Laurie's 2020 challenge buffet

[Laurie]

I have completed my Women's Century Challenge. My final book was The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi which I gave 3.5 stars. Here is my review.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Congratulations, Laurie!

[Laurie]

Sara wrote: "Congratulations, Laurie!"

Thanks, Sara

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Congratulations, Laurie.

[Laurie]

Thank you, Katy

[Shaina]

Congratulations Laurie!

[Laurie]

Shaina wrote: "Congratulations Laurie!"

Thanks, Shaina

[Luke]

Laurie wrote: "I have completed my Women's Century Challenge. My final book was The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi which I gave 3.5 stars. Here is my review."

Good work, Laurie! It's great to see you keeping up the Quest for Reading Women tradition :)

[Laurie]

Aubrey wrote: "Laurie wrote: "I have completed my Women's Century Challenge. My final book was The Waiting Years by Fumiko Enchi which I gave 3.5 stars. Here is my review."

Good wor..."

Thanks, Aubrey. It's the challenge I look forward to the most.

[Sue]

Congratulations Laurie! I'm glad to see that you liked The Optimist's Daughter because I have that on my list.

[Laurie]

Sue wrote: "Congratulations Laurie! I'm glad to see that you liked The Optimist's Daughter because I have that on my list."

Thanks, Sue

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Congratulations, it looks like you are almost finished with challenges #4 and #6 too.

[Laurie]

Bob wrote: "Congratulations, it looks like you are almost finished with challenges #4 and #6 too."

Thanks, Bob. I should have the genre challenge completed in a few weeks. Not sure about the short story challenge.

[Laurie]

I have completed the Classic/Genre challenge. I finished the final two books in the past week with The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin for science fiction and Nijigahara Holograph by Inio Asano for horror.

Now on to completing the short story challenge soon, I hope.

[Kathleen]

Congrats, Laurie--such an interesting mix! What did you think of the Jemisin?

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Congrats! and I think you will finish Short Stories soon

[Laurie]

Kathleen wrote: "Congrats, Laurie--such an interesting mix! What did you think of the Jemisin?"

I really enjoyed it. I don't read much fantasy or sci fi but Jemisin has won so many awards that this book has been on my tbr for a while. The world building was great and the characters are interesting and well fleshed out. I have the next in the series on hold at the library.

[Laurie]

Bob wrote: "Congrats! and I think you will finish Short Stories soon"

Thanks, Bob.

[Kathleen]

Laurie wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Congrats, Laurie--such an interesting mix! What did you think of the Jemisin?"

I really enjoyed it. I don't read much fantasy or sci fi but Jemisin has won so many awards that thi..."

Great! I'm looking forward to it too.

[Laurie]

I finally read a short story I have been meaning to read for a while. Sonny's Blues by James Baldwin was published in 1957 and it could easily be set today. I gave it 5 stars so I highly recommend it.

[Sue]

You are doing great Laurie! 2 challenges down and one with only a few to go. I'll have to put this one on my list. I like James Baldwin

[Laurie]

Sue wrote: "You are doing great Laurie! 2 challenges down and one with only a few to go. I'll have to put this one on my list. I like James Baldwin"

Typical to Baldwin's other work, I won't say it is an enjoyable read but it is a moving short story.

[Laurie]

I have finished the short story challenge, so I have completed each of my challenges for this group. I knocked out the final three stories today with:

The Man Who Was Almost a Man by Richard Wright 4 stars
"Red-headed Baby" by Langston Hughes 3 stars
"What Terrible Thing It Was" by Esmé Weijun Wang 3 stars

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Congratulations on completing your challenges.

[Laurie]

Bob wrote: "Congratulations on completing your challenges."

Thanks, Bob.

[Shaina]

Congratulations, Laurie!

[Laurie]

Shaina wrote: "Congratulations, Laurie!"

Thank you, Shaina.

[Irphen]

Congrats on completing all your challenges!^^

[Kathleen]

Wonderful challenges, Laurie. Congratulations on completing them all. I love your list of short stories, and will be revisiting it--eyeing the Zora Neale Hurston for starters. Thanks!

[Laurie]

Thanks, Kathleen. Hurston's story was vintage Hurston, for sure.

[Laurie]

Irphen wrote: "Congrats on completing all your challenges!^^"

Thanks, Irphen

[Laurie]

I decided to read a few short stories appropriate for October and ended up completing another short story challenge. They weren't all creepy stories, but I read some really good ones. Several are on our group bookshelf so I was happy to check those off my tbr.

Short Story Challenge #2 - COMPLETE
24/24

25. "Everyday Use" - Alice Walker 10/3/20 ****
26. The Phantom Coach by Amelia B. Edwards 10/3/20 ***
27. Girl by Jamaica Kincaid 10/4/20 ****
28. "Thief" by Katherine Anne Porter 10/4/20 **
29. King of the Bingo Game by Ralph Ellison 10/5/20 ***
30. The Other Woman by Sherwood Anderson 10/5/20 **
31. "The Elephant" by Mrozek, Slawomir 10/6/20 ****
32. "Civil Peace" by Chinua Achebe 10/6/20 ***
33. The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe 10/7/20 ****
34. Roselily by Alice Walker 10/7/20 ****
35. To Hell with Dying by Alice Walker 10/7/20 ***
36. The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe 10/8/20 **
37. Anabasis by Amal El-Mohtar 10/9/20 ***** Link to story
38. The Magic Shop by H.G. Wells 10/9/20 *****
39. The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell 10/9/20 ****
40. The Lesson by Toni Cade Bambara 10/10/20 *****
41. Fiesta, 1980 by Junot Díaz 10/11/20 ****
42. I Stand Here Ironing by Tillie Olsen 10/11/20 *****
43. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James 10/11/20 **
44. The Nose by Nikolai Gogol 10/12/20 ***
45. Recitatif by Toni Morrison 10/12/20 *****
46. The Paper Menagerie by Ken Liu 10/12/20 ****
47. The Snows of Kilimanjaro by Ernest Hemingway 10/14/20 ***
48. Raymond's Run by Toni Cade Bambara 10/14/20 ***

[Shaina]

Congratulations, Laurie! So many I haven't heard of. Looks like I have my 2021 short story list ;)

[Sue]

Congratulations Laurie! I have a few more left on my challenge. I may come back to your list for some ideas.

[Laurie]

Thanks, Shaina and Sue. There are a ton of great short stories that I had never heard of, and I have just gotten started looking at anthologies and people's recommendations.

[Kathleen]

Great work on this, Laurie! And I appreciate your list so much. There are a number here I'd like to read before the end of the year, and it helps to see your ratings. Glad you enjoyed many of them!

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Congratulations on your completed challenges, and wow what a lot of short stories!

[Laurie]

Lynn wrote: "Congratulations on your completed challenges, and wow what a lot of short stories!"

Thanks, Lynn. Yes, it is a lot of short stories because I suddenly felt like reading them while I was on vacation this month and read a bunch.