Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I’m doing all the challenges. It is my own version of psychotherapy. I need to get over my phobia about not finishing both books and challenges. No more guilt, whether I finish a challenge or not, my plan is to simply enjoy what I read. If I don’t find pleasure in 50-75 pages of a book, I’ll set it aside and start another. That may sound easy to a lot of you, but for me, it will be hard. But my future mental wellbeing demands I undergo this brutal self-therapy.

Given that the number of total books for all challenges is more than twice the total I average reading per year, failure seems to be a guarantee. In order to stand even a small chance of finishing there will be books bearing the same title going on a bunch of different challenges. That’s right. I’m going to double dip, triple dip, and more. If I can figure a way to make it happen I’ll try and have a single book fit all nine challenges. That might require more brain than I possess, so I will be happy landing on 3 or 4 different challenges.

Wish me luck, I’ll need it!!

Challenge #1 - Old & New TBR Clean-up
Challenge Completed 8/15/20


1899 and earlier/Old School
✔️1. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court**-Shelved 12/1/19, Finished 1/27/20
✔️2. A Pair of Blue Eyes**-Shelved 9/1/19, Finished 2/14/20
✔️3. The Moonstone**-Shelved 4/1/15-Finished 4/16/20
1900-1999/New School
4. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy**-Shelved 8/1/19
✔️5. The End of the Affair-Shelved 9/1/19, Finished 1/9/20
✔️6. Stoner-Shelved 12/1/19-Finished 1/23/20
My Wild Card Six
✔️7. The Glimpses of the Moon** Finished 6/1/20
✔️8. Dandelion Wine, Finished 1/6/20
✔️9. The Midwich Cuckoos, Finished 2/23/20
✔️10. Captains Courageous** Finished 3/7/20
✔️11. Triple** Finished 8/15/20
✔️12. Night Probe!** Finished 7/24/20

Alternates
A-1. Shirley** Shelved 11/1/18
✔️A-2. The Short Forever** Finished 7/14/20

✔️ Completed 12/12
**books I own

The Needed Twelve
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Extras

Challenge #2 - The Year You Were Born and 100 Years Earlier
Challenge Completed 12/22/20

Books Read for the Challenge
1957
1-Dandelion Wine, Finished 1/6/20
2-A Death in the Family, Finished 1/20/20
3-The Midwich Cuckoos, Finished 2/23/20
4-From Russia With Love, Finished 8/25/20
5-The Wapshot Chronicle, Finished 11/11/20
1857
1-Hansel and Gretel Finished 1/6/20
2-"A Marriage of Persuasion," 1857 Susan Petigru King, Finished 2/5/20
3-Scenes of Clerical Life, Finished 6/20/20
4- Barchester Towers, Finished 9/23/20
5.-The Lazy Tour Of Two Idle Apprentices, Finished 12/22/20

✔️ Completed, 10/10

1957
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1857
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Books to Select From
Bold-Books I'm Most Interested In
1957
✔️ The Midwich Cuckoos
4:50 from Paddington
✔️ From Russia With Love
Pnin
The Cat in the Hat
The Comforters
✔️* A Death in the Family
Reflections on the Guillotine
The Black Cloud
Mythologies
April Lady
✔️The Wapshot Chronicle
Little Bear
The Untouchables
✔️*Dandelion Wine

1857
The Lazy Tour Of Two Idle Apprentices
Les Fleurs du Mal
Indian Summer
✔️ Barchester Towers
The Lazy Tour Of Two Idle Apprentices
The Professor , can't use finished reading 11/12/19
The Life of Charlotte Brontë
✔️Hansel and Gretel
✔️Scenes of Clerical Life
The Confidence-Man
*Wonderful Adventures of Mrs. Seacole in Many Lands
Little Dorrit
✔️A Marriage of Persuasion, 1857 by Susan Petigru King was first published under the pen name of Anne Marion Green in Russell's Magazine in Charleston, SC was later published in Sylvia's World, And, Crimes Which the Law Does Not Reach

*recommended by friends


Challenge #3 Your Birth Year Top 10 Best Sellers
I did this challenge several years ago, lucky me!
Challenge Started 4/13/2011 Completed 7/10/16

Top 10 Best Sellers for 1957
(view spoiler)[#1-By Love Possessed by James Gould Cozzens
2nd-Peyton Place by Grace Metalious
3rd-Compulsion by Meyer Levin
4th-Rally Round the Flag, Boys! by Max Shulman
5th-Blue Camellia by Frances Parkinson Keyes
6th-Eloise in Paris by Kay Thompson
7th-The Scapegoat by Daphne du Maurier
8th-On the Beach by Nevil Shute
9th-Below the Salt by Thomas B. Costain
10th-Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (hide spoiler)]

Challenge #4 - Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge
Challenge Completed 4/8/20

List and read 12 books for each of the following categories.
✔️18th Century or older, **Tartuffe. 1664 and A Modest Proposal, 1729
✔️19th Century, **A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, 1889 and Hansel and Gretel, 1857
✔️20th Century, A Death in the Family, 1957 and **The Glimpses of the Moon, 1922
✔️Current or Past Group Read, Stoner-New School Read January 2020 or The Master and Margarita**-Shelved 5/1/16
✔️An Author not read before, Fred Gipson, Old Yeller and Saki, The Storyteller
✔️Diversity Classic, read a book from a religion, culture, country, or race different than yours, **A Raisin in the Sun, or **Cry, the Beloved Country or **The Chosen
✔️Science Fiction, Dandelion Wine and The Midwich Cuckoos
✔️Romance, The End of the Affair and A Pair of Blue Eyes
✔️Historical fiction, **Ivanhoe, or **God's Little Acre or **Johnny Got His Gun or **Space
✔️Nonfiction, **South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917 and **84, Charing Cross Road or Reflections on the Guillotine
✔️Mystery/Crime, **Mrs. McGinty's Dead and Death on the Nile or **The Long Goodbye
✔️Horror or Humor, **The Ocean at the End of the Lane, or **A Confederacy of Dunces

✔️ Completed, 12/12

**books I own

Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge
Challenge Completed 9/29/20

My Decade Challenge 1950-1959

✔️1950-The 13 Clocks by James Thurber or The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier or The Grass Is Singing by Doris Lessing
✔️1951-The End of the Affair by Graham Greene or The Illustrated Man** by Ray Bradbury
✔️1952-Mrs. McGinty's Dead** by Agatha Christie
✔️ 1953-Casino Royale by Ian Fleming or The Long Goodbye** by Raymond Chandler
✔️1954-Sweet Thursday** by John Steinbeck or Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin or Katherine by Anya Seton
✔️1955-The Talented Mr. Ripley Patricia Highsmith
✔️1956-Old Yeller** by Fred Gipson and The Fall** by Albert Camus
✔️1957-Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury and A Death in the Family by James Agee
✔️1958-The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare or The Once and Future King by T.H. White
✔️1959-A Raisin in the Sun** by Lorraine Hansberry

✔️ Completed, 10/10

1950- , 1951- , 1952- , 1953- , 1954-
1955- , 1956- , 1957- , 1958- , 1959-

**books I own

Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge #1
Challenge Completed 12/1/20
Read 24 short stories. This equates to only two per month for the year.

Group Short Stories
✔️Jan-The Cask of Amontillado
✔️Feb-The Body Snatcher
✔️Mar-A Modest Proposal
✔️Apr-The Lover
✔️May-Dr. Faustus
✔️Jun-The Country of the Blind, read twice
✔️Jul-There Will Come Soft Rains
✔️Aug-Selected Poems
✔️Sep-The Nose
Oct-The Fire Next Time
✔️Oct. Alternate-Xingu
✔️Nov-84, Charing Cross Road
✔️Dec-A Simple Heart
The Signet Classic Book of Southern Short Stories
✔️13. A Marriage of Persuasion, 1857 by Susan Petigru King
✔️14. A Tale of the Ragged Mountains, 1844 by Edgar Allan Poe
✔️15. La Belle Zoraide, 1894 by Kate Chopin
✔️16. Dry September, 1930 by William Faulkner
Collected Stories of O. Henry: Revised and Expanded
✔️17. The Furnished Room
✔️18. Tictocq
✔️19. Tracked to Doom
✔️20. A Snapshot at the President
✔️21. The Suicide Club
✔️22. Hunted Down
✔️23. The Withered Arm
✔️24. The 13 Clocks

✔️ Completed-24/24

Story Collections to be Used-
The Complete Stories
Women and Fiction
The American Short Story
100 Crooked Little Crime Stories
Great Short Stories by American Women
Collected Stories of O. Henry: Revised and Expanded
The Signet Classic Book of Southern Short Stories

Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge #2
Challenge Completed 2/26/20

Read 24 short stories. This equates to only two per month for the year.

The American Short Story
✔️1. A Man Without a Country, 1863 by Edward Everett Hale
✔️2. I'm a Fool, 1922 by Sherwood Anderson
✔️3. The Open Boat, 1897 by Stephen Crane
✔️4. The Afternoon of a Faun, 1922 by Edna Ferber
✔️5. Flowering Judas, 1930 by Katherine Anne Porter
✔️6. Babylon Revisited, 1931 by F. Scott Fitzgerald
100 Crooked Little Crime Stories
✔️7. All Sewed Up by Curt Hamlin
✔️8. Always Together by Allen Beck
✔️9. Appointment with Yesterday by Geoffrey Vance
✔️10. At the Pistol's Point by E. W. Hounung
✔️11. The Best Policy by Ferenc Molnar
✔️12. Beyond Reasonable Doubt by Robert C. Dennis
Great Short Stories by American Women
✔️13. The Storm, 1898 by Kate Chopin
✔️14. Life in the Iron-Mills, 1861 by Rebecca Harding Davis
✔️15. A New England Nun, 1891 by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman
✔️16. The Angel at the Grave by Edith Wharton
✔️17. Sanctuary, 1930 by Nella Larson
✔️18. Smoke, 1917 by Djuna Barnes
The Complete Stories
✔️19. The Geranium
✔️20. The Barber
✔️21. Wildcat
✔️22. The Crop
✔️23. The Turkey
✔️24. The Train

✔️ Completed-24/24

Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge #3
Challenge Completed 3/6/20

Read 24 short stories. This equates to only two per month for the year.

✔️1. Hansel and Gretel, used for challenge #2
✔️2. A Shameful Affair, from Laurie's challenge
✔️3. The Waltz, from Jazzy's challenge
✔️4. The Star, Title story only, from Rosemarie's challenge, read 4 times this year
✔️5. Dagon, from Irphen's challenge, I'm still not a fan of H.P. Lovecraft
✔️6. A Perfect Day for Bananafish, from Lynn's challenge
✔️7. The Storyteller, from Sara's challenge
✔️8. The Veldt, from Angie's challenge
✔️9. Desiree's Baby, from Sarah's challenge
✔️10. The War Prayer
✔️11. Why I Live at the P.O. and Other Stories, Title story only, from Connie's challenge
✔️12. Barn Burning
✔️13. The Lady or the Tiger?
✔️14. Transcendental Wild Oats
✔️15. Paul's Case
✔️16. The Walking Woman
✔️17. A Warrior's Daughter
✔️18. The Lady With The Dog
✔️19. The Stones of the Village
✔️20. Sonnets from the Portuguese
✔️21. The Hiltons' Holiday, from Laurie's challenge
✔️22. A Telephone Call, Short Story Nomination by Tina
✔️23. Her Letters
✔️24. The Lady's Maid's Bell from Angie's challenge

✔️ Completed-24/24

Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge #4, No Pre-set Number to Read
Challenge to Finished on 12/31/20
This post is to record the Short Stories I read from 3/3/20 till years end.

✔️1. The Open Window
✔️2. The Machine Stops, from Annette's challenge, a reread
✔️3. The Man Who Was Almost a Man, from Sarah's challenge
✔️4. The Story of an Hour, at least 6th reread
✔️5. The Red Room
✔️6. The Ebony Frame
✔️7. A Dead Woman's Secret
✔️8. King Henry IV, Part 1
✔️9. To Build a Fire a reread
✔️10. Bewitched
✔️11. The Black Cat
✔️12. The Scarlet Plague
✔️13. Regret
✔️14. The Old Nurse's Story
✔️15. A Horseman In The Sky: Short Story
✔️16. The Trial for Murder
✔️17. Whole New Worlds
✔️18. The Book of Tea
✔️19. The Big Trip Up Yonder
✔️20. Goblin Market
✔️21. A Warrior's Daughter
✔️22. There Will Come Soft Rains, Poem
✔️23. Bartleby the Scrivener
✔️24. Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions
✔️25. 2BR02B
Scenes of Clerical Life
✔️26. The Sad Fortunes of the Reverend Amos Barton
✔️27. Mr. Gilfils Love-Story
✔️28. Janet's Repentance
✔️29. The Sound Of Silence
✔️30. The Stroke of the Sun-Galaxy Magazine 1958
✔️31. And All the Earth a Grave
✔️32. Mr. Spaceship
✔️33. Time Enough At Last
✔️34. A Clean Well Lighted Place
✔️35. Immensee
✔️36. The Jews' Beech
✔️37. The Secret Sharer-First read in September 2011
✔️38. Mad Monkton And Other Stories, Title Story Only
✔️39. The Lifted Veil
✔️40. England, My England
✔️41. The Monk and the Hangman's Daughter
✔️42. The Parasite
✔️43. Smith and the Pharaohs
✔️44. The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
✔️45. The 39 Steps
✔️46. The Gift of the Magi
✔️47. "One Christmas Eve" by Langston Hughes
✔️48. The Lazy Tour Of Two Idle Apprentices
49. The Christmas Hirelings

Challenge #7 - 2020 Group Reads Challenge
Challenge Completed 5/12/20

Between New School, Old School, Short Story/Novella, and Quarterly Long read our group selects 40 new books per year to go on our book shelf. This challenge is to read 12 of these forty.

January-December 2020
1. The Cask of Amontillado, January Short Story, A Reread
2. The Body Snatcher, February Short Story
3. Stoner, January New School
4. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, January Old School
5. A Modest Proposal, March Short Story
6. Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, March Old School
7. The Lover-April Short Story, Finished 3/10/20
8. Death on the Nile-March New School
9. Dr. Faustus, May Short Story
10. White Fang-May New School, A Reread
11. The Country of the Blind, June Short Story
12. Meditations, June Old School

Extra Group Reads, Beyond Challenge
13. There Will Come Soft Rains, July Short Story, Reread for Group
14. Selected Poems, August Short Story
15. The Nose, September Short Story - Read April 2017. Reread for Group
16. Brideshead Revisited, July New School
17. Julius ceasar, November Old School
18. 84, Charing Cross Road, November Short Story
19. The Winter's Tale, December Old School
20. A Simple Heart, December Short Story
21. The Pickwick Papers-4th Quarter Long Read


Finished-21/12


Planning to Read-This Year
Mary Barton-February Old School
The Mayor of Casterbridge-April Old School
A Journal of the Plague Year-July Old School
Tortilla Flat-October New School

Want to Read - This Year? Doubtful
The Thorn Birds-2nd Quarter Long Read
The Spy Who Came In from the Cold, June New School
A Good Man is Hard to Find and Other Stories, September New School
The Mysteries of Udolpho-3rd Quarter Long Read
La Dame aux Camélias-October Old School

Not Interested-At Least For Now
The Divine Comedy-1st Quarter Long Read
Dangerous Liaisons-May Old School
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass-August Old School
A Vindication of the Rights of Women, September Old School
The Fire Next Time-October Short Story

2020 Group Reads - Selections I've Read Prior to 2020
The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter, February New School - Read 2/26/16
The Cask of Amontillado, January Short Story, Last Read 8/25/16, read many times
The Alchemist, April New School - Read 2/7/2013
White Fang-May New School - Read twice, once as a boy and last time 3/26/12, will read again for group
There Will Come Soft Rains, July Short Story, Read 12/1/15, reread for group
2001: A Space Odyssey, August New School - Read 4/4/15
The Nose, September Short Story - Read April 2017

Challenge #8 - A-Z Author Challenge

23/26

A-*James Agee-A Death in the Family
B-Ray Bradbury-Dandelion Wine, The Veldt, & There Will Come Soft Rains,
C-Kate Chopin-The Storm, Desiree's Baby, A Shameful Affair, La Belle Zoraide, Her Letters, The Story of an Hour, Regret
D-*Robert C. Dennis-"Beyond Reasonable Doubt," from 100 Crooked Little Crime Stories
E-George Eliot, Mary Ann Evans, Scenes of Clerical Life
F-F. Scott Fitzgerald-Babylon Revisited
G-Graham Greene-The End of the Affair
H-*Lorraine Hansberry-A Raisin in the Sun
I-Kazuo Ishiguro-Never Let Me Go
J-Sarah Orne Jewett-The Hiltons' Holiday
K-*Susan Petigru King-"A Marriage of Persuasion," 1857, from The Signet Classic Book of Southern Short Stories
L-*Nella Larsen-"Sanctuary" from Great Short Stories by American Women
M-*Jean-Baptiste Poquelin Molière-Tartuffe
N-*E. Nesbit-The Ebony Frame
O-Flannery O'Connor-The Complete Stories (selected stories)
P-Edgar Allan Poe-The Cask of Amontillado, The Black Cat, & A Tale of the Ragged Mountains
Q-*Amanda Quick-Don't Look Back
R-*Christina Rossetti-Goblin Market
S-Robert Louis Stevenson-The Body Snatcher
T-Mark Twain-A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court & The War Prayer
U
V-Kurt Vonnegut Jr.-The Big Trip Up Yonder, 2BR02B,
W-Edith Wharton-The Angel at the Grave, Bewitched, The Lady's Maid's Bell, & The Glimpses of the Moon,
X
Y
Z-Zitkála-Šá-A Warrior's Daughter

* New Authors

Challenge #9 - A-Z Title Challenge

22/26

A-The Angel at the Grave
B-The Body Snatcher, Barn Burning, Babylon Revisited, The Black Cat, Bewitched, The Book of Tea, The Big Trip Up Yonder, The Blind Assassin,
C-The Cask of Amontillado, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Captains Courageous, The Call of the Wild, The Country of the Blind,
D-Dandelion Wine, A Death in the Family, Desiree's Baby, Dagon, Dry September, A Dead Woman's Secret, Dr. Faustus, Death on the Nile, David Copperfield,
E-The End of the Affair, The Ebony Frame, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions,
F-The Furnished Room, Flowering Judas, The Fall
G-The Geranium and Other Stories-Title Story, Great Short Stories by American Women, Goblin Market, The Glimpses of the Moon,
H-Hansel and Gretel, The Hiltons' Holiday, Her Letters, A Horseman in the Sky,
I-Ivanhoe, I'm a Fool,
J- The Jews' Beech
K-King Henry IV, Part 1,
L-The Lady or the Tiger?, Life in the Iron Mills, La Belle Zoraide, The Lady With The Dog, The Lady's Maid's Bell, The Lover,
M-A Modest Proposal, Mrs. McGinty's Dead, The Man Without a Country, The Midwich Cuckoos, The Man Who Was Almost a Man, The Moonstone, Meditations,
N-A New England Nun
O-Old Yeller, The Open Boat, The Open Window, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, The Old Nurse's Story,
P-A Perfect Day for Bananafish, The Proving Trail, Paul's Case, A Pair of Blue Eyes, Paradise Lost,
Q
R-A Raisin in the Sun, The Red Room, Regret
S-Stoner, The Storm, Smoke: And Other Early Stories-Title Story, The Star, A Shameful Affair, The Storyteller, South: The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917, The Stones of the Village, Sonnets From The Portugese, The Story of an Hour, The Scarlet Plague, Scenes of Clerical Life, The Sound Of Silence,
T-Tartuffe, A Tale of the Ragged Mountains, Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There, Transcendental Wild Oats, A Telephone Call, To Build a Fire, The Trial for Murder, The Tempest, There Will Come Soft Rains, There Will Come Soft Rains, 2BR02B,
U
V-The Veldt
W-The Waltz, The War Prayer, Why I Live at the P.O. and Other Stories Title story only, The Walking Woman, A Warrior's Daughter, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, White Fang, Whole New Worlds,
X-Xingu
Y
Z

Now comes the fun part. Let the planning begin!

Good luck Bob!

I think you're onto something here, Bob, and hope that knowing it's next to impossible to do it ALL will help you enjoy whatever you do get read even more!

Way to go, Bob!

Good luck and happy reading, Bob!

All the best Bob. Its ambitious doing them all but I hope you're successful. Happy reading!

Well, I guess happy therapy, Bob! I hope you enjoy your reads. I've felt guilty about DNFing books and not finishing challenges in the past, but it is about the fun you get from taking part, right? So do what makes you happy and read :D

Good luck, Bob, with the planning and deciding what books make your cut off. All of these sound great whether you get to them or not and as you told me, this is supposed to be fun.

I'm having trouble finding books from 1857. So far not many to choose from.

I feel you, Bob! I find it terribly hard to put a book aside.

Good luck with 1857, Bob. I will say Mrs. Seacole is excellent!

Also, I hope you get to Dandelion Wine. I love it so much. It has been a favorite of mine since childhood. :-)

Bob, if you like Dickens Little Dorrit was published 1857 and I really liked Barchester Towers.

Well that's all the preplanning I can do. I 'm sure I will tweak the lists between now and the 31st and with the exception of Old & New, no changes after the 31st. I do not plan on making changes next year, but plans change and I will make changes as needed.

I have a small problem with my decade challenge, 1950 and 1955 were both written by Patricia Highsmith. Both titles are of interest, so no preference for either year, just need to find a different author for one of them. Any ideas?

Also, I'm a little intimidated by Master and Margarita, should I be? it rates really high.

1950 The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier. She's a favorite of mine and this one gets overlooked, but I loved it.

1955 has Andersonville. It is on my TBR, won a Pulitzer and deals with the infamous Civil War prison.

I am also a bit intimidated by Master and Margarita. I keep passing it over, but really need to be brave and dive in. You will let me know if the water is cold?

Wow Bob, you are so ambitious! I love it. I especially love that you are doing two short story challenges. I may try and do that, but only after I finish one.

I can't vouch for it because I've only seen the movie, but I bet Cat on a Hot Tin Roof would be a fun read for 1955.

Sara wrote: "1950 The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier. She's a favorite of mine and this one gets overlooked, but I loved it.

1955 has Andersonville. It is on my TB..."

Thank you Sara, I’ll use The Parasites by Daphne du Maurier. She is one of my favorites also. As interested as I am in the history of the Civil War, at this stage of my planning, I don’t see adding a 760 page book.

As for Master and Margarita, I’m still undecided, but I’m leaning toward pushing it back and going with something else. We still have three weeks to make Old and New selections finial.

Sue wrote: "Wow Bob, you are so ambitious! I love it. I especially love that you are doing two short story challenges. I may try and do that, but only after I finish one."

Sue, the short story challenge is the only challenge I sure I will finish. I love short stories. The stories I’ve selected are true shorts, no novellas. I’m willing to bet I read 24 of them in the first 6 weeks. We have to wait till November 1st to learn what the groups December choice will be. So it will be the end of the year before I finish the first 24. In the mean time I may be able to start a third list of 24. Fingers crossed!

Kathleen wrote: "I can't vouch for it because I've only seen the movie, but I bet Cat on a Hot Tin Roof would be a fun read for 1955."

Kathleen, I can vouch for the book, I read it a couple of years ago. Usually the book is better than the movie. In this case I have to say its tie, and that’s because of the cast. As good as the book is, Paul Newman, Liz Taylor, and Burl Ives, that’s a stacked deck. The good thing is, as I was reading it I was watching the movie in my head. It was nice to have voices to go along with the words.

I read The Glimpses of the Moon recently with another group. It's not top tier Wharton, but it is Wharton.

When you finish and you are trying to decide about the ending, compare her description of the moon in the first paragraph of the book with her description of the moon in the last paragraph of the book. I found that helpful.

I really loved The Glimpses of the Moon. Seems to me Wharton knows how to wring the maximum impact from every word.

Bob, there is a revised edition written by Tennessee Williams. I read it. For me to make many comments, I would have to do a side-by-side comparison. What I can say: Tenneessee Williams got bolder and braver in this revised edition:

Nice list of short stories. I enjoyed The Geranium and The Train by Flannery O'Connor. I read The Train after reading Wise Blood and finding out that she used that short story for the first chapter of the book.

I placed three books on hold at my local library, Stoner, The Midwich Cuckoos, and Dandelion Wine. None were at my local branch and will have to travel from different parts of the state. Which one gets here first will be read number one for 2020.

If none of these get here before the 31st I will start the New Year with The Glimpses of the Moon. Actually that maybe the best way to start the New Year, can’t get any better than Wharton.

My library also has to get me a copy of Stoner, so I will begin it when received. I agree you can't do better than start with Wharton. I'm still lining up my ducks, but I am looking forward to reading Stoner with you sometime in January.

Sara wrote: "My library also has to get me a copy of Stoner, so I will begin it when received. I agree you can't do better than start with Wharton. I'm still lining up my ducks, but I am looking forward to read..."

It turns out that there is one copy in our state system and it is currently checked out. I maybe waiting awhile.

I hope we both get hold of a copy before the month expires.

Sara wrote: "I hope we both get hold of a copy before the month expires."

Fingers crossed, it's one I'm looking forward to reading and I want to read it in January.

In addition to a few short stories, Dandelion Wine will be my first book for 2020. Got library notification I picked it up today.

Funny I set up my challenges to read mostly my owed TBR and looks like the first three this next year will be form the library. Oh well.

I have the same experience often, Bob. I have three library books right now. Started Stoner, for the same reason, so it will be my first book for 2020. With library books, we often have to take them when we can get them. But, someday, I hope my "books I own but haven't read" shelf will be empty.

Good luck with your challenges and have fun! I have felt guilty about not finishing books and challenges too, but it really is about what you get out of it. I did not read nearly so much as I’d hoped this past year but I enjoyed the books I did read and will just continue with the plan this year. :)

Good luck with your challenges, Bob! I hope you have fun choosing your books, and enjoy them all. Most of your books already chosen, I have not read yet, but I loved The Moonstone, and hope you enjoy that one as well. Happy reading!

What great lists, Bob. You are in for some fun!

1955: Andersonville, Auntie Mame, The Quiet American.

1957: On the Road, A Death in the Family, Justine, The Birds.

These are the books I put on my century challenge list. Of these, since starting about this time last year, I have read Justine and A Death in the Family. I was previously going to read all of the Alexandria Quartet, but after reading Justine, my motivation waned. Perhaps some new moon will bring me back to it.

The Professor was an 1857 book, but I assume you read that with the group this year.

Terry wrote: "What great lists, Bob. You are in for some fun!

1955: Andersonville, Auntie Mame, The Quiet American.

1957: On the Road, A Death in the Family, Justine, The Birds.

These are the books I put on m..."

Terry, thank you for the recommendations, I’m always grateful. I have read The Quiet American, my first by Graham Greene, On the Road, and The Birds. I am aware of Andersonville and A Death in the Family, it’s on my list for this year. But Auntie Mame and Justine are new and I will look into them, the TBR continues to grow.

As for The Professor, yes it is bad timing, I read it early last November, I’ll have to make do with the other choices to complete that challenge.

Can turning the page of the calendar really make a difference? I don’t know what the rest of the year will bring, but the first 6 days have been great. So far I haven’t finished a novel, but I will finish my first two this week. The End of the Affair and Dandelion Wine, both should be five star reads. That just doesn’t happen for me, I’m pretty stingy with five star ratings, but I’m loving these two. Not to mention, The Cask of Amontillado which is also five stars. Imagine 3 five star reads in about 10 days, not bad.

What I have done in the last six days is killed the short stories, 15 so far, and for the most part they have been good. It helps that short stories and I get along well together. At least one challenge should be doable this year.

Dandelion Wine is a lovely book. After reading that I decided I would read a lot more of Bradbury's works.

Bob wrote: "Can turning the page of the calendar really make a difference? I don’t know what the rest of the year will bring, but the first 6 days have been great. So far I haven’t finished a novel, but I will..."

Wow, so glad to hear that! =D Three great reads — a fantastic reward for diving right in! I hope the year brings you many more great reads!