Bob’s Comments (group member since Jun 22, 2011)

Bob’s comments from the Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) group.

Rosemarie wrote: "I wasn't going to do as many challenges this year, but the buffet looks so appetizing.
Thanks, Bob! I like the addition of the new author challenge."

The goal of any buffet is to make it appealing, if it is not appetizing, why try it. I'm glad you like it,

Shannon wrote: "Oh Bob, this is awesome, thank you.
Is there a definition or minimum/maximum page count for short stories?"

I’m sure there are better definitions, but I’m not an academic. I’m not sure that there is an absolute definition about word/page count for short stories, novellas, and novels. For me, I call a short story between 250 words/1 page-6250 words/25 pages. For me, stories between 26-70 pages is a gray area, is it a long short story or a short novella. I consider novellas starting at about 70 pages and running to between 200-250 pages, more than that for me it’s a novel.

Kathleen wrote: "You've done it again Bob! We appreciate all the work that goes into coming up with these and laying them all out for us. I will of course jump in way over my head, but I don't care cuz it's fun. :-..."

Thanks Kathleen, I hope you enjoy it. I'm not sure about mine yet.

Sue wrote: "I love the addition of picking the second choice or further in prior group polls Bob. I said I wasn't going to do as many challenges but I'm not going to be able to resist!"

I can't take credit Sue, it was Lynn's idea, but I agree it is a good one. It should prove interesting, fingers crossed.

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All Challenges Start 1 January 2021, but the folder & discussion thread are open now so that you can begin to plan your year. Bingo can be planned ahead or you can just collect squares as you read throughout the year.

This challenge can be used with your other challenges. Books and authors selected here can be used to fill other challenge needs.

NOTE: Start your own thread for your challenge in this folder.

Challenge #10 - A-Z Title Challenge


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Challenge #9 - A-Z Author Challenge


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Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors

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.

Challenge #7 - 2021 Group Reads Challenge
The challenge is to read 12 of this years group selections. Between New School, Old School, Short Story/Novella, Revisit the Shelf, and Quarterly Long read our group selects 40 new and 12 reread books per year, giving us plenty of choices.

Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge
Read 24 short stories. This equates to only two per month for the year.

Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge

There are two ways to participate. First read one book from 10 consecutive decades, one century total. Second, read one book per year for 10 consecutive years, one-decade total. Only one version of the challenge is required to participate. For those exceptional readers, over achievers, or gluttons for punishment, feel free to take on both versions.

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.

Challenge Example: (Century Challenge)

My Century Challenge, Authors-Some Old Some New
1850-1859 The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1850
1860-1869 Sylvia's Lovers-*Elizabeth Gaskell, 1863
1870-1879 Far From the Madding Crowd-Thomas Hardy,1874
1880-1889 Jack and Jill-*Louisa May Alcott, 1880
1890-1899 Captains Courageous-Rudyard Kipling, 1896
1900-1909 The Tale of Peter Rabbit-Beatrix Potter, 1901
1910-1919 Of Human Bondage-W. Somerset Maugham, 1815
1920-1929 The Murder of Roger Ackroyd-*Agatha Christie, 1926
1930-1939 Of Mice and Men-John Steinbeck, 1937
1940-1949 The Heart is a Lonely Hunter-Carson McCullers, 1940

*Authors I've read before

The Decade Challenge: Read 10 books from any 10 consecutive years (1 book per year). The 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.

Challenge Example: (Decade Challenge)

My Decade Challenge, Authors-Some Old Some New
1920-Main Street by *Sinclair Lewis
1921-The Narrow House by Evelyn Scott
1922-Siddhartha by *Hermann Hesse
1923-Whose Body? by Dorothy L. Sayers
1924-A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
1925-The Professor's House by *Willa Cather
1926-The Sun Also Rises by *Ernest Hemingway
1927-To the Lighthouse by *Virginia Woolf
1928-Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
1929-Passing by Nella Larsen

*Authors I've read before

Challenge #4 - Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge Choose one book per category for a total of 12 books.

1. 18th Century or older,
2. 19th Century,
3. 20th Century,
4. Current or Past Group Read,
5. An Author not read before,
6. Diversity Classic, read a book from a religion, culture, country, or race different than yours.
7. Science Fiction,
8. Romance,
9. Historical fiction,
10. Nonfiction,
11. Mystery/Crime,
12. Horror or Humor,

Challenge #3 - Second Place or Worse

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.

Most will agree that the books making it through our nominations process are quality reads. That said, only one wins the poll. There are plenty of reasons why; one of those reasons I believe is the book's or author's popularity. Reading the unsuccessful books can help broaden our personal shelves and list of authors read. Hopefully this challenge, through member reviews and thread comments, will bring us some knowledge about a wider selection of books and encourage members to read them.

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.

NOTE:
Last year’s challenge was “Select 10 books from the year you were born. Select 10 more from 100 years earlier. Read a total of ten books.

Since repeating this challenge using your birth year could hinder members who participated in the 2020 challenge by somewhat limiting their available choices. This year will be the same type challenge except participants can chose any starting year. Pick a year of your choice and then go back in time 100 years. You can use the birth year of a child, a spouse, a parent, or any other year of interest.

Challenge #1 - Old & New TBR Challenge

This challenge is designed to help increase our reading of the classics and reduce our TBR's. This challenge commits you to reading 12 books next year. Choose 12 books you want to read and list two alternates, to use as substitutes should one of your choices need to be replaced. This 12 + 2 challenge will last all year and you can read at your own pace. Once you create your reading thread, you and other members can comment on your progress.

Only six of the 12 books selected are required be Classics based on the Groups definitions. At least 3 books from the Old School category (published before 1900) and 3 books from the New School category (published between 1900 & 1999). The other six and your two alternates can be any genre or age you wish to read.

Starting today you can begin creating your challenge thread. The whole month of December is dedicated to planning your challenge. You can add your books and make edit adjustments till December 31st. No challenge reading can start till January 1, 2021.

If you're a current Group Member, you have until midnight on 12/31/2020 to finalize your list. You can post your list and make all the changes you want until then, but no changes after midnight 12/31/2020. If you join our Classics Group after that date, you may still participate by posting and editing your list within two weeks of joining the group, but you can't make changes after you post your list.

For New Members joining in 2021, in addition to the above rules, feel free to adjust your challenge according to the number of months left in the year. Example: If you join in March 2020 and wish to participate, list 9 books and 2 alternates. If your joined after June 2021 list the appropriate number of books according to the number of months left, but only pick one alternate.

Remember to add your two alternates to any challenge you set up.

Example of a Challenge:

My fabulous 12 + 2 Old & New Classic Challenge

1899 and earlier/Old School
1. Les Misérables
2. Great Expectations
3. The Woman in White
1900-1999/New School
4. The Great Gatsby
5. The Red Pony
6. Of Human Bondage
My Wild Card Six
7. The Return of the Soldier
8. The Pillars of the Earth
9. Ender's Shadow
10. 2001: A Space Odyssey
11. The Law
12. Sin Killer

Alternates
A-1. War and Peace
A-2. Gone with the Wind

2021 CHALLENGE BUFFET

Another year, another Buffet, with a few changes to the old menu. From this buffet feel free to pick as few or as many challenges as fits your appetite.

Remember every challenge created, every author and every book listed, becomes a resource for our members to learn about authors and books they haven’t heard of before.

The Menu for the 2021 Buffet:
For Details See Messages 2-11

Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR
Challenge #2 - Does a Century Make a Difference?
Challenge #3 - Second Place or Worse
Challenge #4 - Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge
Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge
Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge
Challenge #7 - 2021 Group Reads Challenge
Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors
Challenge #9 - A-Z Author Challenge
Challenge #10 - A-Z Title Challenge

Details listed in messages below.

General/Helpful Challenge Information:
These challenges are personal. It is important that you enjoy your challenge/s, don't feel pressure to finish, this is for fun. Use your own creativity to make your challenge special. Select books that you truly have an interest in reading. Perhaps some of your selections can be from different countries. Or select different regions from a single country. Perhaps choose men and women from one country, but from different ethnic or social back grounds. Your challenge your choice, just stick to the basic challenge configuration.

Create your own separate thread to list the challenge/s you wish to participate in. If you plan on participating in several challenges, you will want to save/reserve several message/posts at the beginning of your thread to list each challenge you intend to try. Reserve 1-10 if you are going to try them all. See Example/Sample Thread.

To Create your challenge thread simply go to the top of this folder click on the title (Challenge Buffet). Then look to the right for the words (new topic), click that, a new screen will open. In the box (topic) type the name you wish to give your challenge. In the (comment) box list your books chosen for the challenge. Use the (add book/author) link so that others can link to your choices and learn more about the book you have selected.

Feel free to mark your finished books anyway you wish. After you have finished a book your can strike it off your list. Directions are listed at the top of the comment box (some html is ok). You can list the date you finished or add the number of stars you though the book deserved.

Examples of marking books completed:
1899 and earlier
✓1. Les Misérables
2. Great Expectations 11/20/19
3. The Woman in White*****
1900-1999
4. The Great Gatsby Finished 1/25/19
5. The Red Pony 5 Stars, Finished

Levi and Lori Welcome! I'm glad you both have joined the group.

I'm looking forward to following your progress, but I think it will be from the sidelines this year. Good luck!