Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Here's a place for us to discuss our progress on the 2019 Challenge. You can ask for book recs, list what books you plan to read, etc. Here's the challenge:

1. A book with less than 100 reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for. Browse the Polls pageto see the winners. You'll know whether or not you voted for the winning book if there's a little * in front of the title.
/poll/list/3...

3. book inspired by African mythology or folklore

4. An anthology or a single author collection outside your usual go-to genre or subject.


5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based or inspired by the myth or tale you've never read

6. A book written by a Native American or First Nation or indigenous Australian etc.

7. A book set in a country you're curious about but never been to

8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read.

9. An #ownvoices book; e.g., a story inspired by Indigenous beliefs written by an Indigenous author; a story about Chinese myths written by a Chinese author; a story with LGBTQ character written by a trans author, etc.

10. A book with a cover you do NOT like

11. non-fiction book about folk or fairy tales or mythology or a collection that has an analysis or commentary

12. A tale told in verse

I've read my first book

6. A book written by a Native American or First Nation or indigenous Australian etc.
Trickster Drift, the 2nd book in the trilogy by Eden Robinson. I loved it!
Next book will be:
7. A book set in a country you're curious about but never been to
The Little Book of the Hidden People: Stories of elves from Icelandic folklore. I can't believe it! I ordered this book as an inter-library loan back when it won as our group read. It just came now! It fits perfectly because I've never been to Iceland but always been curious about it!

Jalilah wrote: "It fits perfectly because I've never been to Iceland but always been curious about it!..."

Jalilah, if ever you want to read another book about Iceland, I strongly recommend Independent People by Halldór Kiljan Laxness. It is an amazing novel. Very powerful and compelling. Laxness won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1955.

I read the novel after we vacationed in Iceland last year. It is a rugged, beautiful country. I loved it and loved the way Laxness was able to capture it with such honesty.

From my review:

In Independent People, Laxness has produced a novel vast in scope and epic in nature. At the center of this masterpiece is a complex, fascinating protagonist. Laxness� language is poetic, beautiful in its simplicity, full of profound insights, laced with irony and understated humor, and smattered with references to Icelandic heroes and mythological characters. At times his prose leaves you breathless. The characters are so real, they could almost walk off the page. His detailed descriptions transport the reader to the expansive moors and the modest croft; to experiencing the biting cold and relentless snow storms; and to smelling and hearing the sheep, the sheep, the sheep in all their tapewormy glory.

A word of caution: It's a hefty-size book, but once you start it, you won't be able to put it down :)
/review/show...

I just realized I've finished #2 by accident! I read The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden, which lost this last round of voting and I didn't vote for it even though I was currently reading it. It's the third in a trilogy, and I didn't think it would make a good group read because of that. The entire series is excellent though, and I highly recommend them! It starts with The Bear and the Nightingale

Jalilah wrote: "It fits perfectly because I've never been to Iceland but always been curious about it!..."

Tamara wrote: Jalilah, if ever you want to read another book about Iceland, ...

I'm also curious about Iceland so I got a copy of Independent People in December. I am very glad to see your recommendation, Tamara.

Annette wrote: "I'm also curious about Iceland so I got a copy of Independent People in December. I am very glad to see your recommendation, Tamara. ."

Great! I hope you enjoy it. I'd love to know what you think after you finish reading it.

My in-progress list for 2019:

1. A book with less than 100 reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
Moon Shimmers by Yasmine Galenorn

2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for
Olympus Bound by Jordanna Max Brodsky

3. A book inspired by African mythology or folklore
Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

4. An anthology or a single author collection outside your usual go-to genre or subject
Mouthful of Birds by Samantha Schweblin

5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based or inspired by the myth or tale you have never read
The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden

6. A book written by a Native American or First Nation or indigenous Australian etc.
Trail of Lightning by Rebecca Roanhorse

7. A book set in a country you're curious about but have never been to
The Wren Hunt by Mary Watson

8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read
Geekerella by Ashley Poston

9. An #ownvoices book
The Candle and the Flame by Nafiza Azad

10. A book with a cover you do NOT like
Harvest Song by Yasmine Galenorn

11. A non-fiction book about folk or fairy tales or mythology or a collection that has an analysis or commentary
Myth: A Very Short Introduction by Robert A. Segal

12. A tale told in verse
The Sisters of the Winter Wood by Rena Rossner

Leah's placeholder for the 2019 challenge


âœ� 1. A book with less than 100 reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
� Vengeance of the Cat Goddess by Jennifer Stephens (my review)

� 2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for
� Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (Sep-Nov 2018 winner; my review)

� 3. A book inspired by African mythology or folklore
Akata Warrior by Nnedi Okorafor (my review)
� The Deep by Rivers Solomon (my review)

� 4. An anthology or a single author collection outside your usual go-to genre or subject
� Fierce Fairytales by Nikita Gill (Poetry; my review)

� 5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based on or inspired by the myth or tale you have never read
� The Penelopiad (Odysseus/Penelope; my review)

� 6. A book written by an Indigenous author
� Son of a Trickster by Eden Robinson

� 7. A book set in a country you're curious about but have never been to
� The Hearing Trumpet by Leonora Carrington (Mexico; my review)

� 8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read
� Geekerella by Ashley Poston (Cinderella; my review)
� A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole (Cinderella; my review)

� 9. An #ownvoices book
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
� Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall (my review)

� 10. A book with a cover you do NOT like
� The Girl in Red (LRRH retelling; I don't like how little they made Red in comparison to "the wolf." my review)

� 11. A non-fiction book about folk or fairy tales or mythology or a collection that has an analysis or commentary
� Affrilachian Tales: Folktales from the African-American Appalachian Tradition

� 12. A tale told in verse
� Gilgamesh: A New English Version (my review)

Katy's Placeholder for the challenge

1. A book with less than 100 reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for. -- Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

3. book inspired by African mythology or folklore

4. An anthology or a single author collection outside your usual go-to genre or subject.


5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based or inspired by the myth or tale you've never read

6. A book written by a Native American or First Nation or indigenous Australian etc. -- Sage Smoke: Tales of the Shoshoni-Bannock Indians by Eleanor B. Heady

7. A book set in a country you're curious about but never been to -- The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read.

9. An #ownvoices book; e.g., a story inspired by Indigenous beliefs written by an Indigenous author; a story about Chinese myths written by a Chinese author; a story with LGBTQ character written by a trans author, etc. Summer of the Mariposas by Guadalupe Garcia McCall

10. A book with a cover you do NOT like

11. non-fiction book about folk or fairy tales or mythology or a collection that has an analysis or commentary -- The Little Book of the Hidden People: Stories of elves from Icelandic folklore by Alda Sigmundsdóttir

12. A tale told in verse -- Sir Gawain and the Green Knight/Pearl/Sir Orfeo

Leah wrote: "8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read
It'll be a Cinderella tale most likely."

Have you read Geekerella by Ashley Poston? It's a Cinderella retelling, and I loved it and think you would too.

Margaret's Placeholder for the challenge

* 1. A book with less than 100 reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ: A Cathedral of Myth and Bone by Kat Howard

*2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for. Browse the Polls pageto see the winners. You'll know whether or not you voted for the winning book if there's a little * in front of the title.
/poll/list/3...
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

* 3. book inspired by African mythology or folklore: The Deep by Rivers Solomon

*4. An anthology or a single author collection outside your usual go-to genre or subject.
Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin (translated)


* 5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based or inspired by the myth or tale you've never read
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

* 6. A book written by a Native American or First Nation or indigenous Australian etc.
Storm of Locusts by Rebecca Roanhorse

*7. A book set in a country you're curious about but never been to
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Mexico)

* 8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read.
The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs

* 9. An #ownvoices book; e.g., a story inspired by Indigenous beliefs written by an Indigenous author; a story about Chinese myths written by a Chinese author; a story with LGBTQ character written by a trans author, etc.
Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya

* 10. A book with a cover you do NOT like: The Witch's Kind by Louisa Morgan

11. non-fiction book about folk or fairy tales or mythology or a collection that has an analysis or commentary

12. A tale told in verse

Margaret wrote: "Leah wrote: "8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read
It'll be a Cinderella tale most likely."

Have you read Geekerella by Ashley Poston? ..."

Thanks for the rec! I'll add it to my list.

If anyone wants ideas for #3: a book based on African mythology/folklore, I compiled this list for Book Riot:

A lot of these have mythology and folklore themes. All the ones under classics do. Under contemporary, Akata Witch, Redemption in Indigo, Freshwater, and Taduno's Song. I haven't read the last one.

Under Epic fantasy, Beasts Made of Night. I know that Children of Blood and Bone claims to be mythological based, I can't actually remember any mythology in it. I haven't read The Rage of Dragons yet, and I've just started Black Leopard, Red Wolf, so I can't speak to those yet. I'll let everyone know once I'm finished if they would count.

Nice list!

Margaret wrote: "I know that Children of Blood and Bone claims to be mythological based, I can't actually remember any mythology in it."

I haven't read it yet, but from the publisher description, it mentions Orisha and looks like Adeyemi is using them as a setting (?) versus as deities.

One of our former group reads, Will Do Magic for Small Change, Hairston utilizes Orisha there. I think Hairston's story was the first time I'd read about Orisha. I have this link in my notes for Will Do Magic: in case you're interested.

Leah wrote: "I haven't read it yet, but from the publisher description, it mentions Orisha and looks like Adeyemi is using them as a setting (?) versus as deities.
"

Ah, yes, I'd forgotten! They're actual deities though. I looked Orisha up on Wikipedia and it also mentions Ashe as a life-force that moves through all things. In the book it has several meanings.

Margaret wrote: "If anyone wants ideas for #3: a book based on African mythology/folklore, I compiled this list for Book Riot:

A lot of these have mythology ..."

Akata Witch and Akata Warrior were lots of fun, but in my opinion Who Fears Death was truly outstanding and is by far my favourite book of hers.
I have read very mixed reviews about Children of Blood and Bone. Many of my goodreads friends didn't seem to like it. I will still probably check it out though.
There is another book Tamara mentioned that explores the idea of a split personality that is seems to appear in a lot of Nigerian folklore. I'll have to comb through the old posts.

Tamara mentioned Freshwater, which I think you would enjoy, Jalilah. It's exactly your kind of magical realism set in this world.

I didn't include Who Fears Death on the list because I typically consider post apocalypse to be sci-fi vs. fantasy and Akata Witch is definitely fantasy. However, I may end up reading that for this challenge.

I was iffy on Children of Blood and Bone. I liked the world building. It's definitely a fast-paced read. Some of the plot is strong. BUT it has one of my pet peeves in YA literature: a love interest that for most of the novel is trying to kill the protagonist. I really dislike YA books where at some point the male love interest hits/tries to kill the main character, and yet he's a redeemable character and really a good guy. We should all forgive him and think he's hot. This happens SO OFTEN. Ugh. It also tends to follow some fantasy genre tropes that make it predictable. I don't think you would like it at all, Jalilah.

Margaret wrote: "BUT it has one of my pet peeves in YA literature: a love interest that for most of the novel is trying to kill the protagonist...and yet he's a redeemable character and really a good guy...This happens SO OFTEN. Ugh."

I second your ugh. Now I wonder if I should take it off my TBR list, darn it.

Leah wrote: "Margaret wrote: "BUT it has one of my pet peeves in YA literature: a love interest that for most of the novel is trying to kill the protagonist...and yet he's a redeemable character and really a go..."

My general thought is you won't like it for the same reason. To me, if you read a lot of YA fantasy and you're an adult, it's not that interesting. However, I know lots of adults that read a ton of YA that love it. So, I don't know!

Margaret wrote: "Tamara mentioned Freshwater, which I think you would enjoy, Jalilah. It's exactly your kind of magical realism set in this world.

I didn't include Who Fears Death on the list becau..."

Yes, it was Freshwater. I know some people liked it, but I found it a bit too strange. It's certainly unique. You might enjoy it, Jalilah.

Here's my review in case you want to read it before you take the plunge:
/review/show...

It is strange!

Tamara wrote: "Yes, it was Freshwater. I know some people liked it, but I found it a bit too strange. It's certainly unique. You might enjoy it, Jalilah. ..."

Margaret wrote: "Tamara mentioned Freshwater, which I think you would enjoy, Jalilah. It's exactly your kind of magical realism set in this world.

I didn't include Who Fears Death on the list becau..."

Honestly I'm not sure how much actual mythology or folklore in Who Fears Death. I just know I loved it!

Freshwater does seem strange but I think I'll read it! The Icarus Girl was both an enjoyable and creepy read.

Jalilah wrote: "Tamara wrote: "Yes, it was Freshwater. I know some people liked it, but I found it a bit too strange. It's certainly unique. You might enjoy it, Jalilah. ..."

Margaret wrote: "Tamara mentioned [bo..."

I'm staring at the list and my mind goes blank. I have completely no idea what to read for many points.

Asaria's placeholder

1. A book with less than 100 reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

� [book:W cieniu krzyża i półksiężyca|46296580] by Stanisław Piłaszewicz 27/6

If I remember, it was an academic analysis of West African beliefs and traditions in the shadow of Christianity and Islam

2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for. Browse the Polls pageto see the winners. You'll know whether or not you voted for the winning book if there's a little * in front of the title.

/poll/list/3...

� Half World by Hiromi Goto 27/7

3. book inspired by African mythology or folklore,

� The Girl Who Married a Lion: And Other Tales from Africa by Alexander McCall Smith 18/9

4. An anthology or a single author collection outside your usual go-to genre or subject.
I've meant to read LGBTA romantic retelling of fairy tales, but I get through
� A Thousand Beginnings and Endings by Ellen Oh (26.1.19)

that hits all buttons I usually avoid

5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based or inspired by the myth or tale you've never read

� The Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope (14.04.2019)

6. A book was written by a Native American or First Nation or indigenous Australian etc.

âœ� Old Indian Legends by ´Ü¾±³Ù°ìá±ô²¹-Šá 4/12

7. A book set in a country you're curious about but never been to

� Księga Papugi by Ziya'u'd-Din Nakhshabi 21/5

8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read.

� The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly bySun-mi Hwang 14/6

Animal tales aren't my forte

9. An #ownvoices book; e.g., a story inspired by Indigenous beliefs written by an Indigenous author; a story about Chinese myths written by a Chinese author; a story with LGBTQ character written by a trans author, etc.

� Dwadzieścia pięć opowieści wampira by Somadeva Bhaṭṭa . Excerpts from Indian classic Tales from the Kathasaritsagara / The Ocean of the Rivers of Story with Scheherezade-like frame story, (06.03.2019)

10. A book with a cover you do NOT like

� Zebranie amorów by Pierre de Marivaux 14/9

11. non-fiction book about folk or fairy tales or mythology or a collection that has an analysis or commentary

� Cretan Women: Pasiphae, Ariadne, and Phaedra in Latin Poetry by Rebecca Armstrong (23.04.2019)


12. A tale told in verse

� Arjunawiwaha: The Marriage of Arjuna of Mpu Kanwa 26/4

Asaria wrote: "I'm staring at the list and my mind goes blank. I have completely no idea what to read for many points.

Asaria's placeholder

1. A book with less than 100 reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ
Easy and difficult a..."

Wow, that Howl's Moving Castle cover is truly horrendous!

Margaret wrote: "Wow, that Howl's Moving Castle cover is truly horrendous!

Not eye-candy, for sure. I'm guessing the blurred part is artwork from Miyazaki's movie. They even used the Japanese spelling for Howl.

10. A book with a cover you do NOT like

I'm curious, how other group members are going to select the book for this one. Go to a favorite tag then scroll through until you see a cover you don't like, read the blurb, then decide? Or go through your existing TBR list and pick the cover you like least?

I'm guilty of picking a book or two (ahem, allegedly more) based solely on falling in love with the beautiful cover. But doing so doesn't always work out the best, reading experience wise. So I'm stumped on how to go about finding a book I'll enjoy with a cover I don't like. Usually books I like have covers I like.

If anyone wants to share their strategy, I'm all ears, er, eyes.

Leah wrote: "10. A book with a cover you do NOT like

I'm curious, how other group members are going to select the book for this one. Go to a favorite tag then scroll through until you see a cover you don't lik..."

I pick out books to read based on the covers all the time. In fact, I make lots of cover judgments. Usually, it's easy to tell what genre a book is based on the cover.

I already know I dislike the cover of Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer. So I may go with that. Otherwise, if I spot a book I want to read that happens to have a hideous cover, I'll use that. Next I would scroll through my TBR.

Leah wrote: "10. A book with a cover you do NOT like

I'm curious, how other group members are going to select the book for this one. Go to a favorite tag then scroll through until you see a cover you don't lik..."

I haven't even thought about how I am going to go about that one yet! I've been quite busy and barely making it though a book a week. I'm going to have a look today, starting with the books on my tbr list.
How about we share ugly covers here in this thread?

Re: sharing / posting covers

Great idea, Jalilah!

(totally off topic side note: I wish GR would improve their app so users could reply to group posts as opposed to only being able to post a comment. Sigh)

I know that Charles de Lint was very unhappy with the cover of Under My Skin . It was not bad enough to make me not want to read it, but it's also misleading because the lead character is African American.

Leah wrote: "Re: sharing / posting covers

Great idea, Jalilah!

(totally off topic side note: I wish GR would improve their app so users could reply to group posts as opposed to only being able to post a comme..."

The Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ app is almost unusable for Groups, I find.

Jalilah wrote: "I know that Charles de Lint was very unhappy with the cover of Under My Skin . It was not bad enough to make me not want to read i..."

It's unbelievable they white washed the main character! ARGH!!! Makes me angry. This happened to I believe Who Fears Death, until she demanded it be changed (and I believe got a lot of her readers to complain about it until the publishers caved).



This is the hideous cover of Red as Blood I was talking about. This is NOT a paranormal romance. I've read one of her short stories, and it's like a mix of Angela Carter and Terri Windling.

I'm also not a fan of this Tam Lin cover, which I've been wanting to read for years:



Or this cover of Kissing the Witch: Old Tales in New Skins, another one I've been meaning to read:

I can't stop laughing about the Tanith Lee Red as Blood cover 🤣🤣🤣

I think they tried to white wash a few of Nnedi Okorafor’s covers. She posted before and afters on Twitter and I couldn’t believe that BS. I mean, I can believe it, it just sucks that writers have to stand up for something so basic - designer portray the character as the author wrote them.

I also had to laugh at that Tanith Lee cover. 🤣

Margaret wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "I know that Charles de Lint was very unhappy with the cover of Under My Skin Under My Skin (Wildlings, #1) by Charles de Lint. It was not bad enough to make me not want to read i..."

It's unbelievable they white washed the main character! ARGH!!! Makes me angry. This happened to I believe Who Fears Death, until she demanded it be changed (and I believe got a lot of her readers to complain about it until the publishers caved)..."

De Lint complained too so the next edition was somewhat better


I can't believe they gave Who Fears Death this cover!

Well both books are very good, so if someone wants to read them for this category I highly recommend them!
Same for Tam Lin! I loved it! I gave all 3 books 5 stars!

I just checked out Red as Blood, or Tales from the Sisters Grimmer and it looks like something I'd like to read, but it got me thinking. If we read the same book with a different cover does it qualify for 10. A book with a cover you do NOT like?

Jalilah wrote: "If we read the same book with a different cover does it qualify for 10. A book with a cover you do NOT like?"

I would think it'd be okay.

A few I'm considering:



I think this cover suffers by comparison to her other covers which are gorgeous.

Here's Nnedi Okorafor discussing the whitewashing of Who Fears Death:

The Tanith Lee cover is the worst and yet so hilarious!!!

I say we can count it even if we read a different cover. Especially since a lot of us read library books.

I've been wanting to read The Bone People. It would also count for the Read Harder challenge I've joined. Hmm. So many good choices!

Who Fears Death and The Weight of Feathers were two of my favourite reads for 2018!
The Bone People is one of those books that I am happy to have read, but would never read again. It's not easy reading because of both the writing style and subject matter.

I tend to choose by the title rather than cover but for #10 I am considering:

I usually find bad covers when a book is recommended to me by someone I trust, but I am horrified by the cover.

The worst cover I have ever seen is definitely the Tanith Lee one. Horrible, horrible, horrible. I've only read one story from that book and it was really lovely and literary. In my opinion, ALL of the covers for different editions also sell the book really short, but the slutty witch is just the worst!

I was planning on reading The Winter of the Witch for #2, but just realised that Every Heart a Doorway would have counted. Oh well, I just read The Girl in the Tower in order to read Winter of the Witch, so I think I'll keep it that way.

Emily wrote: "I usually find bad covers when a book is recommended to me by someone I trust, but I am horrified by the cover.

The worst cover I have ever seen is definitely the Tanith Lee one. Horrible, horribl..."

The cover is pretty ridiculous and has nothing to do with the content, but let's please avoid slutshaming! :)

Emily wrote: "I usually find bad covers when a book is recommended to me by someone I trust, but I am horrified by the cover.

The worst cover I have ever seen is definitely the Tanith Lee one. Horrible, horribl..."

I don't mind sexy witches, but I would be disappointed if I bought that cover and didn't get anything like that!

Margaret wrote: "I was iffy on Children of Blood and Bone. I liked the world building. It's definitely a fast-paced read. Some of the plot is strong. BUT it has one of my pet peeves in YA literature: a love interest that for most of the novel is trying to kill the protagonist. I really dislike YA books where at some point the male love interest hits/tries to kill the main character, and yet he's a redeemable character and really a good guy. We should all forgive him and think he's hot. This happens SO OFTEN. Ugh. It also tends to follow some fantasy genre tropes that make it predictable. I don't think you would like it at all, Jalilah..."

I forgot to reply to this! Thanks for letting me know this! No I don't like this in YA books!

Jalilah wrote: "I forgot to reply to this! Thanks for letting me know this! No I don't like this in YA books! ."

I'd forgotten all about it at this point. :)

This is my place holder! I am just going to put in the books I've already read, not the ones I am considering reading!

1. A book with less than 100 reviews on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Black Light by Elizabeth Hand

2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for. Browse the Polls pageto see the winners. You'll know whether or not you voted for the winning book if there's a little * in front of the title.
/poll/list/3...
Eva Luna by Isabel Allende


3. book inspired by African mythology or folklore
The Shadow Speaker by Nnedi Okorafor


4. An anthology or a single author collection outside your usual go-to genre or subject.
Red as Blood


5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based or inspired by the myth or tale you've never read
Dark of the Moon by Tracy Barrett


6. A book written by a Native American or First Nation or indigenous Australian etc.
Trickster Drift by Eden Robinson

7. A book set in a country you're curious about but never been to
The Little Book of the Hidden People: Stories of elves from Icelandic folklore Alda Sigmundsdóttir

8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read.
The Mere Wife by Maria Dahvana Headley

9. An #ownvoices book; e.g., a story inspired by Indigenous beliefs written by an Indigenous author; a story about Chinese myths written by a Chinese author; a story with LGBTQ character written by a trans author, etc.
Summer of the Mariposas Guadalupe Garcia McCall

10. A book with a cover you do NOT like
Moon of the Crusted Snow


11. non-fiction book about folk or fairy tales or mythology or a collection that has an analysis or commentary
Baba Yaga Laid an Egg

12. A tale told in verse Pearls on a Branch: Arab Stories Told by Women in Lebanon Today

The Mere Wife will count for 5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based or inspired by the myth or tale you've never read, as I've never read Beowolf. I already have a hard time reading Shakespearean English, so I'm not even going to attempt to read the original Beowolf however I am reading a summarized version.

I have only 3 so far:

*2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for. Browse the Polls pageto see the winners. You'll know whether or not you voted for the winning book if there's a little * in front of the title.
/poll/list/3...
The Winter of the Witch by Katherine Arden

* 5. A myth or legend you haven't read yet but always meant to (original or modern retelling) or a novel based or inspired by the myth or tale you've never read
Pashmina by Nidhi Chanani

* 8. A retelling of a certain tale type you would NOT normally read.
The Hob's Bargain by Patricia Briggs

There are several 2019 books I've read with less than 100 reviews, but I'll wait until the end of the year to see if they still do, since they've only been out a month or two.

Margaret wrote: "I have only 3 so far:

*2. An Into the Forest group read winner that you did NOT vote for. Browse the Polls pageto see the winners. You'll know whether or not you voted for the winning book if ther..."

Wow, you are going quickly!