Into the Forest discussion
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2015 Challenge Progress
Melanti wrote: "Let's see ...Continuing with Chinese - how about Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was? It's partially based off of a Chinese folktale "The Weaver Girl and the..."
Melanti wrote: "Let's see ...
Continuing with Chinese - how about Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was? It's partially based off of a Chinese folktale "The Weaver Girl and the..."
Thanks for recommending The Girl Who Married a Lion: And Other Tales from Africa. Alexander McCall Smith is a favorite of mine, but I didn't know he'd collected these stories from Zimbabwe and Botswana. A delightful read; AMS's short stories and serial novels are as easy to gorge on as potato chips, and this collection is no exception.
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I've always meant to give some of his other books a chance sometime - but I just haven't found the time yet.
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1.One Mythic Fiction novel from the Endicott list The Bone People by Keri Hulme
8. A retelling of one of your favourite originals. The Girls at the Kingfisher Club byGenevieve Valentine a retelling of 12 Dancing Princesses/ Worn Out Slippers
9. A collection of or novel based on or containing the legends and folklore of North America's native tribes. Sacred Wilderness by Susan Power
11. A novel or folk or fairy tale collection from a country you've never read a collection from before. The God Who Begat a Jackal: A Novel by Nega Mezlekia It takes place in Ethiopia.
I am currently reading Manitous: The Spiritual World Of The Ojibway by Basil Johnston that will count for
6. A novel or collection based on a theme you aren't familiar with
I just finished reading The Orphan's Hand Mill: Estonian Fairy Tales for number 11 on the list. I'm glad I just pulled Estonia out of the air like I did -- these are definitely some interesting fairy tales! They're similar to the more well known European fairy tales, but they almost always revolve around a person in a dire situation (like an orphan) as the protagonist. The epilogue is especially enlightening as it gives a very brief explanation of Estonia's history and the reasons that the fairy tales take the shape they do. It's too bad this book is so hard to get a hold of -- I wish I could purchase my own copy! Maybe one day...
I am excited to join in with you all on this challenge! I'm a brand new member, so I'm going through what I've read since January plus planning for the rest of the challenge:1.One Mythic Fiction novel from the Endicott list
2.One Adult Fairy Tale retelling from the Endicott list
3. One Young Adult Fairy Tale retelling from the Endicott list
4. A book or collection,Fiction or non-fiction, featuring legendary/mythological monsters or creatures.
5. A novel or collection by one of your favorite authors that you have not read yet.
6. A novel or collection based on a theme you aren't familiar with or haven't read in the last 5 years. (Themes could be anything;enchanted forests, snow maidens, the Evil Queen, coming of age, and so on.)
7.A poem, short story, novella or novel that inspired one of your favorite movies, TV shows, mini-series, or play.
8. A retelling of one of your favourite originals.
Based on Alice in Wonderland: After Alice: A Novel out Oct 1, 2015
9. A collection of or novel based on or containing the legends and folklore of North America's native tribes.
10. A critical study or history of fairy tales
11. A novel or folk or fairy tale collection from a country you've never read a collection from before.
12. A book from the "villains' POV
Fairest by Marissa Meyer Complete
Welcome, Karen. I think you will enjoy the challenge.
I've finished my "villain's POV" choice--Lacey Louwagie's RUMPLED, and enjoyed it immensely. Fairy tale retellings often strike me as forced and message-burdened, or padded and tedious; this one was like the baby bear's porridge--just right. In fact, I ate the whole book up on one railroad day trip.Thanks, Lacey! I look forward to more full-length fiction from you.
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I am so looking forward to reading it!
Susan wrote: "I've finished my "villain's POV" choice--Lacey Louwagie's RUMPLED, and enjoyed it immensely. Fairy tale retellings often strike me as forced and message-burdened, or padded and tedious; this one wa..."Thank you so much for your kind words, Susan, and for giving Rumpled a read! I am currently working on a Rapunzel retelling which is set in the same world (but has no overlapping characters), which is why I decided to bow out of reading Bitter Greens when it came up for the group read even though I really wanted to! I also wrote a sequel to "Rumpled" which is also a retelling of The Snow Queen, but that was a NaNoWriMo endeavor and will take a couple years to be presentable!
Lacey wrote: "Susan wrote: "I've finished my "villain's POV" choice--Lacey Louwagie's RUMPLED, and enjoyed it immensely. Fairy tale retellings often strike me as forced and message-burdened, or padded and tediou..."Both stories sound like fun. Please finish them as fast as you can.
Ooh, it's too bad I already read something for number 11! I was browsing the "Little Free Library" (take a book, leave a book -- located on the first floor of my actual library) and I just happened to find The Magic Orange Tree and Other Haitian Folktales there! That book would have been perfect! I took it anyway -- it will still be a fun read! :)
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Up to now I have read six books and am currently reading for # 5. A novel or collection by one of your favorite authors that you have not read The Little Country by my favourite fantasy/mythic fiction author Charles de Lint
I am happy our current group read From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers so I will get my #10. A critical study or history of fairy tales in!
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It's a very odd book! Particularly the last fourth. Anyone else read it? I remember going to a conference panel years ago about the novel, and the panelists discussed how it was all an allegory for communism or something. I'm going to have to research that!
I've completed 8 thus far.
Margaret wrote: "I finished #7 a few days ago--a book one of my favorite movies is based on. I chose The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, though The Wizard of Oz isn't one of my favorite movies (if a movie I l..."Oh that is a good idea-- don't think I've ever read this book.
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Definitely worth reading, and it's fast.
Margaret wrote: "I finished #7 a few days ago--a book one of my favorite movies is based on. I chose The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, though The Wizard of Oz isn't one of my favorite movies (if a movie I l..." Hmm... sounds like your panelists were Marxist critics. I find that line of thought very unlikely with that particular book given its date of publication, but I have heard that theory. You should read the rest of the series (and the rest of Baum's books) -- the other books are significantly stranger. :) I especially recommend The Magical Monarch of Mo for its weirdness and quirkiness. :D
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Yes, I agree. I briefly read through a few theories, and they didn't resonate with my reading experience, at least. I also read a few other literary critics claiming it as an allegory for the threats facing the American West during that time, which seem more plausible, but I hesitate to make any specific connections like that without the author saying yes, this is an allegory.
Thanks for the rec! I'll check it out.
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Interesting! I'm not sure what Grail fiction is in relation to Ceremony, but it would certainly count. I read Ceremony years ago, and I remember it being a sort of meditation on finding the sacred amidst the profane through a return to ritual and history. I don't think I'm giving any spoilers; the title kind of implies that. And grail fiction, I assume, would be questing to find relics that represent the sacred? I can see the quest in Ceremony, but I can no longer recall if any 'relics' are discovered along the way.
I say, once you finish come back here and discuss how it meets the grail fiction theme! And I say it counts:)
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I might scrap that idea...this is what Wikipedia says on the subject
"Ceremony has been called a Grail fiction, wherein the hero overcomes a series of challenges to reach a specified goal; but this point of view has been criticized as Eurocentric, since it involves a Native American contextualizing backdrop, and not one based on European-American myths."
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That's a valid criticism. I think 'questing' stories are found everywhere, regardless of culture, but labeling it as grail fiction does some Eurocentric. Also, I think the definition of grail fiction is awfully broad!
I hope you read Ceremony anyway. Leslie Marmon Silko is an excellent writer.
I haven't found anything for that pick yet either. I assume that eventually someone on here will mention a theme I'm unfamiliar with, or it will be nominated, and I'll read something related to that!
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That's a val..."
I agree it's a very valid criticism! I don't know why I didn't think of that right away. Yes, quests are universal. It's not an unfamiliar theme for me. I'm still going to read Ceremony however!
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Good!
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Up to now there is a lot of mythology I am unfamiliar with in Ceremony. I was feeling like I was missing something and luckily I found this on the Internet: http://history.hanover.edu/hhr/hhr93_... in it it mentions "The three most important figures in Pueblo mythology are Thought Woman, Corn Mother, and Sun Father" but I still don't know if this idea of witches creating white people to be Marmon Silkos own creation or if such a myth actually exists,
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There are several NA creation stories that added something negative about the creation of white people when the Europeans started colonizing the Americas, or maybe these aspects were added once these stories started being written down. I have read several, and one that immediately comes to mind is a creation myth about the white man being only half cooked, and I found one version of that one online: http://www.gly.uga.edu/railsback/CS/C...
But I'm unsure whether Silko invented the witches or is using a folktale she knew.
Silko also wrote a poem about this that I remember reading in Storyteller. I managed to find it online: http://www.angelfire.com/md/LittleFlu...
It's the very last poem on the page.
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I've been undecided about what to read for my Endicott Adult Fairy Tale. I think I am going to read Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. I really liked her The Mistress of Spices. I recently read a historical that took place in Bangladesh, so when I read that Sister of My Heart had both fairy rake elements and Bengali myths I was intrigued!
The only one I'm undecided about is the Villain's POV. I made a preliminary selection (for my challenge placeholder/tracker) but I'm still not 100% sure. Only because I'd like to read a novel versus a collection.As far as progress, I've read 10 out of 18, so not bad. I'm a little behind because majority of my selections are packed up right now. We move on 10/3 and hopefully I'll have all my lovelies restored to their rightful places not long after that.
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I've tried reading the The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold several times for #2, but I never get more than a paragraph or so into it. Not really enough to give it a chance, of course, but enough to deter me from trying again soon.
Not sure what I'll read for the Adult Endicott Fairy Tale Retelling now. Though with my current lack of reading, I'm not sure that matters.
I definitely won't have a chance to read The Arabian Nights II: Sindbad and Other Popular Stories now. It's much too late in the year to start it. So, now I'll have to look for something that has inspired a TV show/movie I've liked.
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Did you read Bitter Greens?
At the time we read it as a group read at the beginning of the year it did not occur to me, a significant section of the novel is from the PoV of the witch.
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I would agree that The Gospel of Loki counts, since the guy he kills is beloved of almost every creature in the universe. But I think villain books are only really pleasurable if you already know the accepted version of the story. I know so little about the northern myths that I fear I won't get much out of the Loki book unless I can do some other background reading.
For my 2015 challenge I read Lacey Louwagie's Rumpled: Power Is More Useful Than Beauty. It's a quick read, a neat take on the other side of the story, a lot of fun, and tells the flip side of a very familiar story.
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I would think it would count.
Susan wrote: " For my 2015 challenge I read Lacey Louwagie's Rumpled: Power Is More Useful Than Beauty. It's a quick read, a neat take on the other side of the story, a lot of fun, and tells the flip side of a very familiar story.
..."
Rumpled was my first choice. Because it's new I requested that my library buy it. That was a few months ago and I still have t heard from them.
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That will leave me #8, a retelling of one of my favorite originals. I have trouble with favorites! I recently purchased Gaiman's Hansel and Gretel, so I may use that. It was one of my favorites as a child, though I wouldn't say that it still was, necessarily.
I was looking back over everyone's lists, and I'm impressed everyone has stuck so closely to their original lists! I'm terrible at lists and following assignments, so I've only read a few that were on my original list. I still want to read those books, but probably saying I was going to read them this year doomed them to be read another year. That's the way my brain works:)
It was also a good idea to keep track on the lists and mark which ones you'd read as you finished them. That didn't occur to me either!
I changed several of my choices, particularly when my original choice was more of a "maybe" or a placeholder.
Jalilah wrote: "Did you read Bitter Greens? "Yep, read it with the group and loved it :)
Melanti wrote: "Huh. Don't know where that part of my comment went, but The Gospel of Loki might be considered Villain's point of view... His actions bring about someone's death and make it one step further to the end of the world."
Great idea! I have this in my stack of 18 books currently checked out from the library - along with From the Beast to the Blonde and Don't Bet on the Prince - so maybe I'll count that one as my Villain's POV.
Susan wrote: "For my 2015 challenge I read Lacey Louwagie's Rumpled: Power Is More Useful Than Beauty. It's a quick read, a neat take on the other side of the story, a lot of fun, and tells the flip side of a very familiar story."
Yes, I have Lacey's book on my TBR list but I'm doing my best NOT to use up what little remains of my personal book buying budget before December. So I won't be able to buy her retelling until 2016 :(
Margaret wrote: "It was also a good idea to keep track on the lists and mark which ones you'd read as you finished them."
Without my list I'd never be able to remember what I first wanted to read because I'm so easily distracted by other people's choices /recommendations, new releases, and just about every other book that catches my eye. Often, before I know it, December's here and I've only read about half the books I set out to read that year.
I've only got three left: the Native American one, the story from another country, and the non-fiction critical study. I've hardly stuck with any of my "planned" selections. I read Marissa Meyer's Fairest for my villain's PoV one. Wasn't intending to use that one, but ended up getting the audio book from the library and figured I might as well.I also cheated a little on the retelling of a favorite original by reading Disney's "dystopia" version of Aladdin, A Whole New World, but I also read Beastkeeper and Cress, and since Beauty & the Beast and Rapunzel are both favorites of mine, they could count, too. :)
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The Little Country by Charles de Lint for # 5 A novel or collection by one of your favorite authors that you have not read yet.
The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine for #8 A retelling of one of your favourite originals.
And The God Who Begat a Jackal: A Novel. By Nega Mezlekia for # 11 A novel or folk or fairy tale collection from a country you've never read a collection from before.
Originally I intended to read Journal of Antonio Montoya: A Novel or The God of Small Things for # 1 One Mythic Fiction novel from the Endicott list. Instead I read The Bone People by Keri Hulme
For # 3) One Young Adult Fairy Tale retelling from the Endicott list, I was going to read Zel but ended up reading Bound.
Was going to read The Owl, the Raven, and the Dove: The Religious Meaning of the Grimms' Magic Fairy Tales for # 10 A critical study or history of fairy tales, instead read From the Beast to the Blonde: On Fairy Tales and Their Tellers
Because I don't have as much time to read as I'd like, I'll often try and use whatever book us the group read for the challenge
As with the books I mentioned above as well as:
Sacred Wilderness for # 9 A collection of or novel based on or containing the legends and folklore of North America's native tribes and
Bitter Greens for #12 A book from the "villains' POV
Sometimes I just wanted to read something, but while I was reading I realised it might work for the challenge as I did with Ceremony for # 6 A novel or collection based on a theme you aren't familiar with or haven't read in the last 5 years and
Manitous: The Spiritual World Of The Ojibway for #4 A book or collection,Fiction or non-fiction, featuring legendary/mythological monsters or creatures.
So I've got 10/12
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Would you like to join us October 15 and read The Grass Dancer? The author Susan Power said she would try and join us.
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Any recommendations for a novel based on one of my favorite originals? Here are some of my favorites: The Juniper Tree, Little Red Riding Hood, Fitcher's Bird, Six Swans...I also tend to like ones where someone at some point is turned into an animal. I enjoy reading about the human/animal binary--whether it be selkies or a beauty and the beast type scenario, though I avoid overt romances (I like there to be some, but not the whole story). There are many tales in the animal transformation category I like.
I also really enjoyed The Arabian Nights we read as a group read--though not necessarily a particular tale. I liked the strong, sensual women who had to rely on their wits to get out of tricky scenarios.
Any recommendations based on any of these tales, or tale-types?
I've got copies of Love Medicine and Touching Spirit Bear, so I think I'll read one of those for my Native American pick. I try to read down my own collection when I can because it is MASSIVE. Although the discussion here as piqued my interest in Sacred Wilderness, so now that one is on my list, too. :)
Margaret wrote, "I also really enjoyed The Arabian Nights we read as a group read--though not necessarily a particular tale. I liked the strong, sensual women who had to rely on their wits to get out of tricky scenarios."I know of three novels derived from that concept. Two are either upper MG or YA: Shadow Spinner and The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of the Arabian Nights. I haven't read either one, so I can't rate them.
The third is the YA Code Name Verity. I admit that I sampled Verity on my Kindle and wasn't hooked--nor did I perceive the Arabian Nights influence in the sample. But I'm definitely in the minority; it's a really popular dark historical.
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I don't know about The Juniper Tree or Fitchers' Bird, but for Red Riding Hood, I've long been interested in Little Red Riding Hood in the Red Light District and also Scarlet Moon: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
For 6 Swans, I believe you have already read Daughter of the Forest, right? There is another book that's also on the Endicott Fairy Tale Retelling list called The Wild Swans. I was going to read it for the challenge but decided on Sister of My Heart instead, however I still would like to read it.
I too enjoy reading about animal transformations. Perhaps you can nominate this as a theme for a group read one day?
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For Fitchers' Bird, there's Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost which I haven't yet read but I've owned for a couple of years now.
If you like animal transformations, have you read much about the kitsune? Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman is lovely. The driving part of the plot is obviously her infatuation with the human male, but the romance isn't an overwhelming part of the story as a whole.
Rushdie's latest book - Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights - is based around The Arabian Nights and I'd assume it has some strong women since the summary mentions a Djinn princess but despite being given an eARC a couple of months ago, I haven't read it yet. Shame on me!
I agree animal transformations would be a fun theme to read about.
Susan wrote: "The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of the Arabian Nights. I haven't read either one, so I can't rate them..."
I haven't read The Storyteller's Daughter either so I can't directly compare, but I have read a couple of Dokey's other books and they struck me as being elaborate setups for the happily ever after ending. There's not a ton of depth to her writing.
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Susan wrote: "I know of three novels derived from that concept. Two are either upper MG or YA: Shadow Spinner and The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of the Arabian Nights. I haven't read either one, so I can't rate them.
The third is the YA Code Name Verity. I admit that"
I haven't heard of any of these! Thanks!
Jalilah wrote: "I don't know about The Juniper Tree or Fitchers' Bird, but for Red Riding Hood, I've long been interested in Little Red Riding Hood in the Red Light District and also Scarlet Moon: A Retelling of Little Red Riding Hood.
For 6 Swans, I believe you have already read Daughter of the Forest, right? There is another book that's also on the Endicott Fairy Tale Retelling list called The Wild Swans."
I have read Daughter of the Forest, and enjoyed it. But I haven't read the other swan book, and I added it to my list. I read The Red Light District LRRH retelling several years ago, before I was on Goodreads, and it's interesting. I'm not sure I 'liked' it, but I'm glad I read it. If I remember correctly, it's about a poet and a prostitute that fall in love in the middle of a lot of political turmoil. They're in their late teens early twenties, so there's lot of sex and relationship angst that sometimes goes along with that time in life. And much of it is in dialogue, and slang, I believe? I remember the writing style itself was unusual, almost postmodern.
I'll nominate animal transformations next time!
Melanti wrote: "For Fitchers' Bird, there's Fitcher's Brides by Gregory Frost which I haven't yet read but I've owned for a couple of years now.
If you like animal transformations, have you read much about the kitsune? Kij Johnson's The Fox Woman is lovely. The driving part of the plot is obviously her infatuation with the human male, but the romance isn't an overwhelming part of the story as a whole.
Rushdie's latest book - Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights "
Those are good ideas! I already own Fitcher's Brides and The Fox Woman, but I had forgotten about them! And the Rushdie book is on my wants list. I'm leaning toward The Fox Woman...I do love her short stories, but have yet to read one of her novels. I usually don't mind that type of romance either. Maybe because it's darker?
Susan wrote: The third is the YA Code Name Verity. I admit that I sampled Verity on my Kindle and wasn't hooked--nor did I perceive the Arabian Nights influence in the sample.It's there, but I'm not saying how. Give it another chance, maybe.
The Wild Swans by Peg Kerr is outstanding. I especially love it's dual storylines several hundred years apart.
The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of the Arabian Nights wasn't for me.
Another Arabian Nights retelling that is very good isAlif the Unseen, which has science fiction and fantasy alongside each other.
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The Storyteller's Daughter: A Retelling of the Arabian Nights wasn't for me.
Another Arabian Nights retelling that is very good isAlif the Unseen, which has science fiction and fantasy alongside each other. "
I'll definitely be reading The Wild Swans then. It might be a little bit, but eventually! And I've heard of Alif the Unseen, so I'll keep an eye out for that one too.
Julia wrote: "Susan wrote: The third is the YA Code Name Verity. I admit that I sampled Verity on my Kindle and wasn't hooked--nor did I perceive the Arabian Nights influence in the sample.It's there, but I'm not saying how..."
I liked Code Name Verity quite a bit, but someone I totally missed any connection with Arabian Nights -- but I guess as Verity is telling her story in pieces to her captors...
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Good to know! That's another one I have on my TBR.
With The Wild Swans, I liked the modern story line far better than the older story line but I still enjoyed the book as a whole.
Into the Forest
Books mentioned in this topic
The Girls at the Kingfisher Club (other topics)Bitter Greens (other topics)
The Hearing Trumpet (other topics)
Sacred Wilderness (other topics)
Bambi: A Life in the Woods (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jon Robin Baitz (other topics)Juliet Marillier (other topics)
Peg Kerr (other topics)
Susan Power (other topics)
Genevieve Valentine (other topics)
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1) Endicott Mythic Fiction: Yume No Hon: The Book of Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente - 2/23/15
5) Favorite Author: The Boy Who Lost Fairyland by Catherynne M. Valente - 3/15/15
9) Native American: Star-Man & Other Tales by Basil Johnston - 3/23/15
10) A critical study or history of fairy tales: A Short History of Myth by Karen Armstrong - 1/18/15 -- but would still like to use The Hero With a Thousand Faces or The Irresistible Fairy Tale: The Cultural and Social History of a Genre
12) "Villains' POV: The Good Man Jesus and the Scoundrel Christ by Philip Pullman - 4/19/15 (Retelling of some episodes of the Christian gospels from Jesus's twin's point of view. The twin takes the role of Judas in this version.)