Into the Forest discussion

I actually didn't like Six Gun Snow White as much as I have her others... It can be hard or expensive to find, too, if you don't have an ereader. Those novellas are limited edition, so unless your library is well-stocked, it might not have them.

I adored Silently and Very Fast, though, which is a retelling of Sleeping Beauty - and it has the added benefit of being available online - so you can try out her style without having to hunt down a copy. The link is on the book page.

Even if you find that a bit dense, you might still want to give her middle grade series a try -- it's a lot more approachable!
The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

I'm reading The Poets' Grimm: 20th Century Poems from Grimm Fairy Tales right now and it would qualify as fractured fairy tales as well. I'm quite enjoying it.

Snow White is one of my favorite of Valente's, though not my absolute favorite, but it is hard to come by.

For my mythic fiction read I finished A Fine and Private Place last night, and quite enjoyed it. I read it for the Endicott Mythic Fiction group.

I also finished Wolves and Witches this morning for my fractured fairy tale read. This was a lot of fun! It's right up my alley in terms of what I myself write creatively, and I feel like a lot people in this group would enjoy it. It's quite short though; I could have read a lot more of their retellings!

That brings me up to 3 on my challenge shelf, which sounds good but I realize I'm saving all the longer, harder reads!

Read Serafin for #1. Endicott YA Fairy Tale, The Devil meets Puss-n-boots. Weird, can't say that I would recommend it. Did I miss something in my reading?

Alicia wrote: "I've read the first few tales of Arabian Nghts now and will be continuing between other reads, but I think it's time to move on to Urban Legends. Any suggestions?"

One of our members suggested something for Urban Legends and I've been looking all over for the comment but can't find it! I still don't know what I'm going to read.

Margaret wrote: "I was going to read Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends. Jan Harold Brunvand is supposed to be an expert, though I haven't read anything of his before.
..."

My library has a bunch by Jan Harold Brunvand, -- the author Margaret mentioned - which from the comments looks like it just retells variations of the legends.

Then I've seen this one - which looks like it debunks them somewhat?
Urban Legends: The Truth Behind All Those Deliciously Entertaining Myths That Absolutely, Positively, 100% Not True!

No idea what I'll end up reading though.

I haven't read any urban legends, but I've heard Jan Harold Brunvand is the main compiler of urban legends, so that's who I was planning to read. I've seen the one you've picked out, Melanti, but I don't know anything about it!

In general, it looks like the books by Jan Harold Brunvand get better reviews, I just wanted to offer another option I saw in case someone wants a different approach... I haven't picked anything yet! There's still more than enough time for me to be indecisive!

Margaret wrote: "I haven't read any urban legends, but I've heard Jan Harold Brunvand is the main compiler of urban legends, so that's who I was planning to read. I've seen the one you've picked out,..."

I see Brunvandl has written quite a few books, so we have lots to choose from!
Alicia, the book you mention looks more like a novel to me.

I just realized that because I had never read the original HCA The Snow Queen, it will count for "11.Read a fairy tale that you are not familiar with and..."!
So now I am looking for a retelling! How are you all liking ? I'm hesitating because I'm not a Science Fiction reader usually. I like it in movies but not novels.
Otherwise I may try . It certainly got mixed reviews!

I've ordered 2 books by Jan Harold Brunvand from the library.

I haven't started The Snow Queen! But I will soon, and will let you know. Though I enjoy sci-fi, I'll let you know how sci-fi it is. I still like the character-driven sci-fi over the technology or wow, look at this alien sci-fi (unless the alien is a complicated, sentient character, in which case I quite enjoy aliens).

I was going to start The Snow Queen today, but I want to re-read the original first and forgot to download it before leaving the house... But soon!

I finished Children of Tantalus: Niobe and Pelops today and really enjoyed it. It doesn't get to the point of Niobe loosing her children. It starts some years earlier when Niobe is just 15 and her father Tantalus cuts up her brother Pelops and tries to feed him to the gods and follows his story through his marriage to Hippodamia.

I'm really liking this series. Niobe is such a budding little athiest! And somewhat of a feminist as well - which makes her a really interesting character especially as the rest of the characters are very true to the beliefs of the period. I'm also liking how the magic and divine miracles also have a plausible mundane explanation. For instance, Tantalus's attack on Pelops (cutting him up, etc) is portrayed as a drug-induced hallucination that's given credence for political reasons.

The Pelops/Hippodamia portion probably qualifies better for a story I don't recall than the original Niobe story I thought this would be. I guess Niobe loosing her children and turning to stone doesn't happen until the 3rd book? Perhaps?

I read The Snow Queen several years ago and liked it very much. Margaret and Jalilah, I think it's more of a character-driven story than technology-driven, so hopefully you'll enjoy it too.

Tadiana wrote: "I read The Snow Queen several years ago and liked it very much. Margaret and Jalilah, I think it's more of a character-driven story than technology-driven, so hopefully you'll enjoy it too."

Do you mean the SciFi one Tadiana? This one . I see Alice Hoffman also has a Snow Queen retelling: anyone read it?

There was kind of a lack of specificity in my post, wasn't there? :D I meant the Joan Vinge SciFi one.

I have read Hoffman's version a couple of years ago and liked it - though I only realized last year that I hadn't ever actually the original "Snow Queen" so there was probably a lot I missed out on, especially as Hoffman generally does references to stories rather than outright retellings.

Also, I just remembered that I read a short story version of The Snow Queen by Patricia McKillip (whom I love) a few years ago. I highly recommend it if you can find it; it's one of those short stories that has really stuck with me over the years. It's also called "The Snow Queen." It was in a fantasy collection in my local library, The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Seventh Annual Collection. It's also in a McKillip short story collection, Harrowing the Dragon.

5 out of 24 books to read :)

BTW Joan Vinge wrote 3 sequels after writing The Snow Queen. I tried reading a couple of them (The Summer Queen and World's End) and couldn't really get into them, but if you really like the first book, you might want to check out the others.

I started The Snow Queen last night and, Jalilah, it is very sci-fi, though it also incorporates a lot of goddess religious elements. I suspect you would not like if you don't generally like sci-fi, because it has a lot of sci-fi world building that requires re-reading several times.

I am enjoying it, though. The writing is lyrical and the world interesting. I'm only 30 pages in, so I've barely begun, but thought I would let you know about my initial impressions. Her writing actually somewhat reminds me of Juliet Marillier, even though the genre is completely different.

I have both Jan Harold Brunvand books Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends and Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends.
Has anyone read either of them?

Up to now I've read 4 books for the challenge:
one book from Endicott adult Fairy Tale list: Daughter of the Forest
one book from the Endicott Mythic Fiction list: The Moon's Wife
a collection of non-European Fairy Tales, Myths or Folktales: Persian Folk and Fairy Tales
a fairy tale that you are not familiar with: The Snow Queen

Margaret wrote: "I started The Snow Queen last night and, Jalilah, it is very sci-fi, though it also incorporates a lot of goddess religious elements. I suspect you would not like if you don't general..."

Thanks for letting me know! I think I'll try Cold Spell and if I don't like it Alice Hoffman's The Ice Queen

I have Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends, but haven't read it yet. Hoping it is good.

I recommend The Vanishing Hitchhiker, a book in the same vein, to speak :-)

Portia wrote: "I recommend The Vanishing Hitchhiker, a book in the same vein, to speak :-)"

Thanks, I've looked at that one too. I may have to search out a copy.

I was able to get my copy from Amazon. Hope you find it and enjoy it as much as I did. I am definitely interested in the book you have. Thanks for posting it.

Portia wrote: "I recommend The Vanishing Hitchhiker, a book in the same vein, to speak :-)"

Kathy wrote: "I have Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends, but haven't read it yet. Hoping it is good."

My library did not have The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings, but it did have Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends and several others from Jan Harold Brunvand.

I ended up getting Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends which looks to be several of his books combined. When I started reading many of the stories were familiar to me. I don't know if I will read the entire book straight through however.

Jalilah wrote: "Portia wrote: "I recommend The Vanishing Hitchhiker, a book in the same vein, to speak :-)"

Kathy wrote: "I have Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends, but haven..."

That's the one I have as well, though I think I'll wait until I finish Metamorphoses before I begin it.

Jalilah, I ended up getting the same book when I was at the library this weekend (Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends. I've only had a chance to read a few pages, but many of them do seem familiar - either from browsing Snopes.com or from being forwarded or told them myself.

I must say I am rather disappointed with my Snow Queen retelling Cold Spell. I should have known from the description......

Melanti wrote: "Jalilah, I ended up getting the same book when I was at the library this weekend (Too Good to Be True: The Colossal Book of Urban Legends. I've only had a chance to read a few pages..."

The funny thing is that the person I originally heard the Vanishing Hitchhiker legend from is a very good friend. When she told it to me she said that she'd heard it from her parents whose friends had experienced this happening only it was in Texas!

Jalilah wrote: "The funny thing is that the person I originally heard the Vanishing Hitchhiker legend from is a very good friend. When she told it to me she said that she'd heard it from her parents whose friends had experienced this happening only it was in Texas! ..."

I've heard the Vanishing Hitchhiker type story MANY times in print. It often gets collected in books of ghost stories. Same with a few more of the stories I've seen so far - the woman who spends the night alone in the stranded car to find her dead date in the morning, or the hook found on the door handle of the car, etc.

The one about a shared table and the packet of cookies covered by a newspaper -- that one I heard from Douglas Adams in one of his books, and I assure you, his version was MUCH funnier!

And some of these stories have been featured on Mythbusters.

You might still want to try another of Brunvand's collections. I think that particular one is meant to be more scholarly and talk about the meaning/origins where as some of his other books just retell the legends themselves with only a couple of paragraphs on the history and variations.

For non-European, this year I read Giving Birth to Thunder, Sleeping with His Daughter, which is a collection of coyote stories from various tribes. I really enjoyed it.

The Girl Who Married a Lion: And Other Tales from Africa is another fun one. It was written by the same guy as who writes the Number 1 Ladies Detective Agency stories.

Alicia wrote: "I finally had to give up on The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings as I found it terminally boring!."

Well, I am relieved to know I'm not the only one!
I also gave up on Too Good To be True! I think I might try the one Kathy has:
Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid: The Book of Scary Urban Legends

Alicia wrote: "I finally had to give up on The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings as I found it terminally boring!

For Arthurian legends I've read The Mists of Ava..."</i>

I enjoyed [book:American Indian Myths and Legends, which I read a year or two ago.

I'm thinking of reading Folktales of Iraq later this year for the challenge, though I have no idea if it's good or not.

I have books read for
#1) Serafin
#2) Winter Rose
#11) & #12) The Snow Queen & Breadcrumbs

Plan to read Mythago Wood for # 3

It looks like Till We Have Faces is leading in our May June Group Read polls. Since it's based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche! It will count as my Myth re-telling!
I'm reading Spindle's End for my Endicot YA Fairy Tale re-telling.

Jalilah wrote: "It looks like Till We Have Faces is leading in our May June Group Read polls. Since it's based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche! It will count as my Myth re-telling!
I'm reading [boo..."

Nice. I'll start reading Cupid & Psyche to get ready.

Kathy wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "It looks like Till We Have Faces is leading in our May June Group Read polls. Since it's based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche! It will count as my Myth re-telling!
..."

Well, polls close June 6th so unless suddenly many more people vote tonight it looks like it's winning.

Jalilah wrote: "Alicia wrote: "I finally had to give up on The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings as I found it terminally boring!."

Well, I am relieved to know I'm not t..."

I admit it's allergy season around here and I have the choice between constant sniffles or the side-effects of allergy meds. I choose the side-effects so I haven't been able to concentrate much lately! The urban legend book was great for my drugged stupor state since I could generally manage to read at least a couple of pages and that's all that that book required.

Who knows if I would have liked it if I hadn't been taking those meds.

(This is also my excuse for all of the middle grade/YA fiction I've been reading the last couple of weeks.)

Jalilah wrote: "It looks like Till We Have Faces is leading in our May June Group Read polls. Since it's based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche! It will count as my Myth re-telling!
I'm reading [boo..."

But isn't the retelling supposed to be 2000 or later? That makes it much tougher.

Kathy wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "It looks like Till We Have Faces is leading in our May June Group Read polls. Since it's based on the myth of Cupid and Psyche! It will count as my Myth re-telling!
..."

Oh, I don't know Kathy! I know I should know since I'm one of the moderators!
Chris? Melanti? What do you think, does it really have to be after 2000?

Hey Jalilah, I'll chime in to mention that my motive when I added the "2000 or later" was to find newer works. It seemed like there was an abundance of choices pre-2000. So yes, I was being slightly selfish, hoping there'd be a whole new list of potential reads based on what others chose for their challenge. :D

Leah wrote: "Hey Jalilah, I'll chime in to mention that my motive when I added the "2000 or later" was to find newer works. It seemed like there was an abundance of choices pre-2000. So yes, I was being slightl..."

Leah, did you find something you like that was written later than 2000? Nothing I saw looked appealing, so when I saw that Till We Have Faces won the poll I thought I could choose it, but I really don't mind choosing something else.

Speaking of choosing something else, Spindle's End was my selection for a YA re-telling but I did not like it. Has anyone read The Phoenix Dance? I know it was nominated a while back. Its a retelling of one of my favourites, 12 Dancing Princesses.

I've read "The Phoenix Dance." While it's not one of my favorite retellings, what it does is really unique, using the dancing princesses as a way to explore bipolar disorder. I really love retellings that use fairy tales to make sense of something people are dealing with every day -- I think it keeps them true to their original purpose. I definitely think that alone makes it worth a read. I've read three of Calhoun's books, and "The Phoenix Dance" is my favorite.

I have no opinion on the pre/post 2000 debate... I still haven't found anything I am interested in that's based off of a tale I'm not familiar with.

I've read so many of the western European fairy tale collections I'll probably have to search out something based off of non-European lore for that category.

Concerning the last two items in the challenge, I'm having a little trouble finding a retelling of a story with which I am not familiar.

I would appreciate any suggestions for the retelling, and then I'll look for the earlier version.

Nettie, I tried doing a "compare books" but we don't have much in common so I can't quite get a hang of your specific reading tastes or what you've already read.

What do you normally read? I saw a lot of cozy mysteries... The couple of fairy tale mysteries I could recommend best were unfortunately not retellings. We did have a "mysteries" category in the 2012 challenge and a similar "unknown tale" category in the 2013 challenge so you might look through those threads and see if anything catches your eye.

Or, if you have a particular tale or genre you're interested in, we might be able to give suggestions around that...

I'm probably going to try to read Catherynne Valente's Yume no Hon on the off chance I can pick out one of its mythological sources and use it for the challenge. Might not be able to, but I like her writing, so if it doesn't work out, who cares?

Melanti wrote: "Nettie, I tried doing a "compare books" but we don't have much in common so I can't quite get a hang of your specific reading tastes or what you've already read.

What do you normally read? I saw ..."

That was very kind of you, thank you. Yes, my mother is very much into cozies, so since she frequently asks which we've read, I bulk uploaded those mysteries, and I'm just now adding singles as I read them.

I found one for which I have the source, The English and Scottish Popular Ballads, Vol. 1. The retelling is The Perilous Gard. Thanks for your help. I'm very much enjoying the challenge.