Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

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20/25





B1: ✔ Classic of Asia - The Lover 4/13/20 ⭐⭐⭐
B2: ✔ Classic Tragedy -Oedipus at Colonus 4/4/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
B3: ✔ A Book Published at Least 200 Years Ago - Mansfield Park 6/11/20 ⭐⭐⭐
B4: ✔ Memoir, Autobiography, or Biography - A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains 2/10/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
B5: ✔ Classic of Europe - Father Goriot 2/27/20 ⭐⭐⭐

I1: ✔ Classic Mystery or Crime - A Murder Is Announced 3/10/20 ⭐⭐⭐
I2: Group Bingo Participant Pick -
I3: ✔ Classic Drama or Play - Titus Andronicus 12/2/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I4: ✔ Book From Group’s 2020 Bookshelf - Stoner 1/12/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I5: ✔ Classic Gothic or Horror - The Romance of the Forest: A Gothic Novel 5/6/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

N1: ✔ Book From Group’s Old School Classic Shelf prior to 2020 - The Mill on the Floss with Biographical Introduction 11/12/20 ⭐⭐⭐
N2: ✔ Winner of a Foreign Literary Prize - The Wreath 8/11/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
N3: Reader’s Choice -
N4: ✔ Classic Short Story - The Cask of Amontillado 1/2/20 ⭐⭐⭐
N5: ✔ Book From Group’s New School Classic Shelf prior to 2020 -
My Cousin Rachel 2/13/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

G1: ✔ Classic Science Fiction or Fantasy - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 5/29/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
G2: The Bigger Read List by English Pen -
G3: Poetry or Essay Collection -
G4: ✔ Banned Book - The Catcher in the Rye 8/3/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
G5: ✔ Classic Science or Philosophy - The Alchemist 7/2/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

O1: Classic of Africa, Antarctica, Australia, or Oceania -
O2: ✔ Classic Western - Crossfire Trail 8/11/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
O3: ✔ Book Published the Year You Were Born - The Witch of Blackbird Pond 4/22/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
O4: ✔ Classic Adventure - Casino Royale 6/18/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
O5: ✔ Classic of the Americas - Plainsong 12/10/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

O1
I2 G2
N3 G3

Planning and Possibilities


20/25

B1: ✔ Classic of Asia - The Lover*, Thousand Cranes,
B2: ✔ Classic Tragedy - Oedipus at Colonus*,Titus Andronicus,
B3: ✔ A Book Published at Least 200 Years Ago - Mansfield Park
B4: ✔ Memoir, Autobiography, or Biography - A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains*, Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life,
B5: ✔ Classic of Europe - Father Goriot*, The Mill on the Floss,

I1: ✔ Classic Mystery or Crime - A Murder Is Announced*, The Return of Sherlock Holmes,
I2: Group Bingo Participant Pick - The Agony And The Ecstasy,
I3: ✔ Classic Drama or Play - Titus Andronicus
I4: ✔ Book From Group’s 2020 Bookshelf - Stoner*,
I5: ✔ Classic Gothic or Horror - The Romance of the Forest: A Gothic Novel*

N1: ✔ Book From Group’s Old School Classic Shelf prior to 2020 - The Black Tulip, The Mill on the Floss,
N2: ✔ Winner of a Foreign Literary Prize - The Wreath*, Oscar and Lucinda, The Lover,
N3: Reader’s Choice -
N4: ✔ Classic Short Story - The Cask of Amontillado,
N5: ✔ Book From Group’s New School Classic Shelf prior to 2020 - My Cousin Rachel*, The Great Gatsby,

G1: ✔ Classic Science Fiction or Fantasy - The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe*, The Subtle Knife, The 13 Clocks
G2: The Bigger Read List by English Pen -Confessions,
G3: Poetry or Essay Collection - The Best of Poetry: Thoughts that Breathe and Words that Burn,Selected Essays, House of Light,
G4: ✔ Banned Book - The Catcher in the Rye
G5: ✔ Classic Science or Philosophy - The Alchemist, The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat: And Other Clinical Tales,

O1: Classic of Africa, Antarctica, Australia, or Oceania - Oscar and Lucinda, My Brilliant Career
O2: ✔ Classic Western - Crossfire Trail*, Plainsong,
O3: ✔ Book Published the Year You Were Born - The Witch of Blackbird Pond*, The Agony And The Ecstasy,
O4: ✔ Classic Adventure - Casino Royale,
O5: ✔ Classic of the Americas - Plainsong

Hold

Welcome to the challenge, Susie.

Thanks Katy, for all the hard work you put into this great challenge!

It motivates and pushes me to expand my reading choices like no other challenge and always feel good reguardless of how many or how few bingos I may get!

My ask for I2 is I'm planning a trip to Florence Italy (Yay!) next June and would like your recommendations for classics that take place in or around Florence (i. e. Tuscany region) whether history, fiction or biography...or other!
I read The Divine Comedy over most of 2018 and got to The Prince and A Room with a View this year...
I have Brunelleschi's Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture already on my reading list. 😉

Thanks!

What a fun purpose for reading!

Here are some links with recommendations.
https://lovefromtuscany.com/tuscany-l...
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/ita...


I can recommend
A Room with a View by E.M. Forster
The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone
I haven't read the others on the lists. I do have The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant on my TBR list.

And here is a list from Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/4...

Wow Katy...way to hit it out of the Park!!!

I'm picking The Agony and the Ecstasy because it is perfect! Already marked on my tbr, but had totally dropped off my radar.
That still works, right?

Next best? Published in my birth year! 😘
While I can't use it 2x here, it will work for my first decade Challenge #5!

I'll still take recommendations from anyone who has any...
Never afraid to add to my tbr!

Susie, this isn't a classic but it is a good historical mystery set in Florence: Villa Triste by Lucretia Grindle

Susie wrote: "Wow Katy...way to hit it out of the Park!!! .."

Great! Glad I could help.

January reads:

1. The Cask of Amontillado. I used it for my N4 square and gave it 3 stars. It was truly a diobolical plan to exact revenge. Not sure I'm into the horror genre, but this was a gripping read to start off 2020.

2. Stoner. I used it for my I4 square and gave it 5 stars. I wasn't going to read this but after seeing a couple of reviews about it I had to give it a look. So glad I did! The writing was so beautiful, I fell right into it. A great,satisfying read!

Good start! Keep it up.

February reads:

3. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains for my B4 square...4 stars.
A great read about a woman's travels in Colorado in the late 1800's. Since many of her travels were in 'my backyard', it made it even more special for me.
Her descriptions were/are right on and helped me to realize (once again) how lucky I am to live in the grand, raw beauty that is the Rocky Mountains! 💕

4. My Cousin Rachel for my N5 square...5 stars.
My first du Maurier and I loved it! I loved the writing and flow of the whole story and leaves you guessing even after the end.
Also a great discussion about it in the 'current reads' thread that I thoroughly enjoyed.

5. Father Goriot for my B5 square...4 stars.
This was a good read but dark and depressing in many parts of it. The picture it paints of Paris is eye opening but not surprising in terms of the social stratification in the history of this great city.

How lovely to live in the Rockies! I have that book on my TBR...glad to know you found it both interesting and accurate. Congratulations on your first du Maurier. I believe I have read all but two. I absolutely loved The Scapegoat if you are looking to add another. Of course, her tour de force is Rebecca. I remember reading Père Goriot in high school, but sadly no real memory of what it was about, just that I liked it. Congratulations.

Sara wrote: "How lovely to live in the Rockies! I have that book on my TBR...glad to know you found it both interesting and accurate. Congratulations on your first du Maurier. I believe I have read all but two...."

I went looking for more Daphne du Maurier books to read and added The Scapegoat to my tbr.
I'll 'save' Rebecca until I've read a couple more of hers.
I love her writing. Like George Eliot, it just grabs me!

Susie wrote: "February reads:"

I also read A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains and My Cousin Rachel in February and also gave them 4/5 stars respectively.

It's absolutely amazing what a single women in the past was able to do. I was amazed that she was treated with so much respect!

I forgot to update for March, but it was only one...

March:
6. A Murder Is Announced 3/10/20.
I read it for my I1 square-classic mystery. It was good but not great so 3 stars.

April:

7. Oedipus at Colonus. 4/4/20.
Read for my B2 square-classic tragedy. I gave it 4 stars. This was a much easier read for me to grasp than some others from this time. This one really painted a picture for me.

8. The Lover. 4/13/20.
I read this for one of my 'buffet' challenge and then realized it fit my B1 suare- classic of Asia so score! This is not a favorite category for me and I didn't care for this one much at all. I didn't get the story, and didn't care for the writing. It was too disconnected for me to follow. Oh well...

9. The Witch of Blackbird Pond. This was a reread for me...from high school! I read it for my O3 square - birthday year! 🎉🎂🎈
I gave it 5 stars. It is a great read with a lot of life lessons...for any age!

Glad to see you enjoyed the Oedipus. I am trying to fit in at least one Greek play this year--maybe that should be the one.

I remember The Witch of Blackbird Pond from reading it with my granddaughter.

Congrats on the progress!

Looks like you have had a great time reading the past couple of months.

May:

10. The Romance of the Forest: A Gothic Novel 5/6/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I used this for my Classic Gothic (I5) square and quite enjoyed it!
Classic in every sense of the word...abandoned castles with creepy goings-on, damsel in distress, star crossed lovers and over the top suspense... Perfect!

11. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 5/29/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This was another reread from childhood that I enjoyed as much the second time around as the first! I used it for my G1 square.

June (so far):

12. Mansfield Park For my B3 square I gave it ⭐⭐⭐.
Also... 1st bingo!!
It's actually kinda early for me but I'll take it. 🤗
This book was so-so for me. I liked parts, but some parts got very tedious for me.
Persuasion remains my favorite!

Halfway to blackout!

I love all of Austen, but Persuasion would trump Mansfield Park. Congrats on the progress!

Congratulations on the bingo, Susie! What a nice collection of reads. I'm so curious about Ann Radcliffe--will you be joining in with The Mysteries of Udolpho next month?

Congrats on your Bingo, some great books!

Kathleen wrote: "Congratulations on the bingo, Susie! What a nice collection of reads. I'm so curious about Ann Radcliffe--will you be joining in with The Mysteries of Udolpho next month?"

I've now been a member of this group long enough to be able to say every once in a while "I've read it"! So I won't be joining in.
She can be wordy and while I enjoy this genre, every once in awhile is good for me 😉

I've read it as well and while I'm glad to have, I wouldn't venture to it so again. Mrs. Radcliffe is not one of those authors who inspires me to say, "I'll read this again someday." It is a bit of fun, though, and you should enjoy it first time through.

Sara wrote: "I've read it as well and while I'm glad to have, I wouldn't venture to it so again. Mrs. Radcliffe is not one of those authors who inspires me to say, "I'll read this again someday." It is a bit of..."

I agree!

July:

14. The Alchemist 7/2/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read this for my G5 square, Science and/or Philosophy. I gave it 5 stars and quite enjoyed it. I had no idea what it was about so it was quite a treat!

August (so far):

15. The Catcher in the Rye 8/3/20 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
I read this for my G4 square - Banned book.
I gave it 4 stars but probaly more like 4 1/2 stars.
Definitely a Classic's Classic!
A coming of age story but with many unanswered questions to be pondered. I found it to be so depressing through much of it but I was hopeful after finishing it, which quite surprised me.

Also...Second bingo...The 4 horizontal line!

Congratulations on another bingo.

Susie, congrats on the Bingo. I'm happy to see you have rated Catcher in the Rye quite high as I will be reading it soon for my Bingo Challenge.

Congrats, Susie.