Once upon a time...

Thanks to the post from Bride of the Book God I have just come across the Once Upon a Time VII reading challenge at Carl's blog Stainless Steel Droppings.  What a perfect excuse (as if I needed one) for reading more myths and fairytales.  Here is what Carl writes about the challenge..

“Come away, O human child: To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, For the world’s more full of weeping than you can understand.”

~William Butler Yeats

The calendar in the Northern Hemisphere may officially designate March 20th as Spring, but the forecast of rain, sleet and snow beginning Thursday and carrying through the weekend makes that difficult to believe. Over the voice of wind and cold I can still here that voice telling us that it is indeed time to once more “come away”.

It is that voice that beckons us to Middle-earth and Newford, that calls out from the gap in the village of Wall and from the world of London Below. It is the voice that packs so much promise into four little words…

“Once upon a time…”

Perhaps you too have heard that voice whispering on the spring wind, or perhaps Old Man Winter continues to drown out the sound; either way that time has come: Once Upon a Time is here!

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.

Don’t like the word “challenge”? We have something special just for you.

Come away, and I’ll tell you more…

I have decided on Quest the Second which is to read at least one book from each of the four categories.  A few weeks ago I read a review of Bitter Greens by Kate Forsyth, a re-telling of Rapunzel, so this is my choice for the Fairytale category.  I have also been meaning to read Ursula le Guin and have found her novel Lavinia as the book for the Mythology read.

As for the other two categories I have no idea what to choose for Fantasy, but it has to be something written by George RR Martin since I borrowed a quotation from him for the title of this blog.  So a trip to the library is needed for that one.  And for the Folklore I have had Folktales of the British Isles on my bookshelf for a while now (another purchase from Graham York in Honiton), so this seems a perfect choice.

 The other joy of finding Once upon a time is that it has led to the discovery of some more wonderful blogs: the Story Girl,  a Bookish Way of Life and Terri Windling's site with its wonderful art and extensive archives.

So thank you to Carl for the reading challenge and, like so many others who have already commented, I am excited about getting started.

Attend the Tale

Last Friday I went to see Clyst Vale Community College's production of Sweeney Todd at the Barnfield Theatre in Exeter.  The College's reputation for putting on an excellent show is growing and well deserved.  The amount of work involved and the risk of a school taking over a professional performance space is a real tribute to the dedication of the staff. I am thankful that my daughter was able to take part this year by being in the stage crew.  The crew was so slick that I could barely see them.  I certainly could not pick out individuals which must mean that they all played their part very well indeed.

As the curtain rises the audience is in no doubt that this is a dark and sinister story of poverty, captivity and a blinding obsession with revenge. We were treated to the full works even in this, the school edition; atmospheric mist, hollow eyed Londoners and copious amounts of blood spurting from slit throats.  From the opening to the closing scene the chorus repeats its warning to "Attend the tale.  Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd".  It is a tale which ends in the almost complete destruction of the main characters.  The only two to escape are Todd's daughter Johanna and her lover Anthony, but whether they will escape the past is a question which haunts long after the curtain has come down.

For me though the most poignant and truly haunting moment comes not in the slitting of throats or the grinding of bodies to fill Mrs Lovett's pies, but in the first encounter between Johanna and Anthony.  He catches sight of her singing at her window and he is entranced.  Wanting to give her a gift, Anthony buys a songbird.  In answer to his question as to why the songbird flaps its wings so frantically, the bird seller replies "We blinds em sir".  She explains that the caged and blinded birds sing continuously as they no longer know whether it is day or night.

Attend the tale.....

Connections

In honour of Irish Short Story Month on The Reading Life blog I have been trying to track down a copy of any of William Trevor's short stories, so far without success.

I stopped by one of my favourite secondhand bookshops, Graham York Rare Books in Honiton and I scoured the shelves of the Killerton secondhand book barn, but both visits yielded nothing.

The reason I want to read one of Mr Trevor's stories in particular is very simple. William Trevor lives in Devon and has agreed to be one of the patrons of the Crediton Community Bookshop.  This wonderful project came about when one of the few remaining independent bookshops in Devon was due to be sold.  A local group is raising money through a share offer in order to keep the shop open for and hopefully soon to be owned by the community.  Reader, author and storytelling events are planned and it is proposed to showcase local writers as well as guidebooks to the area. Having purchased a couple of shares in the Community Bookshop I am waiting to see whether the full amount needed will be raised.  I sincerely hope so.

www.creditoncommunitybookshop.co.uk