Once again it is that wonderful time of year, it's time for Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings' fabulous book challenge, Once Upon a Time V. As if reading fantasy, fairy tales folklore, mythology wasn't magical enough, there are the artists that Carl introduces us to also. Once again it is Anne-Julie Aubry, and her artwork this year is stunning. I want this picture so much, I fell in love instantly with it:
And, of course, I can't choose just one level to participate in, because I want to be part of all of it. I am throwing myself into fantasy for the next three months, with some side trips into mysteries for the occasional breather.
I am doing the Quest the Third, which includes:
Fulfill the requirements for Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream OR a viewing of one of the many theatrical versions of the play. Love the story, love the films, love the idea of that magical night of the year and so this is my chance to promote the enjoyment of this farcical love story.
Quest the Second is:
Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology. This proves to be one of the more difficult quests each year merely because of the need to classify each read and determine which books fit into which category. I am not a stickler, fear not, but I am endlessly fascinated watching how folks work to find books for each category.
I am also doing the Short Story Quest.
This quest involves the reading of one or more short stories that fit within at least one of the four genres during the course of the any weekend, or weekends, during the challenge. Ideally you would post about your short story readings on Sundays or Mondays, but this is not strictly necessary. I do this quest every year, with varying success. This is part of my goal to read more short stories.
I am calling this post Book Madness, because for those of you who know me, Gentle Readers, will remember that during the past three years that I have participated in this challenge, I have had many more books on my list than I could possibly read in three months. Last night I started with 8......tonight I went through my shelves after seeing what some of you (Cath, Chris and Pat are especially guilty here) are going to read, and this is
now what I have in my momentary fit of I-Can-Read-All-Of-These, Yes-I-Can euphoria. Or as Chris put it happily to me one year, half the fun is in choosing the books! Since he posted a rather large list of possible books he is contemplating reading this year, I don't feel half so bad at my enormous list. Thanks, Chris!Susan's Euphoric Fantasy List:
Dragonhaven - Robin McKinley
The Blue Sword - Robin McKinley
Muse and Reverie - Charles de Lint
Moonheart - Charles de Lint ***myth and folklore!
Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs
The Changeling - Terri Windling ****fairy tale
The Wood Wife - Terri Windling
First Among Sequels - Jasper Fforde
The Manual of Detection - Jedediah Berry
Boneshaker - Cherie Priest
A Madness of Angels - Kate Griffin
The Iron Dragon's Daughter - Michael Swanwick
A Storm of Swords - George RR Martin
The Mabinogion - ****myth
A Matter of Magic - Patricia C. Wrede
Beauty and the Beast - Max Eilenberg ****fairy tale
The Ill-Made Lute - Cecilia Dart-Thornton
Horns and Wrinkles - Joseph Helgerson
The Light Ages - Ian R MacLeod
Magic for Beginners - Kelly Link ***short stories
Kissing the Witch - Emma Donoghue ***Fairy tale/short stories
The English Year - Steve Roud ***folklore
Her Majesty's Dragon - Naomi Novik
A few other books should wander into here too, since I don't have Diana Wynne Jone's most recent one, and .......so many books! Happy reading, everyone, I hope to read many of these books and discover some new fantasy treasures again this year. Moonheart, by the way, was the first Charles De Lint book I ever read, and it's always held a very special place in my heart. This is a reread for me, and like with Dreams Underfoot two years ago, I am looking forward to revisiting this very dear book.
