 17-year-old high school student. That doesn't bother me but my love does like YA books so he passed on this one. The other thing is that a lot of folks shelved this as "horror" and I have to question if that was simply because Stephen King wrote it and he's known for horror? There were some dark aspects of it, good vs. evil, but no more so than The Lord of the Rings.

I have to admit I hesitate before starting this selection due to the "low" (in my opinion) star rating 3.52. I'll admit I'm a star snob. Generally, if the start rating is below 3.75 I have not like the book. But I figured it's a fairy tale, how bad could it be? I got a late start because I was reading Stephen King's new book Fairy Tale which I absolutely loved.

I'm about halfway through this one, I switched to audio so I'm listening to it while I'm doing my chores.

I am reading Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky as I'm the discussion leader for that in another group. I've also started Fairy Tale by Stephen King and of course Once Upon a Dream.

I just went to the library today to pick up other books for other groups for November: Take My Hand, Eight Perfect Murders, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and The Satanic Verses. I'm not sure I'll get through The Satanic Verses, I tried reading it once before and lost interest in it. I have a couple more books I'm in the queue on.

Shanna wrote: "But hooray for vacation! I just started it as well so shame on me."

Well, it is just November 2nd. I think we're okay. It doesn't appear to be a difficult or deep read, so I think it will go rather quickly even for me.

I just started it yesterday. I'm not too far into it. Vacation planning is getting in the way of reading, lol.

In other words, what are you currently reading?

Hi everyone,

I thought it would be nice to have a place to chat about anything and everything, it does not have to be book/group related.

So grab a cuppa and pull up a chair! I hope everyone is doing well.

Hello fellow Fairy Tale readers,


Welcome to our discussion about Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffmann, your discussion leader is Lisa.
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Summary

Before the birth of the ballet, there was the book.

On Christmas Eve, Fritz and Marie await the arrival of Godfather Drosselmeier and the marvelous gifts he brings for them every year. Among the presents, Marie discovers a curious Nutcracker doll and is transported into a magical world of sugar-frosted castles and chocolate kings were her favorite toy battles the nefarious Mouse King in a battle that takes the reader on an adventure into a magical land of dolls & toys.

The tale of The Nutcracker was written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816 and has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years.

It’s probably most famous for the ballet with music composed by Tchaikovsky which has now become a staple of theatres and concert halls all around the world at Christmas.

Please note: Many editions contain two stories The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. We will only be reading The Nutcracker.

Lisa wrote: "So we want to do the original The Nutcracker and Hiddensee for December with me heading up the discussion, and original Snow Queen and A Crown of Snow and Ice in February with Gem leading the discu..."

If that works for you it works for me.

Lisa wrote: "I would actually need to buy A Crown of Snow and Ice, but I'm OK with that. Gem, can you find it at the library?"

I can get both Hiddensee and A Crown of Snow and Ice from my library.

If you can take Hiddensee for December, I'll do A Crown of Snow and Ice for February.

I found a Snow Queen retelling: A Crown of Snow and Ice: A Retelling of The Snow Queen by Melanie Cellier.

Should we read the original The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen as well? The one available at my library is only 48 pages long. I know I read it before but I have no recollection of the original story.

Let me know what you think.

I've got a copy!

Lisa wrote: "I have been thinking along those lines too. Not sure if I could find a holiday themed book, but was thinking maybe I could find a Snow Queen retelling. I would really like to do something more ligh..."

Great idea, Lisa, I'll do a search today to see what I can come up with.

Shanna wrote: "I tried to force myself to finish it but just couldn’t. There were parts that made me literally angry and as reading is supposed to be an escape from such I put it aside. While I realize having emo..."

I'm sorry you experienced that. I think that confirms that I won't finish it given everything that has gone on in my life over the last couple of weeks. I too really wanted to like it. It seems like a good premise for a book, got good ratings, and has been on my to read list for several years.

I'm still trying to get through this selection. I know the health crisis with my mother hasn't helped as I have read nothing in a couple of weeks. I may not be finishing this one, I'm think in this case, under the circumstance, I'm going to give myself a break.