Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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Archived Chit Chat & All That
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What Book(s) have you just Bought, Ordered or Taken Delivery Of?
Picked up a bundle for less than $15 at my usual library sale (they're not quite back to normal, but they're getting there). Full set of works can be seen on this shelf here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...Especially notable potential future classics challenge reads include:
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man - James Weldon Johnson
House Made of Dawn - N. Scott Momaday
Castle Rackrent - Maria Edgeworth
Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali - Mamadou Kouyaté (13th c. oral epic)
Aubrey wrote: "Picked up a bundle for less than $15 at my usual library sale (they're not quite back to normal, but they're getting there). Full set of works can be seen on this shelf here: https://www.goodreads...."That is a great book haul. There are several I would like to read someday.
ordered new: Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History. Picked up at my library's book sale: Empire Falls by Richard Russo, And the Mountains Echoed, and Interpreter of Maladies.
Kimberly wrote: "ordered new: Dress Codes: How the Laws of Fashion Made History. Picked up at my library's book sale: Empire Falls by Richard Russo, [book:And the Mountains Echoed|1611..."I'm fairly certain that I now have two copies of Empire Falls.
Laurie wrote: "That is a great book haul. There are several I would like to read someday."Cheers, Laurie. These are all books that have been passed over more than once until their sale price was driven down to the bare minimum, so I can afford to grab what leaps out at me even the slightest bit and see how I like it. 'Tis a great way of trying out authors I've heard much about but haven't had much reason to actively seek out otherwise.
Collectibles:Spiced to Death by Peter King
Arthur Conan Doyle: A Life in Letters by Jon L. Lellenberg
State of the Nation by John Dos Passos
Sir Roger de Coverley by Joseph Addison
Orient Express by Graham Greene
A River Runs Through it and Other Stories by Norman Maclean
Dell Mapbacks:
The Headless Lady by Clayton Rawson
The Crooking Finger by Cleve F. Adams
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. This book has intrigued me every time it was nominated. It finally won the Revisit poll, and we will read it together in August.
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I read one of yours last year Aubrey,
. I found it on Lit2Go a Florida University site. There is text and audio there if you are interested in an audio version.
lovely little pocket-sized 1948 hardback edition of Conrad's Lord Jimsnapped up for a bargain on eBay :oD
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Nice looking edition, Darren. Love Conrad, but haven't read that one.
I have it planned for next yearnothing to stop me buying in my 2022 books a little in advance though, is there?
;o)
Darren wrote: "I have it planned for next yearnothing to stop me buying in my 2022 books a little in advance though, is there?
;o)"
What about buying books for 2031?
Darren wrote: "I have it planned for next yearnothing to stop me buying in my 2022 books a little in advance though, is there?
;o)"
Glad I'm not the only one who's been having the 2022 reading planning bug lately (gotta get a head start on those hypothetical challenges, y'know?).
to aid my 2022 planning, I've had a "Zombie Attack" scenario running for a couple of months now:
note the colour-coding, which is a new innovation this year (nerd_smiley)
Darren wrote: "to aid my 2022 planning, I've had a "Zombie Attack" scenario running for a couple of months now:note the colour-coding, which is a new innovation this year (nerd_smiley)"
Wow, thats a lot of planning :D . I have to be really vague with my plans, my brain absolutely refuses to cooperate if i make anything too solid, too far in advance :( .
Once i've started a book i'm fine but to decide what to read next i have to leave it till the last second then start reading as soon as i decide otherwise i just know i'll end up with readers block :/ .
Thats why an ereader is great for me.. no wait times, 100's of books at my fingertips i can jump into straight away before my brain wanders off on some other track again :P .
Ah, but planning is all about flexibility/options! Darren, I have no idea what your process is here, but I am absolutely inspired. This looks like too much fun, and I just may go turn my list into a spreadsheet--color added of course!
the Zombie Attack is really just a recognition of all those books you really want to read soon,
so you promise yourself that you will at least read them next year...
but then obviously you have far too many,
so the yellow rectangle contains the largest number that can sensibly be expected to be read in a year, and all the books have to fight it out to get safely inside!
it's actually not that much work, as the book titles are Copy/Pasted from elsewhere, and it's great fun twiddling with it every few days in the latter half of the year :oD
Well if that isn't brilliant--the idea of the books fighting it out to get inside the yellow rectangle! Thanks for inventing such a fun reader's game. :-)
Darren wrote: "to aid my 2022 planning, I've had a "Zombie Attack" scenario running for a couple of months now:note the colour-coding, which is a new innovation this year (nerd_smiley)"
Very nice! I currently have far too many 2022 possibilties to start consolidating them into any kind of manageable spreadsheet without knowing more about 2022's structures, but I've had something very similar going on for my 2021 reading.
Helps keep my reading balanced and non-overwhelming.
This one arrived the day before yesterday:
Pessoa: A Biography by Richard Zenith
The first eight pages of the book are nothing but a dramatis personae of Pessoa's heteronyms.
Last week I went to our library and purchased some books from their book sale as well as to a bookstore and these are the books I've newly acquired: The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner, The Beautiful And Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Christmas Sisters by Sarah Morgan, Chocolat by Joanne Harris, Mansfield Park by Jane Austen, and Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Wow! I'm impressed with all that planning Aubrey and Darren! The "Zombie Attack" made me laugh. I love it. I'm more like Wreade1872, I only have a vague sense of what I want to read next and pick as I go. I do like reading books with the group, though, as it gives me a solid deadline.
Janice - fun! I don't go to the library much anymore as I check out most books online, but I can never resist browsing the library sales. The only books on your list I haven't read are "The Sound and the Fury" and "The Christmas Sisters."
Cheers, Natalie. My eyes are often bigger than my stomach when it comes to reading, so planning helps me maximize my challenge fill out potential by telling me when one book would fill out as many categories as two or three other works could. I'm already seeing certain works pop out of my mapping out of 2022's possibilities as ones I'll almost certainly get to simply for their particular combination of characteristics, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the total list for that year ends up being.
Oooh, my copy of Princess, Priestess, Poet: The Sumerian Temple Hymns of Enheduanna arrived today! =D It’s background information for and translation of some of the oldest writing in the world, and the oldest work to which the author put their name — in 2300 BCE!
Erin wrote: "Oooh, my copy of Princess, Priestess, Poet: The Sumerian Temple Hymns of Enheduanna arrived today! =D It’s background information for and translation of some of the oldest writing in..."Nice grab, Erin! That's one of the works that I'm especially hoping shows up in my path sooner rather than later.
Natalie wrote: "Wow! I'm impressed with all that planning Aubrey and Darren! The "Zombie Attack" made me laugh. I love it. I'm more like Wreade1872, I only have a vague sense of what I want to read next and pick..."
Agreed! Those look like complex systems! Sometimes I am inspired to make out complex lists and plans, yet when it comes to what I actually read, it is for the most part like you and Wreade1872 — what I feel like, from among loose planning (the “soon” subset of my TBR list) or something completely unplanned but am inspired by the subject, a review, a group read, etc. If something acquires too much onerous of “ought to do already” then I end up avoiding it. Sooo, I guess I must plan only broadly and come at my goals sideways? XD
Well, for me, Erin, part of the reason I start in on the complex planning so early is to give it enough time to "steep" in my brain and generate enthusiasm for the works that fit in best with my plans. By the time the actual reading time rolls around, I've mustered enough enthusiasm/weighed the pros and cons long enough to commit for the long term.
omnibus edition of Evangeline Walton's Mabinogion Tetralogy
glad to have finally bagged this at a reasonable price
Books and Bipeds
by Vincent StarrettThe Case of the Borrowed Brunette
by Erle Stanley GardnerThe Selected Writings of William Hazlitt Vol 7
Just got a copy of Amanda Gorman's children's book Change Sings-- Change Sings: A Children's AnthemI can hear her voice in my mind narrating it powerfully, and the illustrations are lovely. I'm not sure I could do it justice in a "read aloud." I actually don't teach younger students so I'm not sure who I will share it with yet.
Went to a book sale last weekend, went to another one today, and this is why I can't be going so often.
Completed my search for Quest for Women 2022 works, at any rate, but I'll still be keeping my eye out for extra options.
Aubrey wrote: "Went to a book sale last weekend, went to another one today, and this is why I can't be going so often.Completed my search for Quest for Women 2022 works, at any rate, but I'll still be keeping..."
Wow what a haul! That's quite impressive.
Laurie wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "Went to a book sale last weekend, went to another one today, and this is why I can't be going so often"Looks like their inventory was decent! My library book sale is coming up, the books will be super cheap but slim pickins, especially the classics.
Amazing, Aubrey. You've got a number of classics there, and others I want to read, including Old in Art School: A Memoir of Starting Over! You did good.
Cheers, all. You can see the full set here if you're having trouble making stuff out in the pic: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Mysterious Obsession: Memoirs of a Compulsive Collector by Otto PenzlerThe American Gun Mystery: An Ellery Queen Mystery by Ellery Queen
The Return of the Pharaoh: From the Reminiscences of John H. Watson, M.D. by Nicholas Meyer
I picked up two at a library sale recently that, in addition to being great reads, are lovely to look at:
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, an untouched hardback for a dollar. This is one I've wanted since I saw the movie--am very excited to read it.and
The Samurai's Garden, a pristine paperback. I've read this and it is wonderful. Very re-readable.
I recently started collecting books in the 'Classics of Naval Literature' series, volumes beautifully bound and published by The Naval Institute Press. Just got my copy of Run Silent, Run Deep this week! Meanwhile, I'm finishing up The Good Shepherd, the basis for the Tom Hanks movie Greyhound.
Got my first ever James Branch Cabell hardcopies. I've been reading him only on my ereader so far. All paperbacks even the black one which has this light faux leather cover (its very nice), i think that one is actually front 1919, at least that the only date i can find.
Figures of Earth, The Cream of the Jest and Beyond Life
I also have a Jurgen on the way.
I got some books last week from a wonderful charity shop and another wonderful Little Free Library in my town. The Great Airport Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon (I read all of these and the Nancy Drew mysteries in grades 5 and 6 at my school library. :)
The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan
The Lost Quilter by Jennifer Chiaverini
Cider with Rosie: A Memoir by Laurie Lee
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Heaven to Betsy / Betsy in Spite of Herself by Maud Hart Lovelace
My copy of Jurgen just arrived and i'm very please. Couple of things i didn't notice when ordering. One is that it seems to be from 1928, the naughty cover obviously taking advantage of the obscenity trial the book was exonerated from.
But also look at those awesome curves corners! thats a very unique touch. So very happy.
Looking at that cover i probably won't be reading it on the bus though ;) .
Edit: ah apparently this is actually from 1965 that makes more sense, still love it http://jamesbranchcabell.org/bibliogr...
The only good bookstore in Dublin is closing unfortunately. On a very minor upside that means going out of business sale.Got a couple of chunky ones The Illuminatus! Trilogy
and The Complete Novels of James Joyce
hardback.Edit: I do really like a nice hardback especially the modern ones designed to live without a dustjacket, but perhaps i should have thought about the difficulties of actually reading the thing before getting the 1500 odd pages of Joyce.... ;) ...its heavy... REALLY heavy :lol .
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Got a couple of chunky ones The Illuminatus! Trilogy[bookcover..."
I did the same thing. I ordered a leather bound collection of Sherlock Holmes. I thought I would give it as a Christmas gift. It is unwieldy and the print is too small. I sits on my shelf. I did not give it or read it. But the cover is beautiful!
I ordered Gone with the Wind and Fahrenheit 451 a few days ago, just to finally add them to my shelf :)I'm starting to collect the books I've been getting from the library over and over again, and slowly building my library of all-time favorites. (Also my sister won't have any excuses not to read Fahrenheit 451 now.. 😌)
I just bought Arthur Machen's "The Great God Pan, the White People, and Other Stories" on Amazon.
Aragorn's wrote: "I ordered Gone with the Wind and Fahrenheit 451 a few days ago, just to finally add them to my shelf :)I'm starting to collect the books I've been getting from the libra..."
Those are both very good books!
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glad to have finally bagged this at a reasonable price"
That's one I really hope to get to read in 2022
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Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
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oh and yesterday I snapped up a Kindle edition of Thomas Bernhard's The Loser for a mere 99p! (think the offer is still on in the UK...)