book news, Challenges

And for a 6th time I wish you, farewell

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(Image by Melissa Nucera, used with permission)

If there were any doubts, the last few days here in the Midwest (Greater Kansas City area to be exact) have driven home the fact very clearly: Summer is upon us! When the sun sets today it does not only set on fair Spring 2012, it signals the official end of the 6th annual Once Upon a Time Challenge.

Nearly 100 of you wonderful readers signed up to take this journey with us and whether you read just one book or many, or partook of one film or many, I hope that the path you trod on led to all the magic and wonder that you hoped for. Reading really is a hopeful thing, isn’t it. We are seduced by a book’s cover, or title, its author or its subject matter–or a combination of these–and the turning of that first page really is like stepping out on a path into the woods that curves just up ahead. We are not sure where it will lead us but we hope that the journey is grand.

The presence of a wrap-up post is never required for any of the challenges that I host, but my curious nature certainly likes to peek through the proverbial curtains to see where the last three months have taken you. After the jump you will find my wrap up followed by a place for you to leave a link if you did a wrap up post.

I’ll repeat this again before the end, but:

Thank you for participating. Thank you for the posts, the book, film and television reviews, the tweets and the link sharing on Facebook. Thanks for taking the time to be a part of this community, thank you for treating each other well and for making new friends. Thank you for making my duty as host no real duty at all. You all are amazing.

Here is what I completed for the 6th Once Upon a Time Challenge (highlighted titles mean there is a review):

Books:

1. There and Back Again: A Hobbit’s Tale by Sean Astin

For the third year in a row I listened to this abridged audio read by Sean Astin. It fuels my LOTR love and I get something new out of the experience each time. The link is to my first review of the audio book.

2. Spirits in the Wires ~Charles de Lint

3. Mistborn: The Final Empire ~Brandon Sanderson

4. The Elephant Vanishes ~Haruki Murakami

5. Horton’s Miraculous Mechanisms ~Lissa Evans

6. The Freedom Maze ~Delia Sherman

7. Neverwhere ~Neil Gaiman

8. Thud! ~Terry Pratchett (review forthcoming)

Films:

1. Snow White and the Hunstman (thought it was terrible)

2. Labyrinth (one of my all-time favorites)

Games:

1. Skyrim

2. Alice: Madness Returns

All in all it was not a bad challenge for me, especially given that fact that as many of you now know I was devoting a great deal of my time to getting into better physical health.

I was able to delight in more work by Brandon Sanderson with a group of intelligent, passionate readers. I got to revel in one of my favorite novels, Neverwhere, with a similar group. Kailana and I were able to return to our annual habit of reading de Lint together, and I discovered a few wonderful YA books that will no doubt be on my end of year favorites list.

I did not partake of nearly as much Quest on Screen as I have in the past, until you count the many hours I spent in the land of Skyrim and in Alice’s nightmares. Both are games I am still enjoying very much.

So what about you, what did you read/watch/play that stood out to you? How was your journey, or journeys? Please feel free to share in the comments and if you’ve done any sort of wrap-up post please enter your link below.

Thank you all again so very much for taking part in this. I still have a hard time believing we’ve done this for 6 years now. I have an even harder time believing that come September 1st we will be starting the 7th annual R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril Challenge. Wild! I hope you will consider joining us.

Until then, I hope that your summer is filled with great books and fun summer films. I hope you can enjoy all the wonderful fresh foods that summer has to offer and I wish that Summer 2012 would be your best ever.

And before I say ‘farewell’, allow me to thank Melissa Nucera again for the use of her artwork for this year’s banners. I love her work and love her generous spirit even more.

40 thoughts on “And for a 6th time I wish you, farewell”

  1. Some excellent choices there, both reading and watching/playing wise (extra points for Skyrim/Labyrinth). Well done on the challenge!

    1. I agree, I’ll take those extra points! 🙂 I got a bluray player and new tv recently and picked up a cheap copy of Labyrinth on bluray. Was impressed at how nice and clean it looked given how old the show is.

  2. It is hard to believe that this is the end! I will have to take the time to figure out where I stand. I have been having a strange spring read-wise…

    1. It has been a strange one for me too. I’m thinking perhaps we should table Dream Tree until next year, or have you been plugging along with it?

  4. I’m really disappointed that I wasn’t able to join you guys for this challenge this year. The last three months have been uber-hectic and I didn’t have much time for anything. Hopefully next year! However, I’m really looking forward to R.I.P. 7!

    1. I can understand that. Am sorry too but thrilled you are planning on being a part of RIP VII! 🙂

  5. It sounds like you had a good challenge to me! I’d hoped to do better than I did, but it is what it is. Thank you for hosting, it was fun! I’m looking forward to RIP VII in the fall. (So, yeah, I said in my post that I was probably going to not join any more challenges, but I have a feeling I won’t be able to resist once we get to September! 🙂 )

    1. It was! And I’ve certainly had worse ones that I’ve hosted, lol! I’ve already got a few books in mind to read for RIP and we are months away.

  6. I was going to say I completely failed this year, but I didn’t now that I think about it!! Just this weekend, I finished The Chronicles of Harris Burdick which lets me complete The Journey at least! And I also saw Snow White and The Huntsman which I have to agree…was awful 🙁 At least it was pretty :p Thanks as always for hosting and I hope I have a more successful RIP!

    1. Glad we agree on Snow White, ha! I want to read that Chronicles of Harris Burdick book myself. I read about it awhile back and it sounded great.

  7. No, no! Don’t say farewell! Say, “See you later, alligator. In a while crocodile. Pretty soon, you big baboon!” Surely there will be a OUAT7?

    As to my books read, I’ll go back and write a post quickly, then link to your Mr. Linky.

    And, my heir apparent (son) lovesSkyrim. It appears to be quite the game; he even has me watching bits and pieces of it.

    I hope you’ll post some thoughts on Murakami’s The Elephant Vanishes when you can? 🙂

    1. I will at some point, Bellezza.

      Yes, Skyrim is pretty amazing. And there is an add-on coming soon. Can’t wait!

      Yes, it is truly only ‘farewell for now’ because ‘I’ll be back’.

  8. Noooo…I’m not ready for this to be done yet! I still have reviews to write! Although I did manage to finish a book that had been on the library hold list since March–it finally arrived and I read it three days ago. Time to sort through my reading lists and get the wrap-up post up, probably in a few days–and to get the rest of those reviews written…

    This has been such a fun challenge–thanks as always for hosting! The RIP challenge is not my usual fare, but your “challenges” are such wonderful opportunities to connect with other bloggers that I plan to join anyway. I’m already thinking of a few books to fit the requirements. Although I’m getting on a plane to fly out of the country at noon on September 1st, so that could make the launch tricky. Any chance the sign-up could be up before then? 😉

    1. There are definitely a wide variety of books that can fit within the RIP categories. I’m hoping to read the second Dresden book as part of it. Some Angela Carter. A mystery or two. Maybe I’ll finally read The Historian.

      I always do the sign up for RIP a week to 10 days before Sept 1st so that everyone can get started, so no worries there.

      1. Brilliant! Then I’ll make sure to be watching for the sign-up around August 20th. And it occurred to me that I plan to read a bunch of British books (Agatha Christie, Sherlock Holmes, Northanger Abbey) so I’ll probably bring something with me to London–it’s very appropriate!

  9. Thanks for the great challenge. I wish I had more time and could have participated to the Neverwhere read along (I love that book!). Maybe next year I’ll do more, and in the meantime I look forward for the RIP challence.

    And now you made me want to get Sean Astin’s audiobook!

    1. You are welcome. Excited that you are up for the RIP Challenge.

      Sean Astin’s audio book is great. I really do get so much out of it each time I listen to it. I wish each of the actor’s had/would do an audio book sharing their experiences. I’d be listening to them all, frequently!

  10. Every time you do OUaT I remember finding your blog for the first time and all the reviews ! That was when all my troubles began and I went from having 2 or 3 tbr to well over 100! lol geez.
    Anyway.. I am glad for this year because it pushed me to read some of the trilogies i’ve had hanging on the shelves for a long time (not wanting to commit to 3 bks at a time)

    ……….and RIP will be here so soon we’ll all say “huh? how did time go so fast?” lol I am tossing around a reread or two but not sure… I should just get rid of some on the shelves like I did with OUaT lol… thanks for yet another grand challenge Carl!

    1. Yes, I’m a bad man, Deslily. A bad man! 🙂

      You rocked the challenge this year and read a lot of stuff. Very happy that you enjoyed so much of it.

      Yes, I feel like we are having that “where did the time go” much too often of late. It shouldn’t be like this!

    1. You are welcome and I am SO glad you participated with us. Thank you!

  12. As always, thanks Carl for this! And I’m going to try and get my act together to do the RIP challenge again this year. I had a grand time when I did it (what three years ago now?) before.

    1. You are welcome, and I hope you are able to do RIP with us this year. It is always a fun time of year.

  13. Hi Carl
    Thanks for hosting this – I had a really good time, particularly reading some of the other reviews (and now of course my tbr pile is even higher!) I think what I really enjoyed was getting to see so many comments about books that are in a similar vein – particularly some of the fairytale retold reviews. I love that sort of book and it’s given me a few more authors to look into.
    I need to take a look back – I’m not sure that I read what I intended originally but ‘the best laid plans…’ etc, etc.
    What exactly is the RIP challenge? I know that I saw it on your blog last year (in fact that’s where I first read about Jim Butcher) but I was too late to take part.
    Lynn 😀

    1. It is my pleasure, truly. I’ve discovered many retold fairy tales from this challenge and I too really enjoy them. I wish I had gotten to a re-read of Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber, but as it also has a sinister feel to it maybe I can do so for RIP.

      The RIP Challenge is two months (Sept and Oct) of reading mysteries, gothic fiction, horror, thrillers, etc. It started out in my mind focusing on more gothic work but expanded as I got it rolling. I’m hoping to read the second Dresden book for the one this year.

      1. Oh, this RIP sounds right up my street. I’ll start saving some gothic/creepy books up for this! I read the 2nd Dresden book and actually have no.3 waiting to be read. I read a really good review on Little Red Reviewer’s blog a couple of days ago – Anno Dracula which is a sort of retelling of Dracuala – but what if he lived scenario. Sounds really good and the author Kim Newman also did another one about Moriarty – so I’m going to take a look into those. It’s a pity I’ve already read Mr Shivers – that would have been perfect too. Still, I’m sure there’ll be lots more between now and then!
        BTW – you look great on your running pictures, and more to the point, you sound like you had a great time! Take care on your night time run – hopefully you’re not an oaf like me (actually nobody could be such an oaf!)- trips, etc, which is why my ankle is now a mess!
        Lynn 😀

        1. Thanks! I did have a really great time and am looking forward to the next one on the 29th. I am hoping and praying for no trips and falls myself. Especially since this next trail one is a night run!

          Glad you are on board for RIP. It is the first challenge I ever started and I have a deep affection for it, as well as for that time of year.

  14. Thanks for hosting again, Carl. I did pretty well this year, just missed A Midsummer Night’s Dream and hope to read or watch it by the end of the month. R.I.P. is starting September 1st? Yippee!

    1. Yes indeed! Although the announcement will come out sometime mid to late August. Thank you for participating! 🙂

  15. The only thing that would have made this OUaT better for me would have been if I had been able to fit in a Neverwhere re-read with you all. Too bad I HAD to be in Hawaii! Still, I feel like it was a complete success and I’ll admit to already putting on my RIP read goggles and taking a look over my shelves. I promise that I haven’t started pulling out books yet. I can’t guarantee how long I’ll wait though!

    1. I think you won with the Hawaii trip! 🙂 I think we all would have traded places with you.

      I’m in the same frame of mind, I’ve got some RIP ideas already percolating.

    1. You are welcome, thanks for taking part. It has been a real pleasure discussing books with you.

    1. Thanks Michelle, I’ll be over this weekend to check it out. And you are very welcome.

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  20. Thanks for hosting!

    Are you going to write a review of Snow White and the Huntsman? Which parts irked you them most?

    I’ve seen it and wasn’t impressed but I don’t loath it, either.

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