Once Upon a Time IV

Each year, Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings hosts the Once Upon a Time challenge. It’s a chance to read fantasy, mythology, folklore and fairy tales. It is, of course, right up my alley. Last year was the first time I signed up. I didn’t quite manage to complete it, easily reading the books component, but not managing to watch A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I was going to take the easy way and just sign up for the books this year, but I’ve decided to take the risk. It won’t be the end of the world if I don’t manage it and it gives me something to aim for.

So I’ve decided to aim for “Quest the Third”. The challenge is to read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time IV criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres AND top it off with a June reading of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream OR a viewing of one of the many theatrical versions of the play. I’m planning to watch the play rather than read it.

The timetable for the challenge is between Sunday, 21st March and Sunday, 20th June 2010.

My Once Upon a Time IV reading list (reviews over on Saving My Sanity...):

1. Enchanted Glass – Diana Wynne Jones
2. Archangel’s Kiss – Nalini Singh
3. The Ivory and the Horn - Charles de Lint
4. Howl's Moving Castle - Diana Wynne Jones
5. At Grave's End - Jeaniene Frost
6. Silver Borne - Patricia Briggs
7. Heart Mate - Robin D. Owen
8. The Girl Who Chased the Moon - Sarah Addison Allen
9. The Iron King - Julie Kagawa
10. Many Waters - Madeleine L'Engle
11. Sunshine - Robin McKinley

Once again I failed to watch the play (usual excuse of bad health and little energy), but I'm happy with the books I managed to get read. And if nothing else, it is lovely opportunity to see what books I'm reading in a certain genre over a certain amount of time.

Cumulative Totals - February

2010 Reading:
Books read in 2010 = 18
Short Stories read in 2010 = 1
Total reads in 2010 = 19

10/10 reads in 2010 = 1
DNFs in 2010 = 1
New reads in 2010 = 14
Rereads in 2010 = 5
paper books : eBooks = 11 : 8 = 58 % : 42 %

Pages read in 2010 (according to Goodreads) = 6502

2010 Challenges Progress:
Flashback Reading Challenge = 5
Big Book Challenge = 4
Sci Fi Experience = 9

2010 List Progress:
eBooks read = 8
SFF books read = 14
Library Books read = 8
Audiobooks listened to = 0

February 2010 Reading

1. The Ask and the Answer – Patrick Ness (519pp)
   Chaos Walking, Book 2; YA SF; 8/10
2. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie – Alan Bradley (304pp)
   Flavia de Luce, Book 1; Mystery; Library Book; 7/10
3. Doctor Who: The Writer’s Tale – Russell T. Davies and Benjamin Cook (512 pp)
   Non-Fiction; Media; Library Book; 9/10
4. Doubleblind – Ann Aguirre (320pp)
   Sirantha Jax, Book 3; SF; eBook; 8/10
5. Magic Under Glass – Jaclyn Dolamore (240pp)
   Fantasy; YA'; Library Book; 7/10
6. A Wind in the Door – Madeleine L’Engle (203pp)
   Time Quintet, Book 2; Children; SF; Reread; 7/10
7. This Alien Shore – C. S. Friedman (576pp)
   SF; eBook; 9/10
8. Life As We Knew It – Susan Beth Pfeffer (352pp)
   Moon Crash, Book 1; SF; YA; Library Book; 9/10
9. Ace of Cakes – Duff Goldman (256pp)
   Non-Fiction; Library Book; 7/10

Best book of the month = This Alien Shore
Biggest disappointment of the month = The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

February Reading:
Books read this month = 9
Short Stories read this month = 0
Total reads this month = 9

10/10 reads this month = 0
DNFs this month = 0
New reads this month = 8
Rereads this month = 1
paper books : eBooks = 7 : 2 = 78 % : 22 %

Pages read this month = 519 + 304 + 512 + 320 + 240 +203 + 576 + 352 + 256 = 3282

February Challenges Progress:
Flashback Reading Challenge = 1
Big Book Challenge = 3
Sci Fi Experience = 6

February List Progress:
eBooks read = 2
SFF books read = 6
Library Books read = 5
Audiobooks listened to = 0

2010 Cumulative Totals - January

2010 Reading:
Books read in 2010 = 9
Short Stories read in 2010 = 1
Total reads in 2010 = 10

10/10 reads in 2010 = 1 
DNFs in 2010 = 1
New reads in 2010 = 6
Rereads in 2010 = 4
paper books : eBooks = 4 : 6  = 40 % : 60 %

Pages read in 2010 = 3220

2010 Challenges Progress: 
Flashback Reading Challenge = 4
Big Book Challenge = 1
Sci Fi Experience = 3

2010 List Progress: 
eBooks read = 6
SFF books read = 8
Library Books read = 2
Audiobooks listened to = 0

January 2010 Reading

1. Earth’s Magic – Pamela F. Service (240pp)
   New Magic, Book 3; Post-Apocalyptic Fantasy; eBook; 7/10
2. Mercy Thompson: Homecoming – Patricia Briggs (168pp)
   Mercy Thompson, Book 0; Urban Fantasy; Graphic Novel; Library Book; 7/10
3. The Compass Rose – Gail Dayton (464pp)
   The One Rose, Book 1; Fantasy; eBook; Reread; 8/10
4. The Knife of Never Letting Go – Patrick Ness (479pp)
   Chaos Walking, Book 1; YA SF; Library Book; 9/10
5. The Barbed Rose – Gail Dayton (448pp)
   The One Rose, Book 2; Fantasy; eBook; Reread; 7/10
6. The Eternal Rose – Gail Dayton (400pp)
   The One Rose, Book 3; Fantasy; eBook; 8/10
7. Raising Boys – Steve Biddulph
   Non-Fiction; Library Book; 7/10
8. Mirror Dance – Lois McMaster Bujold (592pp)
   Vorkosigan, Book 9; Science Fiction; eBook; Reread; 10/10
9. A Wrinkle in Time – Madeleine L’Engle (184pp)
   Time Quintet, Book 1; Children; SF; Reread; 9/10
10. Wolfe’s Hope – Lora Leigh (29 pp)
    Breeds, Book 10; Short Story; Erotic Romance; eBook; 5/10
11. Jacob’s Faith – Lora Leigh (257 pp)
    Breeds, Book 11; Erotic Romance; eBook; DNF

Best book of the month = The Knife of Never Letting Go
Biggest disappointment of the month = Wolfe’s Hope

January Reading:
Books read this month = 9
Short Stories read this month = 1
Total reads this month = 10

10/10 reads this month = 1
DNFs this month = 1
New reads this month = 6
Rereads this month = 4
paper books : eBooks = 4 : 6 = 40 % : 60 %

Pages read this month = 240 + 168 = 464 + 479 + 448 + 400 + 216 + 592 + 184 + 29 = 3220

January Challenges Progress:
Flashback Reading Challenge = 4
Big Book Challenge = 1
Sci Fi Experience = 3

January List Progress:
eBooks read = 6
SFF books read = 8
Library Books read = 3
Audiobooks listened to = 0

Marcus’ 2010 Reading List

Marcus has just graduated to chapter books from picture books, meaning I have to step up a level too in the books I read to him. So, since I have lists of the books I read, he wants a list too. Here we go, a list of Marcus’ reading for 2010 (excluding picture books – of which I’m sure we’ll still read plenty – and school reading books). The name in brackets is who did the actual reading.

1. Mad Grandad’s Robot Garden – Oisin McGann (Marcus)
2. Blast Off! – Margaret Clark (Marcus)
3. The Fairground Ghost - Felicity Everett (Marcus)
4. Captain Clawbeak and the Red Herring - Anne Morgan (Marcus)
5. Dragon's Fat Cat - Dav Pilkey (Marcus)
6. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C. S. Lewis (Mummy)
7. Captain Clawbeak: The One and Only - Anne Morgan (Marcus)
8. The New Adventures of the Wishing Chair: The Land of Mythical Creatures - created by Enid Blyton (Marcus)

Time Quartet/Quintet Read-Along

Madeleine L’Engle’s Time Trilogy/Quartet/Quintet books were some of my favourites growing up. So I’m going to try to take the opportunity being offered by Kailana at The Written Word to reread them in the first half of 2010.

Here are Kailana’s guidelines:

1. You have until January 31st to finish the book.
2. On January 15th I will post a place to talk about spoiler-related things. Things you want to talk about but can't mention in your review.
3. The reviews should aim to be finished on the last week of January because I want to have questions that everyone answers in their posts and people need to have time to come up with them.
4. For a sense of community I am hoping that people will come up with questions about the book. I am hoping to have them all by the 20th so I can post them and people can write their reviews. Even if you take the whole month to read the book I hope you will come up with questions. Send in a few so there are some variety. It isn't much fun if people send the same questions over and over again. How you choose to use the questions (and whether you choose to use all of them) is up to you.
5. When I post the questions on the 20th, I will also post a place to post links to your reviews.
6. Feel free to use the button, made by Jason, wherever you want. It's great!

Will I make it? Let us see…

1. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
2. A Wind in the Door - Madeleine L'Engle
3. A Swiftly Tilting Planet - Madeleine L'Engle
4. Many Waters - Madeleine L'Engle

I did start the last book, An Acceptable Time, in May, but I don't think I even finished before I realised I simply didn't feel like reading it. The lovely feeling of the earlier books seemed missing and I just wasn't interested. Since my reading is a bit of the struggle at the moment and the TBR is more out of control than usual, I decided to pass on it.

I'm still happy with my success with the challege and I really enjoyed the reread. Most of all, I'm delighted that A Swiftly Tilting Planet didn't let me down and remained the amazing read I remembered from childhood.

Thank you Ms L'Engle so a wonderful trip around the universe and down memory lane.