Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

The Menu for the 2021 Buffet:

Personal Challenge - 12 books/stories in translation
Challenge #1 - New & Old TBR
Challenge #3 - Second Place or Worse
✔️ Challenge #4 - Members Choice Classic/Genre Challenge
✔️ Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge
✔️ Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge finished 6/6/2021
Challenge #7 - 2020 Group Reads Challenge
✔️ Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors finished 1/30/2021
Challenge #9 Authors A-Z


My overall game plan for this year is to participate in challenges in a more strategic manner. So the challenges where I will allow duplicates are in the translation personal challenge below, the New Authors Challenge #8, and the A-Z Challenge #9. If I use something in one of those three, I see no problem in reusing those titles.

I added an extra personal challenge here - Books in Translation:
1 The Valley of Echoes by Gérard Klein (1959) short story originally in French 1/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
2 A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert (1877) novelette originally in French 1/18/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
3. Party Line by Gérard Klein (1973) originally in French 1/30/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 The Book of Mark from the New Testament, original language Greek (70) 3/14/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
5. The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann (1816) originally in German 3/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟
6. About Love: Three Stories by Anton Chekhov (1898) originally in Russion 4/22/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
7. "Micromegas" by Voltaire (1752) originally in French 6/9/2021 🌟🌟🌟
8. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka originally written in German. reread - 9/6/2021
9. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera written in Czech originally 10/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
10. The Hunting Gun by Yasushi Inoue originally written in Japanese 11/6/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
11.
12.

These are planned books unless there is a date and rating.

Old School and New School Challenge #1

Old school
1 Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (1853)
2 Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin A. Abbott (1884)
✔️ 3 Micromegas by Voltaire (1752) 6/9/2021 🌟🌟🌟

New school
1 Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster (1905)
2 Stoner by John Williams (1965)
3 The Road Back by Erich Maria Remarque (1931)

Free choice
✔️ 1 Tracks by Louise Erdrich (1988) 1/9/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
2 The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein (1966)
✔️ 3 The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick (1956) 7/2/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✔️ 4 The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939) 3/22/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✔️ 5 A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert (1877) 1/18/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
6 Pavilion of Women: A Novel of Life in the Women's Quarters by Pearl S. Buck (1946)

Alternates
1 Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (1985)
✔️ 2 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868) 12/28/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Challenge #3 Go back through the group's past polls and select seven (7) total books that lost the poll and never made it to our group bookshelf. Pick two books from New School, two from Old School, two from Short Story/Novella, and one from the Quarterly Long Read.


Short Story
✔️ 1. The Door in the Wall by H.G. Wells nominated Oct 2016 / read 3/6/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
✔️ 2. The Destructors by Graham Greene nominated for Dec. 2021/ read 10/2/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

New School


Old School
✔️ 3 The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett (1896) nominated Sept. 2016 / read 4/5/2021 🌟🌟🌟

(Planning list)

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (Old School)

From Here to Eternity (Long Read) James Jones

Alternate: Le Morte d'Arthur: King Arthur and the Legends of the Round Table by Thomas Malory
Alternate: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand (Long Read)
Alternate: The Red Badge of Courage by Stephen Crane (Old School)

✔️ Challenge #4 Genre Challenge

18th Century or Older Micromegas by Voltaire (1752) 6/9/2021 🌟🌟🌟
19th Century Benito Cereno by Herman Melville (1855) 3/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
20th Century The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (1984) 10/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Current or Past Group Read The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling (1894) 9/25/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
An Author not Read Before The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann (1816) 3/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟
Diversity Classic The Hunting Gun by Yasushi Inoue (1949) 11/6/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Science Fiction The Minority Report by Philip K. Dick (1956) 7/2/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Romance Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (1722) 7/1/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Historical Fiction Tracks by Louise Erdrich (1988) 1/9/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Nonfiction The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative by Mary Prince (1831) 3/5/2021 Since this is a historical document and the subject matter is so serious, it did not seem appropriate to give a rating on how much I "like" or "dislike" it. But I did read it.
Mystery/Crime The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939) 3/22/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Horror/Humor Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1872) 8/15/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

✔️ Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge (The only other challenge where I reuse these texts is for the New Authors Challenge.)

Part 1: Golden Age of Science Fiction Short Story Decade 1940s (filling in as I go).

1940 Homo Sol by Isaac Asimov 9/18/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1941 The Street that Wasn't There by Clifford D. Simak and Carl Jacobi 3/3/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1942 Nerves by Lester del Rey (1942 novella version) 2/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟
1943 The Proud Robot by Lewis Padgett (pseudonym for) Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore 3/23/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1944 Huddling Place by Clifford D. Simak 4/9/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1945 First Contact by Murray Leinster 8/21/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1946 Loophole by Arthur C. Clarke 6/4/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1947 Time And Time Again by H. Beam Piper 4/7/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1948 He Walked Around the Horses by H. Beam Piper 4/15/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1949 Kaleidoscope: Short Story by Ray Bradbury by Ray Bradbury 4/14/2021 🌟🌟🌟

Golden Age of Science Fiction Short Story Decade 1950s (filling in as I go).

1950 "The Last Enemy" by H. Beam Piper 4/18/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1951 Beyond Lies the Wub by Philip K. Dick 6/10/2021 🌟🌟
1952 The Third Level by Jack Finney 6/11/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1953 All Cats Are Gray by Andre Norton 6/3/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1954 Death of a Spaceman by Walter M. Miller Jr. 6/10/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1955 The Tunnel Under the World by Frederik Pohl 6/8/2021
1956 Stranger Station by Damon Knight 2/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1957 Call Me Joe by Poul Anderson 3/29/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1958 Birds of a Feather by Robert Silverberg 5/7/2021 🌟🌟🌟
1959 The Valley of Echoes by Gérard Klein 1/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Part 2 A Century Challenge of Science Fiction Short Stories and Novellas: completed 4/15/2021

1908 A Curious Fragment by Jack London 3/13/2021 🌟🌟🌟
1912 The Scarlet Plague by Jack London 3/31/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1929 The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft 4/6/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1934 Stanley G. Weinbaum's Mars: A Martian Odyssey and Valley of Dreamsby Stanley G. Weinbaum 4/8/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1943 Mimsy Were The Borogoves by Lewis Padgett 4/5/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1957 Genesis by H. Beam Piper4/15/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1968 2BR02B by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4/4/2021 🌟🌟🌟
1977 Inconstant Moon by Larry Niven 4/1/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
1985 Hallucination by Isaac Asimov (1985) 3/4/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
1990 "Bears Discover Fire" by Terry Bisson 4/5/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

✔️ Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge
Read 24 short stories. This equates to only two per month for the year. I really enjoy short stories!!


1 Vintage Season by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore (1946) 1/1/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
2 Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith (1950) 1/2/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
3 Lost Legacy by Robert A. Heinlein (1941) 1/12/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 "The Death of a Traveling Salesman" by Eudora Welty (1941) 1/13/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟 - not found on Goodreads individually
5 Gulf by Robert A. Heinlein (1949) 1/13/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
6 One Ordinary Day, With Peanuts by Shirley Jackson (1955) 1/15/2021 🌟🌟🌟
7 The Mound by H.P. Lovecraft (1930) 1/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟
8 Andrea by John O'Hara (1966) 1/18/2021 🌟🌟🌟
9 "The Doctor's Wife" by John Updike (1961) 1/29/2021 🌟🌟🌟
10 "Robot Dreams" by Isaac Asimov (1986) 1/29/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
11 "Party Line" by Gérard Klein (1973) 1/30/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
12 Passengers by Robert Silverberg (1968) 1/30/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
13 To See the Invisible Man by Robert Silverberg (1963) 1/31/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
14 The Crystal Egg by H.G. Wells (1898) 2/19/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
15 The Nameless City by H.P. Lovecraft (1921) 2/20/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
16 The Lady Who Sailed the Soul by Cordwainer Smith (1960) 2/28/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
17 "The Road Not Taken" by Harry Turtledove (1985) 3/1/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
18 The Country of the Kind by Damon Knight (1955) 3/31/2021 🌟🌟🌟
19 That Spot by Jack London (1908) 4/14/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
20 Police Operation by H. Beam Piper (1948) 4/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
21 Temple Trouble by H. Beam Piper (1951) 4/19/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
22 A Little Journey by Ray Bradbury 4/28/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
23 Time Crime by H. Beam Piper, Science Fiction, Adventure by H. Beam Piper (1955) 6/6/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
24 The Thing in the Attic by James Blish (1954) 7/17/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

The Challenge is now complete. Any other short stories I read this year I will either include in a Decade or Century Challenge, or the 2nd Place or Worse Challenge.

Challenge #7 - 2021 Group Reads Challenge
The challenge is to read 12 of this year's group selections. Between New School, Old School, Short Story/Novella, Revisit the Shelf, and Quarterly Long read our group selects 40 new and 12 reread books per year, giving us plenty of choices.

1. "Gooseberries" About Love: Three Stories by Anton Chekhov (1898) 4/22/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
2. "Goblin Market" by Christina Rossetti (1859) 6/30/2021
3. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (1722) 7/2/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
4. The Necklace by Guy de Maupassant (1883) 8/8/2021 reread
5. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915) 9/6/2021 reread
6. The Gold Bug by Edgar Allan Poe (1843) 10/4/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟 reread
7. The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (1984) 10/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
8. The Last Question by Isaac Asimov (1956) 10/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟
9. A Christmas Tree: by Charles Dickens by Charles Dickens (1850) 11/18/2021 🌟🌟🌟

✔️ Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors Completed 1/30/2021 - I have been reading short stories this month. The books listed below are short stories, novellas, or novels. (This is one challenge where I will use these titles for other challenges too. )

Seek out six (6) authors that you have never previously read, male or female, any genre, but please use books published before the year 2000

1 Vintage Season by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore (1946) 1/1/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
2 Scanners Live in Vain by Cordwainer Smith (1950) 1/2/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
3 The Valley of Echoes by Gérard Klein (1959) 1/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
4 A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert (1877) 1/18/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
5 Andrea by John O'Hara (1966) 1/18/2021 🌟🌟
6 Passengers by Robert Silverberg (1968) 1/30/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Extra authors
- Stranger Station by Damon Knight (1956) 2/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Nerves by Lester del Rey (1942 novella version) 2/16/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- "The Road Not Taken" by Harry Turtledove (1985) 3/1/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- The History of Mary Prince: A West Indian Slave Narrative by Mary Prince (1831) 3/4/2021 - not rated - How could a person rate that story?
- The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler (1939) 3/22/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- The Sandman by E.T.A. Hoffmann (1816) 3/24/2021 🌟🌟🌟
- Call Me Joe by Poul Anderson (1957) 3/29/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Inconstant Moon by Larry Niven (1977) 4/ 1/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Time And Time Again by H. Beam Piper (1947) 4/7/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Stanley G. Weinbaum's Mars: A Martian Odyssey and Valley of Dreamsby Stanley G. Weinbaum 4/8/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- About Love: Three Stories by Anton Chekhov (1898) originally in Russion 4/22/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- All Cats Are Gray by Andre Norton (1953) 6/3/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- The Tunnel Under the World by Frederik Pohl (1955) 6/9/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe (1722) 7/2/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟
- Goblin Market by Christina Rossetti 6/30/2021
- "Poor Superman" by Fritz Leiber (1952) 7/15/2021 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
- The Thing in the Attic by James Blish (1954) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 7/17/2021
- Carmilla by J. Sheridan Le Fanu (1872) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 8/15/2021
- The Vampyre: A Tale by John William Polidori 🌟🌟🌟🌟 8/15/2021
- First Contact by Murray Leinster 🌟🌟🌟🌟 8/21/2021

Challenge # 9 Authors A-Z

This is a list of authors I have read this year in either short story, novella, or novel form.

Poul Anderson
Ray Bradbury
Raymond Chandler
Arthur Conan Doyle
Louise Erdrich
Gustave Flaubert

G
Robert A. Heinlein
Yasushi Inoue
Shirley Jackson
Damon Knight
Jack London
Herman Melville
Larry Niven
John O'Hara
H. Beam Piper
Q
Christina Rossetti
Robert Silverberg
Harry Turtledove
John Updike
Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Stanley Weinbaum
X
Y
Z

Lynn, I think challenge #3 is going to be a winner. Since you are going to concentrate on it first, I’ll tell you I have read five of your choices and alternates. Without any detail I can say I liked The Sea Wolf and Where Angels Fear to Tread the best. These two are followed by Captains Courageous and The Red Badge of Courage. Lastly is The Kreutaer Sonata, not because it isn’t good, but because the subject is a little rough.

Have fun, enjoy.

Bob wrote: "Lynn, I think challenge #3 is going to be a winner. Since you are going to concentrate on it first, I’ll tell you I have read five of your choices and alternates. Without any detail I can say I lik..."

Thanks Bob!

Your first Gaskell! Cranford is ideal for that. I love her books and totally recommend North & South.

Yes, Lynn, I think you will really enjoy Gaskell's writings. North & South was one of my favorites of hers, and I also think you'll enjoy Cranford.
Your lists are looking good. Another one on your list that I'm excited for you to read is Lonesome Dove. It is so good! I hope you love it!

Terris wrote: "Yes, Lynn, I think you will really enjoy Gaskell's writings. North & South was one of my favorites of hers, and I also think you'll enjoy Cranford.
Your lists are looking good. Another one on your ..."


Lonesome Dove was the book I was most excited to read this time last year, but I never did! I kept thinking, "I need a big block of time..." You would think quarantine would have been that big block of time, but probably most will agree, last year was just too unsettled. I read much less than usual because my husband and I quarantined together. Enough said. Perhaps 2021 is the year for it.

Yes! I totally understand! I also quarantined (and still am!!) with my husband, and know what you mean about less reading time, and also feeling unsettled! ;)
I think you'll really enjoy Lonesome Dove. The book is wonderful, but I also remember the feeling of the cowboys out on the range. It feels open and freeing. It might be kind of calming for you.... I don't know -- but I really do think you'll like it!!

Thanks for the recommendations Terris and Philina.

Lonesome Dove will carry you away on a journey from Texas to Montana, and you will be transported in time with this experience. It gives the best kind of fiction experience. Enjoy!

Alright, I think the planning is finished. There are some books that I meant to read last year but are getting carried over to 2021. I tried to pull in things I actually want to read whether they are on the Group shelf or not. Books that I cared enough to purchase should not languish unread. Last year when I planned I spent a little too much consideration on "checking boxes" and then did not read everything I wanted to.

If time permits I think it should be a fun year of reading. Also, I know some group reads will come up that I had never even considered and they will be fun!

Bob wrote: "Lynn, I think challenge #3 is going to be a winner. Since you are going to concentrate on it first, I’ll tell you I have read five of your choices and alternates. Without any detail I can say I lik..."

So on the final edit of the lists, I am taking your advice Bob. A few things were crossed off like The Kreutzer Sonata.

Looks like you have a full buffet in front of you...enjoy!

Ha thanks everyone. As if the buffet was not full enough, I am adding in something else. I am excited about this one. One of the reasons I suggested the Second Place or Worse idea to Bob, was because my "fun" genre is Science Fiction. I realize it is not everyone's favorite and rarely do the Sci Fi selections win, but I saw that there had been many nominated over the years. Yesterday, I had so much fun building a spreadsheet of all the Sci Fi short stories I already own in the 5 anthologies I have at my house. Like most of us I have only read pieces and parts of these short story and novella collections. From that list I should easily be able to do another challenge:

Challenge #5 - Decade/Century Challenge

Part 1: Golden Age of Science Fiction Short Story Decade

The first novella I read was Vintage Season. I loved it. I gave it 5 stars.

You are definitely going to add to my TBR with the SF challenge, Lynn! Good luck with all your challenges :)

I read so little Sci-Fi, Lynn, that I find it hard to chose something when I need to. I will be watching your challenge with real interest.

OH!! I am so excited. I am going to jump right in with a slew of unsolicited recommendations for anyone that wants to read Sci Fi short stories.

1. Nightfall by Isaac Asimov.. This is perhaps the quintessential Golden Age story. DO NOT read any spoilers before. It may feel slightly dated, but it "blew my mind" as we used to say.

2. Vintage Season by C.L. Moore and Henry Kuttner, I just read it, so it is fresh on my mind, but I did think it was really excellent. Most of the reviews are good except one person who talks about shallow characterization, blah blah. I wanted to say "this is every cliche ever thrown at Sci Fi." I think the characterization is quite good for a novella.

3. Desertion by Clifford D. Simak
Again don't read any spoilers.

4. I really liked A Rose for Ecclesiastes by Roger Zelazny. It's set on Mars.

5. A Sound of Thunder by Ray Bradbury. I read it as a child, and it haunted me. Also it is a foundational text that a well-known phrase is derived from. Plus it helped set one of the "rules" of Science Fiction about how characters should behave and the consequences thereof.

6. Occasionally a news story will come up that makes me think of this story. This story has aliens. They're Made Out of Meat by Terry Bisson.

Haven't read a single one, Lynn. I have added them all to the TBR and I intend to read them as part of the short story challenge. Thanks!

You're welcome Sara!

I finished my first novel of the year Tracks by Louise Erdrich. I gave it 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟. I usually don't read books that are more than "G" or "PG" rated, and there are sections like that, but overall Erdrich's excellent character building makes me willing to overlook that.

I have also had fun reading three sci-fi short stories so far. "The Color Out of Space" may be one of Lovecraft's most read stories, and my book says it was his personal favorite. It was good, but so far my personal favorite among the four Lovecraft stories I have read is The Shadow Over Innsmouth It was one of the second place or worse short stories from the group. If you read Innsmouth, I would suggest reading "The Call of Cthulhu: and At the Mountains of Madness first though so that Innsmouth will make sense.

Lynn, thank you for the sci fi list. Adding them all to my TBR (I'm sure I'll end up reading them all this year).

I have read all the Lovecraft stories you have mentioned. I really am enjoying his stories.

Although school started two weeks ago, I didn't. I have a case of reactivated mono (EBV). Yes, while the rest of world battles Covid, thank goodness I did not catch something new. My Covid test was negative. This is my fourth case of mono in the last twelve years. (Each one confirmed by blood tests.) So it has been the perfect time to read a few short stories while I rest in bed. I have been resting since Jan. 1st, hence the short story 1940s Decade Challenge. The Science Fiction is light enough and short enough for me to be able to read right now.

I am working my way through this short story collection Assignment in Eternity by Robert A. Heinlein that was published in 1953. It consists of two novellas: Gulf and Lost Legacy and two short stories which I have not read yet. I plan on using it for the Bingo Square for short story collection.

I'm so sorry to hear you've been sick, Lynn. Glad you have some good reading to both distract you, and give you a sense of accomplishment. (But getting well and staying well is our most important accomplishment these days!)

My brother was a huge Heinlein fan, and I really want to try him sometime. Enjoy!

I hope you feel better soon and glad you are able to read, not always the case when sick. The up side is seeing so many check marks, you are killing these challenges. I usually love science fiction, been neglecting it lately, I need to do better.

Get well!!

Get well soon Lynn! Heinlein is one interesting writer

Thanks folks. Slowly but surely the naps are getting shorter and the waking time is getting longer.

I think I have had enough of Heinlein for now. I finished the collection I was reading - Assignment in Eternity. There were three fluffy, fun pieces that basically rest on the premise that people under hypnosis can do all sorts of superhuman feats. The fourth piece kind of ruined it for me. I believe that Heinlein was trying to be more serious and write social commentary. Unfortunately, edgy social commentary in 1947 falls flat and even sounds slightly offensive to today's sensibilities. But I want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Any collection has some texts we like better than others so 3 stars overall. I am now going to mark it as my short story collection on Bingo.

Goodness, Lynn. Recurring mono sounds awful. I had mono when I was in college and I remember it as being completely draining I could barely drag myself to classes before my girlfriend insisted on taking me to the clinic..and they sent me right home. I do hope you are well soon!

On the up side, you are truly killing your challenges right now.

I hope you feel better soon, Lynn!

Thanks friends!

Hugs!

I finished A Simple Heart by Gustave Flaubert which I shamelessly used for multiple challenge lists! This is exactly the sort of the book that I wanted to read when I joined this group. I thought it was a beautifully written narrative. I joined this group hoping to finally read some of the "big names" that I had heard of but not yet experienced. In my opinion Flaubert deserves his impressive reputation.

Carrie wrote: "Lynn, I want to get to this one this year. Flaubert is one author I have not read yet.

You are flying through these challenges. I hope you are feeling better."

Thank you Carrie. I go back to teaching school tomorrow. Hopefully, things will be back to normal.

I read one more tonight. I almost didn't read it. Andrea by John O'Hara is one of the sixteen short novels in my collection - Sixteen Short Novels. He is a new author for me. I almost stopped in the middle. I almost walked out to trash can and threw away the book, but there are sixteen of them. I made up a DNF shelf just for this - I have never had a DNF shelf. I tried to go to sleep. Ten minutes later I got back up and finished the book. Darn it. I was hooked on the characters.

This book is crude, harsh, and awful. It is sad. I couldn't stop reading even though I wanted to. I liked A Simple Heart so much better!

Thanks for everyone's concerns. I have been teaching again the last two weeks, but I put in my 30 days notice and am leaving my job - sort of. I am resigning for medical reasons. I just don't want to work so hard anymore and mono technically leaves me "immunocompromised". They are looking for a replacement for me. I will work until that person is found, then I become a substitute in my same school. So I will see the same people and I like being in front of the students in a class. What will change will be fewer hours/days a week and no extra training or planning meetings etc. I have subbed in the past and I like it. I will be 59 in a couple of months. It is normal for older teachers to move to subbing before full-fledged retirement.

So far I have read fourteen things this month. I read one book, a few novellas and mostly short stories. It has been light reading mostly for fun

It must be very gratifying for you to make this change for yourself. It's important to be healthy and still enjoy life and it sounds like you've got a great situation with subbing. All the best to you as you near retirement! And keep enjoying your reading!

Lori wrote: "It must be very gratifying for you to make this change for yourself. It's important to be healthy and still enjoy life and it sounds like you've got a great situation with subbing. All the best to ..."

Thanks Lori!

It's good to hear that you are feeling better and I hope the changes in your professional life work out as you transition to retirement.

Bob wrote: "It's good to hear that you are feeling better and I hope the changes in your professional life work out as you transition to retirement."

Thanks Bob.

I just finished another Challenge. That makes two from the buffet so far.

✔️ Challenge #6 - Short Story Challenge finished 3/3/2021
✔️ Challenge #8 - Expand Your Horizon With New Authors finished 1/30/2021

I really enjoy short stories. I mixed my short stories interest with my love for Science Fiction. Of the twenty-four short stories I read, five were regular fiction and nineteen were science fiction. Almost all were four or five stars in my opinion. Several of the "short stories" were novellas, but as our Short Story Category allows novellas, I included them. I am still working on a Decade Short Story Challenge and probably a Century Short Story Challenge consisting of just Science Fiction. This has been a fun return to one of my favorite genres.

Using a strategy of focusing on one challenge at a time has been really helpful to me. I also am neglecting the monthly reads a bit, but once I focus on that particular challenge, I will pick them back up.

In addition to just stand-alone short stories, I have always loved stories or books in a series. I am slowly working my way through the Cthulhu Mythos series of short stories/novellas by H.P. Lovecraft. I also bought a collection of "future history" stories by Cordwainer Smith. Finally, I have read of few of the Robert A. Heinlein stories from his future history series. I may read more of those. I have been a little less intentional and more jumbled reading the Heinlein because I was reading his from "Hall of Fame" Anthologies.

Bravo, Lynn. I haven't made a dent in any one challenge, so I think it is remarkable that you have already finished two.

Sara wrote: "Bravo, Lynn. I haven't made a dent in any one challenge, so I think it is remarkable that you have already finished two."

Thanks Sara. Well, short stories, so you know it was an easier place to start.

This is amazing! Congratulations, Lynn! It looks like you had a great time with the reads in both challenges as I see most are 4 or 5 stars. I'm soon going to spend some time looking through them and adding them to my TBR (the never reducing tbr)

Shaina wrote: "This is amazing! Congratulations, Lynn! It looks like you had a great time with the reads in both challenges as I see most are 4 or 5 stars. I'm soon going to spend some time looking through them a..."

Thanks Shaina.