Lori's First Ever 2021 Challenge BUFFET

[Lori]

I may be crazy to tackle both the BINGO and the Buffet in my first few months as a member but I'm finding it hard to resist some of the challenges in the Buffet. I won't go overboard so as not to completely give myself anxiety over finishing. I want to give it a shot because some of these seem very doable.

I will attempt to complete 4 challenges this year. But I will enjoy whatever I actually get accomplished!

Challenge #1 Old & New TBR Challenge
Challenge #3 Second Place or Worse Challenge
Challenge #6 Short Story Challenge
Challenge #7 2021 Group Reads Challenge

[Lori]

Challenge #1
Old & New TBR Challenge

Old School (Before 1899)
1. Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim - (1898)
2. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë -(1847)
3. The Red Badge of Courage and Selected Short Fiction by Stephen Crane -(1895)

New School (1900-1999)
✔1. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner -(1971) finished 5-10-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
✔2. A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute -(1950) finished 7-14-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
✔3. The Trail of the Lonesome Pine by John Fox Jr. -(1908) finished 7-21-21 🌟🌟🌟 3 stars

Wildcards
✔1. Andy Catlett: Early Travels by Wendell Berry -(2006) finished 7-17-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔2. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton - (1920) finished 3-9-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔3. The Gates of the Forest by Elie Wiesel -(1964) finished 7-21-21 🌟🌟🌟 3 stars
✔4. A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons - (1989) finished 3-16-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔5. Desperation Road by Michael Farris Smith -(2017) finished 3-12-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔6. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak- (1957) finished 4-25-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars

Alternates
1. Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson -(2003)
2. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton -(1967)

I own a physical or kindle copy for all of these books but 2.

[Lori]

Challenge #3 Second Place or Worse

Go back through the groups past polls and select seven (7) total books that are of interest to you but lost the poll and never made it to our group bookshelf. Ideally pick two books from New School, two from Old School, two from Short Story/Novella, and one from the Quarterly Long Read.

Old School
1.✔The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan - (1678) finished 10-9-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
2.✔Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell - (1853) - finished 1-22-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars

New School
1.Rabbit, Run by John Updike - (1960) DNF
✔A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute finished 7-14-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
2.✔The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers - (1946) finished 7-3-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars

Short Story
1.✔The Machine Stops by E.M. Forster - (1909) finished 7-4-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
2.✔And of Clay Are We Created by Isabel Allende - (1989) finished 7-24-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars

Long Read
1.The Thornbirds by Colleen McCullough - (1977)

[Lori]

Challenge #6 Short Story

Read 24 short stories. This equates to only two per month for the year.

I am reading Collected Stories by William Faulkner.

1.✔The Tall Men by William Faulkner 1-2-21
2.✔The Signalman by Charles Dickens 1-3-21
3.✔A Bear Hunt by William Faulkner 1-4-21
4..✔Two Soldiers by William Faulkner 1-5-21
5. .✔Shall Not Perish by William Faulkner 1-6-21
6.✔Saint Marie by Louise Erdrich 1-13-21
7.✔A Rose for Emily by William Faulkner 1-15-21
8.✔The Magic Fishbone by Charles Dickens 1-24-21
9.✔The View from Castle Rock by Alice Munro 1-27-21
10.✔Centaur in Brass by William Faulkner 1-27-21
11.✔Dry September by William Faulkner 2-2-21
12.✔Death Drag by William Faulkner
13.✔Elly by William Faulkner 2-2-21
14.✔Uncle Willy and Other Stories by William Faulkner (only read Uncle Willy) 2-3-21
15..✔ A Mule in the Yard by William Faulkner 2-4-21
16.✔That will be Fine by William Faulkner 2-5-21
17.✔That Evening Sun by William Faulkner 2-7-21
18.✔How Quest Sought the Truth from Croatian Tales of Long Ago by Ivana Brlić-Mažuranić 2-14-21
19.✔Red Leaves by William Faulkner 2-16-21
20.✔A Justice by William Faulkner2-16-21
21.✔A Courtship by William Faulkner 2-17-21
22.✔Lo! by William Faulkner 2-20-21
23.✔Ad Astra by William Faulkner 2-21-21
24..✔The Truth About Owls by Amal El-Mohtar 2-26-21

25.✔Victory by William Faulkner 2-28-21
26. ✔The Open Window by Saki 3-2-21
27.✔Chip Off the Old Block by Wallace Stegner 3-2-21
28. ✔Crevasse by William Faulkner 3-6-21
29. ✔A Good Man Is Hard To Find by Flannery O'Connor 3-10-21
30. ✔Turnabout by William Faulkner 3-15-21
31.✔All the Dead Pilots by William Faulkner 3-18-21
32. ✔Fly Away, Breath by Wendell Berry story from A Place in Time: Twenty Stories of the Port William Membership 3-22-21
33.✔Wash by William Faulkner 3-27-21
34.✔Honor by William Faulkner
35.✔Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov 4-15-21
36.✔Doctor Martino & Other Stories by William Faulkner 4-18-21
37. ✔Fox Hunt by William Faulkner 4-19-21
38. ✔Pennsylvania Station by William Faulkner 4-20-21
39. ✔Artist at Home by William Faulkner 4-23-21
40. ✔The Brooch by William Faulkner 4-24-21
41. ✔My Grandmother Millard and General Bedford Forrest and the Battle of Harrykin Creek William Faulkner 4-26-21
42. ✔Golden Land by William Faulkner 4-27-21
43. ✔There Was a Queen by William Faulkner 4-27-21
44. ✔Mountain Victory by William Faulkner 4-28-21
45. ✔ Beyond by William Faulkner 4-29-21
46. ✔Black Music by William Faulkner 4-29-21
47. ✔The Leg by William Faulkner 5-1-21
48. ✔The Black Veil by Charles Dickens 6-1-21

[Anne]

Lori wrote: "I may be crazy to tackle both the BINGO and the Buffet in my first few months as a member but I'm finding it hard to resist some of the challenges in the Buffet. I won't go overboard so as not to c..."

Go for it, Lori!

[Lori]

Challenge #7 2021 Group Reads Challenge

The challenge is to read 12 of this years group selections. Between New School, Old School, Short Story/Novella, Revisit the Shelf, and Quarterly Long read our group selects 40 new and 12 reread books per year, giving us plenty of choices.

✔1.Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell finished 1-22-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔2.The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett finished 2-14-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔3. The Warden by Anthony Trollope finished 1-24-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔ 4.A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams finished 3-6-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 5 stars
✔5.Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev finished 4-8-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔6.Gooseberries by Anton Chekhov finished 4-15-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔7.Babette’s Feast by Isak Dinesen finished 5-21-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔8.Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell finished 5-28-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔9.Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe finished 6-22-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔10. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy finished 7-1-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
✔11.The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant finished 8-12-21 🌟🌟🌟🌟 4 stars
12.

[Lori]

save

[Cynda]

Welcome Lori. I hope you enjoy reading The Age of Innocence as much as I have. Have you seen the 1993 movie with Daniel Day Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer?

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

It's a buffet take as little or as much as you want, no extra charge if you leave some on your plate. We didn't criticize. Have fun and enjoy, by the way if Nevil Shute is new to you, your in for a treat.

[Kathleen]

Lori, I agree and also can't resist. The trick is to be easy on yourself and just enjoy your reading. You have so many great ideas here!

[Lori]

Cynda wrote: "Welcome Lori. I hope you enjoy reading The Age of Innocence as much as I have. Have you seen the 1993 movie with Daniel Day Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer?"

I haven't seen the movie, Cynda. I much prefer to read the book first. I will look for it after I finish the book. It's good to hear how much you loved the book!

[Lori]

Bob wrote: "It's a buffet take as little or as much as you want, no extra charge if you leave some on your plate. We didn't criticize. Have fun and enjoy, by the way if Nevil Shute is new to you, your in for a..."

Thanks Bob! Nevil Shute is new to me. I've run across him from other GR friends reviews and he is highly recommended. I look forward to it!

[Lori]

Kathleen wrote: "Lori, I agree and also can't resist. The trick is to be easy on yourself and just enjoy your reading. You have so many great ideas here!"

Thank you so much, Kathleen! I will enjoy the reading indeed!

[Anne]

Lori wrote: "Bob wrote: "It's a buffet take as little or as much as you want, no extra charge if you leave some on your plate. We didn't criticize. Have fun and enjoy, by the way if Nevil Shute is new to you, y..."

Hey Lori, I'm a huge Nevil Shute fan. I really liked An Old Captivity, but I'm not sure that I would recommend starting there. Just saying...A Town Like Alice, The Pied Piper, and a couple others might be better introductions to Shute.

[Lori]

Anne wrote: "Lori wrote: "Bob wrote: "It's a buffet take as little or as much as you want, no extra charge if you leave some on your plate. We didn't criticize. Have fun and enjoy, by the way if Nevil Shute is ..."

I will definitely take your recommendation, Anne. I found An Old Captivity for my kindle recently and I know my library has A Town Like Alice. Very limited at my library. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction!

[Anne]

Lori wrote: "Anne wrote: "Lori wrote: "Bob wrote: "It's a buffet take as little or as much as you want, no extra charge if you leave some on your plate. We didn't criticize. Have fun and enjoy, by the way if Ne..."

You're very welcome, Lori. I'm sure you will love A Town Like Alice.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I'm envying you reading some of these books and authors for the first time. Anne is right about A Town Like Alice. It is Nevil Shute at his best. Really looking forward to your thoughts on many of these.

[Lori]

So far, my short story challenge is going well but I really need to get on the Old & New TBR challenge.

Finished 2 for the Group reads challenge though.

Cranford was 4 stars

The Secret Garden also 4 stars

I enjoyed both of them very much!

[Lynn, New School Classics]

I am glad your first two books turned out so well for you. I think the four challenges you have planned are quite manageable, and Bingo will work out. The fun of Bingo is that there are so many ways to win.

[Lori]

Thanks Lynn! I'm really looking forward to getting to check off some of these reads!

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Glad you enjoyed both Cranford and Secret Garden. They are two "feel good" stories, and we need those from time to time.

[Lori]

So true Sara! I just started watching Cranford on Britbox last night and was delighted!!

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

I still smile when I think about Cranford.

[Lori]

Finished another read for the Group Reads Challenge, The Warden by Anthony Trollope.
I gave it 4🌟🌟🌟🌟stars.

I enjoyed it and reading with the group enhanced the reading of it! Glad to have read my first Trollope. I'll have to read the next now.

Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Lori]

I have completed my 24 short stories with my last story this morning! I have just recently started reading short stories and enjoy reading them. I've been Faulkner heavy so far, but I have determined to finish his Collected Stories sometime in the next few months. A little bit at a time with Faulkner is what I've found works for me.

So, I will continue to add to my list and see how many short stories I can get to this year!!

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I read well over 100 last year, Lori, and find they make great between-book reading. A little Faulkner goes a long way, because he is so dense and requires a lot of pondering afterward.

[Lori]

Sara wrote: "I read well over 100 last year, Lori, and find they make great between-book reading. A little Faulkner goes a long way, because he is so dense and requires a lot of pondering afterward."

Wow! 100! Well I can see how that is achievable if I keep up my stamina! You're right about Faulkner and I am glad that my first taste of him has been his short stories.

[Lori]

Finally finished a wildcard read in my Old & New challenge!

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

I definitely loved it and gave it 4 stars. I totally see how others would go for 5, but something I can't put my finger on kept me from it. Maybe it was that I wasn't dying to pick it up but knew that I was going to enjoy reading it.

My review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sara, Old School Classics]

She's a huge favorite for me as well. Always nice to tick one off of the Old and New Challenge, Lori.

[Anne]

Wharton is also one of my favorite authors. Glad you enjoyed it. 4 stars is still a very good rating.

[Lori]

Thanks Matt, Sara and Anne!

[Ila]

Age of Innocence is my favourite novel too. Hope you enjoy Wuthering Heights

[Sue]

Lori wrote: "Finally finished a wildcard read in my Old & New challenge!

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

I definitely loved it and gave it 4 stars. I totally see how others woul..."

Congratulations on your progress Lori. I loved it and gave it 4 stars too Lori. There's a fine line between 4 and 5 and it can often have to do with what books you read before. I gave her 'House of Mirth' 5 stars and many people don't like it as much as 'Age of Innocence.

[Lori]

Ila wrote: "Age of Innocence is my favourite novel too. Hope you enjoy Wuthering Heights"

I can't wait to get to Wuthering Heights. Soon.....

[Lori]

Sue wrote: "Lori wrote: "Finally finished a wildcard read in my Old & New challenge!

The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

I definitely loved it and gave it 4 stars. I totally see ho..."

That's definitely an interesting way to think about ratings but I think you're right. We can tend to base them off of previous reads. I will definitely read House of Mirth someday. I look forward to reading more of Wharton.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Nice job on your short story challenge. This year I have set a personal goal of trying to read more short stories from the anthologies I already own. I was thinking that you have made really nice progress in your William Faulkner collection, when I realized that I own that same book! This is the edition I have: published in 1950. It is one of the books from my mother's shelf I inherited. You have read more of yours than I have of mine.

[Lori]

Lynn wrote: "Nice job on your short story challenge. This year I have set a personal goal of trying to read more short stories from the anthologies I already own. I was thinking that you have made really nice p..."

Lynn, thank you and yes, that is the one I have but mine is a kindle version. There are some really great stories in this rather long story collection. A Rose for Emily is one of his best and most known, I believe. This was my first attempt at Faulkner and was a book choice for another group I participate in. However, we only had to read 10 stories but with my personality, I'm a completer! I have set a goal to finish this. I thought I'd have done it by now, but I've learned that a little bit of Faulkner is best at a time!! 😊

You've set yourself a great and achievable challenge for short stories! Good luck to you!

[Lori]

I've completed two more of my wildcard reads for my Old & New challenge. Both 4 star reads.

Desperation Road by Michael Farris Smith was a guilty pleasure read for my love of southern lit. This did not disappoint at all! It was a thriller mixed in with a little redemption and hope and of course a little southern vibe!

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons was a reread from many, many years ago and was only a 2 star at the time. I read Ellen Foster by the same author last year and loved it so had to revisit and was glad I did. Actually another southern lit choice but a love story between an unlikely pair. Not your happy, feel good type of love story. This one is raw and realistic.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Two wonderful writers. I hope to catch up on MFS soon, still have The Fighter and Nick to read. I fell in immediately love with him when I read Rivers.

[Anne]

Lori,
congrats on 2 more down for your Old and New Challenge. I also read Ellen Foster a very long time ago. I think I've forgotten about Kaye Gibbons since then. I'll have to check.

[Lori]

Sara wrote: "Two wonderful writers. I hope to catch up on MFS soon, still have The Fighter and Nick to read. I fell in immediately love with him when I read Rivers."

Yes, me too, Sara! Rivers was amazing and I will read The Fighter next until I read all of MFS!

[Lori]

Anne wrote: "Lori,
congrats on 2 more down for your Old and New Challenge. I also read Ellen Foster a very long time ago. I think I've forgotten about Kaye Gibbons since then. I'll have to check."

Thanks, Anne! She's a wonderful author but this one, A Virtuous Woman, has ratings all over the map! I guess there are people reading it who are not used to the style and language and don't connect so give a low rating.

[Anne]

Lori, perhaps some of the people giving VW low ratings are young and can't appreciate it yet? I wrote that I'd read Ellen Foster but I just checked. I haven't read it but it's been on my tbr for so long that it feel very familiar. :))

[Lori]

Another wild card finished for my new and old challenge and it was an easy 5 stars!!

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

Here is my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I also had one DNF for my 2nd place or worse challenge that just wasn't working for me, Rabbit, Run by John Updike. But I think I will use A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute for that spot now.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I agree Doctor Zhivago is an easy 5-stars. Now you HAVE to see the movie, because it is different from the book, but also an easy 5-star rating.

Sorry Rabbit, Run didn't work for you (I still have it to try), but you will love A Town Like Alice.

[Anne]

Lori, I agree with Sara. A Town Like Alice is an easy 5 plus read. Enjoy. :))

[Lori]

Thanks Anne and Sara! You were the ones who put me onto that particular Evil Shute novel so I will look forward to the day I get to it!

I have talked my husband into watching Zhivago with me but I have to promise to not talk about and compare the book because that drives him mad! He won't watch Gone With the Wind and I still need to as well.

[Anne]

Evil Shute. Was that intentional? Why evil? :))

Have fun watching Zhivago with your husband. I'm laughing at what you wrote about your husband. You'll have to keep stuffing your mouth with popcorn to keep from talking. :))

[Lori]

Anne (on semi-hiatus) wrote: "Evil Shute. Was that intentional? Why evil? :))

Have fun watching Zhivago with your husband. I'm laughing at what you wrote about your husband. You'll have to keep stuffing your mouth with popcorn..."

Anne, it's a real problem we have with every movie we watch that I've read the book. I have such a hard time keeping my mouth shut and I'm always wanting to explain how it "really" happened. 😳

[Anne]

Lori wrote: ..."Anne, it's a real problem we have with every movie we watch that I've read the book. I have such a hard time keeping my mouth shut and I'm always wanting to explain how it "really" happened."

Good luck to you, my friend. The movie is very different. Prepare yourself (and/or your husband). :)) Have a good time. I want to hear how you liked the movie.