I always love Carl’s challenges, even though I don’t often finish them. I am participating in his Once Upon a Time Challenge; I’m committing only to the Journey, as I am in grad school (huge time-suck), and I’m already participating in other challenges (of course, this one may overlap).
Perhaps it’s cheating, but I plan to finish Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell for this challenge. I think I began it maybe four days before the challenge began, but honestly, the dates are so close, and the book is so long, that I feel it should count. In addition, this particular book fits the requirements of the challenge perfectly.
I am more than 20 chapters into the audio book at this point. Simon Prebble is the reader, and he captures the dialogue very well. Listening to him reminds me why I like being read to so much. Clarke’s style reminds me a great deal of Jane Austen’s, and I can think of no higher compliment. Particularly interesting is the way Clarke manages to convince the reader that magic is and has long been completely normal in Britain. It’s not quite alternative history à la Jasper Fforde, but it’s very satisfying, and I have a feeling that once I’ve reached the end of the novel, I will have thoroughly enjoyed it.