The Reading Challenge Group discussion

Okay now you guys make me want to read Outsiders! I have the audio so I think I'm going to dig it up! :)

Alicia wrote: "Taking a break from classics for a moment and re-reading Drums of Autumn probably just for today since I've probably read it 5 times already. It's JUST outside classics but I need a b..."

I'm reading Written in My Own Heart's Blood as my break between classics. You can always count on the Fraser's for some good entertainment.

Brenda wrote: "Alicia wrote: "Taking a break from classics for a moment and re-reading Drums of Autumn probably just for today since I've probably read it 5 times already. It's JUST outside classics..."

I've read them all multiple times. I can't wait for the new one. My mother and I share a love of them, we watch the series together and then go back to the book and test our memories of how we remember it. We love them the way some people love Lord of the Rings. Ha ha!

I discovered The War Prayer by Mark Twain. It’s only a few pages, available to read free online via Goodreads - I thought it was wonderful.

I will look for that one, Trisha.

I'll look for that too, Trisha! That sounds interesting!

enjoying East of Eden by John Steinbeck so much. But tackling it 10 pages at a time with a friend. Long books usually scare me. Listening to another book on my ride to work and back. I have picked some books for next month alreafy

Christine wrote: "enjoying East of Eden by John Steinbeck so much. But tackling it 10 pages at a time with a friend. Long books usually scare me. Listening to another book on my ride to work and back. I have picked ..."

I really want to read this and have it on my list for this month, but not sure that's going to happen. I'm halfway through Don Quixote (finally) and it's slow going. Still, I'm hoping to at least start this one this month.

That sounds lovely!

I read The Adventure of the Dying Detective by Arthur Conan Doyle, which I thought was excellent.
Then I read What Diantha Did by Charlotte Perkins Gilman which was unusual & very clever (though some of the very detailed lists became tedious in places).
I also read The Jumping Frog by Mark Twain but regret not being able to read the full version. Rosemarie, it would be perfect for you - have you read it? I read the first story only, which can be obtained separately. But on Goodreads the whole thing is free online so I looked at the third part briefly. It’s a clever idea - a story in English, translated to French, then translated back to English. Looking at the final part it was obviously quite different from the original - but I think it’s probably very funny for anyone who is bilingual & can read it all.

I have only read the English version, Trisha.

Rosemarie wrote: "I have only read the English version, Trisha."
That’s a shame - I thought of you as soon as I discovered what the book involved! To be fair, I didn’t actually like the story, just thought the translation idea was original.

I finished The End of the Affair by Graham Greene but didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the other
Greene books I have already read. It may the narrator, who was very unreliable and really messed up. And the book was sad as well.

Rosemarie wrote: "I finished The End of the Affair by Graham Greene but didn't enjoy this one nearly as much as the other
Greene books I have already read. It may the narrator, who was ve..."

That’s disappointing, Rosemarie. I’m having a similar problem with Howard’s End - I enjoyed other E M Forster books but find this one quite boring. Nothing much has happened, it’s mostly just silly gossip so far.

Howard's End is my least favourite book by Forster, for the reason you mentioned, Trisha.

Still making progress with Don Quixote and it will be a miracle if I finish it by the end of the month. But I'm at 63% so it's possible! That said, I'm taking a break to read the first Brother Cadfael book, A Morbid Taste for Bones. I think this was published in the 70s, so I consider it a classic mystery. I loved Derek Jacobi in the BBC adaptation, so I'm hoping the book will be good!

The Brother Cadfael books are good!

OMG, I'm at 85% finished with Don Quixote--I might actually finish this month! Interestingly, I think I like the second part more than the first part, although there are parts of the first part that did have me laughing.

Looking good, Eileen!

Thanks, Rosemarie!

At last! I finished Howard’s End today, though was seriously tempted to abandon it.

I read Howard's End years ago and wasn't terribly impressed, yet I like other books by Forster.

So happy to report that I finished Don Quixote as well as the first Brother Cadfael and I enjoyed both! I am going to buckle down and try to finish The Master and Margarita (which I started at the beginning of the month), but for listening, I've started East of Eden. It's still a classic, but it's a bit easier to follow than Don Quixote, lol.

Trisha wrote: "At last! I finished Howard’s End today, though was seriously tempted to abandon it."

Good for you! Was it worthwhile finishing it?

Eileen wrote: "Trisha wrote: "At last! I finished Howard’s End today, though was seriously tempted to abandon it."

Good for you! Was it worthwhile finishing it?"

Not really, although a few things happened towards the end. The whole book was a massive disappointment as I have enjoyed other books by Forster. If this had been my first experience of his writing I wouldn’t try any others.

Eileen wrote: "So happy to report that I finished Don Quixote as well as the first Brother Cadfael and I enjoyed both! I am going to buckle down and try to finish The Master and Margarita (which I started at the ..."

Eileen, congratulations! You must be very pleased. You have chosen some difficult books this month.

Okay, seriously? I just finished East of Eden and it is now on my list of favorite books. It was amazing! I couldn't put it down! I ended up finishing it in 4 days, although I had allotted a week. Whew, what a wonderful experience!

It's great when that happens, Eileen. Way to go!

Finished Roxana by Daniel Defoe, just in time to fit in this month!

That's great,Jenny! What did you think of it?

I enjoyed it, Rose, but think I would have enjoyed it more if I had read it back to back with Robinson Crusoe. I remembered enough to be able to compare the two, so it worked out ok!
It is a very interesting character study for sure!

I read it a long time ago, and always get it confused with Moll Flanders for some reason.

I have not read Moll Flanders yet. I believe though she was not quite an upright woman either? She was a thief??

She was a thief, among other things. I found that book very entertaining.

Okay, I ended up finishing Flowers for Algernon tonight and I really enjoyed it! I didn't remember any of it, so if I read it when I was young, I don't remember. But it was good and not surprisingly, it had my sobbing at the end. Great book and lots of interesting layers to it!

I still remember the ending of that book, Eileen. I can see why you were sobbing.

Yeah, it was very well done. I had wondered why it was called Flowers for Algernon and when I saw the reason, I knew it was going to go all sad from there. Whew!

I read Let Me Tell You: New Stories, Essays, and Other Writings throughout most of November but did not finish until December 1st ...However, I'm still counting it for November.

It may not technically be a classic as this was published in 2015. But this was a collection of the writing of Shirley Jackson who died in 1965. Her children have compiled and edited the short stories and essays contained here, so while newly published, they are Shirley Jackson classics.

That definitely still counts for November,Cindy.

I would definitely count that for November, Cindy! And yes, I think it totally qualifies for classics!

Classics are determined by the date they were originally written, not when they were published.
It's exciting when previously unknown works are found and published.

Rosemarie wrote: "Classics are determined by the date they were originally written, not when they were published.
It's exciting when previously unknown works are found and published."

That's good to know! And I agree--it's very cool when they find older works, especially for an author as talented as Shirley Jackson. :)

She was an author I discovered in 6th grade with her family memoirs and then moved into her delicious horror novels and stories. One of my early favorites!

I finally finished The Warden by Anthony Trollope on December 1. It has been a long time since I read a Victorian classic and I enjoyed it very much. This book is about how good intentions to reform something, when carried out without a lot of thought, have unintended consequences that may not the best for anyone concerned.

This is the first in a series of six books set in Barsetshire by Trollope and I look forward to reading the rest of the Barsetshire books.

Badlydone, the next book in the series is very entertaining, in fact, they all are. Happy reading!