Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Second attempt at this challenge, this time I'm trying a different approach. This time I'm doing a variety of challenges including ones I created. To make this more manageable, the complete list is on my challenge thread in The Reading Challenge Group. There. I'll be planning and listing the challenges, here will be more a log of how these challenges are going.

In other words, this is my challenge log for the year of all the challenges I do.

In total, I’m doing 7 challenges. Here's the list of challenges I am doing this year:

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I'm doing 2 challenges with SciFi and Fantasy Book Club :

- Short Fiction Challenge
- 2026 TBR Cleanup Challenge: You Are What You Read

For the second one, I've set a target to 20, and called my bookshelf: I've called my bookshelf: Anisha's SFF Bites

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I'm reading more short stories this year to keep up my momentum of reading and created 26Shorts2026, there are 2 versions, Classic Reads and All reads.

On my personal page - Read It Quote It - I am noting these but with quotes that speak to me.

The focus this year for - Read It Quote It - is short works, this includes the short works I read here.

26Shorts2026, the Classic Read version, is also one of the challenges in "Never too Late to Read Classics"

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I've got loads of books that I want to read but have been stumped of how to get to them and created a Long Reads Workout to get to the many, many long books I have but stay on shelf.

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Reading books that have something in common is the thing I like the most about reading, as not only does it make it fun but it also creates a richer reading experience for me. With this idea in mind, I created Like for Like I'm doing this challenge in two parts: the main round and the bonus round. For each I am reading ten book, and the one thing they have in common:

Like for Like: main round - what ties these books together is theme: ‘power of love’.

Like for Like: bonus round - what ties these books together is theme: ‘revenge’.

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side note: I would put in the links to the other pages but I'm figuring it won't let me do this.

Writing this up was the easy part, next part, the reading. I have a mixture of light and big reads, fictions and nonfiction, and this year, with the help of these challenges I am hoping will see me through this; which will be my biggest challenge of the lot. I am excited about this but I'm not sure how this will work out. What I've learnt in the last few years is it's more about having fun trying and this is what I'm most looking forward to, just trying.

Yay! Nice challenge choices!

I am actually not sure if you want more posts to write up and track your goals or not, in which case, i can remove this comment if it gets in your way. But i alao wanted to say hello and welcome or welcome back! And i think we might both be attempting the You Are What You Read, but i need to set it up properly. Should be fun though! See you arojnd! 👋

April wrote: "Yay! Nice challenge choices!

I am actually not sure if you want more posts to write up and track your goals or not, in which case, i can remove this comment if it gets in your way. But i alao wan..."

Yep 😂, trying again, that sff challenge does look fun, Awww, you're good, no need to remove your post, thank you for the warm welcome back. Pooling together the challenge was the easy part, it's the next phase, reading, that's going to be - ha ha - tricky.

Good luck with your plans this year!

Wobbley wrote: "Good luck with your plans this year!"

thank you!!! I think I'm going to need this.

Anisha Inkspill wrote: "April wrote: "Yay! Nice challenge choices!

I am actually not sure if you want more posts to write up and track your goals or not, in which case, i can remove this comment if it gets in your way. ..."

I am so late to checking back for this reply, but i am glad my post wasnt in your way. Actually kind of funny running into you here, because i was trying to find another of your threads to reply to... well it was something about storygraph. Would you like to meet up there by chance?

April wrote: "I am so late to checking back for this reply, but i am glad my post wasnt in your way. Actually kind of funny running into you here, because i was trying to find another of your threads ..."

I just saw this, the notification here is 🙄and good we're connected there as well.

Good timing, I was going to mention you here for setting up the Hemmingway read in the group, I won't say how long that book has been on my shelf 😂So, it's good to finally read it.

January's Update:

I have no idea how to work out how the month has been going.

I'm enjoying my reads, and except for one day so far, I have read every day even if it was a for a few minutes. Last year it was 80+ non-read days and I really want to improve on this. So, my side goal is have < 30 days of not reading. This leaves me with 29.

This year I want to read more short stories to meet more authors that are new to me. Currently I’m reading Games at Twilight and Other Stories by Anita Desai, first published 1973. I've not read her work before and really like how the conflict here unfolds quietly, I’ve almost finished this and will follow it with Big Mama’s Funeral, another collection of shorts by Gabriel García Márquez. So far, I've only read one novel of his and I've been meaning to read more of his works and looking forward to this.

I'm also trying to read more books that I have, so it was brilliant and a coincidence that April from the group did a buddy read with Hemmingway Ernest's The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, which I've had for a real long time and have always been meaning to make a start on this, so I'm really pleased I'm finally doing this - thanks April 🌞

Sounds like you are off to an amazing start, Anisha. I love putting short stories between my longer reads and I think that is a brilliant way to make sure you make your daily reading goal.

A terrific start to the year! And wow, only 1 non-reading day is fantastic!

Anisha Inkspill wrote: "I'm enjoying my reads, and except for one day so far, I have read every day even if it was a for a few minutes. Last..."

Amazing consistency with reading almost every day! I aspire to that but haven’t gotten there yet. Looking forward to hearing about the Gabriel Garcia Marquez stories. I’ve always meant to read him but never gotten around to it. Enjoy!

Sara wrote: "Sounds like you are off to an amazing start, Anisha. ..."

Wobbley wrote: "A terrific start to the year! And wow, only 1 non-reading day is fantastic!"

Svenna wrote: "Amazing consistency with reading almost every day! ..."

Sara, Wobbley and Svenna, 🌞🌞thank you for this confidence boost as I've been feeling I'm lagging behind in my reading plan. Reading short stories is helping, I wish I had thought of it sooner, and really enjoying the variety.

Update, hard to say how this is going but I’m finding reading short stories has been fantastic way to read a variety of authors. Gabriel García Márquez Big Mama’s Funeral was earthy, warm, poignant that when I finished the 8 stories it took a lot not to reread One Hundred Years of Solitude, just wonderful reads. Other shorts that are first-time reads (not listing all, just the ones I read several stories of) were Ernest Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor and Yiyun Li, I just loved how each of them captured our humanness. Roughly I have read over 50 short stories from different collections and anthologies, if I knew it would be this much fun, I would have done it sooner, so many of my books been sitting on the shelf where I’ve not known how to get to them, it’s really good to finally read them.

Highlight of Feb was reading The Argonautika, unabridged version, translated by Peter Green, a bit of a nerve-wrecking read, like Moby Dick (which I am reading this year) felt too big for me. Reading Argonautika was tough but I am pleased that I did it. I imagine it will get easier as it has with every reread of The Iliad: A New Translation by Caroline Alexander, (which I’m currently reading with this group).

Other books I hope to get to this month are:

Cinema is 100 years old by Emmanuelle Toulet
Juneteenthby Ralph Ellison
African Myths of Origin compiled and retold by Stephen Belcher
Hedda Gabler by Henrik Ibsen, translation undecided
Aias by Sophocles, translation by Richard Pevear
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Along with more short stories.

It sounds like you've done a lot of great reading! Yiyun Li is a new author to me. Which of her books of short stories did you read?

Good luck with your March reading!

Wobbley wrote: "It sounds like you've done a lot of great reading! Yiyun Li is a new author to me. Which of her books of short stories did you read?

Good luck with your March reading!"

Thanks Wobbley 🌞

The short stories (Love in a Marketplace and After A Life) I read by Yiyun Li are from The Story: Love, Loss & The Lives of Women: 100 Great Short Stories, an anthology of 100 short stories by women writers.

After reading these shorts I've added to my wishlist A Thousand Years of Good Prayers and Gold Boy, Emerald Girl, both are a collection of short stories by Yiyun Li. The first one includes the 2 I have read.

Anisha Inkspill wrote: "The short stories (Love in a Marketplace and After A Life) I read by Yiyun Li are from The Story: Love, Loss & The Lives of Women: 100 Great Short Stories, an anthology of 100 short stories by women writers."

Thanks for this!

Ah yeah, the Hemingway 👍

And ive been trying to get a copy of Wuthering Heights from the library, but it must be pretty popular now with this movie coming out. I was hopi g to join you, but i may end up delaying this.

Anyway, yeah the short stories are great for new authors! Sounds like you have been keeping busy with reading! Enjoy!

April wrote: "Ah yeah, the Hemingway 👍

And ive been trying to get a copy of Wuthering Heights from the library, but it must be pretty popular now with this movie coming out. I was hopi g to join you, but i may ..."

Yeah, I imagine Wuthering Heights is popular right now, no worries and my plan is a rough one, I'm still caught up with The Iliad (and it helps that it will also count as SFF TBR CleanUp challenge), and then following this with Juneteenth, so Wuthering Heights might be week 3/4 of March and going into April.

Reading short stories has been brilliant, Hemingway and Flanney O'Connor are 2 of the many authors I've been meaning to read for years, reading their shorts has been a really good intro.

April wrote: "... Wuthering Heights ..."

Change of plan April, just letting you know, I've had to rethink my plan for The Iliad (I've seriously underestimated how much I could read in a day), and in trying not to fall behind I am starting Wuthering Heights this weekend; I hope to finish both books by the end of the month - probably wishful thinking but hoping 🌞