A Wolf at the Door...random thoughts

A Wolf at the Door and Other Retold Fairy Tales, edited by Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling, was my first read for Once Upon a Time II. It was a nice kick-off for me, a quick and satisfying read to get started. It consists of 13 tales by a variety of authors, some of whom I was familiar with and some of whom I wasn't (though I'm sure long-time fantasy lovers are probably familiar with all of them).

Of all the tales, there was only one which didn't really appeal to me. And that's not to say it wasn't good, it just wasn't for me. Which is really a shame; I wanted to love the story, because I really loved its title, "The Seven Stage a Comeback". I'll bet you can guess what fairy tale that one comes from, huh? Anyway, aside from that one by Gregory Maguire, I really did enjoy all the others. Some more than others, of course.

I won't talk about each one, but just mention a few of my favorites. I really enjoyed the one by Neil Gaiman, though it wasn't really a fairy tale retelling. It was titled "Instructions"...and that's just what it was, instructions for what to do if you ever find yourself stuck in a fairy tale. Very cute. Very clever.

I found myself laughing aloud at "Cinder Elephant" by Jane Yolen. Our heroine in this Cinderella retelling is Eleanor. She is dubbed Cinder Elephant by her "skinny as a straw" and "skinny as a reed" stepsisters. You see, Eleanor, while quite a lovely girl, is not a size two or four, or even six or eight, and she has very large feet. And yes, she is sweet, and she is smart, and she does capture the prince's heart with her knowledge of sports.

"Hansel's Eyes" by Garth Nix is more in the deliciously frightening category of fairy tale retellings, much as Hansel and Gretel is a deliciously frightening fairy tale. A video game, a cat sewn together from the pieces of other cats, and a cold room to store human organs all play a part in this story. I really enjoyed this sinister tale!

And finally, I'll mention the last tale in the book, "The Twelve Dancing Princesses" by Patricia A. McKillip. Annie and I read this fairy tale not too long ago, and both agreed that while we loved the story in general, we were disappointed in its ending. I was definitely not disappointed in the ending of Ms. McKillip's retelling. In fact, I loved her retelling much more than the original tale, in part because of the ending, but also just because of her unique twist on the tale as a whole.

All in all, I can definitely say that I found this to be quite a delightful little book!

The Goose Girl...random thoughts

Fairy tales. As I said not so long ago in a post, I wasn't one of those who grew up on fairy tales. But last summer, when I was trying to put together some kind of plan for Annie's school year, I decided that we should explore the world of folktales and fairy tales. Right here, I need to say a big thank you to Nymeth. She has graciously answered questions and given advice to this poor novice here. But even more than that, her deep true love of these stories has been utterly contagious.

Anyway, what I had assumed would be a very fun "unit" of study for Annie, has really become an immense pleasure to me. I've been so captivated by the fairy tales we've been reading...I can't imagine I will ever stop searching them out.

And now we come to the idea of fairy tale retellings. A year ago, I'm not sure I even knew such books existed. Last month, I read my first, I Was A Rat by Philip Pullman, which by the way, I adored. But that story was more of an epilogue focusing on a particular character from a fairy tale (if that makes any sense at all). The Goose Girl, by Shannon Hale, on the other hand, takes the Grimms Brothers "The Goose Girl" and really turns it into a full novel. I have to admit, "The Goose Girl" is one of my favorite fairy tales, one of the few I've known and loved for years. I was a bit leery that anyone could really retell this story and do it justice.

Well, my fears were entirely unfounded! What can I say? I love, love, love this book! In a way I haven't loved a book in while. Not more or less, necessarily, but differently. Not in a soul-searching, thought-provoking way. But plain and simply, in a sweet and joyful way. I was utterly astounded at the way Shannon Hale stayed so true to the fairy tale, while bringing the story and the characters so wonderfully to life. This book is nothing if not magical!

I'll be the first to admit, I've never been much of a princess kind of girl. But you know what, Shannon Hale just might change that! There's a quote on the back of the book from The New York Times Book Review that I think sums up the book perfectly for me:

"In layer upon layer of detail a beautiful coming-of-age story emerges, a tale about learning to rescue yourself rather than falling accidentally into happily-ever-after."

Now I know it's not exactly unheard of for me to cry while reading a book, but this is the first book I can remember in a very long time that left tears of joy in my eyes as I finished the last page.






(Now that's a lot of bang for your reading challenge buck, huh?)
















Other blog reviews:
*Kim at Bold. Blue. Adventure.
*Annie at Words by Annie
*Nymeth at Things Mean A Lot
*Eva at A Striped Armchair
*Melody at Melody's Reading Corner
*Deslily at Here There and Everywhere

bookish odds 'n ends

*Is there anyone out there who hasn't yet discovered J. Kaye's Book Blog? I recently discovered it because J. Kaye is hosting the Suspense and Thriller Reading Challenge. If you haven't checked it out yet, you really should. Why? Well...
a.) J. Kaye is just one incredibly nice person,
b.) she and her family write book reviews on an incredibly varied bunch of books (seriously, in the past couple of weeks, I've written down books that I thought my husband would like, books that I thought Gray would like, and of course, books that interested me), and
c.) she holds book raffles every Sunday where she gives away many of the books she reviews.
I was the lucky recipient of Easy Scrapbook Embellishment by Heidi Schueller this week! Thanks again, J. Kaye!

*I joined the Twisted Fairy Tales Reading Challenge last night. No rationalizations. No excuses. I've just decided that I'm tired of being tortured by these damn challenges. If I want to join one, I will. Even if I never actually complete another one as long as I live.

*I finished up another book for Dewey's Graphic Novels Challenge. And since it's a challenge book, I feel like I should write a review. But frankly, I don't really know how. It's not that I'm being self-deprecating, or that the book had any kind of profound effect on me. It's just that I'm really out of my league here. The Books of Faerie by Bronwyn Carlton. Let me just post what it says on the back cover:

Do you believe...

...in a mystical land beyond the boundaries of the mundane world...

...ruled by a beautiful queen who was once a mortal like you and me...

...who may have sired the most powerful sorcerer of our world?

In this finest high fantasy tradition, this companion volume to Vertigo's ongoing BOOKS OF MAGIC series collects for the first time the acclaimed BOOKS OF FAERIE miniseries, featuring the story of Titania, Queen of Faerie. Also included is the much sought-after ARCANA ANNUAL, featuring an early tale of young mage Timothy Hunter and his journeys in the magical realms.

I joined the Graphic Novels Challenge to expand my horizons, and thus far, I have not been disappointed. I have to say that I really enjoyed the first part of this book very much. It's the story of how a young mortal girl, Maryrose, is lured to faerie and how she ultimately becomes Titania, Queen of Faerie, and gives birth to a son. It held me thoroughly entranced throughout.

The second part, Long Walks in Dancing Shoes, by John Ney Rieber was also enjoyable, but, I'm guessing, a little harder to appreciate by someone like me who is not familiar with The Books of Magic. I can say it has awakened my curiosity, however, and I can certainly see myself seeking out more about Timothy Hunter in the future.

So, to wrap up, I realize that this is less than helpful as a review. But I must say, I am so glad I joined Dewey's challenge. The world of graphic novels is such a varied world. I'm continuing to be delighted and surprised with each new venture.