Boxall's 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die discussion

Completed 12 /12 tasks:

1. Read a Boxall book using the theme of 24. Everyone’s favorite is back (and probably will be for the next 98 years)! This is your chance to get creative. Here are a few possibilities to get you started.
o 2024 – Chinese Year of the Dragon
o International Year of Camelids (United Nations) – To raise awareness
of the importance of camels and camel-like animals.
o The Roaring Twenties (a book published or set in the 20s)
o A book with 24 chapters.
Misericordia by Benito Pérez Galdós, 1/12/24.
Explanation: the main character of the book is Benina. She is often referred to by another character as Angel. In Angel Numbers, 24 is about aligning your heart with your actions, finding a sense of balance and peace, and enjoying the beauty of life. This is definitely a lesson learned by Benina (aka Angel) during the telling of the story.

2. Read a Boxall list book by a Scottish author. Wild Harbour by Ian MacPherson, 4/18

3. Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama died 500 years ago in 1524. Read a Boxall book by an author from one of the countries along the routes of his 3 voyages or a book by a Portuguese author. (Contributed by Jennifer Austin) The Home and the World by Rabindranath Tagore, 3/5/24. The author is from India, the destination for Vasco de Gama.

4. Read a Boxall list book from one of the Boxall authors who died in 2023. (Kenzaburo Oe, Dubravka Ugresic, Martin Amis, Cormac McCarthy, Milan Kundera, A. S. Byatt, and Vassilis Vassilikos) Z by Vassilis Vassilikos, 4/30

5. Read a Boxall book told from a child’s perspective or with a child as a main character. I just finished The Viceroys by Federico De Roberto. A main character in the story is the young prince, Consalvo, who we follow into adulthood. 1/9/24

6. World War I began on July 28, 1914. Read a Boxall list book that features World War I or another war, and then read a Boxall list book from the other side of the conflict. (Contributed by Jennifer Austin) The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West, 2/24/24, describes events connected to WWI from the English side. Storm of Steel by Ernst Jünger is a description of the trench warfare based on a German soldier's diary, 3/16/24.

7. Read a Boxall book by an author who is also a scientist. (Note: The authors do not have to have degrees in a specific science. This can include science professors, researchers, and even (particularly pre-1900) authors who have a particular interest or fascination with science. Tono-Bungay by H.G. Wells, 1/24/24. Wells has Bachelor and Doctoral degrees of science from the Royal College of Science.

8. Read a Boxall list book that has over 100,000 ratings. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, 3/30 with over 145K ratings.

9. January 21, 2024 will mark 100 years since the death of Vladimir Lenin, founding head of the government of Soviet Russia. Read a Boxall list book by a writer that lived in or is currently living in a communist country. (Contributed by Jennifer Austin) We by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin, 3/7.

10. Read a Boxall book with a wilderness setting (desert, mountains, moors, etc.). Eclipse of the Crescent Moon by Géza Gárdonyi, set in the wilderness of 1850s Hungary, 2/23/24.

11. 2024 will be the Centennial of the enactment of the Immigration Act of 1924 in the United States. Read a Boxall book where immigration is a central element or that features an immigrant as a main character. (Contributed by Mercedes) Hadrian the Seventh by Frederick Rolfe, 1/23/24. The main character is an Englishman living as an immigrant in Italy.

12. Read a Boxall book that makes you laugh or has a happy ending. Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by Anita Loos, 3/6/24,