Darren's "Shelf Clearing" 2017 Old & New Challenge

[Darren]

Darren's 2017 Old And New Challenge - "Clearing The Shelves"

6 Group Bookshelf:
3 Old School:
Far from the Madding Crowd Hardy, Thomas 1874 - Finished. ***
Treasure Island Stevenson, Robert Louis 1883 - Finished. ****
The Time Machine Wells, H. G. 1895 - - Finished. ****
3 New School:
The Maltese Falcon Hammett, Dashiell 1930 - Finished. *****
Rebecca Du Maurier, Daphne 1938 - Finished. ****
One Hundred Years of Solitude Márquez, Gabriel García 1967 - Finished. ***

6 Wildcard - My Bookshelf:
3 Old School:
The Red and the Black Stendhal 1830 - Finished. *****
Père Goriot Balzac, Honore de 1835 - Finished. ****
Thérèse Raquin Zola, Emile 1867 - Finished. **
3 New School:
Of Human Bondage Maugham, Somerset 1915 - Finished. **
A House for Mr Biswas Naipaul, V. S. 1961 - Finished. ***
Porterhouse Blue Sharpe, Tom 1974 - Finished. ****

2 Reserves:
Group Shelf: The Odyssey Homer -800
My Shelf: Portnoy's Complaint Roth, Philip 1969

[Melanti]

Rebecca is excellent, and I have high hopes for One Hundred Years of Solitude.

You've got a good list here.

[Susan O]

Glad to see Maugham on someone else's list. I read The Painted Veil several years ago and enjoyed it. Of Human Bondage has been on my shelf for years, so it's about time.

[Darren]

Rebecca just missed the cut in the "Film" category of my 2017 Personal Challenge, as did Maugham just miss out in the "Author First" category, but I am cunningly using the Old&New to ensure a few books that I've had near the top of my TBR pile for longest don't keep getting leap-frogged.

[Amanda]

Read Rebecca this year and really enjoyed it. I've also got Treasure Island on my list so happy reading!

[Pink]

Agh this is getting so hard reading everyone else's challenge lists.....I might have to add another 100 books to mine!

I liked all of your old school choices and loved Rebecca and The Odyssey.

Good luck with all of your choices!

[Darren]

OK so off we go!
going to try to read 1 per month (sounds easy doesn't it!?)
January is a no-brainer though, as I will be joining in the Group Read of One Hundred Years of Solitude

[Terris]

Darren wrote: "OK so off we go!
going to try to read 1 per month (sounds easy doesn't it!?)
January is a no-brainer though, as I will be joining in the Group Read of One Hundred Years of Solitude
[boo..."

Just keep thinking positive, Darren! ;)

[Sara, New School Classics]

I also try to include books that I have had for a while and keep pushing back. I love your list.

[Darren]

POW! January sorted!
One Hundred Years of Solitude Finished - 3 Stars (see my review)

The Maltese Falcon lined up for February (Buddy Read iirc?)

[Pink]

Okay, 3 stars for One Hundred Years of Solitude, I haven't read anything my Marquez, because I get the impression I won't like his books very much. I'm off to check out your review..

[Brina]

You are joining Maltese Falcon group? Cool.

[[deleted user]]

Great list!
Rebecca is definitely on my soon-to-buy-soon-to-be-read-list!

[Darren]

yep, read Red Harvest and keen for more Hammett!

looking ahead, suspect March will be The Red and the Black

and April will be Rebecca...

[Darren]

just bought a copy of The Red and the Black - there's a free version on gutenberg and various cheap kindle versions, but I decided to shell out for a more recent translation

[Piyangie]

Nice list there Darren. Two of them are in my list too. Far from Madding Crowd and Rebecca.

[Darren]

Early tick for February, having finished The Maltese Falcon last night (superb, 5 Stars)

having bought a dead-tree version of The Red and the Black messes me up slightly for March as I'd rather read an eBook off this list, so I'm thinking either Of Human Bondage or The Time Machine...

[Sara, New School Classics]

Of Human Bondage was great to me. The Time Machine just so-so. Enjoy!

[Alissa]

I'm glad you liked Maltese Falcon. I have that on my list this year too. I should try and get to it sooner than later!

[Darren]

ok, re-shuffled my spreadsheet and this challenge is looking like:
March: Treasure Island
April: Rebecca
May: The Red And The Black

[Lexi]

I loved Treasure Island as a child but would be interested in whether or not that is true from an adult point of view. I remember it as a quick read either way.

[Pink]

I read Treasure Island for the first time last year and was pleasantly surprised.

Rebecca is one of my favourite books, I love du Maurier's writing and sense of atmosphere throughout her novels.

I'm yet to read The red and the black, so I'll look out for your thoughts later :)

[Sara, New School Classics]

I have also not read Treasure Island since I was a child. I am sometimes afraid to read my childhood favorites because the reading as an adult can spoil the illusion.

I'm with Pink on loving Rebecca and anything Daphne. And The Red and the Black is on my TBR for this year...so I'll be interested in what you think of it.

[Darren]

Muppet Treasure Island is one of my fave films - will be interesting to see how they compare! ;o)

[Darren]

...aaaand started Treasure Island today
already met Jim-Lad, Billy Bones and Black Dog at the Admiral Benbow, rousing choruses of "Fifteen Men on a Dead Man's Chest" and the Black Spot is shortly to make an appearance
no sign of Miss Piggy yet ;o)

[Brina]

I love Muppet Treasure Island. There was a version on TNT that we loved too. I think that's why I can't bring myself to read the book.

[Leni]

You've just put your finger on the main (only?) drawback of Treasure Island. There's no Miss Piggy.

[Lillelara]

That´s a great list, Darren. I really liked Thésèse Raquin and Far From the Madding Crowd and I love Rebecca (it´s one of my all-time-favorite books).

Of Human Bondage is on my bingo-challenge-list as well. It´s been my grandmothers favorite book and eventhough I´m intimidated by it, I´m looking forward to reading it.

[Darren]

finished Treasure Island - great little 4-Starrer - particularly liked Long John Silver's dialogue, but whole thing nicely written... er... a Classic really! (duuhh!)

looking forward to Rebecca in April...

[Renee]

I still haven't read Treasure Island yet. I really need to get around to that one. I love Rebecca. I hope you like it as much as I did :)

[Leni]

I'm hoping to read Rebecca in April too. I'm way behind on my A-Z. Looking forward to it!

[Darren]

slight re-jig
I am reading Far from the Madding Crowd this month (as it was chosen for a different group!)
Rebecca will now be May
The Red and the Black June

[Sara, New School Classics]

Loved Far from the Madding Crowd and Rebecca...so you have two good ones! I need to read The Red and the Black; it has been on my list forever. I like your idea of shelf-clearing. I need to do the same thing next year and stop buying new books until I have gone through the ones I already have.

[Leni]

I'm currently reading Rebecca (almost finished), and it's a masterpiece of suspense. Very Hitchcock. Far From the Madding Crowd is good too, only I don't really see eye to eye with Hardy, so I needed a group discussion to be able to appreciate it.

[Pink]

Leni wrote: "I'm currently reading Rebecca (almost finished), and it's a masterpiece of suspense. Very Hitchcock. Far From the Madding Crowd is good too, only I don't really see eye to eye with Hardy, so I need..."

I'd agree with all of that!

[Emerson]

Rebecca is such a gem, every time someone speaks about it I want to go through the fun again. It really stands on its own.

The Red and the Black was a favorite from school.

[Sara, New School Classics]

I feel the same way about Rebecca, Emerson. I am like a little kid with his favorite book...let's read this one again. :)

[Darren]

I did finish Madding Crowd
I reproduce here my review:
"Started so well, with charming style, full of warm/realistic emotion and laced with wry humour, but then lost its way about half way in, lurching towards drama/soap-opera shenanigans. Still 3.5 Stars overall, but rounding down to 3 due to disappointment."

still not started Rebecca...

[Darren]

started Rebecca couple of days ago
so far reads very similar to film (apart from her "flights of fancy" in her head)
Hitchcock must've thought it was xmas/his birthday rolled into one when he read it - I can picture him with the book in one hand and telephone in other saying to employee "I want the movie rights in my hand by this evening, and I don't care how much it costs!"

[Leni]

Darren wrote: "started Rebecca couple of days ago
so far reads very similar to film (apart from her "flights of fancy" in her head)
Hitchcock must've thought it was xmas/his birthday rolled into one ..."


There are a couple of differences, but Hitchcock was remarkably faithful to the novel. Probably because the whole book is like it was made to order for him!

[Melanti]

Leni wrote: "There are a couple of differences, but Hitchcock was remarkably faithful to the novel. Probably because the whole book is like it was made to order for him! ..."

From what I understand, Hitchcock wanted to change a LOT and the producer gets the credit for keeping it so faithful to the original book.

[Leni]

Really! Wow. We can be thankful for the producer then. It's an excellent movie as it stands.

[Melanti]

I remember in particular, I think Hitchcock wanted include flashback scenes showing Rebecca, wanted to give Mrs. de Winter a name, and wanted to add in some comic relief.

I don't remember any of the other changes he wanted, but in general, the original screenplay he wrote is said to have little resemblance to the book itself. I guess Hitchcock just took the general concept and did his own thing with it?

The producer was apparently appalled by the proposed script.

[Darren]

Melanti wrote: "...
flashback scenes showing Rebecca...
give Mrs. de Winter a name...
add in some comic relief."

I agree with the producer (Selznick, was it?) that these are all extremely bad ideas! :oO

[Leni]

Yikes, yes! How dreadfully disappointing. I guess Hitchcock was good at directing, not script writing!

[Melanti]

Or at least not good at faithful adaptations of beloved books.

[Darren]

Finished Rebecca last night - got a bit "procedural" towards the end but still an enjoyable 4-Star read

will start The Red and the Black towards the end of this month...

then methinks something a bit shorter/lighter for July:
Porterhouse Blue

[Nina]

I love your list Darren. Good to see such a high review on The Maltese Falcon. That's been on my to read list for a while, so might have to put on next years "shelf clearing" list like you have done!

[[deleted user]]

Good list. Rebecca and Of Human Bondage are my favorites as well.

[Darren]

Thanks for kind words!

I am a bit behind with my "core" reading atm, but have at last at least started The Red And The Black, and Porterhouse Blue is quite short, so I still might finish them both by end of July...