RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off) discussion

2020 Classics Catchup
Level 1: Casual Reader: 2 books
Level 2: Frequent Reader: 3 - 5 books
Level 3: Bookworm: 6 - 8 books
Level 4: Scholar: 9 - 11 books
Level 5: Professor: 12 or more books

1. The People of the Abyss 1/8/20
2. The Alchemist 1/22/20
3. Great American Short Stories 1/25/20
4. The Old Man and the Sea 2/11/20
5. The Handmaid's Tale 2/18/20
6. The Diary of a Young Girl 3/24/20
7. Their Eyes Were Watching God 8/30/20
8. The War of the Worlds 9/8/20

I'm aiming for Level 5 for this challenge. I managed to read 34 during 2019, and am hoping for 40 with 2020.

Very ambitious, Fran! You inspire me to try and read more classics. I will try for level 5.

I’m going to shoot for Level 2. There are a few classics I know I’ve missed!

I am going to try for level 2 with 5 books. Not sure which ones yet.

I will try for Level-3.

Finished 1. The War of the Worlds.

#1 The Other Celia by Theodore Sturgeon - 4/5

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks, Dagny, for the suggestion and the link tot he story! It was an excellent read!

1) Way Station by Clifford Simek audiobook

1.) Howards End by E. M. Forster
3 stars

1.) Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
2.) Hiroshima - John Hersey

#2 Zeritsky's Law by Ann Warren Griffith - online text - 3/5
A very peculiar story. Worth a read.
It can be read online here: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/51234

#3 The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury - E-book - 4/5
My first by Ray Bradbury and I enjoyed it to bits. Albeit a bit slow and takes its time to build, I liked it nonetheless. I found the tone of the stories similar to that used by Isaac Asimov in Gods Themselves.
My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Dagny wrote: "Heena wrote: "#1 The Other Celia by Theodore Sturgeon - 4/5

My review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Thanks, Dagny, for the suggestion and the link tot he story..."

Yes! And I am sure I won't be able to forget it for a long time either.

2.) The Weird Picture by John R. Carling
3 stars. Melodramatic gothic novel that was fun to read, if a bit over-the-top.

Hii guys. I am a fresher here. Going to attempt level 3. Started
#1 white fang by Jack london.

ThirTeenTh wrote: "Hii guys. I am a fresher here. Going to attempt level 3. Started
#1 white fang by Jack london."

It's always fun when someone starts a reading challenge for the first time. You are off to a great start already!

3.) The Lady of the Basement Flat by Mrs. George de Horne Vaizey
2 and a half stars

1. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott (HB)
4/5

4.) The Enchanted April by Elizabeth von Arnim
4 stars

5.) Brood of the Witch-Queen by Sax Rohmer
3 stars. Supernatural pulp fiction from 1918.

Dagny wrote: "Good for you, Cheryl! Can you imagine, I haven't read a single classic yet this year. (Thank goodness we have it as a Genre month, lol.)"

There’s lots of time still left, Dagny. I’ve been having some luck by searching Project Gutenberg under Random mode to find unusual books. (At the top of their homepage, right under where it says “Free ebooks” if you click the blue highlighted “Book Search”, it gives you an option for Random search.) That’s how I found this latest book.

6.) The Joss: A Reversion by Richard Marsh
2 stars.

#4 The Haunted Hotel: A Mystery of Modern Venice by Wilkie Collins - 2/5
The characterisation was a problem for me and as a result, I wasn't much able to enjoy the book.

#5 The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Rebert L. Stevenson - 4/5
A brilliant book. Enjoyed every bit of it. Though being a novella it still felt like a slow burn.

#6 The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson - 5/5
This book totally blew my mind! It was every bit as good as every horror fan makes it out to be. The build-up was amazing and the impending-sense-of-doom was so awesome that I've never experienced before! A definite must-read!!

Heena,

I agree about The Haunted Hotel. His others novels like The Moonstone, The Woman in White, Armadale, and The Law and the Lady are much better. Maybe try one of those in the future?

Cheryl wrote: "Heena, I agree about The Haunted Hotel. His others novels like The Moonstone, The Woman in White, Armadale, and The Law and the Lady are much better. Maybe try one of those in the future?"

I loved Armadale! I guess I'll be going for The Moonstone next... and then The Woman In White. Thanks for the recs. Appreciate it!

7.) Dan, the Newsboy by Horatio Alger, Jr.
3 stars.

Dagny wrote: "Most of his books are also at LibriVox for free audios. In fact there are two versions of both the above. "

Yes, but why is that? Two versions I mean?

#7 The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis - 4.5/5

#8 The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis - 4/5

Dagny wrote: "Well, I now have at least two classics coming up - my first for the year! - since I'm proofing a couple to go up at Project Gutenberg."

Thanks for doing the proofing, Dagny! It's important work, especially during quarantine time.

Dagny wrote: "I've seen numerous cases of multiple versions. Except for translations by different translators which I don't consider multiple versions, it is usually just a case of different readers. Some readers are better than others. Occasionally two people might be working on the same one at the same time and both go up, There are some instances with a cast of people, multiple people doing different voices. Once in a while it might be from an updated edition of the book, with new material or something added. Mostly though I've just found it to be the same version but with different reader(s)."

That makes sense. Thanks for explaining it to me. I was wondering about this ever since I saw two versions of Jeckyl and Hide book and was thinking if I was missing out on something by not going for the 2nd version.

Dagny wrote: "Well, I now have at least two classics coming up - my first for the year! - since I'm proofing a couple to go up at Project Gutenberg."

Wow! You are a hero, Dagny! Thanks for doing this, it makes it so much easier for all of us to read these books because of you and others who do this. Many thanks <3

8.) A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
3 stars

9.) The Blue Lagoon by Henry de Vere Stacpoole
4 stars.

#9 The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis - 3/5

I didn't like it as much as I liked the previous books. I am going by the Chronological Order and this was #3, so the next one is Prince Caspian and I'm sure it'll be definitely better than this one.

10.) A Fair Barbarian by Frances Hodgson Burnett
3 stars.

2. The Awakening - Kate Chopin (PB)
5/5 - absolutely loved it.

2. The Great Gatsby

11.) St. Martin's Eve by Mrs. Henry Wood
3 stars

12.) Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
5 stars

Dagny wrote: "Cheryl wrote: "12.) Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
5 stars"
You made it! What a long haul it was. Glad you enjoyed it."

Read through in a year! Honestly, I needed to do it that way. It would have felt too overwhelming, otherwise, and I might have given up during one of the author's "social commentary interludes."

13.) Carnacki, the Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson
3 stars

Dagny wrote: "1. The Ghost Pirates

Finally! My first 'classic' of the year. Thanks to Cheryl for reminding me about Hodgson."

Congratulations, Dagny!

14.) Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
4 stars

3. The Old Man and the Sea

3. The Stranger - Albert Camus (PB)
4/5

15.) The Red House Mystery by A. A. Milne
4 stars

16.) The Ghost: A Modern Fantasy by Arnold Bennett
2 stars.

4. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
4/5

17.) The Innocence of Father Brown by G. K. Chesterton
3 stars

18.) Behind a Mask: Or, a Woman's Power by Louisa May Alcott
3 stars