2025 & 2026 Reading Challenge discussion

July's The Definition of a Classic Challenge
Duration: July 1 - July 31, 2013

What makes a book a classic? According to Italo Calvino, there are 14 definitions of a classic. Read a book that suits each one! (Note: your book doesn't have to be a classic; it just needs to fit the task.)

1. The classics are those books about which you usually hear people saying: 'I'm rereading…', never 'I'm reading….' Read a book on this Read Them Twice...At Least list.

2. The Classics are those books which constitute a treasured experience for those who have read and loved them; but they remain just as rich an experience for those who reserve the chance to read them for when they are in the best condition to enjoy them. Read a book that has been recommended to you by a friend that you've been putting off.

3. The classics are books which exercise a particular influence, both when they imprint themselves on our imagination as unforgettable, and when they hide in the layers of memory disguised as the individual's or the collective unconscious. This task is all about imagination--read a fantasy or science fiction book.

4. A classic is a book which with each rereading offers as much of a sense of discovery as the first reading. Reread a book.

5. A classic is a book which even when we read it for the first time gives the sense of rereading something we have read before. Read a new to you book.

6. A classic is a book which has never exhausted all it has to say to its readers. Read a book still popular today which was written over 50 years ago.

7. The classics are those books which come to us bearing the aura of previous interpretations, and trailing behind them the traces they have left in the culture or cultures (or just in the languages and customs) through which they have passed. Read a book about a culture you consider not your own.

8. A classic is a work which constantly generates a pulviscular cloud of critical discourse around it, but which always shakes the particles off. "Pulviscular" means "dusty; resembling fine powder." Read a book whose title contains a word you consider unusual. (Proper nouns can count toward this task.)

9. Classics are books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them. Read a book you've heard about on TV, on the radio, in a magazine, from a blog, or through another book.

10. A classic is the term given to any book which comes to represent the whole universe, a book on a par with ancient talismans. A talisman is a magical device that brings good luck. Read a book that contains magic in some form.

11. 'Your' classic is a book to which you cannot remain indifferent, and which helps you define yourself in relation or even in opposition to it. Read a coming of age book.

12. A classic is a work that comes before other classics; but those who have read other classics first immediately recognize its place in the genealogy of classic works. Read a book that's part of a series.

13. A classic is a work which relegates the noise of the present to a background hum, which at the same time the classics cannot exist without. Read a book about a historical event.

14. A classic is a work which persists as a background noise even when a present that is totally incompatible with it holds sway. Read a book that has "Classic" listed as a genre on its main page.

-----

Apologies for the belatedness of posting this!

Heather will be our leader for this challenge. Thank you, Heather!

I will attempt to do 3.

I'm going for 7!

I wouldn't mind attempting to take the lead for this challenge.


Heather 3/3 Success!!!
Kelsi 0/7
Jodi 10/3 Congratulations!!!
Kaitlin 11/? Great work so far!
Lesley 6/8 Keep it up!
Jessica 5/4 Congratulations!!!
Megan 10/11 Upping the goal again. Very ambitious!
Sibyl 8/5 Congratulations!!!
Adriana 2/5 Great start!
Erika 3/7 Keep up the good work!
Spectacles 2/2 Congratulations!!!
Alison 1/3 Off to a great start!
Sarah 4/4 Congratulations!!!
Gecko 14/14 Congratulations!!!
Silverraindrops 0/14
Evana 4/14 Another great start!
Karina 0/8
Danielle 2/2 Congratulations!!!

We had a lot of people meet or surpass their goal. Great work everyone!!!

I will try to do 3

What makes a book a classic? According to Italo Calvino, there are 14 definitions of a classic. Read a book that suits each one! (Note: your book doesn't have to be a classic; it just needs to fit the task.)

1. Read a book on this Read Them Twice...At Least list. Ender's Game

2. Read a book that has been recommended to you by a friend that you've been putting off. Beautiful Creatures

3. This task is all about imagination--read a fantasy or science fiction book. Unwind

4. Reread a book.

5. Read a new to you book. . The Last Strand

6. Read a book still popular today which was written over 50 years ago. The Catcher in the Rye

7. Read a book about a culture you consider not your own.

8. Read a book whose title contains a word you consider unusual. (Proper nouns can count toward this task.) The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend

9. Read a book you've heard about on TV, on the radio, in a magazine, from a blog, or through another book.

10. Read a book that contains magic in some form. The Deepest Cut

11. Read a coming of age book. Looking for Alaska

12. Read a book that's part of a series. Along Came a Spider

13. Read a book about a historical event.

14. Read a book that has "Classic" listed as a genre on its main page. Fahrenheit 451

10/3

I am going to end up doing more than three here. I will just have to see how many I do. I am on summer holidays...lots of reading happening here.

Thanks so much, Heather!

I'll join! I'll do as many as possible, but am not going to set a specific number.

11/?

1. Read a book on this Read Them Twice...At Least list.
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - 7/15/2013

2. Read a book that has been recommended to you by a friend that you've been putting off.
How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life by Len Fisher - 7/5/2013

3. This task is all about imagination--read a fantasy or science fiction book.
When She Woke - 7/5/2013

4. Reread a book.
Daughter of the Queen of Sheba: A Memoir - 7/21/2013

5. Read a new to you book.
Sharp Objects - 7/15/2013

6. Read a book still popular today which was written over 50 years ago.

7. Read a book about a culture you consider not your own.
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd - 7/1/2013

8. Read a book whose title contains a word you consider unusual. (Proper nouns can count toward this task.)
Lake Wobegon Days - 7/13/2013

9. Read a book you've heard about on TV, on the radio, in a magazine, from a blog, or through another book.
Look at Me by Jennifer Egan - 7/7/2013

10. Read a book that contains magic in some form.
Bee Season - 7/13/2013

11. Read a coming of age book.

12. Read a book that's part of a series.
The Bean Trees - 7/1/2013

13. Read a book about a historical event.
A Tale of Two Cities - 7/6/2013

14. Read a book that has "Classic" listed as a genre on its main page.

July's The Definition of a Classic Challenge
Duration: July 1 - July 31, 2013
Progress: 7/8

I'm going to go for 8 of them!

#4 Reread a book.
Crystal Bowling 7/29/13

#5 Read a New To Me book
Jill Smolinski 7/7/13

#8. 8. Read a book whose title contains a word you consider unusual. (Proper nouns can count toward this task.)
(series is called: The Desire to Duology) N. Taylor 7/1/13

#9 #9. Read a book you've heard about on TV, on the radio, in a magazine, from a blog, or through another book.
Andra Brynn 7/9/13

#10 Read a book that contains magic in some form
J Sterling 7/16/13
Maybe a stretch, but Austen who died in a car accident 2 years prior, visits Kat in her dreams. A psychic with tarot cards predicted an event in her future which came true.

#11 Read a coming of age book
Jay McLean 7/13/13

#12 Read a book that's part of a series.
Chinooks Hockey series by Rachel Gibson 7/5/13

I'm in for 4.

I'll start with two and go from there

#1 - Read Them Twice list - 1984 by George Orwell - completed

#2 - Recommended by a Friend - Divergent by Veronica Roth - completed

#3 - Task about imagination - Mariana by Susanna Kearsley - completed

#4 - Reread a book - This Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - completed

#5 - New to me book - Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee - completed

#6 - Classic for 50 years - Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger - completed

#7 - Culture not my own - Italian in the 1500's - Malice of Fortune by Michael Ennis - completed

#8 - Unusual Word - Insurgent by Veronica Roth - completed

#9 - Advertised Book - Ladies Night by Mary Kay Andrews - completed

#10 - Magic Book - Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris - completed

#12 - Part of series - Private by James Patterson - completed

11/11 - Original goal was 2, so I'm just going to keep reading until the challenge is over and we'll see how many more I can get - challenge complete!

I think I will go for five.

I'll go for five. I've got two already (:

2/5

4. A classic is a book which with each rereading offers as much of a sense of discovery as the first reading. Reread a book.



5. A classic is a book which even when we read it for the first time gives the sense of rereading something we have read before. Read a new to you book.

Count me in for 7.

Completed #3 - Task about imagination, read a fantasy book - Mariana by Susanna Kearsley. 3.5 stars. Good fantasy with bits of history thrown in. My only issue was that I felt as if neither the modern or the historical bit was developed fully and the ending just came very suddenly. Worth reading and I look forward to reading another of this author's books.

1/2

I'll start with 2 and go from there as well! :-)

Completed #2 - Book recommended by a friend - Divergent by Veronica Roth. My friends have been telling me to read this since I finished the Hunger Games' trilogy last spring. So glad that I finally listened to them. Really well done and gripping book! The beginning was a bit slow, but I love the way the author developed the characters. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars

2/3

Ill try 3. Two of them I started last month though. Does that count? The two I started last month are pretty big books so I'll do my best to finish them both.

1. Read a book on this Read Them Twice...At Least list. Les Misérables

6. Read a book still popular today which was written over 50 years ago. The Catcher in the Rye

12. Read a book that's part of a series. A Clash of Kings

Completed #12 - Part of a Series - Private by James Patterson, first book in the Private series. 2.5 stars. Decent audiobook but characters were a bit shallow. Might listen to the next book on my next long drive but not rushing out to get it anytime soon. Worth listening to if need something a bit suspenseful and mindless.

3/4

Megan wrote: "Completed #12 - Part of a Series - Private by James Patterson, first book in the Private series. 2.5 stars. Decent audiobook but characters were a bit shallow. Might listen to the next book on m..."

That's funny because I have a James Patterson book for #12 too.

I'm going to try for 4.

Does #1 refer to rereading a book you've already read that's on that list or is it just one of the books on the list?

Spectacles, any book on that list will do regardless if you've read it before. :)

I'm in for all 14.

Will "Atonement" count for an unusual word? I'm not English, I never use it. If so, I'm going for all 14.

1. The classics are those books about which you usually hear people saying: 'I'm rereading…', never 'I'm reading….' Read a book on this Read Them Twice...At Least list.
Harry Potter à l'école des sorciers

2. The Classics are those books which constitute a treasured experience for those who have read and loved them; but they remain just as rich an experience for those who reserve the chance to read them for when they are in the best condition to enjoy them. Read a book that has been recommended to you by a friend that you've been putting off.
The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Vol I: The Pox Party

3. The classics are books which exercise a particular influence, both when they imprint themselves on our imagination as unforgettable, and when they hide in the layers of memory disguised as the individual's or the collective unconscious. This task is all about imagination--read a fantasy or science fiction book.
Lamentation

4. A classic is a book which with each rereading offers as much of a sense of discovery as the first reading. Reread a book.
On Mystic Lake

5. A classic is a book which even when we read it for the first time gives the sense of rereading something we have read before. Read a new to you book.
Shadowcry

6. A classic is a book which has never exhausted all it has to say to its readers. Read a book still popular today which was written over 50 years ago.
A Year in Marrakesh

7. The classics are those books which come to us bearing the aura of previous interpretations, and trailing behind them the traces they have left in the culture or cultures (or just in the languages and customs) through which they have passed. Read a book about a culture you consider not your own.
The Gift of Rain

8. A classic is a work which constantly generates a pulviscular cloud of critical discourse around it, but which always shakes the particles off. "Pulviscular" means "dusty; resembling fine powder." Read a book whose title contains a word you consider unusual. (Proper nouns can count toward this task.)
Atonement

9. Classics are books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them. Read a book you've heard about on TV, on the radio, in a magazine, from a blog, or through another book.
Telescope

10. A classic is the term given to any book which comes to represent the whole universe, a book on a par with ancient talismans. A talisman is a magical device that brings good luck. Read a book that contains magic in some form.
Illuminate

11. 'Your' classic is a book to which you cannot remain indifferent, and which helps you define yourself in relation or even in opposition to it. Read a coming of age book.
The Dry Grass of August

12. A classic is a work that comes before other classics; but those who have read other classics first immediately recognize its place in the genealogy of classic works. Read a book that's part of a series.
Tribune of Rome

13. A classic is a work which relegates the noise of the present to a background hum, which at the same time the classics cannot exist without. Read a book about a historical event.
Rites of Peace: The Fall of Napoleon and the Congress of Vienna

14. A classic is a work which persists as a background noise even when a present that is totally incompatible with it holds sway. Read a book that has "Classic" listed as a genre on its main page.Rebecca

Not setting a specific goal. Doing it more like a scavenger hunt to see what I read that happens to fit.
4/14

1. Read a book on this Read Them Twice...At Least list.
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C. S. Lewis, #484 on the list, finished 8 July

2. Read a book that has been recommended to you by a friend that you've been putting off.

3. This task is all about imagination--read a fantasy or science fiction book.

4. Reread a book.
The Hippopotamus Pool by Elizabeth Peters, finished 3 July, finished for the first time on 18 Dec 1999.

5. Read a new to you book.
White Dolphin by Gill Lewis, finished 2 July

6. Read a book still popular today which was written over 50 years ago.

7. Read a book about a culture you consider not your own.

8. Read a book whose title contains a word you consider unusual. (Proper nouns can count toward this task.)

9. Read a book you've heard about on TV, on the radio, in a magazine, from a blog, or through another book.

10. Read a book that contains magic in some form.

11. Read a coming of age book.

12. Read a book that's part of a series.
The Brotherhood by Jerry B. Jenkins, finished 7 July, Precinct 11 #1

13. Read a book about a historical event.

14. Read a book that has "Classic" listed as a genre on its main page.

Oh, I didn't see this before now - I'm in for 8. :)

Completed #6 - Classic book for the last 50 years - The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger. The best thing I can say about this book is that it was a quick read. I do not believe I was the intended audience, as I have very little patience for petulant, privileged, angst-ridden teenagers. Not my favorite read and wouldn't recommend to anyone over the age of 15. 1 star.

4/5

Completed #5 - New to me book - Wife by Wednesday by Catherine Bybee. Fun, light-hearted read. Exactly what I needed tonight. 4 stars

5/6

Put me down for 2 books please

Completed #8 - Unusual Word - Insurgent by Veronica Roth. Really good sequel. The only thing I did not like was that there seemed to be no transitions and without any warning, sometimes the narrative would switch to something completely different. Just a bit confusing, but other than that, it was an enjoyable read. Kinda figured out the twist and very similar to "The Village" by M. Night Shyamalan. Definitely worth reading and cannot wait for the final book to come out in October. 4 stars

Completed #4-Reread a book-Little House on the Prairie. Reminded me of when I was little. Through the book, I'd find certain quotes that I remember I really liked. It made me kind of long for the culture from back then, back when there wasn't so much technology and life seemed a lot simpler. 3.5 stars

Completed 3/7

3. This task is all about imagination--read a fantasy or science fiction book. Consumed
10. A talisman is a magical device that brings good luck. Read a book that contains magic in some form. Darkfever
12. Read a book that's part of a series.Sugar Rush

Completed #6!!!! Read a book still popular today which was written over 50 years ago-Farmer Boy. It was okay. It wasn't my favorite books, but there were some really good parts of the book! It took a while to get through the book as some parts read a bit more like an instruction manual than a story. 2.5 stars

I've achieved my basic goal! :) I can't wait to see how much further I can go now :D

I completed #13 by reading Number the Stars by Lois Lowry. I have also completed #7 by reading The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I have also completed #12 by reading Affliction by Laurell K. Hamilton.

3/3

Challenge completed, but I will see if I can finish anymore before the month is out.

Completed #7 - Culture not my own - Italian culture in the 1500's - The Malice of Fortune by Michael Ennis. Honestly, I didn't know what to expect from this book. It seemed a tad unbelievable that the author would be able to twine such notable historical figures as Machiavelli and Da Vinci into a murder mystery set in 1502, and yet he achieved his goal quite well. The writing style sealed the deal for me - it rang very authentically of the time period. Little longwinded in sections and sometimes the plot was sandbagged by the prose but overall, really enjoyable. Definitely worth reading! 4 stars

7/8

I have reached my goal of 4 books. I read the following

3. Read a fantasy or science fiction book. Days of Blood & Starlight COMPLETE

5. Read a new to you book. Only the Innocent COMPLETE

7. Read a book about a culture you consider not your own. The Windup Girl COMPLETE Set in Thailand

10. Read a book that contains magic in some form. Personal Demon COMPLETE

Goal: 4
Complete: 4
Challenge Completed!

I finished The catcher in the Rye last night... So I'm 1/3!

Completed #9 - Advertised book - Ladies' Night by Mary Kay Andrews. Really well written and entertaining! This book reminds me of some of Andrews' earlier work - fun, light-hearted, and with a good message. I especially loved that it was set in Sarasota, and as a Tampa native, reveled in the local landmarks and the Rays' baseball. Definitely worth reading! 4.5 stars

8/9

Completed #10 - Magic Book - Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris. Surprisingly entertaining, to the point where I broke my own rule and listened to the audiobook driving back and forth to work and at the house, rather than just while I walked the dog. The narrator was really good too. I thought the vampire sex scenes were a bit more graphic than necessary, but other than that, thoroughly enjoyed the book! Definitely worth reading! 4 stars

9/10

Completed #4 - Reread a book - The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. I originally read this book while studying in France in 2006, and it is one of my all-time favorites. I typically don't include re-reads, but this book is over 600 pages, so I think I can count it:) Just as good the 2nd time around, but I was more patient with the narrative, so I absorbed more. I just love how intelligent it is and feel like Kostova treats the reader with intelligence as well. Definitely worth reading!

10/11

Jessica's update 5/4

3. Read a fantasy or science fiction book. The Fire King
4. Reread a book. Pride and Prejudice
8. .Read a book whose title contains a word you consider unusual. (Proper nouns can count toward this task.) The Beast of Blackslope
10. Read a book that contains magic in some form. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children
12. Read a book that's part of a series. In Dublin's Fair City part of the Molly Murphy Series by Rhys Bowen

I reached my goal... yieppie ;)

July's The Definition of a Classic Challenge
Duration: July 1 - July 31, 2013
Goal: 14/14

1. The classics are those books about which you usually hear people saying: 'I'm rereading…', never 'I'm reading….'
Read a book on this Read Them Twice...At Least list.
Sylvia Plath - Die Glasglocke - 07/19/2013 - ✔

2. The Classics are those books which constitute a treasured experience for those who have read and loved them; but they remain just as rich an experience for those who reserve the chance to read them for when they are in the best condition to enjoy them.
Read a book that has been recommended to you by a friend that you've been putting off.
Christopher Moore - Fool - 07/20/2013 - ✔

3. The classics are books which exercise a particular influence, both when they imprint themselves on our imagination as unforgettable, and when they hide in the layers of memory disguised as the individual's or the collective unconscious.
This task is all about imagination--read a fantasy or science fiction book.
Terry Pratchett - Die dunkle Seite der Sonne - Strata - 07/13/2013 - ✔

4. A classic is a book which with each rereading offers as much of a sense of discovery as the first reading.
Reread a book.
Robin Hobb - Ship of Magic - 07/11/2013 - ✔

5. A classic is a book which even when we read it for the first time gives the sense of rereading something we have read before.
Read a new to you book.
Wolf Lepenies - Warum war Henry James so schlechter Laune? - 07/16/2013 - ✔


6. A classic is a book which has never exhausted all it has to say to its readers.
Read a book still popular today which was written over 50 years ago.
Ray Bradbury - Das Böse kommt auf leisen Sohlen - 07/28/2013 - ✔

7. The classics are those books which come to us bearing the aura of previous interpretations, and trailing behind them the traces they have left in the culture or cultures (or just in the languages and customs) through which they have passed.
Read a book about a culture you consider not your own.
Haruki Murakami - Kafka am Strand - 07/25/2013 - ✔

8. A classic is a work which constantly generates a pulviscular cloud of critical discourse around it, but which always shakes the particles off. "Pulviscular" means "dusty; resembling fine powder." Read a book whose title contains a word you consider unusual. (Proper nouns can count toward this task.)
Paul Gallico - Kleine Mouche - 07/29/2013 - ✔
A mouche is a fly in French but in Germany also a word for one of this little black patches you put on your face along with powdered wigs and a powdered face.

9. Classics are books which, the more we think we know them through hearsay, the more original, unexpected, and innovative we find them when we actually read them.
Read a book you've heard about on TV, on the radio, in a magazine, from a blog, or through another book.
Anthony Horowitz - Das Geheimnis des weißen Bandes - 07/04/2013 - ✔

10. A classic is the term given to any book which comes to represent the whole universe, a book on a par with ancient talismans. A talisman is a magical device that brings good luck.
Read a book that contains magic in some form.
Julian Barnes - Arthur & George - 07/02/2013 - ✔
Sir Arthurs believe in Spiritism and the seance at the end.

11. 'Your' classic is a book to which you cannot remain indifferent, and which helps you define yourself in relation or even in opposition to it.
Read a coming of age book.
Louis Sachar - Holes - 07/25/2013 - ✔

12. A classic is a work that comes before other classics; but those who have read other classics first immediately recognize its place in the genealogy of classic works.
Read a book that's part of a series.
Margaret Atwood - Oryx And Crake - 07/17/2013 - ✔
MaddAddam 01. It also fits the bill because of big parallels to 1984 and A Brave New World

13. A classic is a work which relegates the noise of the present to a background hum, which at the same time the classics cannot exist without.
Read a book about a historical event.
Irène Némirovsky - Suite Française - 07/08/2013 - ✔
WWII in France.

14. A classic is a work which persists as a background noise even when a present that is totally incompatible with it holds sway.
Read a book that has "Classic" listed as a genre on its main page.
Franz Kafka - Brief an den Vater - 07/08/2013 - ✔

I read a book new to me (5) by an author also new to me.
Eye of the Red Tsar

And I read a book that is part of the series (12).
Death Of An Expert Witness

I was going for five but ended up with eight, mostly unintentionally.

3. read a fantasy or science fiction book.
by Alex London

5. Read a new to you book.
by David Quammen

7. Read a book about a culture you consider not your own.
by Karen Le Billon

9. Read a book you've heard about on TV, on the radio, in a magazine, from a blog, or through another book.
by James G. Hollock
(I learned about this book from a NY Times piece on Amazon's pricing structure for Kindle books -- this book was used as an example).

10. Read a book that contains magic in some form.
by Erin Morgenstern

11. Read a coming of age book.
by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

12. Read a book that's part of a series.
by Sean Kennedy

13. Read a book about a historical event.
by Maya Jasanoff

My favorites: Proxy, Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic, and Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. Loved them all!

I'm going to give myself a day's grace period on this challenge to finish 1984 - it's been a crazy last few days

I didn't quite hit my goal...
July's The Definition of a Classic Challenge
Completed 3/7

3. This task is all about imagination--read a fantasy or science fiction book. Consumed
10. A talisman is a magical device that brings good luck. Read a book that contains magic in some form. Darkfever
12. Read a book that's part of a series.Sugar Rush

Completed #1 - Read Them Twice list - 1984 by George Orwell. This was a good book, and I understand why it has been considered a classic for so long. I understood the future that Orwell envisioned and appreciated his intellectual discourse on the topic. However, I thought that there were several passages that were long-winded and unnecessary. Overall, definitely worth reading but with tons of caffeine. 3.5 stars

11/11 - challenge complete!

Thank you, Heather, for leading this challenge! And nice job to everyone who participated.

I didn't finish in time. But I'm one away from my goal of 8 and I've already started a book that will fit that 8th slot. Can't not finish a challenge, even if it does mean I'm a couple of days late!! Hopefully tomorrow I can announce my true 8/8 finish!!

Even though I didn't make my goal for this one, with the two books I didn't finish, I did make great progress with them. I am actually really liking Les Mis. I made it through the Waterloo part the other day and I actually liked that part. I never learned about it in high school or college.