Dare to Dream discussion
Seasonal Reading Challenges
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FALL 2020 READING CHALLENGE
Special shout out to Christine for suggesting Mexican Gothic
and for suggesting a creepy classic for the group read. I loved both of these ideas so wanted to include both options.I still haven’t picked a classic title because I’m having a hard time finding one that I think we’ll all like and that none of us has read.
Books that have been read by at least one of us include:
,
,
,
,
Some possible titles for your consideration that I don’t think anyone has read
,
,
Not sure if any of these titles are considered gothic but they are classic. Please let me know your thoughts :)
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just kidding :-)
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Looking forward to another great challenge! I’ve made my lists and for #7 I have 11 authors listed, wonder if I can read them all during the time frame, plus do the other tasks. Time will tell.
Happy reading!
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I plan to read CASTE by Isabel Wilkerson for task one for sure.
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Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Sounds really fun! Can I still read the Netflix referenced books even I don't have Netflix?just kidding :-)"
A subscription to Netflix is encouraged but not required. ;) just kidding-I know you’re old school. :)
Just an FYI-I read somewhere that the film I’m thinking of ending things is also in limited release in theaters.
Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Of the top 4 classics mentioned, read by one or more of us already, I'd choose one by Shirley Jackson. Of the bottom 3 classics mentioned that probably none of us have read, I'd choose the one by S..."So your vote is for Shirley Jackson then? ;)
Actually I’m interested in reading her short story collection too-I’m familiar with “the lottery” but none of her other short stories. I’ve never actually read the lottery either but have heard about it.
Danell wrote: "Looking forward to another great challenge! I’ve made my lists and for #7 I have 11 authors listed, wonder if I can read them all during the time frame, plus do the other tasks. Time will tell.
..."
I haven’t counted but I think I have quite a few authors that would work for #7 too. I think you can totally read all 11 (or at least have fun trying to get to them all. :)
Happy Reading! :D
Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "From the authors listed in task one, Stephen Graham Jones looks extremely interesting, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to get an audio book from my library. They have one playaway a..."I think Stephen Graham Jones lives and teaches in Boulder. I really want to read one of his books for the challenge.
I also really want to read Isabel Wilkerson-I’m pretty sure both of her books are narrated by Robin Miles which is awesome.
Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "There's four books I'm already planning to read with the letters L-O-O in the title/subtitle. Also two other books I was already planning to read that would be considered "unsettling" so I"m going ..."Thanks for all the updates, Dustin! :D
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OMGoodness...this is going to be so fun. Here's a link to a couple of sites I have used for literary birthdays (I add literary bdays to my Bookworm Life planner each month.)https://www.writerswrite.co.za/litera...
http://librarybooklists.org/literaryb...
I am excited to check out and pick a book from your list...I am not familiar with any of them - which is kinda thrilling. I would love to read The Lottery - soo Shirley Jackson gets my vote. Can't wait to read Mexican Gothic
I can't believe you picked I'm Thinking of Ending Things!!! I couldn't stand that book!!! HAHAHA, don't know if it was because it was disturbing or just that bad. I kept hoping one of my friends would read it so I could talk about it! The L-O-O prompt is a hoot!
Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I'm back at the movie theater so I'll definitely notice if my theater gets that limited release. Last weekend I watched The New Mutants, Words on Bathroom Walls and The Personal History of David Co..."Do you recommend any of them?
Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Damn you are right! Stephen Graham Jones is an English professor at CU Boulder. Now I've got to put a hold on that book for sure!"I watched an interview with him that was online-he just seems like a cool guy and his books sound good to me. Look forward to your thoughts if you read him.
Janet wrote: "OMGoodness...this is going to be so fun. Here's a link to a couple of sites I have used for literary birthdays (I add literary bdays to my Bookworm Life planner each month.)https://www.writerswri..."
Glad you like the challenge!
I’m thinking of ending things is definitely a love it or hate it type story. I just really loved how unsettling it was.
Thanks for the birthday links :D
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Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "My library doesnt have an audio book for Mexican Gothic, so I might skip that one. My library does have audio book for The Lottery by Shirley Jackson, so I'm certainly on board if that's the classi..."Do they have the short story collection The Lottery and Other Stories ?
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Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "I recommend all the new movies except The New Mutants (ok , but not great). Of course it makes sense that Words on Bathroom Walls and David Copperfield are both adapted from books. I plan to watch ..."Good to know. Thanks :)
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Oh my...just looked at the books written by the birthday group ==> SO MANY GOOD ONES! It's going to be hard to choose. I'll probably pick up several!
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I'm thinking if Lottery is chosen, I might also read The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived in the Castle. They both sound unsettling and this fall seems like the perfect time. Plus Lottery and other stories has the letters L-O-O. I think I'll set my Challenge goal at 15 books since I keep finding more to read!
Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "The Personal History of David Copperfield is quite delightful and quirky. My favorite from last week was Words on Bathroom Walls. This film features mental illness, relationships, understanding and..."Thanks for letting me know about this movie-i hadn’t heard of it. I almost cried just watching the trailer.
Janet wrote: "Oh my...just looked at the books written by the birthday group ==> SO MANY GOOD ONES! It's going to be hard to choose. I'll probably pick up several!"I’ve read and enjoyed James McBride and Samantha Downing. I’m looking forward to trying the other authors. Look forward to seeing which books you choose.
Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: Wilkerson has authored only the two books? Both titles have a wait list at the library. I placed a hold for Caste last night. If I like that one, I might try the other. I'm thinking if Lottery is ..."
I believe she’s only written the 2. I’ve heard nothing but good things about both. It may be a longer wait time for
because it’s new and it was recently chosen for Oprah’s book club.Shirley Jackson books seems perfect for fall. :)
Okay I’ve decided to officially pick The Lottery and Other Stories
for the classic group read. I don’t believe anyone has read it and feel pretty sure that one if not both books will appeal to everyone.Happy Reading! :D
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for the classic group read. I don’t believe anyone has read it and fe..."Sounds Fantastic!
Another great challenge. Another part of the challenge for me is to read only the books I own. I've recently been on a book buying craze and I need to be on a book reading craze, lol. I will be reading The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, one of my summer book purchases. I've been hearing great things about Wilkerson for ages.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents will be a future read for sure
Christine wrote: "Another great challenge. Another part of the challenge for me is to read only the books I own. I've recently been on a book buying craze and I need to be on a book reading craze, lol. I will be r..."
Glad you like it, Christine! Thanks again for your help choosing the group read. :)
Also looking forward to reading Isabel Wilkerson
I listened to The Mothers by Brit Bennett which works for #1. Enjoyed the book
Danell wrote: "I listened to The Mothers by Brit Bennett which works for #1. Enjoyed the book"Thanks for the update, Danell! :D
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Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents will be a future read for sure"
Both of these titles are extremely popular. Looks like The Warmth of Other Suns is going to be the easier to get from the library, and less expensive to purchase, since Caste is a newer release. I might end up trying the Warmth of Other Suns.
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I may also try Shirley Jackson's other books for Fall, which I'm sure can be categorized/described as "unsettling":
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Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: "Christine wrote: "I will be reading The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, one of my summer book purchases. I've been hearing great things about Wilkerson for ages...."
I’m going to read
too.
Dustin Crazy little brown owl wrote: ""Love this!
Finished Follow Me to Ground
- this works for unsettling and l-o-oIt’s a crazy book-not sure how I feel about it but loved how strange it was. Also loved the writing so will read this author again. If you like strange, dreamlike, disturbing stories then you might want to give it a try. It’s definitely not for everyone and there are questions that go unanswered.
Also the “twist” at the end is not exactly a surprising reveal-it was pretty obvious.
Anyway it basically reads like a demented fairy tale.
Speaking of demented-saw the film adaptation of I’m thinking of ending things on Netflix. Definitely preferred the book (also not for everyone). The movie was too long and the director’s interpretation of the ending kind of left me speechless (and not in a good way :)
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Yeah, it just makes sense to read The Warmth of other suns, so looks like many of us have a third group read title lined up. Fall/Autumn is my favorite Season!
Finished
for #7Really fast paced but none of the twists really surprised me.
Rachel wrote: "Speaking of demented-saw the film adaptation of I’m thinking of ending things on Netflix. Definitely preferred the book (also not for everyone). The movie was too long and the director’s interpreta..."Argghhh....I can only imagine! :)
Dare to Dream
Books mentioned in this topic
The Museum of Extraordinary Things (other topics)The Dovekeepers (other topics)
The Museum of Extraordinary Things (other topics)
The Dovekeepers (other topics)
Practical Magic (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Isabel Wilkerson (other topics)Shirley Jackson (other topics)
Stephen Graham Jones (other topics)
Isabel Wilkerson (other topics)
Stephen Graham Jones (other topics)
The Fall 2020 Reading Challenge will begin on September 7th and end on November 30th.
Rules of the challenge:
Read 3 books (or more)
Complete 3 tasks ( or more)
Any genre ok
Rereads ok
So this fall, complete 3 (or more) of the following:
1. I always like to include authors who celebrate their birthday during the season. Sometimes I just can’t find that info. At least one of the following celebrates a birthday this fall-it’s possible the others do too. Either way I think it’s a great group of writers to check out.
So this fall,
READ A BOOK BY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING :
Brit Bennett
Samantha Downing
Stephen Graham Jones
James McBride
Isabel Wilkerson
2. The film, I’m Thinking of Ending Things, will premiere on Netflix on September 4th. It’s about a guy bringing his girlfriend home to meet his parents and things quickly get strange. This is one of those stories that you don’t want to know too much beforehand. The book is creepy AF.
So this fall,
READ THE BOOK
or
READ A BOOK THAT FOCUSES ON A COUPLE
or
READ A BOOK THAT CAN BE DESCRIBED AS “UNSETTLING”
3. The film, The Devil All The Time, will premiere on Netflix on September 16th. I don’t have a brief synopsis but the book has been described as a well written, disturbing crime novel.
So this fall,
READ THE BOOK
or
READ A BOOK (SET AT LEAST IN PART) IN A RURAL SETTING
4. The television series, Ratched, will premiere on Netflix on September 18th. This is a prequel to One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest, with the focus being on Nurse Ratched.
So this fall,
READ THE BOOK BY KEN KESEY
or
READ A PREQUEL
or
READ A BOOK TOLD (AT LEAST IN PART) FROM THE VILLAIN’S POV
5. World Toilet Day is November 19th. It’s an interesting name but the goal is important and it’s that sanitation needs to be available across the globe to ensure good health.
So this fall (in good fun) because you know I had to include it in the challenge,
COMPLETE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR NAMED JOHN
or
READ A BOOK WITH THE LETTERS L-O-O
IN THE TITLE/SUBTITLE
or
READ A BOOK WITH THE WORD “THRONE” IN THE TITLE/SUBTITLE :D
6. Fall= Creepy Reads. I love including a group read. A creepy classic was suggested as well as a gothic new release perfect for the season. Why have one group read when you can have two,
So this fall,
READ MEXICAN GOTHIC BY SILVIA MORENO-GARCIA
or
THE LOTTERY AND OTHER STORIES BY SHIRLEY JACKSON
7. Random Task- This counts towards the challenge but isn’t inspired by the season.
Have you ever read an author once and you meant to read said author again but never got around to it? Now’s your chance.
So this fall,
READ A BOOK BY AN AUTHOR YOU’VE ONLY READ ONCE BEFORE
HAVE A SAFE & HAPPY AUTUMN, EVERYONE! :D