Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Saving Room for all of my buffet items.
May not get them all, but planning ahead just in case. Stay tuned, it takes me a long time to think through these challenges.

Challenge #1 - Old & New TBR Challenge


1899 and Earlier
✔ 1) Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs, Group Read Jan 2021
2) Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, Group Read Sept 2011
3) Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, Group Read May 2012

1900-1999
✔ 4) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Group Read Jan 2021
5) The Leopard by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, Group Read May 2015
✔ 6) The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Group Read December 2014

Wild Card
Nonfiction:
7) Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
8) The Age of Wonder: How the Romantic Generation Discovered the Beauty and Terror of Science by Richard Holmes
9) A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century by Barbara W. Tuchman
Shakespeare:
10) The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare
11) Othello by William Shakespeare
12) Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

Alternates:
1) The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, Group Read Jan-Mar 2019
2) Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, Group Read Feb 2013

Challenge #2 – Does a Century Make a Difference?

Books to Explore
1880 or close
1) Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ by Lew Wallace
2) Jezebel's Daughter by Wilkie Collins
3) The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
4) Across the Zodiac by Percy Greg
5) The Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy
6) Ayala's Angel by Anthony Trollope
7) A Tramp Abroad by Mark Twain
8) Nana by Emile Zola by Émile Zola
9) The End of Nana Sahib: The Steam House by Jules Verne
10) Jack and Jill by Louisa May Alcott

1980
1) The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum
2) The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
3) A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
4) Cosmos by Carl Sagan
5) The Complete Maus by Art Spiegelman
6) The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe
7) Wild Seed by Octavia E. Butler
8) Waiting for the Barbarians by J.M. Coetzee
9) The Covenant by James A. Michener
10) The Snow Queen by Joan D. Vinge

Challenge #3 - Second Place or Worse

Old School
✔ 1) Sonnets From The Portugese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning - Jan 2021
2) Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott

New School
3) The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
4) True Grit by Charles Portis

Short Story
✔ 5) Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti - Jan 2021
6) To Build a Fire by Jack London

Quarterly Long Read
7) No Name by Wilkie Collins

Challenge #4 - Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge


✔ 1) 18th Century or older -- Songs of Innocence & Experience; Plus the Marriage of Heaven & Hell by William Blake
✔ 2) 19th Century -- Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope
✔ 3) 20th Century -- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
✔ 4) Current or Past Group Read -- Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs, Group Read Jan 2021
✔ 5) An Author not read before -- The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
✔ 6) Diversity Classic - Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
✔ 7) Science Fiction- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
✔ 8) Romance - Sonnets From The Portugese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning
✔ 9) Historical fiction - The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
✔ 10) Nonfiction - Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence by Carl Sagan
✔ 11) Mystery/Crime - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd Agatha Christieby
12) Horror or Humor

Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge


1880:
1890:
1900:
1910:
1920:
1930:
1940:
1950:
1960:
1970:

Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge


1) Songs of Innocence & Experience; Plus the Marriage of Heaven & Hell by William Blake
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Challenge #7 - 2021 Group Reads Challenge


1) Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl Written by Herself by Harriet Ann Jacobs, Group Read Jan 2021
2) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, Group Read Jan 2021
3) Songs of Innocence & Experience; Plus the Marriage of Heaven & Hell by William Blake, Group Read Feb 2021
4) The Giver by Lois Lowry, Group Read April 2021
5) The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
6) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
7) The Book of Tea by Kakuzō Okakura
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Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors


1) Harriet Ann Jacobs - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
2) Anthony Trollope - Doctor Thorne
3) Dorothy Dunnett - The Game of Kings
4) Sylvia Plath - The Bell Jar
5) The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark
6) The Book of Tea by Kakuzō Okakura

Challenge #9 - A-Z Author Challenge


A) Isabel Allende - Daughter of Fortune
B) Frank Beddor - Seeing Redd
C) Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game
D) Dorothy Dunnett - The Game of Kings
E) Louise Erdrich - The Night Watchman
F) Emily Belle Freeman - The Gathering Home: Creating a Refuge of Goodness and Joy
G) Eliza Griswold - Amity and Prosperity: One Family and the Fracturing of America
H) Alix E. Harrow - The Once and Future Witches
I) Conn Iggulden - Genghis: Birth of an Empire
J) Harriet Ann Jacobs - Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
K) Robin Wall Kimmerer - Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
L) Charles de Lint - The Mystery of Grace
M) Robert Macfarlane - The Lost Spells
N) Naomi Novik - A Deadly Education
O) Caragh M. O'Brien - Birthmarked
P) Philip Pullman -- La Belle Sauvage
Q)
R) Eden Robinson - Son of a Trickster
S) James D. Shipman -- Irena's War
T) Anthony Trollope - Doctor Thorne
U)
V) Charles H. Vogl -- The Art of Community: Seven Principles for Belonging
W) S. Michael Wilcox - What Seek Ye? How the Questions of Jesus Lead Us to Him
X)
Y)
Z) Gabrielle Zevin -- The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Challenge #10 - A-Z Title Challenge


A) ArchEnemy by Frank Beddor
B) Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien
C)
D) Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
E) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
F) The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
G) The Gathering Home: Creating a Refuge of Goodness and Joy by Emily Belle Freeman
H) The Hidden Palace by Helene Wecker
I) Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs
J)
K) Katherine of Aragón: The True Queen by Alison Weir
L) The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane
M) The Mystery of Grace by Charles de Lint
N) The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
O) The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow
P) Prized by Caragh M. O'Brien
Q)
R) Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson
S) Seeing Redd by Frank Beddor
T) The Testaments by Margaret Atwood
U)
V)
W) Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore
X)
Y)
Z) The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann

No, I won't be doing ALL of the challenges, but haven't decided which ones I will do and wanted to save a spot before a conversation gets started.

I always try the A-Z challenges, but haven't quite finished them in the past couple of years. But I have found some great new authors by working through these.

The Old & New Challenge is my nemesis. I have not ever completed this one yet, but I keep trying. Honestly, it is a good one for planning just to remind me what is on my reading list.

I'm sure I'll choose some of the others also, probably group reads and short stories because those I do anyway and it makes me feel good to get to check off some challenges as done!

Good luck, Katy! I'll only for sure be doing two of these, but the new ones look interesting enough for me to reserve a spot or two for them.

Aubrey wrote: "Good luck, Katy! I'll only for sure be doing two of these, but the new ones look interesting enough for me to reserve a spot or two for them."

For me, the planning is half the fun! So I will think about what I want to read.

Katy wrote: "No, I won't be doing ALL of the challenges, but haven't decided which ones I will do and wanted to save a spot before a conversation gets started.

I always try the A-Z challenges, but haven't qui..."

I'm planning on dieting this year too. Several are just to good to pass up, I guess that is why my past diets fail. Oh well.

I think I have my books for challenge #1 chosen.

Katy wrote: "I think I have my books for challenge #1 chosen."

Nice list! I'm interested in your thoughts on The Leopard. That one has been on my radar for awhile and I think I should probably read it, but don't know much about it. I'll watch for your comments. Enjoy your reading :)

Great idea, using previous group reads. I found Anna Karenina accessible but then I find most Russian literature accessible. I used this edition Anna Karenina because the translators are highly regarded if that helps.

Terris wrote: "Nice list! I'm interested in your thoughts on The Leopard. That one has been on my radar for awhile and I think I shoul..."

It has been on my TBR sometime in the future list too long. So this might give me the push I need.

Brina wrote: "Great idea, using previous group reads. I found Anna Karenina accessible but then I find most Russian literature accessible. I used this edition Anna Karenina because the translators are..."

Nice, that is the copy that I have to read!

Great choices, Katy. I read Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in college. It's quite good. Anna Karenina is one my personal favorites. Beautiful characterizations from Tolstoy.

If my in-person (well, currently on Zoom) book club has its way, I'll probably read The Bell Jar this year.

I loved Anna, and Much Ado About Nothing is wonderful, I think. Hope you enjoy them all, Katy!

Katy wrote: "I think I have my books for challenge #1 chosen."

I still need to come up with two alternates.

You can always use two more group reads to give you reason to get them read.

Brina wrote: "You can always use two more group reads to give you reason to get them read."

Yes, that's what I'll do.

Nice choices, Katy. You have someone on your challenge that I really MUST get to, Emile Zola. Seems terrible to me that I have never read him. Hope you enjoy all this good reading in the new year.

Sara wrote: "Nice choices, Katy. You have someone on your challenge that I really MUST get to, Emile Zola. Seems terrible to me that I have never read him. Hope you enjoy all this good reading in the new year."

I haven't read him either, thus a must on my list.

I will tell you that my favorite Zola so far was Thérèse Raquin! That one has really stuck with me!

Terris wrote: "I will tell you that my favorite Zola so far was Thérèse Raquin! That one has really stuck with me!"

I'll try to work it in!

Challenge #2 – Does a Century Make a Difference?

Select 10 books from any single year of interest, then select 10 more from 100 years earlier, for a total of 20 books. List your choices for other members to explore.

Here is my my list for you all to explore. Any on the list that you think I really need to read for this challenge.

Katy wrote: "Challenge #2 – Does a Century Make a Difference?

Select 10 books from any single year of interest, then select 10 more from 100 years earlier, for a total of 20 books. List your choices for other..."

What an interesting collection of books I've never read, Katy! Such a great variety. The ones I find most tempting are The Portrait of a Lady, the Octavia Butler which is sure to be good, and Cosmos, which I've always wanted to read. Great ideas--enjoy your challenge!

I’ve only read two , Katy. Nana , one of my favourite Zola’s and Waiting for the Barbarians, a 5* read for me a few months back.
Lots of interesting reading in the other choices.

Good to know that Waiting for the Barbarians was a 5 star read, Janelle. Will you be joining in our buddy read next month, Katy?

Brina wrote: "Good to know that Waiting for the Barbarians was a 5 star read, Janelle. Will you be joining in our buddy read next month, Katy?"

Janelle wrote: "I’ve only read two , Katy. Nana , one of my favourite Zola’s and Waiting for the Barbarians, a 5* read for me a few months back.
Lots of interesting reading in the other c..."

Yes, I plan to join the buddy read, and thank you Janelle for the recommendations. Choosing books by publication date is hard.

Katy wrote: "Challenge #2 – Does a Century Make a Difference?

Select 10 books from any single year of interest, then select 10 more from 100 years earlier, for a total of 20 books. List your choices for other..."

The Complete Maus is a wonderful read.

The Age of Wonder us on my long-term list. Looking forward to seeing what you think. Enjoy.

So nice to see that my selections have been enjoyed by others!

You'll love Othello for sure. Quite a varied list

I like your choices for C1, Follett is a favorite, Enders Game and Anna Karenina are also excellent. Just a couple of weeks and we're reading a new year

Now for the hardest part of the challenges. Choosing what book to read first!

Happy New Year, Katy .. and Happy Reading...
I really loved Othello and Name of the Rose.
And have Silent Spring, EBB sonnets and G of small things in my TBR for this year.
:)
So far I have found out that I love Shakespeare's Tragedies and Histories , comedies, not so much.I did not enjoy Midsummers night and had DNFd The Winters tale, the year before... will try it again..as it is a group read.

First book of the year for my Old & New Challenge

✔ 1) Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Ann Jacobs

One of the nice things with a new year is that one's first few books can always fill in a few of the A-Z challenge items.

Hit the halfway point in the Author A-Z challenge.

Wow, Katy, that is amazing. The A-Z Challenges were always a trial for me and I never finished them.

Congratulations Katy, you are blazing through many of your challenges.

I don't usually finish the A-Z challenges either, but I can get close.

Wow, you are really a fast reader. I am quite impressed.
Enjoy. :)

Thank you.

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath used in several challenges: Bingo, Old & New, Member Choice Genre, and New Author.