once upon a time... again
Saturday, 22 March 2008
It is time to slip into the worlds of fantasy, folklore, fairy tale and mythology. The Second Once Upon A Time Challenge began yesterday (ooops but just heard about it) and runs through June 20th, Midsummer Night's Eve (of course). I took part in this challenge last year and completed it only... I was a bit of a bad girl and didn't post any reviews. But I swear an oath that will not be the case this year.
I have accepted the challenge that lies in Quest the Third: fullfill the requirements for Quest the First or Quest the Second AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. In this case I will be guided through Quest the First: read at least 5 books that fit in the categories of fantasy, folklore, fairy tale or mythology. Books can be read from one category or any combination you choose.
To join in the fun or to find out about the other quests go here! To read everyone's reviews go here!
My choices :: (completed books are in red)
01 : The Complete Fairy Tales . Oscar Wilde
02 : Northern Lights . Philip Pullman
03 : The Subtle Knife . Philip Pullman
04 : The Ladies of Grace Adieu . Susanna Clarke (review)
05 : Un Lun Dun . China Miéville
06 : A Midsummer Night's Dream . Shakespeare
Good luck to everyone else in the challenge - can't wait to check out other people's lists, progress and reviews!
. listening . cold . crossfade . crossfade .
posted by Ashleigh @ 09:33,
3 Comments:
- At 22 March 2008 at 11:47, DAWN said...
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May I suggest Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I read it last year and fell in love with his story telling. I then saw Stardust but didn't realize until later that he had written the book. Wonders never cease. Good luck in the challenge. You will breeze through it, I'm sure.
- At 22 March 2008 at 14:28, Ana S. said...
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Wonderful picks!
As for Terry Pratchett, I know that a lot of people like to read series in order, but I don't really recommend that with Discworld. It took a few books for the series to become really, really good. I think that "The Amazing Maurice and his Educated Rodents" is a perfect starting point. It was the first Discworld book for younger readers, but that doesn't mean it's any less complex than the other books in the series. It also has the advantage of introducing you to the world and to his writing without demanding any previous knowledge of recurrent character's background stories, etc. Plus, it's in some ways a version of The Pied Piper of Hamelin, and it's really, really good :P
Other good ones to start with are Mort (first book in the Death subseries), Little Gods (a stand alone novel) and The Wee Free Men (first in the Tiffany Aching subseries). You may find this graphic useful. Happy reading! - At 23 March 2008 at 12:42, Carl V. Anderson said...
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I would suggest Neverwhere as well, but it is the first Gaiman I ever read and as such is my favorite of his novels, so I'm a bit biased. It is a great story.
So glad you're joining in, and what a fantastic list! :)