Once Upon A Time is a reading challenge I look forward to every year. Organised by Carl of Stainless Steel Droppings, it’s challenge for lovers of fantasy, fairytale, folklore and mythology. It runs from 21 March to 21 June and there are a number of ways you can participate. Those who are busy but still want to join in can sign up for just one book, while those looking for something more challenging might consider reading one book from each of the listed categories plus Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There are also challenges for lovers of short stories, movies and games. Whatever you decide, the core rules of OUAT are:
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”.
Last year caught me completely off guard, but this time around I’m ready! I’ve decided to stretch a bit with this year’s challenge and have signed up for: 
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.
I’ve paired this challenge up with the #ReadMyOwnDamnBooks challenge, and have raided Mt TBR for the following:
Folklore: Aradia: Gospel of the Witches by Charles Leland. Purportedly a study of Italian witch folklore in the 19th Century, there are some doubts as to its authenticity.
Fairytale: The Wild Girl by Kate Forsyth. More historical fiction than fairytale, but I think it’s close enough. It tells the tale of Dortchen Wild who falls in love with Wihelm Grimm as she tells him the fairytales she has grown up with.
Mythology: Ishtar edited by Amanda Pillar and K.V. Taylor. A trio of stories based around the myths of Ishtar.
Of course, this still leaves the fantasy component, but I have no concerns on that front. In fact, fantasy makes up most of my Mt TBR! Fortunately, I like having lots of possibilities. The photo shows only a very tiny selection… one that may have been influenced by reading Jennifer Fallon’s The Lyre Thief not long ago. With the exception of Blood of Innocents, they’re all books written by Australian women writers that I’ve been meaning to read for far too long.
If you’d like to join the challenge, there’s still time to sign up. I’d also love to hear from you: what fantasy, folklore, fairytale and mythology is on your Mt TBR?
I love this challenge. I may have even visited your blog before because of it, before recently, because sometimes I am on the ball and visit all the participants!
Isn’t it such a great challenge? I am hoping to be more organised about visiting participants… though that’s going to have to wait until after I get back from the sci-fi convention. Good luck with the challenge! I’ll have to stop by and see what’s on your reading list.
Great challenge reads! I don’t know any of the titles but found that fantasy comes easiest for me too 🙂 I wanted to read poc lit and have tried to choose fantasy that also has elements of mythology and folklore.
The only one of those books that isn’t Australian fantasy is Aradia, so it doesn’t surprise me you haven’t heard of them. Even big Australian authors, like Sara Douglass and Juliet Marillier, have a hard time getting much overseas attention.
I probably need some more poc lit in the mix. Perhaps it’s time to check out Daniel Jose Older?
Dear oh dear, this has really snuck up on me this year. It always does, though. I know I’ve got at least one Intisar Khanani book that I could make work for the challenge! I’ll have to go back through my TBR list and see what else I could use. I do love the lovely OUAT challenge. Your choices are excellent!
It does creep up on one, doesn’t it? I’d probably have forgotten all about it without my blogging calendar.
I’m hoping to tackle some of Khanani’s work, too. It’s a good thing the challenge is such a long one because my list of books to tackle just keeps growing longer!
Wow I have never heard any of the books you’ve listed! Oh wait, except for the Sara Douglass! I think I read her Wayfarer Redemption a few years ago. I’m off to Goodreads the other books you’ve listed and might just add some to my TBR list! Happy OUaT!
I hope you find some you enjoy. If fantasy is your thing, you might like to know the Aurealis Awards recently added an award named after Sara Douglass for best series. There were a ton of great books on the shortlist.
Happy OUaT!