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Leni's going to try harder at Bingo in2023
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Under constructionBingo plan:
B1: So many options
B2: Definitely Kristin Lavransdatter. This is the year.
B3: Madam Bovary? The Leopard? Bel-Ami? The Princess of Cleves? Siddhartha? Wittgenstein's Nephew? Invisible Cities? Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts?
B4: Tricky... might need to do some research
B5: lol Let's see... probably Barchester Towers
I1: The War of the Worlds? A Clockwork Orange? Things Fall Apart? The Leopard? One Flew Over the Cockoo's Nest? In Cold Blood? I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings? Madam Bovary? Doctor Zhivago? One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich? Cold Comfort Farm? The Once and Future King? Midnight's Children? Stoner? Ok, I'll stop there.
I2: Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
I3: Weaveworld or Misery or Rosemary's Baby
I4: Cold Comfort Farm, or Breakfast of Champions, or something by Tobias George Smollett
I5: The Secret History, or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy or Beloved
N1: Their Eyes Were Watching God? For Whom the Bell Tolls?
N2: Western?!? Not sure about this.
N3:
N4: Something John Le Carré, or maybe No Name by Wilkie Collins
N5: Things Fall Apart or The Thorn Birds
G1: Plato's Symposium or Snow Crash by Neil Stephenson, or We by Yevgeni Zamyatin, maybe?
G2: The Princess Bride or King Solomon's Mines
G3: I, Claudius. Or I can split Kristin Lavransdatter into its three books and count one of B2 and another for G3.
G4: The Wild Shore or Hyperion or The Island of Doctor Moreau or The Silmarillion or The Forever War or Stranger in a Strange Land or The Long Tomorrow or... ok I have a long list.
G5:
Someone else wanted some ideas for B4 so I made a short list.The Moon and Sixpence by W. Somerset Maugham
Don't Look Now by Daphne du Maurier
Protagonist is a fresco restorationist.
A Dog of Flanders
Young boy aspires to become an artist. Free download on Gutenberg:
gutenberg.org/ebooks/7766
The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey
A semi-historical mystery focusing on a portrait painting.
Nice, thank you Klowey! I like Daphne du Maurier so that one is definitely a good option.
When it comes to the westerns, think outside the box and you can bring in Comac Mcarthy and John Steinbeck. I went with The Time It Never Rained. When I read the description, I knew it was the one for me!
Cormac McCarthy was actually the first name that occurred to me, along with Louis L'amour. lol I read No Country for Old Men last year, and I think won't be ready for another McCarthy for a while yet. Larry McMurtry might be an option for me though. Or, if we're thinking outside of the box, Willa Cather's My Antonia is set on the prairie. Or something by Dee Brown.
Lots of great titles, as always ;O)I’ve only ever read True Grit in the western genre and I did love it. It is a Bildungsroman too... I must admit I am tempted by Butcher's Crossing.
For Western, I plan to read Wallace Stegner, but Dee Brown sounds good. So glad to see you playing Leni, and really look forward to what you think of Kristin.
Mod
I have so many books that have been on my tbr, and often on my actual bookshelves at home, for years. So I have many options for most categories :P I'm trying to do all my challenges from books I already own this year, and I think it's only the Western prompt and maybe the Art one that will require me to buy or borrow something new.
Ok, first book done. The Silence of the Lambs. It didn't actually occur to me until I had finished it that as it was the 25th anniversary edition, and even that came out a several years ago, it is actually old enough to be a classic. I hesitated a bit whether to put in in the horror/gothic category or the mystery/thriller, as I mostly see it as a psychological thriller but I think it has enough horror elements. And it seems to be classified as both horror and thriller. So I pick horror, but I guess I can always move it later if I need to.
Mod
Isn't it just! My kids are calling the kinds of clothes I wore in my late teens and early 20s "vintage fashion". lol
Great start. The Silence of the Lambs is the best novel from Hannibal series for me!
I liked Red Dragon (the book, didn't see the movie of that name but did see Manhunter). I liked the Silence of the Lambs more (both book and movie). From what I've read about book three and four, I don't think I'll want to read them, (or watch the Hannibal movie). I did watch the Hannibal series and enjoyed that, but it definitely had nothing to do with the book series beyond the character concepts!
Aw, I didn't like Red Dragon too much. About the same level as Hannibal (3rd part). The Silence of the Lambs seemed better against their background. And the origin is completely beyond me. Lol
Wow--Silence of the Lambs is some way to start the year, Leni! I did a double-take at 25 years. Seems like 10 tops. :-(
25 years... Hold on, I read it in 1991. I remember because I had just arrived in England as an au pair, and ended up reading through the night, as you do :O) Never felt like reading the rest although I really liked this one, and the film of course.
Which makes it over 30 years now! Yikes.
I4 - Classic comedy, satire, or humour: The Way of All Flesh by Samuel Butler. Although I might move this to Classic Involving Art.
Making progress. Misery by Stephen King goes to Book published 1950-1999, since I have already filled the horror category.Wild Swans - Three Daughters of China fulfills the classic (auto-)biography/memoir prompt.
And Wittgenstein's Nephew involves art. Mostly music and theatre, but also Art in general.
It's all B and I so far! Maybe I should just finish those before looking at the other letters.
Excellent progress! And glad to see you liked all of those, Leni.
I've been really busy reading longlist books for the Women's Prize for Fiction, and lately also with my culturally mandated Easter Crime reading. But I have room for a murder mystery on the bingo board, so N4 goes to
I have been a fan of the Thin Man movies, especially the first one, for years, and while there are some differences between book and movie, I kept seeing (and hearing) William Powell and Myrna Loy as I read, and it was fabulous good fun.
I've also read another satire (not related to my crime or longlist reading), but fortunately it was in translation so it goes on O4.
is actually perfect for this prompt. It is an English translation of a work written in German by Brecht, based on his Threepenny Opera, which is basically a German translation (that Brecht stole from his girlfriend and passed off as his own, with the addition of some French songs, the translations of which he stole from someone else) of the Beggar's Opera, which was written in English as a satire over Italian opera. Whew. Definitely a work in translation.
Impressive, Leni--you're ticking them off! How interesting about the Brecht! And I'm glad you enjoyed the Thin Man. I loved the movies, but unfortunately not the book. And how interesting about the Brecht!
This year has been something, and we've just moved to another town, to the city really, and with everything that entails I think it's going to stay stressful for a while. I have pretty much abandoned all thought about the challenge buffet, but I will stick with the Bingo. I haven't updated for a while but I've read some great books!I doubt I'd have read Lonesome Dove if I didn't need a western for Bingo. At least I wouldn't have read it this year. It's a serious chunkster. And a western. And it was absolutely marvelous! It's all about the characters, and the characters are, well, they're each of them quite a character, to put it that way. Definitely one of my best reads of the year, might go down as a long time favourite.
Another five star read: All Quiet on the Western Front. No this one I have no excuse not to have read earlier. Wow. Using that for book published 1900-1950.
Let's see, what else... Classic of Asia: The Honjin Murders. I'm enjoying that whole series. They're definitely inspired by Agatha Christie, but very Japanese.
Classic Fantasy or Science Fiction: The Midwich Cuckoos (although I'd argue that's at least as much horror as anything else, especially if you have a womb). That gives me my first Bingo on this board. Yay! All the 4s done.
Classic of Europe: Invisible Cities. That one was just ok.
Classic of the Americas: Their Eyes Were Watching God - I thought I would like that one more than I did. I didn't dislike it, but it felt more like one of those books that you should read because it is important, and because it was astonishingly innovative and different and impressive to have a WoC write like that at that time. But I found it a bit boring.
Currently reading Siddhartha for I1 - group bookshelf prior to 2023
Next up Kristin Lavransdatter for Classic written in my language. At last! I really meant to read that early in the year, actually I meant to read it last year. But I'm just finishing up a biography about Sigrid Undset and now I'm eager to actually get to it.
That's another chunkster, and I plan on a break after book 1 to read Madam Bovary for Book published before 1900. After that we'll see.
You've read a lot of good ones. Well done! I hope you enjoy Siddhartha; I'm fond of that one. I'll be curious to hear what you think of the first book of Kristin Lavransdatter. That one's been on my list for a long time, although I would need to read it in translation.
Wobbley wrote: "You've read a lot of good ones. Well done! I hope you enjoy Siddhartha; I'm fond of that one. I'll be curious to hear what you think of the first book of Kristin Lavransdatter. That one's been on m..."They made us read the first book of Kristin Lavransdatter in high school. A setting and age that pretty much guarantees the reader will dislike it. It has taken me over 25 years to get back to it, but I really don't think that's the book's fault.
You have excellent taste!How did you like "Wittgenstein's Nephew"? I've read "Concrete" and really liked Bernhard.
Moving is horrid. Good job reading what you have! I loved Kristin, so hope it goes better for you this time. And Madame Bovary too--I'll be watching for your reactions to these. :-)
Klowey wrote: "You have excellent taste!How did you like "Wittgenstein's Nephew"? I've read "Concrete" and really liked Bernhard."
I really liked it. I've also read Old Masters by Bernhard, which I think I slightly preferred. I like his style and will definitely read more by him.
I can only relate too well on the stressful nature of moving. Hope life is more settled now, or getting there.Congrats on the bingo!
Really want to get to Lonesome Dove. Somehow lately I’m attracted to long books, which is problematic.
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
Our Town (other topics)The Murder of Roger Ackroyd (other topics)
Men and Things Russian: Or, Holiday Travels in the Lands of the Czar (other topics)
Siddhartha (other topics)
Their Eyes Were Watching God (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Thornton Wilder (other topics)Wallace Stegner (other topics)
Aiming for Blackout
B I N G O
O O O X O
X O O X O
O O O X O
O O O O O
X X X X O
⎷ B1: Book Published 1950 - 1999 - Misery ****
B2: Classic written in your native language
⎷ B3: Classic of Europe - Invisible Cities ***
⎷ B4: Classic involving art - Wittgenstein's Nephew ****
B5: Classic from your bookshelf
⎷ I1: Book from the Group’s Bookshelf Prior to 2023 - Siddhartha ***/*
⎷ I2: Classic biography/autobiography or memoir - Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China ****
⎷ I3: Classic horror or gothic - The Silence of the Lambs ****
⎷ I4: Classic comedy, satire, or humor - The Way of All Flesh ****
I5: Book from the group’s Favorites of 2022
⎷ N1: Classic of the Americas - Their Eyes Were Watching God
⎷ N2: Classic Western - Lonesome Dove *****
⎷ N3: Reader’s Choice - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd *****
⎷ N4: Classic mystery or thriller - The Thin Man *****
N5: Classic of Africa or Oceania
G1: Classic from a group poll that did not win
G2: Classic action or adventure
G3: Classic history or historical fiction
⎷ G4: Classic fantasy or science fiction - The Midwich Cuckoos ***
G5: Book from the Group’s 2023 Bookshelf
⎷ O1: Book Published before 1900 - Men and Things Russian: Or, Holiday Travels in the Lands of the Czar ***
⎷ O2: New-To-You Classic Author - Thornton Wilder Our Town ****
⎷ O3: Classic of Asia - The Honjin Murders ****
⎷ O4: Classic in translation - Threepenny Novel ****
⎷ O5: Book Published 1900 - 1949 All Quiet on the Western Front *****