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Journey to Another World won as theme for the May 15-July 14 Group Read!

Each group member can nominate 3 books with this theme:

One Adult Novel
One Young Adult Novel
One long Tradition Tale, a collection of Traditional Tales or a book about fairy or folk tales or myths on this theme.

Nominations can be fantasy, mythic fiction,magical realism, realistic books or even science fiction, but they should be inspired by or contain some kind of myths, fairy or folk tales involving the theme.


To make it easier for us moderators, please add the link to your nominations! You can do this by clicking on the above feature "add book/author.

If you are nominating a book from a series only the first in the series, only the first in the series can be nominated unless it's a standalone series.

Autors can not nominate their own books

So have fun nominating the books you want to read!

Let's get started! :)

Adult - The Border Keeper byKerstin Hall
YA -Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Traditional - Maybe "Inanna’s Descent into the Underworld"?

J.J. wrote: "I would like to nominate ITCHIWAN by J.J. Cunis for either Adult or Young Adult.

A coming of age story like Stephen King's The Body (STAND BY ME) ......"

Hi J.J., congrats on the book, but authors can't nominate their own books.

Adult: A Blade So Black. This seems to cross into that border between YA and adult from what I have read.

YA: Brave Story

Does the Midnight Library fall under this topic? I haven’t read it yet, I just got it. If so that’s my nomination for Adult.

YA: A Great and Terrible Beauty

Adult: Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
YA: Dread Companion by Andre Norton (In print in the edition Dark Companion)
Original tale: The Story of Bensurdatu in The Grey Fairy Book and online here

YA: The City of Brass
Adult: Neverwhere

Teallia wrote: "Does the Midnight Library fall under this topic? I haven’t read it yet, I just got it. If so that’s my nomination for Adult.

YA: A Great and Terrible Beauty"

I'm pretty sure The Midnight Library would fall under this category.

Margaret wrote: ".Hi J.J., congrats on the book, but authors can't nominate their own books"

I just added this to my opening post!

My nominations are:
Adult The War of the Flowers
Young Adult Coraline
Traditional tale: ??? I know Alice in Wonderland is not a traditional tale, but in a way it's kind of become a classic or not?
If this doesn't count then I'd love to read it Inana's decent into the underworld!

Jalilah wrote: "My nominations are:
Adult The War of the Flowers
Young Adult Coraline
Traditional tale: ??? I know Alice in Wonderland is not a traditional tale, but in away it's kind of..."

There are two tiny problems with this myth. It's rather short - 8 pages in the online copy I've checked out. And which version?

Jalilah wrote: "Traditional tale: ??? I know Alice in Wonderland is not a traditional tale, but in away it's kind of become a classic or not?"

I think it would count.

It's a bit of a vague interpretation but I'd like to nominate Orpheus Girl by Brynne Rebele-Henry for Young Adult.

Margaret wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Traditional tale: ??? I know Alice in Wonderland is not a traditional tale, but in away it's kind of become a classic or not?"

I think it would count."

We had a discussion here in this group a long time ago. I think the general consensus was that while it's not a fairy tale in the way that tales are, for example like sleeping beauty or little red riding hood, it's become part of popular culture with references in troupes the same way these tales are and is used in common expressions.
So is everyone here ok we count it for traditional Tale?

Jalilah wrote: "...So is everyone here ok we count it for traditional Tale?..."

I'm good with it.

I wouldn't mind it.

Katy wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "...So is everyone here ok we count it for traditional Tale?..."

I'm good with it."

Asaria wrote: "I wouldn't mind it."

Ok then! Alice's Adventures in Wonderland will be my nomination for traditional tale!

Traditional Myth: I think The Epic of Gilgamesh contains a journey in the Underworld

Adult: The King of Elfland's Daughter, which has been on my wishlist since forever

YA: In an Absent Dream

Marta wrote: "Traditional Myth: I think The Epic of Gilgamesh contains a journey in the Underworld...

Not so much a journey to the Underworld as a journey to the Afterlife to learn the secret of immortality from his ancestor, Utnapishtim. To get there, he has to journey through other worldly places, including the garden of the gods.

Inanna, on the other hand, does go to the Underworld where she encounters the queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal.

Tamara wrote: "Inanna, on the other hand, does go to the Underworld where she encounters the queen of the Underworld, Ereshkigal. "

Thank you! We coud read something about Inanna then, it would be cool :) I have this one on my TBR: Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer. If you don't mind re-reading, that's it

You're welcome, Marta.

I used selections from the edition of Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer for the text book I wrote when I developed a Women in Religion class, Women and Goddesses in Myth and Sacred Text. I contacted Diane Wolkstein at the time and she very graciously edited a selection so I could include it in my book.

Just FYI: since the topic is journey to another world, Gilgamesh would also work.

Besides that books have myth or fairy tale content and that authors can't nominate their own books, we do not have many rules here. However because several nominations have already been featured as group reads, we had to make a new rule.
We decided that the group reads have to be over 5 years ago for a previous group read winner to be nominated.
This means that The King of Elfland's Daughter can be renominated, as the group read was over 5 years ago, however the group read for Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer was only 3 years ago, so unfortunately can not be nominated.
This is the link to the discussion
/topic/show/...

At the moment we have:
Adult
The Border Keeper
A Blade So Black
The Midnight Library
Three Hearts and Three Lions
Neverwhere
The War of the Flowers
The King of Elfland's Daughter

Young Adult
Brave Story
A Great and Terrible Beauty
Dread Companion
This The City of Brass
Coraline
Orpheus Girl
In an Absent Dream

Traditional tale/s
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass
The Story of Bensudatu in The Grey Fairy Book
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Island of Happiness: Tales of Madame d'Aulnoy
Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others


I will put up the polls tomorrow so please let me know if a I left out anything or if you have any more nominations!

Jalilah wrote: "Besides that books have myth or fairy tale content and that authors can't nominate their own books, we do not have many rules here. However because several nominations have already been featured as..."

Pity about Inanna's story, because I didn't have "Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer" in mind. if it is the only available English publication, then my bad. Hmm, I wonder whether Kramer published this myth in his Sumerian Mythology... It has been years since I read it the last time. It's quite old and probably very outdated, though.

Edit: There is also Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others but I haven't read it yet. Not sure if Inanna's myth is included.

Jalilah wrote: "That's it! We could still read Inanna if it were a different book by a different author! "

Thinking about what Tamara said, I actually would like to nominate Gilgamesh in the end then 🙏

Asaria wrote: "Pity about Inanna, because I didn't have Inanna, Queen of Heaven and Earth: Her Stories and Hymns from Sumer in mind."

I don't know about the book you mentioned (hope someone can tell us if the descent myth is in it!) - anyway, I do know about a verse translation: Inanna: A New English Version. To be honest, I've never read it, not even a page.

I'm going to nominate "The Island of Happiness" by Madame d'Aulnoy for Traditional. I think it's in multiple anthologies. Definitely in The Island of Happiness: Tales of Madame d'Aulnoy and Beauties, Beasts and Enchantments: Classic French Fairy Tales by Jack D. Zipes.

Marta wrote: "Traditional Myth: I think The Epic of Gilgamesh contains a journey in the Underworld

Adult: The King of Elfland's Daughter, which has been on my wishlist since forever

..."

Sorry! I missed your nomination for The Epic of Gilgamesh!
I will add it to the list!
We did a buddy read, ( not a group read) for Gilgamesh: A New English Version a few years ago.
Also there is also Tamara's novel Gilgamesh of Uruk if anyone wants to nominate it. Autors can't nominate their own books, but anyone else here can, and her novel is very good and fits the criteria!

Margaret wrote: "I'm going to nominate "The Island of Happiness" by Madame d'Aulnoy for Traditional. I think it's in multiple anthologies. Definitely in [book:The Island of Happiness: Tales of Madame d'Aulnoy|55178..."

Added!

Asaria wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Besides that books have myth or fairy tale content and that authors can't nominate their own books, we do not have many rules here. However because several nominations have already ..."

Would you like me to add Myths from Mesopotamia: Creation, the Flood, Gilgamesh, and Others?

Jalilah, sure. :)

Please note the changes and let me know if I should add anything or if I accidentally left anything out!
I'll put up the polls this afternoon or early evening.

Just for you all to know, I highly suspect I have undiagnosed dyslexia because I often will miss things when looking at lists etc., so if I leave out something please know it's not intentional!
Just point it out to me and and I won't be upset!

Asaria wrote: "Jalilah, sure. :)"

Will do!

The polls are up! You can vote for the books you want to read here!
/poll/list/3...
/poll/list/3...

Please let me know if I forgot anything and I can still add it!

Asaria wrote: "Let's get started! :)

Adult - The Border Keeper byKerstin Hall
YA -Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Traditional - Ma..."

The winners are:
Adult Novel: The Border Keeper
Young Adult Novel: Orpheus Girl
For Traditional tales for the first time in this group we have a 3 way tie! They are all relatively short, so I think its ok
They are:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Island of Happiness: Tales of Madame d'Aulnoy

I will be setting up the threads today!

ŷ������ has changed the setting so I can only set up 3 threads at a time!
Chris or Margaret if you have time can you please set up the rest.
If not, I'll set them up later today, whenever ŷ������ allows me, no problem!

Jalilah wrote: "ŷ������ has changed the setting so I can only set up 3 threads at a time!
Chris or Margaret if you have time can you please set up the rest.
If not, I'll set them up later today, whenever Goodrea..."

It looks like they're all set up now? Sorry, I was only just now able to get on ŷ������.

Margaret wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "ŷ������ has changed the setting so I can only set up 3 threads at a time!
Chris or Margaret if you have time can you please set up the rest.
If not, I'll set them up later today, ..."

Yes, it appears you just have to wait a few hours.