Random Reads

Novels based upon the fairy tales and legends that inspired them. 

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

  From Barnes and Noble.com

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.
    As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.
    With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

Cupid by Julius Lester

   This story retells the story of Cupid and Psyche and their love affair.  Cupid is sent by his mother Venus, who is insanely jealous of Psyche's beauty, to shoot an arrow so she will fall in love with a cow or even the night sky.  Instead, Cupid falls in love with her and takes her for a wife.  Cupid gives Psyche a beautiful mansion, riches, and servants and visits her every night.  The problem is that Cupid hides his face from her and says that if Psyche looks at him he will leave her.  Psyche is persuaded by her jealous sisters to see who her husband really is and this sets off a chain of events that have negative consequences for Psyche.  This short tale will appeal to anyone and everyone!

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

   Elaine's parents are university professors on sabbatical and they temporarily relocate to Maryland.  She encounters Will at the park and they have an instant connection.  Coincidences begin stacking up and one of her teachers believes that Will may actually be King Arthur reincarnated.  Elaine finds similarities between her current situation and Camelot.  Cabot weaves an interesting tale of fantasy, romance, and legend in a contemporary setting.  Readers will easily fall for this tale. 

Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

  I absolutely adore this book.  I actually listened to it on audio and there wasn't just one narrator but a whole ensemble of different cast members which really added to the overall listening quality of the story.  There are actually two sequels, Enna Burning and River Secrets that I am going to read and hope they are as good as Goose Girl. 

Goose Girl is based on the fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers in which Anidori-Kiladra Taliana Isilee (Ani), Crown Princess of Kildenree, travels to neighboring Bayern to wed their prince in order to maintain peace between the two territories.  During the excursion, her lady in waiting Selia manages to create a mutiny and the guards murder the other guards loyal to Ani.  Ani manages to escape and Selia and the rest of the guards travel to Bayern where Selia has managed to convince the King that she is actually the crown princess.  Ani arrives in Bayern and takes work as the King's goose girl.  She is determined to expose Selia and set things right.  This fairy tale will please readers with its tales of betrayal, loyalty, and strength.  A must read for all fans of fairy tales and happy endings!