Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
Question of the Month 2025
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November 2024 What have you learned from your Challenges this year?
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Lynn, New School Classics
(last edited Oct 31, 2024 01:05PM)
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Oct 31, 2024 12:42PM
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1. I spent time reading Modern Literature short stories. Examples of authors from this genre would be Katherine Mansfield, James Joyce, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and many more. It's not my favorite genre, but it is a genre I knew very little about.
2. Since I was uncertain if I still liked fantasy, I deliberately read three more fantasy books this month. I also started a fantasy shelf and went back to label books from previous years. I was surprised to see that books are rarely just "fantasy". Usually the books are fantasy + something else. Examples:
> Mary Poppins Fantasy + Children's Literature
> The King Must Die is Fantasy + Historical novel + Mythology
> The Queen of Air and Darkness and Other Stories is Fantasy + Science Fiction + Mythology
My conclusion is that I still like Fantasy, but am just tired of Young Adult books.
If I learned anything, it's that challenges are too stifling to my reading habits.For years on GR I've spent the month of December planning what challenges I want to take on the next year and planning what books to read. Then, as the new year progressed, I found myself putting aside titles I wanted to read in favor of books I needed to read for my challenges.
I'm not a speed reader. I can read between 50 and 80 books a year.
I don't have an e-reader. I don't need to carry 3500 books around in my back pocket. I don't have a short attention span--I'm not going to start a book and 30 minutes later decide I'm not interested and start something else. I don't LISTEN to books. That's not READING to me.
I'm old-fashioned that way, and quite behind the times. I'm okay with that.
This year, I decided to just start reading the books I wanted to and in March picked a Blackout/Bingo challenge that I could fit most my books read into. I finished it in August of this year and relished the idea of having 4 months to just read what I want. I found some mini/seasonal challenges to complete, and that was nice.
I'm ending the year in a good place.
Mod
For years on GR I've spent the month of December planning what challenges I want to take on the next year and pla..."
Great attitude Squire. I agree that reading what you like is better than pushing those books aside just for a checkmark on a Challenge.
Mod
I enjoy planning the most,too! My favorite challenges are the A-Z author & book challenges. Since I keep multiple works listed for all of the letters, I can choose what fits my mood best as the year goes. Also something that helps me not overcommit when planning is keeping in mind that I only read about 100 books a year.
I think I'm getting closer to the point Sara explains, but I'm not there yet. What I hope I learned this year is it's possible to enjoy the planning without committing to the challenges. I have ideas for next year that I think will help steer me in the direction of reading what I want versus getting too influenced by the prompts, while still taking advantage of the fun. Fingers crossed!
Mod
I love planning the challenges too, but I've learned I need to be flexible. I think for next year's challenges, I'm going to try to plan at least 2 options for each category, so I don't get stuck if a book doesn't work for me. I guess that's similar to Annette's approach.
I like giving myself challenges, it makes reading so much more fun
I am thinking about not pre-planning the century challenge but instead, use it to record my reading. If I end up with 10 books in the 1950s and none in the 1920s, that's ok.
Mod
Wobbley--I always plan multiple books to choose from. I think what makes The Old and New such a hard challenge is that you are not allowed to change up. I always pick my entries there very carefully and now I make sure the alternatives are by authors I know I love.
Mod
That is exactly how I use most of my challenges. I like to read one or two monthly group reads and pick up books as others talk about them. I just can't read that way and still read a set list of pre-planned books.
That being said, I sometimes could come up with a list of 20 books that I want to read right now! Of course that is impossible. So having a broad direction in a challenge sometimes helps me narrow down from 20 books to only 1,
Sara wrote: "Wobbley--I always plan multiple books to choose from. I think what makes The Old and New such a hard challenge is that you are not allowed to change up."Yes, that's actually why I've stopped doing the New & Old TBR -- it doesn't work for me. Even with being able to change up the others, I still find some of them quite hard. For example, the decade challenge, where you need to pick a book from a specific year, can be quite a challenge if the book I picked isn't one I want to finish. That's why I've decided to not set up the challenges unless I have a couple of options I'm genuinely interested in for each year or category. I'm not surprised you're smart and experienced enough to be doing that already! :)
Mod
I guess I'm having a different reaction to challenges than many of you. I'm very much a mood reader and I rarely finish books if they aren't working for me, but I also tend to do a lot of rereading and sometimes "play it too safe". I love challenges because they push me out of my comfort zone and I often find really good new books/authors. And if I don't love them, there's still satisfaction in knowing that I gave them a try. For example, this year I wanted to read more ancient lit, so I used the Decade/Century/Millennium Challenge to do that. Only two of those books were rereads, and I saved my favorite for last, (well almost, still waiting on an ILL), There were two books I didn't enjoy, but they were short so I finished them. But I also found three or four top favorite books that I would never have tried otherwise, and I look forward to rereading them. So that's a big win to me.
I'm also happy when a challenge makes me finally pick up a book I've been wanting to read for a while but keep passing on, like Our Mutual Friend, which is turning out to be one of the best books I've ever read, or Cold Comfort Farm, which was hilarious.
Then there are the books I read when I'm desperate, that I end up enjoying, like Anne Finch's Miscellany Poems. There was some really good poetry in there, and I also loved learning about her life. in the early 1700s.
I'll admit, though, that I'm a fast reader and have had lots of time to read. I'm actually hoping that will be changing soon, so next year I may have a lot less free time. I'll probably have to be happy not finishing every challenge I start, which will require a different mindset. But I love planning, hunting down books, and stretching myself in my reading when I do challenges and can't imagine never having any going. I also make up my own to fit my goals and moods, which is fun, too.
I don’t know if I’ve learned much. The biggest challenge I’ve taken on was a BINGO challenge, and honestly I mostly just filled it up with books I was reading for other reason. I think I took on maybe two books specifically for it, and that’s to get a total blackout.The other challenge I’ve done has been a nonfiction award nominees challenge, which I’ve set for myself the past couple of years, and the readings for it this year turned out to be quite good.
I have definitely become a more solid scheduler this year. I use Excel spreadsheets (and a pretty simple Python script) to really nail things down. Most of my reading is audiobooks (which I absolutely do regard as reading); the nice part about that is that I know fairly precisely how long each one will take, and I know roughly how many hours per week I’ll have for listening. So without having to devote much mental energy to it, I’m able to stay pretty well on schedule with everything. That helps with Book Club books that I want to finish before discussing, and has also helped me finish all my challenges without a mad rush in these last two months of the year. Much more consistent, generally.
I think I need to spend more time reading and less time on social media!
Mary wrote: “I think I need to spend more time reading and less time on social media!”Honestly, that’s part of what I’ve done. GoodReads is probably the most social-media–esque thing that I spend much time doing, these days. Facebook, Twitter, Tiktok, etc. are all just so mind-numbing or actively aggravating; I can’t tolerate them.
Mod
Your scheduling sounds lovely. I would think it would reduce stress and make reading more fun.
Mod
Perhaps I'm just hearing what I think, because this matches my thinking. I would add one more thing though. I do read more books and better books thanks to our Challenge structure. I would rather have a group of real people reading to influence me, than to have booksellers do all the influencing.
Mod
Me too! I have tried books which would have never been on my radar without the challenges.
Lynn wrote: “I would add one more thing though. I do read more books and better books thanks to our Challenge structure. I would rather have a group of real people reading to influence me, than to have booksellers do all the influencing.”I agree with that, and I think book clubs in general have the same effect. I like reading things that have been chosen for books of the month, etc. Even if the actual discussion turns out to be pretty brief or bland, I know that generally I’m reading better stuff this way.
Lynn wrote: "I would add one more thing though. I do read more books and better books thanks to our Challenge structure. I would rather have a group of real people reading to influence me, than to have booksellers do all the influencing."I 100% agree. I definitely do a lot more reading because of this group's challenge structure. I'm very grateful for it!
I've been pondering your question, Lynn, because I know I have to do something different next year for more reading joy. For the past few years, I have been a caregiver, and my reading time has dropped drastically. I was unable to finish Bingo last year, and I was very disappointed in myself. I was really determined to finish it this year. So as I usually do, I scheduled books that are on my list of top 100 classics. I also did the Old & New Challenge this year to force me to stick to at least 12 of my Must Reads. By October, I finished both challenges (but have not had time to write reviews for all of them yet). Part of me feels very proud that I accomplished those challenges, but the bigger part of me misses group reads and buddy reads. I love to read with others and share in great discussions.I do love challenges because they keep me focused, and if I have set a goal, then I will do everything I can to accomplish it. For 2025, I am toying with the idea of either doing a partial Bingo Challenge (the 9 inner squares maybe) or one of the shorter challenges in Bob's Challenge Buffet, which would include my Must Read Classics. This would free me up for more spontaneous reading with others. Now, if I can just stick to that plan. LOL
Your question came at a right time for me, Lynn... to re-evaluate what's important and doable at this stage of my life.
my challenges this year have revealed that after 10 years solid of reading over 100 classics per year, I am getting increasingly good at knowing which books I will like and which I won't.to wit:
my member's challenge and decades challenge I rather cheated by using books that I suspected I'd like to fill most of the slots, and "hey presto!" lots of high ratings :oD
whereas my main challenge included a lot of wading through "received wisdom" classics that I've either been putting off or just downright didn't fancy, and guess what? lots of low ratings and DNF's
that was mainly for English language stuff though, world literature is still holding up very well, I think cos there's a lot of that to find/explore myself rather than relying on English-centric "best of" lists
What I’ve learned this year is similar to prior years!1) Planning is fun and I get excited about reading specific books but the plan goes out the window almost immediately. I always find some terrific books, though, due to challenge prompts and reader’s recommendations.
2) I do have some success in reading books I own but they tend to be ones I’ve bought within the year, rather than ones I’ve had for years.
3) I think that participating in reading challenges does encourage me to read more and to finish more books. But, every year I wonder how would my reading change if I stopped doing challenges.
In 2025, I plan on approaching challenges differently including doing fewer and focusing more on some longer, challenging books. The one challenge in the buffet selection that I’m 100% interested in is pairing fiction and non-fiction books. I need to give more thought to the best approach overall. Like others have said, I’m also a mood reader so I never know what I’m going to want to read. I do know that ’m looking forward to another great year of reading in 2025!
Mod
I love this thought. Thank you for reminding me of what is important Shirley.
What have I learned from my challenges this year? Well, I too am a mood reader. I also love planning and lists. 1) This year my decade list went out the window. Instead, I end up using a different decade and books from my unplanned reading. So flexibility is important. Maybe I'll use that list some other time.
2) Before I participated in challenges or groups I spent a lot of time deciding what to read. I joined the Group in 2020 and I have never had to look for my next read. I already knew what I was going to read next. So listing down books I want to read in a particular year mostly helps me pick something from a smaller pool of books which is quicker than digging through my TBR, kindle or any of those must-read lists.
3) For the first couple of years I used books from the group shelf for the O&N challenge. This year I added books that I owned to the O&N instead of just those on the group shelf. This ensured I read some books that I owned and I really enjoyed Cloud Atlas which I wouldn't have read anytime soon if it wasn't on my O&N.
4) Asking for recommendations. I was stuck with one letter on my A-Z and after searching high and low (abandoning several books) I decided to ask a GR friend for recommendations and I found another one of my best reads of the year.
I don't read enough compared to others. It's crazy how much some people read.
Mod
It seems that planning our challenges is a favorite task for most of us. I think it is the most important part. It is through our planning we find books that are of interest to us. I never pick a book that I don't think I will be interested in reading. When searching for books to fill a challenge. I end up looking at lists of books most I have never heard of. I only pick the ones that have a synopsis that I find interesting. Looking back over the completed books this year, I have no regrets, all have been good. Many were not known prior to my planning. Of course I have also picked some "academic books." Books I should have read in high school but didn't. Or books I might have read in college, if I had attended. Most have been ok, some have been really good, others have made me glad I didn't go to college.
From the efforts of others who plan, and attempt challenges, I learn about more books that I may never have heard of and become interested in them. Some of the best books I have ever read, I learned about from other members challenge planning. Another thing is that when another member has picked a book that I've read and liked, I can offer positive encouragement. If they are a friend and they have selected a book I didn't like I can offer a word of caution.
Another thing I noticed is that members seem to have a love/hate relationship with the Old & New TBR. It is arguably our hardest challenge and was planned that way. It has one of the highest participation rates and one of the lowest completion rates. We all have books we have bought that are sitting on our shelf, stacked on a table, or stuffed under the bed. We bought them because we were interested in reading them. Before we picked it up to read something else grabbed our attention. As time goes by it starts to gather dust and it becomes easier to leave it on the shelf.
As a group we deal with books that are date ranged. I set up the challenge to require three books that are old school and three books that are new school and six from any date the member wants. The three alternates were set up because as our TBR gathers dust the book doesn't change, we as people do change. A book purchased with the I can't wait to read this attitude, over time may become a book we end up wondering what happened, this is terrible.
My using the words old school and new school may have been a mistake. It is the time frame that I wanted to convey, pre-1900, now 1915 for old, and between 1900-1999, now 1915-1999 for new. By using terms old and new I am afraid that some thought it meant books from the group shelf must be used. I know that some of the challenges speak to books from the group's bookshelf but those are exceptions. Our challenges are about what members find interesting and want to read and sharing that with others. Not trying to force group reads on people. While our group shelf is not overly big some members have been around long enough to have read most or all of the titles that interest them. For many members that fall into this category finding six books from our shelf is not practical. This unfairly handicaps their ability to participate in the old and new tbr.
I will correct the language for next years old and new challenge.
Bob, your post is very interesting with respect to terms “Old School” and “New School” with the dates currently associated with those names. Personally, to me, any book written more than 100 years ago is by definition “old school.” I recognize that the cut off is arbitrary, but that is how I view it. Thus any book pre-1924 (until December 31, 2024 and then advanced a year) would be old school. Similarly, “new school” would include books less than a hundred years old up to 25 years ago, also moving up a year as a year passes. This cut off is also arbitrary.There could be a category called Potential Contemporary Classics wherein the Group could decide if the more recent ones could be considered classic, by our votes and discussions. There have been books written in the last 25 years that have risen above the fray, but we would need to justify our nomination and let the group decide if it is worth reading. If chosen for a group read, the discussion would then answer the question, “Does this book rise to the level of a classic?”
I also think that there is a potential category called Ancient, which might be anything written before a chosen date, like anything arbitrarily older than say 300 or 500 years. To me, anything that is pre-Dickens seems ancient. These are just my own opinions, but I agree to the rules of the group.
My own learning about the challenges this year follow many of those mentioned by others, and are as follows.
I find I am less and less interested in the Group reads, and more interested in the Bingo and Buddy reads. I like the planning, but not necessarily sticking to it. I don’t tackle the Buffet because I prefer not to take on something I won’t finish, or at least come close to finishing. I read about 60 books a year on average, and don’t think that will increase. I am impressed with those who can devour more than that and still have a life! Lastly, for Bingo, even though I may plan, I tend to revise as I go.
Mod
Terry, you are reading my mind. Here's a small Bingo spoiler: the word Ancient can be found on one of the tasks. Also, you may like the time requirements or lack thereof we already planned.
Ooh, even a small spoiler is enough to get me excited about planning next year's challenges!
What a great thread. It's encouraging to hear that others have some of the same thoughts and "challenges". I am one who needs to be on social media less and read more. GRs is a way to get me to do that.I created a personal page from this group and that has been wonderful. I too try to combine fitting in books that are on my to-read list (many books I have in hardcopy, eBook, free PDF, audible) and that list seems to get longer, not shorter.
Since some others also want to read the books that have been on their to-read lists, maybe the challenges or BINGO could include things like:
- a classic book that you have owned for 10 years or more but haven't yet read
- the class book that you last purchased but haven't read
- a classic that you have wanted to reread but don't get around to
- a classic by your favorite author that you haven't yet read
- a classic that you started reading but didn't finish and want to get back to
Just some thoughts.
And thanks everyone for this fabulous group!!!
My main takeaway is one I've known for several years which is that I over-commit to too many challenges. I get very excited when the challenges come out in December and I love planning the books I could read. I love checking off each book I read for a few months then eventually I get irritated because I feel like I'm reading mostly for challenges. I tend to read less by whim and more to fit a prompt and they aren't always books I'm truly excited about. Each year I tell myself I will participate in fewer challenges and let myself be okay with not completing them, but I'm not always good at either of those resolutions. I have found amazing books that I wouldn't have otherwise read so I have no regrets for participating in challenges over the years. I will echo what Sara said that I now struggle to find books to fit some prompts because I've done challenges for so many years and the books I am now excited about don't necessarily fit. I am eager to see next year's challenges, but I am determined to participate in only one or two that really align with my current interests.
Laurie, you could try reading by whim, see what fits and fill in here and there. I find that I plan, I stray from the plan and then I come back every now and then with fresh eyes and alternative ideas.
Mod
Terry, I like your thoughts, but the group categories are pretty much set. We are working to streamline things a little. Time will tell if it works out. I like your potential classics idea and will work to add a buffet challenge based on newer books.
Sorry. you will have to check out the new buffet to see if I'm successful. By the way, the buffet is made up of individual challenges, pick none, one, or more the individual decides.
Terry wrote: "Laurie, you could try reading by whim, see what fits and fill in here and there. I find that I plan, I stray from the plan and then I come back every now and then with fresh eyes and alternative id..."I decided to do what you suggested when I created my 2024 challenges and then days later I found myself planning for some of the challenges. I love the planning, but I definitely deviate from the plans. But ultimately I need to be more judicious in choosing which challenges I do.
I do not worry about finishing the challenges anymore and choose what I want to read from them. The challenges are helpful when choosing a book.
Mod
Whatever you decide to do--have fun!
Bob, thanks for commenting. You understand, I wasn’t suggesting a change to this Group categories, just ruminating on my own thoughts about the categories. I find that I don’t participate in the Old School very much because my reading preferences tend towards the more recent past and definitely not on what I consider ancient. The Buffet might vary the type of book I read but I have some other priorities — book club selections, my Century challenge, some Buddy Reads, another GR Group, and reading some contemporary fiction. I have enough trouble getting to a Bingo blackout by the end of the year, that taking on the Buffet would probably only or mostly result in double entries (same book recorded in Bingo and Buffet), although I know people do that. I have learned that at 60 books a year is about all I can manage. Maybe, someday, when I retire….
Lots of interesting opinions here.Authors new to me challenge forces me to actually search for new ones, and it's usually the one I finish first for some reason. Fiction-nonfiction challenge is a hit or a miss. Sometimes the selections are wonderful, at other times not really. I'm in two minds about continuing this next year.
Old and New classics is my favourite. It gives me ample room for planning. But this year I've learnt not to get carried away by books other people recommend. I ended up dnf-ing or giving 1/2 stars to most of them like Swann's Way or Lady Tan's circle of women. On the other hand, I'm glad that some like The crime of Father Amaro and Death and the Dervish lived up to their reputation.
I will definitely focus more on French, German, and Mandarin literature along with some poetry in next year's challenges.
It is the tracking that does it, more than the goal-setting.
I don’t feel like my thoughts differ all that much. I really enjoy the planning portion and spend quite a bit of time going through my TBR lists I check out everyone else’s lists to - looking for books I’ve never heard of and to see who else is interested in the same books. I have found some incredible books thanks to this group and its members. I rarely come close to finishing any portion of the challenges. It used to bother me, but I’ve taken a different approach the last few years. Next year I plan on doing things in a similar fashion, but I would like to add 3 bigger works throughout the year. I hope to space them out and chip away at them. I usually add bigger works to my lists but shy away from them - I want to change that.
I also get sidetracked with new books follow my reading whims. I usually drift away from my challenges for a bit but end up checking back in. I feel like I ran out of time this year. I had such a plan for the last 2 months but just ran out of time.
I enjoy this group immensely and get a lot out of it. It pushes me to read those books I’ve been meaning to read - sometimes just a little slower than I would like. I’m looking forward to next years challenges and all the planning that does into it. Thanks to the Mods for keeping it going.
I love this group and its challenges! Planning is such fun, but I get easily distracted. I started strong, but not sure I read many classics by mid-year. The challenges have got me "back on track" and I'm so grateful as I've had so many great reads as a result.
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
Cloud Atlas (other topics)Mary Poppins (other topics)
The King Must Die (other topics)
The Queen of Air and Darkness and Other Stories (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Katherine Mansfield (other topics)James Joyce (other topics)
F. Scott Fitzgerald (other topics)
