Into the Forest discussion

Melanti wrote: "Deb, without knowing more of your reading tastes, it's hard to recommend a particular author or series.

What kinds of books do you like to read? Mysteries? Romance? Historical fiction?

I reall..."

Melanti- I really just read mysteries but I have read a few romance/chick lit. I like some YA and urban fantasy. I just want to start reading fairy tales. I know there's a few series on this subject so just wanted suggestion of which one to start first. :) I have The Fairy Godmother by Lackey on my TBR list.

Thanks for the collections Chris. :)

So, on the mystery side of things, there's The Uncertain Places or Some Kind Of Fairy Tale - though I guess these aren't strictly retellings...

On the chick lit side of things, there's our current group read -The Robber Bride or some of Alice Hoffman's retellings (Blue Diary or The Ice Queen) though I admit none of these are fantasy.

Lackey has two fairy tale series... the one you've gotten is a more humorous, slapstickish take on things, while the Elemental Masters is a more historical take on things.

Ok thanks :) What about the Once upon a time series? I just want to start something that has every character- kinda like the tv show Once upon a time.

No clue on the tv series... I've never seen it. I know several people around here are fans though so hopefully one of them will have a suggestion.

I don't think there really is somerthing like OUAT. If you haven't tried Grimm, you might want to check it out.

Thanks Chris, I will check it out. I appreciate the suggestions from you both! :)

And you might to check out The Stepsister Scheme.

Hello, I'm Jeannie, a 30-year-old newish mom. I've always loved fairy tales and mythology, and now I'm enjoying sharing them with my daughter--but I also love adult retellings and spinoffs of folkloric characters and situations such as those by Gregory Maguire and Anne Rice. I like reading folklore from many different cultures and writing stories of my own. I'm so glad I found this group for all the great book suggestions!

Jeannie wrote: "Hello, I'm Jeannie, a 30-year-old newish mom. I've always loved fairy tales and mythology, and now I'm enjoying sharing them with my daughter--but I also love adult retellings and spinoffs of folkl..."

Welcome to our group Jeannie!
You are just in time to vote for our November-December group read! We always choose 2 books, one YA.
Here is the link: https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/3....
We just finished The Robber Bride and A Curse Dark As Gold
Make yourself at home here and have a look around! Feel free to comment on any of the threads, even the older ones!

Hi everyone. My name's Laura and it's great to find a group that loves fairy tales with a twist. I also used to be a Disney fanatic, but like Jalilah touched upon earlier, a whole new world opened up for me when I started going back reading the "original" tales. I am releasing my first novel in a month, but won't push my own agenda on this group. I'm really just so happy to find people who like to read and discuss fairy tales.

Does anyone have any good recommendations? I'm not so much into the modern revamps where Prince Charming is really the heir to a diamond fortune and Cinderella works in his mail room... but everything else is game! Has anyone read Carolyn Turgeon?

Welcome Laura!
We have a folder for authors to promote their own books https://www.goodreads.com/topic/group...
but of course we do encourage the authors to also participate in our discussions.
As for re-tellings, this year we had some great ones for our group reads!
I think my favourite this year was The Snow Child, but The Child Thief, The True Story of Hansel and Gretel and The Robber Bride were all great too. As I said,you will discover a lot of good books in this group!

Welcome!

If you're wanting more traditional retellings, you could start with Robin McKinley, if you haven't discovered her already. She's written two versions of Beauty and the Beast that are wonderful.

Beauty and Rose Daughter

Never tried Carolyn Turgeon, though I do hear her mentioned from time to time.

Hi Jalilah and Melanti. I've been curious about Robin Mckinley, but I have also been tempted by The Snow Child a couple times. I think I'll try that first. Thanks for the advice! Let me know if I can ever return the favor!

Laura wrote: "Hi Jalilah and Melanti. I've been curious about Robin Mckinley, but I have also been tempted by The Snow Child a couple times. I think I'll try that first. Thanks for the advice! Let me know if I c..."

Beauty by Robin McKinley is wonderful! I really loved it. I have not read Rose Daughter yet but Deerskin, a re-telling of Donkeyskin is also good.

Hi hi!!

I'm Michelle.
I'm so happy that I found this group!! I'm a HUGE fan of fantasy and sub fantasy genres!!! I love traveling to foreign lands, distant dominions, under water worlds even. Meeting eccentric character, creatures, faeries, and ghosts!!!
I looked at the groups bookshelf and it's astounding!!! Definitely want to read some of those book that are listed :)
Hope to chat with you guys soon! xoxox

Welcome Michelle!
Yes, I agree that we read the most fantastic books in this group! You will be in good company here!

Thank you Jalilah!
By the way, you have such a lovely name :)

Hello everyone! I, too, am a lapsed Disney fan and also have a love/hate relationship with OUAT :).

Currently I write/draw fairy-tale inspired works in the fantasy genre.

I love collecting books /compilations of fairy tales from all over the world. I have my Grimm, Andersen, Andrew Lang, of course, in my library. I also have folk stories and myths from other cultures including China, Korea, and Japan.

I really would like recommendations for Nordic myths as well as Celtic ones.

Welcome, SG.

We did have a reading challenge last year that asked for both Celtic and Nordic collections. A few people posted their lists in this thread: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

(I linked to the first message about the 2013 challenge, as the first part of the thread is about 2012.)

Thank you so much! Going to browse now :3

S.G. wrote: "Hello everyone! I, too, am a lapsed Disney fan and also have a love/hate relationship with OUAT :).

Currently I write/draw fairy-tale inspired works in the fantasy genre.

I love collecting books..."

Welcome SG!

Welcome to the new members.

Alicia wrote: "Hiya, I'm Alicia and I saw this group mentioned in one of my other groups and thought it sounded like just my sort of thing! I may lurk a while and see what everyone else is reading, but the 2014 c..."

Welcome Alicia,
It is also not to late to vote for books for our group read:
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/3...

Welcome, Alicia, nice to see you over here.

Welcome, Sandy! I've never seen the show myself, but there's quite a few fans in the group. This is certainly a place where you can learn a lot more about fairy tales!

Sandy wrote: "Hey, guys. I'm Sandy. :) When I became a fan of the show "Once Upon a Time," I took a greater interest in fairy tales and such. :) This place looks like I'm going to learn a lot about them!"

Welcome Sandy! You'll definitely learn a lot here. I know I certainly have.

Hi everyone! I'm Tadiana, a 50ish mom of four (ages 11-19), an IP (intellectual property) lawyer, occasional proofreader, and lifelong fan of fairy tales and their various retellings. Some favorites:

The Goose Girl
Beauty (really most anything by Robin McKinley or Patricia McKillip)
Tam Lin

Nice to meet you!

Nice to meet you.
Oooh, and it looks like you're a Bujold fan on top of being a McKinley and McKillip fan! Nice to have another member with excellent taste around here.

I inherited my love of fairy tales from my mother and my love of science fiction from my father. I was a childhood bookworm (still am); basically I read almost everything in the house that they would let me get my hands on. :)

By the way, did you know there's a website where you can still get almost all of Bujold's Vorkosigan saga for free? Let me know if anyone's interested and I'll dig out the site. I've got it bookmarked somewhere.

Tadiana wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Tadiana, a 50ish mom of four (ages 11-19), an IP (intellectual property) lawyer, occasional proofreader, and lifelong fan of fairy tales and their various retellings. Some favorite..."

Welcome Tadiana!
We have had discussions about your favourites;Tam Lin,Beauty and The Goose Girl, so make yourself at home here and feel free to add your comments to any of the threads!
Here are some: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Hi folks! My name is Lee Anne, and I joined this group a few months ago but haven't looked at it very often since then. I have a feeling if I spend too much time here my "to-read" list will grow by another 500+ books.

I've always been drawn to fairy tales, and I read a lot of fantasy, YA, and sci-fi with a smattering of nineteenth century Brit lit for good measure. I think Tolkien's essay "On Fairy Stories" should be required reading for every thinking adult. I love the idea of retellings of both fairy tales and classics (Helen of Troy in the present! Jane Eyre in space!), but am almost always disappointed in the results.

I *used* to be able to read 150 books a year (ah, high school), but now I'm down to about 30. I'm a librarian by training, but by an odd twist of fate started working as a literature teacher at my old high school.

This year we're studying Antiquity, so I've been reading The Iliad, The Odyssey, Aeneid, Till We have Faces, etc. If anyone has questions about the Roman/Greek reading, I might be able to help!

Welcome Lee Anne!

Hello Chris and Jalilah,
Sorry for my delayed reply...I've been so scatterbrained and sleep deprived and stressed, I forgot I posted here and I see I posted last July, oops, but I'm delighted to see such warm replies. Chris, I'm not sure how to answer your question, but I will say this, my favorite genre is fantasy Magick and "Celestine Prophecy" by James Redfield, "City of the Dreamers," by Jordon Avery, which from what I see, appears to be out of print because I can't find it anywhere, and a few others whose titles I can't recall at the moment, are my favorite novels and I really enjoyed reading them. They are wonderful page turners and I could not put them down. I fell asleep many times reading both, which is the kind of lovely sweet light reading novel I enjoy; truly a lovely escape.

I guess young adult is a good start...I read an interesting book a few years ago called "Spellcraft" (I think) and it was full of witches, spell casters, fantasy, very intriguing and suspense. I thought of Tolkien and his works are wonderful, but I'm not sure I feel up to reading his work because I'm concerned it may not be light reading. I love the themes of Frodo and all the adventures, but while I did not read any Shakespeare, I sense it is very heavy reading and I'm concerned Tolkien is similar, but please correct me, if I'm way off. :) I would love to read something akin to "Fern Gully", the cartoon movie about the rain forests, though I prefer something a bit lighter and less tragic. I'd also love to read novels similar to the novels I wrote, which are visionary fiction. Some might call them new age and others might call them visionary holistic fiction, but they are both environmental adventure novels. I hope I've explained a little better. Another reason I'm delayed in my reply is I'm having difficulty navigating the goodreads site. I'm not very tech and I tend to get lost on websites very easily and I'm timid about asking for help because I feel a bit embarrassed, but I would appreciate some help...I enjoy visiting and reading and browsing this great site and I'd love to connect with special like minded Kindred friends. Thank you again for the sweet warm welcome and I look forward to sharing and connecting more.

Jalilah wrote: "Dayna wrote: "Hello,
My name is Dayna and I've been an avid reader since I was a young girl 10 years old and today I'm a 43 year old new Mommy and my favorite genre of reading is fantasy escape par..."

Hi Chris and Jali

Jalilah wrote: "Dayna wrote: "Hello,
My name is Dayna and I've been an avid reader since I was a young girl 10 years old and today I'm a 43 year old new Mommy and my favorite genre of reading is fantasy escape par..."

Dayna wrote: "Hello Chris and Jalilah,
Sorry for my delayed reply...I've been so scatterbrained and sleep deprived and stressed, I forgot I posted here and I see I posted last July, oops, but I'm delighted to se..."

Shakespeare is hard to read because it is meant to be seen and heard; Tolkien isn't hard in that way at all--he provides tons of description. If you love nature, Tolkien may be the fantasy author for you! I think he was half in love with trees. But his books aren't *light* reading. They are long, and don't develop super quickly, but if you liked the themes in the movie, they are so much more powerful in the books! I'd say give them a try and see what you think. The Hobbit is first, but is told in a much simpler, fairy-tale-style than The Lord of the Rings. Depending on your tastes you could start with The Hobbit or skip it.

Tolkien is a good place to start. What about de Lint? Jalilah, you're more familar with his work than I am, but what I have read does have a strong nature connection, does this continue?

I'd say so... In the beginning of his career it's more wooded/forested climate, and now he's more into the Southwest desert climate, but he still has a strong connection to nature.

Chris wrote: "Tolkien is a good place to start. What about de Lint? Jalilah, you're more familar with his work than I am, but what I have read does have a strong nature connection, does this continue?"
Charles de Lint does have a strong nature connection in this works. On his website in the FAQ he is asked if he is Pagan or Wiccan because of this and he replies:
"I suppose one could say I have a strong affinity for the earth. I'm not a practicing Wiccan, but I've been reading and researching the subject for more than twenty-five years and I like the commonsense approach that many of the pagans I know have towards environmental concerns.
My own beliefs probably run more closely to an idiosyncratic form of animism, which isn't to say that I actually believe that trees, stones, wells, what-have-you actually have souls, but at the same time everything certainly seems to have a spirit of some sort, something that goes beyond what we see when we simply look at it. I've connected with it—in urban settings as well as the countryside—too often to deny its existence. Listen to the "gossip" of any neighbourhood long enough—be it a common field, a city street, an ancient ruin—and you feel something. It's all a matter of paying attention, being awake in the present moment, and not expecting a huge payoff. The magic in this world seems to work in whispers and small kindnesses".
Melanti is correct his earlier novels in Ottawa and later Newford take place in a forested environment and his newer ones take place in the Southwest. This is probably because he spends a lot of time in Arizona now and his friends with Terri Windling, who also lives there part time. Her works I would also recommend. For example The Wood Wife
If you are looking for something that takes place in a magical wooded environment I would also suggest this months group read Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier

Hi, my name is Candice and I think I died and went to heaven when I saw your reading list! I have tears in my eyes. I am a lover of myths and fairy tales. Finding this group is like finding a fairy ring with fairies still dancing in it!

Welcome to the group, Candice!

Melanti wrote: "Welcome to the group, Candice!"

Thanks Melanti. I'm so glad there is such a group!

Candice wrote: "Hi, my name is Candice and I think I died and went to heaven when I saw your reading list! I have tears in my eyes. I am a lover of myths and fairy tales. Finding this group is like finding a fairy..."

Welcome Candice! I am so happy you found us!

Welcome Candice.

Jalilah wrote: "Candice wrote: "Hi, my name is Candice and I think I died and went to heaven when I saw your reading list! I have tears in my eyes. I am a lover of myths and fairy tales. Finding this group is like..."

Thanks! Me too.

Chris wrote: "Welcome Candice."

Thank you, Chris.

I am new to Goodreads and this group, I am still learning how this website works.

And I am glad that a friend of mine suggested this site because now I'm addicted to it.

Greetings biblbiophiles

Welcome to Goodreads Welcome to this Group Gina!

Welcome to Goodreads and the group, Gina!

It's definitely a site that can suck up every free second you want to give it.

Hi, I'm Melody (Mel)and I'm from England. I am new to Goodreads but have already enjoyed having a look around. I will read almost anything if it looks/sounds interesting, I am mainly into fantasy and myth, especially Angels and adventure.
Book suggestions would be great as I am always looking for something new to read in my spare time.

Hi, I'm Rachel and I live in Burlington, Vermont.
I am currently reading Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, having read the first two Graceling books already. I'm trying to think when I first rediscovered fairy tales and I think it was through the collections that Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling published, Snow White, Blood Red, and so on. I have since read the two (so far) in the Woodcutter Sisters series by Alethea Kontis, the latest Red Riding Hood novel, Bound by Donna Jo Napoli, East by Edith Pattou, and have many others on my to read bookshelf in my bedroom. I love fairy tale retellings, especially when the main character is a strong willed, independent girl/woman! I am looking forward to finding new titles and authors through this group.

Rachel wrote: "Hi, I'm Rachel and I live in Burlington, Vermont.
I am currently reading Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, having read the first two Graceling books already. I'm trying to think when I first redisc..."

Welcome Rachel! Vermont is beautiful. We drive to Burlington from Ottawa a few years ago.
Going by the books you've mentioned, you've found the right group and just in time to vote for our next group read!,
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/list/3...
Also feel free to browse around look at our bookshelf and also to comment on any thread, even the older ones!