Once Upon a Time VIII

I'm slightly late to the Once Upon a Time challenge, but here we are, finally. :-) Carl at http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com hosts this challenge every year and it's all about having fun, escaping and reading fantasy, folklore and all good things really.

Here's this year's post explaining everything: http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/once-upon-a-time-viii - Carl's much better at explaining this stuff than I am.

For myself, I'm taking on Quest the First, which is "Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time categories. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres."



It took me a bit, but here are my five books. They are: Victory of Eagles by Naomi
Novik, the fifth book in her Temeraire series, a kind of alternate history of the Napoleonic Wars, with dragons. Next, is Here be Dragons by Marie Brennan, which I know nothing about, but sounds very interesting. Then there's The Snow Child by Eowyn Levy, which is based on the old fairytale. Fourth is  Some Kind of Fairytale by Grahame Joyce and last but not least, The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell, by Chris Colfer.

I also want to do Quest on Screen: "Stories are not just limited to the printed page. Many entertaining, moving, profound or simply fun stories are told in the realm of television and film. To participate in this quest simply let us know about the films and/or television shows that you feel fit into the definitions of fantasy, fairy tales, folklore or mythology that you are enjoying during the challenge."

I'm not sure how yet - I kind of want to do a LOTR re-watch maybe, and also watch/rewatch other fantasy movies from my childhood, like The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth. I'll think about it. :-)

Longbourn review

I'm generally wary of Pride and Prejudice adaptations or interpretations. I read one a few years ago that was average at best, and it put me off a bit.

However, give me a novel with an interesting premise, and I'll be right there.

Longbourn by Jo Baker is Pride and Prejudice from the servants' point of view. Definitely interesting enough to perk my interest. And it's a really, really good read.

There's lots of descriptions of laundry day and of the working lives of Mr and Mrs Hill, and the housemaids Sarah and Polly. Their lives are ordered and quiet - and busy - until new footman James Smith starts working at Longbourn.

James sets the cat among the pigeons in the best and worst way, especially for Sarah.

I liked it, I liked it a lot. It has a lovely, cosy feel to it, and the characters are all very well-realised, especially Sarah the housemaid, who is striving for something more.

Baker's take on some of the main Pride and Prejudice characters is interesting, as minor players as they are in Longbourn - especially the unfortunate Mr Collins, who she presents in an unexpectedly sympathetic light.

But Longbourn belongs to the servants, Sarah in particular, and Mrs Hill, in a peculiar way.

A very pleasant and pleasing read. :-)

Women writers challenge.

Challenge number two for the year is here: http://www.peekabook.it/2013/12/2014-women-challenge.html

I'm going for level 4 - Wonder Woman, which is at least 20 books by women writers in 2014. Frankly if I can't read at least that many books written by women then I need to hand in my girl-card.

I'm also going to go for diversity, and read as widely around the world as I can because, well, diversity is good.

First up, optimistically, is The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, which is the biggest book in the world.*







*The Luminaries is not actually the biggest book in the world.

A More Diverse Universe

So I've signed up for this: http://www.aartichapati.com/2013/09/tss-more-diverse-universe-revisited.html and I'm hoping/trying to find a  sci-fi or fantasy novel by either a Maori or Pacific Island author to read for it.

So far, googling around, I'm not having  a lot of luck, but I'll keep at it. Possibly something by Witi Ihimaera might work, but I'll keep searching for now.

I'm also open to suggestions. :-)