Reading Challenge | Readers Crossing.

The camp will begin run between  Sunday 10/December to Sunday 31/December and is hosted by Aentee from Read at Midnight. (Text is taken from her website as well)

CUTE – First Across: To finish this path, you’ll be reading graphic novels, contemporary fiction, and sweet romance.
SPORTY – First Down: For this path, you’ll be reading about action heroes and adventurers, along with books created by a team of authors.
COOL – Five Down: Everyone who wants to read all the buzzed about books, award winners, and celebrity memoirs or fiction – follow this path.
NATURAL – Five Across: Get in touch with nature with  books set in the wilderness, filled with animals, or your favourite classics, with this particular path.

The blue squares are extra challenges, a combination of reading and performing game-related activities such as getting a shot of your campers reading!

As you can see on my card, I will attempt to read all the books from the Sporty path and I will also try to read several books from the blue squares. Every book you finish will give you +2 EXP (or +3 EXP if you read an #ownvoice book) and you can gain up to 5 EXP from social media.

Sporty:
Graphic Novel/Manga:
Superhero:
Main adventure plot:
Written by 2+ authors:
Set in the wilderniss:

Extra:
Seasonally inspired:
Insect on the cover:
Fruit in the title:
Free space:
Read a book in 24 hours:
Read a book picked by a friend from your TBR:
Set at seas/beach:
Comment on a post:
Shelfie:

Reading Challenge | The Reading Quest.

The quest will take place between Sunday 13th August to Sunday 10th September, 2017. This fabulous reading challenge is hosted by Read At Midnight.

There are four different characters you can pick from. I'm going with Bard for my first quest!

BARD: While the bards may not engage in direct combat, they make up for it with their intimate knowledge of songs and stories. They will travel through the Fifth Down path on the quest board, reading famed tales and singing lost songs.

The stats you start with: Level 1. EXP: 10. HP: 10.

+EXP: each finished book +10.
Book by marginalised author: +20.
Finish quest: +50.
Every additional quest: +30.

+Level: every 50 EXP.

+HP: every 10 pages +1.
Tweeting #TheReadingQuest +1. Max +20.
Photos #TheReadingQuest +1. Max +20.

Books I read:

A book that has a TV/movie adaptation: Neil Gaiman - American Gods.
A Fairytale Retelling: RaShelle Workman - A Beauty so Beastly.
A book cover with striking typography: V.E Schwab - A Gathering of Shadows.
A book translated from another language: Cornelia Funke - Inkheart.
A banned book: 

Potions, book by 2+ authors: Anthology; Because You Love to Hate Me.
Time Warp, book set in past or future:
Expansion, companion novel or short story:
Multiplayer, buddy read a book:
Grind, a book with 500+ pages: V.E Schwab - A Conjuring of Light.
Respawn, read a previous DNF:
Animal companion, reference to animal in title:
Mini game, graphic novel, novella or poem collection:
Open world, read whatever you want: Susan Dennard - Truthwitch.

EXP: 60.
LEVEL: 2.
HP: 224.

Retelling December '16 | Giveaway puzzle.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

The end of the year is approaching and I want to thank everyone for joining for a second year. This is also my announcement that I will not host the challenge in 2017. I'm taking a break, so if anyone is willing to host it next year, feel free to let me know in the comments. I might come back in 2018, but I feel uninspired and there has hardly been any feedback, so I'm taking a step back for now.

 I still want to reward all of you by giving away a prize. Last year I made a bingo card for December, this year I went with a puzzle to combine with a giveaway! There are two simple rules:

1. You must be a participant of the challenge. Just add a link to your challenge page and you are good to go. (This means you need to have a page made before December)
2. You must figure out the answer to this puzzle.

CLICK on the picture to make it large.

I hope you are all familiar with the concept of a Swedish puzzle, but in case you are not I will explain it. I will give you clues and you have to fill in the answers in the field of the corresponding number in the puzzle. If you’ve managed to fill in all the answers, you must look at the coloured fields and the letter in there. You place these in the coloured line on the bottom of the puzzle and you will get a special word/sentence. As you can see, there are double colours in that line. There are two light blue, purple and light pink squares, because these contain the same letter. The black square is to make the distinction between the different answer fields more clear, because it first looked like 24 was just one huge line.

I think we are good to go! The puzzle is Disney themed (of course)

1 horizontal: “Under the sea.”
1 vertical: Red head who loves brchery.
2: Poisonous fruit.
3 horizontal: a skilled technician, was able to build his own solar surfer.
3 vertical: Grand vizier.
4 horizontal: Black panther.
4 vertical: No wonder that her name means..
5: One of seven.
6: Magic powers. The cold never bothered her anyway.
7: Voiced by Kurt Russell.
8: Disney is..
9: Historical figure. Daughter of Powhatan.
10: Has a fairy godmother.
11: Wreck-it!
12: Forgotten Disney princess.
13: King of Mangani.
14: Took a long nap.
15. Animal that lost his mother.
16. Lives in Neverland.
17: The shadow man.
18: She loves llamas.
19: Son of Esmeralda.
20: Expects misfortune to happen to him.
21horizontal: Robotic genius, lives in San Fransokyo.
21vertical: Rocks blue flames as hair.
22: A Cecaelia.
23: Abbrevation for Gantu’s title.
24: The Walrus and The... (Alice in Wonderland)
25: In love with Evangeline.

If you have any questions you can leave a comment here or leave a message somewhere on my other social media.

a Rafflecopter giveaway Please, make sure you follow the rules. Cheating is off no use and it only takes more time for you and for me. It’s also important you are >18 or you must have permission from your parents to enter the Rafflecopter. Your personal details will be deleted after I’ve send you the prize. The giveaway is international as long as The book depository ships to your country. The price value is 10 euro and it must be a (fairytale) retelling.

Retelling September '16 | Dressing up a villain.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

Hello hello! We are already in September and I hope you are doing great with your challenge. How many retellings have you've read so far?

Today I want to do something I did in the 2015 Fairytale challenge link-up in July and I thought it would be fun to dress up two fairytale villains! This is how I imagine them to look in our time.

I imagine Cruella in a timeless black maxi dress with her red pumps as statement. Of course, a big fluffy coat and a fun necklace.

For some reason I see Mother Gothel as someone who would dress to impress. Really classy and sophisticated look with the color of her plum dress in the movie.

How would you dress up some villains?

Retelling August '16 | The Importance of LGBTQIA+ Retellings - Chiara.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

Hello my dear retelling participants. Today I want to show you a really exciting post. I decided to team up with a few other bloggers and let them write guest posts about retellings. One of the first names I had to think of was Chiara from Books for a Delicate Eternity. She is THE blogger when it comes to LGBTQIA+ books, so I was excited when she accepted my offer to write a guest post about it! Here is her brilliant post:

The Importance of LGBTQIA+ Retellings – Chiara @ Books for a Delicate Eternity

There is, as always, a great need for LGBTQIA+ books. Everyone deserves and needs to see themselves in the media they are consuming. Seeing yourself in literature is incredibly important – it can assure you that you are not the only person who feels a certain way, can assure you that you are not ~other~, and can validate your existence and your feelings (and these are just three quick, tiny things that seeing yourself in books can do for someone).

But there is a need beyond just having LGBTQIA+ books in general. There is a need beyond seeing yourself in new stories. There is a need to see yourself in the stories that everyone knows. That you grew up with, but never saw yourself in. There’s a need for LGBTQIA+ retellings.

There are a few that already exist, but compared to cishet (cisgender and heterosexual) retellings, they are sadly few and far between. We need more of these stories that everyone knows and loves to see reimagined time and time again with LGBTQIA+ characters at their heart. So the transgirl can be the one that everyone falls head over heels in love with, so the bisexual prince can find his one true love, so the asexual princess can kick butt and take names. We need these fantastical and traditional and world-known stories to exist for everyone, not just cishet readers.

This year, there are three upcoming LGBTQIA+ retellings, and I infinitely excited for all of them:

First up there is As I Descended by Robin Talley, which is a retelling of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, with an f/f (female/female) couple at its heart. Macbeth is an incredibly intense and macabre story, and I cannot wait to see how the author brings it to life with a modern twist as well as LGBTQIA+ characters.

Secondly, there is Beast by Brie Spangler, which is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. I cannot even express how incredibly excited I am for this story. For a retelling of one of the most popular fairytales ever to have a transgirl in the role of Beauty is just amazing. I really hope that she gets her happily ever after in this book.

Lastly, there is Marian by Ella Lyons, which is a retelling of Robin Hood. However, in this version of the tale Robin Hood is a badass girl, and the romance still exists between her and Marian. As soon as I found out about this book I had a MIGHT NEED for it, because badass lady knights are everything, and we totally need more of them.

I really hope that these upcoming LGBTQIA+ retellings get the love and attention they deserve, so that even more are written and published and devoured. If you’re looking for backlist LGBTQIA+ titles to read and support, here they are:


And I Darken by Kiersten White (retelling of Vlad the Impaler’s life, with a gay MC with POV chapters)

Ash by Malinda Lo (retelling of Cinderella – most say this is a lesbian retelling, but personally I read it as bisexual)

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray (all girl retelling of Lord of the Flies, with lesbian, bisexual, trans, and queer characters with POV chapters)

Love in the Time of Global Warming by Francesca Lia Block (retelling of Homer’s Odyssey with a bisexual girl protagonist – and also the rest of the cast are LGBTQIA+, as well, which is A+)
Lyra by Erica Crouch (retelling of the story of Orpheus, but with two boys)

Mad About the Hatter by Dakota Chase (retelling of Alice in Wonderland where Alice is a guy and falls in love with the Mad Hatter)

If you have always seen yourself in almost any of the books you decide to pick up, it might be hard to understand why this representation is so important. LGBTQIA+ characters are most often found in contemporary stories. And while these stories have great importance (because they can be reflective of the experiences and lives that LGBTQIA+ teens and young adults are living), there is a need for LGBTQIA+ novels in any genre. Including retellings. Retellings are often magical, and fantastical, and you are transported to a different time and place, and it provides a kind of escape in a way that contemporary novels can fail to do. Retellings are often super romantic, with high stakes attached and battles to be fought for this love to happen. Retellings are a reinvention of tales that we grew up watching and hearing, and make them something new to discover, but that still retain the essence that we have always loved.

Cishet readers see themselves in the original fairytales and myths and legends, and also their retellings. What LGBTQIA+ retellings do is take that beloved story that did not represent anyone except cishet characters, and bring them to life for LGBTQIA+ readers. I cannot stress how important it is to see yourself in the books you are reading. And LGBTQIA+ retellings do that, but also do it in a way that makes age old stories new and relatable and representative of the world we live in now. It says to the reader: yes, you can be the princess. You can be the knight. You can be the apple’s eye of the kingdom. Because you are real and worthy and important. You exist.

Do you have any recommendations when it comes to LGBTQIA+ (retelling) books? And how do you feel about this topic?

Retelling July '16 | Inspiration for retellings.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

I often see people comment about the fact that they are 'failing' this challenge, but I want to point out there is no failling. This challenge is all about having fun and simply reading books you enjoy; and if you don't feel like it, then don't do it. But, this got me thinking about the fact some people might get stuck on what books they have to read. So, here is a list with all kinds of retellings you might be in the mood for – and some that will be published at the end of this year.

Retelling June ‘16 | Meaning behind fairytales.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

Sorry that I kept you waiting for so long. It's a combination of wrong time-management and a busy life at the moment. I was also waiting for a guest post, but that's going to take some more time.

Today I want to talk more about the meaning of fairytales and how they translate to our modern society. This also ties in together with my post where I defended some of the Disney princesses. I think one of the magical things about these tales is that there is always a hidden (or sometimes quite obvious) message. That’s why I love it when nowadays authors take these messages and create something new with them in their retellings.

1. Life lessons.
“Deeper meaning resides in the fairytales told me in my childhood than in any truth that is taught in life.” ~ Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller


Beauty and the beast tells us that it’s not about beauty on the outside; you have to appreciate personality. That is what love is all about. The tale of Mulan shows us that one person can make a difference. Cinderella shows the true meaning of kindness. As long as you keep an open mind and believe in your dreams, things might come true.

Red Riding Hood is there to warn us. Parents might not always be right, but sometimes you better listen to their advice. Never stray from the right path or you might get in trouble; and definitely don’t trust every stranger.  Aladdin is also about appearances. Jasmine falls in love with him for who he is, because she doesn't like him when he portrays to be a rich guy. Dumbo always did something to me. He is different and therefore, he is teased, but in the end that’s what made him special and unique.
Pinocchio is definitely a clear message that you must not tell lies or hang around with the wrong kind of people. Sometimes you have to go after what you want and make your dreams come true, but that doesn’t mean you have to change yourself in the process, according to Ariel. Your actions have consequences.

It’s also starting to get obvious that you don’t accept food from everyone. Before you know it, you might choke on it, you start growing/shrinking or you end up in a cage being fed by a witch until you are fat enough for her meal.

I love these messages behind the tales and I think that's why these stories are so powerful and still important in our daily lives.

2. Hope. “Fairy tales do not tell children the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” - G.K. Chesterton.


What I love about fairytales is that they show us that there is always a happily ever after even if it’s different from what you envisioned. The road is not always easy and sometimes it might feel you are on the wrong track, but in the end it will be all right. This is especially present in all the retellings that are being published lately.

And I want to end this post with a fantastic quote:
 
“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairytales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairytales.”–Albert Einstein

Retelling May '16 | Tales I would like to see as a Disney movie.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this: 
UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page. 
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

I love fairytales and I love Disney, so if the two of them combine it's the best thing in the world. I was thinking about all the Disney movies that will be released in the future and all the things I would love to see, so here are a few ideas;

There is a movie about the Prince of Egypt and Hercules, but I would love to see them use some Norse mythology/Scandinavian folklore too! Odin, Freyja, Loki; wouldn't it be great to see their creations for them. I also think the naughty Loki is someone children will like.

A live version of Bluebeard would be pretty epic too. Such a dark and creepy tale that would work really well on screen The same for a movie about The twelve dancing princesses, although it would be great to have an animation version too. This has always been one of (my many) favorite tales. The mystery behind their dancing; I think it is captivating and there is a lot of space to be creative about the reason they have to dance all night.

I also think Six Swans would be a good story to film. Her six brothers are turned into swans by their stepmother and she has to endure a lot to break it. Movies about strong female characters: yes please! A movie from one thousand and one nights about Scheherazade is more than welcome too. We can use the diversity. Or what about a live version of Aladdin! Next to Beauty and the beast and The little mermaid definitely one of my favorites.

I'm still surprised that Disney does not own an animation movie of Red Riding Hood, Princess and the pea, Rumpelstiltskin, Hansel and Gretel of Jack and the beanstalk. Those are such classic stories that match perfectly with their animation style. You never know what the future will bring, right?

What would you like to see retold in a movie?

Retelling April '16 | Illustrations.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this: 
UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page. 
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

I'm sorry I have kept you waiting for so long, but things went a bit out of my hands, so here is the link-up post for April. I realized I never asked about the bingo card, how did you guys do? And are you still on schedule or are you behind, because remember: this challenge is all about having fun and reading good books. No pressure!

This month I want to talk about one of my favorite things in fairytale books and that is illustrations! Nowadays we can find many drawings inspired by a huge variety of fairytales. Today I want to show you some of my favorite illustrations and I want to invite you to make a post/tweet/photo/video where you share your favorites.

Retelling March '16 | Fairytale products.

Don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:
UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

Let’s imagine that you start your night with a chunky book filled with fairytales. I definitely have my eyes set on all the Leatherbound editions from different tales. I already own the one from the Brothers Grimm and I can’t wait to get my hands on more.

At some point you have to stop reading to get something to eat or drink, so what better way to mark your page than to use some bookmarks?
                              Magic bookmarks.                              The sticker alley.

SkinnyHues.                                Phoenix art studio.

Retelling February '16 | Favorite Disney quotes.

Don’t forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC. At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:”

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

My progress:
I already read two books: C.J Redwine - The shadow queen and Megan Morrison - Grounded. Both were really good, so I would recommend them. What did you read?

I always think fairytales are inspirational. Some stories have beautiful morals and I think Disney managed to translate those lessons into their movies. Some people might disagree about the role of Disney princesses, but I already came to the defence of some, so I came up with eight quotes from several movies that made me think. (Also a reminded: don't forget about the bingo card! You have until March to fill in at least one square, so you can join the giveaway in December)

Retelling January '16 | Recap of 2015.

First off, if you haven't signed up for this challenge, you can until February 1st. Go to the introduction post with the master sign-up linky.

Other technical details: don't forget to tweet and Instagram with the hash-tag #fairytaleRC.

Can you believe it’s already 2016 and that we are starting a new, clean sheet? Let’s keep those fairytale retellings coming! I hope you are all ready to get some reading done (let me know in the comments which level you are aiming for and what your first book might be.) At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name. This is your master post, like your challenge page.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

I am SO excited you guys! There was a moment where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to host the challenge again. It’s quite time consuming and I wasn’t sure if I had enough ideas, but then I had a moment of inspiration and I wrote down tons of ideas for the monthly posts. It’s a shame I didn’t receive many feedback on my November 2015 post, but I got a few new ideas from people and I will work with it.
I thought this would be a good time to recap the Fairytale challenge from 2015 and to give you a little view of what you can expect from 2016.

Sign-up post, where 142 participants joined.
January | Fairytale beginnings.
February | Quiz to find out your ending.
March | Discussion: are fairytales over?
April | Uprooted giveaway.
May | My ideas for fairytale retellings.
June | Favorite villains.
July | Dressing up.
August | Fairytale recommendations.
September | In defence of Disney princesses.
October | True stories.
November | Feedback.
December | Bingo card.

The bingo card was posted December 2015, but you have the chance until March 1st to finish the card. This will give you an extra entry in the giveaway I will host in December, so make sure you place the card somewhere on your social media, so I can find it back as prove. Here is the card again:



One square is enough to qualify for the extra points in the giveaway!

What can you expect from this challenge in 2016?
I am planning to integrate Youtube and/or Instagram into the challenge. I have a puzzle, a new quiz, discussion posts, information and hopefully a few more challenges. I'm also going to place a bigger focus on other retellings than fairytales, to make sure this challenge is suited for everyone! I'm also using at least one guest post, so I think we are up to some fun posts!

If there is something you really want to see, let me know!

(Fairytale) Retelling challenge 2016 | Sign up post.

This year I will be hosting the Fairytale challenge for the second time. Let’s go through the details:

• The challenge runs from January 1st to December 31st 2016.
• You can sign up on your blog, Goodreads, Youtube, Instagram, Twitter: whatever suits you. Make sure you link to a specific post/tweet/photo/etc, instead of a regular link to your account. (Or have some proof by posting the banner in your sidebar!)
• The goal is to read fairytale retellings, but if you want you can also pick other retellings. Think about mythology, myths, legends and folk tales. It's all up to you!
  Here are a couple of books you can pick from:
  my bookshelf with fairytale retellings.
  Listopia best books of mythology.
  Listopia mythologies and retellings of fairytales & classics.
  Listopia mythology/folklore.
  Listopia myths/legends/folktales.
• You can read Middle Grade, Young Adult and Adult books for this challenge. 
• Obviously, the book doesn't have to be published in 2016 and re-reads count.
• Physical, e-books, Audio books and novella's all count.
• Cross-linking your books from/with other challenges count.
• There are 6 different levels you can aim for:
  
  -Enchanted Moura: 1 – 4 books.
  -Goose Girl: 5 - 9 books.
  -Evil Queen: 10 – 15 books.
  -Wise princess: 16 – 20 books.
  -Kuma Lisa: 21 – 25 books.
  -Cheshire cat: 26+ books
  .
• Every beginning of the month I will make a link-up post where you put all your reviews and update posts. These link-up posts will have informative/fun introductions, just like last year. I will also focus more on other retellings and there will be a giveaway in December. You can win extra entries throughout the entire challenge.
• Format for the link-up:
  UPDATE  @ your name/blog name.
  REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.
• Use the hash tag #fairytaleRC on Twitter and Instagram.

The official retelling challenge button.

Also new, you can now showcase a button if you have reached a level!




Enchanted Moura: a supernatural being from fairytales of Portuguese and Galician folklore. She often appears singing and combing her long hair; which is golden as gold or black as the night. She promises treatures to whom sets her free by breaking her spell.
Evil Queen: also known as The Wicked Queen of Queen Grimhilde from Snow White.
Goose girl: Princess is betrayed by her maid and has to work as a Goose girl until she can prove she is the real princess.
Wise princess: about a princess who knows everything, except about true happiness. She dies in the end, but she has managed to find happiness and that makes her the most wise of all.
Kuma Lisa: is a fox from Bulgarian and Russian folklore, who usually plays the role of the trickster as an archetype.
Cheshire cat: from Alice in Wonderland.

I can’t wait guys, let the sign-up begin! You have until February 1st.

December retelling link-up | Bingo-card!

At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

Don't forget to tweet with the hashtag #fairytaleRC

As last post I wanted to do something fun to inspire you for your last chance to complete your challenge. Are you still on schedule or will it be a battle against time? Hopefully, this will give you another push, but also don’t forget: there is no such thing as failing. Even if you don’t meet your set goal, I just hope you had fun during the year and that you have found some great books.

I contacted Bekka from Pretty Deadly Blog (and you also know her as co-blogger on Great Imaginations) about her bookish bingo cards. She was kind enough to give me permission to use this idea for my event. So *drumrolls* I present my fairytale bingo card. It’s not nearly as pretty as Bekka’s cards, but I simply suck at designing stuff, haha.



Here are some ideas:

Book with a queen.
-R.C Lewis – Stitching snow.
-Marissa Meyer – Cinder.
-A.C Howard – Splintered.

Autumn colours.
-Jodi Lynn Anderson – Tiger Lily.
-Juliet Marillier – Daughter of the forest.
-Jessica Day George – Princess of glass.

Winter-themed.
-Eowyn Ivey - The snow child.
-Anna Ursu – Breadcrumbs.
-Cameron Dokey – Winter’s child.

A quest.
-Heidi Schulz – Hook’s revenge.
-Jane Nicherson – The mirk and the midnight hour.
-McCormick Templeman – The glass casket.

Beauty and the beast retelling.
-Naomi Novik - Uprooted.
-Juliet Marillier - Heart’s blood.
-Rosamund Hodge – Cruel beauty.
-Sarah J. Maas – A court of thorns and roses.

Siblings.
-Juliet Marillier – Wildwood dancing.
-Heather Dixon – Entwined.
-Jackson Pearce – Sweetly.

Unpopular fairytale.
-Sarah Maguire – Valiant (the little, clever tailor)
-Renee Ahdieh –The wrath and the dawn (thousand and one nights)
-Claire Legrand – Winterspell (Nutcracker)

Gender-bender.
-Stacey Jay – Princess of thorns.
-Cameron Dokey – The wild orchid.
-A.C Gaughen – Scarlet.

RULES:
-This Bingo card is meant for December to February 2016. If you enter, you will earn an extra entry in the giveaway I will host in December 2016.
-Have fun!

November retelling link-up | Feedback.

At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.
Don’t forget to use the hash tag #fairytaleRC on twitter.

Today I want to do something else. I have an amazing event planned for December and it’s the last month, so I wouldn’t have enough time to use your feedback for the possible 2016 fairytale challenge. Today I want to ask you for some honest feedback.

First of all: I want to thank all of the participants. It was a huge success for me. I got tons of inspiration and I loved finding new topics to talk about in my monthly posts. I had so much fun hosting this challenge and I’m thinking about hosting it again next year if there is enough interest in it. Therefor, I would really appreciate it if you answer the next questions:

FEEDBACK:
What did you think about the overall challenge? (Rating on a scale from 1 – 10, with 1 as terrible)

What are your thoughts on the monthly posts? 

Are you interested in a 2016 (fairytale) retelling challenge next year?

What should/could I change or improve? Any requests?

Please, tell me all your thoughts and wishes. This was my first time hosting a challenge and I want to make it fun for everyone. I can always use your input and every idea is welcome!

October retelling link-up | True stories.

At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

Don't forget to tweet with the hashtag #fairytaleRC

October, the month of Halloween. I was inspired by this holiday because of the scary stories. Our beloved fairytales are not always as pleasant as they are nowadays. Today I am going to talk about the real meaning and true endings of some of our popular fairytales.

Cinderella (Charles Perrault in 1697 as Cendrillon, later Brothers Grimm as Aschenputtel. Source: Wikipedia and Swide. )
In the oldest version of the story, Cinderella kills her first stepmother. The original story was by Giambattista Basile, who collected stories. La Gatta cenerentola (The Cinderella cat) was the title of the story Charles Perrault used to make his Cinderella story. In Basile’s tale, Zezolla is persuaded to kill her stepmother by breaking her neck by slamming a chest on her head. Her father then marries someone even worse. In the darker version of Perrault, in comparison with Disney, the stepsisters are taught a lesson for their ugly behaviour. First they  cut off parts of their feet toe make the shoe fit and on Cinderella’s wedding their eyes are plucked out by doves.

Sleeping beauty (La Belle au bois dormant/The beauty in the sleeping wood by Charles Perrault or Little briar rose/Dornröschen by Brothers Grimm. Source: Wikipedia, Pitt.edu and Swide.)
Charles Perrault used another version of Giambattista Basile, this time Sun, Moon and Talia.  Talia’s
father asked wise men and astrologers to predict her future and they find out she will be in danger from a splinter of flax. She falls into a long, deep sleep and her father abandoned the house to forget his misery, thinking his daughter died. One day, a king finds the house, finds her unconscious body and he rapes her. Talia gives birth to twins and one of them sucks the flax out of her fingers. She wakes up and gets a visit from the King. He promises he will return to take her to his kingdom, where he has a wife waiting for him. The wife is first trying to cook the twins, so she can feed them to the King, and next up she tries to burn Talia alive. The king finds out and burns his wife instead. He marries Talia and they life happily ever after.

Snow White (Brother’s Grimm – Schneewittchen. Aarne-Thompson has grouped together other tales like Snow White, such as Bella Venezia, Myrsina, Nourie Hadig, Gold-Tree and Silver-Tree, The young slave and La petit Toute-Belle. Source: Wikipedia.)
Let’s forget the fact that a Prince takes her unconscious body with him if she is 'dead'. The Evil Queen is punished at the end of the tale: she is made to dance, wearing a pair of red-hot iron shoes, until she falls over dead. Snow White is also not all to bright in this story, because she almost dies three times by the hands of the Queen.


The Little Mermaid (Hans Christian Anderson. Source: Wikipedia and Movieplot.)
Ariel’s (she never got a name in the story though) tongue got cut off and every step would feel like a knife through her legs. In the end she never marries the prince. He marries a princess, but he did told the mermaid she is very dear to him.  She almost kills the princess, but in the end she can't and flings herself in the sea where she turns into foam. BUT, that's not the end of the story.
She obtained a soul by becoming a Daughter of the Air.


What is your favorite 'scary' fairytale? I also think Red Riding Hood is scary if you about the true morals.

September retelling link-up | In defense of Disney Princesses.

September has started. Are you still on schedule? It the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

Don't forget to tweet with the hashtag #fairytaleRC

I often hear people complain about Disney princesses and how they give ‘the wrong image and idea to younger children.’ I talked a little about it in my discussion posts whether fairytales and Disney are done. Today I want to go ahead and defend my beloved Disney princesses.

Belle suffers from Stockholm syndrome, where you fall in love with your kidnapper. I say bull shit. Let’s go back to the basic of this story: her father is lost and enters someone else’s castle. The Beast thinks he is only there to gloat at him, so he locks him away. In the original tale it’s because Maurice steals one of his precious roses. If someone comes into your house, would you accept that? I know that Maurice had no wrong intentions, but I can see where the Beast comes from. He doesn’t kidnap anyone and Belle only comes into his life because she trades her life for her father. He never truly mistreats her and over time they grow a friendship that blossoms into something more. I don’t think it’s unnatural of Belle to fall in love with him. I was applauding when I read this article about Why beauty and the beast isn’t about the Stockholm syndrome. This story is all about finding beauty inside. Yes, the beast was an unkind person in the beginning, but he developed into a likable person.

Cinderella is often portrayed as spineless and stupid, but I honestly understand where she comes from. I think we all want to feel accepted and loved by the people around us. I know I always look for that feeling of belonging, like I said in my I am socially awkward post and my bullying story. Imagine you have lost two of the most important people in your life and suddenly you have three new people left. You look for their appreciation and that makes you vulnerable. So yes, Cinderella is abused and horribly treated and she doesn’t do anything against it, but spineless? I see it as a way of her to TRY to be loved by them. She wants them to notice her and that does mean she accepts their treatment, but is it really that strange? She always try to maintain her kindness. I think that it’s a beautiful trait, even when it’s a little naive. To always try to see the good side of someone can be a strength too. In the end she does stand up for herself and realize how strong she was. She managed to survive and she was still able to see the beauty in others.


Ariel is portrayed as that stupid girl who fell in love with a guy after one glance and she traded everything to be together with him. The first thing we must remember is that she longed for a life on land even before she met her Prince Charming. I think meeting him, finally seeing a human up close, was just the last push she needed. I think she was struck by the fact he was the first one she met and that gave a special connection to her. I think it was brave of her to go through the transformation and to go after something she wanted. I would be terrified to leave everything I know behind. Even if that decision meant that her story ended unhappy in the real tale, I think Disney gave her a strength by showing that fighting for what you want pays off in the end. This story is NOT about a girl changing herself for the love of her life. She changed herself to become part of a world she ached for and Eric happened to be there too (not to mention the fact Eric never said he wouldn’t have loved her if she was a mermaid. This also shows in the sequel with their daughter Melody).

I think these Disney princesses shaped me and I am welcome I had them in my life while growing up. I still love them, because they all have their good features and flaws. I loved this article that explains, with some examples, why Disney princess are NO bad role model and also this second article does a good job at portraying why Disney princesses rock. I also applaud this article for showing why Disney princesses are great role models.

How do you feel about Disney princesses? Do you think they are good or bad role models and why?

August retelling link-up | Fairytale recommendations.

September has started. Are you still on schedule? Don't forgot to add the hash tag #fairytaleRC to all your tweets.

I sometimes get questions about fairytale retelling recommendations. Today I’m going to list all the favorite retellings I’ve acquired over the years.

July retelling link-up | Dressing up.

At the end of this post you can put links to your challenge page/post and every review you post on your blog. Please make this easy to navigate by putting it like this:

UPDATE  @ your name/blog name.
REVIEW – book title @ your name/blog name.

Don't forget to tweet with the hash tag #fairytaleRC so we can see all your updates.

Last time I found a new collection of Disney wedding dresses and it inspired me for this month's topic. Today I want to make a modern look based on my favorite Disney princess:

Belle, of course! When I think about her, I think about simple, clean and elegant clothes. I decided to go with a pretty grey coat that still shows off her lovely figure. Her hair is in a bit of a messy ponytail with a golden hair cuff in it. I decided to stick with simple black for her bag, skirt and shoes. I wanted to bring the gold from her hair cuff back by adding a watch with golden tones. Her simple yellow top is of course based on her dress from the dancing scene and I wanted to add some colour and Beauty & the beast details into the outfit, hence the rose earrings. It will look great in combination with a red lip and red nail polish.

Belle wears different clothes during the movie. She starts out with her simple white dress with blue accents, later on she adds a coat to it. She wears a green dress in the library scene, a pink one with a cape when they are having fun in the snow (later also without cape) and there is the yellow gown in their dancing scene. Here is a funny chart where you can see all the different dresses:

Released by Disney. Look at Tatiana by the way!

If you like, you can go ahead and create your own modern version from one of these Disney princesses. I used the website Polyvore, but you can use whatever you want. Let me know in the comments what your favorite dress/outfit is from a Disney princess and how would you modernize it?