Read Your Own Books Read-a-Thon

Today was my first full day of participating in this three day Read Your Own Book Read-a-Thon.  I got started last night after posting my intent.  I was planning to put up a post this morning after I woke up and keep updating it throughout the day as I do for Dewey's 24 Hour Read-a-Thon in April and October.  But I woke with a headache and decided I didn't want to split my attention and energies and whatever strength and stamina my eyes had in them between the tasks.  I wanted to give it all to reading and I wanted to read a story so I've spent the entire day with Heather Tomlinson's The Swan Maiden.

It is a modern fairy tale using the motif of a maiden who can transform into a swan and the man who woos or weds her.  In most of the teellings the love story does not have a happy ending as even when it does end in marriage it's not happy ever after love.  So far though Tomlinson's story is reading like a typical happy ending story a la the Disney Cinderella.  The writing style is a lot like Patricia A. McKillip's.

Well I stopped in the middle of the relating of the three tasks set for the suitor by the maiden's father.  Impossible tasks without magical help.  The three tasks motif is common in fairy tales.  I remember Rumpelstiltskin of the top of my head and there are others I'm thinking of but can't remember by name.  But enough chitter chatter I gotta go see if the shepherd boy can complete the second and third tasks...