Into the Forest discussion

Would anyone be interested in doing a themed group read again like we did awhile back?
This would be for the May 15-July 14 Group Read.
For those of you new to the group, the themed group differed from the regular group reads in that instead of just nominating any booksthat fit the criteria of this group, we first nominated and voted for a theme before then nominating books. Then all the books nominated had to fit the theme.
It's a little bit more time consuming in that we have to first nominate themes then vote for them in a poll, so there have to be enough people interested in participating to do it.
In the past we had many themed group reads, for example we had ones for Irish mythology, Native American mythology, animal helpers, fairies etc.

Edited to say Yes, we will do a themed group read this time!
This thread will remain open until April 18th then we will set up a poll.
The poll to vote for the theme will stay open another week until April 25 then we will set up a thread to nominate the books
The thread to nominate the books will stay open a week
On May 2 a poll will be set up to vote for the books you've nominated
On May 9th the winners will be announced!

I like the themes too. For me, it's easier to come up with a nomination if I have a theme to focus on. On the other hand, if a theme that doesn't interest me wins, I won't be participating.

I'm with Shomeret: it's easier to come up with nominations when there's a central theme.

But for May-July 2019 I'll participate even if a theme in which I'm not interested wins as long as I can find books to nom in the winning theme. That tends to be the stickler for me: if a book is widely available at libraries.

Leah wrote: "I'm with Shomeret: it's easier to come up with nominations when there's a central theme.

But for May-July 2019 I'll participate even if a theme in which I'm not interested wins as long as I can fi..."

Shomeret wrote: "I like the themes too. For me, it's easier to come up with a nomination if I have a theme to focus on. On the other hand, if a theme that doesn't interest me wins, I won't be participating."

Good to know! Just out of curiosity do you know yet what themes you'd like? I like the idea of a theme that both of you like because it would be great having the two of you participate!

I'll try to be better about nominating more widely available books. I tend to get all heart eyed at new books, ha. And then I get on a waiting list of 100+...

I like the idea of a themed read too.

I sometimes even have ARCs of the book, but because I literally have more than 100 2019 ARCs right now, I'm a little overwhelmed.

Oh, what problems. ;)

I tend to like themes that are culturally oriented--the fairy tales,myths,legends of a particular culture.

I also prefer books to be available at the library.

Shomeret wrote: "I tend to like themes that are culturally oriented--the fairy tales,myths,legends of a particular culture.
I also prefer books to be available at the library."

Margaret wrote: "I'll try to be better about nominating more widely available books. I tend to get all heart eyed at new books, ha. And then I get on a waiting list of 100+...
I like the idea of a themed read too...."

Let's go for it!
Everyone can go ahead and nominate a theme!
I'll change the title of this thread!

I don't have a theme idea, and because I am new to the group, I'd like to just watch and then participate when voting happens. It's fun to see how you do things!

I have two ideas. How about Creation Myths? Or tales from the Pacific Islands?

I don't know if we've done this before, but I'd like to nominate Quests as a theme.

Annette wrote: "I have two ideas. How about Creation Myths? Or tales from the Pacific Islands?"

Both are great, but please choose just one. Otherwise there will be too much to choose from.

Here are themes we had in previous group reads:
African/African American, Strange Bedfellows,Books that have been nominated for the Mythopoeic Award, Magical Shakespeare,Norse Mythology, Djinn, Yule-Tide, Faeries, Dragons, Animal Transformations, Unicorns, the Folklore and Mythology of Ireland, the Folklore and Mythology of East Asia, Fairy Tale "Helpers", Folklore and Mythology of First Nations-Native Americans, Trees (Dryads, Enchanted Forests), Water (Mermaids, Selkies).

I nominate Aboriginal Australian folklore/mythology.

I have no idea what books I would nominate, but I have two reading challenges I'm participating in (including this one) that I could count a book with this theme toward.

This is great! I'd like to second Creation Myths, if that's all right.

❄Elsa Frost❄ wrote: "This is great! I'd like to second Creation Myths, if that's all right."

Of course! Once the polls open, you can vote for it.

❄Elsa Frost❄ wrote: "This is great! I'd like to second Creation Myths, if that's all right."

Then I nominate Creation Myths. In backwards response to Elsa!

Tales from the Far North (where there is ice and snow)

Quest for the Lost Husband -- the fairy tale type, like "East of the Sun, West of the Moon."

I definitely like Quests - so much potential. :)

I will nominate tales,folklore and retellings from South America.

I'd like to nominate Titles with Color, meaning there's a color in the title of the story, book, collection. For example, A Blade So Black or Black Leopard, Red Wolf or The Blue Fairy Book.

This is what we have until now:

Titles with Color

Tales ,folklore and retellings from South America

Quests (Twice nominated)

Quest for the Lost Husband ( or should be part of Quests?)

Tales from the Far North (where there is ice and snow)

Creation Myths ( twice nominated)

Aboriginal Australian folklore/mythology ( should we include Polynesia?)

Magical Music

Quests is the broader term so it can include quest for the lost husband.

How about Music? It could be music as magic, like the Pied Piper, or music as defense (the old superstition about whistling past the graveyard), or stories based on ballads, or a bard or troubadour as central character, or...?

Michele wrote: "How about Music? It could be music as magic, like the Pied Piper, or music as defense (the old superstition about whistling past the graveyard), or stories based on ballads, or a bard or troubadour..."

I love that!

Michele wrote: "How about Music? It could be music as magic, like the Pied Piper, or music as defense (the old superstition about whistling past the graveyard), or stories based on ballads, or a bard or troubadour..."

I love it too! I just added it as "magical music". Is that okay?

How about musical folklore/mythology?

Also, Polynesian is fine for my theme!

Margaret wrote: "How about musical folklore/mythology?

Also, Polynesian is fine for my theme!"

Do you mean you want to change your theme from Aboriginal Australian folklore/mythology to Aboriginal Australian and Polynesian folklore/mythology?

I feel like I shouldn't propose any theme before I catch up with all group picks from previous months, but I've been thinking about all those tales where hero(ine) makes a deal with Devil, Fair folks, Death or any other magical entity.

Jalilah wrote: "Do you mean you want to change your theme from Aboriginal Australian folklore/mythology to Aboriginal Australian and Polynesian folklore/mythology?"

How about we say aboriginal Oceania folklore/mythology?

Margaret wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "Do you mean you want to change your theme from Aboriginal Australian folklore/mythology to Aboriginal Australian and Polynesian folklore/mythology?"

How about we say aboriginal Oce..."

Sounds good and will give people more choices!
I'd be inclined to suggest adding Latin America to the South American category as I remember how hard it was finding things to read a few years ago when we did the round the world challenge.
So much that would turn up on the searches was Mexican which of course isn't South American at all.

Shomeret would you be okay with this?

Jalilah wrote: "I'd be inclined to suggest adding Latin America to the South American category as I remember how hard it was finding things to read a few years ago when we did the round the world challenge.
So much that would turn up on the searches was Mexican which of course isn't South American at all."

Personally, I found a solid selection from South American countries. If this one wins I already know I'm going with an Argentine author for my nom. :-) But, the issue I ran into was finding books available in US *and* available at the library. There were some new in translation books but most were only an option if I wanted to buy the book; they weren't available to borrow from my library.

Leah wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "I'd be inclined to suggest adding Latin America to the South American category as I remember how hard it was finding things to read a few years ago when we did the round the world c..."

That was our 2016 challenge. I couldn't remember exactly, and just checked out the thread https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Most people ended up reading either Isabel Allende or Gabriel Garcia Marquez for the South American category. Because I'd already read most of the books from these authors, especially the ones that have mythic content (as not all of their books do), I had a hard time finding anything else. I ended up reading a horrible YA book that was from an American author but supposedly had Incan Mythology in it. Then there is Borges but I was not in the mood.....
If there are any other titles you could suggest I'd love to be proven wrong! Then I'd vote for a South American theme!

Jalilah wrote: "That was our 2016 challenge. I couldn't remember exactly, and just checked out the thread..."

Ah, yes, that was the year I read Eva Luna (<< soooo good btw) for the South America category. I guess I was lucky there because I'd only read 1 other Allende at that point.

Jalilah wrote: "If there are any other titles you could suggest I'd love to be proven wrong! Then I'd vote for a South American theme!"

Oh no, the gauntlet is thrown. Dare I accept this challenge? 😉 Let me see what I can rustle up from Mt TBR...

And since it was her theme nomination, maybe Shomeret has potential book ideas too?

Curious- will you set up a poll for themes and then another poll for the actual book nominations? Thanks, Sher

Sher wrote: "Curious- will you set up a poll for themes and then another poll for the actual book nominations? Thanks, Sher"

Hi Sher, not a moderator, just a fellow member, but yes, that's how it works when there's a theme. Round 1: Nominate a theme. Then vote on the theme. Theme winner is announced. Round 2: Nominate a book in the winning theme. You can nominate 1 YA book; 1 Adult book; and/or 1 collection. Then vote on the books. Group read winners are announced. The mods usually post on the boards and send a group email when voting opens and when winners are announced.

Jalilah, below are the books I had in my South America "folder" from 2016. Note: Availability was an issue for most of these. And I excluded the well-known authors like Allende, Marquez, Borges, etc. who you mentioned above.

SOUTH AMERICA

The Mythology of South America by John Bierhorst

Pachamama Tales: Folklore from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay by Paula Martin

ARGENTINA

Mouthful of Birds by Samanta Schweblin, Megan McDowell (Translator) **this one I added in 2018 b/c I loved the author's English debut novella, but her new novel may not fit this group and/or be too horror-y for most members.

Kalpa Imperial: The Greatest Empire That Never Was by Angélica Gorodischer, Ursula K. Le Guin (Translator)

The Days of the Deer (La saga de los confines #1) by Liliana Bodoc

Ghosts by César Aira, Chris Andrews (Translator)

Argentine Fairy Tales by Ana Schindler, Margitta Schafer (Illustrator) (UK)

COLOMBIA

Delirium (Delirio) by Laura Restrepo, Natasha Wimmer (Translator)
"An acutely observed rendering of contemporary Colombia alternates with an almost magical portrayal of the Eden-like country that had so bewitched the wife's immigrant family on arrival from Germany."

CHILE

Folk Tales from Chile by Brenda Hughes, Dick de Wilde (Illustrator)

Mariana and the Merchild: A Folk Tale from Chile by Caroline Pitcher, Jackie Morris (Illustrator)

BRAZIL

Hilda Hilst - I don't have a note as to why I added her or where I first heard about her to add her to my list. But I'm including her here just in case her works catches anyone else's fancy.

A couple lists I bookmarked but did not read through yet:

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/6...

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/8...

Sher wrote: "Curious- will you set up a poll for themes and then another poll for the actual book nominations? Thanks, Sher"

Yes, it's as Leah explained!
Yes, the poll to vote for themes will go up April 18 and will stay open another week until April 25. Then we will set up a thread to nominate the books. Each person can nominate 3 books: 1 Adult novel, 1 Young Adult novel and either 1 long traditional tale or a collection of short tales.
The thread to nominate the books will also stay open a week, so
on May 2 a poll will be set up to vote for the books everyone's nominated
On May 9th the winners will be announced!

Leah wrote: "Jalilah, below are the books I had in my South America "folder" from 2016. Note: Availability was an issue for most of these. And I excluded the well-known authors like Allende, Marquez, Borges, et..."


Looks good! Okay let's keep the nomination South America instead of Latin America then! Sorry for being hesitant, it's just nothing kills a group read more then when there are no books for it!
I think those titles plus the more famous ones by Isabel Allende and Gabriel Garcia Marquez should give us enough choices. There is also a lovely Brazilian novel called Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands that would also fit the criteria.

Jalilah wrote: "There is also a lovely Brazilian novel called Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands that would also fit the criteria."

Would you consider it heavy on romance?

Jalilah wrote: "Sher wrote: "Curious- will you set up a poll for themes and then another poll for the actual book nominations? Thanks, Sher"

Yes, it's as Leah explained!
Yes, the poll to vote for themes will go ..."

Wow, that is quite the process, but I love it. :) Thanks for explaining.

Last call for theme nominations!

Leah wrote: "Jalilah wrote: "There is also a lovely Brazilian novel called Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands that would also fit the criteria."

Would you consider it heavy on romance?"

Not in the traditional or soap opera sense. Dona Flor's first husband is a liar and cheat, but their relationship is passionate and sex is fantastic ( no graphic descriptions though). Her second husband is the opposite loyal reliable but the fire is missing. Then there is the Brazilian magic inbetween, literally!

The poll is up!
Time to vote!
https://www.goodreads.com/poll/show/1...