Into the Forest discussion

Melanti wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "The books on your "want to read" are ones you have already right? I'll have a look later on today and see if there is anything I've read and really liked. ..."

Thanks for the offer..."
So I had a look, I saw several wonderful books on your to read list.

I absolutely loved both books by Isabel Allende;
Eva Luna and Inés of My Soul. I find her new one Maya's Notebook is not as good IMO as those two, however I still enjoyed it.

At the time I read Memory and Dream I was quite blown away and kept thinking about it afterwards. I am curious how it would withstand a second reading so I might be up for a buddy read. However it's not light as it touches on the idea of abuse. It has elements of Waking the Moon a young student going to university and having a creepy supernatural college professor. Like Waking it starts in the 70s continuing on until the 90s.
Because it's YA, The Painted Boy is lighter and also a fun book.

A de Lint book might be a nice idea. I'm going to try Harrowing the Dragon or Cloud Atlas.

I might join in on a buddy read of Memory and Dream, if you decide to read it.

I've been working through the Hugo short story, novelette, and novella nominees. Lots of these are free; in fact, I think I've finished all the ones that are free, easy to check out, or really cheap. I'm going to start in on the World Fantasy award nominations soon too. I find reading shorter works and YA helps me when I'm having trouble getting into anything.

I'm about 100 pages away from finishing Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends, but I find the urban legends kind of boring. I don't know; the ones I can remember people telling at slumber parties when I was twelve seem much more interesting! I keep skimming, which is unusual for me.

Once I'm finished, I thought I'd read Alas, Babylon for something different, then whatever wins for the nominations. I'm looking forward to reading more selkie/mermaid stories!

I just finished re-reading Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock and am vexed to find that I don't own the next one in the series, Lavondyss. I may have to head out to the bookstore later...

Michele wrote: "I just finished re-reading Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock and am vexed to find that I don't own the next one in the series, Lavondyss. I may have to head out to the b..."

I've been wanting to read Mythago Wood for sometime now! I take it that you liked it Michele?

Margaret wrote: "I might join in on a buddy read of Memory and Dream, if you decide to read it.

I've been working through the Hugo short story, novelette, and novella nominees. Lots of these are free..."

That great, if Melanti and Kathy want to join in a nMemory and Dreambuddy read too that would be great! We just have to decide when. I just have to finish up what I am reading now A Sky So Close: A Novel

I must confess I did not finish Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends. I also felt bored and I'd heard most of them already.

I'm about to start Neil Gaiman & Eddie Campbell's brand new The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds .

I just bought Charles de Lint's , and .

Michele wrote: "I just finished re-reading Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock and am vexed to find that I don't own the next one in the series, Lavondyss. I may have to head out to the b..."

I enjoyed Mythago Wood, but haven't read any of the others. They would make nice summer reading.

Jalilah wrote: "Margaret wrote: "I might join in on a buddy read of Memory and Dream, if you decide to read it.

...That great, if Melanti and Kathy want to join in a nMemory and Dreambuddy read too that would be great! We just have to decide when ..."

I am the world's worst buddy reader, but I would like to read this book too.

Jalilah wrote: "I've been wanting to read Mythago Wood for sometime now! I take it that you liked it Michele? "

Yes, very much. It has all sorts of elements that I like: subconscious mythic archetypes, genetic memory, woods that are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside, and so on :) I haven't re-read the others in the cycle as often as I've read this one (and it turns out there are two that I didn't even know about!) but Mythago Wood I would definitely recommend.

Michele "Yes, very much. It has all sorts of elements that I like: subconscious mythic archetypes, genetic memory, woods that are bigger on the inside than they are on the outside, and so on

It definitely sounds like the kind of book I would like!

Currently reading Alias Hook . Which looks at life of Captain Hook from Peter Pan- how he got to Neverland, his ongoing battle with "The Pan"' etc. Decidedly not the view of Peter from the children's story. So far a little slow but interesting. Another take on the topic I have read is the juvenile novel Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth. which was pretty good.

Yesterday I finished The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains: A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds by Neil Gaiman . I liked it, but didn't love it.

This morning I finished Savage Drift by Emmy Laybourne . I liked it a lot.

Now I'm reading Under My Skin by Charles de Lint . And for once I'm reading a Charles de Lint book for the first time!

Jalilah wrote: "That great, if Melanti and Kathy want to join in a Memory and Dream buddy read too that would be great! We just have to decide when. ..."

Sounds good to me! I try not to read too much de Lint in a short period of time, but it's been a couple of months since I read Widdershins, so it shouldn't be a problem.

Thanks for the other suggestions too! I did have to start No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam so I can get it to the library and it's really interesting so far.

Margaret wrote: "I might join in on a buddy read of Memory and Dream, if you decide to read it.

Kathy wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Margaret wrote: "I might join in on a buddy read of Memory and Dream, i.."

Melanti wrote:
Sounds good to me! I try no..."

Just let me know Kathy, Margaret and Melanti when you would like to start!

I'll be traveling the next 2 weeks, so if you want to start then, I'll bring my copy of Memory and Dreamwith me. If you want to read it later in August, then I'll bring Selkie Dreams with me instead!

I just finished A Sky So Close: A Novel a sort of coming if age novel by an Iraqi author. It is very moving and thought provoking, yet in spite of that a light fast read. I am not sure what I am in the mood for now!
I have If I Told You Once.

Jalilah wrote: "Margaret wrote: "I might join in on a buddy read of Memory and Dream, if you decide to read it.

Kathy wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Margaret wrote: "I might join in on a buddy read of [boo..."

Later in August would work better for me. I'm moving, and I just realized I packed it! It should be unpacked by then...

I am finding If I Told You Once pretty good!
Next I will be reading Selkie Dreams then later on in the summer Undine and Rusalka.
I will not be able to read People of the Sea until later as I have to special order it.
So can we have a Memory and Dream buddy read in the later part of August?

Margaret wrote: "Later in August would work better for me. I'm moving, and I just realized I packed it! It should be unpacked by then... ..."

August sounds fine to me as well.

Just finished No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam - which was very good but extremely dense, so it took me forever go get through.

Does anyone have recs for similar histories of Buddhism or Hinduism? History, historical context, how the events at the time may have affected their beliefs etc?

I'm starting The Glass Casket by McCormick Templeman, and I'll admit I'm reading it because 1) the cover and 2) the reviews - see a couple below. So we'll see how that works out for me ;)

"With stylish prose, richly developed characters and well-realized worldbuilding, Templeman plumbs archetypes of folklore to create a compelling blend of mythic elements and realistic teen experience."
- Kirkus (starred review)

"The titular allusion to “Snow White” is accompanied by several other nods to classic fairy tales, and indeed, this has both the stylish beauty of those tales and the chilling darkness that makes them timeless."
-The Bulletin (starred review)

I'm happy to report that The Glass Casket was better than I expected. I rated it 4 stars - my review is here. It was more adult than young adult, in my opinion, which probably helped it in my case since I've been burnout on YA the last six months.

I will say, though, the title and cover, both of which initially caught my attention, are now my least favorite things about the book. I don't really understand the cover art at all in relation to the story, and the title is also confusing, again, based on the actual story.

i'm reading Moonlight and Ashes by Sophie Masson. it's a Cinderella re-telling, and i'm really enjoying it so far. i had trouble getting into it at the beginning, but i think that may have been a case of not being in the right mood for the theme. there's quite a strong adventure element to it, which surprised me. it reminds me of The Hobbit with all the friendly, magical adventures. it's also very deep and meaningful, which adds a good element to the story...

Melanti wrote: "Here's a quote from the book I just finished ( The Thirteenth Tale ):

Do you know the feeling when you start reading a new book before the membrane of the last one has had time to clo..."

the bbc have just done an adaptation of The Thirteenth Tale, here's the link if you want to check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfHdf...
i was quite impressed...

Thanks for the link, Jayne. I had no idea the BBC made a movie of Thirteenth Tale.

The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey. High expectations for this one, which I hope will be met and exceeded. *crosses fingers*

ETA not at all what I expected. 3.5 stars review here.

Oh my goodness, I just read Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes-- this dark little novellete is wonderful and has several fairy tale underpinnings as well as a stark look at Jewish history. You can read it on Tor for free-- see what you think! I never knew this before but apparently there's a fairy tale called the Jew in the Thorns, which this story sort of retells.
http://www.tor.com/stories/2014/05/am...

Kristina wrote: "Oh my goodness, I just read Among the Thorns by Veronica Schanoes-- this dark little novellete is wonderful and has several fairy tale underpinnings as well as a stark look at Jewish history. You ..."

I'll add that one to my short story list! She also wrote a Rapunzel re-telling for Tor last year, that's been nominated for several awards, which you can also read for free: http://www.tor.com/stories/2013/06/bu...

Oh, thanks Margaret, I'll have to check that out!

I was on the road the past two weeks, so have not had much time to read. I did manage to finish Selkie Dreams as well as a graphic novel of Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist. I'd already read the novel and loved it. I liked the graphic novel less. As for Selkie Dreams I can recommend it for everyone interested in Selkie mythology. There were some things I did not like which I mention in my review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Leah wrote: "I'm happy to report that The Glass Casket was better than I expected. I rated it 4 stars - my review is here. It was more adult than young adult, in my opinion, which probably helpe..."

That looks really good Leah!

I Finished Undine. It was interesting! I went on the re-read the Little Mermaid and liked it a lot more this time around. Now I'm on to Rusalka
Just let me know everyone when I should set up a buddy read thread for
Memory and Dream

Jalilah wrote: "Leah wrote: "I'm happy to report that The Glass Casket was better than I expected. I rated it 4 stars - my review is here. It was more adult than young adult, in my opinion, which p..."

I'm ready to read Memory and Dream any time.

Jalilah wrote: "Leah wrote: "I'm happy to report that The Glass Casket was better than I expected. I rated it 4 stars - my review is here. It was more adult than young adult, in my opinion, which p..."

Can we start at around August 25th? I have one more book I need to read before the semester starts, and then I want to read Rusalka and People of the Sea, but I should be ready for Memory and Dream by the 25th.

I've been terrible at group reads the last couple of months... well, reading in general, really.

I'd meant to re-read Undine and The Little Mermaid but I'll probably be doing good to just get People of the Sea and Rusalka finished. And I STILL haven't finished Arabian Nights despite my best intentions.

Melanti wrote: "I've been terrible at group reads the last couple of months... well, reading in general, really.

I'd meant to re-read Undine and The Little Mermaid but I'll probably be doing good to just get Peop..."

Good to see you here again Melanti! I was thinking of you because I read Undine and Little Mermaid back to back and found them so different!

As for Arabian Nights, you would not be missing anything by skipping The Story of Nur al-Din Ali ibn-Bakkar and the Slave Girl Shams al Nahar, and The Story of the Slave Girl Anus al Jalis and Nur al Din ibn Khaqan. There is no magic in either of these tales. They are more historical.
You could go to the last tale The Story of Jullanar of the Sea. It features "Sea people", and I found it quite good!

I have been on Goodreads in general, I just haven't had much to contribute to this particular group since I haven't been reading much fantasy and haven't read the group reads yet.

I just finished reading Charles de Lint's three illustrated chilcren's fairy tales, including his latest, Jack in the Green - very good, but always with de Lint's touch of melancholy about them.

La magia del monje, o el elixir de la vida but in English :)

I devoured A Storm of Swords in two days, but I've decided to set the Ice and Fire books aside...at least for the next couple years. Here's my "review."

I also finished up three of the four books on Urban Legends (in order completed):

Urban Legends: The As-Complete-As-One-Could-Be Guide to Modern Myths - I will be giving this one 3 stars because it had over 400 tales (!) but its two column per page format was difficult to read. The social context and investigations were the best features.

Complete Idiot's Guide to Urban Legends - I will give this one 3 stars too. It was A LOT easier to read than the above, the author seemed to be having a lot more fun with the topic than Genge did, but there were maybe 100 tales included, if that. The sidebars had the best bits of info.

Phantom Hitchhikers and Other Urban Legends: The Strange Stories Behind Tall Tales - I will give this one 3 stars even though there was very little backstory to each tale (as the title would suggest) and the tales were very short, sometimes only a paragraph.

FYI: None of the above were pageturners. I'm a fast reader but it took me weeks to read through all three. I'm thinking perhaps the best way to enjoy an Urban Legend is in its natural form (face-to-face oral tradition) or a fictional story based on specific legends.

Now I'm reading What Happens Next?: Contemporary Urban Legends and Popular Culture, which examines "contemporary legends" from the scholar's perspective, and Suffer the Children, which I think is going to be about zombie kids and babies LOL - don't know for sure yet as I'm only on page 128.

Just finished Monk's Magic, halfway through The Windup Girl. Dystopic as all get-out but such great world-building! Next up: Hauntings.

Becca wrote: "I just finished reading Charles de Lint's three illustrated chilcren's fairy tales, including his latest, Jack in the Green - very good, but always with de Lint's touch of melancholy about them."

If you like De Lint Becca, I hope your join us reading Memory and Dream I started it and am having a hard time putting it down. I had to force myself to finish Rusalka I really did not like it much.

So I just finished Boy, Snow, Bird about an hour ago (my review - 2.5 stars) and I cannot recall being this disappointed by a book in a while. (Even Allegiant, and that book irked me to no end.) The first two parts of the book, though slow, were so beautifully written that I allowed myself to be pied piper'ed to that horrible ending. I just can't understand why she went there?? And went there in such an ignorant, stereotype-mongering, phobic way. Sigh. Then to read reviewers who praised her for that "great twist ending" they "never saw coming." Double sigh.

Leah wrote: "So I just finished Boy, Snow, Bird about an hour ago (my review - 2.5 stars) and I cannot recall being this disappointed by a book in a while..."

Ugh, I hate it when that happens. Several hours of your life you'll never get back, spent on something with no payoff (or a bad one!).

Leah wrote: "So I just finished Boy, Snow, Bird about an hour ago (my review - 2.5 stars) and I cannot recall being this disappointed by a book in a while. (Even Allegiant, and that book irked m..."

That's so disappointing Leah! I was planing on reading Boy, Snow, Birdtoo. When I checked the reviews there were a number of people who felt similarly to you and were disappointed in the ending. Many others liked it, so I will still probably try it but as a library book rather than buying it.

Memory and Dream was just as an enjoyable read as it was when I first read it a number of years ago.

I'm now on the Dreams of Gods & Monsters, the final book of the The Daughter of Smoke and Bone Trilogy trilogy. The only problem is I read the second book Days of Blood & Starlight almost 2 years ago so I've forgotten so much! I really need to make a point of only starting series when all the books are already out!

I really liked The Icarus Girl which was the first book I read by Oyeyemi but have been disappointed in the other two books by her I've read since. She's definitely an author that I get from the library rather than buy.

I haven't been reading much at all lately and most of what I have been getting through is stuff I can quickly read in one or two sittings.

I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which is sort of like The Book Thief in that it has an unusual and quirky narrator that everyone else seems to love and but that seems really gimmicky to me. I guess I just thought it would be a bit like The Drowning Girl (wonderful book with a schizophrenic narrator) but alas, it wasn't.

I did bring Memory and Dream with me today so I'll hopefully start that in a bit.

Jalilah wrote: "That's so disappointing Leah! I was planing on reading Boy, Snow, Bird too...."

It was that gosh darn ending!

I guess if I wasn't "in the know" about that (thanks to beloved family members and clients), or if I didn't pick up on the statement she was - whether directly or indirectly - making about that, then I would've raved about the book too. It's just hard to praise something that furthers misconceptions, even if it is fiction.

Melanti wrote: "I just finished The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time..."

Whoa, only two stars, huh? For YEARS one of my best friends has been telling me I have to read this book. I guess I'll leave it off this year's list.

Leah wrote: "Whoa, only two stars, huh? For YEARS one of my best friends has been telling me I have to read this book. I guess I'll leave it off this year's list. ..."

Everyone else seems to love it for the same reason that I dislike it. Did you read The Book Thief? If you liked that one, you'd be completely justified ignoring my opinion. You're probably safe ignoring my opinion anyway -- pretty much everyone on my friends list has given it 4 or 5 stars.

Melanti wrote: "I really liked The Icarus Girl which was the first book I read by Oyeyemi but have been disappointed in the other two books by her I've read since. She's definitely an author that I ..."

I was a bit underwhelmed by The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time as well. I much preferred Marcelo in the Real World for a book with a narrator on the autism spectrum.

Really loved Memory and Dream. I went on to start Dreams of Gods & Monsters but discontinued because it's been to long since I read the one before,Days of Blood & Starlight and there was so much I'd forgotten. I'll re-read later.

I opted for The New Moon's Arms instead and so glad I did! It's so different and really a delight to read.
Also yay, finally my copy of People of the Sea arrived!

Lacey, I've read a lot of books lately with the main character on the autism spectrum. I agree with you about those two above books. Have you also read Mockingbird or The Speed of Dark?

I just finished Exodus Code by Carole E. Barrowman & John Barrowman. Am about to start And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Then reread Memory and Dream, I hope.

Thanks for the recommendations, Julia! I haven't read either of those books, but The Speed of Dark looks especially good -- I like that it's a sci-fi with an autistic narrator. I'll keep an eye out for it!

Just finished At the Edge of the World a collection of traditional Irish ghost and fairy stories...some sad, some unusual. One of the stories was also in our recent group read People of the Sea. I especially enjoyed the stories about souls...The Soul Cages, and The Priest's Soul. An interesting read.