Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Next Year's 2025 Buffet Menu:

Completed:
Challenge #2 - Members Choice
Challenge #3 - New Authors
Challenge #4 - Short Story
Challenge #5 - Decade/Century/Millennium
Challenge #6 - Group Reads, Buddy Reads, Moderators Run Amok - Half Serving
Challenge #7 - Series Books – Start, Continue, Complete
Challenge #8 - Travel the World One Continent at a Time
Challenge #9 – Rereading Some do Some don't
Challenge #10 - Most Popular Goodreads Books Listed by Year
Challenge #11 - Future Classics
Challenge #12 - Fiction/Non-Fiction
Challenge #13 - Old and New Linked Categories
Challenge #14 - Bestselling Novels in the US
Challenge #15 - Award Winners
Challenge #17 - A-Z Title

Attempting:
Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR
Challenge #16 - A-Z Author

Challenge #1 - Old & New TBR Challenge
Completed: 11/12

Pre-1914:
1 Little Dorrit
2 The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy 2/27
3 The Small House in Allington

Post 1914:
1 Mr. Midshipman Hornblower
2 So Big by Edna Ferber 2/19 3.5*
3 Under Milkwood: A Play for Voices by Dylan Thomas 9/2 4*

On My Shelf Waiting:
1 The Iliad by Homer Emily Henry trans. 9/4 3*
2 Madame Bovary
3 A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde 9/14 2*
4 The Inugami Curse by Seishi Yokomizo 2/25 DNF
5 Mr. Standfast by John Buchan 1/10 4*
6 My Lady Ludlow by Elizabeth Gaskell 10/4 3*

Alternates from the library:
1 Fire in the Thatch by E.C.R. Lorac 2/5 4*
2 The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick 1/2 4*
3 Summer Half by Angela Thirkell 7/14

Challenge #2 - Members Choice Challenge DONE
Choose one book per category/genre for a total of 9 books.
Completed: 9/9

1. 19th Century or Older -
The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins 3/8 4*
2. 20th Century -
Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 1/16 4*
3. 21st Century -
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench 3/8 5*
4. Nonfiction -
1774: The Long Year of Revolution by Mary Beth Norton 1/23 4*
5. An Author never read before -
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson 1/18 5*
6. Diversity, read a book from a religion, culture, country, or race different than yours -
The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himma by Melanie Magidow 2/25 4*
7. Members Choice Genre - Fantasy
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick 1/2 4*
8. Members Choice Genre - Adventure/Spy
Mr. Standfast by John Buchan 1/10 4*
9. Members Choice Genre - Play
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 1/12 4.5*

Challenge #3 - Expand Your Horizon with New Authors DONE

Seek out at least six (6) authors that you have never previously read, from any genre or era you want.
I will count classics, potential classics, vintage, and nonfiction history authors.

1. R.A. Dick, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir 1/2 4*
2. Rudolph Dircks, Ellen from Women Who Did: Stories by Men and Women, 1890-1914 1/3 2*
3. George Egerton, A Nocturne from Women Who Did: Stories by Men and Women, 1890-1914 1/3 4*
4. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson 1/18 5*
5. 1774: The Long Year of Revolution by Mary Beth Norton 1/23 4*
6. A Guide to the Wars of the Roses by Derek Ronald Birks 2/19 4.5*
7. So Big by Edna Ferber 2/19 3.5*
8. Jane Austen's Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels by Molly Williams 2/25 3.5*
9. The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himma by Melanie Magidow 2/25 4*
10. The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome: A History of the Ptolemies by Guy de la Bédoyère 2/27 4*
11. Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench 3/8 5*
12. The Year That Made America: From Rebellion to Independence, 1775–1776 by Tom McMillan 3/11 5+*
13. E.D.E.N. Southworth's Hidden Hand: The Untold Story of America's Famous Forgotten Nineteenth-Century Author by Rose Neal 3/13 4*
14. Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm by Gil North 3/14 2*
15. The Shortest History of Music by Andrew Ford 3/21 4*
16. The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers 3/25 4*
17. The Purple Emperor by Robert W. Chambers 4/7 4*
18. Four Max Carrados Detective Stories by Ernest Bramah 4/20 3.5*
19. Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II by Elyse Graham. 4/25 3*
20, Apricot Sky by Ruby Ferguson 4/27 3.5*
21, Penelope's Bones: A New History of Homer’s World through the Women Written Out of It by Emily Hauser 3/30 5*
22, The African Queen by C.S. Forester 5/12 2.5*
23, Near Neighbours by Molly Clavering 8/3 4*
24. Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney 8/16 5*
25. The Night of Wenceslas by Lionel Davidson 8/22 3*
26. Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark 8/31 3*
27. The Zenda Vendetta by Simon Hawke 9/4 3*
28. The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart 9/5 3*

Challenge #4 - Short Story Challenge DONE
I plan to use this to finish off several books of short stories on my shelf.
Read 18 short stories.

1. Ellen by Rudolph Dircks from Women Who Did: Stories by Men and Women, 1890-1914 1/3 2*
2. A Nocturne by George Egerton from Women Who Did: Stories by Men and Women, 1890-1914 1/3 3*
3. The Angel at the Grave by Edith Wharton 1/4 4*
4. Goodbye, My Brother by John Cheever 1/2 4*
5. The Common Day by John Cheever 2/4 2*
6. The Enormous Radio by John Cheever 2/6 3*
7. The Tuesday Night Club from Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie 2/23 5*
8. The Companion from Miss Marple: The Complete Short Stories by Agatha Christie 3/25 4*
9. The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken from Garden Stories 3/25 4*
10. The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin 3/28
11. The Doctor, His Wife, and the Clock by Anna Katharine Green 2*
12. The Purple Emperor by Robert W. Chambers 4/7 4*
13. The Last Exploit of Harry the Actor by Ernest Bramah from Four Max Carrados Detective Stories 4/20 4*
14. Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell 8/14 2*
15. Another Story or a Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula Le Guin from The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century 8/14 2*
16. The Mistletoe Murder by P.D. James from The Mistletoe Murder and Other Stories 8/23 4*
17. Diamond Cut Diamond by Frederic Kummer from The Big Book of Female Detectives 8/29 3.5
18. The Wizard's Safe by Valentine Archibald Thomas Pechey from The Big Book of Female Detectives 8/29 5*

Challenge #5 - Decade/Century/Millennium DONE

A Century of Mystery:
Read 10 books from any 10 consecutive decades (1 book per decade). Authors can only be used once in the challenge.
All of these books will be new-to-me.
Completed: 10/10

1870s 1875 The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins 3/8 4*
1880s 1887 Lord Arthur Savile's Crime by Oscar Wilde 9/6 3*
1890s 1895 The Doctor, His Wife, and the Clock by Anna Katharine Green 2*
1900s 1908 The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart 9/5 3*
1910s 1910 Lady Molly of Scotland Yard by Emmuska Orczy 1/10 3*
1920s 1929 The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen 9/9 1*
1930s 1932 The Z Murders by J. Jefferson Farjeon 2/15 2*
1940s 1946 Fire in the Thatch by E.C.R. Lorac 2/5 4*
1950s 1958 Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 1/16 4*
1960s 1960 Sergeant Cluff Stands Firm by Gil North 3/14 2*

Challenge #6 - Group Reads, Buddy Reads, Moderators Run Amok - Half Serving DONE
This challenge requires 12 books to "win". but since I have to rely on ILLs where I can only have 5 titles in the system at a time and I never know what will show up when or how long I can keep the books if they do come, that just feels too overwhelming for me. So I'm going for a half serving, with 6 titles. If I do more great, if not, that's ok, too.

My Target - 6
Completed: 6/6

1 JAN - The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 1/12 4.5*
2 JAN - The Angel at the Grave by Edith Wharton 1/4 4*
3 MAR - The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin 3/28
4 JUN - Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw 6/25 5*
5 AUG - Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell 8/14 2*
6 SEP - Regret by Kate Chopin 9/3 2*
That's my half serving. I may do more.
7 OCT - Touch Not the Cat
8 OCT - NOV To Kill a Mockindbird
9 OCT - NOV A Cry of Angels

Challenge #7- Series Books – Start, Continue, Complete DONE
Completed: 2/2

Begin:
Hornblower: Mr. Midshipman Hornblower

Liaden:
Local Custom by Sharon Lee 6/30 4*
Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee 7/2 2.5*
Conflict of Honors by Sharon Lee 7/5 3*
Mouse and Dragon by Sharon Lee 7/6

Continue:
John Putnam Thatcher:
Pick Up Sticks by Emma Lathen 8/12 5*
When in Greece by Emma Lathen 9/26 5*
Right on the Money by Emma Lathen 10/6 4.5*

Richard Hannay:
Mr. Standfast by John Buchan 1/10 4*
The Three Hostages by John Buchan 2/20 3.5*

Barsetshire Chronicles: A Small House in Allington

Barsetshire (Thirkell):
Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell 1/19 4*
Before Lunch by Angela Thirkell 1/8 5*
Cheerfulness Breaks In by Angela Thirkell 3/15 5+*
Northbridge Rectory by Angela Thirkell 1.5*

Aubrey-Maturin:

Mrs Tim Christie:
Mrs. Tim Carries On by D.E. Stevenson 3/5 4.5*

Finish:
Cranford Chronicles:
My Lady Ludlow by Elizabeth Gaskell 10/4 3*

Reread:
Vorkosigan Saga:
Captain Vorpatril's Alliance by Lois McMaster Bujold 5*
Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold 5*
Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold 3/7 5*
Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold 3/16 5+*
The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold 3/22 4*
Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold 5/22 4.5*
Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold 6/11 5*
Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold 6/12 5*
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold 6/14 5+*
Winterfair Gifts by Lois McMaster Bujold 6/14 4*

Discworld Witches:
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett 6/6 5*
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett 6/8 5*

Mrs. Pollifax:
A Palm for Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman 9/29 5*

Challenge #8 - Travel the World One Continent at a Time DONE

Select a book or an author from each of the seven world continents, *Antarctica is optional, and can be substituted for a country specific book.

Completed: 7/7

Africa - The Fall of Egypt and the Rise of Rome: A History of the Ptolemies by Guy de la Bédoyère 2/27 4*
Asia - The Tale of Princess Fatima, Warrior Woman: The Arabic Epic of Dhat al-Himma by Melanie Magidow 2/25 4*
Australia - A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute 5/9 5*
Europe The Riddle of the Sands by Erskine Childers 3/25 4*
North America Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 1/16 4*
South America - Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark 8/31 3*

*Antarctica, or a Country
*Read a book set in the country you'd most like to visit.
Wales - Under Milkwood: A Play for Voices by Dylan Thomas 9/2 4*

Challenge #9 - Rereading - Some Do Some Don't DONE
Completed: 2/2

Books I'd Love to Reread
1. My Antonia
2. Giants in the Earth
3. Kim
4. Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther 3/25 4*
5. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 9/6 5*

Challenge #10 – Most Popular Goodreads Books Listed by Year
Locate and list 10 books that most interest you from the year of your choice. The challenge is to read 3 books from that list.
Completed: 3/3

1939:
1 Grapes of Wrath
2 Anne of Ingleside
3 Old Possum's Practical Book of Cats
4 How Green was My Valley
5 Mask of Dimitrios AKA A Coffin for Dimitrios
6 The Priory
7 Uncle Fred in the Springtime by P.G. Wodehouse 3*
8 Mrs. Miniver by Jan Struther 3/25 4*
9 Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth 1/11 3*
10 One Pair of Hands

Challenge #11 - Future Classics DONE
A Quarter of the 21st Century has passed; did you read any potential classics? For discussion, and the benefit and curiosity of our members please list 5 books you have read over the last 25 years that you believe will still be actively read in 50-100+ years.

These Five Were Great, I Believe They Will Stand the Test of Time:
1 Jayber Crow
2 Gilead
3 Wee Free Men
4 All the Light We Cannot See
5 A Gentleman in Moscow

The Future Classic Challenge -
List 3 unread books published between 2000-2024 that you feel have the potential to become a classic. The challenge, read 1 of your 3 selections. Then let us know if you think it has a chance at greatness, or will it pass into oblivion.
Read 1/1

These Sound Like They Could be Great:
1 Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay DNF (Had to return to ILL, would finish if I could get my hands on it again.)
2 Lincoln at the Bardo
3 The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley 5/26 2*
Brought way down for me by a passive, dull MC. Not to mention an ending that's confusing. I like an author to pick an ending - I can dislike it, but it's better than guessing what happened.

Challenge #12– Fiction/Non-Fiction DONE
Completed: 6/6

Possibilities -
Topic 1: Shakespeare
Nonfiction:
Shakespeare: The Man Who Pays the Rent by Judi Dench 3/8 5*
Fiction:
Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare 3/30 3*

Topic 2: Jane Austen's 250th Birthday!
Nonfiction:
Jane Austen's Garden: A Botanical Tour of the Classic Novels by Molly Williams 2/25 4*
Fiction:
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 9/6 5*

Topic 3: Homeric Epics
Nonfiction:
Penelope's Bones: A New History of Homer’s World through the Women Written Out of It by Emily Hauser 3/30 5*
Fiction:
The Iliad by Homer Emily Wilson trans. 9/4 3*

Challenge #13 - Old and New Linked Categories DONE
Completed: 6/6

Possibilities:
Men at War
Pre-1914: The Iliad by Homer Emily Henry trans. 9/4 3*
Post 1914: A Guide to the Wars of the Roses by Derek Ronald Birks 2/19 4.5*

Strong Women
Pre-1914: The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins 3/8 4*
Post 1914: So Big by Edna Ferber 2/19 3.5*

Mysteries
Pre-1914: Lady Molly of Scotland Yard by Emmuska Orczy 1/10 3*
Post 1914: Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 1/16 4*

Challenge #14 - Publishers Weekly lists of Bestselling Novels in the United States DONE
Completed: 2/2

Potential:
1918 The UP Trail
1924 So Big
1931-2 The Good Earth
1939 All This and Heaven, Too
1940 How Green was My Valley
1941 Random Harvest
1956 Don't Go Near the Water, Brinkley
1957 Dr. Zhivago
1974 Centennial
1979 The Matarese Circle

I Read:
Not My Usual: Centennial by James A. Michener DNF
I've read and enjoyed Michener, but quit this after the half-way point. And I'm a Colorado native who grew up in that part of the state!
4-5* Prediction: So Big by Edna Ferber 2/19 3.5*

Challenge #15 - Award Winners DONE
Completed: 2/2

Newbery Award:
1956 Miracles on Maple Hill by Virginia Sorensen 1/31 4.5*
1953 Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark 8/31 3*

Pulitzer:
1924 So Big by Edna Ferber 2/19 3.5*

Hugo:
1992 Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold 3/16 5+*
1991 The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold 3/22 4.5*
1995 Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold 3/38 4*

Challenge #16 - A-Z Author Challenge
Consider it successful by using only 23 letters. There are 4 optional letters marked with an (*), you only need to use one.
23/23

A Austen Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen 9/6 5*
B Buchan Mr. Standfast by John Buchan 1/10 4*
C Christie Nemesis: A Miss Marple Mystery by Agatha Christie 1/26 4.5*
D Dick The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick 1/2 4*
E ECR Fire in the Thatch by E.C.R. Lorac 2/5 4*
F Farjeon The Z Murders by J. Jefferson Farjeon 2/15 2*
G Greene Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 1/16 4*
H Homer The Iliad by Homer Emily Henry trans. 9/4 3*
I Irving The Art of Book-Making by Washington Irving 8/29 3.5*
J Jessamyn The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West 9/27 4.5*
K Kummer Diamond Cut Diamond by Frederic Kummer 8/29 3.5
L Lathen Pick Up Sticks by Emma Lathen 8/12 5*
M MacInnes The Double Image by Helen MacInnes 5/4 4*
N Norton 1774: The Long Year of Revolution by Mary Beth Norton 1/23 4*
O Orczy Lady Molly of Scotland Yard by Emmuska Orczy 1/10 3*
P Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett 6/6 5*
*Q Queen The Roman Hat Mystery by Ellery Queen 9/9
R Rice Home Sweet Homicide by Craig Rice 5/1 4*
S Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 1/12 4.5*
T Thirkell Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell 1/19 4.5*
U Ursula Another Story or a Fisherman of the Inland Sea by Ursula Le Guin from The Best Time Travel Stories of the 20th Century 8/14
V Valentine The Wizard's Safe by Valentine Archibald Thomas Pechey from The Big Book of Female Detectives 8/29 5*
W Wentworth Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth 1/10
*X
*Y
*Z

Challenge #17 - A-Z Title Challenge DONE
Consider it successful by using only 23 letters. There are 4 optional letters marked with an (*), you only need to use one.
25/23

A Apricot Sky by Ruby Ferguson 4/27 3.5*
B Before Lunch by Angela Thirkell 1/8 5*
C Cheerfulness Breaks In by Angela Thirkell 3/15 5+*
D The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy 2/27
E E.D.E.N. Southworth's Hidden Hand: The Untold Story of America's Famous Forgotten Nineteenth-Century Author by Rose Neal 3/13 4*
F Fire in the Thatch by E.C.R. Lorac 2/5 4*
G The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick 1/2 4*
H Hamlet by William Shakespeare 9/26 5*
I The Iliad by Homer Emily Henry trans. 9/4 3*
J Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend by Rebecca Romney 8/16 5*
K Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold 6/12 5*
L Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth 1/11 3*
M The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare 1/12 4.5*
N Nemesis: A Miss Marple Mystery by Agatha Christie 1/26 4.5*
O Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene 1/16 4*
P Pomfret Towers by Angela Thirkell 1/19 4*
*Q The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer 1/1 5*
R The Resurrection Man by Charlotte MacLeod 3/21 3.5*
S So Big by Edna Ferber 2/19 3.5*
T Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare 3/30 3*
U Under Milkwood: A Play for Voices by Dylan Thomas 9/2 4*
V Vittoria Cottage by D.E. Stevenson 8/19 3*
W A Woman of No Importance by Oscar Wilde 9/14 2**
*X
*Y The Year That Made America: From Rebellion to Independence, 1775–1776 by Tom McMillan 3/11 5+*
*Z The Z Murders by J. Jefferson Farjeon 2/15 2*

SAVE

I can't believe this may be the year I take on all the Buffet challenges! But here goes:
I love New and Old because it pushes me to actually read books that linger. And I end up loving many of them.
Member's Choice, New Author and Short Story are easy for me to accomplish and I keep track of my new authors anyway, so I won't get stuck in a rut.
I think I want to use the Decade or Century task this year to explore mystery novels. I just have to work out the details before I decide.
Group/Buddy Reads are hard for me because I have to get most of these through ILL and I can't plan ahead or know when things will show up. But the short stories could help and I may try it and see...
Series isn't hard to complete.
Travel the World usually pushes me a bit and I like that. It also fits with My Personal Book Club Translations goal.
Reread I do a lot. It's just a matter of picking books I'll actually get to this year. lol
Most Popular on GR will work my new Personal Book Club goal of reading prize winners or nominees, as well as 100 Years Before Me.
Future Classics is a Personal Book Club goal for me every year.
Fiction/Nonfiction and Old/New are favorites of mine. I like linking my books in that way.
Bestselling novels fits my Awards goal.
A to Z authors and titles is always fun.

Whew! I may be all in this year.

This should be a lot of fun to watch! I think the Future Classics category is going to add to my TBR...never heard of Wee Free Men, so have to go check that out. Happy 2025, Teri.

Matt wrote: "Good luck on your buffet challenges Teri-K!"

Thanks, Matt! Same to you - I'll be over to check out your plans soon!

Teri-K! I can't believe you're going for all the challenges! Well, I guess I actually can believe it -- they're all so tempting! And I'm pretty sure you can do it! Enjoy your 2025 reading. I'll be looking through your lists to see what I might like to borrow ;)

Terris wrote: "Teri-K! I can't believe you're going for all the challenges! Well, I guess I actually can believe it -- they're all so tempting! And I'm pretty sure you can do it! Enjoy your 2025 reading. I'll be ..."

Well, I was going to cut back, and then I got to thinking... That's dangerous, you know. LOL

It just so happens that the new challenges dovetail with my new goals for My Personal Book Club in 2025. It's like I was reading Bob's mind or hacking his computer, or something.

I'm looking forward to seeing what you put into your challenge, I know I'll get some good ideas. It looks like another fun year, doesn't it?

Teri-K wrote: "Terris wrote: "Teri-K! I can't believe you're going for all the challenges! Well, I guess I actually can believe it -- they're all so tempting! And I'm pretty sure you can do it! Enjoy your 2025 re..."

Yes! I think it will be a lot of fun, and I like the changes, too!
Gotta' go -- must start planning ;)

Wow, you're so ambitious to try all the challenges in the buffet! I really enjoyed Little Dorrit when I read it with the group last year. It's one of my top 2 Dickens novels (so far), and has the most emotionally effective Dickens scene I've yet read. I hope you'll love it!

Wobbley wrote: "Wow, you're so ambitious to try all the challenges in the buffet! I really enjoyed Little Dorrit when I read it with the group last year. It's one of my top 2 Dickens novels (so far), and has the m..."

This is me cutting back this year. lol

I'm so glad to hear you loved Little Dorrit. I just finished Our Mutual Friend and thought it was awesome, so I'm stoked to read another new-to-me Dickens.

Teri-K wrote: "I'm so glad to hear you loved Little Dorrit. I just finished Our Mutual Friend and thought it was awesome, so I'm stoked to read another new-to-me Dickens"

Yes, Our Mutual Friend is the other of my top 2 Dickens books. :)

You are quite brave to take on all the challenges. I enjoyed My Lady Ludlow, loved Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and Lonesome Dove. I hope you enjoy them too. I will keep my eye on your comments/reviews.

Aside from the books we have in common in 2025 that you mentioned in my thread, we also have Fire in the Thatch for next year. I have quite a few E.C.R. Lorac books and want to finish all the Inspector Macdonald books I own.

I like your mystery century! I think I did a Mystery Decade or two in 2023(mystery buff here). I see One Pair Of Hands on your list. It isn't linked but I wanted to know if it's the one by Monica Dickens. If it is, I would like to hear your thoughts about it. I have been eyeing this book for a while now but I don't know anybody who has read it.

Good luck!

These are some great plans, Teri-K. Neruda is a favorite, but unfortunately I can't read Spanish--I'm sure that will be wonderful. And your Old and New is really inspiring. I loved So Big and Madame Bovary. Enjoy!

Shaina wrote: "You are quite brave to take on all the challenges. I enjoyed My Lady Ludlow, loved Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats, and Lonesome Dove. I hope you enjo..."

Oh, I'm happy to hear positive comments about all of those books! There's so much to read it really helps me choose if people I "know" vouch for them.

I've just started reading Lorac, my favorites so far have been the ones set in London during the war. But I've had Fire in the Thatch recommended, and it sounds really interesting. I have to get it from ILL, so no idea when I'll read it, but I'm interested to hear what you think, too.

I recently read her Crossed Skis, under the Carnac name, and absolutely loved it. Have you tried that one?

And yes, One Pair of Hands is the Monica Dickens book. I keep thinking I'll try it but never do. Maybe this year?

Kathleen wrote: "These are some great plans, Teri-K. Neruda is a favorite, but unfortunately I can't read Spanish--I'm sure that will be wonderful. And your Old and New is really inspiring. I loved So Big and Madam Bovary..."

Excellent! Both of those are definite reads this year; I hope I love them, too.

I'm teaching myself to read Spanish, and poetry is a stretch, but my edition is bilingual, so I'll read them in Spanish first and later go back to the English and fill in. It amazes me how different it feels reading an English book translated to Spanish, so I'm looking forward to going the other direction this time.

Hi Teri-K, thanks for the suggestions! I had those exact questions about if I can double dip books in other challenges or perhaps adding some modern books to keep it fresh. I spy Doctor Zhavago in your decade challenge. I have it in my century challenge. Sounds interesting.

Sara wrote: "This should be a lot of fun to watch! I think the Future Classics category is going to add to my TBR...never heard of Wee Free Men, so have to go check that out. Happy 2025, Teri."

Sara, I put Wee Free Men on the list because it's such a good book and begins a great trilogy, by a well-known author. You never can tell what serious books folks will be reading in the future, but I think there will always be a place for thoughtful yet funny books that appeal to kids and adults, too. We'll always want to read for fun, I hope!

All the best! I mostly wanted to reply to say that i have looked at this, because i appreciate how you replied on mine. And selfishly, i will be using your idea of keeping count of what i read with your system, ie Completed: 0/12
because i dont know how to insert checkmarks, and i like it!
Interesting to see which challenges appeal to you most, but impressed that you will attempt them all! Have fun!

April wrote: "All the best! I mostly wanted to reply to say that i have looked at this, because i appreciate how you replied on mine. And selfishly, i will be using your idea of keeping count of what i read with..."

Sorry I missed your comment - GR notifications are being inconsistent right now. Feel free to borrow anything you want, I'm sure I'll borrow ideas from you. That's part of what makes this group so fun. I like using the completed numbers tracker because it tells me at a glance how I'm doing on a task, so I don't unexpectedly fall behind.

Not long now until we start - enjoy your reading!

No worries about the delay. I just noticed that my "notify me" was not marked on this thread, when I thought I already had marked it. So yeah, maybe glitchy.

Anyway, yeah, great! And I know, time is flying!!! Enjoy your reading too!

Aaannddd... The books are lined up on the shelf, ready for the starter's signal! Which one will be the first to cross the finish line and begin our reading challenge for 2025?

On your mark, get set...

Crossed Skis is my favourite Lorac till date. Good to know we appreciate similar golden age mysteries.

I'm an hour away from the 1st of Jan. I'm already thinking of which book I should start before I fall asleep. I thought I was the only one waiting for the clock to strike so I can start reading..lol

Shaina wrote: "Crossed Skis is my favourite Lorac till date. Good to know we appreciate similar golden age mysteries.

I'm an hour away from the 1st of Jan. I'm already thinking of which book I should start befor..."

Lucky you! It's not even lunchtime here. I'm going for a long hike just to get out of the house. lol

My first entry, The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer, is a 5* reread. Which isn't surprising, as I reread a lot.

This book is actually better upon rereading because Heyer is very subtle with the relationship and the mystery elements, and readers often complain that the ending comes out of the blue. (In all honesty, I felt that the way, too.) But one you know what is going on you can play literary detective and watch for the very subtle clues Heyer gives you, and the book becomes tons of fun to read for me. Still, I wouldn't suggest it for the first-time reader of her books.

Yay, it's always good to find out about another Heyer that's worth reading. This sounds like a terrific start to your year!

Nice beginning, Teri. I'll be watching!

The Ghost and Mrs. Muir by R.A. Dick 1/2 4*
I saved this ILL book to start the year off right, and it did. I do wish it could have been longer; I really enjoyed spending a couple of hours with Mrs. Muir and her ghost. I appreciated the character development and the writing was smooth, which made the reading effortless.

I'd never heard of this one -- sounds like fun! And you're on fire -- two books in the first two days of the year!!

Wobbley wrote: "I'd never heard of this one -- sounds like fun! And you're on fire -- two books in the first two days of the year!!"

Wobbley wrote: "I'd never heard of this one -- sounds like fun! And you're on fire -- two books in the first two days of the year!!"

It was a fun, quick read. This time of the year is quiet for me, and with it getting dark so fast I have extra reading time. Plus, both these were short. It will be a while before I report finishing Little Dorrit, at 1021 pages. lol

Very ambitious! The century of mysteries looks fun. You get to see how the genre has developed.

I considered putting Hornblower on my series challenge. I might still do. But more likely he'll have to wait until next year.

Little Dorrit is worth the time and effort. Well, Dickens usually is.

Sara wrote: "Little Dorrit is worth the time and effort. Well, Dickens usually is."

Yes. I'm not sure why I left him for so long. Just lots of other books to read, I guess. But now I'm remembering how much I like his writing and the complexity of his plots. I wouldn't want to only read Dickens, but it's good to be back to him again.

I read 3 short stories:

1. Ellen by Rudolph Dircks from Women Who Did: Stories by Men and Women, 1890-1914 1/3 2*
2. A Nocturne by George Egerton from Women Who Did: Stories by Men and Women, 1890-1914 1/3 3*
3. The Angel at the Grave by Edith Wharton 1/4 4*

The first two stories clearly suffer from having been written by men of the time period about women, without actually trying to see women as their own unique beings. Wharton's story was a lot more complex and insightful, though in her style, which seems to be to come at the issues sideways and let the reader draw their inferences. I actually prefer that to being hit over the head with the author's point, anyway.