Time for another European Reading Challenge signup! As always, my goal is as many books as possible from my own shelves. The list is always tricky for me since the vast majority of the books on my TBR shelves are British, and I never seem to make any progress on my own bookshelves. Some of these overlap with books from other challenges.
Anyway, I'm signing up for the Five-Star (Deluxe Entourage) level. I have at least a dozen books from my own shelves I want to complete this year for the challenge:
Austria: Night Falls on the City by Sarah Gainham
France: Renoir, My Father by Jean Renoir
Germany: Kasebier Takes Berlin by Gabriela Tergit
Ireland: Castle Richmond by Anthony Trollope
Italy: The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante
Malta: The Sun in Scorpio by Margery Sharp
Monaco: The Gods Arrive by Edith Wharton
Netherlands: Amsterdam Stories by Nescio
Romania: They Were Counted by Miklos Banffy
Russia: Subtly Worded by Teffi
Sweden: Osebol by Marit Kapla
UK: The Half-Crown House by Helen Ashton
Is anyone else signing up for the European Reading Challenge? What are you reading?
This might be the challenge that actually gets me blogging regularly again! I'm always trying to read books off my one shelves (only 33 in 2021 -- not great!) so learning that Adam is reviving his TBR Pile Challenge definitely piqued my interest. Basically the idea is to pick 12 books off your shelves that you've owned for at least a year, and read them (you are allowed two alternates). You then post about them on your blog, and at the end of the year, anyone who finishes is eligible for a drawing. The prize is a $50 gift card for . . . more books! I have attempted this challenge several years and actually won the prize a few years ago!
Here is my tentative pile for the challenge, a mix of books I've owned forever (more than ten years for some of them!) and some I acquired more recently, though none less than a year ago:
This is the pile in list format, alphabetically by author. Alternates are listed at the end.
2. The Loved and Envied (1951) by Enid Bagnold. One of many unread Virago Modern Classics. Completed 7/24/22.
3. They Were Counted (1934) by Miklos Banffy. A big fat book in translation, just the sort of book I love.
4. Three Daughters of Madame Liang (1969) by Pearl S. Buck. A find from the basement bookstore at the Central Library in San Antonio.
5. Last Year When I Was Young (1974) by Monica Dickens. Rescued from the annual library sale, back when I worked at the San Antonio Public Library, probably around 2012. Completed 3/12/22.
6. My American (1939) by Stella Gibbons. One of the Vintage Classics reprints bought when I visited London in 2017.
7. The Peacock Spring (1975) by Rumer Godden. Bought off the $2 cart outside Alabaster Books in New York. Completed 1/29/22.
8. The World My Wilderness (1950) by Rose Macauley. Found on the donation cart at the Ramstein AFB library. I recognized the green Virago spine and snapped it up. Completed 5/24/22.
9. Titanic: First Accounts (2012) by Tim Maltin. Bought for its beautiful cover after I started buying Penguin Deluxe Classics.
10. Bethel Merriday(1940) by Sinclair Lewis. Found with a pile of vintage books in an antique mall in Ellicott City, Maryland, the cutest little town in America. Completed 8/24/22.
11. The Chequer Board (1947) by Nevil Shute. Also bought at John King Books in 2018, after I discovered Nevil Shute. Completed 1/18/22.
12. The Mountain Lion(1947) by Jean Stafford. Another library sale find, an NYRB Classic. Completed 3/20/22.
So, bloggers, have your read any of these? Which are must-reads, and which should I donate back to the library? And who else is signing up for the TBR Pile Challenge?
It's back! For the ninth year, I'm hosting the Back to the Classics Challenge, a year-long challenge in which participants are encouraged to finally read the classics they've always meant to read -- or just recently discovered. At the end of the year, one lucky winner will receive a prize $30 (US) in books from the bookstore of their choice. The rules and prize are the same as last year. Only the categories have changed.
If you're new to the challenge, here's how it works:
Complete six categories, and you'll get one entry in the drawing;
Complete nine categories, and you'll get two entries in the drawing;
Complete all twelve categories, and you'll get three entries in the drawing
Without further ado, here are the categories for 2022:
1. A 19th century classic. Any book first published from 1800 to 1899
2. A 20th century classic. Any book first published from 1900 to 1972. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1972 and posthumously published.
3. A classic by a woman author.
4. A classic in translation. Any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer.
5. A classic by BIPOC author. Any book published by a non-white author.
6. Mystery/Detective/Crime classic. It can be fiction or non-fiction (true crime). Examples include Murder on the Orient Express, Crime and Punishment, In Cold Blood.
7. A classic short story collection. Any single volume that contains at least six short stories. The book can have a single author or can be an anthology of multiple authors.
8. Pre-1800 classic. Anything written before 1800. Plays and epic poems, such as the Odyssey, are acceptable in this category.
9. A nonfiction classic. Travel, memoirs, and biographies are great choices for this category.
10. Classic that's been on your TBR list the longest. Find the classic book that's been hanging around unread the longest, and finally cross it off your list!
11. Classic set in a place you'd like to visit. Can be real or imaginary -- Paris, Tokyo, the moon, Middle Earth, etc. It can be someplace you've never been, or someplace you'd like to visit again.
12. Wild card classic. Any classic book you like, any category, as long as it's at least 50 years old!
So -- I hope everyone likes the categories! Remember, you do NOT have to read 12 books to qualify for the drawing! The rest of the rules also remain the same.
THE RULES:
All books must have been written at least 50 years ago to qualify; therefore, books must have been published no later than 1972 for this challenge. The only exceptions to this rule are books which published posthumously but written before 1972. Recent translations of classic novels are acceptable.
All books must be read during read from January 1 through December 31, 2022. Books started before January 1 do not qualify. All reviews must be linked to this challenge by 12:01 a.m. on January 1, 2023. I will post links the first week of January for each category, which will be featured on a sidebar of this blog for convenience through the entire year. (The link for the final wrap-up will be posted towards the end of the year, to avoid confusion).
The deadline to sign up for the challenge is April 1, 2022. After that, I'll close the link and you'll have to wait until next year's challenge. Please include a link to your actual sign-up post, not your blog URL/home page.Make sure you sign up in the Linky below, not the comments section. If I do not see your name in the sign-ups, you are not eligible. If you've made a mistake with your link, just add a new one and let me know in the comments. It's no trouble for me to delete an incorrect link.
Books may NOT cross over within this challenge -- that is, you may not count the same book multiple times within this challenge. You MUST read a different book for each category in this challenge, or it doesn't count.
Participants must post a wrap-up and link it to the challenge, and it must include links to all the books they've read for this challenge, specifying which books for each challenge. If I cannot confirm which books you've read for each challenge, I will not enter your name into the drawing. It is fine to rearrange books for the challenge, since many books can fit multiple categories -- just let me know in the final wrap-up!
The wrap-up post MUST include contact information so that I can contact the winner privately before announcing the winner on this blog. If your blog doesn't have a link, or if you have a Goodreads account, let me know in the comments of wrap-up post. If I cannot contact you, I cannot award you the prize!
The winner will be announced on this blog the first week of January, 2021. All qualifying participants will receive one or more entries, depending upon the number of categories they complete as stated above. One winner will be randomly selected from all qualifying entries. I will contact the winner privately and award the prize before posting on the blog.
The winner will receive a gift certificate in the amount of $30 (US) from Amazon.com (US) OR $30 in books from The Book Depository. Winners must live in a country that receives shipment from one of these online retailers. To check if your country receives deliveries from The Book Depository, click here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Can I read e-books and audiobooks for the challenge!
Absolutely! E-books and audiobooks are real books and are therefore acceptable.
Can I count this book toward another challenge?
Yes, definitely! As long as it's for another blogger's challenge, that's fine. You just can't count one book for two categories in this challenge.
Can I read more than one book by the same author!
Of course -- as many as you like by the same author, but again, only one category per book.
Can I read more than one book for each category? Well, yes and no. Many books can fit more than one category, so for example if you wanted to read only books by women authors, or books in translation, that would work, as long as they fit the criteria for that category, i.e., 20th century or humor/satire. But if you want three entries in the final drawing, you have to have one book for each category, not just repeat categories. Of course, you are NOT required to completed all 12 to qualify -- you just get less entries.
Are children's books okay?
Children's classics are acceptable, but no more than three total for the challenge! And please, no picture books.
What about short stories and poetry?
Single short stories and poetry collections do not count, but you may use full-length narrative poems (like The Odyssey) and short story collections such as The Canterbury Tales, as long as you read the entire book.
Do plays count?
For this year's challenge, plays will only count in the Pre-1800 Classic category.
Can I change the books from my original list on my sign-up post? What if a book counts for two different categories -- can I change it later? Yes! And you do NOT have to list all the books you intend to read in your sign-up post, but it's really fun if you do! You may certainly rearrange or change the books for this challenge, as long as you indicate it on your final wrap-up post. Do I need to read the books in order?
Not at all! Books may be read in any order. What if I don't have a blog?
If you do NOT have a blog and wish to enter, you need to link to individual reviews on a publicly accessible site like Goodreads. You can specify which categories in the comments section of the link to the Final Wrap-Up Post, or within each review. Do not simply link to your Goodreads account.
Can I use my vlog?
No. At the end of the year I have to tabulate all the entries, and I simply do not have enough time to watch videos. At this time, it has to be something in writing that is publicly accessible.
Is there a hashtag for social media?
Yes! If you'd like to talk about the Back to the Classics Challenge on Twitter, Instagram, or other Social Media, the hashtag is #BacktotheClassics2022
So what are you waiting for? Sign up in the Linky below! I'll be posting my tentative list of reads for the 2022 challenge in the next few days. I can't wait to see what everyone else will be reading!
Time for another Big Book Summer Challenge! I was so happy to find Suzan's challenge last year -- I finished ten big fat books, eight of which were from my own shelves. I've been trying to whittle away at the longest books at my TBR shelves. I'm down to about 25, and if all goes as planned I'll have finished half of them by the end of the summer. Here's what I have left to read:
Nonfiction: (11)
The Art of Eating by M. F. K. Fisher (749 pp)
Our Hidden Lives: The Remarkable Diaries of Postwar Britain by Simon Garfield (544 pp) Long Live Great Bardfield by Tirzah Garwood (495 pp) Trollope by Victoria Glendinning (551 pp) Slipstream: A Memoir by Elizabeth Jane Howard (528 pp) A London Family, 1870-1900 by Molly Hughes (600 pp) Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee (869 pp) Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford (744 pp)
Millions Like Us: Women's Lives in War and Peace, 1939-1949 by Virginia Nicholson (508 pp)
The Gray Notebook by Josep Pla (638 pp) [library book] Charles Dickens by Michael Slater (696 pp)
Novels: (8)
We Were Counted by Miklos Banffy (596 pp)
The Complete Claudine by Collette (656 pp) Painting the Darkness by Robert Goddard (608 pp) Bella Poldark by Winston Graham (688 pp) Penmarric by Susan Howatch (735 pp)
The Kellys and the O'Kellys by Anthony Trollope (537 pp)
Ralph the Heir by Anthony Trollope (770 pp) Marcella by Mrs. Humphrey Ward (560 pp)
Short Story Collections: (7)
Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens (680 pp)
The World Over: The Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham, Vol. II (681 pp) The Portable Dorothy Parker (626 pp) The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (495 pp) The Complete Stories of Evelyn Waugh (640 pp) The Collected Stories of Edith Wharton (640 pp) The Most of P. G. Wodehouse (701 pp)
I'd love to finish at least ten this summer -- I've already started The Art of Eating by M. F. K. Fisher, though it won't count for the challenge since I've been reading it off and on for a couple of months. My goal is to read at least three from each list. Last year I finished ten, but half of them were fiction, which is faster for me than nonfiction. I also ended up reading two books that weren't on my original list. Top of my list this year include Bella Poldark (final novel in the Poldark series), Edith Wharton's biography, the Maugham stories, and the Wodehouse stories.
Bloggers, which of these should I read first? And is there anything I should skip reading and just donate to my local Little Free Library? What big fat books are on your reading list this summer?
Two more great challenges for 2021! I'd love to read one per month from each of these lists which are books from my own TBR shelves. And of course some of them cross over and count for other challenges including my own Back to the Classics Challenge -- a win-win!
World War II Reading Challenge. Hosted by Becky's Book Reviews, it includes fiction and non-fiction, and basically includes any books written about or during the WWII era -- the war itself, leading up to the war, and the direct aftermath. Lots of choices from my TBR shelves! I don't have a lot of historical fiction but I definitely have quite a few books published during the era, and several nonfiction books I've been meaning to read.
Non-Fiction: Our Hidden Lives by Simon Garfield Long Live Great Bardfield by Tirzah Garwood A Good Place to Hide by Peter Grose Maman, What Are We Called Now? by Jacqueline Mesnil-Amar Millions Like Us by Virginia Nicholson Fashion on the Ration by Julie Summers Our Uninvited Guests by Julie Summers
Fiction: A House in the Country by Ruth Adam A Footman For the Peacock by Rachel Ferguson The Bachelor by Stella Gibbon Westwood by Stella Gibbon Chloe Marr by A. A. Milne The Chequer Board by Nevil Shute Ordeal by Nevil Shute (UK title: What Happened to the Corbetts) The Foolish Gentlewoman by Margery Sharp Growing Up by Angela Thirkell The Headmistress by Angela Thirkell Marling Hall by Angela Thirkell Miss Bunting by Angela Thirkell Peace Breaks Out by Angela Thirkell Love Among the Ruins by Angela Thirkell
Chunkster Challenge 2021. Hosted by Impressions in Ink, it's any book more than 450 pages. I still have my unfinished list from the Big Book Summer Challenge, and if I can read one from this list every month, it would cut my stack nearly in half. Here's what's left. Some of them could count for other challenges, as noted.
Nonfiction: Our Hidden Lives: The Remarkable Diaries of Postwar Britain by Simon Garfield (544 pp) (WWII Challenge) Long Live Great Bardfield by Tirzah Garwood (495 pp) (WWII Challenge) Trollope by Victoria Glendinning (551 pp) Slipstream: A Memoir by Elizabeth Jane Howard (528 pp) A London Family, 1870-1900 by Molly Hughes (600 pp) Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee (869 pp) Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford (744 pp) Charles Dickens by Michael Slater (696 pp)
Novels: T. Tembarom by Frances Hodgson Burnett (518 pp) The Complete Claudine by Collette (656 pp) (European Reading Challenge) Painting the Darkness by Robert Goddard (608 pp) Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge (571 pp) (Also counts for Back to the Classics) Bella Poldark by Winston Graham (688 pp) Penmarric by Susan Howatch (735 pp) The Little Ottleys by Ada Leverson (543 pp) The Macdermots of Ballycloran by Anthony Trollope (731 pp) (Classics Club) Ralph the Heir by Anthony Trollope (770 pp) (Classics Club) Marcella by Mrs. Humphrey Ward (560 pp) (Back to the Classics) Hudson River Bracketed by Edith Wharton (547 pp) (Classics Club) La Debacle by Emile Zola (536 pp) (Back to the Classics, European Reading Challenge)
Short Stories:
The Canterbury Tales retold by Peter Ackroyd (464 pp) (Back to the Classics)
Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens (635 pp) (Back to the Classics)
The World Over: The Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham, Vol. II (681 pp) The Portable Dorothy Parker (626 pp) (Classics Club, Back to the Classics) The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (495 pp) The Complete Stories of Evelyn Waugh (640 pp) The Collected Stories of Edith Wharton (640 pp) The Most of P. G. Wodehouse (701 pp) The Collected Stories of Stephan Zweig (720 pp) (European Reading Challenge)
WWII/Postwar Era Fiction
Mr. Skeffington by Elizabeth von Arnim
Tea is So Intoxicating by Mary Essex
Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge
English Climate: Wartime Stories by Sylvia Townsend Warner
Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens (680 pp)
So, quite a few choices! I could even try to read separate books for each challenge, without crossing over -- which would be another 24 books from the TBR shelves completed! Bloggers, which do you recommend from these lists?
Another challenge finished! I was hoping to make it to twelve countries, but I was never able to get past page 19 of my Russian book selection -- might have to keep it for 2021. But I visited eleven different countries for this challenge, and finished six books from my own shelves. Here's what I read, with links:
I loved nearly all the books I read for this challenge, but if I had to choose favorites, I'd have to pick Temptation, Every Eye, and Crossriggs, with In the Mountains as an Honorable Mention. And The Eighth Life! (didn't I say it was a great year? Tough to choose!). I'm definitely going to revisit some of my favorite countries in 2021 and hopefully some new ones as well -- in literature, since I can't go in person.
It's back! For the eighth year, I'm hosting the Back to the Classics Challenge, a year-long challenge in which participants are encouraged to finally read the classics they've always meant to read -- or just recently discovered. At the end of the year, one lucky winner will receive a prize $30 (US) in books from the bookstore of their choice. The rules and prize are the same as last year, only the categories have changed. This year, I've tried to come up with some fun categories -- I think we could all use as many fun and relaxing reads as possible!
If you're new to the challenge, here's how it works:
Complete six categories, and you'll get one entry in the drawing;
Complete nine categories, and you'll get two entries in the drawing;
Complete all twelve categories, and you'll get three entries in the drawing
Without further ado, here are the categories for 2021:
1. A 19th century classic: any book first published from 1800 to 1899
2. A 20th century classic: any book first published from 1900 to 1971. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1971 and posthumously published.
3. A classic by a woman author.
4. A classic in translation, meaning any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer.
5. A classic by BIPOC author; that is, a non-white author.
6. A classic by a new-to-you author, i.e., an author whose work you have never read.
7. New-to-you classic by a favorite author -- a new book by an author whose works you have already read.
8. A classic about an animal, or with an animal in the title. The animal can be real or metaphorical. (i.e., To Kill a Mockingbird).
9. A children's classic.
10. A humorous or satirical classic.
11. A travel or adventure classic (fiction or non-fiction). It can be a travelogue or a classic in which the main character travels or has an adventure.
12. A classic play. This is a work that was originally written for the stage. Plays will only count in this category.
So -- I hope everyone likes the categories, I tried to make them fun and as light as possible for next year. And of course, you do NOT have to read 12 books to qualify for the drawing! The rest of the rules also remain the same.
THE RULES:
All books must have been written at least 50 years ago to qualify; therefore, books must have been published no later than 1971 for this challenge. The only exceptions to this rule are books which published posthumously but written before 1971. Recent translations of classic novels are acceptable.
All books must be read during read from January 1 through December 31, 2021. Books started before January 1 do not qualify. All reviews must be linked to this challenge by 11:59 p.m. on January 1, 2022. I will post links the first week of January for each category, which will be featured on a sidebar of this blog for convenience through the entire year. (The link for the final wrap-up will be posted towards the end of the year, to avoid confusion).
The deadline to sign up for the challenge is March 31, 2021. After that, I'll close the link and you'll have to wait until next year's challenge. Please include a link to your actual sign-up post, not your blog URL/home page.Make sure you sign up in the below, not the comments section. If I do not see your name in the sign-ups, you are not eligible. If you've made a mistake with your link, just add a new one and let me know in the comments. It's no trouble for me to delete an incorrect link.
Books may NOT cross over within this challenge -- that is, you may not count the same book multiple times within this challenge. You MUST read a different book for each category in this challenge, or it doesn't count.
Participants must post a wrap-up and link it to the challenge, and it must include links to all the books they've read for this challenge, specifying which books for each challenge. If I cannot confirm which books you've read for each challenge, I will not enter your name into the drawing. It is fine to rearrange books for the challenge, since many books can fit multiple categories -- just let me know in the final wrap-up!
The wrap-up post MUST include contact information so that I can contact the winner privately before announcing the winner on this blog. If your blog doesn't have a link, or if you have a Goodreads account, let me know in the comments of wrap-up post. If I cannot contact you, I cannot award you the prize!
The winner will be announced on this blog the first week of January, 2021. All qualifying participants will receive one or more entries, depending upon the number of categories they complete as stated above. One winner will be randomly selected from all qualifying entries. I will contact the winner privately and award the prize before posting on the blog.
The winner will receive a gift certificate in the amount of $30 (US) from Amazon.com (US) OR $30 in books from The Book Depository. Winners must live in a country that receives shipment from one of these online retailers. To check if your country receives deliveries from The Book Depository, click here.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS: Can I read e-books and audiobooks for the challenge!
Absolutely! E-books and audiobooks are real books and are therefore acceptable.
Can I count this book toward another challenge?
Yes, definitely! As long as it's for another blogger's challenge, that's fine. You just can't count one book for two categories in this challenge.
Can I read more than one book by the same author!
Of course -- as many as you like by the same author, but again, only one category per book.
Can I read more than one book for each category? Well, yes and no. Many books can fit more than one category, so for example if you wanted to read only books by women authors, or books in translation, that would work, as long as they fit the criteria for that category, i.e., 20th century or humor/satire. But if you want three entries in the final drawing, you have to have one book for each category, not just repeat categories. Of course, you are NOT required to completed all 12 to qualify -- you just get less entries.
Are children's books okay?
Children's classics are acceptable, but no more than three total for the challenge! And please, no picture books.
What about short stories and poetry?
Single short stories and short poetry collections do not count, but you may use full-length narrative poems (like The Odyssey) and short story collections such as The Canterbury Tales, as long as you read the entire book.
Can I change the books from my original list on my sign-up post? What if a book counts for two different categories -- can I change it later? Yes! And you do NOT have to list all the books you intend to read in your sign-up post, but it's really fun if you do! You may certainly rearrange or change the books for this challenge, as long as you indicate it on your final wrap-up post. Do I need to read the books in order?
Not at all! Books may be read in any order. What if I don't have a blog?
If you do NOT have a blog and wish to enter, you need to link to individual reviews on a publicly accessible site like Goodreads. You can specify which categories in the comments section of the link to the Final Wrap-Up Post, or within each review. Do not simply link to your Goodreads account.
Is there a hashtag for social media?
Yes! If you'd like to talk about the Back to the Classics Challenge on Twitter, Instagram, or other Social Media, the hashtag is #BacktotheClassics2021
So what are you waiting for? Sign up in the Linky below! I'll be posting my tentative list of reads for the 2021 challenge in the next few days. I can't wait to see what everyone else will be reading!
Summer is officially over, and so is the Big Book Summer Challenge hosted by Suzan at Book By Book. I'm very pleased because I finished ten very long books this summer! Eight were from my original list, and two were e-books that I'd been wanting to read. Here's what I read:
Altogether I finished ten big fat books, seven in print, two on e-book, and one (mostly) audiobook:
Short Stories: (1) East and West: The Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham, Vol. I (955 pp)
Of course, some of these books were actually not as long as expected, due to margins, font size, illustrations, etc. The nonfiction books also had indices and appendices.
The longest book was The Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham, and the shortest was actually The Fruit of the Tree, though it doesn't look it. Altogether, my total number of pages read for this challenge: 7,113! (I also read some shorter books this summer to break it up).
I enjoyed all the books for the most part. I think my least favorite was Roughing It and my favorites were Temptation, The Warmth of Other Suns, and Imperial Palace. I still love big fat books and plant to keep reading them -- there's still almost 30 books left on my original list! I have some other challenges coming up this fall and hope to finish some more by the end of the year -- and some shorter books too.
Bloggers, how was your summer of reading? Did you finish any great big books, and what's on the horizon for your fall reading plans? And thanks again to Suzan for hosting, I hope we'll do it again next year!
What's better than a reading challenge to inspire another list? Hosted by Suzan at Book by Book, I hope this challenge will help me to clear off all those enormous books I still have on my shelves. According to my Goodreads list, I still have more than 30 books on my owned-and-unread shelves that I consider Big Fat Books, i.e., more than 500 pages long (or thereabouts). I've divided them into categories. Nonfiction: Our Hidden Lives: The Remarkable Diaries of Postwar Britain by Simon Garfield (544 pp) Long Live Great Bardfield by Tirzah Garwood (495 pp) Trollope by Victoria Glendinning (551 pp) Slipstream: A Memoir by Elizabeth Jane Howard (528 pp) A London Family, 1870-1900 by Molly Hughes (600 pp) Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee (869 pp) Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford (744 pp) Charles Dickens by Michael Slater (696 pp) Secrets of the Flesh: A Life of Colette by Judith Thurman (592 pp) Roughing It by Mark Twain (592 pp)
Fiction: Imperial Palace by Arnold Bennett (769 pp) T. Tembarom by Frances Hodgson Burnett (518 pp) The Complete Claudine by Collette (656 pp) Sketches by Boz by Charles Dickens (680 pp) Painting the Darkness by Robert Goddard (608 pp) Green Dolphin Street by Elizabeth Goudge (571 pp) The Twisted Sword by Winston Graham (544 pp) Bella Poldark by Winston Graham (688 pp) Penmarric by Susan Howatch (735 pp) Madame Solario by Gladys Huntington (493 pp) The Little Ottleys by Ada Leverson (543 pp) . . . And Ladies of the Club by Helen Santmyer (1176 pp) Temptation by Janos Szekeley (685 pp) John Caldigate by Anthony Trollope (656 pp) Ralph the Heir by Anthony Trollope (770 pp) Marcella by Mrs. Humphrey Ward (560 pp) The Fruit of the Tree by Edith Wharton (652 pp) Hudson River Bracketed by Edith Wharton (547 pp) La Debacle by Emile Zola (536 pp) Short Stories: East and West: The Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham, Vol. I (955 pp) The World Over: The Collected Stories of W. Somerset Maugham, Vol. II (681 pp) The Portable Dorothy Parker (626 pp) The Collected Stories of Katherine Anne Porter (495 pp) The Complete Stories of Evelyn Waugh (640 pp) The Collected Stories of Edith Wharton (640 pp) The Most of P. G. Wodehouse (701 pp) The Collected Stories of Stephan Zweig (720 pp) By my count, that's 37 books, and I don't even want to do the math to think of how many pages that is -- it could be an entire year's reading for me! I could just concentrate on reading long books all summer, but I still want to make my goal of 100 books, and I'm exactly on track right now. There are about 15 weeks this summer, if you count it as the period from Memorial Day to Labor Day (Memorial Day is early this year, and Labor Day is late, not until September 7). In theory I could probably finish one per week, if that's all I was reading, but I know that'll never happen! And I know that some of them will be much slower than others, like the Wharton biography which is more than 800 pages of tiny print, not including endnotes and the index -- it's a dense read. I can probably knock off most of the fiction books within a week each, but the nonfiction and short stories will be harder, especially since I tend to dip in and out of them, alternating with fiction. I'm not going to commit to any particular list at the moment, since I know I'll never stick to it. The only book I'm definitely going to read is Temptation by Janos Szekely -- it was a Mother's Day gift and I've already read a few pages, I'm already hooked and plant to dive into as soon as I finish my current read). So I guess my goal will be to simply read as many as possible, at least one from each category -- a lot of these books have been hanging around my TBR shelves forever and I should just suck it up and read them, or at least attempt -- if I'm not enjoying them, I'll donate them to the Little Free Library down the block, since the library is still closed.
Bloggers, what do you suggest from my list of Big Fat Books? Do you have any enormous books you've been putting off forever? And do you have any reading goals this summer?
Another challenge! But all of these are books that are already on the TBR shelves, or count for another challenge. How can I resist? Hosted by Rose City Reader, this challenge is a tour of Europe through reading, either books from European countries or set in European countries -- any kind of book is fine, they don't have to be classics -- it could even be a cookbook or a children's book. Participants can choose different levels of participation so there's no big commitment. But one lucky reader can win a prize at the end for the most countries visited! The only real rule is no more than one book per country. I'm signing up for the Five Star Level, at least five books. I'm pretty sure I can finish five books by European authors by the end of the year. Here's what's on my list so far: Austria: Chess Story by Stefan Zweig France: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (in progress!) Germany: The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann Hungary: They Were Counted by Miklos Banffy Ireland: The Real Charlotte by Edith Somerville and Violet Martin Italy: The Garden of the Finzi-Continis by Giorgio Bassini Russia: Crime and Punishment OR Brothers Karamazov by Dostoevsky Switzerland: In the Mountainsby Elizabeth von Arnim UK: The Belton Estate by Trollope OR East Lynne by Mrs. Henry Wood Ukraine: The Misunderstanding by Irene Nemirovsky I'd love to add more countries later but I really want to finish books from my own shelves or that fulfill other challenges, so I'll have to wait and see what I else I can count. Most of the books on my owned-and-unread shelves are British -- shocking, I know! I do want to read more world literature and I'm always looking for more books in translation. Has anyone else signed up for this challenge? And do you have any suggestions for books from other European authors? If you're interested, sign-ups are here.
Becky at Becky's Book Reviews is hosting another Victorian Reading Challenge and the way she's organized it is so fun and interesting I can't pass it up. There are two levels: the basic level is quarterly, just read one Victorian every three months -- easy peasy! The advanced level is still pretty easy, with eleven themed months and one bonus theme. And there's a lot of flexibility with the months, which is great since so many Victorians are real doorstoppers. Here are the themes and some possible books that would fit the challenge:
JANUARY/FEBRUARY: Journeys and Travels: The Time Machine by H. G. Wells (can also count this as my Genre Classic for the Back to the Classics Challenge).
FEBRUARY/MARCH: Love and Marriage: Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins. Sounds super-dramatic and sensationalist, which is always fun.
MARCH/APRIL: Second Chances. Maybe Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (I can also count this for my Abandoned Classic for the Back to the Classics Challenge). I got stuck about halfway through, maybe I should watch the miniseries and it will inspire me to actually finish the book. Or Les Miserables if I can finish it in time.
APRIL/MAY: Names as Titles: Victorian authors named a lot of books after people! Maybe Basil by Wilkie Collins or a bunch of others by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. There's also The Real Charlotte (also from my Back to the Classics list!) MAY/JUNE: Long Title or Long Subtitle. How about Harry Heathcote of Gangoil: A Tale of Australian Bushlife ? That's a long title, even for Anthony Trollope. There's also The Struggles of Brown, Jones and Robinson by One of the Firm and The Golden Lion of Grandpere. All of these are fairly obscure and there's not a single decent cover image online for any of them. At least they're all fairly short for Trollope.
JUNE/JULY: Adaptations. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy. There's a movie adaptation with Rufus Sewell, need I say more? JULY/AUGUST: Favorite Authors, New-to-Me Titles. Probably Elizabeth Gaskell, there are a few novellas and minor works that I haven't read yet. AUGUST/SEPTEMBER: Back to School: I didn't have many Victorians assigned in college and high school, which is why I've been reading so many as an adult. My choices are pretty limited so I'd have to go with Jane Eyre or Great Expectations. Or maybe The Awakening by Kate Chopin -- I didn't read it in school but I think it should be included in school curriculum.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER: Crime or True Crime. There are so many great nonfiction books that fulfill this category. I've been meaning to read The Five by Hallie Rubenhold.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER: Home and Family. Period Piece by Gwen Raverat, a memoir of her Victorian childhood (she was a granddaughter of Dickens); also A London Family, an omnibus by Molly Hughes. I've read the first volume but never got around to finishing the last two. I meant to read both of these last year for the TBR Pile Challenge but didn't finish that one either. NOVEMBER/DECEMBER: Comfort Reads. Pretty much anything by Anthony Trollope fits this category, or maybe Mrs. Oliphant. I loved Miss Marjoribanks and would love to read more in her Carlingford series. SUPER-BONUS: Bearded Authors. How to choose? I think Trollope has the most impressive beard of the Victorians. Maybe that's a good month to read his biography.
Anthony Trollope
Anyone else signing up for this challenge? What other Victorian novels and novelists do you recommend? And which novelist has the best beard?
