Once again, I'm signing up for the Reading England 2016 Challenge, hosted by o of Behold the Stars. The challenge is to read a certain number of books set in different British counties throughout the years. I have no shortage of British books on my TBR shelves; the challenge for me will be to spread them out throughout the different counties. It can be a little tricky because some books are set in multiple counties, and county names and borders have changed over the years.
I'm signing up for Level 3, 7-12 counties. I finished books from seven different counties so far in 2015 so I think I can achieve that number next year as well. Here are the possible reads I've been able to match with particular counties:
Berkshire: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
Buckinghamshire: Lark Rise to Candleford by Flora Thompson
Cambridgeshire: Maurice by E. M. Forster
Cornwall: Basil by Wilkie Collins
Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier
Cumbria: Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransom
Dorset: Under the Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy
Thank You, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse
Gloucestershire: The Code of the Woosters by P. G. Wodehouse
Hertfordshire: Busman's Honeymoon by Dorothy Sayers
Kent: The Shuttle by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Darling Buds of May by H. E. Bates
The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham
The History of Mr. Polly by H. G. Wells
Lincolnshire: The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
A Dance to the Music of Time (First Movement) by Anthony Powell
Norfolk: Armadale by Wilkie Collins
Northamptonshire: Mistress Masham's Repose by T. H. White
Oxfordshire: Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley
Somerset: Every Eye by Isobel English
Black Sheep by Georgette Heyer
The Belton Estate by Anthony Trollope
Aunts Aren't Gentlemen by P. G. Wodehouse
Staffordshire: Adam Bede by George Eliot
Surrey: The Time Machine by H. G. Wells
Sussex: Mapp and Lucia by E. F. Benson
The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer
The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer
The Invisible Man by H. G. Wells
That turned out to be quite a list! There's no way I'll get through all of these but it was fun to search through Wikipedia (if you're interested, just search for "novels set in England by county.")
Anyone else signing up for the Reading England Challenge? What other challenges are you signing up for next year?
Oh, I'm glad this is happening again! I wanted to do it this year but didn't travel very far...
ReplyDeleteI think I completed 7 or 8 counties this year, I'd like to get to 10 or 12 next year but it might be tough.
DeleteI gave this challenge a whirl this year but my reading seems to centre around London's boroughs quite a bit of the time. It was fun though! And just wanted to say that I really enjoyed New Grub Street so hopefully you give it a go.
ReplyDeleteI definitely want to read New Grub Street! It's one of the last books on my Classics Club list so I'm hoping to read it in January or February. Thanks for the recommendation!
DeleteHow NEAT! I think one challenge is enough for me, but this sounds so fun! I'm actually hoping to go to England next year! :) I can't wait to look more closely at some of your selections. :)
ReplyDeleteI love your book choices. We have quite a few common books to be read/ or read already.
ReplyDeleteArpita
Well, I think I scheduled myself to read Mill on the Floss next year. Isn't that terrible that I cannot remember? Anyway, I'm only planning to read 6 for this challenge.
ReplyDeleteGood luck.
Hey, thanks for joining in again! Great list! I'm going for level 3 as well - got 10 books planned :)
ReplyDeleteGreat and ambitious list.
ReplyDelete