Bob’s
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(group member since Jun 22, 2011)
Bob’s
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from the Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) group.
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I'm not familiar with most of your choices, I look forward to reading any reviews you may write.
Laurie, Your old school challenge looks great, enjoy!
Kathleen wrote: "You are wise, Bob. I learned my lesson this year, so for 2021 made sure all of my old and new were books I owned. It's been a long time, but I remember really enjoying Shōgun. I b..."
Shogun: A Novel of Japan is one that has sat on my shelf for years, lots of years. It's size is intimidating and quite frankly it my well still be on my shelf next year, but I'm thinking hard about it.
Carolien wrote: "Most of us should follow your example, Bob. Love the title of your challenge and good luck with reducing your TBR."Thanks Carolien, it just came to me while I was creating my thread.
Cynda wrote: "Well-thought challenges sounds like. Looking forward to seeing what you will select 0ff our group shelves. Enjoy!"
Still planning, but really happy so far with the books that are on my shelf that match the group shelf. All of my Old & New (challenge 1) are past group reads I can catch up on.
Philina wrote: "Good luck, Bob! I'm focusing on books I already own, too."
I have been annoyed with myself the past couple of years for not reading from the books I own. Going to change that this year.
Sue wrote: "I hear you Bob. I own 24 of 25 on my BINGO card, 6 of 12 on my Old and New, 11 of 12 on my Genre challenge and 10 of 10 on my Decade one! Of the 8 I don't own, I made sure my library carried them b..."Sue, to only have to outsource eight books is fantastic. Of course it could be argued that your library of unread books is way too big, handy in the current circumstance, and also envy able.
I’m still in the planning stage. While my unread shelf is fairly large, I don’t hold out much hope of putting together 10 books in consecutive years or decades for the Decade/Century Challenge. As for Challenge #2 – Does a Century Make a Difference? I’ll bet good money I can’t come up with 10 books that will qualify without new purchases or hunting the library, which at present only offers curb service.
I’m confident I’ll do OK on the three I’m committed to and will take a few good size bites from the other three I plan to sample.
As for Angle of Repose, I’ve heard great things about it and I’m looking forward to starting it. If it makes the February poll it will get my vote.
Your selections are terrific, enjoy your challenge. I usually use audio to listen to plays and poetry after I have read them. It helps me since neither genre is my favorite. Good luck.
Erin, welcome to the group.
Katy wrote: "Not much of a diet with 80% partaking. ;)"Closer to 30% I'm only focusing on three of the eight challenges I listed, anything else will just be tasting and nibbling.
Laurie wrote: "I love the name of your challenge. I thought about naming my challenge something clever based on the few challenges I am attempting, but clever names did not pop into my head.Your goal of reading..."
Thanks Laurie, I don't know about clever but it's accurate. My focus this year is to reduce my TBR. I don't think that will allow me to complete all of the challenges. I'm sure I would need to secure extra books to make it happen, and I just don't want to do that.
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Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors6/6 Completed - 23 Total YTD
Challenge Completed 5/31/21
Seek out six (6) authors that you have never previously read, male or female, from any genre you want, but please use the group's time line insuring that authors selected books were published before the year 2000.
I came up with this challenge when I realized I had read a bunch of new authors this year, forty seven to be exact. I should have no trouble with this one.
1. Eowyn Ivey-The Snow Child
2. P.G. Wodehouse-Leave it to Jeeves
3. Stephen Vincent Benét-The Devil and Daniel Webster
4. Winston Groom-Forrest Gump
5. Burke Davis-Gray Fox: Robert E. Lee and the Civil War
6. Philippa Gregory-Changeling
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7. William Manchee-Black Monday
To avoid challenge duplicates the books of the new authors listed below have been used in other challenges and I hope to not count them here.
1. Alexander Pushkin-The Daughter of the Commandant, Challenge #7
2. William Blake-Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Challenge #7
3. Guy de Maupassant-The Inn, Challenge #6
4. Wallace Stegner-Angle of Repose. Challenge #3
5. May McHenry-Melinda's Humorous Story, Challenge #6
6. Ivan Turgenev-Fathers and Sons, Challenge #7
7. Donna Tartt-The Secret History, Challenge #1
8. Ellen Raskin-The Westing Game, Challenge #2
9. Rina Ramsey-Circumvented, Challenge #6
10. Sargent Kayme-A Question of Time, Challenge #6
11. Mikhail Bulgakov-The Master and Margarita, Challenge #1
12. Rainer Maria Rilke-Letters to a Young Poet, Challenge #7
13. Isak Dinesen-Babette’s Feast, Challenge #7
14. James Fenimore Cooper-The Deerslayer, Challenge #3
15. Michael Ende-The Neverending Story, Challenge #4
16. Homer-The Iliad, Challenge #4
Possibilities-All Are Copies I Own-
Kent Haruf-Plainsong
John le Carré-Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Salman Rushdie-Midnight's Children
Jaroslav Hašek-The Good Soldier Švejk
James Clavell-Shogun: A Novel of Japan
Pam Jenoff-The Orphan's Tale
Stendhal-The Red and the Black
Iris Murdoch-The Sea, The Sea, Challenge #3
Challenge #7 - 2021 Group Reads ChallengeThe challenge is to read 12 of this years group selections.
✔️ Reads Completed 12/12--13 Total YTD
1. The Captain's Daughter, January Short Story/Novella
2. Songs of Innocence and of Experience, February Short Story/Novella
3. The Warden, February Old School
4. A Streetcar Named Desire, March Short Story/Novella
5. Don Juan, March Old School
6. Gooseberries, April Short Story/Novella
7. Fathers and Sons, April Old School
8. Letters to a Young Poet-June Short Story/Novella
9. Babette’s Feast-May Short Story/Novella
10. Wives and Daughters-May Old School
11. Goblin Market-July Short Story/Novella
12. Antony and Cleopatra-August Old School
To avoid challenge duplicates the stories below have been used in other challenges and don't count towards this challenge.
1. The Necklace-August Short Story/Novella, Challenge #4
2. The Master and Margarita, Challenge #1
3. The Gold Bug-Challenge #4
4. A Christmas Tree-Challenge #6
2021 Group Books I -
* Read Prior to 2021, Reread Doubtful
+ Want to/ Plan to/Hope to Read in 2021 or Sometime in the Future
# Don't Plan to or Want to Read Any Time Soon
January-
*Ender's Game, New School-Read Oct. '13
#Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Old School
✔️+The Captain's Daughter, Short Story/Novella-Read Jan. '21
*Cranford, Revisit the Shelf-Read Jan, '15
*The Portrait of a Lady, Quarterly Long Read-Read May '18
February-
#I, Claudius, New School
✔️+The Warden, Old School-Read Feb. '21
✔️+Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Short Story/Novella-Read Jan. '21
*The Secret Garden, Revisit the Shelf-Read Mar. '16
March-
+Their Eyes Were Watching God, New School-
✔️+Don Juan, Old School-Read 2/26/21
✔️+A Streetcar Named Desire, Short Story/Novella-Read 2/18/21
*A Study in Scarlet, Revisit the Shelf-Read-Read Nov. '12
April-
*The Giver-New School-Read-Feb '13
✔️+Fathers and Sons-Old School
✔️+Gooseberries-Short Story/Novella-Mar '21
*Jane Eyre-Revisit the Shelf-Read-Read Mar '12
*Dune-Quarterly Long Read-Read Jun '15
May-
*Dandelion Wine-New School-Read Jan '20
✔️+Wives and Daughters-Old School-
✔️+Babette’s Feast-Short Story/Novella-May '21
*Anna Karenina-Revisit the Shelf-Read-Read Jan '18
June-
*The Murder of Roger Ackroyd-New School-Read-Dec '16
*Moll Flanders-Old School-Read Jul '20
✔️+Letters to a Young Poet-Short Story/Novella-Read May '21
*Tess of the D'Urbervilles-Revisit the Shelf-Read-Jan '19
July-
#The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle-New School-
+Père Goriot-Old School-
✔️*Goblin Market-Short Story/Novella-Read May '20-Reread June '21
*The Tenant of Wildfell Hall-Revisit the Shelf-Read Jun '15
+Shirley-Quarterly Long Read-
August-
#Orlando-New School-
✔️+Antony and Cleopatra-Old School-Read July '21
✔️+The Necklace-Short Story/Novella-Read June '21
#The Unbearable Lightness of Being-Revisit the Shelf
September
+The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie-New School-
*Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions-Old School-Read June '20
*The Misanthrope-Short Story/Novella-Read September '18
*The Metamorphosis-Revisit the Shelf-Read April '16
October
*The Fall-New School-Read Mar '20
+Hunger-Old School-
✔️+The Gold Bug-Short Story/Novella-
*The Picture of Dorian Gray-Revisit the Shelf-Read Jan '12
+The Decameron-Quarterly Long Read-
November
*The Book of Tea-New School-Read Apr. '20
+The Prince and the Pauper-Old School-
✔️*The Last Question-Short Story/Novella-Read Mar. '19 & Jan. 21
*The Remains of the Day-Revisit the Shelf-Read Jan. 17
December
*The Call of the Wild-New School-Read Jan '12 & April '20
+Metamorphoses-Old School-
✔️+A Christmas Tree-Short Story/Novella-Read Nov '21
*The Master and Margarita-Revisit the Shelf-Read April '21
Summary of 2021 Group Books I -
* Read Prior to 2021 or in 2021 but prior to group selection, Reread Doubtful
*Ender's Game, New School-Read Oct. '13
*The Portrait of a Lady, Quarterly Long Read-Read May '18
*Cranford, Revisit the Shelf-Read Jan, '15
*The Secret Garden, Revisit the Shelf-Read Mar. '16
*A Study in Scarlet, Revisit the Shelf-Read-Read Nov. '12
*The Giver-New School-Read-Feb '13
*Jane Eyre-Revisit the Shelf-Read-Read Mar '12
*Dune-Quarterly Long Read-Read Jun '15
*Dandelion Wine-New School-Read Jan '20
*Jane Eyre-Revisit the Shelf-Read-Read Mar '12
*Anna Karenina-Revisit the Shelf-Read-Read Jan '18
*The Murder of Roger Ackroyd-New School-Read-Dec '16
*Moll Flanders-Old School-Read Jul '20
*Tess of the D'Urbervilles-Revisit the Shelf-Read-Jan '19
*The Tenant of Wildfell Hall-Revisit the Shelf-Read Jun '15
*Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions-Old School-Read June '20
*The Misanthrope-Short Story/Novella-Read September '18
*The Metamorphosis-Revisit the Shelf-Read April '16
*The Fall-New School-Read Mar '20
*The Picture of Dorian Gray-Revisit the Shelf-Read Jan '12
*The Book of Tea-New School-Read Apr. '20
*The Last Question-Short Story/Novella-Read Mar. '19 & Jan. 21
*The Remains of the Day-Revisit the Shelf-Read Jan. 17
*The Call of the Wild-New School-Read Jan '12 & April '20
*Goblin Market-Short Story/Novella-Read May '20-Reread June '21
*The Master and Margarita-Revisit the Shelf-Read April '21
+ Want to/ Plan to/Hope to Read in 2021 or Sometime in the Future, ✔️ did read in 2021
+Their Eyes Were Watching God, New School-
+Shirley-Quarterly Long Read-
+The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie-New School-
+Hunger-Old School-
+The Decameron-Quarterly Long Read-
+The Prince and the Pauper-Old School-
+Metamorphoses-Old School-
+Père Goriot-Old School-
✔️+The Captain's Daughter, Short Story/Novella-Read Jan. '21
✔️+The Warden, Old School-Read Feb. '21
✔️+Songs of Innocence and of Experience, Short Story/Novella-Read Jan. '21
✔️+Don Juan, Old School-Read 2/26/21
✔️+A Streetcar Named Desire, Short Story/Novella-Read 2/18/21
✔️+Fathers and Sons-Old School
✔️+Gooseberries-Short Story/Novella-Mar '21
✔️+Wives and Daughters-Old School-
✔️+Babette’s Feast-Short Story/Novella-May '21
✔️+Letters to a Young Poet-Short Story/Novella-Read May '21
✔️+Antony and Cleopatra-Old School-Read July '21
✔️+The Necklace-Short Story/Novella-Read June '21
✔️+The Gold Bug-Short Story/Novella-
✔️+A Christmas Tree-Short Story/Novella-Read Nov '21
# Don't Plan to or Want to Read Any Time Soon
#Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, Old School
#I, Claudius, New School
#The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle-New School-
#Orlando-New School-
#The Unbearable Lightness of Being-Revisit the Shelf
Challenge #6 - Short Story ChallengeCompleted 24/24 - 56 Total YTD
Challenge Completed 3/28/21
Read 24 short stories. This equates to only two per month for the year.
I love short stories and I will most likely complete this challenge. That said I read 121 short stories this year (2020) and while I loved 95% of them it took a lot of time away from reading the books that have been sitting on the shelf for years. So I will work to limit myself from getting carried away and stay focused on larger works and reduce my TBR.
1. A Fight with a Cannon by Victor Hugo, Read 1/7/21
2. The Inn by Guy de Maupassant, 1/16/21
3. The Last Question by Isaac Asimov, 1/21/21
4. Melinda's Humorous Story by May McHenry, 2/3/21
5. A Horseman In The Sky: Short Story by Ambrose Bierce, A Reread, 2/29/21
6. A Hunger Artist by Franz Kafka, 2/22/21
7. Jack Londons California: The Golden Poppy and Other Writings, Title story only, internet PDF, 2/24/21
8. Collected Stories of O. Henry: Revised and Expanded, "A Ramble in Aphasia" pg. 611-617 3/1/21
9. Circumvented by Rina Ramsey, 3/23/21
10. The Oval Portrait by Edgar Allan Poe, 3/23/21
11. The Blizzard by Alexander Pushkin, 3/24/21
Cabbages and Kings by O. Henry-18 Stories
12. Fox-In-The-Morning
13. The Lotus and the Bottle
14. Smith
15. Caught
16. Cupid's Exile Number Two
17. The Phonograph and the Graft
18. Money Maze
19. The Admiral
20. The Flag Paramount
21. The Shamrock and the Palm
22. The Remnants of the Code
23. Shoes
24. Ships
----------------------
25. Masters of Arts
26. Dicky
27. Rouge Et Noir
28. Two Recalls
29. The Vitagraphoscope
30. A Question of Time
31. Missing Link
32. God Sees the Truth, But Waits
33. The Coup de Grâce
34. Bliss
Love of Life: & Other Stories by Jack London, 8 Stories
35. Love of Life
36. A Day's Lodging
37. The White Man's Way
38. The Story of Keesh
39. The Unexpected
40. Brown Wolf
41. The Sun-Dog Trail
42. Negore, The Coward
43. A Letter from Santa Claus
44. A Christmas Tree
To avoid challenge duplicates the stories below have been used in other challenges and don't count towards this challenge.
The Captain's Daughter-Challenge #7-2021 Group Reads
The Minister's Black Veil-Challenge #3-Second Place or Worse
The Bottle Imp-Challenge #3-Second Place or Worse
Songs of Innocence and of Experience-Challenge #7-2021 Group Reads
Leave it to Jeeves-Challenge #8 New Authors
Gooseberries, #7 Group Reads
The Devil and Daniel Webster-Challenge #8 New Authors
Letters to a Young Poet-Challenge #7 Group Reads Challenge
Babette’s Feast-Challenge #7 Group Reads Challenge
Goblin Market-Challenge #7 Group Reads Challenge
The Most Dangerous Game-Challenge #4 Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge
The Gold Bug-Challenge #4 Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge
Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge✔️ Reads Completed 2/10
My parents were born in 1938, so I'll plan a decade challenge for the 1930's
1930-Narcissus and Goldmund-Nobel Laureate
1931-The Loving Spirit-Classic Romance
1932-Stamboul Train-Classic Mystery, Suspense, or Thriller
1933-God's Little Acre
1934-Tender is the Night
✔️1935-Tortilla Flat, 6/7/21
✔️1936-The A.B.C. Murders, 5/19/21
1937-Their Eyes Were Watching God
1938-Our Town-Pulitzer Prize for Drama 1938
1939-Johnny Got His Gun
Challenge #4 - Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge Choose one book per category for a total of 12 books. ✔️ Reads Completed 8/12
✔️1. 18th Century or older, The Iliad, -800
✔️2. 19th Century, The Gold Bug, 1842
✔️3. 20th Century, Tarzan of the Apes by Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1912
✔️4. Current or Past Group Read, The Necklace-August Short Story/Novella
✔️5. An Author not read before, Richard Connell, The Most Dangerous Game
✔️6. Diversity Classic, read a book from a religion, culture, country, or race different than yours, German Fantasy by German Author Michael Ende-The Neverending Story
7. Science Fiction, The Forgotten Door
8. Romance, Red Sky Over Hawaii
9. Historical fiction, The Orphan's Tale
10. Nonfiction,
✔️11. Mystery/Crime, Mildred Pierce
✔️12. Horror or Humor, Horror Revival by Stephen King--Humor Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Challenge #3 - Second Place or Worse✔️ Reads Completed 7/7
Challenge Completed 7/17/21
Go back through the groups past polls and select seven (7) total books that are of interest to you but lost the poll and never made it to our group bookshelf. Ideally pick two books from New School, two from Old School, two from Short Story/Novella, and one from the Quarterly Long Read.
I will have to hunt hard for short stories, I've read a bunch of them and of course there are a fair number that I don't want to read.
New School
1. Angle of Repose, Read 3/7/21
2. Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West, Read 3/25/21
Old School
1. Washington Square-Read 3/29/21
2. The Deerslayer, Read 6/22/21
Short Story/Novella
1. The Minister's Black Veil-Read 1/4/21
2. The Bottle Imp-Read 1/6/21
Quarterly Long Read
1. The Fountainhead, Read 7/17/21
Choices that I own copies of-
(view spoiler)
Challenge #2 – Does a Century Make a Difference? “Select 10 books from any single year of interest, then select 10 more from 100 years earlier, for a total of 20 books. List your choices for other members to explore. The challenge is to successfully read 10 of the 20 books selected, five from your year of choice and five from 100 years earlier.
*This one is doubtful-
Most important to me this year is to read books I already own, either paper or e-read. This will have a direct effect on this challenge. I don't think I will come up with enough books to put together these lists using my current supply of shelved books.
For the fun of planning only. My wife and I got married in 1978, so I'll plan a challenge for the 1978 and 1878
1978
Listed in the order my desire to read.
1. The Sea, The Sea-Booker Prize 1978
2. An Imaginary Life
✔️3. The Westing Game-Newberry Metal 1979
4. *The World According to Garp
5. *The Stories of John Cheever-Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1979
*War and Remembrance-haven't read The Winds of War, otherwise this would be #1
The White Dragon
Night Shift
The Cement Garden
The Far Pavilions
A Swiftly Tilting Planet
Chesapeake
*1978 Books- that own a copy of
1878
Listed in the order my desire to read.
1. Nobody's Boy
2. Dick Sands the Boy Captain
3. Daisy Miller
4. The Leavenworth Case
5. Under the Lilacs
The Europeans
An Inland Voyage
Jeanne
H.M.S. Pinafore
A Few Choice Words to the Public with New and Original Poems
Human, All Too Human: A Book for Free Spirits
Through the Dark Continent, Vol. 1
A Fool's Errand
1878 Books, I don't own any of these books, but using Amazon/Kindle, Guttenberg, or other online sources I could probably secure free or low cost copies. I still plan on focusing on books already in my possession.
Challenge #1 - Old & New TBR Challenge✔️ Reads Completed 10/12
My 12 + 2 Old & New Challenge will only use books that I own and have in my possession.
1899 and earlier-Old School
1. The Mayor Of Casterbridge-Published in the 19th Century
✔️2. Joan of Arc-4/14/21
✔️3. War and Peace-2/23/21
1900-1999-New School
4. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy-Book That Has Been Made Into Film
✔️5. The Secret History-3/17/21
✔️6. The Master and Margarita-4/24/21
Six Brain Candy Reads - No Redeeming Value – Just Fun
✔️7. Deep South-1/17/21
✔️8. Raise the Titanic!-4/11/21
✔️9. The Escape-2/11/21
✔️10. Collateral Damage-4/18/21
✔️11. The General's Daughter-8/30/21
✔️12. The Murder House-12/1/21
Alternates
A-1. A Matter of Honor
A-2. Home-Reader’s Choice
I will work hard to complete six of these challenges. I will taste two others, and not attempt A-Z at all.Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR-Completed 9/12
✔️Challenge #3 - Second Place or Worse-Completed 7/7
Challenge #4 - Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge-Completed 5/12
✔️Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge-Completed 24/24
✔️Challenge #7 - 2021 Group Reads Challenge-Completed 12/12
✔️Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors-Completed 6/6
**Challenge #2 - Does a Century Make a Difference?-Completed 1/10
**Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge-Completed 2/10
Challenge #9 - A-Z Author Challenge-Not doing
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title Challenge-Not doing
**Not doing, but will read some selections
I’m not listing or doing #9 & #10 the A-Z challenges even if Mom threatens me with a trip to the wood shed. I’ll even cut the hickory switch, but I’m leaving those two challenges alone. They have beaten me every year but one, I admit defeat.
As for the eight challenges I will work on, I will work to complete challenge #1 New & Old TBR, Challenge #3 Second Place or Worse, and . Challenge #8 Expand Your Horizon With New Authors I will taste with the hope of finishing Challenge #4 Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge, #6 Short Story, #7 Group Reads. I'm not sure if I’ll have an appetite for #2 Does a Century Make a Difference and Challenge #5 Decade/Century Challenge.. I will explain my reason in the below listed challenges.
Most important to me this year is to read books I already own, either paper or e-read. This will have a direct effect on challenges #2 & #7. I don't think I will come up with enough books to put together these lists using my current supply of shelved books.
