Into the Forest discussion

Katie wrote: "I'm a bit stuck for what to read. I'm listening to Anna Karenina and reading Gone With the Wind, and I just started reading Grimms' Complete Fairy Tales, but I'm looking for something shorter..."

I highly recommend Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight -- a fast read, but deeply engrossing and beautifully written.

Margaret wrote: " I wrote my thesis on comparing both of their usage of fairy tales--with Bernheimer, The Complete Tales of Lucy Gold (the last in that series), and with Valente, In the Night Garden. I was exploring the different ways fiction writers can use fairy tales, and wanted 1 contemporary fantasy, and 1 contemporary surrealist."

That must have been fascinating! Is your thesis available to read, maybe via the Lexis/Nexis database? I'd love to read it.

Katie wrote: "Reading an author you know you like is a good trick to get out of that slump :) "

Yes, or revisiting an old favorite that you know is wonderful.

Michele wrote: "That must have been fascinating! Is your thesis available to read, maybe via the Lexis/Nexis database? I'd love to read it.."

I don't think so! The critical portion was quite small--I think 25 pages. The rest of it was creative writing.

Margaret wrote: "I just finished up Bone Swans by C.S.E. Cooney, and there are two fairy tale novellas/novelettes in particular that members of this group would enjoy. One is a really wonderful Rumpelstiltskin retelling. "

Added! My whole life I've claimed LRRH as my favorite fairy tale, but I've noticed over the last five years I can't get enough stories about Rumpelstiltskin.

Michele wrote: "I hate getting into that mode. So frustrating. Like being hungry for something but not knowing what it is."

Yes exactly!

Katie wrote: "And even when I hate them, my memory usually fades to dull dislike eventually (except with The Shadow of the Wind - ugh - I remember why I loathed that book! Same with Love in the Time of Cholera, actually - me and male Latin authors don't get on). Reading an author you know you like is a good trick to get out of that slump :) ."

Ugh, you and me both. I read Love in the Time of Cholera as one of the items for my challenge this year and was not a fan. I also read Shadow of the Wind ages ago ... I didn't mind it, but I didn't really see what the big deal about it was, either.

I'm mostly having good luck in my reading right now. I read four books at once usually, and right now its Dawn by Octavia Butler (I'm starting to see why she is such a big deal -- this is my first book by her -- but I am SO annoyed that the version I have shows white people on the cover when the protagonist is clearly described as black); Two Years Eight Months and Twenty-Eight Nights by Salman Rushdie -- not liking it much; Longbourn by Jo Baker, a retelling of Pride & Prejudice that I'm liking well enough; and Unfinished Business: Women Men Work Family by Anne-Marie Slaughter, which is fairly standard feminist fare.

I just finished Lost Lake and loved it.
For some reason I can no longer give my reviews stars. Has Goodreads now changed this feature?

How weird! Now when I click on any book I don't see any stars!

Jalilah wrote: "How weird! Now when I click on any book I don't see any stars!"

Reboot. I can't see stars on the mobile version ever, but I can always assign them. The app is just flaky like that. More importantly, I want to know how many stars you are giving!

Chrome seems to be fine for me...
Are you using the website or the app?

I was on my iPad before. For the past few years I've been using it for Goodreads. Now I am on my home computer and I was able to both give stars to my reviews and see stars on others reviews.

Carol I gave lost lake 4 stars. I really enjoyed it, but not so much that I felt like starting over again and re-reading which is the case when I give books 5 stars

This is a duhh question, but how do I reboot?

Hm. Not seeing any bug reports for htat issue in the feedback group yet. if a reboot doesn't fix it, you might try posting there to see if someone can help.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...

Jalilah wrote: "I was on my iPad before. For the past few years I've been using it for Goodreads. Now I am on my home computer and I was able to both give stars to my reviews and see stars on others reviews.

Caro..."

Not a dumb question. Power off for two seconds and back on. Or otherwise shut down properly and then turn it back on.

Margaret wrote: "I prefer fairytale novels that provide more character depth..."

Melanti wrote: "I agree- I prefer more character depth too ..."

Hi Margaret and Melanti! I'm quite the opposite. I like the "flatness of characters." And thanks Margaret for the link to the Bernheimer essay. She validates my delight in the flatness and abstraction of the fairy tale. I have always loved this kind of storytelling. And it's the style that comes naturally to me when I write fiction.

Depth of character and "show, don't tell" are appropriate for some types of stories, but there are other types of stories too. I believe Bernheimer is right about the "underestimation of the techniques of fairy tales."

Carol wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "I was on my iPad before. For the past few years I've been using it for Goodreads. Now I am on my home computer and I was able to both give stars to my reviews and see stars on other..."
Melanti wrote: "Hm. Not seeing any bug reports for htat issue in the feedback group yet. if a reboot doesn't fix it, you might try posting there to see if someone can help.

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group_f..."

Hmmm...I am knocking on wood. I just went back on my iPad the the star feature is appearing again.

I don't know what happened there!

Michele wrote: "Finished Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness, then spent a nice long rainy Sunday afternoon with The Best Short Stories of J.G. Ballard -- weird and wonderful. ..."

I just had my first taste of J.G. Ballard. I read The Drowned World for an upcoming group read. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if I'll like some of his other novels as much. I was thinking about trying his short stories.

Lacey wrote: "but I am SO annoyed that the version I have shows white people on the cover when the protagonist is clearly described as black"

That is a crime. I would be so angry!

Susan wrote: "Hi Margaret and Melanti! I'm quite the opposite. I like the "flatness of characters." And thanks Margaret for the link to the Bernheimer essay. She validates my delight in the flatness and abstraction of the fairy tale. I have always loved this kind of storytelling. And it's the style that comes naturally to me when I write fiction.

Depth of character and "show, don't tell" are appropriate for some types of stories, but there are other types of stories too. I believe Bernheimer is right about the "underestimation of the techniques of fairy tales." "

I think it's a really interesting way to approach writing! She's very smart about what she does, very intentional.

Jalilah wrote: "Carol wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "I was on my iPad before. For the past few years I've been using it for Goodreads. Now I am on my home computer and I was able to both give stars to my reviews and see ..."

I try not to get fixated on the why. Glad it's fixed :)

Susan wrote: "I just had my first taste of J.G. Ballard. I read The Drowned World for an upcoming group read. I enjoyed it, but I'm not sure if I'll like some of his other novels as much. I was thinking about trying his short stories."

You'd probably enjoy The Best Short Stories. Like I said, it's a really strong collection apart from the last 20 pages or so. My favorite novel of his is Running Wild.

I finished Roses and Rot by Kat Howard yesterday. I had to rush to finish it at the library because it was due back yesterday. It's an amazing book. My review is at https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Shomeret wrote: "I finished Roses and Rot by Kat Howard yesterday. I had to rush to finish it at the library because it was due back yesterday. It's an amazing book. My review is at https://www.good..."

I'm glad you liked that one! It was so good!

I'm going to have a hard time voting in the upcoming Fae book vote. Even though I've already read it, it's the kind of book that lends itself well to discussion.

Margaret wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I finished Roses and Rot by Kat Howard yesterday. I had to rush to finish it at the library because it was due back yesterday. It's an amazing book. My review is at..."

Yes, it does lend itself to discussion. I didn't include all the points that I wanted to discuss in my blog review, so I could bring them up on a discussion thread here if there is one.

Shomeret wrote: "I finished Roses and Rot by Kat Howard yesterday. I had to rush to finish it at the library because it was due back yesterday. It's an amazing book. My review is at https://www.good..."

Margaret wrote: "Shomeret wrote: "I finished Roses and Rot by Kat Howard yesterday. I had to rush to finish it at the library because it was due back yesterday. It's an amazing book. My review is at..."

Regardless if it wins or not I will read Roses and Rot. If you two want to discuss it more, feel free to start up a discussion thread!
I might have mentioned this already, but I requested that my library purchace it and they did!
But when I tried the order there was already a cue!
I just checked and it's " in transit" !

Shomeret wrote: "I finished Roses and Rot by Kat Howard yesterday. I had to rush to finish it at the library because it was due back yesterday. It's an amazing book. My review is at https://www.good..."

I like books where the human and or real life problem are in the forefront. I can tell I'd like this book.

I'm looking forward to Roses and Rot too, and I'm also going to be reading it regardless of whether it wins.

Looks like my timing was good in grabbing a sale copy of Roses and Rot.

I just started Alice Hoffman's latest - Faithful.

This actually feels more like old-school, early '90s Hoffman rather than her current writing. And it also feels like it was written for a slightly younger audience. It's just not as complex as her current books... It's not quite a YA book, but it's not quite an Adult book either. New Adult, I guess? (Which fits the premise and age of the main character.)

Her early 90's work is what hooked me in the first place, so your description appeals . I'm really looking forward to Faithful.

I'm reading Herod and Mariamne, the last of Pär Lagerkvist's parable-like novels, and I'm loving every word.

Leann wrote: "Her early 90's work is what hooked me in the first place, so your description appeals . I'm really looking forward to Faithful."

By the way, it's a "Read Now" title on Netgalley. If you have an account there, then you won't have to wait 'til November.

Just started The Help. Good so far.

The polls are now open for everyone to vote for the Faerie themed group read!
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/3...

Finished The Help; enjoyed it very much. Then, sticking with the South, I zipped through The Ballad of the Sad Café and Other Stories by Carson McCullers. I liked them more than I did the Flannery O'Connor collection I read earlier this year -- the stories are similarly downers, but I feel a lot more sympathy for McCuller's characters and her writing is much more pleasant to read.

Now on to Night Pilgrims, one of two Yarbro books I didn't even know was out until I double-checked the list on her website. Good so far - her historical research is always great.

I read some Flannery O'Connor stories in a collection, because they were published the decade I was born earlier this year for the Read Harder Challenge. A Good Man is Hard to Find, boy howdy was it bleak! However, some of her short stories were made into (public?) tv movies that I found on Netflix, which are worth watching.

I'm currently reading The Library at Mount Char. I wasn't liking it at around 50 pages in, but now that I've read 300 of it's 400 pages, I'm liking it plenty.

@Julia, bleak is definitely the word. McCullers is more sad, melancholy, lost -- all of which are better than bleak IMO.

Julia wrote: "IA Good Man is Hard to Find, boy howdy was it bleak! ..."

I took a class on "the grotesque" once. Unsurprisingly, O'Conner's work was featured pretty heavily. We read some really ODD books in that class!

I just finished The Bones of Grace, an intense and compelling novel by the Bangladeshi author Tahmima Anam. Now I am ready to start something a little lighter and fun,
Heir to Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier.

I finished The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins. I'm glad I read it and finished it, but I'm also glad I'm reading something else now!

I'm reading The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. Since I really enjoyed the author's take on the zombie apocalypse in Zone One, I think I'll really like this historical novel where the underground railroad isn't a metaphor, but an actual railroad.

Michele, I too read the Saint Germain vampire novels and haven't yet read Night Pilgrims. Thanks for the heads up!

I've just finished Archivist Wasp, which I loved! (for many reasons, including the fascinating evocation of a fantasy mythology)

And I'm about to start the French version of Lafcadio Hearn's Insect Literature, and anticipating a good deal of pleasure (and folklore insights) from it: the first lines are delightful.

I'm reading The Leaping Hare, which is a combination of a natural history and a mythology of hares. I'm also reading The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. When I requested it from Netgalely, I didn't realize it was by the same author that wrote our group read The Girl from the Well, which I did not like. Thankfully, I'm enjoying this one much better.

I also just finished up The Obelisk Gate and The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories, both of which were good.

Psycheinhell wrote: "I'm about to start the French version of Lafcadio Hearn's Insect Literature..."

I love Lafcadio Hearn. I have five of his books on Japanese culture in addition to several of his other books. He must have been a fascinating guy to talk to! I'll be interested in your thoughts on the book.

Margaret wrote: "I'm reading The Leaping Hare, which is a combination of a natural history and a mythology of hares. I'm also reading The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco. W..."

I am happy to know that The Bone Witch is much better!

I really liked The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead.

Since then I've read When We Collided by Emery Lord a YA realistic novel with characters dealing with mental illness and Nightbird by Alice Hoffman a MG novel about a family dealing with the magical in western MA. I liked both a lot.

Next up: Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart.

Jalilah wrote: "I am happy to know that The Bone Witch is much better!."

I hope I continue liking it!

Julia wrote: " Nightbird by Alice Hoffman a MG novel about a family dealing with the magical in western MA"

That looks good!

I started In the Language of Miracles by Rajia Hassib. it is about an Egyptian family who relocates to northern NJ when the kids are young, and centers around the murder-suicide of the eldest son when he's approximately 19 and how that event separates the family members from one another and also isolates them from their community. Thematically it reminds me of Everything I Never Told You (suicide, immigrant family, dysfunctional parent-child relationships, problematic marriage), but it's a far stronger work and it's so good I stayed up way too late reading it last evening.

Psycheinhell wrote: "I've just finished Archivist Wasp, which I loved! (for many reasons, including the fascinating evocation of a fantasy mythology)..."

Is this about an actual archivist, who does (at least marginally) archivist-y things? One of the comments mentioned they are "girls (they are always girls) who serve the Catchkeep priest. She protects the people of her community from ghosts..." and ghost-hunting. That's not the sort of profession that usually get referred to as an "archivist" :)

Finished Night Pilgrims and then another Yarbro that I only recently found out about, An Embarrassment of Riches. Which made me want to to go back to some of my favorites in the St. Germain chronicles, so now I'm reading Out of the House of Life, to be followed by the very first of them all, Hôtel Transylvania.

Also A Clockwork Orange and Planet of the Apes for a couple of group reads here on GR.

Michele wrote: "Psycheinhell wrote: "I've just finished Archivist Wasp, which I loved! (for many reasons, including the fascinating evocation of a fantasy mythology)..."

Is this about an actual ar..."

I think it's similar to the books about "librarians" who have all sorts of adventures, but aren't really librarians.