Once Upon a Time VII Challenge

Hi, everyone! Time for a 2013 Reading Challenge!!

(Art by Melissa Nucera) 

This challenge is being hosted by Carl at Stainless Steel Droppings.

Here are the details copied from Carl's blog:

Once Upon a Time VII

Thursday, March 21st begins the seventh annual Once Upon a Time Challenge. This is a reading and viewing event that encompasses four broad categories: Fairy Tale, Folklore, Fantasy and Mythology, including the seemingly countless sub-genres and blending of genres that fall within this spectrum. The challenge continues through Friday, June 21st and allows for very minor (1 book only) participation as well as more immersion depending on your reading/viewing whims.

The Once Upon a Time VII Challenge has a few rules:

Rule #1: Have fun.

Rule #2: HAVE FUN.

Rule #3: Don’t keep the fun to yourself, share it with us, please!

Rule #4: Do not be put off by the word “challenge”.

While this event retains the word “challenge” from its earliest days, the entire goal is to read good books, watch good television shows and movies, and most importantly, visit old friends and make new ones. There are several ways to participate, and I hope you can find at least one to your liking:

This is really as simple as the name implies. It means you are participating, but not committing yourself to any specific number of books. By signing up for The Journey you are agreeing to read at least one book within one of the four categories during March 21st to June 21st period. Just one book. If you choose to read more, fantastic! If not, then we have still had the pleasure of your company during this three month reading journey and hopefully you have read a great book, met some interesting people, and enjoyed the various activities that occur during the challenge. It has always been of utmost importance to me that the challenges that I host be all about experiencing enjoyable literature and sharing it with others. I want you to participate. Hence, The Journey.

Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time categories. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.

Read at least one book from each of the four categories. In this quest you will be reading 4 books total: one fantasy, one folklore, one fairy tale, and one mythology. This proves to be one of the more difficult quests each year merely because of the need to classify each read and determine which books fit into which category. I am not a stickler, fear not, but I am endlessly fascinated watching how folks work to find books for each category.

Fulfill the requirements for The Journey or Quest the First or Quest the Second 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. Love the story, love the films, love the idea of that magical night of the year and so this is my chance to promote the enjoyment of this farcical love story.

This quest involves the reading of one or more short stories that fit within at least one of the four genres during the course of any weekend, or weekends, during the challenge. Ideally you would post about your short story readings on Sundays or Mondays, but this is not strictly necessary.

Stories are not just limited to the printed page. Many entertaining, moving, profound or simply fun stories are told in the realm of television and film. To participate in this quest simply let us know about the films and/or television shows that you feel fit into the definitions of fantasy, fairy tales, folklore or mythology that you are enjoying during the challenge.

If you review any of the books you read or shows you watch for the challenge, please link to them in the Review Site by clicking the link (or by clicking on the banner on the right hand side of my blog), that way we can come and visit you.

If you would like to join me in the challenge, click on the challenge badge at the beginning of this post.

I am aiming for QUEST THE FIRST (read 5 books that fit within the categories).

CHALLENGE UPDATE:
COMPLETED ON 9 MAY 2013!
 
I will keep track of my progress below (and list some of the ones on my TBR list):

1. Moon Called by Patricia Briggs (Mercy Thompson, Book #1) 
2. Beastly: Lindy's Diary by Alex Flinn (Kendra Chronicles, Book #1.5)  
3. Splintered by A.G. Howard (Splintered, Book #1)  
4. What the Spell? by Brittany Geragotelis (Life's a Witch, Book #1)
5. Death Comes Home by Rhiannon Frater (In Darkness We Must Abide, Episode #1)
6. Written in Red by Anne Bishop (The Others, Book #1) 
7. Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter
8. Everbound by Brodi Ashton
9. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter
10. Starcrossed by Josephine Angelini
11. Unearthly by Cynthia Hand
12. Bewitched by Alex Flinn
13. Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce