Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

BINGO 2025

✅B1 A book set in an Old or Ancient Empire Monkey King
B2 A book from our Old School Bookshelf
✅B3 A book in translation Cop Killer by Maj Sjöwall
✅B4 A book you read for another Challenge - Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
✅B5 A book with a Goodreads rating of 4.0 or better Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

✅I1 A story from our Short Story Group Shelf The Angel at the Grave by Edith Wharton
✅I2 A book from your Personal Bookshelf Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
I3 A Historical Fiction or a Nonfiction History
✅I4 A book by a new-to-you author The Home-Maker by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
✅I5 A book one of our Group members read in 2024 The Priory by Dorothy Whipple (Sara)

N1 A book by a male prize winning author
✅N2 A book by a female prize winning author Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
N3 Free Space
✅N4 A book written by an author born during the 19th Century Tension by E.M. Delafield
✅N5 A book found by using Literature-map.com Cluny Brown by Margery Sharp

G1 A book by one of your favorite authors
✅G2 A book by an author found on our Group Bookshelf The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope
✅G3 A book with an imaginary setting (not a real place on Earth) Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune
✅G4 A book by an author who was born during the 20th Century Chocky by John Wyndham
✅G5 Three short stories by the same author - W. Somerset Maugham
Before the Party
The Facts of Life
Mr. Know-All

✅O1 A Mystery, Suspense, or Thriller The Wintringham Mystery by Anthony Berkeley
✅O2 A book about a journey Messenger by Lois Lowry
O3 A book written by Anonymous or Author Unknown.
✅O4 A book from our New School Group Shelf The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
✅O5 A book you would recommend to others The Memory Police

B1 A book set in an Old or Ancient Empire.
- This means Ancient like the Aztecs, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, China, etc
- Old could be the British Empire period of Indian or Tsarist Russia, etc.


B2 A book from our Old School Bookshelf
The Black Tulip

B3 A book in translation
- A book that was originally written in a language other than your native language


B4 A book you read for another Challenge


B5 A book with a Goodreads rating of 4.0 or better
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

I1 A story from our Short Story Group Shelf


I2 A book from your Personal Bookshelf


I3 A Historical Fiction or a Nonfiction History
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
Shōgun
The Alice Network

I4 A book by a new-to-you author

I5 A book that one of our Group members read last year (2024)
- A quick and easy way to find a book would be anything we read as a Monthly Group Read or a Buddy Read last year. Yet, any book any member read would also work.

N1 A book by a male prize-winning author
Ian McEwan - Atonement
Colson Whitehead - The Underground Railroad

N2 A book by a female prize-winning author

N3 Free Space

N4 A book written by an author born during the 19th Century


N5 A book found by using Literature-map.com
Margery Sharp

G1 A book by one of your favorite authors
Dorothy Whipple

G2 A book by an author found on our Group Bookshelf
- Look for any author on our Group bookshelf. Any book written by one of those authors will count, even if the book has not been read by the Group.
Anthony Trollope

G3 A book with an imaginary setting (not a real place on Earth).
- Any Fantasy, Science Fiction, Mythology or "Once Upon a Time" Fairy Tales would work.


G4 A book by an author who was born during the 20th Century


G5 Three short stories by the same author

.O1 A Mystery, Suspense, or Thriller.

O2 A book about a journey
https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...


O3 A book written by Anonymous or Author Unknown
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The Arabian Nights
Beowulf

O4 A book from our New School Group Shelf


O5 A book you would recommend to others


Book options for multiple categories
The City and the Stars
Purple Hibiscus
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet

Woohoo! You're giving me ideas already! :)

Happy planning! I really enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind and The Good Earth. And I'll see you in the buddy read for The Illustrated Man -- I'm really looking forward to that one!

Good luck with your challenge Shaina! I love how you have lots of choices in the various categories.

Thank you, Sue!

Good to have options Shaina! Liking particularly you anonymous options--all good to read and think about.

Thank you, Cynda!

If you decide on Beowulf, may I suggest the Seamus Heaney translation? And if you can get the audiobook, he narrates it. As an Irish poet, his writing and reading are both wonderful! I've been reading Beowulf off and on for years, and his is best by far, IMO. :)

You have included some great books in your options, Shaina. I love Dorothy Whipple made your list--she is so, so good.

Sara wrote: "You have included some great books in your options, Shaina. I love Dorothy Whipple made your list--she is so, so good."

I agree Sara. I think I will use one Whipple (They Were Sisters) for G1 Favourite author and one for I5 A book that one of our Group members read last year (2024). I know you read a Whipple last year :)

I did! And, I'm reading Someone at a Distance right now. I LOVED They Were Sisters!

Shaina and I read Someone at a Distance together last year. We really liked it! I think we're reading The Priory together this year. I know you liked that one, Sara. Looks like I'm going to have to read "They Were Sisters" sometime soon :)

Terris wrote: "Shaina and I read Someone at a Distance together last year. We really liked it! I think we're reading The Priory together this year. I know you liked that one, Sara. Looks like I'm go..."

Yes, we are reading The Priory this year. We quite enjoyed Someone at a Distance. I already bought They Were Sisters and plan to get to it soon. Two books by Whipple in a year is a real treat for me.

Half monthly update. I have finished 6 squares and some of them were so good. I finished Rules of Civility yesterday and I loved it. I need to read more of Amor Towles. I will try and get to Eve in Hollywood and Table for Two this year. I loved Eve and Kate! I hope we get to know more about how Kate and Valentine ended up together.

Elantris by Sanderson was wonderful. He is amazing at world-building. After Mistborn, I wasn't sure he could write anything as good. I stand corrected. He is a master fantasy writer.

Tension by E.M. Delafield has been sitting on my Kindle since last year. After The Diary of a Provincial Lady which I loved and plan to reread this year, I was afraid I would be disappointed in her next book. Again, happy to be wrong. She has captured the single working woman in that time so well. I love intelligent, competent women like Miss Marchrose. I wanted to slap Lady Rossiter (or give her a proper set down) or wish someone else did so in the book. The notes at the end mention it was perfectly acceptable for Lady R to behave that way during that time. It didn't help me feel any sympathy for her.

Glad you are having such a good reading year already! I absolutely adore Towles. He is one of the best writers of this century and I think if anyone becomes the next Steinbeck or Hemingway, it will be him.

Shaina wrote: "Half monthly update. I have finished 6 squares and some of them were so good. I finished Rules of Civility yesterday and I loved it. I need to read more of [author:Amor Towles|45369..."

Great progress and lots of success so far -- congrats! I really enjoyed Rules of Civility too, although Gentleman in Moscow is my favourite by him so far.

Sara, I absolutely agree that he is going to be one of the best writers of this century so far. I love his characters. They are never just good or bad. They are so real. It's impossible to dislike any of them.

Thank you, Wobbley! Same here. A Gentleman in Moscow is my favourite too, but I have only read 2 of his books so far.

Finished a few more squares. I quite enjoyed the short stories by W. Somerset Maugham. I loved Before the Party. I also enjoyed Mr. Know-All and The Facts of Life. I plan to read some more of his short stories this month.

Chocky wasn't as good as the usual Wyndham novel but I hope I pick a better one next year.

I'm a Maugham fan as well. Glad you enjoyed them!

I read Cluny Brown by Margery Sharp for N5. I have only read Rhododendron Pie by the author before and I loved her humour and characters. Cluny Brown exceeded my expectations.

I've never read this author. I'm glad you found this one satisfying!

12 books so far! What a nice start to the year. You have several I have not read, so what fun to see new titles. Congratulations.

You're moving right along, Shaina! I looked up Cluny Brown and it looks like fun! I did not know this author and will add her to my list :)

I got my first BINGO last month (The Shadow of the Wind) but couldn't post then. I just got my second BINGO with The Priory! Hopefully, I will be able to finish this Bingo Board by the end of the year.

Well done Shaina! I really enjoyed Shadow of the Wind, and I know The Priory is popular among group members who've read it. Sounds like you're having a terrific reading year! :)

Happy Bingo, Shaina! I'm glad you enjoyed The Shadow of the Wind. I liked that one, too. And, of course, I'm enjoying The Priory ;)

I definitely think you'll finish your Bingo challenge -- you're doing great with 5 1/2 months to go! Read on, girl! :)

Congrats, Shaina, on both the bingos and the two great books you added to the board!