#Frightfall Readathon Sign-up

 

#FrightFall Readathon is all about scary books! Looking forward to it!

Dewey’s 24-Hour Readathon Closing Survey

How would you assess your reading overall?

I read a lot more than I expected! I got a bingo (3 across). I commented in the GoodReads group too.

Did you have a strategy, and if so, did you stick to it? 

I had two books planned: 

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo 

Haroun & the Sea of Stories (reread) by Salman Rushdie

I read those and three other books: 

The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers

The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch (graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean (reread)

Ajax by Sophocles 

The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch by Neil Gaiman (graphic novel) (reread)

Ajax  by Sophocles 

The Drawing of the Dark by Tim Powers I had checked this out but wasn't sure when I would read it... nowhere near as good as Declare, but I will say more about that when I review it.

What was your favorite snack?

Black licorice, I think. I had black tea (Yorkshire Red and looseleaf Lapsang Souchong) and when it was too late for caffeine I had hibiscus tea. 

I will start writing my reviews... see you next Readathon! 

Wyrd & Wonder Wrap-up Post!

Thanks to imyril,  Lisa, and Jorie for organizing this!

I visited a bunch of blogs this time including Calmgrove & Peat Long.

my posts:

Top Ten Tuesday: Fantastic Opening Lines 

Six Degrees of Fantasy Separation: The Lord of the Rings to Lavinia 

Book Beginnings: The Fifth Season

Chocolat review

Midnight's Children review

my list at the beginning

Here is a quick tour of everything else I read: 

Mirrormask: I listened to an audiobook novelization of the film and really enjoyed it. I probably would have been a bit lost if I hadn't seen the film, though. 

City of Brass by SA Chakraborty: I didn't finish this. I'm not sure why this one didn't click with me; I liked it at first and I was intrigued by the setting,  but after a while, it didn't seem to be going anywhere, and there was nothing I felt strongly enough about to keep me reading.

Monstress vol 4: The Chosen: I read vols 1-3 last year and it might have been a mistake to wait this long; as with the previous volume, I felt a bit lost. Kippa was taken by forces working for the mysterious "Doctor" and Maika is trying to find her. There is a lot of talking and not a whole lot of plot progression, which would be ok if it were easier to follow, but...  I could really use a synopsis to sort out my thoughts if I can find one somewhere. I will probably reread this series when future volumes come out; at least, I want to give it another try. I really like the art, though.

The Sandman Companion: A guide to the comics series; most of the book is interviews with the writer, Neil Gaiman. I loved it! Most of what I thought was really interesting was very specific commentary on the stories, so I am not sure how to review this one. Towards the beginning, Gaiman mentions a few writers that influenced him. I recognized Roger Zelazny (I really liked A Night in the Lonesome October) and Samuel Delany (I have read a couple of novellas by him plus the novel Babel-17.)

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin: The first book in the Broken Earth trilogy which was one of the highlights of my reading in 2018. I finished rereading this but still need to review it! It was definitely worth rereading but I am not sure when I will read the next one.

short stories:

I read a graphic novel version of two Oscar Wilde fairy tales illustrated by P Craig Russell (in one volume): The Devoted Friend/The Nightingale & the Rose. Lovely illustrations! I have read and reviewed The Nightingale and the Rose before. I can't really think of anything to say about the other one. 

I revisited two other excellent short stories:
"Come Lady Death" by Peter Beagle (Podcastle podcast): I read this years ago as part of a short story collection by this author, but this is my first time listening to a Podcastle episode! I hope to listen to some other Podcastle episodes before next year's Wyrd & Wonder.

I also reread "Paid Piper" by Tanith Lee: the first tale in her collection Red As Blood: Tales from the Sisters Grimmer. This is one of my favorite fantasy stories: a retelling of the Pied Piper of Hamelin with a little bit of the myth of Pan mixed in.

You try to lock everything up in a cage. Your animals and your hearts. But love will always get out. Love, or hate.

other:
I listened to the album of the "Orpheus in Hadestown" musical (2010) and I highly recommend it.

Once upon a time there was a railroad line
Don't ask where, brother, don't ask when
It was the road to Hell, it was hard times
It was a world of gods...and men!

Look out for my 20 Books of Summer list soon!

Six Degrees of Fantasy Separation: The Lord of the Rings to Lavinia

I still have at least one review to write, but I had hoped to do at least one non-review post for Wyrd & Wonder, so here it is!

I read Imyril’s Six Degrees of Separation post (inspired by Kate’s meme at Books Are My Favourite and Best) and I decided to join in! The idea is to pick six books and find connections between them. 


The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is not the first fantasy I ever read, but probably the first that is still a genuine favorite. It is, of course, famous for its background of invented mythology.


Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke has its own invented mythology in the form of the stories of the Raven King in an alternate England. Both of the protagonists are deeply flawed, although I loved reading about them. Norrell, in particular, is pretty much the Worst, although I felt sorry for him at times.


The Sandman comics series by Neil Gaiman is another work that includes invented mythology and borrows extensively from real-world myths. The deeply flawed protagonist makes some terrible decisions before and during the main action of the series.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien features a great many terrible decisions by various parties. If I made a list, I would have a summary of the plot -- that's it, that's the entire book! But I want to highlight the family drama in the House of Finwe in order to establish a link to. . . 

The Once & Future King by T. H. White is another long-time favorite for me, and the family drama between the Orkney brothers, the sons of Lot & Morgause, is one of the highlights of this classic Arthurian retelling. 

Lavinia by Ursula Le Guin is a beautiful retelling of The Aeneid from the perspective of Lavinia, the future bride of Aeneas. I read it last month.

I think if I do this again I will limit myself to one book per author; lists like this are usually more interesting that way. But just this once, I had to include Tolkien twice.

Have you read any of these? What did you think?

Bout of Books 28 Master Post

I'm participating in Bout of Books 28!

What is Bout of Books?

The Bout of Books readathon is organized by Amanda Shofner and Kelly Rubidoux Apple. It’s a weeklong readathon that begins 12:01am Monday, May 11th and runs through Sunday, May 17th in YOUR time zone. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are daily challenges, Twitter chats, and exclusive Instagram challenges, but they’re all completely optional. For Bout of Books 28 information and updates, visit the Bout of Books blog. - From the Bout of Books team

Click above to sign up and read with me!

Check here for updates and challenges! I will record my reading in this post. I don't know if I will do much checking in with other blogs this time, though. A little bit, I hope.   

Monday 5/11 - update- 

continuing books already started: 
Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie - 360-383 - 23 pgs 
The Sandman Companion by Hy Bender & Neil Gaiman - 176-185 - 9 pgs City of Brass - 1 hr audio
MirrorMask audiobook, 1 hr 20 min
pages read: 32  
total audio time: 2 hrs 20 min
It is not midnight yet, so if I read some more I will update my Monday total

goal for tomorrow (and the rest of the readathon) read 3 hrs/day

Tuesday: 
1 1/2 hr reading physical books Midnight's Children 384-463 (finished!): 79 pgs
The Sandman Companion 185-195: 10 pgs
City of Brass - 1 1/2 hr audio
3 hrs read!

Wednesday: 
1hr 27 min reading physical books: 
The Sandman Companion 196-213: 17 pgs
The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats 259-298: 39
City of Brass 1:30 to 3:09, 1 hr 40 min
4 hrs 7 min read!

Thursday:   
The Sandman Companion 213-229
City of Brass 3:09-4:29
The Collected Poems of W.B. Yeats 298-314
forgot to record time, will do that for Friday

Daily Challenges, just in case I want to do them:

Monday 5/11

Introduce Yourself #insixwords - missed this, but maybe I will do tomorrow's

Tuesday 5/12
If This, Then That

Wednesday 5/13

Book to Movie

Thursday 5/14

Bookish Matchmaking

Friday 5/15

Share Your Favorites

Saturday 5/16

Leave a Review

Sunday 5/17

Stretch Goal

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon: Closing Survey

1. How would you assess your reading overall?

I read:

House of Whispers Vol. 1: The Power Divided by Nalo Hopkinson, art by Dominike Stanton - 200 pgs (fantasy graphic novel)

The Truro Bear and Other Adventures: Poems and Essays by Mary Oliver 80 pgs
I already reviewed this last year. (I read this for last year's April readathon!) 
The Disasters of War by Francisco de Goya, intro by Philip Hofer 97 pgs, art book 
The Lucky Strike by Kim Stanley Robinson 128 pgs - This short book includes a novella and an interview with the author. I will review this next.

2. Did you have a strategy, and if so, did you stick to it?

I planned to switch to a longer book after I had read some short ones, but I couldn't decide what to read! I read some excerpts, but I couldn't settle on a book, so I went to sleep. 

3. What was your favorite snack?

Favorite snack - chia seeds (2 Tbs) in soymilk with melted chocolate chips (2 Tbs)

Also, the black tea I ordered (Yorkshire Red) arrived in the mail! Yay! 

 

4. Wanna volunteer for our next event? 

Probably not, sorry. 

 

My Wyrd & Wonder 2020 TBR List: 5 Books

The third annual Wyrd & Wonder event, celebrating fantasy in May, is almost here! 

This is my second time participating. These are the books I plan to read & review. I might write a discussion post too, I haven't decided yet...

A Classic: Midnight's Children

I loved this when I read it years ago! I'm really looking forward to reading it again. I'll review it, but before that, I plan to post when I'm halfway through. That post probably won't be spoiler-free, but the review will. In the meantime, Jo Walton's review from 2009 is great: 
Saleem Sinai, the first person narrator of Midnight’s Children (Random House), was born in the very moment of India’s independence in 1947. The conceit of the book is that he, and other children born in that first hour, have astonishing magical superheroic powers. The story is bound up with Indian independence, not just after 1947 but before—the story of how Saleem’s parents meet is one of the best bits—and how Saleem’s telepathic powers are at first a blessing and later a curse.

What makes it great is the immense enthusiasm of the story and the language in which it is written. It isn’t Rushdie’s first novel, that would be the odd and openly science fictional Grimus. But it has the kind of energy and vitality that a lot of first novels have... 

A Buddy Read: The City of Brass (The Daevabad Trilogy, #1)

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...  

Kriti @ Armed With a Book and Alex at Spells and Spaceships are hosting a read-along for this book. I hope it works for me as an audiobook because that is the only way I can get it from the library right now (from the service Hoopla Digital).

A Nonfiction Book: The Sandman Companion

The Sandman was a groundbreaking and award-winning series that told the dark and tragic tale of Morpheus, the King of Dreams. A fascinating mythology of horror and consequence, this epic masterfully combined intriguing literature with captivating art. THE SANDMAN COMPANION is an exhaustive guide to this legend. Revealing hitherto undisclosed information and behind-the-scenes secrets, this book features in-depth interviews, never-before-seen illustrations, character origins, and story explanations and analysis. Also including excerpts from the original proposal for the series, this handbook is the perfect complement to the Sandman graphic novels. (description from GoodReads)

I really want to read more nonfiction books about fantasy. This is probably the only one I can fit in this month, though.

A Graphic Novel: Monstress vol. 4

Maika and Corvin make their way through a warped and lethal land in search of Kippa, who is faced with her own terrible monsters. But when Maika comes face-to-face with a stranger from her deep past, startling truths are uncovered, and at the center of it all lurks a dangerous conspiracy that threatens the Known World. Maika is finally close to getting all the answers she ever wanted, but at what price? With war on the horizon-a war no one wants to stop-whose side will Maika choose? Collects MONSTRESS #19-24. (description from GoodReads)

I have mixed feelings about the series so far, as the exposition can be a bit difficult to follow, but I think I want to try this one anyway. 

A Book With A Film Adaptation: Chocolat

When the exotic stranger Vianne Rocher arrives in the old French village of Lansquenet and opens a chocolate boutique called “La Celeste Praline” directly across the square from the church, Father Reynaud identifies her as a serious danger to his flock. It is the beginning of Lent: the traditional season of self-denial. The priest says she’ll be out of business by Easter.

To make matters worse, Vianne does not go to church and has a penchant for superstition. Like her mother, she can read Tarot cards. But she begins to win over customers with her smiles, her intuition for everyone’s favorites, and her delightful confections. Her shop provides a place, too, for secrets to be whispered, grievances aired. She begins to shake up the rigid morality of the community. Vianne’s plans for an Easter Chocolate Festival divide the whole community. Can the solemnity of the Church compare with the pagan passion of a chocolate éclair?

For the first time, here is a novel in which chocolate enjoys its true importance, emerging as an agent of transformation. Rich, clever, and mischievous, reminiscent of a folk tale or fable, this is a triumphant read with a memorable character at its heart.

I've read this before, but I didn't get around to seeing the film then. I want to watch it sometime in May.

(Current listening: Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle-earth, appropriately enough)

Readers Imbibing Peril XIV!

This is my second year participating in R.I.P.! From the website:

The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as:

Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.

Supernatural.

I am signing up for...

Peril the Second:
Read two books of any length that you believe fit within the challenge categories.

My books are:


Kwaidan, a book of Japanese ghost stories collected by Lafcadio Hearn


The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson

And I might join Peril of the Short Story:

We are fans of short stories and our desire for them is perhaps no greater than in autumn. We see Jackson in our future for sure! You can read short stories any time during the challenge. We sometimes like to read short stories over the weekend and post about them around that time. Feel free to do this however you want, but if you review short stories on your site, please link to those reviews on our RIPXIV Book Review pages.

I have started Kwaidan and I will be reviewing it as one book, but I might review some other short stories separately. I will make sure to check out other bloggers’ reviews during the challenge, too.

Wyrd & Wonder Blog Tag, prompts 27-31

previously: part 1, part 2, part 3!

I had intended to do #16 and #19 together in a separate post (a list of favorite male characters & favorite female characters) but I don't think I'll have a chance to do a whole separate post for that as I had planned. Maybe an idea for a future post...

27. Epic / tragic death 

The Grief and Recriminations of Andromache over the Body of Hector Her Husband (1783)  

Jacques-Louis David

The Iliad: Hector! I reread The Iliad last year (Robert Fagles translation) and really loved it this time; I had read Homer before but  I had decided that I was more of an Odyssey person. And now I'm not sure which I like better, but obviously Hectors death was perfect for this prompt and I had to include it. The introduction to my copy of The Iliad has a good description: 
The whole poem has been moving toward this duel between the two champions, but there has never been any doubt about the outcome. The husband and father, the beloved protector of his people, the man who stands for the civilized values of the rich city, its social and religious institutions, will go down to defeat at the hands of this man who has no family, who is in a private quarrel that has caused the deaths of many of his own fellow soldiers, who now in a private quarrel thinks only of revenge, though that revenge, as he well knows, is the immediate prelude to his own death. And the death of Hector seals the fate of Troy; it will fall to the Achaeans, to become the pattern for all time of the death of a city. 

Also:

SO MANY epic deaths. 

Feanor: 
"Then he died, but he had neither burial nor tomb, for so fiery was his spirit that as it sped his body fell to ash, and was borne away like smoke; and his likeness has never again appeared in Arda, neither has his spirit left the Halls of Mandos."

Fingolfin:
"Then Fingolfin beheld (as it seemed to him) the utter ruin of the Noldor, and the defeat beyond redress of all their houses; and filled with wrath and despair he mounted upon Rochallor his great horse and rode forth alone, and none might restrain him... Thus he came alone to Angband's gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon the brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. And Morgoth came."

28. Fish out of water: Carrot Ironfoundersson from the City Watch series (part of the larger Discworld series) is perfect for this prompt. After his parents died, he was adopted and raised by dwarfs, and he grew up in dwarf mines. In the first book, he learns that he is human and goes to the city of Ankh-Morpork to join the City Watch. He has some trouble adjusting, it is really funny.

29. Glorious stand-alone: I did a separate post about this already. I suppose I will add The Owl Service by Alan Garner, but I already covered that one in the previous set of prompts.

30. Break my heart: I decided to use this prompt for The Silmarillion as well. My favorite storyline in the book has always been the story of Feanor -- the greatest craftsman of the Noldor Elves -- and his sons. His wife Nerdanel doesn't get much page time, but of all the minor characters, she is definitely the one I would most like to know more about.

Star of the House of Feanor (Pixabay)

While still in his early youth he wedded Nerdanel, the daughter of a great smith named Mahtan, among those of the Noldor most dear to Aulë; and of Mahtan he learned much of the making of things in metal and in stone. Nerdanel also was firm of will, but more patient than Fëanor, desiring to understand minds rather than to master them, and at first she restrained him when the fire of his heart grew too hot; but his later deeds grieved her, and they became estranged. Seven sons she bore to Fëanor; her mood she bequeathed in part to some of them, but not to all.

My other character for this prompt is Maedhros, the eldest son. He's been one of my favorites since the first time I read the Silm.

31. Fave Wyrd & Wonder read

Spinning Silver was great. I haven't had time to review it yet. 

Whew! My first ever blog tag has been a long one. I loved doing this tag and highlighting so many wonderful books!

Wyrd & Wonder Blog Tag prompts 20-25

list of prompts 

I have skipped a few in this tag, but I expect to have one more post in which I will answer the last few prompts. 

20. I didn’t see that coming: The Owl Service by Alan Garner:

I read this last year for the Back to the Classics challenge (category: Children's Classic). This book won the Carnegie Medal in 1967. I didn't mention this one in the retellings prompt, but even though it is a retelling there's definitely a surprise involved. A wonderful book! I recommend it even if you think you don't like children's literature, because it is just that good.


synopsis: Something is scratching around in the attic above Alison's room. Yet the only thing up there is a stack of grimy old plates. Alison and her stepbrother, Roger, discover that the flowery patterns on the plates, when traced onto paper, can be fitted together to create owls-owls that disappear when no one is watching. With each vanished owl, strange events begin to happen around Alison, Roger, and the caretaker's son, Gwyn. As the kids uncover the mystery of the owl service, they become trapped within a local legend, playing out roles in a tragic love story that has repeated itself for generations... a love story that has always ended in disaster.

21. Through the wardrobe (portal fantasy): 

I am not a Narnia fan, so I went with the other definitive portal fantasy for this one. I really enjoyed reading Martin Gardner's annotated version several years ago. The books are very quotable, but one of the best lines is:

I can’t go back to yesterday because I was a different person then. - Alice

22. I’d rather be at sea (ships or sailors) - I decided to highlight two classics for this prompt: 

The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge — The classic narrative poem of a cursed sea voyage! Read an illustrated version if you can find one. I read the Gustave Doré version. 

It is an ancient Mariner, 
And he stoppeth one of three. 
'By thy long grey beard and glittering eye, 
Now wherefore stopp'st thou me?' 

 The Odyssey (link goes to my review) -- I loved this book, and my second time reading it was really rewarding.

23. That was lucky: The end of the world is averted, which really is lucky. ☺ 

24. Unreal locations: I already wrote about my favorite cities. Here is another of my favorites, not a city this time. 

I already wrote about my favorite cities. Here is another of my favorites, not a city this time. 

The Gig: The shape of the country was rectangular, but there was a long wriggling finger that struck down southeast and a sort of tapering lump that struck up northwest. The southeast bit was called the Finger; the northeast bit was called the Gig, because it might be guessed to have some resemblance to the shape of a two-wheeled vehicle with its shafts tipped forward to touch the ground... Nothing exciting ever happened in the Gig, or hadn't since the invasion of the fire-wyrms about eleven hundred years ago. 


Rosie -- the princess in this retelling of Sleeping Beauty -- grows up here. This really is one of my favorite settings in fantasy. 


And for Middle-earth, I think my favorites are: 

Rivendell: “Frodo was now safe in the Last Homely House east of the Sea. That house was, as Bilbo had long ago reported, ‘a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep, or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.’ Merely to be there was a cure for weariness, fear and sadness.”

Penstemons

Ithilien: “All about them were small woods of resinous trees, fir and cedar and cypress, and other kinds unknown in the Shire, with wide glades among them; and everywhere there was a wealth of sweet-smelling herbs and shrubs. The long journey from Rivendell had brought them far south of their own land, but not until now in this more sheltered region had the hobbits felt the change of clime. Here Spring was already busy about them: fronds pierced moss and mould, larches were green-fingered, small flowers opening in the turf, birds were singing. Ithilien, the garden of Gondor now desolate kept still a disheveled dryad loveliness.” 

25. Heist: This one goes to Beren & Luthien! A jewelry heist, in this case: taking one of the legendary Silmarils from the Dark Lord Morgoth. 



You must choose, Beren, between these two: to relinquish the quest and your oath and seek a life of wandering upon the face of the earth; or to hold to your word and challenge the power of darkness upon its throne. But on either road I shall go with you, and our doom shall be alike. (Those lines are actually from The Silmarillion, but I wanted to use Beren and Luthien for the cover.)

Have you read any of these? What did you think?