Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

2025 Buffet Menu:

📌Indicates Completed

Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR
📌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
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 #11 - Future Classics
Challenge #16 - A-Z Author
Challenge #17 - A-Z Title

Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR

Choose 12 books you want to read and list three alternates, to use as substitutes should one of your choices need to be replaced. You do not have to read all 15 books listed. 12 books read is a complete challenge.
Only six of the 12 books selected are required to be Books based on the group's date requirements, they do not have to come from the group's bookshelf. At least 3 old books (published before 1915) and 3 newer books (published from 1915-2005). The other six and your three alternates can be any genre or age you wish to read. Yes, even non-fiction and post-2005.

1914 and earlier/Old School
✅1. The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas
3. Allan Quartermain by H. Rider Haggard

1915-2005/New School
✅4. Chocky by John Wyndham⭐⭐⭐
✅5. The Priory by Dorothy Whipple⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
6. Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym

Six Dust Collectors
✅7. The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
8. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
✅9. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón⭐⭐⭐⭐
10. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
11. Single & Single by John Le Carré
12. Atonement by Ian McEwan

Alternates
A-1. A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin
✅A-2. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅A-3. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles⭐⭐⭐⭐

📌Challenge #2 - Members Choice

Choose one book per category/genre for a total of 9 books.

✅1. 19th Century or Older - Monkey King by Wu Cheng'en⭐⭐⭐
✅2. 20th Century - Tension by E.M. Delafield⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅3. 21st Century - The Bride Test by Helen Hoang⭐⭐⭐
✅4. Nonfiction - All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅5. An Author never read before - The Camomile: An Invention by Catherine Carswell⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅6. Diversity, read a book from a religion, culture, country, or race different than yours - The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅7. Mystery/Thriller - The Bride Wore Black by Cornell Woolrich⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅8. Fantasy - Elantris⭐⭐⭐⭐
✅9. Young Adult - Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins⭐⭐⭐⭐

📌Challenge #3 - Expand Your Horizon with New Authors

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

✅1. Sharon M. Draper - Out of My Mind
✅2. Dorothy Canfield Fisher - The Home-Maker
✅3. Helen Hoang - The Bride Test
✅4. Elizabeth Daly - Unexpected Night
✅5. Sangu Mandanna - The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
✅6. Phoebe Atwood Taylor - The Cape Cod Mystery
✅7. Rex Stout - Fer-de-Lance
✅8. Julie Leong - The Teller of Small Fortunes
✅9. Emma Rosenblum - Crime of Fashion
✅10. Nita Prose - The Nosy Neighbor
✅11. Catherine Carswell - The Camomile: An Invention
✅12. Elle Cosimano - Staged
✅13. Jesse Q. Sutanto - The Reunion Dinner
✅14. Poul Anderson - Call Me Joe
✅15. Wu Cheng'en - Monkey King
✅16. Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Shadow of the Wind
✅17. Cornell Woolrich - The Bride Wore Black
Alicia Thompson - A Classic Case

📌Challenge #4 - Short Story

Read 18 short stories

✅1. The Hope of Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
✅2. The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
✅3. Before the Party by W. Somerset Maugham
✅4. The Facts of Life by W. Somerset Maugham
✅5. Gigolo and Gigolette by W. Somerset Maugham
✅6. Mr. Know-All by W. Somerset Maugham
✅7. The Angel at the Grave by Edith Wharton
✅8. Eleven Numbers by Lee Child

From The Busybodies Collection
✅9. Crime of Fashion by Emma Rosenblum
✅10. The Nosy Neighbor by Nita Prose
✅11. The Reunion Dinner by Jesse Q. Sutanto
✅12. Staged by Elle Cosimano
13. A Classic Case by Alicia Thompson

✅14. A Lost Opportunity by Leo Tolstoy
✅15. Call Me Joe by Poul Anderson
✅16. Mimsy Were The Borogoves by Lewis Padgett
✅17. Regret by Kate Chopin

From the Scared Sexy
✅18. Hot for Slayer by Ali Hazelwood
✅19. Falling by Christina Lauren



From Stories of Your Life and Others
Seventy - Two Letters
The Evolution of Human Science
Hell is the Absence of God
Liking What You See

Challenge #5 - Decade/Century/Millennium

The Century Challenge: Read 10 books from any 10 consecutive decades (1 book per decade). Authors can only be used once in the challenge. You can use authors previously read by you. Or you can add a level of difficulty to your challenge by selecting only authors you've never read before.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9

20th Century of Women Writers

1900 - 1909 The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton or
My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

1910 - 1919 Anne's House of Dreams by L.M. Montgomery

✅1920 - 1929 Tension by E.M. Delafield
✅The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
✅The Camomile: An Invention by Catherine Carswell

✅1930 - 1939 The Priory by Dorothy Whipple
✅Lonesome Road by Patricia Wentworth

✅1940 - 1949 Cluny Brown by Margery Sharp

✅1950 - 1959 To Love and Be Wise by Josephine Tey
✅The Night-Watchman's Friend by Mary Fitt

✅1960 - 1969 By the Pricking of My Thumbs by Agatha Christie

✅1970 - 1979 Pity for Pamela by Mary Fitt

1980 - 1989 Crampton Hodnet by Barbara Pym or
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

1990 - 1999 Possession by A.S. Byatt

Challenge #6 - Group Reads, Buddy Reads, Moderators Run Amok

The challenge is to read 12 total books/stories from this year's selected group reads. Your reads can come from this year's poll winners, the Buddy Read Requests, or the new Moderators Run Amok! There should be plenty of choices.

✅1. The Angel at the Grave by Edith Wharton
✅2. The Seagull by Anton Chekhov
✅3. A Lost Opportunity by Leo Tolstoy
✅4. Call Me Joe by Poul Anderson
✅5. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
✅6. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
✅7. Mimsy Were The Borogoves by Lewis Padgett
✅8. Regret by Kate Chopin
9. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
10. Atonement by Ian McEwan
11.
12.

Challenge #7 - Series Books – Start, Continue, Complete

Many if not most of us read series books. Sometimes these books are neglected in favor of other reading. As much as I like reading several of the series I have on my shelf. I have at times left them untouched for as much as a year. This year’s series challenge is to break the neglect and bring series books back into our current annual reading.

Start
For those who have never read a series collection or have finished one and are stalling off on starting another. The challenge is to find an interesting series and read at least two books this year from the selected series.

I will not start a new series till I finish some of the ones listed below.

Continue
If you are currently reading a series and have stalled out and set it aside, here is your chance to get back to it.

#Bobby Owen
✅29. The Secret Search
✅30. The Attending Truth
✅31. Strange Ending
32. Brought to Light

#Maigret
✅21. The Judge's House
✅22. Cécile is Dead
✅23. Signed, Picpus

#Mrs. Pargeter
✅4. Mrs Pargeter’s Pound of Flesh
✅5. Mrs Pargeter’s Plot
✅6. Mrs Pargeter's Point of Honour


#Peter Shandy
✅4. Something the Cat Dragged In
✅5. The Curse of the Giant Hogweed - DNF

✔#In Death
✅58. Random in Death
✅59. Passions in Death
✅60. Bonded in Death
✅61. Framed in Death

#Rodrick Alleyn
✅2. Enter a Murderer
3. The Nursing Home Murder

Complete
If you are close to finishing a series, but have not been actively reading them, here is your chance to finish it. Set a goal to see it finished or make a big dent in it.

#Inspector Alan Grant
✅4. To Love and Be Wise
✅6. The Singing Sands

#Martin Beck
✅9. Cop Killer
10. The Terrorists

#The Giver
✅3. Messenger
4. Son

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

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. I understand that most around the world challenges are much longer in both time and number of books required. Our challenges run from January 1-December 31. So, this seems more doable.

Africa - Purple Hibiscus
✅Asia - The Memory Police
✅Australia - Enter a Murderer
✅Europe - Cécile is Dead
✅North America - Rules of Civility
South America - Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon
✅*Antarctica, or a Country - The Hallmarked Man

*Read a book set in the country you'd most like to visit

Challenge #9 – Rereading Some do Some don't

Some of us reread regularly, others reread rarely if ever. We have all read books that we found fantastic. We finish the last page, set it aside and think someday I would like to read this again. Let us know the titles of five or more books you found worthy of rereading. This year’s challenge is, reread two of your reread selections.

Read Again in 2025
1.
2.

📌Challenge #11 - Future Classics

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. The Martian
2. The Book Thief
3. All the Light We Cannot See
4. The Handmaid’s Tale
5. Harry Potter


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.

These Might have a Chance at Greatness?

✅1. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
✅2. Elantris by Brandon Sanderson
3.

Challenge #16 - A-Z Author

I find this to be a very difficult challenge, many others consider it one of their favorites. For those who really enjoy this challenge in its pure form use all 26 letters. For those of us who struggle, with this challenge consider it successful by using only 23 letters. There are 4 optional letters marked with an (*), you only need to use one.

✅A Poul Anderson
✅B Anthony Berkeley
✅C Anton Chekhov
✅D Sharon M. Draper
E Helen Eustis
✅F Dorothy Canfield Fisher
✅G Erle Stanley Gardner
✅H Helen Hoang
I Henrik Ibsen
J F. Tennyson Jesse
✅K T.J. Klune
✅L Lois Lowry
✅M W. Somerset Maugham
N
✅O Yōko Ogawa
✅P E.R. Punshon
*Q
✅R J.D. Robb
✅S Margery Sharp
✅T Amor Towles
U Nicola Upson
V Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
✅W John Wyndham
*X
✅*Y Rebecca Yarros
✅*Z Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Challenge #17 - A-Z Title

I find this to be a very difficult challenge, many others consider it one of their favorites. For those who really enjoy this challenge in its pure form use all 26 letters. For those of us who struggle, with this challenge consider it successful by using only 23 letters. There are 4 optional letters marked with an (*), you only need to use one.

✅A All Creatures Great and Small
✅B Before the Party
✅C Chocky
✅D Death Knows No Calendar
✅E Elantris
✅F Fourth Wing
✅G Gothikana
✅H The Home-Maker
✅I The Illustrated Man
✅J The Judge's House
✅K The Kiss Quotient
✅L Lonesome Road
✅M Messenger
✅N The Night-Watchman's Friend
✅O Out of My Mind
✅P The Pale Horse
*Q Quick Curtain, Queen Lucia
✅R Rules of Civility
✅S Somewhere Beyond the Sea
✅T Tension
✅U Unexpected Night
✅V The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches
✅W The Wintringham Mystery
*X X Y Z A Detective Story
*Y Yellowface
*Z

You've planned some great books, Shaina! I'm also hoping to read Shadow of the Wind, Inugami Curse and A Small House at Allington this year.

I'm interested in your 20th Century of Women Writers, too. I'll be watching to see what you think of those books, for ideas for me to read, of course.

Your planning is looking great so far. I loved Shadow of the Wind!

I love your planning, Shaina! I have already added The Priory and The Memory Police to my challenges, as well as The Small House at Allington: Love, Intrigue, and Social Hierarchies in a Charming Village :)
AND a recommendation for your #8 Travel challenge -- have you read Where'd You Go, Bernadette? They go to Antarctica in that book :)
Looking forward to reading together again this year! ;)

Teri-K wrote: "You've planned some great books, Shaina! I'm also hoping to read Shadow of the Wind, Inugami Curse and A Small House at Allington this year.

I'm interested in your 20th Century of Women Writers, ..."

Thank you, Teri-K! I'll watch out for your reviews for these books and others too. I have loved all the reissued British Library Women Writers I have read so far. I'm going to try and get to as many as I can in 2025.

Matt wrote: "Your planning looks great Shaina! The Old & New has some awesome choices. I also really like your century list. Raisin in the Sun jumped out to me. A great play I read it this year - I also recomme..."

Thank you, Matt! I have been meaning to get to this play and somehow always forget about it during the year. I hope putting it on the list will remind me to get to it.

Wobbley wrote: "Your planning is looking great so far. I loved Shadow of the Wind!"

Thank you, Wobbley! It has been sitting on my Kindle for so long. So many people recommend it in our recent discussion thread. So I put it on my list for 2025. I'm glad you loved it. Makes me feel more confident about enjoying it.

Terris wrote: "I love your planning, Shaina! I have already added The Priory and The Memory Police to my challenges, as well as [book:The Small House at Allington: Love, Intrigue, an..."

Thank you for the recommendation, Terri! I can't wait to start reading.

You have a great plan, Shaina. The Memory Police is really good, and a number of others are ones I want to get to. A Kiss Before Dying--I remember an old classic movie based on it--what a great idea. Have fun!

Thank you, Kathleen! I think I will get to The Memory Police in the first quarter of the year. Terri and you both seem to have loved it.

I have The Memory Police on my TBR; perhaps it is time to push it up the ladder. If you give it a thumbs up I guess I won't have a choice. I think you will love The Priory.

Sara wrote: "I have The Memory Police on my TBR; perhaps it is time to push it up the ladder. If you give it a thumbs up I guess I won't have a choice. I think you will love [book:The Priory|605..."

Sara, I don't think Whipple can ever disappoint. I have been reading one Whipple a year (one in 2023 and one in 2024). I'm so sure I will love any of her books that I bought two of her books for 2025..lol

I'll let you know how The Memory Police goes.

I seem to have missed updating this thread. I have finished 4 books in the Old and New challenge. That itself is an accomplishment according to my usual reading for this challenge. The Small House at Allington, Rules of Civility, and Elantris have been 4-star reads.

I need 1 non-fiction book to finish the Member's Choice challenge. The Home-Maker, Cécile is Dead, and Tension were some of the best in this challenge. The Home Maker and Tension were on my TBR for a long time.

Last but not least I enjoyed some short stories by Brandon Sanderson and W. Somerset Maugham. I see myself reading more short stories by Maugham this year.

You're off to a great start! 4 done from Old and New by mid-February is amazing! I remember quite liking Rules of Civility too, and I'm actually in the middle of Trollope's first Barsetshire book. Happy reading!

Shaina wrote: "I seem to have missed updating this thread. I have finished 4 books in the Old and New challenge. That itself is an accomplishment according to my usual reading for this challenge. [book:The Small ..."

You've made really good progress, Shaina! I'll be reading Small House at Allington later this year, and I'm really looking forward to it. I don't think I realized Maugham wrote short stories, I'll have to look into them. I hope you enjoy your next books as much as you did these. :)

Wow, great reading prowess, Shaina. O&N is generally considered the hardest challenge to complete and you are off to a fantastic start.

Wobbley wrote: "You're off to a great start! 4 done from Old and New by mid-February is amazing! I remember quite liking Rules of Civility too, and I'm actually in the middle of Trollope's first Barsetshire book. ..."

Thank you, Wobbley! I hope you enjoy the Barsetshire series. I found the second book in the series a hoot. I have enjoyed all the books in the series so far.

Teri-K wrote: "Shaina wrote: "I seem to have missed updating this thread. I have finished 4 books in the Old and New challenge. That itself is an accomplishment according to my usual reading for this challenge. [..."

I look forward to your thoughts on Small House in Allington. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I didn't know Maugham wrote so many short stories. There are several collections of his stories. I'm enjoying the current one and hope to finish it this year.

Sara wrote: "Wow, great reading prowess, Shaina. O&N is generally considered the hardest challenge to complete and you are off to a fantastic start."

Thank you, Sara! I usually read a lot in the first quarter of the year and then start to slow down. So I'm making the most of the time and enthusiasm I have right now :)

Completed Challenge #3 - Expand Your Horizon with New Authors. I'll continue to add to that list throughout the year.

Well done -- it's always satisfying to finish off a challenge!

Completed Challenge #2 - Members Choice. This is my favourite challenge at the buffet, and the one I never plan for, but I read whatever catches my fancy. This year I had some great reads and here are my most recommended ones: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot - a warm and wonderful memoir. I loved the description of the places, people, and life on farms.
The Bride Wore Black is a fast-paced mystery and the inspiration behind Kill Bill. A definite page turner.
For the underrated classic women writers, I suggest all three - The Camomile: An Invention, Tension, and The Home-Maker.

Yay! Well done completing your favorite challenge!! Looks like you read some great books. :)

Congratulations on your finish, with some superb books! Herriot is a huge favorite!

I am so glad to have your thumbs up for Tension and The Home-Maker...both are already in my possession and hopefully up for a read before the end of the year. The Camomile is a new one for me...added it post haste.

Congrats, Shaina, on completing your Members Choice challenge!!
I also loved The Home-Maker and am able to read Tension on Hoopla, so have marked it on my list!
Haven't been able to find a (library) copy of The Camomile: An Invention yet, but will keep looking.

Thanks for the recommendations!!!

Congratulations Shaina. I counted 4 challenges complete and many others that are close.