Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
Personal Challenges
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wreades231system 2025
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231 System Jan 202501 The Female Man
by Joanna Russ [5/5] review 02
The House of Fear by Robert W. Service [2/5] review RR
LoEG The Tempest by Moore, O'Neill [5/5] review 01
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith [1/5] review 02
X-Men: The Hunt for Professor X by various [2/5] review 03
From What Far Star? by Brian Berry [4/5] reviewRR Pride and Prejudice and Zombies*
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Cannery Row by John Steinbeck [2/5] review 02
The Poor Mouth by Flann O'Brien [4/5] review03
Contest of Champions II by Claremont et al [3/5] review*This was so close to the original Pride and Prejudice that i'm also counting it as a reread.
Achievement Unlocked [May2022-->-->-->Jan2025]
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A multi-year achievement i just note whenever it happens which ain't often :lol . Maybe a little bit of a cheat as Tempest was a reread but i only just bumped it up to 5 so i'm counting it.
Better than the worst of the '90s but not by as much as one would hope.Achievement Unlocked
Febuary, March, April, May, June 1999
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231 System Feb 2025RR
The Cords of Vanity by James Branch Cabell [4/5] review01
Nausea by Jean-Paul Sartre [3/5] review 02
X-Men the Shattering by Alan Davis et al [2/5] review 03
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman [3/5] review RR
Mysta of the Moon by Ross Galun [3/5] review 01
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston [2/5] review
Achievement Unlocked
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Achievement Unlocked The Female Man by Joanna Russ
Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman
The Waves by Virginia Woolf
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Cool challenge system! I will admit, I am a little confused by some of it, but I think reading on with your monthly updates helps. I forgot about doing monthly updates. I will try to remember, because I like the idea. Nice work so far!
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Unquel pronounced Uncle, a word i made up. The term 'connected' is obviously pretty vague and only defined by the reader.
P&P&Z is obvious. Poor Mouth is satirizing elements of a number of previously written books about the irish.
House of Fear is a stretch, or at least a very minor connection. Sherlock Holmes being referenced in it as a real detective.
I could also have gone for Atlas Shrugged which not only has what i consider a Captain Nemo character but elements of it also seem to be taken from the novel Lost Horizon.
Achievement Unlocked [1610s, 1900s, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1970s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s]
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Achievement Unlocked
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Haha! Cool made up word!Doing well with your challenges! Congrats on the levelling ups! 👍
April wrote: "Haha! Cool made up word!Doing well with your challenges! Congrats on the levelling ups! 👍"
Yeah this is going pretty well. The non-fiction one, even though its only 5 books, willprobably be hardest to get. Not my usual type of read but good to get outside the comfort zone.
231 System Mar 2025
02
The Waves by Virginia Woolf [5/5] review03
Apocalypse: The Twelve by Erik Larsen et al [2/5] reviewRR
Chivalry by James Branch Cabell [3/5] review01
Ages of Apocalypse by Kavanagh, Davis et al [1/5] review02
A World of Women by J.D. Bereford [2/5] review03
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand [2/5] reviewRR
The Tempest by William Shakespeare [2/5] review01
Voices from Chernobyl by Svetlana Alexievich [5/5] review
Achievement Unlocked 
The Red Stain by Achmed Abdullah
Achievement Unlocked 
[4/5],
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[1/5]So i only did 50% of Finnegans Wake, but i gave it a shot so I’m counting it ;) . Also i gave Portrait and Dubliners 4-stars at the time. I’ve adjusted them here for how i feel looking back.
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{Flann O’Brien},{Virginia Woolf},{Edward Bulwer-Lytton },{James Joyce},{J.Sheridan Le Fanu}
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231 System Apr-May 202502
The Red Stain by Achmed Abdullah [2/5] review03
Ernest Maltravers by Edward Bulwer-Lytton [3/5] reviewRR
Domnei by James Branch Cabell [3/5] review01
Finnegan's Wake by James Joyce [1/5] review02
Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S.Thompson [3/5] review03
The Last Yggdrasill by Robert F. Young [2/5] reviewRR
The Rivet in Grandfathers Neck by James Branch Cabell [4/5] review01
Ghost Stories and Tales of Mystery by J.Sheridan Le Fanu [2/5] review
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[1830s, 1850s, 1910s, 1960, 1980s]
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Achievement Unlocked Joanna Russ, Robert W. Service, Seth Grahame-Smith, John Steinbeck, Bryan Berry, Alan Lightman, Jean-Paul Sartre, Zora Neale Hurston, Ayn Rand, J. D. Beresford, Svetlana Alexievich, Achmed Abdullah, Robert F. Young, Hunter S. Thompson, Edith Allonby
Achievement Unlocked [Feb 2021 --> Jun 2025]
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Achievement Unlocked
231 System Jun 202502
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula Le Guin [4/5] review03
21st Century Design by Marcus Fairs [3/5] reviewRR
From the Hidden Way by James Branch Cabell [4/5] review01
Marigold by Edith Allonby [4/5] review02
The Seven Deadly Sins of Science Fiction by various [3/5] review03
Ebony and Crystal by Clark Ashton Smith [1/5] reviewRR
Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett [5/5] review
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Achievement Unlocked And here are a number of items i've exclusively reviewed this year.
The House of Fear by Robert W. Service
From What Far Star? by Brian Berry
The Red Stain by Achmed Abdullah
Marigold by Edith Allonby
Masterpieces of the Tate & National Galleries by Philip Hendy & John Rothenstein
The Puppet Planet by Russ Winterbotham
Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. Oliphant
Dandy Annual 2012 by D.C.Thomson Ltd.
A Little Way Ahead by Alan Sullivan
231 System Jul 202501
Masterpieces of the Tate & National Galleries by Philip Hendy & John Rothenstein [4/5] review02
The Puppet Planet by Russ Winterbotham [3/5] review03
Stories of the Seen and Unseen by Mrs. Oliphant [4/5] reviewRR
The Certain Hour by James Branch Cabell [4/5] review01
Evander by Eden Phillpotts [5/5] review02
The Vampire in Europe by Montague Summers [2/5] reviewRR
Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett [2/5] review01
Dandy Annual 2012 by D.C.Thomson Ltd. [4/5] review
Achievement Unlocked [-400s, 1720s, 1870s, 1890s, 2020s]
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Nice, i don't often manage this one.
231 System Aug 202502
Apostles of Mercy by Lindsay Ellis [4/5] review03
Medea by Euripides [5/5] reviewRR
A Voyage To Cacklogallinia by Samuel Brunt [3/5] review01
A Little Way Ahead by Alan Sullivan [4/5] review02
Dune Messiah by Frank Herbert [4/5] review03
The Human Drift by King Camp Gillette [1/5] reviewRR
The Cream of the Jest by James Branch Cabell [4/5] review01
Looking backward and what I saw by W.W.Satterlee [3/5] review02
Miracleman: A Dream of Flying by Alan Moore, Garry Leach [4/5]
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Achievement Unlocked YESS!!, a rarity indeed but i finally have no unread books.. or rather texts. I’ve switched to trying to only buy books I’ve already read from the library or as etexts. So i actually have plenty of physical books still to get too but they will only be rereads technically.
My last few owned books read:
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Achievement Unlocked
The Third Policeman [4/5] review
The Hard Life [2/5] 
The Dalkey Archive [3/5] review
The Poor Mouth [4/5] review
At Swim Two Birds [4/5] reviewAchievement Unlocked
Mod
231 System Sep 202503
Time of the Twins by Weis & Hickman [5/5] reviewRR
Beyond Life by James Branch Cabell [5/5] review 01
Who Walk in Fear by Neil Bell [2/5] review02
The Eye of a God by W.A.Fraser [3/5] review03
At Swim Two Birds by Flann O'Brien [4/5] reviewRR
The Fantastic Flying Journey by Gerald Durrell & Graham Percy [3/5]Achievement Unlocked
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Achievement Unlocked And in fact that is all Achievements reached for this year. Pretty cool.
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
X-Men: The Shattering (other topics)The Dandy Annual 2012 (other topics)
Apostles of Mercy (other topics)
X-Men vs. Apocalypse, Vol. 2: The Ages of Apocalypse (other topics)
Barchester Towers (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Robert W. Service (other topics)Seth Grahame-Smith (other topics)
John Steinbeck (other topics)
Bryan Berry (other topics)
Edith Allonby (other topics)
More...
My numbers are about the same and vibes wise i really didn't feel any difference. So lets try my challenges again and see if i can notice any difference this time :| .
My 2023 list is here.
My usual system is I will read 2 OR 3 new books (depending on mood) and then 1 reread.
And then i have a lot of acheivements i can hit along the way, however this year i do not have all of them planned just yet, so will edit again to add more as they occur to me over the next couple of weeks.
Possible Achievements 2025:
CALLIGRAPHY: Write 40 reviews.DEJA-VIEW: Complete 4000 pages of Rereads.BEAT-THE-TIDE: Complete all Owned unread books.THE-FIRST-SEX: Read 10 books by female authors.PAINT-WITH-WORDS: Read 5 graphic novels.AUTHOR-ALT: Read 5 new non-sequels by authors you've read before.REAL-FICTION: Read 5 non-fiction books.TEXT-SUPPORT:Read 5 books from the group bookshelves.DEPRESSION-ERA-DRAFTS: Read 3 books from the 1930s.WAR-OF-WORDS: Read 3 books from the 1940sCRY-UNQUEL: Read 3 books connected to a work by a different author.PEOPLE-PAPERS: Read 3 books with titles that include (but not limited to) a name.PAPER-PEOPLE: Read 3 books with titles that consist only of a name.READ-MY-SHORTS: Read one new collection of short stories.NOBODYS-BUSINESS:Read 1 new book that has never been rated.TOME-RAIDER: Read 1 new book that is over 600 pages.POETRY-SMOETRY: Read 1 new poetry collection.LOVEIT-OR-LEAVEIT: Read the 3 oldest additions to your TBR, after removals if wanted.SEQUELITIS: Read 10 books in series you've already started.FRESH-PERSPECTIVE: Read 15 books by authors you've never read before.CENTURY-SWEEP: Read books from 10 different decades.SESQUICENTENNIAL-SWEEP: Read books from 15 different decades total.BICENTENNIAL-SWEEP.: Read books from 20 different decades total.X-EMPLARY: Read 5 months of X-Men comic appearances.MERRY-MERRIL-MEDLEY: Read 5 books from the Merril Collection.REJOYCE: Complete all 4 of James Joyce's novels.THE-COMPLETE-PANCAKE: Complete all 5 of Flann O'Brien's novels.STANDARD-PRACTISE: Read 60 items.MAKE-IT-COUNT: Read 16,000 pages.LITERARY-GOLD: Read 5 Five-Star books.CRUD-COMPOSITIONS: Read 5 One-Star books.