Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Bingo books read

B1: Book From Our Group’s Shelf Prior to 2021
✔ B2: Book That Has Been Made Into Film The Color Out of Spaceby H.P. Lovecraft (1927) 1/7/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
B3: Booker Prize Winner
✔ B4: Classic Romance The Hunting Gun by Yasushi Inoue (1949) 11/6/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
B5: Classic of Europe

✔️ I1: Classic Adventure Benito Cereno by Herman Melville (1855) 3/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
I2: Book Published or Written 1700 or earlier
✔ I3: Classic Short Story Collection Assignment in Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein - texts first published in the 1940s - 1/14/2021 🌟🌟🌟
✔ I4: Book Published in the 19th Century Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1872) 8/15/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
✔ I5: New To Me Classic Author The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann (1816) 3/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟

✔ N1: Nobel Laureate The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1894) 9/25/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
✔ N2: History or Historical Fiction The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative by Mary Prince (1831) 3/5/2021 Since this is a historical document and the subject matter is so serious, it did not seem appropriate to give a rating on how much I "like" or "dislike" it. But I did read it.
✔ N3: Reader’s Choice Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert A. Heinlein (1957) 4/3/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
N4: Classic Satire or Comedy
✔ N5: Newberry Medal Winner Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (1990) 5/17/2021 🌟 🌟🌟


✔ G1: Classic Female Author Tracks by Louise Erdrich (1988) 1/9/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
✔ G2: Book Published in the 18th Century Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (1722) 7/1/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✔ G3: Nonfiction Walking by Henry David Thoreau (1861) 11/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟
✔ G4: Book Published in the 20th Century Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (1935) 12/11/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
G5: Book From Another Book Club or Library List

O1: Classic of Africa
✔ O2: Classic Mystery, Suspense, or Thriller The Vampyre; a Tale by John William Polidori (1819) 8/15/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
O3: Pulitzer Prize Winner
✔ O4: 100 Must-Read Classics in Translation The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka(1915) 9/6/2021 this was my third reread...not going to rate. I knew what to expect.
✔ O5: Book From Our Group’s 2021 Bookshelf 7/1/2021 The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (1984) 10/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
 

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I am deliberately waiting on Bingo until I work on a few in the Challenge Buffet first. Bingo is the only challenge I have finished each year since I joined the group

Good luck, Lynn! Can't wait to read your choices.

Welcome to Bingo, and have fun.

Thanks Luffy and Katy. I had accidentally started two threads so my apologies to the people who had commented on the other thread. I deleted one thread.

Lol. Lynn, if I posted on the other thread, I am just as happy to post here too. Happy year reading in 2021.

Good luck on your Bingo challenge, Lynn! No matter which books you choose, I'm sure you have a lot of reading pleasure ahead of you :)

I'm looking forward to seeing what you read next year, Lynn! You always pick great books. Have fun with your reading in 2021.

Thank you for the kind thoughts everyone.

I like your strategy. You can never over plan, good luck!

Ok the first book I am committing to for 2021 Bingo is for the Short Story Collection. I just purchased the ebook of Pigeon Feathers and Other Stories by John Updike, I believe this collection either won the 1962 National Book Awards or was a runner up that year. I read the title story "Pigeon Feathers" in another anthology I have today. I think I will really enjoy this collection. I will probably take a couple of months to read it, since it is a collection.

Shirley (stampartiste) wrote: "I'm looking forward to seeing what you read next year, Lynn! You always pick great books. Have fun with your reading in 2021."

One of the first books I'm "planning" is really just stealing from you!! The Song of Roland

The Color Out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft is the first book I am adding to the Bingo Card- B2 a book made into a movie. I liked the short story and gave it four stars. I paid $3.99 to rent it on Amazon Prime. Nicolas Cage and Joely Richardson are the stars. I thought it would be great. It even starts with a narrator reading the start of the story. Nope. After fifteen minutes I turned it off. So, IMO, the story is pretty good, but I am not interested in the movie. It is vastly different: new characters, modern setting with computers!!, etc.

I am currently reading Assignment in Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein for my classic short story collection. Only two weeks into the year and I am already ignoring the planning! Science fiction short stories are my fun reading.

Lynn wrote: "I am currently reading Assignment in Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein for my classic short story collection. Only two weeks into the year and I am already ignoring the planning! Science fiction short stories are my fun reading...."

Interested to see what you think of them :O)

I've read Pigeon Feathers, ashamed to say I don' t remember it, time for a reread. Enjoy your science fiction, I've been neglecting it.

So Assignment in Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein printed in 1987 using a collection of four texts first published in the 1940s. The first two novellas I read were fun. You must believe that hypnosis is actually a thing and that it can free people to acquire superhuman abilities. Those "supermen" stories were fun. Superman from the comics was all the rage in the 1940's - There is one story from 1947 that I believe was written in the spirit of social commentary and a quest for equality, but examined by today's standards seems a bit offensive. Honestly, it was fine for fun, but none of it was great literature. 3 stars rating. Still Heinlein is a big name in Science fiction and I have liked other things he wrote. These were more "Second Class" early pieces.

Heinlein is very political, being a product of his time, which can be problematic for me. I didn’t enjoy Starship Troopers because of all the heavy political, social, and philosophical views (book and film by the way are totally different by the way). On the other hand, I loved The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. It is still political but a lot more too - a mixture of genres, combining revolution, politics, philosophy, adventure and suspense, all this seasoned with historical, scientific and literary references, especially from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - and it feels a lot less dated. That one was great :O)

Veronique wrote: "Heinlein is very political, being a product of his time, which can be problematic for me. I didn’t enjoy Starship Troopers because of all the heavy political, social, and philosophical..."

I am glad you like The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress. I plan on using it as one of my books for the Second Place or Worse Challenge. It has been waiting on my kindle for quite a while now.

Lynn, I'm so happy you enjoyed The Color Out of Space. Thank you for mentioning the movie is not worth watching. As for the rest of the books mentioned here, I have added the to my TBR:)

I finished another square. Bingo has been on the back burner a bit, but we were reading an excerpt from Frederick Douglass's autobiography at school which made me interested in other slave narratives. I read The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative. Mary is a slave in Bermuda who travels with her owners to England. The publication of her story is found in a pamphlet from the Anti-Slavery Associations of London. Mary gives a first hand account of her life. We also read some correspondence that occurred on her behalf in an attempt to achieve her manumission. It is a true historical document and as such I do not feel it appropriate to rate is as "like" or "didn't like". That system is fine for novels. This is a learning experience, unpleasant as much of history is, but especially so in this case.

I always find 'rating" a history difficult and almost insulting, particularly when the document is autobiographical--feels like you are rating someone's life and experiences. I will look for this one, Lynn. Important reading.

Sara wrote: "I always find 'rating" a history difficult and almost insulting, particularly when the document is autobiographical--feels like you are rating someone's life and experiences. I will look for this o..."

Agreed. Warning on this one. It is not overly graphic, but still a gut punch. Now that I am subbing, I took a day off and did not go to school on Friday. My oldest son came by to say hello, unplanned. Poor boy, I had to apologize for being so grumpy. I promised not to be in the middle of reading a slave narrative the next time he dropped by.

Always makes for difficult reading material, like the Holocaust. I'm sure your son is familiar with the effects of reading, living in the house with you much of his life. lol.

I have been reading a lot of Science fiction. Most of the selections were short stories, but yesterday I read one of Robert A. Heinlein s juvenile fiction books . I would call it a "young adult" level book. I was hooked and couldn't stop until I finished. 5 stars. That means I have two Heinlein books on my Bingo card, so I used this one for Reader's Choice. It has always been my reading pattern to read multiple books by an author when I discover someone that I like.

I sometimes do that as well, Lynn. Last month I was devouring Maggie O'Farrell. Always nice when you can enjoy someone so much. Congrats on your progress--you are on fire.

I loved Heinlein when I was a teenager, Lynn and I still have a soft spot for him. I may have to do some re-reads!

Janelle wrote: "I loved Heinlein when I was a teenager, Lynn and I still have a soft spot for him. I may have to do some re-reads!"

I read about a dozen books by Arthur C. Clarke when I was a teen and I loved Ray Bradbury . Somehow I just never read any Robert A. Heinlein until recently. His catalog of books is huge! There are so many to choose from. Also his career is varied. He has the early pulp fiction shorts, the juvenile books and then his more mature longer literature.

Sara wrote: "I sometimes do that as well, Lynn. Last month I was devouring Maggie O'Farrell. Always nice when you can enjoy someone so much. Congrats on your progress--you are on fire."

Thanks Sara.

Lynn, thank you for another author I can add to my TBR. I too have been reading sci fi this month ( I'm currently reading The Martian Chronicles). Congratulations on another square done!

I miss science fiction. I don't read as much of it as I should, you are inspiring me to fix the oversight.

Bob wrote: "I miss science fiction. I don't read as much of it as I should, you are inspiring me to fix the oversight."

I tend to get "stuck" so to speak on one thing, whether it is a genre or an author. Seems like I'm in Sci Fi mode right now. The other things just are not interesting to me at the moment.

The other things I'm "stuck" on is short stories. I really love being able to finish a story in one sitting. I read shorter works during the week and then a novella on Saturday while puttering around the house with housework.

I would really recommend Manybooks.net. These are over 50,000 pdfs in the public domain that I have been downloading into my laptop. Just browse the Science Fiction or the Classics categories.

I'm stuck on the planning already done for my challenges, buffet more than bingo. It does hinder one from spur of the moment reading. As to short stories, I'm not stuck, I'm addicted. Thanks for the Manybooks info I will check it out,

In May we are reading The Heads of Cerberus by Francis Stevens over in the Women's Classic Literature Enthusiasts group. It is a small group and visitors are welcome.

Marilyn wrote: "In May we are reading The Heads of Cerberus by Francis Stevens over in the Women's Classic Literature Enthusiasts group. It is a small group and visitors are welcome."

Wow, I have never heard of this book or the author. I thought I knew a little about Science Fiction, but no. There is so much more out there.

This is the last week of school for the year 2020-2021. Wow, what a year it has been. I resigned my full time teaching job in January, but stayed until mid-March until they had a replacement in the classroom. Since then I have been substituting in my school. It is so much fun!!! All the good parts of teaching with much less paperwork and stress. Today I was in 6th Grade (12 year olds) English class and we read part of Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli I brought home a copy and finished it tonight. This is the fourth book by Spinelli that I have read. I really like Stargirl and Love, Stargirl better, but this is the book that is more often used in classrooms. It is the perfect book to engage the students for the last two weeks of school. It is a book I have been aware of for years, but had not read yet. I used it for N5 the Newberry Medal Book. I had thought about reading Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson which I own. I like the author - Bridge to Terabithia and The Great Gilly Hopkins - but Jacob Have I Loved will need to wait for another time.

Maniac Magee is the classic orphan story of a character dealing with grief and alienation. Jeffrey Magee's reaction is stronger than most orphans we read about, but the book manages to be a feel-good children's book with a moral to the story. I liked it. 🌟🌟 🌟🌟

Kind of sad and exciting when school lets out and another year is done, Lynn. But now you can relax and just enjoy the summer--and read, read, read.

Today August 15th and time for me to see where I stand on the various challenges. I have completed a couple of challenges in the challenge buffet, yippie! I also am going to move books over from the Genre Challenge because I will never finish all the challenges that I started. I have decided to drop #4 Genre Challenge for this year.

So there are now a few more entries on the Bingo Board.

I agree. Do what you can do to find more success. You worked hard to read all your books. . . . Good luck with this bingo card as you still have 4 months to read.

I just finished reading The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling. I am using it for N1 Nobel Laureate. I really, really enjoyed this book! It would have worked for so many squares. Since it is a series of short stories, I read it slowly with a few interruptions. It is delightful. I had a lot of fun with the animal stories. The only selection I really knew before was "Rikki Tikki Tavi". My only knowledge of Balou and Mowgli was Disney. But there is more to the book than even this. The story of seals was good. I think the story of Toomai the elephant handler may have been my favorite! I gave it 5 stars.

Wow, Lynn your review makes me want to pick this book right now and start reading. As a child I couldn't wait to get home from church on Sunday mornings so I could watch "The Jungle Book" on TV. Right now it is Sunday morning and all those memories just came right back after reading your review.

I'm glad you enjoyed the book. Maybe I'll pick it next year for a challenge.

Shaina : )

Lynn, I also read The Jungle Book for the Nobel slot. I had the exact same impressions of the book as you had going in. My favorite story was Her Majesty’s Servants.

Another of those books I always "mean" to read. Like Shaina, maybe I will put it on my challenge next year. I do like Kipling.

Annette wrote: "Lynn, I also read The Jungle Book for the Nobel slot. I had the exact same impressions of the book as you had going in. My favorite story was Her Majesty’s Servants."

That was also fun. I enjoyed the historical perspective on what a soldier's life was like, seen through the eyes of animals of course.

I loved The Unbearable Lightness of Being by so much. I loved the multiple story lines; each one added so much to the novel. I loved the characterization and the overall writing style. I loved the clarity of thought the author presented on philosophical questions. I read an article/interview where Kundera said something to the effect that writing allows an author to explore what it would be like to live another type of life. That he could use his characters to push to the outer limits of what a particular line of thought or series of choices would produce. ...or perhaps that was actually in the book itself. I cannot remember now. I loved it all.

This is the one challenge I have finished every year since I joined the group. I will push to try to complete the whole card blackout by the end of the year. I did finish my first row Bingo so that is something.

You could still finish, Lynn, but even if you don't, you've had some great reads. I am coming to grips with the fact that I am not going to finish everything I started this year.

I have always finished the Bingo and the Old and New, but this year the O&N just didn't gel for me, and life gets in the way sometimes.

Good luck. I'll be watching.

The Hunting Gun by Yasushi Inoue has been nominated for January 2022 in the Short Story Category. It is a novella, and with the critical review forwards and the author's notes at the end, the novella achieves the length of a longer novel.

As often happens, I see a nominated book that intrigues me so I read it regardless of what wins. This is a tremendous masterpiece in my opinion. It is a full five stars. We are currently rereading The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro. The Hunting Gun according to the forward is in the Japanese tradition of the "I" novel. It is quiet, yearning, sad, and introspective. It shows the personal events of a life in retrospect. In many ways it is like The Remains of the Day. I feel that people who like one of these will like the other.

Thanks so much, Lynn, for pointing me to this novella. I will read it whether it wins or doesn't. I loved The Remains of the Day!