Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

Challenge #3 - Century Challenge

COMPLETED 06/29/22

1830-1839 - Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens (1839) ✅ 01/15/22

1840-1849 - Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (1848) ✅ 02/14/22

1850-1859 - Villette by Charlotte Brontë (1853) ✅ 03/14/22

1860-1869 - The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope (1867) ✅ 05/05/22

1870-1879 - The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola (1871) ✅ 05/22/22

1880-1889 - The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson (1888) ✅ 06/15/22

1890-1899 - The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (1891) ✅ 06/18/22

1900-1909 - The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle (1902) ✅ 06/23/22

1910-1919 - Howards End by E.M. Forster (1910) ✅ 06/28/22

1920-1929 - Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf (1925) ✅ 06/29/22

Nothing 'lite" about your choices. Good luck, CP.

Welcome to the challenge. I hope you enjoy the reading.

You can't go wrong with Dickens, Wilde, or Zola. All the best

I loved Howard’s End but you’ve got some authors I still need to try. All the best!

These are some meaty classic choices, Cozy Pug. I just loved the last four. Enjoy!

Lynn wrote: "Welcome to the challenge. I hope you enjoy the reading."

Thanks so much!

Sara wrote: "Nothing 'lite" about your choices. Good luck, CP."

Thanks, Sara - lol yes, some of these books are doorstops

Ila wrote: "You can't go wrong with Dickens, Wilde, or Zola. All the best"

Thank you, Ila - I love Dickens!

Lori wrote: "I loved Howard’s End but you’ve got some authors I still need to try. All the best!"

Thanks Lori!

Matt wrote: "Wow - great century challenge! Good luck!"

Thanks, Matt!

Kathleen wrote: "These are some meaty classic choices, Cozy Pug. I just loved the last four. Enjoy!"

Thanks Kathleen!

Challenge #1 - Old & New TBR Challenge


1899 and earlier - Old School
1 - Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe (1719) ✅ 01/04/22

2 - Life in London: Or the Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq., And His Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom in Their Rambles and Sprees Through the Metropolis by Pierce Egan (1821) ✅ 01/06/22

3 - The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins (1868) ✅ 05/11/22

1900-1999 - New School
4 - This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1920) ✅ 07/06/22

5 - Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (1957)

6 - To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960) ✅ 07/09/22

Six Free Choices
7 - The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe ✅ 01/16/22

8 - A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe ✅ 01/18/22

9 - Ivanhoe by Walter Scott ✅ 01/25/22

10 - Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë ✅ 02/10/22

11 - The Eustace Diamonds by Anthony Trollope

12 - The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton ✅ 06/25/22

Alternates
13 - Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift ✅ 01/17/22

14 - Under the Greenwood Tree (Illustrated): by Thomas Hardy ✅ 05/24/22

15 - The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy ✅ 06/26/22

January Summary


Challenge #3 - Century Challenge - 1/10 books completed
Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens 5 stars - love, love, love this book; Dickensian perfection; the Cheeryble brothers are amazing; Mrs Nickleby - wow what a character 😂

Challenge #1 - Old and New TBR challenge - 6/15 books completed
Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe 4 stars - interesting and compelling story, interesting as an early novel; the number of shipwrecks Crusoe is involved in becomes humorous

Life in London: Or the Day and Night Scenes of Jerry Hawthorn, Esq., And His Elegant Friend Corinthian Tom in Their Rambles and Sprees Through the Metropolis by Pierce Egan 3 stars - title is much better than the novel; expected this would be a 19th century version of Bertie Wooster and friends, disappointed on that point; illustrations by the Cruikshank brothers are wonderful

The Tragical History of Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe 1 star - did not like this at all

A Sicilian Romance by Ann Radcliffe 5 stars - love Radcliffe's novels; adventure, romance, gothic spookiness, half-ruined castles - perfect

Ivanhoe by Walter Scott 5 stars - loved this so much, didn't want it to end; Scott's writing immersed me in the story, the action, the location - truly felt transported back in time; love the chivalrous knights, the rescues of beautiful ladies, the jousts, and the bad knights getting their comeuppance

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift 2 stars - I've read other Swift works, didn't care for them, don't enjoy satire, but had high hopes for this book anyway; yuck - didn't appreciate the crude "humor"

Nice reading, CozyPug! Three five star reads as well :)

Wow, you are on a tear! Way to go, Cozy_Pug.

Congratulations on all you've read so far & January isn't even over yet!
I'm glad you said that about Gulliver's Travels. I just didn't like it and everyone else seems to love. Happy to know I'm not the only one :)

I did love Robinson Crusoe and Ivanhoe though (I haven't read your others).
Keep reading and you may have your whole challenge finished by the end of February!! haha! ;)

Janelle wrote: "Nice reading, CozyPug! Three five star reads as well :)"

The 5 star books made up for the couple of duds for sure :)

Sara wrote: "Wow, you are on a tear! Way to go, Cozy_Pug."

Lol Sara, it's January, it's really really cold. All I want to do is wrap up in a blanket and read until spring!

Terris wrote: "Congratulations on all you've read so far & January isn't even over yet!
I'm glad you said that about Gulliver's Travels. I just didn't like it and everyone else seems to love. Happy to know I'm no..."

Yes Gulliver seems to be well liked, it's just not my cup of tea. It is nice to know you and I aren't alone!

Lol I'll be pushing it to get everything read this year. I'm doing challenges in another group - two A-Z challenges, and I organized my reading chronologically by publication year. It's fun though!

Cozy_Pug wrote: "Terris wrote: "Congratulations on all you've read so far & January isn't even over yet!
I'm glad you said that about Gulliver's Travels. I just didn't like it and everyone else seems to love. Happy..."

I can tell you're enjoying yourself! Keep it up :)

Well done, Cozy_Pug! I am adding half your January list to my TBR! I've wanted to try Ann Radcliffe and this one seems an easier start than Udolpho.

Congrats on your progress. I'm sorry to hear that you did not like Doctor Faustus, perhaps Marlowe's Jew of Malta might be more to your liking.

Carolien wrote: "Well done, Cozy_Pug! I am adding half your January list to my TBR! I've wanted to try Ann Radcliffe and this one seems an easier start than Udolpho."

Happy to add to your TBR!

I loved Udolpho, too, but it's longer and more involved. A Sicilian Romance is for sure shorter and a good first Radcliffe book.

Ila wrote: "Congrats on your progress. I'm sorry to hear that you did not like Doctor Faustus, perhaps Marlowe's Jew of Malta might be more to your liking."

Thanks! I appreciate the Marlowe suggestion. I do want to give him another try sometime.

February Summary
(Completed totals are cumulative)

Challenge #3 - Century Challenge - 2/10 books completed

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray 3 stars - was so excited to read this, huge let down; my review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Challenge #1 - Old and New TBR challenge - 7/15 books completed
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë 4 stars - enjoyable, good story, likeable heroine, loved the ending

March Summary
(Completed totals are cumulative)

Challenge #3 - Century Challenge - 3/10 books completed

Villette by Charlotte Brontë 4 stars - I liked this more than I thought I would, I tend to prefer Emily and Anne's books over Charlotte's. So this was a pleasant surprise. My review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Challenge #1 - Old and New TBR challenge - 7/15 (no progress on this one in March)

April Summary
(Completed totals are cumulative)

Challenge #3 - Century Challenge - 3/10 books completed
The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope is in progress: 37% complete.

Challenge #1 - Old and New TBR challenge - 7/15 (no progress on this one in April)

April was a tough reading month - life kept getting in the way of my reading time. Hoping for progress on my challenges in May.

I had the same kind of April, Cozy. Here's to a better reading May.

Sara wrote: "I had the same kind of April, Cozy. Here's to a better reading May."

Hope we both have a great reading month in May! :)

May Summary
(Completed totals are cumulative)

Challenge #3 - Century Challenge - 5/10 books completed
The Last Chronicle of Barset by Anthony Trollope 5 stars - I read books 1-5 in the series last year but put off reading the last one. I love this series so much, and the final book did not disappoint. My review - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

The Fortune of the Rougons by Émile Zola 4 stars - this was a solid 3 star book until the end, then it gained one more star; I read another book in this series a few years ago that I loved; intrigued enough now to read the whole series in order

Challenge #1 - Old and New TBR challenge - 9/15
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins 5 stars - this book was amazing, my word it blew me away; fantastic early mystery/detective novel

Under the Greenwood Tree (Illustrated): by Thomas Hardy 4 stars - this was surprisingly good, much better than I remember Jude the Obscure being in high school; this was sweet, a bit frothy, quite funny at times; I would've liked the quire's story to have been developed more; Fancy Day grated on my nerves, she cost this book a star

Wow. Some great reads for May!

Sara wrote: "Wow. Some great reads for May!"

Definitely a great book month!

June Summary
(Completed totals are cumulative)

Challenge #3 - Century Challenge - 10/10 books completed
CHALLENGE COMPLETE 🎉🎉

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson 4 stars - I can always count on RLS for a good, solid adventure story; set during the Wars of the Roses which is a historical period I enjoy

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 2 stars - my first Wilde novel; didn't connect with any character; way too much clever quipping for my taste; Wilde does have a knack for beautiful descriptions though

The Hound of the Baskervilles 5 stars - I'd give this book 50 stars if I could my goodness - mysteries/detective fiction are my true book loves and this book is phenomenal; first time reading it; so deliciously atmospheric; suspicion abounds; totally gripped by this one and did not want it to end

Howards End by E.M. Forster 4 stars - I do like Forster and this was a compelling story with interesting characters; not my favorite of his but enjoyed it and would read it again

Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf 3 stars - my first reading of Woolf; love the style, beautiful heart piercing descriptions; didn't really like any of the characters or their storylines though


Challenge #1 - Old and New TBR challenge - 11/15

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton 4 stars - first time reading Wharton; good story, held my interest, likeable heroine; crisp, clean writing style

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy 4 stars - good, solid adventure/romance tale; love the hero, too

I love the way you do these summaries, Cozy. I need to read more Robert Louis Stevenson. I enjoyed Treasure Island much more than I had expected to.

Sara wrote: "I love the way you do these summaries, Cozy. I need to read more Robert Louis Stevenson. I enjoyed Treasure Island much more than I had expected to."

Thank you, Sara! Treasure Island is really fun! I definitely recommend RLS - he did adventure stories very well.

oh no Cozy Pug. Did you delete your account? You are always welcome back.