It's time to bid farewell to the Once Upon A Time Challenge. It's been such a wonderful experience and I'm truly going to miss this one. As I've mentioned on other blogs, this has been so much more than just a book challenge to me. I've met so many other wonderful bloggers out there and it's been great to see others exposed to the genre of literature that I've loved for so long. It's been a great journey and I got much more reading out of it than I expected! I was worried about fitting in the 5 books that I chose and ended up reading 12. Here's the list:
1. The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle
2. Hart's Hope by Orson Scott Card
3. Moonheart by Charles de Lint
4. A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
5. The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde
6. A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
7. The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason
8. Fablehaven: Rise of the Evening Star by Brandon Mull
9. Sandman: The Dream Hunters by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano
10. Rises the Night by Colleen Gleason
11. Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
12. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
And once again, a HUGE thank you to Carl for hosting this amazing challenge. No one else could've made it quite the experience that Carl did, offering us such wonderful incentives to read along the way, whetting our appetite with all kinds of knowledge and links, and inspiring us along the way to pick up a pen and to try our hand at writing our own stories. It's been great. Now on to the RIP challenge! Well not quite yet....
20 comments:
Chris it has been great discovering your blog through Carl's challenge. You have defiently pointed out some new books to me through your reviews which I appreciate.
I need to read The Last Unicorn one of these days too. The animated DVD is one of my wife and duaghter's favorites.
I also need to get my buddy Carl to take the time to read The Dream Hunters. I agree with your feelings on it 100%. It's a wonderful tale and the art work in amazing. Have you read Gaiman's Smoke and Mirrors collection? It has my favorite Gaiman short stories in it ( The Price, Chivialry, and Snow, Red, Apples I might have the name of that last one wrong but it's the last story in the collection ).
I'll be looking forward to seeing what you read and review in the RIP challange.
When are you gonna get a blog of your own Jeff?! Come on! lol..
I still haven't seen the animated Last Unicorn. I plan on buying it soon though. I've heard nothing but good stuff about it.
The Dream Hunters was amazing! Amano's been one of my favorite artists for awhile now so when the two of them collaborated I was REALLY excited. I haven't read Smoke and Mirrors, but a copy of it is actually on it's way to me right now! So I should be getting to it shortly. Looking forward to it.
I'm looking forward to the RIP challenge too. I have a ridiculous amount of books picked out for it already and probably won't be able to even get to half of them...but we'll see!
Well done on completing the challenge, Chris! I will miss it too...it has been so delightful.
Looking forward to the rest of the year though, with more books etc to be shared!
Wow, that's quite a list (and a terrific photo - love the way you set that shot up)! Way to go, Chris!
Little Pink is really BIG, isn't she?
Yeah, yeah, so I'm behind on my Gaiman reading...get off my back already! ;) Ha!
You did very well, Chris. Great choices and great reviews.
I appreciate your daily participation so very much and love how you through yourself into and embraced this challenge.
Sincerest thanks to you!
I'm going to miss all the reviews of my favorite reading material.. Fantasy! *pout*
I really only read fantasy with a biography tossed in now and then (mostly then) so I will be limited when you do the RIP challenge for comments (sorry,I just don't enjoy reading horror or vampires etc) but I will always read you and some of the new "bookies" I've begun reading since this challenge!!
I've so enjoyed reading all these blogs, especially in a time when I hear so much of how reading is dwindling.. sad. and the "no time" doesn't cut it for an excuse for me.. I still watch movies and televison and get my work done, and at my age nothing is done "fast"!
Your blog and others make me smile. Everyone needs those "breaks from life" and books do that for everyone..
Congratulations on completing the Challenge, Chris! I really enjoyed reading your reviews and getting to know you.
Congratulations on finishing!
Your participation made the challenge an even better experience :)
I enjoyed reading your reviews, and many of those books have been added to my list (or were purchased right away, like Dream Hunters :P).
Quix, Thanks! Oh yeah, there will be plenty of more books reviewed and shared. Definitely never a shortage of books around here :/
Bookfool, I kept hoping that no one would come walking through the door while I was setting that shot up, lol. They would've sent me to the group home for book nerds! Little Pink is indeed not so little, but she's great! One of my favorites :)
Carl, Seriously...read the Dream Hunters :p This challenge was easy to throw myself into...it's what I read every day! Made even more fun by everyone else in blogland reading it too! So much fun.
Deslily, Don't worry, I'll keep the reviews coming for you ;) I'll always make time for books. It's everything else in life that I have trouble making time for ;) But that's how I think life should be. Find what you enjoy and make time for everything else...ok, hope no one takes that advice to seriously....
Thanks Robin, I feel the same way. I've really enjoyed your reviews and I love your blog! I still find myself dreaming of the park you posted the other day in your Father's Day post :)
Nymeth, Dream Hunters was a great purchase ;) Same goes for you, I've added many books to my wishlist from your reviews...looking forward to reading them. I've just realized that I met you through this challenge! How cool...You're one of my favorite blogs and I had forgot already that I met you through this :p So it was definitely a great chalenge!
Okay, as I said on Quixotical's blog, "How the heck do you find time to read so much?" I think you both must be much faster readers, because I never watch TV in the evenings, only read. And do laundry. And grade papers. And make dinner. Okay, maybe that's the problem...
Bellezza, I think that I only fit in so much reading because I haven't found a job yet! But I do tend to spend every spare minute I have with my nose buried in a book :p.
LOL! I don't think I have the writing chops like you and Carl and many other bloggers do but I enjoy reading them. It's been great meeting you through Carl's challenge and I defiently plan on visiting your blog regulary from now on.
Even as the Once Upon a Time challenge was winding down I was cracking myself up by already thinking of books for the RIP challenge. Of course I'm always buying more than I have time to read but it's a habit. Some people drink or smoke; well instead of those things I buy books. They're my habit of choice. :)
I can't wait to hear your comments on Smoke and Mirrors and I promise I'll comment on The Book Of Lost Things after I read it. I also think it's great you've also ordered A Clash of Kings. Man I love that series. I'm eagerly awaiting the next book which should arrive this next year.
You might be surprised at some of the stuff people read for the R.I.P. Challenge, Deslily. It isn't about horror so much as it is about gothic, about eerie. And as always I am pretty open minded about what someone wants to read for this stuff. There is alot of dark fantasy that fits right into the R.I.P. Challenge. Go an read the list of books people read in this closing R.I.P. post, Deslily:
http://www.stainlesssteeldroppings.com/?p=495#more-495
I'm hoping you'll get some creative ideas of what to read and will join us because it really is a fun challenge.
I loved the challenge as well. The Last Unicorn is my favourite film and I love the book as well. I read a Charles de LInt book for the challenge too and really enjoyed it, I must check out some of his many other books. The Happy Prince is another of my favourite Fairy Tales, so sad though. I have a couple of other books on your list to read soon and out up reviews on my blog as and when I get to them.
hey Carl.. read the link.. you may not believe it but other then 2 of those books I read in middle school... I don't know any of them lol... but have no fear.. you won't get rid of me easily!
Jeff, you seem to write just fine..I think you'd find blogging fun ;) I buy books WAY faster than I read them...unfortunately I smoke too, so there are way too many expensive habits going on there. Trying to kick the latter though! I'm stoked about A Clash of Kings. I'm hoping to catch up with the series in time for the new book, although that's a pretty big quest with all of these other books getting in the way!
I hope you join in for the RIP challenge too Deslily!!! I have some fun books picked out which will be revealed closer to the challenge...mwuhahahah...
Rhinoa, I really need to see the Last Unicorn! Everyone keeps talking about the animated film and I still haven't seen it! Such a great book though. Isn't deLint great. I keep buying his books now everytime I see them so I have a ton of them sitting on the TBR pile now!
chris:
I buy books WAY faster than I read them...unfortunately I smoke too, so there are way too many expensive habits going on there.
"ditto".. you sure you aren't my son?.. errr, grandson?
I wonder sometimes Deslily ;) It's all a conspiracy.....
You read a lot of good books, and the rest look so fabulous. This was a wonderful challenge, and I'm so happy to have found your blog through this, Chris! (I'm definitely going to actually have to participate in the RIP challenge this year... didn't last year, but now I'm awfully tempted.)
Glad to have met you to Court :) I'm really looking forward to the RIP challenge as well. This will be my first year too, so it looks like we're both in for a treat!
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