Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Here we go again. Stepping up to the Buffet. My TBR is groaning loudly at the thought of me researching books to put on my Buffet plate. I always end up with at least three, four or ten Want-To-Reads for every one I actually list in my challenges. I haven't even finished what I planned in 2021, let alone, 2022. So this year, I will begin with just one serving of Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR and see how the rest go without pre-planning. Maybe I can even whittle away a bit at my old Take-Out Box Challenge.

Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR
Challenge #2 - Second Place or Worse
Challenge #3 - Decade/Century/Millennium
Challenge #4 - Members Choice
Challenge #5 - Short Story
Challenge #6 - Group Reads and/or Buddy Reads
Challenge #7 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors
Challenge #8 - Most Popular Goodreads Books Listed by Year
Challenge #9 – Fiction/Non-Fiction
Challenge #10 - The Half a Millennium Challenge with a Sour Lemon Twist of Difficult
Challenge #11 - Old and New Linked Categories
Challenge #12 - A-Z Author
Challenge #13 - A-Z Title

Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR

Old School
✅ 1. The Hand
✅ 2. The Prince
✅ 3. An Ideal Husband

New School
✅ 1. West with the Night
✅ 2. The Long Ships
✅ 3. The Summer Book

Wild Cards
✅ 1. Barchester Towers
✅ 2. Justine
✅ 3. The Last Day of a Condemned Man
✅ 4. The Turn of the Screw
✅ 5. The Island of Dr. Moreau
✅ 6. The Sparrow

Alternates
✅ 1. The War of the Worlds
2. Agnes Grey
3. A Question of Upbringing

We will all die with enormous TBR's, Annette. I am resigned to it. Welcome to the table, eat exactly what you want.

Sara wrote: "We will all die with enormous TBR's, Annette. I am resigned to it. Welcome to the table, eat exactly what you want."

I always eat too much! But this year I'm going to load my plate more slowly.

I've been introduced to the term BABLE - Books Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy which seems to describe not only our bookshelves, but also apply to our TBRs! Enjoy your less-planned year, Annette!

Carolien wrote: "I've been introduced to the term BABLE - Books Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy which seems to describe not only our bookshelves, but also apply to our TBRs! Enjoy your less-planned year, Annette!"

BABLE does describe my book situation. Thanks, Carolien, and I hope the rest of your year and all to come are great for reading as well.

You have started with an appetizer. Rarely does an appetizer satisfy. Looking forward to your next entrée. Don’t forget dessert. Happy reading!

By the way, I love BABLE,

Ooh. Lots of good books on your Old and New challenge that I haven't read yet. I look forward to seeing what you think. Have fun!

Kathleen wrote: "Ooh. Lots of good books on your Old and New challenge that I haven't read yet. I look forward to seeing what you think. Have fun!"

Thanks, Kathleen. I am looking forward to them. Best wishes on your lists!

The Long Ships is wonderful! West with the Night is interesting and I love Barchester Towers. I'm hoping to get to The Summer Book as well next year. Enjoy Annette!

Looks like we have some similar books coming up next year. I plan to read The Summer Book after seeing so many wonderful reviews this year. I meant to read West with the Night but didn’t get to it. I need to find a place for it. Enjoy your challenges and all of your reading next year, Annette,

Carolien wrote: "The Long Ships is wonderful! West with the Night is interesting and I love Barchester Towers. I'm hoping to get to The Summer Book as well next year. Enjoy Annette!"

Thanks, Carolien, for The Long Ships from your list of favorites. My Mt TBR grew a lot after that thread opened up!

Lori wrote: "Looks like we have some similar books coming up next year. I plan to read The Summer Book after seeing so many wonderful reviews this year. I meant to read West with the Night but didn’t get to it...."

Great! I look forward to your thoughts. I got The Summer Book from the same thread :) And I have had a copy of West with the Night for years. It’s time to read it!

Carolien wrote: "I've been introduced to the term BABLE - Books Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy which seems to describe not only our bookshelves, but also apply to our TBRs! Enjoy your less-planned year, Annette!"

I love that, Carolien! I have never heard that term before, but I think we're all in the same BABLE boat!!! haha!

Oh my! I find that my Buffet is lagging. It's almost June and I can only mark off 2 books!

Don't worry, there's still a lot of the year left! Did you enjoy the books you've read?

Wobbley is right, still plenty of time. The important thing is to enjoy what you read.

I too agree, you have plenty of time and some great books to choose from. Slow and steady, just enjoy your reading time.

Wobbley wrote: "Don't worry, there's still a lot of the year left! Did you enjoy the books you've read?"

Thanks for the encouragement, Wobbley, Sara & Bob! I have been enjoying most my reading. I am trying to push through a few other books that I am not enjoying much. That makes for slow going. I do think DNF is a logical choice at times; on the other hand, sometimes i know it'll be good for me to just get it done.

Wishing you a really good book to be your next in line, Annette! An Ideal Husband might be a fun one to break the cycle. :-)

Thanks, Kathleen! I like Oscar Wilde :)

Carolien wrote: "I've been introduced to the term BABLE - Books Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy which seems to describe not only our bookshelves, but also apply to our TBRs! Enjoy your less-planned year, Annette!"

Right up there with BABLE.

Oscar Wilde is always a good idea, Annette. Hope you like your next book.

I've technically finished the Old & New Challenge if I use an Alternate but I am almost done with Barchester Towers so I don't really have to.

Done :) I polished off Challenges #12 - A-Z Authors and #13 - A-Z Titles from my plate. I keep track of my books & authors alphabetically all year so it was just a matter of reading a few more.

DONE Challenge #12 A-Z Authors Read in 2023
✅ A Attar of Nishapur, Julia Alvarez, Aristophanes, Maya Angelou
✅ B Buchan John, Frans G. Bengtsson, Antonio di Benedetto, Burnett, Frances Hodgson,, Giovanni Boccaccio, Robert William Billings
✅ C Truman Capote x 2, Arthur C. Clarke, Walter Van Tilburg Clark, Agatha Christie, Coerr Eleanor, Kate Chopin, Albert Camus
✅ D Lawrence Durrell
✅ E Ralph Waldo Emerson
✅ F Theodor Fontane, Faulkner, William,
✅ G Goethe Johann Von, Garland
✅ H Langston Hughes, Holling Clancy Holling, Victor Hugo
✅ I Kobayashi Issa
✅ J Tove Jansson, Henry James
✅ K Kafka Franz
✅ L Maud Hart Lovelace
✅ M Larry McMurtry, Marie de France, Vilhelm Moberg, Niccolò Machiavelli, Margaret Mahy, W. Somerset Maugham, Guy de Maupassant,Beryl Markham, Else Holmelund Minarik
✅ N Andre Norton
✅ O Aileen O'Bryan
✅ P Philippa Pearce Beatrix Potter Anthony Powell
✅ Q Raymond Queneau Zazie in the Metro
✅ R Mary Doria Russell, Edmond Rostand, Miss Read
✅ S John Steinbeck, Peter Sís, Noel Streatfeild, Dodie Smith, Bram Stoker
✅ T Leo Tolstoy
✅ U John Updike
✅ V Jules Verne
✅ W Oscar Wilde, H.G. Wells x 2, Edith Wharton
✅ X Xenophon: Xenophon's Symposium
✅ YTaro Yashima
✅ Z Émile Zola

DONE Challenge #13 A-Z Titles Read in 2023
✅ A And Then There Were None, All God's Children Need Traveling Shoes
✅ B Breakfast, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Before the Party, Ballet Shoes, Betsy-Tacy, The Bear
✅ C The Conference of the Birds, The Conference of the Birds, The Conference of the Birds(I read 3 versions.)
✅ D The Decameron, The Double Clue By Agatha Christie : A Hercule Poirot Mystery
✅ E The Emigrants,The Eagle's Heart, Earthlight, Effi Briest
✅ F Faust (Parts 1 & 2), A Few Flies and I: Haiku by Issa, The Fairy Caravan, The Fall
✅ G The Girl with the Green Ear: Stories About Magic in Nature and The Grass Harp, including A Tree of Night and Other Stories
✅ H The Hand, How Much Land Does a Man Need?, the hunger artist
✅ I An Ideal Husband,The Island of Dr. Moreau, In the Time of the Butterflies
✅ K A Kiss for Little Bear
✅ L Lonesome Dove, The Lais of Marie de France, The Long Ships, The Land of the Blue Flower, The Last Day of a Condemned Man, Lysistrata, Lifeguard, Lair of the White Worm
✅ M The Midnight Kittens
✅ N Not Without Laughter, NatureNature,
Navaho Indian Myths
✅ OThe Ox-Bow Incident, The Old Maid
✅ P The Prince, The Power of Form Applied to Geometric Tracery: One Hundred Designs and Their Foundations Resulting From One Diagram
✅ Q A Question of Upbringing
✅ R The Reluctant Dragon (2 versions), Rendezvous with Rama
✅ S The Summer Book, Seabird: A Newbery Honor Award Winner, Scarface, The Sparrow, Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes, The Story of an Hour, Xenophon's Symposium
✅ T Tom's Midnight Garden, The 39 Steps, The Turn of the Screw, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Thérèse Raquin
✅ U Umbrella
✅ V Village School
✅ W West with the Night, The War of the Worlds
✅ X X Stands for Unknown - just the title story
✅ Y Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
✅ Z Zama, Zazie in the Metro

Ooo- everyone’s serving up their 2024 plates and I’m still sitting at the 2023 table. The 2024 buffet looks so enticing and it’s bigger! I want to get in line but I still have a few reads left for the alphabet challenges I started. Then I’ll clear my 2023 tray looking for any other challenges completed.

Don't worry -- there's still lots of time left in 2023. We're all just getting carried away by the shiny new challenges!

You are quite right to finish the meal you are having before you sit down at the new table, Annette. I am just displaying bad manners by trying to do both.

I think the A-Z challenges are the hardest of all--so congrats on your progress there!

Wobbley wrote: "Don't worry -- there's still lots of time left in 2023. We're all just getting carried away by the shiny new challenges!"

Shiny :) I'm looking forward to the 2024 Buffet, too. My TBR will grow groan when I go back and read everyone's plans!

Sara wrote: "You are quite right to finish the meal you are having before you sit down at the new table, Annette. I am just displaying bad manners by trying to do both.

I think the A-Z challenges are the hard..."

Not bad manners, Sara! I will be joining you soon!

A-Z isn't so difficult. I take a look at what I've read in September so that I still have time to fill in the missing letters.

I finished the A-Z Authors and I'm almost done with the titles :)

Bravo, Annette!

Congratulations, Annette! The A-Z challenges look formidable. It looks like you have done a lot of wonderful reading! You have just a bit left to meet your goal!

Wonderful success, Annette! I’ve never attempted the A-Z but you have inspired me to think about it. You’ve even got multiple choices for many categories! Well done!

Thanks, everyone!

Lori, I do watch for Q, X, Y, Z reads because I try to read all of the letters. Xenophon has been a great source and usually very interesting. For the rest, I just keep a list in alphabetic order as I go. Then around September, I see where I need to read to finish. This year it was O & K, I think it was N & R last year.

That sounds very doable for sure. I may have to see where I’m at later on this year because I imagine it’s easier than I think. Thanks for the encouragement!!

Lori wrote: "That sounds very doable for sure. I may have to see where I’m at later on this year because I imagine it’s easier than I think. Thanks for the encouragement!!"

I thought it would be difficult at first, too, but it really hasn't been. I do suggest starting the lists of reads early in the year for easier tracking.

Wow--a great challenge with some wonderful authors and titles! Congrats, Annette.

Congratulations Annette.

That's great Annette! What were the highlights for you?

Done with the last book for my Alphabet challenges! Now I can review my reading.

Congrats, Annette.

Sara wrote: "Congrats, Annette."

Thanks, Sara!

Way to go, Annette!

Congratulations, Annette! The Alphabets alone are each major challenges.