15-17. Three books, each of which is set in a different century

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Time travelers, unite! For the next three weeks, we are traveling through the centuries. Your goal is to read three books set in three different centuries. If you'd like an extra challenge, read books that are written AND set during those centuries, or try to connect the books in another way (such as theme, author, cover, etc.). Or you can take the easier route (like me) and go for some good historical fiction.

ATY Listopias:
Set during Mythological Times (Ancient BCE)
Set Pre-19th Century (BCE through the 1700s)
Set in the 19th Century (1800s)
Set in the 20th Century (1900s)
Set in the 21st Century (2000s)
Set Post-21st Century (2100 and Beyond)

How are you choosing which centuries to read? What are you reading for these prompts?

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

My first inclination was to go with 1900s, 2000s, and 2100s, just because I typically don't love books set too far back. However, I do have a few mythological retellings that I'm interested in (like Natalie Hayne's Stone Blind: Medusa's Story), so I may go with that instead of a sci-fi. These prompts will likely be "read and fill" prompts, rather than me having to search out books specifically for them.

[dalex]

I’m planning to use books that each take place in multiple centuries, such as:

Greenwood by Michael Christie
Eversion by Alastair Reynolds
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Walk the Vanished Earth by Erin Swan

[Hannah]

Dalex, I did something similar for the past/present/future prompt this past year! I read Greenwood, which I recommend if you typically enjoy historical fiction (the historical fiction bits are much longer and more fleshed out than the sci fi bits). Sadly my other two wouldn't quite work for this prompt (The History of Bees is soooo close!), but I did recently read Cloud Cuckoo Land and enjoyed it quite a bit.

I haven't read it yet, but I've heard that To Paradise by Hanya Yanagihara is like this, too.

[Nancy]

I want to link my books for this multi-week prompt; I was originally planning to do non-fiction on a related subject, then was thinking of using the Ireland prompt that didn't make it in and do 3 books set in Ireland. But decided to do books set in the British Isles instead:

Haven - 7th century Ireland
Here Be Dragons - 13th century Wales
The Winter Sea - time travel set in 18th century and 21st century Scotland

[Ellie]

Nancy wrote: "But decided to do books set in the British Isles instead.."

Your three choices are all set in Celtic nations, so that's a closer link to Ireland than just geography :)

[Marie]

I'll be doing non-fiction for this, with a common theme of women who didn't live the life society expected of them. I've got:

Elizabeth the Queen by Alison Weir
Gentleman Jack: The Real Anne Lister by Anne Choma
The Last Madam: A Life in the New Orleans Underworld by Christine Wiltz

[NancyJ]

I really like this prompt, and I'm looking forward to seeing the books and themes people pick. I think I'll save my futuristic and multi-century books for other prompts, and focus on centuries before 1800.

These three books (about strong women during biblical times) are all well-regarded. I would need one more in a different century.
1. The Red Tent 1800-1500 BCE (BC)
2,The Dovekeepers 70 CE (AD) first century, OR
2, The Book of Longings around 18 CE (AD) - first century.
Plus:
3. Medieval (5th to 15th) - Haven by Emma Donoghue, The Name of the Rose, Absolution by Murder (Sister Fidelma, female protag) - medieval fits WINTER challenge

Can anyone recommend other strong historical fiction books with a religious topic, culture, or setting? Any religion is fine, so long as it's not preachy or focused on doctrine. I already read some Ken Follett books.

Another option - if I'm feeling ambitious - is to read classic books written before 1800. Or an author I haven't read in the 1800's
Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. pub 1726 18th century
The Pillow Book pub 11th century
Something by George Elliot
Beowulf?

I'm also interested in stories about creative people and cultures
The Architect's Apprentice by Elif Shafak - 1540

[Misty]

I want to do pre-20th century for these prompts. From my TBR, I have one possibility for the 10th century, 2 for 18th, and several for 19th.

10th Century:
The Far Traveler: Voyages of a Viking Woman by Nancy Marie Brown

18th Century
Hôtel Transylvania by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
Never Caught: The Washingtons' Relentless Pursuit of Their Runaway Slave, Ona Judge by Erica Armstrong Dunbar

19th Century
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
The Last Camel Died at Noon by Elizabeth Peters
Elsie Dinsmore by Martha Finley
Woman in the Nineteenth Century by Margaret Fuller
Women's Diaries of the Westward Journey ed. Lillian Schlissel
A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains by Isabella Bird
The Conductors by Nicole Glover

[Dubhease]

NancyJ wrote: "I really like this prompt, and I'm looking forward to seeing the books and themes people pick. I think I'll save my futuristic and multi-century books for other prompts, and focus on centuries befo..."

Would a Sister Fidelma mystery count? She's an Irish nun in the 600s who solves mysteries.

[Chrissie]

I am not a big reader of books older than I am. I've read very few -Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. I'm for sure going to do 1900s and 2000s because I need to KIS. I'm going to do 1800s as my big challenge. I have three books in mind. Anyone care to pass an opinion?

1. Jane Eyre
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. Wuthering Heights

I have read none of these books and have never even obsessed over Colin Firth as Mr Darcy. I have no idea which to choose

[LeahS]

Wuthering Heights is a love it or hate it book; I love it, but it wouldn't be my first choice for a classics starter. If you like Gothic type books, you would probably like Jane Eyre. Having said that, Pride and Prejudice is much shorter than the other two, and is a lighter and amusing read, so if you are new to the classics, I would go for that.

[LeahS]

Just adding that if you like crime fiction/mystery, you might enjoy A Study in Scarlet or The Woman in White.

[Chrissy]

NancyJ wrote: "I really like this prompt, and I'm looking forward to seeing the books and themes people pick. I think I'll save my futuristic and multi-century books for other prompts, and focus on centuries befo..."

Matrix might work, but not biblical (medieval nuns).

[dalex]

Chrissie wrote: "I am not a big reader of books older than I am. I've read very few -Little House on the Prairie and Anne of Green Gables. I'm for sure going to do 1900s and 2000s because I need to KIS. I'm going t..."

This prompt isn't specifically for older publications. The books just need to take place during three different centuries. You don't even have to read historical fiction. You could read something set in the later 20th century, the 21st century, and the future.

[Kathy]

I'm going with historical fiction:The Woman in the Moonlight

Pre-19th Century
The Book of Longings - Sue Monk Kidd (1st century)
Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell (1580s)

19th Century
Devotion - Hanna Kent (1836 Prussia)
The Woman in the Moonlight - Patricia Morrisroe (1800 Vienna)

20th Century
The Paris Bookseller- Kerri Maher (1919, 1920s)
The Paris Library - Janet Skeslien Charles (1939, 1983)

Unless I go with classics published in each century:
The Merchant of Venice - William Shakespeare (1500s Venice)
The Portrait of a Lady - Henry James (published 1881)
The Custom of the Country- Edith Wharton (published 1913)

EDIT: I'm doing something totally different. In another group we're reading French novels.
19th Century: Little Fadette by George Sand
20th Century: The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun by Sebastien Japrisot
21st Century (I hope): The Readers' Room - Antoine Laurain

EDIT AGAIN:
I read:
17th century: Girl with a Pearl Earring
19th century: Little Fadette
20th century: The Last Train to Key West
All of these ⭐⭐⭐⭐

[Gem ~ZeroShelfControl~]

Im going for a non-fic theme for this and have picked these three:
Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antarctic Night (19th century)
the birth and impact of britpop (20th century)
Slenderman: Online Obsession, Mental Illness, and the Violent Crime of Two Midwestern Girls (21st century)

[Amy (Other Amy)]

I just started noticing books that mentioned a very specific year in the description when I was looking for ATY planning. So far I have:
The Name of the Rose (1327)
The Lost Apothecary (1791 and technically 2022)
Cutter and Bone (1970s)

I did think about trying to find three books that each took place in three different centuries, but I'm not dedicated enough to historical fiction or time travel to do the BIO for this one. I may still replace that last one with something that takes place in a specific year, though.

(FWIW reading something from the 1900s or 2000s or 2100s for this prompt is not KIS. Making yourself read something from an era you wouldn't normally read would be a kind of BIO for this prompt, actually.)

[Sunny]

I had mine set for this challenge; but then I saw Nancy's post about connecting them in some way and decided to go with Ireland. I've got the 7th century and the 20th century covered. Now to find a 3rd book.

[Dana]

Not sure exactly which of the centuries I'll be choosing, but these are a few of the ones I'd like to get to:

Books Set in Pre-19th Century
Gulliver's Travels: Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. by Jonathan Swift

Set During the 19th Century
The Blue Fox by Sjón
Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco
The Ruby in the Smoke by Philip Pullman

Set During the 20th Century
The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Books Set Beyond the 21st Century
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman
The Selection by Kiera Cass
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

[NancyJ]

Dubhease wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "I really like this prompt, and I'm looking forward to seeing the books and themes people pick. I think I'll save my futuristic and multi-century books for other prompts, and focus on..."

Sure. This would fit the Medieval prompt in the Winter Challenge too. Thanks Dubhease, I added Absolution by Murder to my list of possibilities

[eleen ✨]

I'm trying to diversify my reading by publication year as well as authors, so for this prompt I'm gonna try and do books that were written (and set) in different centuries, or books that were contemporary for their time.

I defo want to read something by James Baldwin, and I've wanted to read The Art of War or any ancient Chinese writing for a while.

As a small reference of authors and time periods to help contextualise:

100s
The Analects — Confucius (476)
Meditations — Marcus Aurelius (180)
The Art of War — Sun Tzu (501)

1400s
The Canterbury Tales — Chaucer
The Hunchback of Notre Dame — Victor Hugo
Inferno — Dante Alighieri

1500s
The Prince — Niccolò Machiavelli
The Journey to the West — Wu Cheng En
The Essays — Francis Bacon

1600s
Don Quixote — Miguel de Cervantes
Paradise Lost — John Milton
some of Shakespeare's work (others in 1500s)

1700s
A Modest Proposal — Jonathan Swift
Gulliver's Travels — Jonathan Swift
Candide — Voltaire
Robinson Crusoe — Daniel Defoe
Cecilia — Frances Burney

1800s
Middlemarch — George Eliot
Frankenstein — Mary Shelley
Wuthering Heights — Emily Brontë
Tess of the D'Urbervilles — Thomas Hardy

1900s
The Fire Next Time — James Baldwin
A Room of One's Own — Virginia Woolf

[Robin P, Orbicular Mod]

I guess it shows my age, but I basically forgot about the 21st century. I rarely hear anyone say things like, “here in the 21st century “, the way we used to have Twentieth Century Fox, the Twentieth Century Limited, etc. I read a lot of books set in the 19th and 20th centuries, but I have a few from the 18th as well. I tend not to read many books from ancient and medieval times. But I just remembered the excellent historical mysteries by Ruth Donnie that start with Medicus, set in 2nd century Roman Britain. I have several of those left to read.

[Kelly]

I wanted my three picks to have a common thread so I’ve decided on books that have “woman” in the title.

19th century - The Woman They Could Not Silence by Kate Moore

20th century - The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

21st century - Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica

[Sarah]

I am going to go with different variations of Sherlock Holmes.
So:
- original setting
- modern day
- alternate universe/timeline, so I am counting it.

[Maple]

I did not have any specific reason for picking these books; they fit into the prompt, and I already owned them. These were books I had been waffling about reading, so these prompts gave me a reason to commit to them finally. I guess that's as good of a reason as any :)

21st Century - No Bad Deed
20th Century - Girl in the Blue Coat
17th Centruy - The Mercies



No Bad Deed:
Driving home one rainy night, Cassie Larkin sees a man and woman fighting on the side of the road. After calling 911, the veterinarian makes a split-second decision that will throw her sedate suburban life into chaos. Against all reason and advice, she gets out of her minivan and chases after the violent man, trying to help his victim. When Cassie physically tries to stop him, he suddenly turns on her and spits out an ominous threat: “Let her die, and I’ll let you live. And this will change her life.”


Girl in the Blue Coat:
Amsterdam, 1943. Hanneke spends her days procuring and delivering sought-after black market goods to paying customers, her nights hiding the true nature of her work from her concerned parents, and every waking moment mourning her boyfriend, who was killed on the Dutch front lines when the Germans invaded. She likes to think of her illegal work as a small act of rebellion.

On a routine delivery, a client asks Hanneke for help. Expecting to hear that Mrs. Janssen wants meat or kerosene, Hanneke is shocked by the older woman's frantic plea to find a person - a Jewish teenager Mrs. Janssen had been hiding, who has vanished without a trace from a secret room. Hanneke initially wants nothing to do with such dangerous work, but is ultimately drawn into a web of mysteries and stunning revelations that lead her into the heart of the resistance, open her eyes to the horrors of the Nazi war machine, and compel her to take desperate action.

Beautifully written, intricately plotted, and meticulously researched, Girl in the Blue Coat is an extraordinary, gripping novel from a bright new voice.


The Mercies:
After a storm has killed off all the island's men, two women in a 1600s Norwegian coastal village struggle to survive against both natural forces and the men who have been sent to rid the community of alleged witchcraft.

Finnmark, Norway, 1617. Twenty-year-old Maren Bergensdatter stands on the craggy coast, watching the sea break into a sudden and reckless storm. Forty fishermen, including her brother and father, are drowned and left broken on the rocks below. With the menfolk wiped out, the women of the tiny Northern town of Vardø must fend for themselves.

Three years later, a sinister figure arrives. Absalom Cornet comes from Scotland, where he burned witches in the northern isles. He brings with him his young Norwegian wife, Ursa, who is both heady with her husband's authority and terrified by it. In Vardø, and in Maren, Ursa sees something she has never seen before: independent women. But Absalom sees only a place untouched by God and flooded with a mighty evil.

As Maren and Ursa are pushed together and are drawn to one another in ways that surprise them both, the island begins to close in on them with Absalom's iron rule threatening Vardø's very existence.

Inspired by the real events of the Vardø storm and the 1620 witch trials, The Mercies is a feminist story of love, evil, and obsession, set at the edge of civilization.

[Joy D]

I read this book for one of the 3 centuries. It is set in 7th century Ireland:
Haven by Emma Donoghue - 4* - My Review

[Joy D]

Read this one for one of the 3 centuries. It is set in 11th century France, Italy, and Middle East:
The Convert by Stefan Hertmans - 4* - My Review (11th century)

[Sheena]

I'm struggling to chose a direction for this one. It's been really helpful to read through what everyone else is planning. You all have some really interesting ideas.

[Hannah]

I'm thinking about doing science fiction for each century. I could choose a time travel story (I already was planning to read Doomsday Book soon, which involves time travel to the 14th century), a alternate history/present sci fi (I just read one that would work perfectly — The Psychology of Time Travel, set in an alternate timeline 20th/21st century — but used it for a different prompt), and a future sci fi. The only tricky thing is that not all books set in the future are clear about exactly what century it is (or the future has a different calendar system), and I wouldn't want to pick one that didn't have a definite date. This can be tricky to identify before you read the book!

[JessicaMHR]

My choices

1. The Hacienda (1800's)
2.
3.

I'll update as I fill it in.

[Erica]

To Be Taught, If Fortunate by Becky Chambers is set in the future 2080-2100.

[Bana AZ]

Sarah wrote: "I am going to go with different variations of Sherlock Holmes.
So:
- original setting
- modern ..."

I am intrigued by this choice.

[Jacqie]

First one for me: The Poisoner's Ring by Kelley Armstrong. Victorian era (19th century) Edinburgh. This is the second in a series and you should read the first book, A Rip Through Time, first. It's a Canadian police detective who somehow travels back through time and finds herself in the body of Victorian housemaid in Edinburgh. She ends up helping her doctor/undertaker employer solve crimes while trying to figure out how to get home. Said employer is a very attractive South Asian guy so interracial relationship could work here too.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

Sarah wrote: "I am going to go with different variations of Sherlock Holmes.
So:
- original setting
- modern ..."

Oooh very interesting take

[Marie (UK)]

For this 3 week task I read
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (18th Century)
Letters from Skye (20th Century)
Lady MacBethad (11th Century)

[NancyJ]

Chrissy wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "I really like this prompt, and I'm looking forward to seeing the books and themes people pick. I think I'll save my futuristic and multi-century books for other prompts, and focus on..."

Thanks Chrissy, I just saw your note. This could fit.

[Samantha]

I didn't link my books with any theme. I actually ended up DNFing 3 books while completing so it was a challenge enough just to find books I wanted to finish.

I ended up reading:
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan which is set in the 19th century - very enjoyable
Carrie Soto Is Back - which is set in the 20th century - was shocked at how much I liked this
Reckless Girls - which is set in the 21st century - this was enjoyable but mostly forgettable.

[Anne]

I will be reading some books I have in but have connected them by being about high born women with scandal attatched to them, and they are all non-fiction.

Katherine Swynford by Alison Weir set in the 14th century.

Elizabeth and Leicester by Sarah Gristwood set in the 16th century.

The Viceroy's Daughters by Anne de Courcy set in the 20th century

[Andrea]

I plan to read books set in the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. For the 19th century, I read Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. For the 20th century, I read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.

[Sherri]

I read The Marriage Portrait. 16th Century.
The Dovekeepers. 70 C.E.
Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.
19th Century.

[Severina]

For my first book I read Burn by Patrick Ness, set in the 20th century (1957)

For my second book I read Better than Hex by Annabel Chase, set in the 21st century (2017)

For the third book I read Dark Rise by C.S. Pacat, set in the 19th century (1821)

[Wendy]

I decided to challenge myself with some older books from the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries:

- In Praise of Folly by Erasmus (1500s)
- A Journal of the Plague Year by Daniel Defoe (1600s)
- The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling by Henry Fielding (1700s)

I've finished In Praise of Folly, and I'm more than halfway through Tom Jones so far.

[Ashley Marie]

I'm making good progress with The Count of Monte Cristo, which will fill one slot (19th century). Beyond that, I'm contemplating the following:

The Pillars of the Earth - 12th
The Name of the Rose - 14th
Fall of Giants - 20th
The Clan of the Cave Bear - Stone Age / prehistory

[Pamela, Arciform Mod]

This is way too easy of a prompt, so I've added a common theme to the books. Since I moved to Salem in Jan, I'm reading books that take place there in 3 different centuries:

17th Six Women of Salem: The Untold Story of the Accused and Their Accusers in the Salem Witch Trials (I've asked several people for the best witch trials book and they all recommend this one)
19th The Peabody Sisters: Three Women Who Ignited American Romanticism
20th The Lace Reader

[Tracy]

For my 3 centuries books, this is what I plan on reading:


1) 19th & 20th C: Kindred by Octavia Butler read
2) Medieval Times: The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Science by Seb Falk
3) Future: A People's Future of the United States: Speculative Fiction from 25 Extraordinary Writers edited by Victor LaValle & John Joseph Adams (short stories by 25 authors)

[Stacey]

The first of the books set in various centuries that I read was The House of Fortune by Jessie Burton. The story is set in the early 18th century. I found it both repetitive and boring and the main character of Thea was largely unlikable.

For my second book, I read Esi Edugyan's Washington Black set in the 19th century. The novel starts out in Barbados and moves globally: we find the title character in the Arctic, Nova Scotia, London and finally, Morocco. The book also covers a lot of territory in terms of subject matter, some of which is a bit too unbelievable...but yet, it makes for an interesting, innovative, "what if?" sort of read.

My final book was Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich, a dystopian novel set in our 21st century or later. Weighed down by too many characters and some bad prose, the story meandered and in the end, proved disappointing.

[Jackie, Solstitial Mod]

I just finished my trio of historical mysteries set in medieval monasteries/convents: The Hermit of Eyton Forest (set in 1142), The Novice's Tale (set in 1431), and Dissolution (set in 1573). When I was planning for this prompt, I was just hoping these books had reasonably clear historical settings to assign them to centuries. I was so surprised to find that all three had specific years! Beyond being fun mysteries with good characters, it was interesting to see how the backgrounds of the cultural shifts affected things. I'm glad I read them all in a row like this because it really brought the details into sharp focus.

[[deleted user]]

15. The Making of Oliver Cromwell - 3 stars
16. In the Shadow of Vesuvius: A Life of Pliny - 3.5 stars

[Pam]

This will likely be a default prompt (i.e. books that don’t fit elsewhere) for me for 2 books. I was going to do a theme but I’m going to keep it easy. The book I’m currently reading is perfect for the 19th century so I will slot it there! The Alienist and Other Stories of Nineteenth-Century Brazil by Machado de Assis. So far it’s really good and an easy, enjoyable read.