Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

:)

Quest for Women - 20/20 (23/23) - COMPLETED 9/24/21

Century - 10/10
1850s - Adam Bede - Mary Ann Evans* (completed 8/29/21)
1860s – Lady Audley's Secret - Mary Elizabeth Braddon (completed 9/23/21)
1870s - That Lass O' Lowrie's: A Lancashire Story - Frances Hodgson Burnett* (completed 1/30/21)
1880s - Monsieur Vénus: A Materialist Novel - Marguerite Vallette-Eymery (completed 8/8/21)
1890s - Elizabeth and Her German Garden - Elizabeth von Arnim* (completed 6/21/21)
1900s - A Woman - Sibilla Aleramo (completed 8/18/21)
1910s - Pilgrimage - Dorothy M. Richardson (Vol. 1 completed 1/21/21) (Vol. 2 completed 2/19/21) (Vol. 3 completed 3/20/21) (Vol. 4 completed 4/22/21)
1920s - Precious Bane - Mary Webb (completed 5/8/21)
1930s - All This, and Heaven Too - Rachel Field (completed 7/25/21)
1940s - The Blood of Others - Simone de Beauvoir* (completed 8/9/21)

Decade - 10/10

1953 - Maud Martha - Gwendolyn Brooks (completed 2/24/21)
1954 - Nectar in a Sieve - Kamala Markandaya (completed 1/6/21)
1955 - The Changelings - Jo Sinclair (completed 2/6/21)
1956 - The Towers of Trebizond - Rose Macaulay (completed 8/28/21)
1957 - Voltaire in Love - Nancy Mitford (completed 7/1/21)
1958 - The Dud Avocado - Elaine Dundy (completed 2/27/21)
1959 - The Vet's Daughter - Barbara Comyns (completed 5/13/21)
1960 - Hons and Rebels - Jessica Mitford* (completed 9/9/21)
1961 - No Signposts in the Sea - Vita Sackville-West (completed 6/14/21)
1962 - Selected Works of Djuna Barnes - Djuna Barnes* (completed 9/24/21)

* - Previously Read Authors

People of Color Old & New - 14/14 - COMPLETED 6/19/2021

1899 and earlier
1. The Tale of the Heike - Anonymous (1219) (completed 3/28/21)
2. Tower for the Summer Heat - Li Yu (1657) (completed 1/25/21)
3. Flowers in the Mirror - Li Ruzhen (1826) (completed 4/18/21)
1900-1999
4. The Labyrinth of Solitude and Other Writings - Octavio Paz (1950) (completed 6/19/21)
5. Nectar in a Sieve - Kamala Markandaya (1954) (completed 1/6/21)
6. A Personal Matter - Kenzaburō Ōe (1964) (completed 1/8/21)
My Wild Card Six
7. Idu - Flora Nwapa* (1970) (completed 1/23/21)
8. The Museum of Eterna's Novel - Macedonio Fernández (1967) (completed 1/17/21)
9. 62: A Model Kit - Julio Cortázar* (1968) (completed 4/29/21)
10. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou (1969) (completed 2/18/21)
11. The Sea of Fertility - Yukio Mishima* (1970) (completed 6/3/21)
12. The Obscene Bird of Night - José Donoso (1970) (completed 4/7/21)

Alternates
A-1. Open Veins of Latin America: Five Centuries of the Pillage of a Continent - Eduardo Galeano* (1971) (completed 3/4/21)
A-2. The Tiger's Daughter - Bharati Mukherjee (1971) (completed 4/6/21)

* - Previously Read Authors

Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors - NYRB Classics - 6/6 - COMPLETED 8/28/2021

1. The Vet's Daughter - Barbara Comyns (completed 5/13/21)

2. The Dud Avocado - Elaine Dundy (completed 2/27/21)

3. Voltaire in Love - Nancy Mitford (completed 7/1/21)

4. The Towers of Trebizond - Rose Macaulay (completed 8/28/21)

5. Memories of the Future - Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky (completed 3/2/21)

6. Dead Souls - Nikolai Gogol (completed 8/21/21)

Challenge #3 - Second Place or Worse (if I run out of reading themes)

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6.
7.

Reserve

Reserve

Put in some bits and bobs for Quest for Women and People of Color Old & New, my priority challenges. Will finish/clean them up, as well as take a proper look at the other challenges, later today.

Oh no! Adding the covers makes me even more intrigued--I'll have to add some of these.

I'm excited to see Djuna Barnes and Vita Sackville-West. I love Bharati Mukherjee, and also Jan Morris' Venice is one I've long wanted to read. I read Country Girls earlier this year and enjoyed it, so hope you do too.

Fun stuff Aubrey. Have a good time with these. I will be back for more perusing!

Haha, cheers, Kathleen. I figured, if I'm going to use a particular line of editions as a challenge theme, I might as well show off the covers of it that always seduce me. Barnes and Morris, should I come across the latter's work, will be revisits, but the rest will all be new, so it's a good mix of anticipated returns and exciting introductions.

Today's bookstore visit got me one book closer to having a completely filled out set of challenge plans. Just a couple more slots to go, and as I have almost all of 2021 to figure these out, I'm not going to worry too much for now.

I have bookstore visit envy, Aubrey! It’s been soooooo looong,

Well Terry, this is just staving off my need for my old book sales, so until those come back, we're in similar situations.

I agree with Terry! A trip to a bookstore would be divine. Thank goodness for the Internet and the ways my local bookstores and libraries served the public.

This is quite a big challenge buffet - I am soo impressed!
Hearing you talk about incorporating your "laggards" into your challenges/2021 reading made me curious for your list. And I must say that I have not even heard about a lot of these books ...

From your 1860s tba choices I only know Wives and Daughters. I am a little hesitant to count it among my "corpses", as it does no longer exactly qualify. - A read a good deal of it in 2019. The story starts out really nice and I liked it a good deal, but I must admit I got bored after a while. - Things seemed a little stretched out at times. But that was just my personal struggle and I think it is, all said, a nice book.

For 1953 you could read The Crucible by Arthur Miller. I cannot tell you how well this play reads, as I have only seen it on stage. But it left quite a lasting impression on me.

Cheers, Lilly. I'm not too enthusiastic about 'Wives and Daughters' myself, as my most recent aGaskell experience was less than optimal, but it all depends on what works I stumble across, and I want to make sure I recognize a working title when I see it.

Regarding 1953, that's part of my Decade of Quest for Women, so if you have any recommendations for works by women published during that particular year, I'll gladly take them.

I hesitate to recommend any books to someone as well read as you, Aubrey but I will any way :) Gwendolyn Brooks published Maud Martha in 1953. While I haven’t read that particular book, I quite like her writing.

(Also Mill on the Floss was published in 1860. I’ve read it a couple of times but maybe you have as well.)

Annette wrote: "I hesitate to recommend any books to someone as well read as you, Aubrey but I will any way :) Gwendolyn Brooks published Maud Martha in 1953. While I haven’t read that particular book, I quite lik..."

Haha, cheers, Annette, and your recommendation is much appreciated. I actually could have snagged a copy of MM during my bookstore jaunt yesterday, but I didn't think to check the publishing page. Alas. A task for next time.

I've read TMotF as well, and as I already have Evans/Eliot in the Century challenge, that's another reason to hold off on that work. Definitely looking forward to rereading it at any appropriate time though.

Aubrey wrote: "Cheers, Lilly. I'm not too enthusiastic about 'Wives and Daughters' myself, as my most recent aGaskell experience was less than optimal, but it all depends on what works I stumble across, and I wan..."

Which of the 1860s tba is your preference so far?

I'm sorry I mixed up your themes, Aubrey, I guess I got a little confused with everything going on ...

If you don't mind children's classics, you could read something by Enid Blyton, she published several books that year. The Secret of Moon Castle is rather funny.

I recently read Cotillion by Georgette Heyer, which also happened to be published in 1953. She's also quite the classic in her genre, but I don't know if you read that soppy kind of romance ...

Or if you're headed more for social criticism, I would also say Maud Martha.
Someone at a Distance by Dorothy Whipple was also published in 1953.

It's perfectly alright, Lilly. This group used to have a Quest for Women challenge, but it was done away with, for whatever reason. I don't expect anyone who wasn't around this group then to be familiar with it.

For the 1860's, honestly, anyone other than Gaskell, if only for the experience of a new author. And thank you for your suggestions. I do have another Whipple work on my TBR, and it would be lovely to finally come across her in one form or another. I keep hoping that the singular distinctiveness of the Persephone editions will lead me to her, but no luck so far.

I love Gwendolyn Brooks. I read one of her collections every year to start the year in honor of her birthday the first week of January. I’m starting to run out so I’m getting creative my reading anthologies. As for quest for women, Lilly a lot of us make our century challenge just women authors and it satisfies the challenge just the same.

1860 was 100 years before my birth year so I looked into it last year.
I know you are looking for female authors but how about "The Escorial" by John Addington Symonds? I found it here: https://archive.org/stream/escorial00...

Brina wrote: "I love Gwendolyn Brooks. I read one of her collections every year to start the year in honor of her birthday the first week of January. I’m starting to run out so I’m getting creative my reading an..."

That's good to hear, Brina.

Annette wrote: "1860 was 100 years before my birth year so I looked into it last year.
I know you are looking for female authors but how about "The Escorial" by John Addington Symonds? I found it here: https://ar..."

Thanks for the suggestion, Annette. It may come in handy at some point in the future.

Brina wrote: "I love Gwendolyn Brooks. I read one of her collections every year to start the year in honor of her birthday the first week of January. I’m starting to run out so I’m getting creative my reading an..."

Yes, I know, Brina - I've been around the group for the past 6 years after all :D I've never been big on the challenges, though, haven't really gone for them after 2016 ... I wouldn't be brave enough to do so many as you guys and I tend to get confused with other people's lists and goals once they get too long ... *shrugging*

Aubrey wrote: "For the 1860's, honestly, anyone other than Gaskell, if only for the experience of a new author. And thank you for your suggestions. I do have another Whipple work on my TBR, and it would be lovely to finally come across her in one form or another. I keep hoping that the singular distinctiveness of the Persephone editions will lead me to her, but no luck so far."

If you're hesitant to read Whipple, then she's probably not the right choice ...

What about Moods by Louisa May Alcott for the 1860s?

Lilly, I'm not hesitant about Whipple so much as I haven't yet had the chance to acquire any of her writing. The fact that my reading appetite is largely concerned with less than popular works, as well as far outstrips my personal financial resources, means I rely heavily on the offerings of used book sales/stores, as well as libraries for some of the more mainstream works. Quite a few of the works I have listed with certainty for my challenges above were ones that I came across merely by chance, and what I end up reading for the 1860s will probably be determined along those same lines. So, I appreciate you putting out names that I will hopefully remember as I'm browsing through, but I won't be picking anything until I have it in my hands.

I'm sorry to hear that, Aubrey, and I'm sorry if you felt overrun. - I did not know that this is the main criterium and thought you might still be looking for inspirations ...
But in that case Maud Martha seems like an obvious choice to me - you said you already saw a copy? Surely you could get it once they are open again ...
I wish you all the good luck on your book hunt.

No worries, Lilly, and yes. I hope the copy of MM is there the next time I make my way back.

First stack of 2021:

1. the first volume of Richardson's 'Pilgrimage' for my Century Quest for Women
2. Markandaya's 'Nectar in a Sieve' doing double duty for my Decade Quest for Women and People of Color Old & New
3. and Ōe's A Personal Matter' for my People of Color Old & New

Should keep me busy for a bit.

Happy New year, Aubrey! Happy Reading. :)

You really lose no time, Aubrey :D
Happy reading and enjoy!

siriusedward wrote: "Happy New year, Aubrey! Happy Reading. :)"

Happy New Year, Elena! And happy reading to you as well! (I haven't commented on your boards yet, have I. Shame on me.)

Lilly wrote: "You really lose no time, Aubrey :D
Happy reading and enjoy!"

Cheers, Lilly, and happy reading to you as well!

Thank you, Aubrey :)
I must admit that I am still adjusting my challenges a little - clearing up my thread into a finalized version. So the board should be cleared tomorrow and I can start reading within the next days as well ...

Going a bit slowly at the start, what with saddling myself with two longish works right off the bat, but I did get one done for my Quest for Women in the decade section and two in my People of Color Old & New. Just got to keep balancing the page counts and trusting that I can make up any current slack with shorter reads in the future.

Another couple done for People of Color Old & New and chunk taken out of my long read for my Quest for Women Century. I'm currently reading all across my buffet board, and that's the way I like it.

Aubrey wrote: "Another couple done for People of Color Old & New and chunk taken out of my long read for my Quest for Women Century. I'm currently reading all across my buffet board, and that's the way I like it."

You always make such nice steady progress. Congratulations.

Cheers, Lynn. Keeping steady here keeps me steady in a lot of other ways, so I prioritize it whenever I can afford to.

You're making great progress, Aubrey. Nectar in a sieve looks very interesting.

Carolien wrote: "You're making great progress, Aubrey. Nectar in a sieve looks very interesting."

It's a rare work that's actually suited to being taught in schools while still being of good quality. Makes me even more keen on expanding my purview of Indian/South Asian lit beyond the handful or so titles that are commonly passed around these days.

So far I have one done for Century, one done for Decade, and five done for PoC O&N. Bit of a bias there, but things will even out eventually.

Still only one done for Century, but I now have four done for Decade and six done for PoC O&N, the last of which I'm currently reading a work for. Getting through the 2100+ page work, whose third volume out of four total I'm starting tomorrow, that I put down for Century will speed that one up eventually. I'm also finally making headway in my NYRB Classics challenge with one done and another one ongoing, although I have to remember to update the post accordingly at some point.

You are making amazing progress Aubrey. Halfway through 2100 pages too, congratulations! I always try to put a priority on Old and New since those can't be changed. One year I didn't complete mine, because other reads came up.

Cheers, Sue. Speeding through PoC O&N isn't my intent, but you're right that the inability to change it does put a sort of premium on finishing it. I'm rather excited that I have its oldest (and second longest, cause apparently I'm some kind of reading masochist) work, a 13th c. Japanese epic, up next, so at least I'm not losing steam.

One more done for Century, five more for PoC O&N, and a couple for my heretofore neglected Expanded Horizon challenge. Now that the 2110 page behemoth is finally out of the way, I'll really start making progress on some of my more neglected Buffet challenges.

Only one more to go for my People of Color Old & New challenge. Finishing that up will give me much needed room for my Quest for Women, for which I have twelve works left to read, and and a bit for my Expanded Horizon, for which I have three. Looking forward to it.

I've officially completed my People of Color Old & New challenge! Now it's truly time for the eleven remaining books of my Century of Women challenge and my three remaining for my Expanded Horizon.

Congratulations Aubrey! It is truly awe-inspiring to witness the volume of reading that you achieve.

Liesl wrote: "Congratulations Aubrey! It is truly awe-inspiring to witness the volume of reading that you achieve."

Cheers, Liesl. It's an obsession of mine, really, especially when considering how I've already started planning out reads for next year's iteration.

Congratulations, Aubrey! You've read some very interesting books in the selection, I've added a few to the TBR!