Endicott Mythic Fiction discussion
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General Discussion
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Monthly Group Reading Choices
Mod
Here are the books we've read so far:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/booksh...
August 08: Mortal Love - Elizabeth Hand (Odette's choice)
September 08: Innocents Aboard - Gene Wolfe (Kim's choice)
October 08: The Nature of Water and Air - Regina McBride (Baobhan's choice)
November 08: War for the Oaks - Emma Bull (Kay's choice)
December 08: On Becoming a Fairy Godmother - Sara Maitland (Terri's choice)
January 09: One for Sorrow - Christopher Barzak (Author Q&A month)
February 09: Briar Rose - Jane Yolen (Rora's choice)
March 09: The Wild Wood - Charles de Lint (Reem's choice)
April 09: The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden - Catherynne M. Valente (Lia's choice)
May 09: Winter Rose - Patricia A. McKillip (Brittany's choice)
June 09: The portrait of Mrs. Charbuque - Jeffrey Ford (Claire's choice)
July 09 - Un Lun Dun - China Mieville (Kim's choice)
August 09 - Innamorati - Midori Snyder (Hilary's choice)
September 09 - Changeling - Delia Sherman (Terrea and Pamela's choice)
October 09 - The Fair Folk (stories) - edited by Marvin Kaye (Sidhe's choice)
November 09 - A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray (Michelle's choice)
December 09 - Lambs of God - Marele Day (kristinsdóttir's choice)
Here are the two fiction lists Baobhan and I took from the Endicott site & posted in the GoodReads Endicott group bookshelves:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/booksh...
http://www.goodreads.com/group/booksh...
Q&A (a few questions I've been getting):
1. Can I choose a book if I haven't been very active in this group?
- Definitely. The group is flexible enough for lots of different levels of involvement. It is nice if you initiate some discussion on a book you've chosen yourself, and also nice if you can participate in discussions for other books, but do whatever you feel comfortable with.
2. Can I still choose a book if you asked me for a book choice months ago & I never responded?
- Of course. Since we have so many members, we don't want you to have to wait another year or two until the members list cycles back to you - especially if there's a book you're really excited about reading with the group.
3. If I only joined recently, will it take several years for me to get to choose a book?
- Not necessarily. Of the book choice messages I send out to our members, I get responses on maybe one out of every 10 messages, so I may contact you sooner than you expect.
If it does take a long time & you really want to share an Endicott book with the group, feel free to post about in the discussion topic called "Endicott Books Outside the Monthly Selections."
Happy New Year everyone! :)
happy new year to you too, odette! (smiles)
Mod
Attn: everyone. If you were contacted & want to submit a book choice, I'll be posting the list the morning of January 2nd.
Any book choices submitted after that will be added to the end of the list, regardless of when the person joined.
fyi: I'm on East Coast US time. :)
Mod
So if you really want to pick a book from the poetry list, feel free - just keep in mind that publications by the smaller publishing companies may not be carried in local library systems & that may limit how many people get to read the book.
I'm really looking forward to the poetry book!
Mod
Due to an unprecedented number of group members responding to my request for books (thanks!) we have our book choices all the way through October 2010!
January '10: Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel - Susanna Clarke (Emilie's choice)
February '10: Wheel of the Infinite - Martha Wells (Aerulan's choice)
March '10: The Wood Wife - Terri Windling (Ramona's choice)
April '10: Here on Earth - Alice Hoffman (Lori's choice)
May '10: The Coyote Road: Trickster Tales (Lyn's choice)
June '10: The Fox Woman - Kij Johnson (Nymeth's choice)
July '10 - The Girl in the Glass - Jeffrey Ford (Alisa's choice)
August '10: The Tree Bride - Bharati Mukherjee (Mary's choice)
September '10: Autobiography of Red - Anne Carson (Katharine's choice)
October '10: The Antelope Wife - Louise Erdrich (Christine's choice)
Happy reading. :)
Hi there,I am brand new to the discussion group and thrilled to have found it. I read this month's book, The Woodwife about 6 months ago and loved it. Very excited to get started on May's book. Just wanted to say hi and introduce myself.
hi bri,welcome to the endicott group! i love the wood wife, too. and the coyote road looks really good too.
Thanks guys! And thanks for such a great discussion group, I so appreciated the opportunity to ask a few questions about the Wood Wife--I loved that book now I just need to review it. I don't know if I will make this month's discussion or not but I am definitely in for May :-)Bri
i am back in the KSA, and I am happy to say that i have a lot of the books that i can catch up on reading here from previous selections that I was not able to participate in. I am also able to participate in may's reading choice :).
Mod
Just wanted to remind everybody that the September 2010 Endicott reading selection is Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson.
Those of you who've been getting the monthly selections from your local library might want to order this one through interlibrary loan now - since it's a poetry book, it might not be as easy to locate as the novels or story collections on our list were.
Happily, the book is still in print - so those of you who plan to purchase it shouldn't have a problem (at least if you're in the US - I'm not sure of its availability in other countries.)
Happy reading. :)
Odette wrote: "Hi, All.Just wanted to remind everybody that the September 2010 Endicott reading selection is Autobiography of Red by Anne Carson.
Those of you who've been getting the monthly selections from y..."
Yes, Thanks for letting us know. Still reading this month's reading group choice, but I have the book for next month and the month after that, I think. I have some catching up to do with previous selections though...
Mod
November 2010 - Trash Sex Magic - Jennifer Stevenson
December 2010 - Nights at the Circus - Angela Carter
Hope you all had a fun Halloween. :)
Mod
I've been sending out messages to many of you (in order of when you joined) to ask if you'd like to choose one of our reading selections for 2011.
You can find the books to choose from if you click on "bookshelf" in the upper right corner, and then "to-read" in the upper left corner of the bookshelf page.
(If you want to check what we've read already, click on "read" on the bookshelf page.)
Once you've chosen a book, all you need to do is email me the title. (I'll post the 2011 selections once I've heard back from a bunch of members.)
Happy reading. :)
Mod
I'm happy to say that thanks to the responses I received, we have an entire year of book choices lined up for 2011 - and two for 2012!
January - Thursday's Child by Sonya Hartnet (Bill's choice)
February - A Scattering of Jades by Alexander C Irvine (Alex's choice)
March - The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer (Shellie-Layers of Thought's choice)
April - Bed of Sphinxes by Philip Lamantia (Rayna's choice)
May - The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess (Deborah Brannan & Garrett's choice)
June - City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff Vandermeer (Ellyddan's choice)
July - Territory by Emma Bull (Lauren's choice)
August - Riddle Master Trilogy by Patricia McKillip (Kami's choice)
September - The Vanished Child by Sarah Smith (Shane's choice)
October- American Gods by Neil Gaiman (Anita's choice)
November - The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm - (Drie's choice)
December - Trickster Makes This World (Thara's choice)
January 2012 - The Thief by Megan Whalen (kyle's choice)
February 2012 - M is for Magic by Neil Gaiman (Liz's choice)
Note: This is a newly-updated list with a few additional book selections from Endicott members. (I noticed that one book got two votes and there are two Neil Gaiman books, which will us all a good excuse to catch up on our Gaiman reading).
Thanks for participating!
What's the reading choice for April 2012?
I second Reem's question!By the by, I absolutely adored St. Lucy's, it was in my top 3 for favorite books this past year.
Mod
Thanks to members' responses, we now have book choices all the way through the end of the year:
2012
April - Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - (Rora's choice)
May - Monkey Beach by Eden Robinson - (Doris)
June - A Princess of Roumania by Paul Park - (Kate)
July - The Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman - (David)
August - Lizzie Siddal by Lucinda Hawksley - (Joanne)
September - The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman - (Anatha Latshaw)
October - The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm - (Shauna)
November - Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami - (*Redacted*)
December - People of the Sea by David Thompson - (Niall519)
I'll try to find some of these here in Saudi Arabia. Pretty sure I can find Fingersmith here and I go back to England in June. Can't wait to read the complete fairy tales of the brothers grimm and for people of the sea :). Selkies rock!
Mod
The only completely unfamiliar-to-me books in the list are Monkey Beach (yay Pacific NW legends!), and People of the Sea. You can't go wrong with selkies.
Speaking of selkies, have you ever read Lambs of God by Marele Day? It was an Endicott choice back in Dec. 09. I don't think many people read it, but it's much more wonderful than the description makes it sound.
(There's also a non-Endicott YA book called "The Seal Singing" by Rosemary Harris that focuses on the selkie legend. I remember liking it quite a bit when I was a kid.)
I skimmed Fingersmith a year or three back, but will think about giving it another go. And like Odette, I'm always up for re-reads of Gaiman's Sandman or Pullman's His Dark Materials series.I'm glad to see that Selkies are proving to be a popular idea. They're the mythic-beast of the month here at the moment, with my wife having just finished a short story about Selkies, and Margo Lanagan having just published The Brides of Rollrock Island. My personal favourite has long been Molly Hunter's A Stranger Came Ashore, which to me captures the feyness of the beasties and the spirit of time and place very nicely indeed. I'm going to have to take a look at your suggestions now Odette.
I've ordered Fingersmith by Sarah Waters I am happy this group is reading novels instead of short stories this time!
Odette wrote: "I'm excited about the choices, too. I've been wanting to read Lizzie Siddal & A Princess of Roumania for ages, am happy to revisit Golden Compass (the first book of the trilogy was always my favor..."Thanks for the selkie book recommendations :).
Mod
(The March 2012 book, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, was chosen by Kerry.)
A reminder to everyone that you can go back and post to any of the past book discussions and get a new discussion going on that book whenever you want to.
Mod
Thanks to a wonderfully helpful suggestion by Endicott member Melanti, I'm going to start adding links to "Group Members' Reviews" in the relevant book discussions. This means that you'll be able to click on the link and see which Endicott members have rated/reviewed each book. The links will be placed early in the main book discussions so you don't have to search for them.
I've just posted a link in the Monkey Beach discussion & will slowly add links to past book discussions until they all have them.
FYI: Another way to see any members' reviews/book ratings is to go to the group bookshelves, find the relevant book & click "view." All the books, including ones the group hasn't read yet, have that link.
Hi Odette,Would you be interested in having a discussion for Bear Daughter by Judith Berman?
I read it a few years ago and really loved it. It is on the Endicott list. I would love to re-read it.
Mod
Thanks for the recommendation!
We have the Endicott monthly choices set through December, but you've reminded me that I need to contact the new members for suggestions for 2013.
I'll add Bear Daughter to the list & let you know which month we'll read it (it goes in order of when members joined, but some members don't opt to suggest books, so we could read Bear Daughter as early as January).
Thanks for being an Endicott group member!
Mod
September
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials #1)
by Philip Pullman
October
The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
by Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm, Wilhelm Karl Grimm, Jack Zipe (Editor / Translator)
November
Kafka on the Shore
by Haruki Murakami, Philip Gabriel (Translator)
December
People of the Sea
by David Thomson, Seamus Heaney (Introduction)
2013
Bear Daughter by Judith Berman
Odette wrote: "Hi Jalilah,Thanks for the recommendation!
We have the Endicott monthly choices set through December, but you've reminded me that I need to contact the new members for suggestions for 2013.
I'l..."
Thanks so much Odette! Sorry I just wrote you a PM regarding Bear Daughter before I saw this post! I am interested in reading several of the others as well but not Grimm’s. I just read all their tales with another group.
I've got another request! Has there been a discussion for
yet? It is another great book I'd love to re-read!
I should probably finish this month's book before asking but what's January's book?
Mod
The first book for 2013 is Bear Daughter by Judith Berman.
Happy New year.
Mod
I've just sent out emails to all the Endicott members who have
1. Never before chosen a monthly Endicott book
2. Never been contacted by me before to choose an Endicott book.
I'll post a new list of upcoming books for 2013 as soon as I get some responses.
Info note:
- If you're an Endicott group member and you were contacted by me in the past about chosing a book (no matter how long ago), and you've NEVER chosen an Endicott book, and you want to now, send me an email to let me know.
If you have chosen one of our monthly Endicott books in the past, and you want to recommend another book, please do post in these folders in General Discussion:
"Endicott books - what are you reading"
"Mythic Fiction books (beyond Endicott)"
(Let me know if any of that's confusing.)
Happy mythic fiction reading.
Mod
Here are the books for the next four months (thanks for the suggestions!):
February 2013 - The Trials and Tribulations of Little Red Riding Hood - edited by Jack Zipes (Leah’s choice)
March 2013 – The Djinn in the Nightingale's Eye by A. S. Byatt (David’s choice)
April 2013 - Waking: A Fairy Tale by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry (Lauretta’s choice)
May 2013 - The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber (Blue’s choice)
June 2013 - Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins by Emma Donoghue (Melanti’s choice)
July 2013 - The Secret History of Moscow by Ekaterina Sedia (Antía’s choice)
Mod
Hope you had a great summer.
I began this book group 5 years ago with the intention of celebrating and exploring the literature of the Endicott Studio journal/blog. Returning to the original Mythic Fiction core reading list seems like a good way to mark the start of what will hopefully be many more years of exploring this rich realm of imaginative literature together.
The Endicott monthly choices will follow the original Endicott Studio Mythic Fiction reading list henceforth.
Our September 2013 book will be Spirits of the Ordinary by Kathleen Alcala.
Mythic Fiction Reading List
Many thanks to the many group members who have suggested monthly books throughout the years, to the authors who have volunteered for Q&As, and to everyone who's participated in the discussion threads.
Happy reading!
That is great Odette, you can count me in. It has been my goal to read all the Endicott list novels!
me too! the endicott list is what drew me to this group in the first place.
Sounds like a good plan.When we get to books we've read recently, (like Bear Daughter) are we going to re-read or skip it?
Mod
Glad you're all enthusiastic about the new approach! Me too. :)
Mod
Dear Endicott Members:
New monthly book will be posted in the next few days.
I'm changing the book schedule slightly. More news in your inbox soon.
Odette
Odette wrote: "October 2014Dear Endicott Members:
New monthly book will be posted in the next few days.
I'm changing the book schedule slightly. More news in your inbox soon.
Odette"
Looks like The Facts Of Life for October! This is one that has been highly recommended to me, looking for a copy now.
Oh, I thought The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay was next! I'm in the queue for it at the library.
Oh, yay! I'm not a big Michael Chabon fan and would much rather put him off for another few months. I've liked most of what I've read from Graham Joyce, so I'm looking forward to The Facts of Life.
OF course, this is all assuming that the order currently on the bookshelf is the final order -- at least for the October book...
Mod
If you feel very disappointed, please do let me know by message or post here. There's still time to make the Chabon book our November choice and bump the others forward by a month. (I invite any other Endicott members to weigh in as well.)
I was looking forward to the Chabon book, but I found out a few days ago that Graham Joyce just died of cancer. He's one of my favorite authors and I feel very sad about his passing. I want to do something to honor him and this minor gesture is the best I could think of.
I also think Joyce's a better choice for October mood-wise. (If Dark Sister had been in the Endicott list that would be ideal for Halloween, but I want to keep to the Endicott list as promised.)
I'm glad others of you are looking forward to the Joyce book. More soon.
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Endicott Mythic Fiction
Books mentioned in this topic
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (other topics)The Facts of Life (other topics)
Bear Daughter (other topics)
Someplace to Be Flying (other topics)
Bear Daughter (other topics)
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Good to hear from you and to be tagged. Would you please post links for us to the Endicott title list and to the list of books already chosen, so we can avoid duplications? I can never find these two pages on the goodreads site and end up going in circles.
Thanks!