Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

**Starting Over in 2023! Beginning with Msg 25 **

Below are 2021 Personal Challenges--sadly abandoned early!
More Non-Fiction
I have sorely neglected it since joining Goodreads. Life is precarious, knowledge is power, and I need to better arm myself! I have some history and philosophy planned, as well as some autobiographies and other good stuff.

January
Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon - and the Journey of a Generation ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finish the series
I don’t read many book series, but I have a few I’ve started that I don’t want to keep putting off:
Emma Goldman Autobiography
Living My Life, Vol. 1 - read in 2017
Living My Life, Vol. 2

Sigrid Undset - Kristin Lavransdatter
The Wreath - read in 2016
The Wife - read in 2019
The Cross

Hilary Mantel - Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall - read in 2020
Bring Up the Bodies
The Mirror & the Light

Marilynne Robinson Gilead Trilogy
Gilead - read in 2016
Home
Lila

Edna O'Brien
The Country Girls - read in 2020
Girl with Green Eyes
Girls in Their Married Bliss

Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid's Tale - read probably 1986
The Testaments

I’m also tempted to start some new series. I’m going to finally read Devil in a Blue Dress, and who knows, I may continue with the whole Easy Rawlins series! There are 15, so that would make this a really long-term challenge! And I really want to read August Wilson's Century Cycle, another very long-term goal.

More Series to Read:
Anthony Trollope - The Complete Chronicles of Barsetshire
The Warden - read Feb 2021
Barchester Towers
then we'll see if I go on!

Women’s Prize for Fiction Winners
This seems like a good way to make sure I’m sampling some quality, newer international fiction.

1996 - A Spell of Winter - Helen Dunmore
1997 - Fugitive Pieces - Anne Michaels
1998 - Larry's Party - Carol Shields
1999 - A Crime in the Neighborhood - Suzanne Berne
2000 - When I Lived in Modern Times - Linda Grant
2001 - The Idea of Perfection - Kate Grenville
2002 - Bel Canto - Ann Patchett
2003 - Property - Valerie Martin
2004 - Small Island - Andrea Levy
2005 - We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver
2006 - On Beauty - Zadie Smith
2007 - Half of a Yellow Sun - Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
2008 - The Road Home - Rose Tremain
2009 - Home - Marilynne Robinson
2010 - The Lacuna - Barbara Kingsolver
2011 - The Tiger's Wife - Téa Obreht
2012 - The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
2013 - May We Be Forgiven - A.M. Homes
2014 - A Girl Is a Half-formed Thing - Eimear McBride
2015 - How to Be Both - Ali Smith
2016 - The Glorious Heresies - Lisa McInerney
2017 - The Power - Naomi Alderman
2018 - Home Fire - Kamila Shamsie
2019 - An American Marriage - Tayari Jones
2020 - Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell

Gotham Writers Recommended Fiction Writing Reading List - Craft Books
I love their entire fiction reading list:
https://www.writingclasses.com/toolbo...
and am tracking my reading of their recommended novels and short stories, but it’s too long to list here.

I will track their craft book recommendations here though.
https://www.writingclasses.com/toolbo...
Some of these I’ve read, but not reviewed, so I’ll do a re-read at some point and mark them off then.

Creating Fiction: Instruction and Insights from Teachers of the Associated Writing Programs - Julie Checkoway
Naming the World: And Other Exercises for the Creative Writer - Bret Anthony Johnston
Zen in the Art of Writing - Ray Bradbury
Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft - Janet Burroway
Story Genius: How to Use Brain Science to Go Beyond Outlining and Write a Riveting Novel - Lisa Cron
Aspects of the Novel - E.M. Forster
The Art of Fiction: Notes on Craft for Young Writers - John Gardner
On Becoming a Novelist - John Gardner
Gotham Writers' Workshop: Writing Fiction: The Practical Guide From New York's Acclaimed Creative Writing School - Alexander Steele
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft - Stephen King
Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life - Anne Lamott
Writing the Breakout Novel - Donald Maass

You have some novel challenges! Sorry about the pun. I could not help myself!

I love your lists Kathleen. I'm not big on series either. I refuse to even attempt them if they're more than a trilogy or tetralogy but I've already made an exception with John le Carré as I plan on reading all of the George Smiley books. I want to get to the Singrid Unset trilogy and another trilogy I want to get to is the John Dos Passos USA one.

I love your Women's Prize for Fiction list. I'm going to need to copy that. And that Gotham list for fiction is another great resource for contemporary fiction. It has many books that I loved on it which gives me confidence in their taste.

Terry wrote: "You have some novel challenges! Sorry about the pun. I could not help myself!"

Ha ha! That's a good one, Terry. Thanks!

Sue wrote: "I love your lists Kathleen. I'm not big on series either. I refuse to even attempt them if they're more than a trilogy or tetralogy but I've already made an exception with John le Carré ...

I think you made a great exception. I really want to read Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, and then I'll see about the others but I'm sure they're fantastic.

I agree with you about lists. Some of them I just don't connect with, but when I find one with lots I've liked, it's definitely worth looking into.

I think you'll like the Undset trilogy, and now I have to check out the Dos Passos!

Great lists Kathleen! The song of Achilles is lovely and you can't go wrong with Adichie.

Ila wrote: "Great lists Kathleen! The song of Achilles is lovely and you can't go wrong with Adichie."

Ah, great to hear, Ila--thanks! I'm late in getting to Adichie, but looking forward to her.

Oh my, I can feel my TBR bloating even while reading your titles! You are so industrious!

I’m on the same page as Sara! Reading your lists is always detrimental to my Mt TBR.

Thanks, Sara and Annette. Only my plans are industrious, unfortunately! But I'll keep dreaming. :-)

Happy New year , Kathleen.Happy Reading!

More lists ;). happy reading Kathleen!

Thank you Elena and Brina, and Happy New Year to you too! Lists make me feel hopeful ... 🤞😊

I'm allowing myself reading tangents, so may not see lots of progress on my challenges, but I am meeting my goal of reading more non-fiction. In January, I had some nice variety.

A fun biography:
Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon - and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller
Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Some philosophy:
Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living by Pema Chödrön
Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And some thought-provoking essays:
The Fire This Time: A New Generation Speaks About Race by Jesmyn Ward
Review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Oh dear, isn't this how it goes.

Instead of finishing a series (msg 2), I'm adding one! Finished Anthony Trollope's The Warden, and now I want to at least read Barchester Towers, and maybe the whole series.

The Warden review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I am slowly working my way through this series, Kathleen. You won't be sorry you took it on. It just gets better as it goes.

Sara wrote: "I am slowly working my way through this series, Kathleen. You won't be sorry you took it on. It just gets better as it goes."

I'm so happy to hear this, Sara--thanks!

I'm mighty interested in this series as well, seeing all the rave reviews. I suppose part of the joy in reading is adding new books referred to or suggested in a book. I have quietly accepted the fact that my TBR is never decreasing

Ila wrote: "I'm mighty interested in this series as well, seeing all the rave reviews. I suppose part of the joy in reading is adding new books referred to or suggested in a book. I have quietly accepted the f..."

Rave may be too strong for such a quiet book, but definitely worth trying, Ila! And I'm with you on the TBR. I've decided I like having more books than I'll ever be able to read there--gives me a sense of security. :-)

Kathleen wrote: "Oh dear, isn't this how it goes.

Instead of finishing a series (msg 2), I'm adding one! Finished Anthony Trollope's The Warden, and now I want to at least read [book:..."


Speaking of growing TBR lists, I saw your Barchester Towers series and made my visit to Amazon! Somehow knowing that The Warden is the first in a series made me want to read it more.

Looking back at these plans, they're pretty pie-in-the-sky! But I have been reading some good non-fiction to meet that goal anyway.

My two latest:
The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life by Twyla Tharp. What a fascinating artist she is. Right after finishing this, I saw the PBS documentary about her called Twyla Moves (https://www.pbs.org/video/twyla-moves...). She is so inspiring.
My review of the book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

And I think this is a very important read:
On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

April is National Poetry month in the US, and I'm currently reading a really interesting textbook about poetry, and hoping to keep up the non-fiction, maybe with Pablo Neruda's memoirs.

OEUVRE - Read everything written by a select few authors

Margaret Atwood
Read:
The Handmaid's Tale
Oryx and Crake
The Year of the Flood
MaddAddam
Cat's Eye
The Penelopiad
The Robber Bride
Life Before Man
Negotiating with the Dead: A Writer on Writing
Good Bones and Simple Murders
Morning in the Burned House
added after 1/1/23:

Shirley Jackson
The Haunting of Hill House
We Have Always Lived in the Castle
The Lottery
Life Among the Savages
Hangsaman
The Sundial
The Road Through the Wall
added after 1/1/23:

Toni Morrison
Beloved
The Bluest Eye
Song of Solomon
Sula
Jazz
The Source of Self-Regard: Selected Essays, Speeches, and Meditations
added after 1/1/23:

Impulse Reads

2023

International Booker Prize - 2016 Onward

2016The Vegetarian, Han Kang, South Korea, Deborah Smith (tr) (Korean)
2017A Horse Walks into a Bar, David Grossman, Israel, Jessica Cohen (tr), (Hebrew)
2018 Flights, Olga Tokarczuk, Poland, Jennifer Croft (tr), (Polish)
2019 Celestial Bodies, Jokha Alharthi, Oman, Marilyn Booth (tr), (Arabic)
2020 The Discomfort of Evening, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, Netherlands, Michele Hutchison (tr), (Dutch)
2021 At Night All Blood is Black, David Diop, France, Anna Moschovakis (tr) (French)
2022 Tomb of Sand, Geetanjali Shree, India, Daisy Rockwell (tr), (Hindi)

FAY FOR FUN Challenge

Reading Fay Weldon is a particular kind of fun for me, so I'll work on catching up on her work as a tribute to her life.
*RIP Fay Weldon, 1931-2023*

reserve