Look at that. Isn't that just stunning? And doesn't it just describe what a journey into a fantasy book is like for a reader? Well done, Carl! It's that time again! I'm so happy, I've been waiting it seems since RIP3 ended, for this one to start. That is not to say the other challenges I'm in aren't also exciting, they are, and I'm busy counting down to actually, possibly, completing Book Awards Challenge in time *happy dance*......but Carl's challenges have a little bit something extra, possibly because they are about genres of books that I can't live without: fantasy, and horror. Today he announced the beginning of Once Upon A Time 3. *sighs very happily* Go here
for the link to sign up. Carl's Once Upon a Time Challenge 3
I am going to do:
-Quest the Third: read 5 books in any of the 4 categories, plus reading A Midsummer Night's Dream. Well, you know me. It will be much more than five! And I read A Midsummer Night's Dream last year and enjoyed it very much. I'd like to read it again, this time taking time with the language and play-on-words Shakespeare used.
PLUS I want to do
-Quest the Fourth: Read two non-fiction books, essay collections, etc. that treat any one or more of the four genres covered in this challenge - since I am still half-way through Le Guin's The Language of the Night, this qualifies.....
And, because I don't know how to say no and I'm such a big sucker for anything fantasy, I'm going to do
- the Short Story Weekends also. This would have everything to do with the numerous short story collections I have, both openly on my TBR shelves, plus squirreled away on my other shelves, that need reading.
Now, because I told Chris at Stuff as Dreams Are Made On that yes, I would love to see the list of potential books he might read, I thought I'd better do the same here. Fantasy book lovers, this is my list of potential,' books I have right now' to read for the challenge:
Quest the Third:
- A Midsummer Night's Dream (tbr in June before midsummer)
and any from:
-Changeling - Delia Sherman
-Blood-Bound - Patricia Briggs
-Book of a Thousand Days - Shannon Hale *library book
-The Wood Wife - Terri Windling
-The Stolen Child - Keith Donohue
-The Naming - Alison Croggon
- We Never Talk About my Brother - Peter S. Beagle
- Tithe - Holly Black
- Red Moon and Black Mountain - Joy Chant
- The Good Fairies of New York - Martin Millar
- Territory - Emma Bull
- Forests of the Heart - Charles de Lint
- Blue Girl - Charles de Lint
- Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr
- The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
- Briar Rose - Jane Yolen
- Unshapely Things - Mark del Franco
- Lord of Snow and Shadows - Sarah Ash
- The Once and Future King - T. H. White
- Tam Lin - Pamela Dean *Library book
- Neverwhere - Neil Gaiman
Quest the 4th
- Language of the Night - Ursula K. LeGuin
- TBA
Short Story Weekends
some collections I'm considering reading from are:
- The Best of Lady Churchill's Rosebud Wristlet - ed Kelly Link
- St Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves - Karen Russell
- Harrowing the Dragon - Patricia McKillip
- Little Red Riding Hood in the Big Bad City - ed Martin Greenberg *library book
Are you drooling yet? Because looking at the books I have to choose from, is making me love fantasy all over again, and this wonderful challenge.
Before I end my post today, I would like to give a wonderful shout-out to my husband. It's been our March break this week, and it has also been the week from hell. On Monday morning my daughter woke up with a fever, and she has had it ever since. On Tuesday I found out I didn't pass the interview for the job at work I'd applied for. On Tuesday night, picking up a toy, I put my back out worse than the previous week. Wednesday I had a terrible meeting with my managers. Thursday and today, I have been home, unable to do much. My husband stayed home the first three days, and my eldest has come to help out for these last two, since I really can't do much while my back heals. Some books came in at my bookstore, and my husband, my wonderful husband, went and picked them up since I can't get there. I dropped a big hint about a certain new hardcover by Dan Simmons, and
HE BOUGHT IT!!!
He came home with (first three I'd ordered):
Blood Bound - Patricia Briggs
Iron-kissed - Patricia Briggs (I'm considering putting this one in the challenge too.)
New and Selected Poems, vol 1, - Mary Oliver
and
Drood - Dan Simmons.
Please don't laugh too hard. Drood is so heavy that I can't lift it while my back is out!! In fact, I'm having problems reading Watchmen for the same reason.
Isn't my husband a wonderful man?
Happy reading everyone, happy Friday, happy OUT3 challenge day, and - Happy Spring!!!
23 comments:
I'm so excited about this I can't think straight. What a great list, Susan! I see we both have The Wood Wife on our lists. And I own The Stolen Child too so I think I'll add that to my list as well. Look forward to your reviews.
And yaaay! for husbands who bring home books by Patricia Briggs! I just know you're going to love Blood Bound...
Happy Spring to you too. :-)
First of all, yes your husband is a wonderful man!!! How sweet!!
I read the first 2 Mercy Thompson books last year and absolutely LOVED them!
I also read Tithe last year (good) and Neverwhere (super-fabulous!) One of my favorite books ever I read last year for this challenge: Memory and Dream by de Lint. I just heart him!!
Great list. And I'm doing the happy dance with you!!
Great post! Love your potential reads list. If I have a vote I certainly would put Neverwhere (my favorite Gaiman book) and The Wood Wife (AMAZING!) at the top of the list!
I've read The Wood Wife and The Stolen Child and EONs ago I read th e Once and Future King, so looking forward to your thoughts on those ..and others.. sigh.
Ooo! You've got some wonderful books on those lists!! I'm looking forward to seeing which ones you choose, and to reading your reviews! Enjoy!
Nice pool! It seems like a lot of people are reading Delia Sherman right now, in particular.
I sense you are a very happy lady today!! Happy reading!
I'm sorry to hear about all of that mess this week, but that was so sweet of your husband! I've got Drood on the wishlist, and yes,you'll get another point when I get it ;)
I LOVE your list for this challenge. So many great books that it's almost overwhelming! I'm going to do the short story weekends too, I think. And just because you asked, I'll post my list of possibilities either tonight or tomorrow ;)
Oh my, what a yummy, yummy pile of books to choose from! I think we have a few overlaps on our lists.
I'm so sorry about your lousy week! And I hope both you and your daughter are feeling much better very, very soon, Susan! Sounds like this was a good week for OUaT to start...you needed something pleasant!
And yes! Hooray for wonderful husbands! I'm blessed with one of those myself. :)
I'm doing Three and Four, too! I can't wait to get into this. I love your list and am going to draw upon it for inspiration!
(your husband sounds like a keeper! I'm on the waiting list at the library for Drood...)
ha ha, Susan... I was just laughing at myself because technically I want to do four of the options. I was thinking I was crazy, but that is technically what you are signed up for, too! I don't feel so crazy anymore. :)
Great list there!
A great list, I've only read Neverwhere and loved that, loo forward to seeing your reviews
You have a great list of books. I have Iron Kissed on my list and just ordered De Lint's Mystery of Grace. I looking forward to hearing what you have to say about your books and adding so many to my wishlist. My post is here
Very sweet of your husband! Enjoy all your new books, my friend! And I'm so glad you posted a list of OuAT possibilities (excellent ones, btw). I love looking at lists of books :D
What a fantastic list, Susan. You've got some great reading ahead of you there. (I'm so jealous you have Harrowing the Dragon.)
I'm so sorry about your awful week. Things do tend to pile up to attack us all at once, don't they?
And I'm totally not laughing about Drood. I'm reading a big, fat hardcover at the moment and I can sympathise even without a bad back. I've found that for me the best way to read it is lying on the floor with the book open in front of me so that I don't actually have to hold it up!
This is going to be such a fantastic challenge. All this books people are posting are so tempting. I think maybe I'll have to post a pool of reads too, just to have the same fun everyone else is.
Well, I am so, so tempted, but I'm not doing well at all with any of my challenges this year (and 3/4 of them are of my own creating!), so I'm going to have to pass. Can't wait to read how you do, though.
You have a great list! I'm going to add Beagle to my list. Your husband is great! I hope you feel better soon.
Cath: It is exciting, isn't it? and even more fun when we are sharing books! I can hardly wait for your reviews also :-D and I am anxious to see if I love Blood Bound as much as you are! lol
Stephanie: I'm so hoping The Blue Girl will be as good as everyone says, as well as Forests of the Heart. I heart Charles too!! Hard to believe I've been reading him for 20 + years now! And so many people have loved the Patricia Briggs series, I'm so glad the first one was better than I thought it would be, and now Blood Bound is calling me (and you can see Cath above can hardly wait for me to start reading it too!)
Happy dance is right!
Carl: Neverwhere just went to the top! along with Charles....and The Wood Wife, which a lot of people loved. I forgot about Tender Morsels so I might add it to the list - a library book.....I love this challenge so much! thank you again :-D
Deslily: your list is good too! If I can get all these read, not only will this be a monumental achievement for me, but I will be a much better read and au courant fantasy reader!! lol they all look so good.....
Robin: I know! I tried to pick books I wanted to read! Now it's picking the first one...library vs ones i own....I want to read them all now!!! lol this is such a fun challenge, isn't it?
Memory: I've liked Delia since The Porcelain Dove came out in the late 1980's, which I adored. I lost my copy, and I can't find any others, so when I see a new one by her I grab it. This one was based on a short story I really enjoyed recently too. Have you read any by her?
zetor: oh yes, I am very happy! thank you :-D
Chris: I'll come by to see your list, thank you! I just want to drool and be amazed and add some right away to my wish list :-D and I'm glad some of us are doing the short story weekends too. I have to get started tonight or tomorrow on that!
Debi: definitely this was a good time for OUAT3! My daughter is feeling better - it's finally become a cold - and I can walk, kind of (you know the bent-up old woman walk!) again :-D and I love overlaps on our lists! It will be so much fun to compare our reviews and see who likes what when it's read :-D
and wonderful husbands are just that, aren't they? *sighs happily*
Miss D: I just came to your blog today, so you know I love your plan too :-D and thanks for the lovely words of using my list for inspiration. That's what I was hoping it would get used for!
kailana: we're both crazy together. Those crazy women from Canada! lol Crazy Canucks are the skiers, we'll have to think of something for us....Crazy Canuck Bookworms, or something! Carl's challenge is so irresistible, I found myself checking to make sure I hadn't left any possible selection out! And you still have to post your list!!! (If I could figure out how to underline here, I would....)
katrina: between you and Carl, I'll be sure to read it. I've read most of his other ones, so I'm looking forward to this one. All my books are ones I really want to read! Are you doing the challenge too?
Robin: I'll come check your list out in moment. thank you for sending it to me. and if I can find Mystery of Grace in time, i'll be reading that too, since I have signed up to read 13 Charles de Lint books for the Canadian 2 Eh challenge, and have read one so far!
Nymeth: I am waiting for your list, and post, my dear friend!!! I kept checking hourly yesterday......I haven't been on the computer much today (Saturday) so I'll be checking in a moment. I know you had such a great list last year, and read so many good ones, I am eager to see what you've selected this year and what I may have missed putting on my list! lol I think that's half the point of our lists, to remind one another how many good fantasy books are out there :-D and drool over them.
Kerry: please do post a list! Just so we can all come and admire :-D and add to our own. that's half the fun. I may not get it all read, but I'm going to try - they are all ones I plan on reading this year. And I've already added a few from other people's lists. I'm glad you're joining us this year!
with my back I can't read on the floor, so I have to put it on a table and sit in a straight-backed chair. I've already read the intro to Drood, I couldn't wait! lol
Emily: some day you have to make a list of the challenges you give yourself, just so we can see what you'd like to read! lol I fail at them most of the time - I think half the fun is planning out my reading and piling the books up - but OUAT3 is one I finished easily last year, and should this year - but it's the fantasy I love, and getting to indulge myself completely,like eating all the cake I want and it's not fattening! *sighs happily*
N. Vasillis: thank you! I'm anxious to read this new collection by him. And my husband is wonderful! :-D
I read Briar Rose a few weeks ago and really, really enjoyed it!
I totally understand about Drood! I tend to read on the train and so I am trying to figure out how I am going to (a) maintain the strength to hold the book up, and (b) fit it into my handbag!
Drood looks so fantastic--I hope you like it! It's always exciting to get something that you are really anticipating. I'll be doing this challenge also but haven't made my list yet. Had a great time last year!
I am so excited about this challenge as well and am doing Quest the First. You have a great list and I hope you love the Mercy Thompson series, I definitely do!
Marg: I'm sorry it took me so long to get back here to comment. Back injury etc. Anyway, I enjoyed Briar Rose very much - I'll be doing a post as soon as I'm healthy enough to sit at the computer long enough! My back injury does mean Drood has to sit on the table though! No way can I even lift it. How are you managing it so far?
Trish: I think I've seen your list now. I haven't started Drood yet, my son was sick too all last week, and needed cuddling on the sofa - no place to put the book! lol
Rhinoa: Yaay for Quest the first! I'll come take a look at your list :-D and I loved book 1 of Mercy Thompson so much I ordered specially the next two! When did you read them? did you review them?
Cool! I'm so glad you are doing Quest the Fourth because I am too. I haven't decided on all my books for that or Quest the First yet because I want to see what other people are reading (especially you and Nymeth) and I thought I'd do some short stories too. I can't wait to start.
I'm really sorry about your back - I haven't been reading any blogs for a couple of weeks because of work, or I'd have sent huge waves of sympathy much sooner. Hope you (all) get better soon.
Post a Comment