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Personal Challenges > Sue's Pulitzers Multi-year Challenge

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message 1: by Sue (last edited Aug 17, 2025 07:28PM) (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments This challenge will be a multi-year one (goal to read 10-12 per year because I still want to do my 3 other challenges)
- At start of challenge 12 of 91 read

Bold are priority books because I either own or they were previously on my TBR
1 ) ✔️ 1918 - His Family by Ernest Poole purchased Kindle read 2024 3 stars
2 ) ✔️ 1919 - The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington ***** read Sept 2019
3 ) ✔️1921 -The Age of Innocence by, Edith Wharton **** read before challenge 2017
4 ) ✔️ 1922 - Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington read Jan 2020 ****
5 ) ✔️1923 - One of Ours by Willa Cather read May 2019 *** 3 stars
6 ) ✔️ 1924 - The Able McLaughlins by Margaret Wilson Read Nov 2020*** 3 Stars
7 ) ✔️ 1925 - So Big by Edna Ferber read Jan 2019 5 big stars *****
8 ) ✔️ 1926 - Arrowsmith by Sinclair Lewis purchased audible Read 2024 4 stars
9 ) ✔️ 1927 -Early Autumn: A Story of a Lady by Lewis Bromfield Kindle & Physical read 2024 4 stars
10) ✔️1928 - The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder **** 4 stars read Oct 2019
11) ✔️ 1929 -Scarlet Sister Maryby Julia Peterkin *** Read July 2019
12) ✔️ 1930 - Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Storyby Oliver La Farge read July 2020 ***** 5 stars
13) 1931 - Years of Graceby Margaret Ayer Barnes purchased hardcover
14) ✔️ 1932 - The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck **** purchased read July 2019
15) 1933 - The Storeby Thomas S. Stribling (CHEAPEST AVAILABLE FOR $38)
16) ✔️ 1934 -Lamb in His Bosom by Caroline Miller read 2024 4 stars (purchased hard copy & Kindle)
17) ✔️ 1935 -Now in Novemberby Josephine Winslow Johnson purchased Kindle read DEC 202 4 stars
18) 1936 -Honey in the Horn by Harold L. Davis - purchased physical ABE
19) ✔️ 1937 - Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell GAR purchased hard cover read Sept 2022 5+ stars
20) 1938 - The Late George Apley by John P. Marquand purchased hard cover
21) ✔️ 1939 - The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Read Oct 2020 *** 3 stars
22) ✔️1940 -The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck GAR read before challenge before GR unkown date
23) 1942 -In This Our Life by Ellen Glasgow purchased Kindle
24) 1943 - Dragon's Teethby Upton Sinclair (purchased Kindle)

25) 1944 - Journey in the Dark by Martin Flavin purchased hardcover
26) ✔️ 1945 - A Bell for Adano by John Hersey (purchased hardcover) read 2022 5 stars
27) ✔️1947 -All the King's Men by Robert Penn purchased Warren Read Jan 2019 4 stars ****
28) ✔️1948 -Tales of the South Pacificby James A. Michener purchased hardcover read 2025 3 stars
29) 1949 -Guard of Honor by James Gould Cozzens cheapest $37
30) ✔️ 1950 - The Way West by A.B. Guthrie, Jr. purchased read 2021 5 stars
31) ✔️ 1951 - The Townby Conrad Richter purchased kindle read 2022 4 stars
32) ✔️1952 -The Caine Mutiny by Herman purchased Wouk ***** read Jan 2020
33) ✔️1953 - The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway **** read before challenge 2017
34) ✔️ 1955 -A Fableby William Faulkner PURCHASED KINDLE read July 2025<5 stars
35) 1956 -Andersonvilleby MacKinlay Kantor ( Purchased audible and physical)
36) ✔️ 1958 -A Death in the Family by James Agee (library) read March 2021 *** 3 stars
37) 1959 - The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters by Robert Lewis Talor purchased hardcover
38) ✔️ 1960 - Advise and Consentby Allen Drury purchased audio read 2024 3.5 stars
39) ✔️1961 - To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee GAR ***** read before challenge before GR
40) 1962 - The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor purchased hardcover
41) ✔️ 1963 -The Reivers by William Faulkner (purchased Kindle) read Dec 2023 4 stars
42) ✔️ 1965 -The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau Read 2021 5 stars
43) ✔️1966 - The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter by Katherine Anne Porter read 2024 5 stars
44) ✔️ 1967 - The Fixer by Bernard Malamud purchased ***** 5 stars read Jan 2020
45) 1968 -The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron purchased Kindle
46) ✔️ 1969 - House Made of Dawn by N. Scott Momaday read 2024 5 big stars
47) ✔️1970 - The Collected Stories of Jean Stafford by read 2024 4 stars
48) ✔️ 1972 -Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner read 2021 ***** 5+ stars
49) ✔️ 1973 -The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty Read Nov 4stars
50) ✔️1975 -The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara read before challenge before GR unkown date
51) ✔️ 1976 - Humboldt's Gift by Saul Bellow (library)
52) ✔️ 1978 - Elbow Roomby James Alan McPherson purchased physical Abe z read 2024 5+ stars
53) ✔️ 1979 -The Stories of John Cheever by John Cheever purchased hardcover read 2024 4.5 stars
54) 1980 - The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer (library)
55) ✔️1981 A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole GAR read before challenge 2013 ****
56) ✔️ 1982 -Rabbit Is Richby John Updike (Library) read 2024 4 stars

57) ✔️ 1983 -The Color Purple by Alice Walker GAR 4 stars **** 2019
58) ✔️1984 -Ironweed by William Kennedy (purchased Hardcover) read Aug 2021 5 stars
59) ✔️ 1985 -Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie read Nov 2020 2.5 stars Purchased
60) ✔️ 1986 -Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry GAR 5+ ***** 2018
61) ✔️ 1987 -A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor read 2021 4 stars
62) ✔️ 1988 Beloved by Toni Morrison GAR 3 *** 2018
63) ✔️ 1989 - Breathing Lessonsby Anne Tyler purchased hardcover read June 2025 4 stars
64) ✔️ 1990 -The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love of Love by Oscar Hijuelos ** 2 stars read Sept 2019
65) ✔️ 1991 - Rabbit at Rest by John Updike own read 2024 5 stars

66) ✔️ 1992 - A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley read July 2020 ** 2 stars
67) ✔️ 1993 -A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain: Stories by Butler, Robert Olen Grove Press,2001 (Paperback) Paperback read April 2021 ***** 5 stars
68) ✔️ 1994 - The Shipping News by E. Annie Prolux ** read before challenge before GR unkown date
69) ✔️ 1995 - The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields Read Dec 2020 ***** 5 stars
70) ✔️ 1996 - Independence Day by Richard Ford (purchased hardcover) read Nov 2024 4 stars
71) ✔️ 1997 - Martin Dressler: The Tale of an American Dreamerby Steven Millhauser purchased hardcover read 2024 4 stars
✔️72) 1998 -American Pastoral by Philip Roth library read Aug 2025 5 stars
73) ✔️ 1999 - The Hoursby Michael Cunningham read June 2020 *****
74) ✔️ 2000 - Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri read July 2020 **** 4 stars
75) ✔️ 2001 - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon read April 2019 ***
76) ✔️ 2002 - Empire Falls by Richard Russo ***** read before challenge before GR unkown date
77) ✔️ 2003 - Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides read 2019 *****
78) ✔️ 2004 - The Known Worldby Edward P. Jones read 2021 5 stars read 2021
79) ✔️2005 - Gilead by Marilynne Robinson GAR 4 **** 2018
80) ✔️ 2006 - March by Geraldine Brooks read Jan 2020 ***
81)✔️ 2007 - The Road by Cormac McCarthy read before challenge before GR unkown date
82) ✔️ 2008 - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz GAR 5 ***** 2019
83) ✔️ 2009 - Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout Read March 2020 3.5 stars
84) ✔️ 2010 -Tinkers by Paul Harding Read July 2020 ** 2 stars
85) ✔️ 2011 - A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan 3 stars *** read Feb 2019

86) ✔️2013 - The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson read 2019 ****
87) ✔️ 2014 -The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ***Read before challenge in 2016
88) ✔️ 2015 - All the Light We Cannot SeeAll the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr ***** read in 2015 before challenge
89) ✔️ 2016 -The Sympathizerr by Nguyen 5 ***** 2018
90) ✔️ 2017 - The Underground Railroadby Colson Whitehead 4 **** 2017 read before challenge
91) ✔️ 2018 -Lessby Andrew Sean Greer 3.5 ***.5 2018


Pulitzers after 2018 - not trying but will mark if completed
92. 2019 - The Overstory Powell
93. 2020 - Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
94. 2021 - The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich
95. 2022 - The Netanyahus by Joshua Cohen
✔️96. 2023 - Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver finished 2023 3 stars - and -
97. 2023 - Trust by Hernan Diaz





No award in 1920, 1941, 1946,1954,1957,1964,1971,1974,1977,and 2012 ( Train Dreams,The Pale Kingand Swamplandia! were finalists)


message 2: by Terris (new)

Terris | 4384 comments Nice list, Sue! I think I'll add a few of those to my list :)


message 3: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Terris wrote: "Nice list, Sue! I think I'll add a few of those to my list :)"

I got it from Sara's who got it from someone else. When I saw that I liked all but one of the one's I've read, I decided this may be a good list to read off of!


message 4: by Terris (new)

Terris | 4384 comments Well, I like it too! ;)


message 5: by Sue (last edited Jul 22, 2020 08:46AM) (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Finally updating this list

Books read before start of challenge:

Before keeping track on GR (before 2013 unknown date) :

unknown: The Grapes of Wrath 1940 prize
unknown: To Kill a Mockingbird 1961 Prize
unknown: The Killer Angels 1975 Prize
unknown: The Shipping News 1994 Prize
unknown: Empire Falls 2002 Prize
unknown: The Road 2007 prize

Read 2013: A Confederacy of Dunces 1981 prize
Read 2014: None
Read 2015: All the Light We Cannot See 2015 prize
Read 2016: The Goldfinch 2014 prize

Read 2017: The Age of Innocence 1921 Prize
Read 2017 The Old Man and the Sea 1953 Prize
Read 2017: The Underground Railroad 2017 prize

Total read before challenge: 12


message 6: by Terry (new)

Terry | 2369 comments This is a great list. I have been starting a 20th Century challenge this year, which may take me several years to complete. I may examine my list after seeing this one, and make a few changes. Then, when I finish my challenge, filling in with the rest of these would be fun, too.

I have read a lot of the books on the list already. In a few cases, mostly post 2000, I may own copies of them, read or even unread.

As you read the list, it will be great to see your reviews. The book I enjoyed the most last year was Lonesome Dove. I didn’t know that it had won a Pulitzer.


message 7: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Terry wrote: "This is a great list. I have been starting a 20th Century challenge this year, which may take me several years to complete. I may examine my list after seeing this one, and make a few changes. Then..."

I love Lonesome Dove so much! I read it for the the first time last year because of the Great America Read. It never would have appealed to me with "Love Story" as the first words in the description.

What is your current criteria for your 2oth Century challenge? Do you have it listed here? I am really loving this challenge. I haven't hated anything yet (though I strongly disliked The Shipping News that I probably read the same year or year after its prize in '94)


message 8: by Terry (new)

Terry | 2369 comments On Lonesome Dove: Gus McCrae has to be one of the great all time characters! For being a long book, it could have gone on and on for me. Love story? I would call it a sweeping western epic.

My 20th Century Challenge criteria: Well, it’s a personal list. I am reading each novel by its publication date for each year, that I can readily find when I am ready for the next, that haven’t previously read, and that appeals to me for various reasons. My list contains a lot of alternates. For example, 1937: Out of Africa, The Hobbit, or The Late George Apley.

I make up my mind as I go. I am trying to read more or less in order, but not entirely, and I am not reading for this challenge exclusively. I am trying to mix up the dense reading with some a bit more easy. And I haven’t given up reading contemporary novels, either. This year, I also read Crazy Rich Asians and I am looking forward to reading Life After Life soon.

Once I get through the hundred years, I will have all of the alternates to look forward to, and perhaps the remainder of your Pulitzer list.

I posted my first decade list on the Introduce Yourself thread, not long ago. I started this challenge in January. So far, I have read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), Kim (1901), the Hound of The Baskervilles (1902), Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1904), The Maltese Falcon (1929), Justine (1957), Slaughterhouse Five (1969), and The Sea The Sea (1978). I am currently reading Howard’s End (1910).

I will be reading The Ambassadors (1903), The House of Mirth (1905) and Balthazar (1958) soon. And I am trying to read some of the books this group is reading.


message 9: by Sara, Old School Classics (new)

Sara (phantomswife) | 9403 comments Mod
I am so glad you mentioned that you were doing this. Now that I have found your thread, I will keep up with your progress. You have read a lot of the ones I haven't gotten to yet. I am having a little trouble getting copies of some of the early ones, so I am leaving them to the end.

Aren't we all ambitious! lol.


message 10: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Hi Sara. I don't update this very often so it doesn't show up but I'm loving it so much.

I was going to give up on Scarlet Sister Mary because my library didn't have it and I didn't know if I would like it. I ended up getting it with an interlibrary loan and I'm so glad I did. The book is from a college library and still has one of those old fashioned check out cards! The last checkout before me was in 1960! I'm loving it so far. Not sure if you would because it reminds me of Their Eyes Were Watching God with the dialect.

I'm also reading The Good Earth and suprized at how much I like that too. I've owned it on Kindle and Audio for a while but never really felt like reading it, but this challenge motivated me thanks to you!


message 11: by Sara, Old School Classics (new)

Sara (phantomswife) | 9403 comments Mod
I'm usually not bothered by dialects, but Their Eyes Were Watching God just wouldn't work for me. I'm glad you are liking Scarlet Sister Mary, though it is a little sad that no one has read that copy since 1960. Goodness.

I liked The Good Earth, which was one I also owned for a long time and couldn't seem to motivate for. I wonder why that is. I like the way you have included your ratings--wish I had done the same, too late now--too much work.


message 12: by Sue (last edited Sep 21, 2019 07:54AM) (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments I've completed 3 since last update which makes the high end of my goal of 10-12 per year complete. I still plan to read The Bridge of San Luis Rey before the end of the year too.

1919 The Magnificent Ambersons - 5 stars. Love this book and can't wait to read his other Pulitzer
1929 Scarlet Sister Mary 3 stars. Started out as a 5-star book for me but didn't hold up to that
1932 The Good Earth 4 stars. Great writing around a main character who is a louse.


message 13: by Sue (last edited Jul 22, 2020 09:17AM) (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments I accidentally deleted my running total when updating for 2020. Recreating here

Read in 2nd half of 2018 when the challenge started

Lonesome Dove prize for 1986
Beloved prize for 1988
Gilead prize for 2005
The Sympathizer prize for 2016
Less Prize for 2018

Total 2nd half of 2018: 5

Running total: 17


Read in 2019

The Magnificent Ambersons prize for 1919
One of Ours prize for 1923
So Big prize for 1925
The Bridge of San Luis Rey prize for 1928
Scarlet Sister Mary prize for 1929
The Good Earth prize for 1932
All the King's Men prize for 1947
The Color Purple prize for 1983
The Mambo Kings Play Songs of Love prize for 1990
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay prize for 2001
Middlesex prize for 2003
The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao prize for 2008
A Visit from the Goon Squad prize for 2011
The Orphan Master's Son prize for 2019

Total read in 2019: 14

Running total read: 31



message 14: by Sue (last edited Dec 24, 2020 10:17AM) (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Read in 2020

Alice Adams prize for 1922
Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story prize for 1930
The Caine Mutiny prize for 1952
The Fixer prize for 1967
A Thousand Acres 1992
The Hours prize for 1999
Interpreter of Maladies prize for 2000
March prize for 2006
Olive Kitteridge prize for 2009
Tinkers prize for 2010
The Yearling prize for 1939
The Able McLaughlins prize for 1924
Foreign Affairs prize for 1985
The Optimist's Daughter prize for 1973
The Stone Diaries prize for 1995

Total read in 2020: 15

Running total read: 46



message 15: by Sara, Old School Classics (new)

Sara (phantomswife) | 9403 comments Mod
You have made marvelous progress, Sue. I'm impressed that you have worked so many into your 2020 reading. I have slowed down enormously and need to concentrate on including at least one a month from here to the end of the year.


message 16: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Sara wrote: "You have made marvelous progress, Sue. I'm impressed that you have worked so many into your 2020 reading. I have slowed down enormously and need to concentrate on including at least one a month fro..."

I'm so glad that I got this idea from you. It's been a very rewarding experience with only 3 that I haven't liked so far and one of those I read before the challenge.


message 17: by Sara, Old School Classics (new)

Sara (phantomswife) | 9403 comments Mod
I have also found them to be mostly great reads...and, those that weren't were mostly just outdated or too much rooted in their own time, lacking universality. I love watching your progress.


message 18: by Brina (new)

Brina Sue, how did you like March? I was never into Little Women- my kids liked it though- but I’ve enjoyed the Geraldine Brooks books that I’ve read so far.


message 19: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Brina wrote: "Sue, how did you like March? I was never into Little Women- my kids liked it though- but I’ve enjoyed the Geraldine Brooks books that I’ve read so far."

I adored Little Women and March may have suffered for me from having read it shortly before that. I thought March was okay, but didn't love it. You may have the opposite reaction since you weren't that wild about Little Women. I have loved People of the BookPeople of the Book (5 stars) and Caleb's Crossing (4 stars) from Geraldine Brooks. I own TThe Secret Chord also but haven't had a chance to get to it yet. Have you read that one?


message 20: by Brina (new)

Brina People of the Book was 4.5 stars for me. I also enjoyed her memoir Foreign Correspondence: A Pen Pal's Journey from Down Under to All Over. That one was fun. I haven’t read the others yet but I will get to them eventually. I may make Brooks one of my featured authors for next year.


message 21: by Katy, Quarterly Long Reads (new)

Katy (kathy_h) | 9529 comments Mod
I loved March and Little Women. Keep in mind that Geraldine Brooks rewrites some of the history of LW, but still a wonderful book IMHO. I have liked everything I've read by Geraldine Brooks so far.


message 22: by Brina (new)

Brina I might have to read all three of those next year and make Brooks one of my featured authors of the year. So tempting.


message 23: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Mabe we could do a buddy read next year of The Secret Chord Brina, and you too Katy if you haven't read that one. The Foreign Correspondence one sounds wonderful! I need to read that. I also want to read Year of Wonders


message 24: by Brina (new)

Brina I like to focus on authors and space them out throughout the year. This year was Colum McCann and some personal favorites to get me through the year- Isabel Allende and Alice Hoffman. Next year I want to finish catching up on Hoffman’s book but the authors I’ve chosen are Brooks- Secret Chord, Caleb’s Crossing, and March - and Ron Rash. My reading fell off this year as I opted for comfort reading so hopefully we’ll be able to connect on some buddy reads next year, Sue.


message 25: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments I passed the halfway point with my 15th Pulitzer read in 2020 making it 46 total read so far! I'm ending this challenge with the 2018 prize for now, which is when I started the challenge. I'm also going to abandon quite a few of them unless I can get them on an interlibrary loan. I've purchased too many already and some were stinkers.

My 5 star 2020 reads were

Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story prize for 1930
The Caine Mutiny prize for 1952
The Fixer prize for 1967 (originally rated 4, but need to update)
The Hours prize for 1999
The Stone Diaries prize for 1995

1/3 being 5 stars is pretty good.


message 26: by Marilyn (new)

Marilyn | 720 comments Sue wrote: "I passed the halfway point with my 15th Pulitzer read in 2020 making it 46 total read so far! I'm ending this challenge with the 2018 prize for now, which is when I started the challenge. I'm also ..."

Dragon's Teeth is $2.99 on Kindle today. If you miss it, keep watching. It's on sale quite often.


message 27: by Lilly (new)

Lilly | 447 comments Wow, this is such a marathon challenge. I am impressed by the sheer number you have already read!


message 28: by Terry (new)

Terry | 2369 comments Sue, I was looking at the “cheapest available” tag on your list and was wondering if you know about ThriftBooks? I can frequently find used paperbacks for as low as $5, and if you purchase $10 worth, they give you free shipping.


message 29: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Marilyn wrote: "Sue wrote: "I passed the halfway point with my 15th Pulitzer read in 2020 making it 46 total read so far! I'm ending this challenge with the 2018 prize for now, which is when I started the challeng..."

Thank you for letting me know Marilyn. I won't likely read Dragon's Teeth because I have an aversion to series books that are more than a tetralogy (with a few exceptions), especially if it's a book that's right in the middle of one. If I see a lot of 5-star reviews from people I know, I might get interested but for now, I'm not. Have you read it and if so did you love it and did it stand on it's own without the series?


message 30: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Lilly wrote: "Wow, this is such a marathon challenge. I am impressed by the sheer number you have already read!"

Thank you Lilly. It does feel like an accomplishment.


message 31: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Terry wrote: "Sue, I was looking at the “cheapest available” tag on your list and was wondering if you know about ThriftBooks? I can frequently find used paperbacks for as low as $5, and if you purchase $10 wort..."

I had always heard of Thriftbooks but never used them until you mentioned it for The Way West. I got 3 books from there and was impressed. I only order like new or very good condition and have found that Amazon ones are sometimes less than advertised, but these 3 were all in great condition. Thanks for the tip!


message 32: by Marilyn (new)

Marilyn | 720 comments Sue wrote: "Marilyn wrote: "Sue wrote: "Have you read it and if so did you love it and did it stand on it's own without the series?..."

I haven't read it. It's on my get around to it someday list. I know what you mean about books in series. There are several of them on the list. I have pushed them to the bottom of my tbr list.

I have been working on reading the Pulitzers and you are right. There are some real clunkers. There are also some pleasant surprises. I guess that is what keeps us going.


message 33: by Kathleen (new)

Kathleen | 5456 comments You are an inspiration, Sue! I'm so enjoying following your challenge. At half way, you can see the finish line, but more importantly, think of all you have to look forward to!


message 34: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Marilyn wrote: "Sue wrote: "Marilyn wrote: "Sue wrote: "Have you read it and if so did you love it and did it stand on it's own without the series?..."

I haven't read it. It's on my get around to it someday list...."


Most definitely Marilyn. I have found so many all-time favorites from this list that I never would have had much interest in with the title and book blurb.


message 35: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Kathleen wrote: "You are an inspiration, Sue! I'm so enjoying following your challenge. At half way, you can see the finish line, but more importantly, think of all you have to look forward to!"

Thank you, Kathleen! It's been a wonderful experience overall and I look forward to that next 5-star find.


message 36: by Sue (last edited Feb 28, 2022 11:19AM) (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Read in 2021 - Goal 12-15 books

1. Angle of Repose Prize for 1972 *****
2. A Death in the Family Prize for 1958 ***
3. A Good Scent from a Strange MountainPrize for 1973 *****
4. The Way West prize for 1950 *****
5. The Keepers of the House Prize for 1963 *****
6. Humboldt's Gift Prize for 1976 ****
7. The Known World Prize for 2004 *****
8. Ironweed Prize for 1984 *****


message 37: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments I updated my 2021 Planned vs completed above and I'm halfway towards my goal! Now I need to find a way to work some of these into my BINGO challenge


message 38: by Terry (new)

Terry | 2369 comments Great progress, Sue! I will be curious to know what you think about The Known World.


message 39: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Terry wrote: "Great progress, Sue! I will be curious to know what you think about The Known World."

Thank you Terry. I'm planning on starting on that after our buddy read of Fair, Fair Land. I wasn't looking forward to it because I thought I had started and abandoned it from a book club read long ago. When I looked on my shelf for it I couldn't find it. I believe it was A Map of the World I was thinking of and mixed them up.


message 40: by Sara, Old School Classics (new)

Sara (phantomswife) | 9403 comments Mod
You have a great plan! I'll be surprised if you don't like The Known World.


message 41: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Sara wrote: "You have a great plan! I'll be surprised if you don't like The Known World."

I was thrilled to find out that it wasn't the book that I started and abandoned years ago. It came in from the library and even though I'm not ready to start on it, I read the first few pages and already love it. He made eating dirt beautiful!


message 42: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Jillian (please spell it with an E) wrote: ""

Jillian (please spell it with an E) wrote: ""

: )


message 43: by Scott (new)

Scott Tyler | 62 comments I enjoyed The Known World-- I hope you do too. I thought the character of Moses (who eats the dirt) seemed reminiscent of Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom's Cabin. I won't give any spoilers, but he is a very complex character who, as a reader, I found my opinion shifting several times. And he is just one of several such characters.


message 44: by Sue (last edited Jun 21, 2021 04:05PM) (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments I'm almost done Scott and have been thinking of Uncle Toms Cabin for different reasons. My opinion on Moses has been changing too. for me, Augustus is most like Uncle Tom, but the message of the book seems very similar. Both reach out to hold people accountable whether they were "nice" to slaves or not and whether they owned them or not. It's an amazing book.


message 45: by Sue (last edited Nov 27, 2022 03:10PM) (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Sue wrote: " Read in 2021 - Goal 12-15 books

1. Angle of Repose Prize for 1972 *****
2. A Death in the Family Prize for 1958 ***
3. [book:A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain|2616..."


I finally updated this list of 2021 Pulitzers read and it's fitting that I missed my goal. In order to make goals you have to be on top of them. I was really bad last year at keeping on top of my challenges.


message 46: by Sara, Old School Classics (new)

Sara (phantomswife) | 9403 comments Mod
This is the kind of challenge that goes in spurts and tends to taper off as the list gets shorter. It's a new year with new goals. Good luck.


message 47: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Sara wrote: "This is the kind of challenge that goes in spurts and tends to taper off as the list gets shorter. It's a new year with new goals. Good luck."

Thank you, Sara. I think you are right. They become increasingly harder to find and and/or fit in to other challenges. I think I may lower my goal to 6 per year now.


message 48: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments I haven't updated this in awhile (just like my other challenges). I've only read 3 this year. The three were:

1937 prize Gone with the Wind 5+ stars
1945 prize A Bell for Adano 5 stars
1951 prize The Town 4 stars

I missed adding a book to these postings somewhere because I have 58 green checks and only 57 accounted for in postings. I'm stopping with 2018 and there were 10 years where there was no winner. For now I have 58 of 91 or 64%. I'm going to forgive myself another 10 since some cost more than I want to pay and there are a couple that I'm not interested in reading.

This makes my new goal to read 81 of the 91 Pulitzers from 1918-2018. 58 read of 81 goal puts me at 72% finished, which feels so much better! Now that I only have 23 left to complete, I hope to do it in within 4 years by reading 5 or 6 per year.


message 49: by Sara, Old School Classics (new)

Sara (phantomswife) | 9403 comments Mod
I love the way you made this manageable, Sue. You have already read some of the very best on the list!

Mine is going very slowly. Never thought about it taking this long when I started. There are some big disappointments in there and I'm pretty sure there are going to be a few that are just not to be obtained.


message 50: by Sue (new)

Sue K H (sky_bluez) | 3694 comments Sara wrote: "I love the way you made this manageable, Sue. You have already read some of the very best on the list!

Mine is going very slowly. Never thought about it taking this long when I started. There are..."


When it comes to the expensive and/or hard to get ones, I may come back to them if I start seeing a lot of good reviews from you and others doing the challenge.


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