Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Below is my current list of possibilities. This is subject to change, of course. Certain authors are getting more focus than others--Kazuo Ishiguro, William Faulkner, Sam Shepard (who we lost in 2017), and others. I'm trying to work my way through the body of their works. I'm also trying to draft a literary period/movement challenge for myself, which I will track in the personal challenge folder. So! I kept that in mind while I was drafting this.

Bingo 2018 in List Form

✔ B1: Written by Nobel Laureate
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (10/05/2018) ★★★

✔ B2: Children’s Classic
The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle (01/28/2018) ★★★

✔ B3 Government Banned Book
The Story of Ferdinand] by Munro Leaf (09/13/2018) ★★★★★

✔ B4: Classic Made into a Film/TV
The Shining (02/16/2018) ★★★★

B5: Winner of a Foreign Literary Prize
An Artist of the Floating World
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Snow Country

✔ I1: 20th Century Classic
Psycho by Robert Bloch (07/01/2018) ★★★

✔ I2: New-to-You Author
The Machine Stops (12/8/2018)

✔ I3: Mystery or Crime Classic
The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (05/19/2018) ★★★★

✔ I4: Classic of More than 500 Pages
It by Stephen King (04/03/2018) ★★★★★

✔ I5: 18th Century or Earlier Classic
The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (10/27/2018) ★★

✔ N1: North American Classic
The Colossus and Other Poems by Sylvia Plath (10/20/2018) ★★

✔ N2: Classic Short Story
A Small, Good Thing by Raymond Carver (01/03/2018) ★★★★

✔ N3: FREE SPACE
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie (09/30/2018) ★★★★

✔ N4: Classic Play
True West by Sam Shepard (01/12/2018) ★★★★★

N5: African Classic
Xala
Death on the Nile (set in Africa)

✔ G1: 19th Century Classic
The Raven and Other Favorite Poems by Edgar Allan Poe (07/13/2018) ★★★

G2: Finest Works of Fiction (Martin Seymour-Smith & Editors)
Fathers and Sons
Absalom, Absalom!
War and Peace

G3: Adventure or Action Classic
The Lost World
The Count of Monte Cristo
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Casino Royale

✔ G4: Group Read
The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (08/26/2018) ★★★

✔ G5: 21st Century Potential Classic
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng (06/21/2018) ★★★★★

✔ O1: Literary Prize of Your Country/Region
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg (12/19/2018) ★★★★

✔ O2: Lesser known book by a famous author
Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien (12/29/2018) ★★★★

✔ O3: Australia, Antarctica, or Oceania Classic
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox - author is from Australia (06/24/2018) ★★★★★

✔ O4: A Classic that you have put off reading
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien (12/28/2018) ★★★★★

✔ O5: Classic written by a Female Author
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin (05/06/2018) ★★★

Book covers:

B: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. ???

I: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

N: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. ???

G: 1. 2. ??? 3. ??? 4. 5.

O: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Reserved for stuff and things

Wow! Nice list -- enjoy your challenge :)

Thank you! :)

I just discovered Ursula Le Guin this year and her first Earthsea book is first on 2018's reading list. Enjoy!

Good luck with the challenge!

Thanks! I read The Dispossessed by LeGuin back in college, and I've been wanting to read more by her.

Angie wrote: "Thanks! I read The Dispossessed by LeGuin back in college, and I've been wanting to read more by her."

I recently finished The Left Hand of Darkness but I went into it with really high expectations. I enjoyed it well enough to read more of her books, but it didn't blow me away! The Earthsea trilogy has been highly recommended to me by more than one person!

MJ, I've been toying around with The Left Hand of Darkness, but I'm so intrigued by LeGuin's fantasy works. I've heard amazing things about the Earthsea books.

Wow Angie, that is a great list. I hope you don't mind if I (and others) use it for our own challenge. I look forward to seeing what you end up reading.

Katy wrote: "Wow Angie, that is a great list. I hope you don't mind if I (and others) use it for our own challenge. I look forward to seeing what you end up reading."

Thanks! I don't mind at all. :)

Love how you outline your possibilities for each category...some great ideas there!

I've finished up two things so far.

For Classic Short Story, I've completed A Small, Good Thing by Raymond Carver. It's a heartbreaking story of the hollow vulnerability of grief.

For Classic Play, I did Pulitzer-nominated True West by Sam Shepard. The man was a genius. Full stop. This play deconstructs the myth of the American West and explores the tumultuous bond between two brothers. It's raw, intense, and sometimes uncomfortable. It's also hilarious. I love Shepard's mind.

Oh, both of those sound so good, Angie. I've only read a little Carver, and am very anxious to read something by Sam Shepard. Great start to your challenge!

Kathleen wrote: "Oh, both of those sound so good, Angie. I've only read a little Carver, and am very anxious to read something by Sam Shepard. Great start to your challenge!"

I highly recommend Sam Shepard. I started out with Buried Child, the play he won a Pulitzer for. I think I'm going to read one of his short story collections this year, too.

Angie wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "Oh, both of those sound so good, Angie. I've only read a little Carver, and am very anxious to read something by Sam Shepard. Great start to your challenge!"

I highly recommend Sa..."

Thanks, Angie. I will check that one out too. So much of his work to choose from--what a prolific writer. What a renaissance man he was.

I've finished a couple of other slots. For B2: Children's Classic, I went with The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter. While it was delightful, I didn't enjoy it as much as I have some of her other stories. I would have really dug it as a kid, though (perhaps I read it back then, but I don't recall).

For B4: Book Made Into a Film/TV, I read The Shining by Stephen King. I've seen both the movie and the miniseries, and the book beats both of them.

I'm still debating on what's next on the agenda. Perhaps I'll tackle a book by a female author.

Nice going Angie! I haven’t read The Shining, but The Stand was excellent (one of his best I hear).

From your list, if you want to opt for a female author, Northanger Abbey is lovely, funny and mocks the Gothic novel in a brilliant way.
Or Le Guin. I’ve only read one of hers (Left Hand of Darkness) but heard really good feedback on Earthsea :O)

I need to get busy on this challenge!

I've finished A Wizard of Earthsea. I liked it well enough, though I don't know if I'll read the rest of the series. The book featured some nice world-building, but I found it difficult to connect to most of the characters. I gave it three stars.

I have also finished The Big Sleep. The classic mystery novel featured the sharp, vibrant language and masterful prose typical of the noir genre. Four stars.

For 21st Century Potential Classic, I read Everything I Never Told You. I am absolutely floored by this wonderful book. It is a beautiful character study featuring gorgeous prose. Five stars,

Unfortunately, I have realized my choice for Classic You Have Put Off Reading is one I will still be putting off. Sorry universe, Moby-Dick or, The Whale and I are not compatible. I will think of another option for that category, but I'm not sure what it will be. I think I'll wander off and see what other people are doing for that one.

Angie, I totally understand about Moby Dick. For me, a grandmother, it is one of those "life is too short"books when there are so many other books waiting to be read. I hope you find a book you will enjoy.

Angie wrote: "...orry universe, Moby-Dick or, The Whale and I are not compatible...."

LOL, me too.