Shawn H's 2022 Bingo Challenge

[Shawn]

B1: Book Published 1950 - 1999 Wait Till Next Year (1997) (4.19.22)
B2: Classic written in your native language A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court or The Innocents Abroad
B3: Classic Science or Philosophy Thus Spoke Zarathustra or The Stranger
B4: Classic Banned Book Lolita
B5: A Classic NOT on Our Bookshelf that Should be There The Charterhouse of Parma

I1: Book from the Group’s Bookshelf Prior to 2022 Père Goriot (July 21 Old School)
I2: New-To-You Classic Author Amerika by Franz Kafka
I3: Classic Drama or Play A Midsummer Night's Dream
I4: Classic Over 500 pages The Pickwick Papers or Oliver Twist
I5: Literary Prize or Your Country or Region Atlas Shrugged (National Book Award 1958)

N1: Classic Involving Music Doctor Faustus
N2: Classic Mythology or Folklore The Odyssey
N3: Free Space The Call of the Wild
N4: Classic Poetry or Essay Collection The Prophet
N5: Classic by an Author from a Country you didn’t Read in 2021 The Three Musketeers

G1: Winner of a Foreign Literary Prize American Pastoral - Prix du Meilleur Livre Étranger
G2: Book from a group poll during your birthday month Revolutionary Road (July 20 New School) (5.28.22)
G3: Classic Tragedy Les Misérables
G4: Group Bingo Participant Pick Far From the Madding Crowd
G5: Book from the Group’s 2022 Bookshelf The Gambler (Jan Old School) (1.9.22)

O1: Book Published before 1900 Northanger Abbey (6.4.22)
O2: Children’s Classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland / Through the Looking-Glass
O3: Classic Short Story Collection Winesburg, Ohio
O4: Classic in translation Anna Karenina
O5: Book Published 1900 - 1949 To Have and Have Not (9.29.22)

[Shawn]

The planning is always so exciting! I'm looking for suggestions for the group Bingo participant pick.

[Luke]

Shawn wrote: "The planning is always so exciting! I'm looking for suggestions for the group Bingo participant pick."

If you're in the mood for a challenge, I have to pick The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann.

[Shawn]

Aubrey wrote: "Shawn wrote: "The planning is always so exciting! I'm looking for suggestions for the group Bingo participant pick."

If you're in the mood for a challenge, I have to pick [book:The Magic Mountain|..."

Thank you for the suggestion. This has been on my TBR for quite some time. I already have Doctor Faustus on my list, so I'm not sure if I'm up for a second by Mann. I've never read anything by him, so I'm hoping to finish 1 of his works this year.

[Shawn]

Matt wrote: "I recommend The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge by [author:D..."

Thank you for the suggestion! I have read a few works by McCullough and have enjoyed them. I would not have considered this for the suggestion book, but will put it at the top of the list for this block. I will wait to see if any other suggestions trickle in before making a final decision.

[Carolien]

I'd suggest Wait Till Next Year. I really enjoyed it this year.

[Luke]

Ahh, I missed you already having a Mann work down. I was also eyeing Les Misérables by Victor Hugo as a recommendation, but I thought going with a shorter work might be more feasible.

[Angie]

Great choices! I read The Call of the Wild a while back and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

I will recommend Far From the Madding Crowd.

[Shawn]

Carolien wrote: "I'd suggest Wait Till Next Year. I really enjoyed it this year."

I have wanted to read this since I watched the Ken Burns baseball series. Some how I was late to the game on the series, considering I love everything Burns has done. I have decided to use this for the published between 1950 -1999 selection. Thank you for recommending this one, I would never have thought to use it.

[Shawn]

Aubrey wrote: "Ahh, I missed you already having a Mann work down. I was also eyeing Les Misérables by Victor Hugo as a recommendation, but I thought going with a shorter work might be ..."

Les Mis has been on my nightstand for approximately 4 years. I know I will love it - I'm just scared to pick it up and get started. Maybe this is the year. Thank you for the recommendation.

[Shawn]

Angie wrote: "Great choices! I read The Call of the Wild a while back and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it.

I will recommend Far From the Madding Crowd."

Thank you! Far From the Madding Crowd has been on one, maybe two, of my previous Bingo challenges. I have yet to read it. I think I should find a place for it this year.

[Terris]

Shawn wrote: "Aubrey wrote: "Ahh, I missed you already having a Mann work down. I was also eyeing Les Misérables by Victor Hugo as a recommendation, but I thought going with a shorter..."

For long reads, I recommend reading just a few pages a day. Then, if you get into it, you can do more.
I have started many books on January 1st with a limit of 10 pages per day only. I read those 10 pages and if I really like it I am excited to read it the next day! If I don't like it that much, I just get through those pages and read something else I really like.
I don't know if that is something you can do, but it really works for me!
Happy 2022 Reading! :)

[Shawn]

This sounds like a great idea! I think I may give it a try with a few of the longer ones on my list. Thanks for the recommendation.

[Terris]

Shawn wrote: "This sounds like a great idea! I think I may give it a try with a few of the longer ones on my list. Thanks for the recommendation."

Hope it works for you! :)

[Cynda]

Midsummer Night's Dream is one of my favorite Shakespeare plays. I hope you enjoy it too. Enjoy your bingo card!

[Lori]

A Connecticut Yankee is really good. I read that and Prince and the Pauper this year and preferred Yankee. I hope you enjoy your Bingo challenge!

[Katy, Old School Classics]

Shawn wrote: "The planning is always so exciting! ...."

That is always my favorite part of the challenge, besides the reading of course. Good luck with your bingo this coming year.

[Shawn]

I finished my first book, The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky for G5 - 2022 Group Bookshelf.

Full disclosure - I started both Brothers Karamazov and Crime in Punishment in college, but didn't finish either (too preoccupied with other things to stay caught up with the reading timeline). I remember enjoying his style of writing.

This is the first F.D. that I have finished and I found his writing style easy and enjoyable. I found the only likable character to be the grandmother. There were quite a number of humorous parts involving the grandmother.

I found the ending tragic, but representative of life. For whatever reason, people get caught up in a cycle of poor behavior that ultimately is not good for them. Even when they know it's not good for them, they can't get out of it.

I am excited to read more F.D. and hope to keep going with The Idiot next month. I also hope to revisit the 2 I previously abandoned.

[Irphen]

Good luck with your challenge! Seems like you have a great year ahead! I've read quite a few of them; Zarathoustra, The Prophet, Lolita, Faustus, Alice in Wonderland, Les Misérables and The Call of the Wild. I enjoyed them a lot except for Lolita which wasn't exactly my cup of tea. Hope you enjoy!

[Shawn]

Irphen wrote: "Good luck with your challenge! Seems like you have a great year ahead! I've read quite a few of them; Zarathoustra, The Prophet, Lolita, Faustus, Alice in Wonderland, Les Misérables and The Call of..."

Thank you! I am looking forward to this years challenge. If I'm being honest, Lolita is very intimidating to me. I'm just not sure how I'm going to feel about it. I'm planning on starting that one soon - try and get through it before I get bogged down with other stuff. Otherwise, I may make excuses and not get to it.

[Shawn]

I've completed B1 -book published between 1950-1999. I chose Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which was recommended to me here.

I am so glad I finally read this book. I grew up loving baseball and have a lot of fond memories watching baseball games with my grandpa. In recent years, I have not found as much time watch baseball games or follow the sport as closely as I once did. Somewhere along the way, I watched Ken Burns Baseball series - it pulled me back in. I missed following the sport. After watching the series, I found a used copy of Goodwin's book, but never found time to read it.

I am so glad I finally spent some time with this. I am much younger than Goodwin and was not born during the time of her youth, but her youth reminds me of my own, albeit many years later. I grew up watching the Pittsburgh Pirates of late 80's and early 90's. I remember those years with such a fondness. Nearly every night, my grandpa would work in his wood shop after dinner until the Buccos came on tv shortly after 7. We had some good years, but never quite made it all the way. What a team - Bobby Bonilla, Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke and many others. We always had something to talk about and loved talking about baseball.

My grandpa has been gone for almost 20 years. This book made me think of this time in more detail than I have in years. It made me remember the smell of my grandpa's after shave and the celebratory hugs when they won.

After those early 90's teams the Pirates consistently finished in the basement of the league and haven't become much better. It is difficult to find Pirates games on tv where I live, but I still watch them when the opportunity presents itself.

Kuddos to Goodwin for writing a book that brings back all the warm nostalgic feels of youth in such an easy way. I took my time with this book, to enjoy the long slow walk down memory lane. Her writing is superb and her love of baseball is reminiscent of my own.

Thank you to Carolien for recommending. I would strongly recommend this to anyone who loves baseball.

[Carolien]

Shawn wrote: "I've completed B1 -book published between 1950-1999. I chose Wait Till Next Year by Doris Kearns Goodwin, which was recommended to me here.

I am so glad I finally read ..."

So glad you enjoyed it! I found it a fascinating read, although some of the baseball is over my head.

Your memories of shared times with your grandfather sounds lovely, thank you for sharing!

[Sara, New School Classics]

How happy your grandfather would be to know you have these fond memories of your times together. I love when a book can do that for me. It wouldn't be baseball for me, but it is for so many of us. So glad you found this book, Shawn...or maybe that this book found you.

[Klowey]

I would love to know what you think of Amerika. It's on my reading list too.

Also, if you are going to read "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass" I highly recommend this annotated version, which I am reading: The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition.

[Shawn]

I've completed another - G2. I read Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates which was a New School read from July 2020.

My first time reading Yates. I've also never seen the movie. I found this to be an interesting read. A little different than I anticipated and not in my usual wheelhouse as it pertains to type of book.

At times throughout the book, I felt as if I knew where things were headed, but it didn't take away from the reading. The ending was a bit different than I expected, but in some ways exactly what I was anticipating. I also found the characters to be sad and not at all the kind of people I would associate with.

I'm glad I picked this one up. I'm not sure this is one I would have picked up if not for this reading group.

On to the next one.

[Terris]

Shawn wrote: "I've completed another - G2. I read Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates which was a New School read from July 2020.

My first time reading Yates. I've also never seen th..."

I read this just a couple of months ago! I agree, it was very interesting but not exactly what I expected. And you're right, the characters were not very likeable. I thought the story was kind of uncomfortable to read, but still compelling -- like a train wreck you can't look away from!
Glad you were happy that you chose it for your Bingo challenge :)

[Sara, New School Classics]

I haven't read it, Shawn, but it sounds interesting and has been on the TBR for a while. Glad it filled the bingo space for you. I might consider it for my Second and Worse challenge.

[Shawn]

So, I've fallen behind, like always. But I just finished my 5th book from the list. To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway. I have read a bunch of Hemingway; he's my favorite. I love how he writes about the ocean and all things outdoors. This was good, but not his best. His writing of the ocean and boats were enjoyable like always. I couldn't find any real connection to any of the characters in this one. Glad I got around to this one.

As a side note, I also completed Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen earlier this year. I forgot to post here when I finished it. It was my first Austen. I enjoyed the writing style, and will definitely will read more of her works.

[Terris]

Just keep trudging along, Shawn. You're still getting to read some good books! You have some pretty heavy duty books on your list. Maybe go for The Three Musketeers next -- that's a fun one!! :)

[Sara, New School Classics]

Nice that you read the Austen. I think she is an author no one should miss. And, always wonderful to work in an author you already love. Glad the Hemingway was pleasing.