Nike's Third Time Attempt to Concentrate on My Classic Bingo Board

[Nike]

Book nr 2: Gertrud by Hermann Hesse for square N1: Classic involving music. About the life and unanswered love of a composer and how he channels his emotions in creating a most wonderful opera.

[Veronique]

Nike wrote: "Sara wrote: "Nice to have one done, Nike. I don't have We on my TBR, so I guess I must add it. I understand it was very influential for other dystopian fiction. Delighted to know it is also a good ..."

Wow, sounds amazing. Adding.

[Nike]

O1: Book published before 1990 ... and long before that. I've finally read Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. I loved it and "Dracula" becomes even more pale in comparison. This is the real thing.

[Nike]

O4: Classic in translation. I haven't forgotten my Bingo Board but time flies and I read so many other things. Well, I did read Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson last month (translated from English to my language Swedish) and I've wanted to be a pirate ever since ;)

[Cynda]

Camilla does outdo Dracula, yes! Such a short work and so much scariness.

[Nike]

Cynda wrote: "Camilla does outdo Dracula, yes! Such a short work and so much scariness."

And strong and independent women!

[Nike]

And I just discovered that I've forgotten to check off another square - G5: Book from the Group’s 2022 Bookshelf! I read The Hand by Guy de Maupassant in May.

[Nike]

Kathleen wrote: "Nice choices, Nike! Looking at your TBR, I wonder if you have Mrs. Dalloway?"

Yes, I will actually read it - as a fact I AM reading it right now =)

[Kathleen]

Time certainly does fly, but we read what we can! Hope you're enjoying Mrs. Dalloway, Nike. :-)

[Veronique]

Nice titles!
Hope you enjoy Mrs Dalloway. I found reading it with an audiobook at the same time helped me a lot and I could then enjoy it.

[Nike]

I must say that Mrs Dalloway was a disappointment. I loved the beautiful language, I appreciate the inner monologues but the characters are so boring. Mrs Dalloway herself is the most dull and uninteresting character of them all. The only interesting person was the man with mental illness. Apart from him I think they are shallow and egocentric persons from the upper class and upper middle class with boring lives and empty inner minds.

[Kathleen]

Nike wrote: "I must say that Mrs Dalloway was a disappointment. I loved the beautiful language, I appreciate the inner monologues but the characters are so boring. Mrs Dalloway herself is the most full and unin..."

Ah, too bad! Well, on to the next one.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I read Mrs. Dalloway a long time ago, but I remember being unimpressed. I have read a lot of Woolf since then and I have been wondering if I would see it differently now. It is on my re-read wish list, but I found your analysis interesting, Nike. Maybe it wouldn't be any different the second time around.

[Nike]

Sara (taking a break) wrote: "I read Mrs. Dalloway a long time ago, but I remember being unimpressed. I have read a lot of Woolf since then and I have been wondering if I would see it differently now. It is on my re-read wish l..."

This was the first book I ever read by her. I still wish to read Orlando but I am surprised that Mrs Dalloway is so popular. If it wasn't for the authors beautifully skilled language I wouldn't have finished it. I had to force myself to get through it and I was longing for something to get touched by, to get involved in, to feel something but it couldn't ignite any emotional sparks, nor make an intellectual imprint. Simply dull and bland, but in a style that shows her capacity to express herself. It irritates me when I think about it. Like a beautifully wrapped gift, with a most intricatly knotted ribbon around it. And nothing in it.

[Nike]

I'm done with N4: Poetry

I've finished Samlade dikter by Edith Södergran. She was a prominent Finnish/Swedish poet a hundred years ago. Still highly consiered today though her poetry is not my cup of tea. Now I have read every single poem and aphorism by her, they were all collected in the same volume and no, I will never return to this kind of poetry. Her life is more interesting than her work.

[Cynda]

Hi Nike. Thanks for reminder that I want to reread C S Lewis. I read it the series to my son, and now I want to read at least some for myself. . . . Hope to see what you think of The Magician's Nephew when you have opportunity.

[Nike]

Book nr 8 finished: Sommarboken/The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. Square B2 Classic written in my own language (Swedish)
The only book I've read this year that I gave five stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What a remarkable, wise and beautiful book this is!

[Sara, Old School Classics]

I also thought it quite wonderful, Nike. Nice to be able to read it in your own language.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Nike wrote: "Book nr 8 finished: Sommarboken/The Summer Book by Tove Jansson. Square B2 Classic written in my own language (Swedish)
The only book I've read this ye..."

I love that book!

[Sue]

I'm sorry that you only have one 5 star read this year, Nike. Sommarboken does sound wonderful. I had to add it to my list.

Good luck with the rest of your challenge!

[Nike]

Sue wrote: "I'm sorry that you only have one 5 star read this year, Nike. Sommarboken does sound wonderful. I had to add it to my list.

Good luck with the rest of your challenge!"

Thank you, Sue - I'm looking forward to my next bingo attempt next year 🙂

[Nike]

Sue wrote: "I'm sorry that you only have one 5 star read this year, Nike. Sommarboken does sound wonderful. I had to add it to my list.

Good luck with the rest of your challenge!"

Well, now I have read my second 5 star book this year! Ball of Fat Short-story / Fettpärlan by Guy de Maupassant!
I'm overwhelmed and struck by lightning! I've read Maupassant before and I always love him. Now I'm nothing but happy. It is a collection of seven short stories (a Swedish edition) and the whole collection was magnificent. And the story with the title Ball of Fat was like a stab in my heart. Beautiful, ugly, terrible, wonderful, painful, powerful ...

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Nike wrote: "Sue wrote: "I'm sorry that you only have one 5 star read this year, Nike. Sommarboken does sound wonderful. I had to add it to my list.

Good luck with the rest of your challenge!"

Well, now I ha..."



I am so glad you found this collection, so your year ended on a good note!

[Nike]

And I actually managed to get my first Bingo! Column O 🙂
This was the third time I tried and I managed it the very last day of the year! Yes, my partner and I actually spent New Year's Eve reading and finishing our ongoing reads. That gives me hope for this year, maybe I will do better now.

[Lynn, New School Classics]

Nike wrote: "And I actually managed to get my first Bingo! Column O 🙂
This was the third time I tried and I managed it the very last day of the year! Yes, my partner and I actually spent New Year's Eve reading ..."

Congratulations!

[Terry]

Congratulations, Nike! Great start!