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Sara's Nearly Impossible Old & New Classic Challenge
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Great list, Sara! I don't know about the titles you're concerned about, but I see some page turners there that should provide at least some buffer if the others proof to be tough reads. I can say though that so far I found Tolstoi and Dickens extremely readable.I'm sure you've heard it before, but: Do read The Shadow of the Wind! Don't let it simmer on the bench. It's a lot of fun to read. Happy reading to you!
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Now you and Sam have made me not want to wait until 2016 to read Shadow. I've had it on the shelf for a while. Must concentrate on finishing my 2015 list though.
Shadow is really, really good but it will be good in 2016 and the feeling of finishing your 2015 list will be good too. I want to read 3 of your tomes but not this year. Their day will come.
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Exactly. So many of these have been waiting a long, long time. Can't read everything in the same year.
If you listen to audio at all, the Tim Robbins narration of Fahrenheit 451 is absolutely fabulous! It was one of my favorite audios of the year.Shadow has been in my TBR for awhile too. I have to admit that I also feel like picking it up immediately after all of the praise on here :)
I think Edith Wharton died before she completed "The Buccaneers."
You certainly do have some chunky books, but they are great choices. I've never even heard of The Buccaneers. And I agree that Shadow is a great book, but I really enjoyed Crossing to Safety as well. So read it if you have time.
Are you reading all 8000 pages of The Forsythe Saga??? Now I know why you called it your "nearly impossible" challenge!
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Shadow has been in my TBR for awhile too. I have to..."
I hope we read Shadow at about the same time and can discuss it. I have never listened to audio. Don't really have the right equipment to do it, but love Tim Robbins voice and know that would be awesome.
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I had read that. I saw a terrific PBS version of it years and years ago and thought I would give it a go anyway.
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Another good friend has recommended Crossing to Safety. I have it on my priority list for 2016.
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Oh no, I am wading in with the first 878 page book. I think that is quite daunting enough for this year. Still feels a bit impossible.
Does that edition have some error with the page number? It says it´s the three first books and in other edition (like mine) there is about 800 pages in those 3 combined.
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It probably has some reference materials, biography of Galsworthy, etc. included. I just flipped to the back of the book and picked up the page number. I'm sure it has the same text as your edition would.
I think the pages were 7922, maybe they accidentally repeated the 2?
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Makes sense. I can't imagine reading (let alone writing) an 8000 page book. Since mine is in the 800 page range, that is probably the case. I do hope my edition is the entire saga.
Sara wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think the pages were 7922, maybe they accidentally repeated the 2?"Makes sense. I can't imagine reading (let alone writing) an 8000 page book. Since mine is in the 800 page range,..."
Yes I think it is, everywhere I looked the whole saga is around 800 pages. Maybe there is 1 number too many, maybe it´s suppose to be 792 pages or something :)
And I see that Sarah meant the same thing ;)
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Yes, it is. I figure 8000 pages is a challenge in and of itself! No other books necessary. I would never get through it.
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lol. Think of the sigh of relief I just had.
A Wrinkle in Time is one of my all time favorite books!I read Heart of Darkness in high school. It took a while to get into, but I liked it.
Desertorum wrote: "Sara wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think the pages were 7922, maybe they accidentally repeated the 2?"Makes sense. I can't imagine reading (let alone writing) an 8000 page book. Since mine is in the 80..."
It should be the first trilogy The Forsyte Chronicles, 3 books in fact:. The second trilogy is mostly about the 'next generation'.
To clarify matters somewhat, the Chronicles, now called the Forsyte Saga, is a trilogy of novels: The Man Of Property (1906), In Chancery (1920), and To Let (1921). The second trilogy, A Modern Comedy, consists of The White Monkey(1924), The Silver Spoon (1926), and The White Swan (1928). I've read them all separately.
Oh, and there is also a third trilogy, End of the Chapter, more loosely connected, which I haven't read yet: Maid in Waiting (1931), The Flowering Wilderness (1932) and Over the River (1933). So all together 9 books, and there is also a book of Forsyte short stories, which is mostly a prequel to the first trilogy.
Overall, I'd assume that the term 'Forsyte Saga' relates to the first trilogy.
Oh, and the books aren't very long, so I guess they meant 800 and not 8000 pages for the first trilogy, a simple mistake :).
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I read Heart of Darkness in high school. It took a while to get into, but I liked it."
I have had Wrinkle in Time on my radar for years. It will be nice to read it at last. I have avoided Heart of Darkness for some reason, but this is going to be the year when it also gets ticked off.
As for the Forsythe Saga. I am reading the first three books. I would need to LOVE it to tackle six more. :)
Teanka wrote: "Desertorum wrote: "Sara wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I think the pages were 7922, maybe they accidentally repeated the 2?"Makes sense. I can't imagine reading (let alone writing) an 8000 page book. Sinc..."
I'm reading the first trilogy this year also. I didn't even know that there are two more trilogies. I have to agree with Sara that I will have to really love this to continue with that many novels.
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First book completed already....not looking quite so impossible now!
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lol. Started with the easy, fun read, but 1/3 of the way through War and Peace and loving it...so maybe not impossible at all. Thanks, Pink.
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This is a book that if not for Goodreads I never would have read it. So glad I did it's a great read.
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This is a book that if not for Goodreads I never would..."
I agree, and I doubt I would ever have found it without Goodreads as well. I can account for several great books that I would have passed by if not for this site.
Sara wrote: "Pink wrote: "First book completed already....not looking quite so impossible now!"lol. Started with the easy, fun read, but 1/3 of the way through War and Peace and loving it...so maybe not impos..."
Yay! So happy to hear you are liking War and Peace. I was so surprised that it was really a page turner and not the dull thing I thought it might be, and it became a top favorite of mine. I'll look forward to seeing your thoughts when you're all done.
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lol. Started with the easy, fun read, but 1/3 of the way through War and Peace and loving it...so ma..."
I was afraid there would be boring and long battle scenes, but those have been very short and palatable so far.
When you decide to read The Forsyte Saga i would be interested in reading it with you. Maybe we can do a buddy read if there are several people that want to read this. This has been on my TBR list for years. Started but never finished.
Sara wrote: "lol. Started with the easy, fun read, but 1/3 of the way through War and Peace and loving it...so maybe not impos..." I read W&P last year, it was my third attempt and now I can't understand what made me give up before, because this time I couldn't put it down! It really is one of the greats.
I have also Forsythe saga in this challenge so if you have buddy read I´m interested!
I'm also reading the Forsythe Saga this year :-)
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I'm in for a buddy read! With Desertorum and Julie...and we might pick up some others when we post the read. I have not ever set one up, but perhaps some of you know how it is done?
Sara wrote: "Cosmic wrote: "When you decide to read The Forsyte Saga i would be interested in reading it with you. Maybe we can do a buddy read if there are several people that want to read this. ..."There is this Book chatter topic and under that Buddy read? -topic. But I´m not sure if that´s just to ask people for a buddy read. And should we make a new topic for this book otherwise the whole Buddy read threat is full of Forsythe saga...Not sure under what we should put that...I can ask Pink in the Buddy read? -topic.
Correction; I did read the description about the Book chatter topic and I think we can put the threat in there. When people want to keep this buddy read?
Desertorum wrote: "Correction; I did read the description about the Book chatter topic and I think we can put the threat in there. When people want to keep this buddy read?"How about March or April? Or any time after that?
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Kathy wrote: "You can post for buddy reads here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/..."Isn´t that where you can ask people to join buddy read? And then when you want to make up a topic or folder for the conversation of the book (not sure what to call them) you can put it in Book chatter folder. Or am I mistaken?
And April is fine for me too!
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Sara wrote: "I set up the folder for the read and posted it in the buddy reads list. Hopefully I have done it correctly. Looking forward to this one!"I think it looks just right!
Great list! I loved The Moon and Sixpence!
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
Crossing to Safety (other topics)The Buccaneers (other topics)
Crossing to Safety (other topics)
Foucault’s Pendulum (other topics)
The Winter of Our Discontent (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
W. Somerset Maugham (other topics)W. Somerset Maugham (other topics)
Wallace Stegner (other topics)
Daniel Deronda Finished 5/25/16
War and Peace Finished 1/18/16
Bleak House Finished 8/19/16
1900-1999
The Buccaneers Finished 7/14/16
The Winter of Our Discontent Finished 11/4/16
Fahrenheit 451 Finished 6/4/16
Wild Cards
Foucault's Pendulum Finished 11/21/16
A Wrinkle in Time Finished 1/29/16
The Moon and Sixpence Finished 3/25/16
Heart of Darkness Finished 6/7/16
The Forsythe Saga Finished 4/8/16
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle Finished 1/23/16
Alternates
A1 The Shadow of the Wind Finished 1/5/16
A2 Crossing to Safety Finished 2/9/16