Task #2: Read a retelling of a classic of the canon, fairytale, or myth by an author of color

[Caryn]

Would Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar count? I love this series and have been waiting to read this once I'm done with the 2019 challenge

[Mya]

Tiffany wrote: "Beth wrote: "I'm thinking it's going to be Beloved for me, which also fits one of the Reading Women bonus tasks (a book by Toni Morrison)."

What is that a retelling of?"

It’s based on a real person, but it also pulls from the Greek myth of Medea.

[Stephen]

I've had Blanca & Roja on my to-read list for a while. It's a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red from a Latinx perspective. Their Dark and Deepest Red comes out next year and is also a retelling (of a Hans Christian Andersen tale, The Red Shoes, that I'd never heard of before). A friend says that one is even better.

[Mya]

Stephen wrote: "I've had Blanca & Roja on my to-read list for a while. It's a retelling of Snow White and Rose Red from a Latinx perspective. Their Dark and Deepest Red comes out ne..."

I haven’t read the retelling, but the original fable of the red shoes is somewhat gruesome and very moralistic. I suppose most original forms of fables are horror stories, to scare people into behaving, but have been cleaned up to be more “appropriate.”

I am curious for your review once you get a chance to read it! :)

[Mya]

Caryn wrote: "Would Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar count? I love this series and have been waiting to read this once I'm done with the 2019 challenge"

Sherlock Holmes is absolutely a classic of the genre, so Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage should work.

For some reason I hadn’t thought about mystery classics, so thank you, Caryn! I will probably read several titles for this particular prompt because it’s one I enjoy. Now I am adding A Study in Scarlet Women to my list. The author, Sherry Thomas, is Chinese American.

[Chickadee]

I'm hoping this book counts Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival

[Elizabeth]

I have a copy of Huntress, which I'm thinking about using for this task. I'm not sure though, so many retellings look great, and I haven't read nearly enough.

[Katrisa]

emma wrote: "Dark and Deepest Red is going to be released in Jan 2020 and it is a retelling of The Red Shoes."

Oh yay! I LOVE McLemore! Blanca & Roja was amazing. I am glad she has a new book coming out this will definitely be my pick for this prompt!

[Jessica]

Lianne wrote: "I'm going to stretch this one hard and read Spin the Dawn, which is described as Mulan crossed with Project Runway.

No one said we can't stretch the point"

Actually, judging by the summary, this sounds like a retelling of the fairy tale Donkeyskin (princess tries to get out of an unwanted marriage by demanding a a dress as bright as the sun, a dress the colors of the moon, and a dress all the colors of the sky). So no stretching needed!

[Ira]

I want to read something that is not a retelling of a fairytale and I am stuck. Do you have any suggestions?

[Karen]

Quichotte by Salman Rushdie is an homage to Don Quixote. Someone else suggested Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi; one that interests me.

[Maryam]

I looked at the list Book Riot has provided and decided to read two books for this Task :

Beloved
This masterpiece of Tony Morrison has been on my TBR for a long time and I think it's about time to read this.

Boy, Snow, Bird
This looked a very interesting retelling of one my childhood favorite story.

[Pamela]

The Lunar Chronicles - Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter would fit this prompt I would think. There is another about Alice and Wonderland ...Just found it Heartless. I would think Wicked would also qualify.

[Stephanie]

Rachael wrote: "Ash by Malinda Lo works for this, as she is of Chinese heritage.

I am going for Oreo by Fran Ross"

I didn't know Oreo existed and never would have found it without checking out this chat, I'm think that I will also read it now so thanks for pointing me to it!

[Jessica]

Ira wrote: "I want to read something that is not a retelling of a fairytale and I am stuck. Do you have any suggestions?"

Re Jane by Patricia Park is a modern retelling of Jane Eyre.

Desdemona by Toni Morrison is a retelling of Othello. It's a play, so if you double-dip that could also count for Task # 6.

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse is a retelling about Sherlock's brother.

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas is a gender-flipped Sherlock Holmes retelling.

The Sixteenth of June by Maya Lang looks like it's inspired by James Joyce's Ulysses.

On Beauty by Zadie Smith looks like it's inspired by Howard's End.

[Ira]

Thank you for your suggestions. Now I have a good place to start.

[Rosie]

Books I am considering are:
A Thousand Beginnings and Endings is an anthology edited by Ellen Oh and Elsie Chapman, which contains fifteen stories that are retellings of folktales and myths of East and South Asia.
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant, is a reimagining of both Les Mis and The Jungle Book.
Of Curses and Kisses by Sandhya Menon, is a modern reimagining of Beauty and the Beast.
Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal, Pride by Ibi Zoboi, and Ayesha at Last by Uzma Jalaluddin, which are all retellings of Pride and Prejudice.
The Girl from the Well by Rin Chupeco, is based on a famous Japanese folktale.

[Cindi]

What about Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky
(Tristan Strong #1) by Kwame Mbalia
That's what I was thinking of for this one. IT doesn't deal directly with one myth, I don't think, but it does mention a few and is categorized as mythology. - "Tristan finds himself in the middle of a battle that has left black American gods John Henry and Brer Rabbit exhausted. In order to get back home, Tristan and these new allies will need to entice the god Anansi, the Weaver, to come out of hiding and seal the hole in the sky."

[Sabrina]

Pamela wrote: "The Lunar Chronicles - Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter would fit this prompt I would think. There is another about Alice and Wonderland ...Just found it Heartless. I would think Wicked would als..."

lunar chronicles is an amazing series but marissa meyer is not a poc so these would not fit this prompt sadly

[Andrea]

Rodrigo wrote: "I think I'll read . Would this one count?"

She's not an author of colour ... she is American, grew up in Louisiana, and has a white ethical background (I googled it).

[Amy J.]

Andrea wrote: "Rodrigo wrote: "I think I'll read . Would this one count?"

She's not an author of colour ... she is American, grew up in Louisiana, and has a white ethical bac..."

I don't understand how you googled her ethnic background, but she's featured on the Brown Bookshelf, which is "designed to push awareness of the myriad Black voices writing for young readers"

https://thebrownbookshelf.com/
https://thebrownbookshelf.com/28days/...

[Marie]

Amy J. wrote: "Andrea wrote: "Rodrigo wrote: "I think I'll read . Would this one count?"

She's not an author of colour ... she is American, grew up in Louisiana, and has a wh..."

If you google "Danielle Paige" you get a white lady from Louisiana (she's a YouTube celebrity). If you google "Danielle Page author" you get the author you're referring to, who is a POC. A good illustration of why it's important to be specific in your google searches!

To answer your question, this book fits the task. :)

[Bex]

Rodrigo wrote: "I think I'll read . Would this one count?"

I reckon it would. May try stealing snow myself as I loved the Dorothy ones.

[Bex]

I think I’m either going to read a blade so black or one of the Disney twisted tales by Elizabeth Lim for this challenge. Will see where the mood takes me in January.

[Hope]

Wondering if Lost by Gregory Maguire is considered a retelling? Unlike Wicked and the rest of his books it’s set in the real world. It does seem to have some connection to A Christmas Carol but I can’t really tell from descriptions I’ve read if it’s a reimagining/retelling.

[Bonnie G.]

to the best of my knowledge Maguire is not a POC so the book does not fulfill the challenge.

[Hope]

Ah, I somehow mixed up challenges in my mind and thought it was a POC OR queer author but upon rechecking I see that this category doesn’t include queer authors. Thanks!

[Bonnie G.]

I do that all the time!

[Liz]

Here to encourage anyone who is dithering to read Fran Ross's Oreo. It was literally my top book of last year. I could access it via Overdrive through my local library.

I'm probably going to re-read because it made me laugh so much, and also read Beloved, which, um, won't, but has been on mount TBR for too long now.

[April]

I hadn't heard about Oreo, but it sounds good! I don't think it fits this prompt, however, nor does Beloved, as near as I can tell.

[Mya]

April wrote: "I hadn't heard about Oreo, but it sounds good! I don't think it fits this prompt, however, nor does Beloved, as near as I can tell."

Oreo pulls from the myth of Theseus.Beloved from Medea. Both are by Black women. They count.

[Rachel]

Preeeetty sure Beloved is referencing an actual historical event from the 19th century: not the myth of Medea. It is a fantastic book, though!

[Bonnie G.]

Rachel wrote: "Preeeetty sure Beloved is referencing an actual historical event from the 19th century: not the myth of Medea. It is a fantastic book, though!"

Those are not mutually exclusive. Morrison said that this is structured on Medea, and the parallel is pretty clear to anyone who has read both. Maybe this will help https://dp.la/primary-source-sets/bel...

[Alexis]

I saw Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie on a retellings list (which is a retelling of Antigone), and I might go for that.

[April]

Mya wrote: "April wrote: "I hadn't heard about Oreo, but it sounds good! I don't think it fits this prompt, however, nor does Beloved, as near as I can tell."

Oreo pulls from the myth of Theseu..."

fair enough! admittedly, it was very late when i posted my comment, & i totally missed the actual mention of Theseus that was right in front of my face in the description, a good lesson to be more awake when commenting on things! i didn't know about Beloved being based on Medea, & was going on the description. thank you for pointing out my mistake! :)

[Debbie]

I've chosen Salman Rushdie, either Quixote or Haroun and the Sea of Stories. Tbh, this task really appeals to me.

Check out this book on Goodreads: Haroun and the Sea of Stories http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11...

[Kira]

Karen wrote: "Book Riot is saying Beloved is a retelling of Medea -- I would not have made that leap, but it has been a long time since I read either."

I took a class in college on Medea. In addition to Ovid, Euripides and Seneca, every required text was either a retelling or an interpretation of Medea. Beloved was one of the required texts and it definitely counts for this task.

[Kira]

Rachel wrote: "Preeeetty sure Beloved is referencing an actual historical event from the 19th century: not the myth of Medea. It is a fantastic book, though!"

It's based on Medea.

[Christa]

If you love pride and prejudice try Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal. Danielle Paige is perfect for this challenge! Also the Daevabad trilogy by S. A. Chatsworth is not to be missed, the City of Brass was amazing! Based on fairy tales and legends.

[Rebekah]

Finished reading Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal. It’s Pride and Prejudice set in Pakistan. I read it for my book club and it is amazing. So glad it counts for this category.

[KC]

I just finished the audiobook of A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas for this prompt, which is a retelling of Sherlock Holmes. The first 2/3 were VERY slow, but it got better towards the end - I might pick up the 2nd one at some point :)

See my review here.

[Mary]

I read Pride by Ibi Zoboi which is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice.

[Bonnie G.]

Mary wrote: "I read Pride by Ibi Zoboi which is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice."

Same here. Not a fan, but I did finish.

[Olivia]

I'm reading Ayesha at Last for this one.

[Olivia]

A Curse so Dark and Lonely is a retelling of beauty and the beast.

[Westiegirl]

I admit I am unsure of Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia counts? It is apparently a dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore. Thoughts? Thanks!

[Bonnie G.]

Westiegirl wrote: "I admit I am unsure of Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia counts? It is apparently a dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore. Thoughts? Thanks!"

I had it on my list of possible reads for this prompt. It is definitely based on Mexican folklore. I ended up reading something else, but may read this anyway.

[Sarah]

I was thinking about The Palace of Illusions which is a retelling of The Mahabharata from the perspective of a female character. The author is Indian but so is the original - would it count for this prompt?

[Stephen]

Westiegirl wrote: "I admit I am unsure of Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia counts? It is apparently a dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore. Thoughts? Thanks!"

Gods of Jade and Shadow is based on Mayan mythology, but as far as I know, it's an all knew story featuring Mayan gods and mythological setting, not a retelling of an older story.

I'd definitely recommend it though.

[Bonnie G.]

Stephen wrote: "Westiegirl wrote: "I admit I am unsure of Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia counts? It is apparently a dark fairy tale inspired by Mexican folklore. Thoughts? Thanks!"

[book:Gods of ..."

Oh good to know. The NYPL categorized it as a retelling in a newsletter. Sorry if I led someone astray. I tend to put 100% faith in the New York Public Library which is probably not wise.