Into the Forest discussion

My Happy Marriage - Tome 5 by Akumi Agitogi

Storm-Dragon by Dave Freer

I really loved The Changeling by Victor LaValle. Thanks to all the people in this group who mentioned it over the years! I hadn’t read it up until now because it’s classified as horror, but I didn’t think it is that scary. A lot of the urban fantasy and PNR is way more violent and scary than this book. I loved the realistic setting in NYC, the slow burn, the way the magic was hidden, in fact if not for the title and cover blurb, you wouldn’t even know there’s anything fantastical until 3/4 of the way through the book. I love the characters and the fact the there are so many elements and issues in this book besides the changeling story.

Jalilah wrote: "I really loved The Changeling by Victor LaValle. Thanks to all the people in this group who mentioned it over the years! I hadn’t read it up until now because it’s ..."

So glad you enjoyed that one!

I've finished a few books recently. Pilu of the Woods is a sweet middle grade graphic novel with forest creatures about grieving. The Flicker by H.E. Edgmon is a really good post apocalyptic middle grade with queer and Indigenous main characters. The Hidden Life of Trees: A Graphic Adaptation doesn't have any fairytale elements, but it feels magical. Stag Dance is an excellent collection of trans short stories.

I'm currently reading Swordheart by T. Kingfisher and really enjoying it! It's a fantasy romance. I'm also reading When We Were Birds by Ayanna Lloyd Banwo, which I'm having a bit more trouble getting into but I'm liking it. I'm about to start Somadina by Akwaeke Emezi on audio.

The Hanging Stones by Manly Wade Wellman

The Lost and the Lurking by Manly Wade Wellman

I’m currently reading Malinalli by Veronica Chapa and absolutely loving it!

Babylon White by Kit Sun Cheah

I finished Somadina, which is an Igbo YA fantasy, and enjoyed it! A bit hard to get into in places, but overall worth the read. I also read Be Prepared by Vera Brosgol, which isn't fairytale related, but is great fun.

Currently I'm reading Among the Beasts & Briars by Ashley Poston, a YA fantasy. I'm really enjoying it. Lots of fairytale elements, Poston is a great writer.

I'm also reading The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff, a historical fiction survival story set in colonial America. It's good so far. Maybe a bit slow. It has folklore themes, even though it's not overtly magical or a retelling.

I thoroughly enjoyed Malinalli by Veronica Chapa! Its historical fantasy fiction about a real person, “La Maliche”, an indigenous Mexican women who served as an interpreter for the conquistador Hernan Cortes. It has a lot of fantastical elements from pre Colombian Mexican mythology
Here is my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Jalilah wrote: "I thoroughly enjoyed Malinalli by Veronica Chapa! Its historical fantasy fiction about a real person, “La Maliche”, an indigenous Mexican women who served as an i..."

I've added it to my TBR!

I read The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North. This is the third and final book in her Songs of Penelope series. I've read all three books and they were all fantastic. Each one is told from the point of view of a different goddess. And each is feminist in its orientation. A wonderful series and highly recommended for those who enjoy mythic retellings.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show....

Backyard Foraging: 65 Familiar Plants You Didn't Know You Could Eat by Ellen Zachos

I just finished Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab, a lesbian Interview With a Vampire. It was fun! I also just finished Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor, which was really intriguing, and has folkloric elements.

Currently reading Miss Meteor by Tehlor Kay Mejia and Anna-Marie McLemore, and enjoying it! It's about a teen who is also a star (literally) joining a small-town beauty pageant with the help of her former friend.

I just started listening to Daughters of the Lamp by Nedda Lewers, which has lots of folklore in just the 2 chapter I've read: Merlin, Morganna, Ali Baba, magic lamps and carpets.

Tamara wrote: "I read The Last Song of Penelope by Claire North. This is the third and final book in her Songs of Penelope series. I've read all three books and they were all fan..."

Good to know!

For another group I just finished Then He Sent Prophets, which is excellent historical fiction and went on to read Other Birds for the challenge. I think people in this group would like it. Here is my review
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Outlaw of the Outer Stars by John C. Wright

Automatic Noodle - just finished the audio. Had me engrossed from the start.

I have just finished the fantastic Wild Folk: Tales from the Stones which is a beautifully illustrated book of fairy tales I think this group would like! Review here https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

The Words of the Night by C. Chancy

I just finished Healer of the Water Monster by Brian Young. It's an excellent middle grade contemporary fantasy based on Navajo folklore. I think people here would enjoy it! It would be a great desert read, too.

I'm currently reading The Unbroken by C.L. Clark. After that, I'm going to read A Letter from the Lonesome Shore by Sylvie Cathrall.

I started Professor Hieronimus by Norwegian author Amalie Skram. Using her own experience in psychiatric hospital she wrote about Else, a woman struggling against oppressive situation she found herself in.

Just finished Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales, the third and final book of the trilogy. I liked it somewhat less than the first 2, but it was still a fun read

I decided to reread One Hundred Years of Solitude.
This will be my 3rd read, the first being in the late 80s, second in the 90s. I am curious to see how I will like it now In 2025!

Jalilah wrote: "I decided to reread One Hundred Years of Solitude.
This will be my 3rd read, the first being in the late 80s, second in the 90s. I am curious to see how I will like it now In 2025!"

Yikes I’d forgotten about all the sex with underage girls ( which would be considered pedophilia by today’s standards) there is in this novel! I guess I’ve become more prudish as I got older. Or perhaps it’s becoming a mother, but it is really detracting from my enjoyment of the story. I admit I still think it’s a good novel. And I’m aware it was written in a different time and takes place in an even earlier time when marriages between pubescent girls and older men were common place. But still…….

Jalilah wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "I decided to reread One Hundred Years of Solitude.
This will be my 3rd read, the first being in the late 80s, second in the 90s. I am curious to see how I will like it n..."

I have that problem reading him too...

The Grace of Wild Things - Anne of Green Gables but with magic! Okay, that's a bit simplistic. AoGG is the framework, but the story is very much its own thing. I'm enjoying the magic, and the descriptions of nature.

Ozsaur wrote: "The Grace of Wild Things - Anne of Green Gables but with magic! Okay, that's a bit simplistic. AoGG is the framework, but the story is very much its own thing. I'm enjoying the magi..."

I tried to listen to this on audio when it came out, but it was a computer-generated narrator from a Netgalley arc, and I just couldn't stand listening to it. I need to give it another chance!

Margaret wrote: I tried to listen to this on audio when it came out, but it was a computer-generated narrator from a Netgalley arc, and I just couldn't stand listening to it. I need to give it another chance!

I'm not picky about narrators, but computer-generated ones are awful. Also, the book was lovely, but the main character could be annoying at times...

Ozsaur wrote: "Margaret wrote: I tried to listen to this on audio when it came out, but it was a computer-generated narrator from a Netgalley arc, and I just couldn't stand listening to it. I need to give it anot..."

I like the author's books usually, so I was frustrated to have to abandon it at the time.

I loved A Letter from the Lonesome Shore, this book and the first book in the series would be great for our ocean challenge.

I've also read The Daughters of Ys by M.T. Anderson, a graphic novel based on a Celtic fairytale, and Graciela in the Abyss by Meg Medina, a middle grade fantasy with mermaids. Both were kinda meh.

I'm currently reading two books I am loving.

The Tear Collector by R.M. Romero is a beautifully written middle grade dystopian that takes place after much of the earth has been destroyed by a massive hurricane. The main characters live on island where sorrow turns some people into monsters. It's really well written. Might be my new favorite by the author. I'm almost done.

The other book is When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley, which is just a fantastic historical fantasy about a traveling circus that captures a merman. The main character is the blacksmith that was hired to make the merman's cage. I thought this wasn't going to be my thing for some reason, but it's incredible. Love the back stories of each character, if you listen to audiobooks, it's really voice-y.

I'm reading these for the ocean challenge.

Margaret wrote: "Ozsaur wrote: "The Grace of Wild Things - Anne of Green Gables but with magic! Okay, that's a bit simplistic. AoGG is the framework, but the story is very much its own thing. I'm en..."

Ozsaur wrote: "The Grace of Wild Things - Anne of Green Gables but with magic! Okay, that's a bit simplistic. AoGG is the framework, but the story is very much its own thing. I'm enjoying the magi..."

That’s too bad! I’m tempted to read this book as I like the Emily Wilde books and as a fan of Anne of the Green Gables. However now that my son is grown I no longer feel like reading middle grade novels. It’s not really logical. When he was in middle grade I used to enjoy reading whatever he was reading so we could talk about them, but as soon as he was older I didn’t enjoy them anymore. Now he’s 27 and I rarely even read YA nowadays except when it’s certain authors.

I’m am currently reading by There Are Rivers in the Sky by Elif Shafakand loving every page. It’s more realistic historical fiction, but incorporates Mesopotamian mythology, specifically the epic of Gilgamesh in it.

Jalilah wrote: It’s not really logical. When he was in middle grade I used to enjoy reading whatever he was reading so we could talk about them, but as soon as he was older I didn’t enjoy them anymore.

It makes perfect sense! You're in a different place in your life. Tastes change. I used to read tons of romance novels, but most categories of romance don't appeal to me any more. I also used to read very sad books, but I avoid them like the plague now.

I don't read a lot of middle grade, but sometimes a book gets recommended to me and I give it a shot. It doesn't always work out, but it's always nice when it does.

Of Monsters and Mainframes - I'm only a few pages in, but it might fit the Celestial prompt. It has Dracula!

I finished Thirsty Mermaids by Kat Leyh, and it was so fun! A graphic novel about three BFF mermaids who decide to transform into humans to drink the human drink (alcohol), then can't figure out how to transform back into mermaids. It's very funny! Would work for the ocean challenge.

I've mostly been reading non-fiction, but two this group might like are Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics and Lore which is a beautifully illustrated book examing the real life roots of the songs, and From Girl to Goddess, which is a framework of the heroine's journey through fairy tale and myth. It is global in scale and includes some much lesser known ones- I was introduced to Hit, the octopus goddess of the Caroline Islands, which made me very happy!

Isle of Dragons by C. Greenwood its really good so far!

A few days ago I finished Elif Shafak’s latest novel
There Are Rivers in the Sky. It’s so good!
Even though it’s historical fiction I think people here would appreciate it because there is so much Mesopotamian mythology in it, in particular the Epic of Gilgamesh.
Here is my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I loved it so much I haven’t felt like starting anything else yet, so instead I am rereading Gilgamesh: A New English Version

I’m still in a Mesopotamian mood so now reading Babylonia

Yes!! "There Are Rivers in the Sky" is so very, very good!

I haven't updated my reading here in a while! Here are the folklore-related books I've read since my last check in:

-When the Tides Held the Moon by Venessa Vida Kelley, a mermaid historical fiction with a circus backdrop. I liked it, not quite as much as I thought I would. So many of my Goodreads friends LOVED it.

-The Sky on Fire by Jenn Lyons: a fun dragon fantasy. I used it for our jungle theme, would also work for sky!

-Hamra and the Jungle of Memories by Hanna Alkaf: a lovely middle grade Little Red Riding Hood retelling. Perfect for jungle/rainforest theme.

I'm going to start Island Witch tomorrow.

I did finish Island Witch, I honestly didn't like it much.

But I also read and loved Zahrah the Windseeker by Nnedi Okorafor, and How to Talk to Your Succulent by Zoe Persico.

I've now started Majestica by Sarah Tolcser and Wildblood by Lauren Blackwood, all for the rainforest/jungle theme.

I just finished Babylonia which is based partly on history and partly on mythology about the real life woman ( or demi -goddess going by the mythology) Semiramis. I actually really enjoyed it, but gave it less stars just because of a few issues I had.
Here is my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Currently reading a brand new, just published book.

by Annette Giesecke

Fang Si-Chi's First Love Paradise by Lin Yi-Han -> a story with autobiographical motifs about pedophile, grooming and Stockholm's Syndrome. If you read Nabokov "Lolita" then you know everything. The book sparked #metoo movement in Taiwan, but it didn't save the author. She commited a suicide shortly after publication.

Alternative Alamat: Stories Inspired by Philippine Mythology - an anthology inspired by Philippine's folklore

Behind the Scenes of the Empire: Essays on Cultural Relationships between Ukraine and Russia -> in Polish, about Russian repression of ukrainian culture throughout centuries.

I'm still struggling with reading block :(

Asaria wrote: "Fang Si-Chi's First Love Paradise by Lin Yi-Han -> a story with autobiographical motifs about pedophile, grooming and Stockholm's Syndrome. If you read Nabokov "L..."

Alternative Alamat looks good!

I just finished Witch of Wild Things. It’s a romance and I don’t usually like romances, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I think it was the magic and the characters that saved it

Margaret wrote: "Alternative Alamat looks good!"
It's a mixed bag as usual with anthologies, but there a few good stories too.

Jalilah wrote: "I just finished Witch of Wild Things. It’s a romance and I don’t usually like romances, but I actually quite enjoyed it. I think it was the magic and the characters that saved it"

It may be precisely what I need to overcome reading block :)

I started Eskimo Folk-Tales by Knud Rasmussen for the tundra prompt :). This is an old fairy tale collection available on gutenberg for free. The stories were gathered from Inuit story tellers by half Inuit/half Danish writer and explorer.

I finished Majestica and enjoyed it. It's a middle grade adventure that's like Jurassic Park with magical creatures.

I initially liked Wildblood, but couldn't get into the insta love story.

I finished The Tiger at Midnight yesterday, and I liked it but didn't love it.

I'm almost done with Malinalli and it's really good! Thanks for the rec, Jalilah!

I read all of these for our reading challenge, rainforest/jungle.