I loved the Bookworms Carnival on fairy tales, and I put so many books on my TBR list. After reading through HTR&W‘s prologue all about irony and metaphor, I’ve turned to some of these great fairy tales this week for an escape to the world of imagination.

My community library only has a few of the ones I wanted to read and books cost twice as much here in Australia than in the USA, so I was limited in which ones I read this week. Anyway, here’s what I read, with my six-word reviews.

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

This is a Newbery Honor, young adult, fantasy novel. I saw the movie and let me tell you it’s nothing like the book. Recommended by Maw Books.

Cinderella beautifully retold; better than movie.

Fairest by Gail Carson Levine

This is another young adult, fantasy novel. A different book by this author was reviewed by Book Nut via Bookworms Carnival; this one was at my library, so it’s the one I read.

“Ugly” Snow White sings, eats apple.

Short stories by A.S. Byatt

Recommended by A Striped Armchair via Bookworms Carnival. I liked “The Story of the Eldest Princess” the best, although I liked them all. They were all somewhat odd fairy tales, which was refreshing.

“The Glass Coffin” (short story)

Seeking adventure, not riches, tailor awakens princess.

(I know that is seven words, but I couldn’t get it to six.)

“Gode’s Story” (short story)

Sailor betrays girl; now he’s haunted.

“The Story of the Eldest Princess” (short story)

Blue sky’s green; eldest princess quests.

“The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye” (novella)

Djinn grants modern-day “narratologist” three wishes.

(I’m counting the hyphenated word as one…)

“The Day Boy and The Night Girl” by George MacDonald

This story is available online here, so I didn’t have rely on my library to actually have a book for me to read. “The Day Boy and the Night Girl” was recommended by In the Louvre via Bookworms Carnival. I just read the one story and I really loved it.

Night scares boy; day scares girl.