Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I stayed away last year but what was the fun in that?? I'm looking forward to some buffet reading again

Challenge #3 - Decade/Century/Millennium Challenge

Decade Reading Challenge - 20th Century

1. 1900s -> Israel Rank: The Autobiography of a Criminal by Roy Horniman
2. 1910s -> The Innocence of Father Brown by G.K. Chesterton
3. 1920s -> The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
4. 1930s -> Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
5. 1940s -> The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
6. 1950s -> The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
✔ 7. 1960s -> To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. 1970s -> Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
✔ 9. 1980s -> A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
✔ 10. 1990s -> Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
bonus 2000s -> The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

Challenge #4 - Members Choice Challenge Choose one book per category/genre for a total of 12 books

1. 19th Century -> The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
✔ 2. 20th Century -> To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee finished january 2024
3. 21st Century -> The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
✔ 4. A book originally written in a language other than your own -> The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
✔ 5. An Author never read before -> Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
6. Diversity Classic, read a book from a religion, culture, country, or race different than yours -> Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
7. Science Fiction/Fantasy -> The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
8. Action/Adventure -> The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
9. Childrens/Young Adult -> Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood
✔ 10. Nonfiction Memoir/Biography -> The Woman in Me by Britney Spears finished january 2024
✔ 11. Mystery/Thriller -> Stealing the Crown by T.P. Fielden finished january 2024
12. Horror or Humor -> The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

Challenge #5 - Short Story Challenge

This one is my favourite! And it's ridiculous that I need the challenge form to actually read more short stories. I will fill out this list during the year, reading along with the monthly picks and seeking out some more.

✔ finished january 2024 1. Behind a Mask; or, a Woman's Power: The 1866 Literary Novella Classic Louisa May Alcott
✔ finished january 2024 2. This is it, by Sigrid Nunez
✔ finished February 2024 3. De purs hommes - Mohamed Mbougar Sarr
✔ finished March 2024 4. The Beauties by Anton Chekhov
✔ finished March 2024 5. How the Marquis Got His Coat Back by Neil Gaiman
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Challenge #7 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors

Seek out at least six (6) authors that you have never previously read, from any genre or era you want.

1. Stephen King
✔ 2. John Irving
3. Kawaguchi Matsutaro
4. Wilkie Collins
✔5. Orson Scott Card
✔6. Stieg Larsson

Challenge #9 – Fiction/Non-Fiction

Select five different subjects of interest to you and read a fiction book and a non-fiction book about that subject. Total number of books for this challenge is ten.

Topic: South Pole
1. Fiction South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby
2. Non Fiction Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage Alfred Lansing

Topic: Shipwreck
✔ finished February 2024 3. Fiction Lord of the Flies by William Golding
✔️finished March 2024 4. Non Fiction: The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann

Topic Asylum
5. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho
6. Asylum: Inside the Closed World of State Mental Hospitals by Oliver Sacks or The Complete Works of Nellie Bly: Ten Days in a Mad-House, Around the World in Seventy-Two Days and More by Nellie Bly

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Challenge #13 - Travel the World One Continent at a Time

Africa -> Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie
Asia -> The Dragon Republic by R.F. Kuang
Australia -> The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Europe -> The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
North America -> The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
South America -> Exile Music by Jennifer Steil
*Antarctica -> South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby

Challenge #15 - A-Z Title Challenge

✔ finished january 2024 A A Prayer for Owen Meany John Irving
B Before the Coffee Gets Cold Toshikazu Kawaguchi
C Code Name Verity Elizabeth Wein
D Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Philip K. Dick
E Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage Alfred Lansing
✔ finished February 2024 F Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros
G Guards! Guards!
H Holly Stephen King
I I, Robot Isaac Asimov
J
K
✔ finished February 2024 Lord of the Flies by William Golding
M Murder at the Grand Hotel
N Nobody every cries at bingo
O
✔ finished january 2024 P Parable of the Sower
R Ragtime by EL Doctorow
S South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby
✔ finished january 2024 T To Kill a Mockingbird
U
V Veronika Decides to Die Paulo Coelho
W Women who run with Wolves
*X
*Y Yellowface
*Z

Challenge #16 - A-Z Author Challenge

A Isaac Asimov
✔ finished january 2024 B Octavia E. Butler
C Wilkie Collins
D E.L. Doctorow
E Clarissa Pinkola Estés
F John Meade Falkner
✔ finished February 2024 G William Golding
H Matt Haig
✔ finished january 2024 I John Irving
J Death by Request Romilly John
K Stephen King
✔ finished january 2024 L Harper Lee
M Bradford Morrow
N
O The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien
P The Lost Melody by Joanna Davidson Politano
*Q Calamity Town by Ellery Queen
R Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia
S Graeme Simsion
T Leo Tolstoy
U
V
✔ finished February 2024 W Elisabeth Wheatley
*X
✔ finished February 2024 Rebecca Yarros
*Z Markus Zusak

The A-Z challenges I always find very difficult indeed! But they do very effectively lead me to make other choices than I usually would so they have to be included for 2024.

Enjoy your challenges! I really like The Woman in White, and I hope you'll love it too!

I did the A-Z Title and Author Challenges for the first time this year. It was really fun! Throughout the year I just read books and put them in the category where they belonged. But this last month I had to read a couple of books for Q and V just to finish!! haha!
I usually don't do that, but they were books that I wanted to read at some time anyway -- now was that time! I finished -- Yay!

Good luck with all of your challenges in 2024 :)

You must be skin and bones after a year away from the buffet. I'm glad you are back. You have some good reading ahead. The Razor's Edge is on my reread list, a favorite of mine. I remember The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo being a page turner, a really good mystery. Have a good year.

January Reads from these challenges:

7jan 24
Behind a Mask, Or, a Woman's Power by Louisa May Alcott, published in 1866! but such a joy to read
11jan 24
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, 4 stars, wow amazing! glad to have finally read it

Jessica-sim wrote: "January Reads from these challenges:

7jan 24
Behind a Mask, Or, a Woman's Power by Louisa May Alcott, published in 1866! but such a joy to read
11jan 24
[book:A Praye..."

Owen Meany is one of my very favorites! Glad you enjoyed it, too :)

That's great that you got the year started with two that you so much enjoyed!

Jessica-sim wrote: "January Reads from these challenges:

7jan 24
Behind a Mask, Or, a Woman's Power by Louisa May Alcott, published in 1866! but such a joy to read

I have that on my list to read for the challenge, glad to hear you liked it.

Welcome back to the table! Owen Meany is a great read...so you are off to a stellar beginning.

I read a whopping 13 books and 4004 pages in march! but only 2 classics.

Really enjoyed the group reads of Neverwhere and The Beauties

.....Well, it's something ;)

Keep Reading! :)

Wow, that's amazing -- well done!

Terris wrote: ".....Well, it's something ;)

Keep Reading! :)"

I'm sorry I made a bad joke! The number of books and pages you read is amazing! I think it means you read what you enjoyed, even if only two were classics! Keep it up! :)

Haha thanks! (I hadnt taken any offence)

Jessica-sim wrote: "Haha thanks! (I hadnt taken any offence)"

;)

An excellent month, I'm envious.