Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

B1 A Classic by a Nobel Laureate or a Pulitzer Prize Winner: Rabbit, Run by John Updike (1.20.24)
B2 A Classic Book in Translation: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
B3 A Classic Comedy or Satire: A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (11.17.24)
B4 A Classic Written Before 1700: Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
B5 A Classic of Asia or Oceania: The Sound of the Mountain by Yasunari Kawabata

I1 A Classic from our Short Story Group Shelf: Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett
I2 A Classic from your Personal Bookshelf: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
I3 A Classic Historical Fiction or a Nonfiction History: The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
I4 A Classic Prize-Winning Female Author: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin or To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf
I5 A Book Recommended by a Group Member: A Covenant With Death by Stephen Becker

N1 A Classic Made into Movie/TV: The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
N2 A Classic you've been meaning to read: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
N3 Free Space: Washington Square by Henry James
N4 A Classic on or about the Sea/Ocean: Sailing Alone around the World by Joshua Slocum
N5 A Literature Class Book: The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Miller (2.28.24)

G1 A Classic of North or South America: The Green House by Mario Vargas Llosa or The Purple Land by William Henry Hudson
G2 A 21st Century Potential Classic: Atonement by Ian McEwan and The Plot Against America by Philip Roth (7.16.24)
G3 A Classic from our Old School Group Shelf: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain
G4 A Classic New-to-You Author: Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
G5 A Classic Play or Classic Poetry Collection: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller

O1 A Classic Book you begged, borrowed, or stole: Amerika by Franz Kafka (7.6.24)
O2 A Classic Children's Book: Carry On, Mr. Bowditch: A Newbery Award Winner by Jean Lee Latham (10.04.24) or From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg (2.7.24)
O3 A Classic Book found by using Literature-map.com: Hell's Angels: A Strange and Terrible Saga by Hunter S. Thompson Used my favorite author Ernest Hemingway (5.9.24)
O4 A Classic from our New School Group Shelf: Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
O5 A Classic Book that Reminds You of Someone: Travels with Charley: In Search of America by John Steinbeck (8.11.24)

I am looking forward to this challenge. 2023 was an abysmal year in reading for me and I'm hoping to get back in the groove. I'm narrowing my focus this year and just hoping to enjoy my reading. I also enjoy this challenge and hope with some stategic picks I can get back into the swing of things.

I hear you Shawn. I hope to have better reading year in 2024. And fun will be a big part of it. . . . I'll check later in year to see how it goes with you.

Good luck with your planning Shawn. I hope you have a great reading year in 2024!

Good luck, Shawn!

Hey Shawn, focusing on fun is a grand plan! Challanges are good only if they support your having fun with your reading! Best wishes for a great 2024!

Welcome Shawn! I hope you have a lot of fun with the challenge this year!

I'm taking a different approach this year. In years past I have chosen big, lengthy classics that I wish to read. I get overwhelmed by the size of my selections. This year I have thrown in a few big classics, but the majority are normal sized and less daunting. I also threw in a reread - one of my favorites in the hope of finding my groove again.

With that being said - I am looking for suggestions for the recommendations by a group member. All the past recommendations I have read have been fantastic! I'm sure this year will be the same.

I recommend A Covenant With Death by Stephen Becker. It was a great find for me this year, and was actually recommended to me by Sara, so it's a second-generation group member recommendation! ;)

Wobbley wrote: "I recommend A Covenant With Death by Stephen Becker. It was a great find for me this year, and was actually recommended to me by Sara, so it's a second-generation grou..."

This looks like a great suggestion. I am going to use it. Thank you!

Great list. And we've chosen the same books for two of the prompts - I1 and N1 (⁠◔⁠‿⁠◔⁠)

Shawn wrote: "Wobbley wrote: "I recommend A Covenant With Death by Stephen Becker...

This looks like a great suggestion. I am going to use it. Thank you!"

Yay, this makes me so happy! I hope you love it as much as I did. For me, the second half especially was just astonishingly good!

There are several war/spy novels that the group has read you might like. (I visited your page to look at books there.)

1. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck (WW2 theme)
2. The 39-Steps by John Buchan (spy WW1 theme)
3. The Spy Who Came in From the Cold by John le Carre (spy - Cold War theme)
3. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carre

Sorry that I didn't use links, but Goodreads sure is slow today. The links wouldn't come up.

Lynn wrote: "There are several war/spy novels that the group has read you might like. (I visited your page to look at books there.)

1. The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck (WW2 theme)
2. The 39-Steps by John Buc..."

Thanks for the suggestions. I will take a look. I’m familiar with le Carre but the other books are new to me.

Good luck on this years bingo!

Finished my first book - B1 - Rabbit, Run by John Updike.

I really enjoyed this one - for the first 4/5 of the book. The ending left me wanting more. I felt like the conclusion was different than I wanted / needed. The very final scene is exactly what I expected and it makes sense in the whole scheme of things. The build- up to the finale left me a little disappointed.

Overall, a 4 start rating.

I am currently reading the second book in the series, Shawn. I had mixed feelings about Rabbit, Run and the same sensations with Redux. If you continue, it will be interesting to see how the second affects you and whether it goes the way you expect.

Sara wrote: "I am currently reading the second book in the series, Shawn. I had mixed feelings about Rabbit, Run and the same sensations with Redux. If you continue, it will be interesting to see how the second..."

I agree with the mixed feelings sentiment, although for me
I felt like Rabbit, Run was very well done. I contemplated jumping right in to the 2nd one but found the reviews online mixed. I will definitely pick it up at some point in the near future. I am curious to hear your thoughts when you are finished.

Finished my second one - O2 - Classic Children's Book

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg

This was a reread for me. I read this in 6 grade - about 30 years ago. I remembered the basic premise, but there was a lot I didn't remember. I found it as enjoyable as I remember.

It was a nostalgic read for me - this was one of the books that made me fall in love with reading. It also reminds me very much of my 6th grade teacher and early mentor, Mr. Bud Edmonds. He shared his love of reading with me and I owe him a lot when it comes to my reading habits.

I hope kids today find enjoyment in the mystery of this book. It seems like a simple concept, but a really fun one.

I an anticipate reading a 2nd book for this category, so I haven't marked it off entirely.

Yay! Nostalgic rereads are always satisfying.

I hope there are teachers out there inspiring kids to read. I worry that reading is going to be as rare as penmanship. Glad you still enjoyed this one, Shawn.

I’m a new member and this BINGO challenge looks fun. Fun is not really part of my vocabulary (sad but true) but I might give this a try.

I’ll look into the rules!

Shawn wrote: "Finished my second one - O2 - Classic Children's Book
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg ..."

I loved this, only discovering it in my adulthood, and would you believe I did because it was mentioned in a modern YA novel, one of my all time favourites - Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, that I re-read nearly every Christmas :O)

Finished N5 - The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts by Arthur Miller.

For such a small novel this really packs a punch. It took me much longer to get through than I expected. As I moved through this, I couldn't help but think of so many current events and things happening in the world with a similar feel. I felt like this was a perfectly timed read for me. It left me pondering many things, from a few different angles.

This definitely is one I will think about for the next few days / weeks. An incredible dilemma to find yourself in - lying to appease a crowd and save yourself, but selling yourself out in the meantime or stay true to yourself and be killed. The power of the masses is incredible, and often times swayed by something fickle.

I would highly recommend this to others. Very thought provoking.

I agree, Shawn. The Crucible is a powerful play!

I'll second that!

I was looking at a historical fiction list yesterday, and realized I'd never read The Crucible. Thanks for your thoughts on this, Shawn--sounds like the perfect time to read it.

Finished Atonement by Ian McEwan for G2. I'm not going to cross it off yet, hoping to read The Plot Against America by Philip Roth too.

Atonement was very good. It took me a little longer to get through than I would have liked, but I really enjoyed the story. I like how the book was broken into parts. I thought the conclusion was a fitting end, although I felt like a few questions were left unanswered for me. Maybe that was the intent.

I've enjoyed every book I've finished this year. I am hoping to recommit to knocking a few more good ones off the list.

Always lovely to say you have enjoyed every book. I loved Atonement and felt the movie they made from it was also well done. Congrats on the progress, Shawn.

Wow, to be able to say you've enjoyed every book this year -- that's really amazing! I'd say you've become a master at selecting books to read.