Thursday, March 22, 2012

Once Upon a Time VI

Spring has sprung in the Northern Hemisphere. For those of us in the Southern Hemisphere we are coming to the end of the warm weather, the nights are getting longer and it isn't long before we will be coming home from work in the darkness once again. Another sure sign of the change of seasons though is that Carl has just put up the announcement post for the Once Upon a Time challenge. This is the sixth time that we have been challenged to read anything that has mythology, fantasy, fairy tale or folklore!

Among the decisions to be made - which books will form my pool of reads, to readalong or not readalong and of course one of the hardest things this year is choosing which buttons to choose as they are all gorgeous!

The readalongs for this time around are Mistborn by Brenton Sanderson which I haven't really had much interest in reading before and the second readalong will be Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, which I would join in on but my library doesn't have it! I might request it via interlibrary loan once we get closer to the readalong time.

I am signing up for


I am therefore aiming to read five books that meet any of the four categories. Normally when it comes time to make a pool to choose from I usually have a lot, but there doesn't seem to be that many on my shelves at the moment.

One option is Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth and another is Sea Hearts by Margo Lanagan. An added bonus with both of these options is that they both also qualify for the Australian Women Writers Challenge. I am sure that I will think of others eventually.

I am also thinking that I might try to do


I am thinking that I will try to read Bad Power by Deb Biancotti, which is one of the Twelve Planet Press books. I am not 100% sure that it will qualify for the challenge but I guess I won't really know until I start reading. I also want to get back to Sprawl which I started for last year's Once Upon a Time challenge but got waylaid on. Another option might be The Firefly Dance which features a new story by Sarah Addison Allen.

23 comments:

  1. I love this challenge! Happy reading!

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  2. I hope you find lots of great books to read! I have so many options it is a bit overwhelming..

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    1. When I look outside my library and review books I will find a heap that qualifies. I actually thought of another one when I was leaving the house today!

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    2. That's good, then! I posted about two piles on my blog today... It hardly makes a dent in what I own...

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  3. I like your book choices, especially The Firefly Dance. I am a big fan of Sarah Addison Allen.

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    1. Me too Anne! It's nice to have another SAA option to read.

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  4. it sounds like you have a plan! The Firefly Dance sounds captivating, and I don't like short stories, but I do hope to read your review on that one!

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    1. DesLily, I have only really started reading short stories in the last year or so. Before that I thought I didn't like them, but I was wrong!

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  5. This is one of the challenges I particularly enjoy! Now to decide on the books. I haven't read Bitter Greens, Sea Hearts, or the latest Addison. Definitely adding the Addison as I've loved her previous books. Thanks, Marg!

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    1. Jenclair, deciding on the book is always the hard part. Two of those books aren't actually out yet and Sea Hearts is pretty new!

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  6. Oh how fun! I think I might try this one. I've done his October challenge but didn't know about this one. I've been really into quests and fantasy lately. Here's to it, then!

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    1. Here's to it indeed! Carl runs three challenges a year and they are all good!

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  7. Hi Marg, this challenge sounds interesting. I just tried to click on the link to Carl's announcement post, though, and I couldn't get through.

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    1. Whoops! Try this link

      http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/once-upon-a-time-vi

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  8. I've signed up to review Forysth's Bitter Greens, which sounds amazing. :) Lanagan's always excellent, too.

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    1. Bitter Greens does sound amazing. This will be my first Lanagan novel. I do enjoy her short stories.

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  9. Look forward to seeing what you decide to read. Good luck!

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  10. Good luck, Marg! I'm sure you'll find plenty of books to meet the challenge goals.

    I love Sarah Addison Allen's books. I didn't know she had a short story printed up somewhere. I'm going to look for The Firefly Dance. Thanks for the heads up!

    I hope you're able to get a hold of Neverwhere. I've had that book on my to-read list for years and think I'll finally get to it thanks to the read along Carl will be hosting in May. It would be extra fun for me if you were in on it too! :D

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  11. This is such a fun challenge, isn't it? I'm about to do my post for it. I had fun choosing my books and have too many again! We don't have the new Margo Lanagan out here yet in Canada, not until September. Which one is Sea Hearts? they keep changing the title between you, Europe and us, is that the new one? Whatever you read, I hope you enjoy it, Marg.

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  12. Happy reading. This is such a fun challenge :)

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