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Monday, December 28, 2020

2021 Reading Goals

I am planning on doing the Back to the Classics reading challenge for the 4th year in a row! For those not familiar with the challenge: There are 12 categories (which are meant to be filled with 12 different books). In order to qualify as a classic, the book has to have been published (or written) 50+ years ago, so 1971 or older. There are several other minor rules (like having to read all the books in 2021), which you can read at the link above. If you are interested in joining the challenge, the deadline to sign up is March 31st. I'd love for others to join me in doing this!

As with previous years, I'm going to add extra challenges on top of it all! I usually make sure to read at least 1 play (which happens to be one of the classic categories this year) and 1 Christmas story. I also am working on 3 author challenges and clearing out my TBR shelf. Here is what I plan to read:
     -finish reading all of the completed Bronte books (2 books left) - COMPLETE!
     -finish what's published of the Circle Universe by Tamora Pierce (7 books left)
     -read the Arrows Trilogy by Mercedes Lackey (3 books)
          -hopefully, I'll get to read other Valdemar books by Lackey (31 books left after Arrows)
     -read as many books on my TBR shelf as possible (goal: 8 books)

Update 1/6/21: I have always added my own challenges on top of Back to the Classics, but I've never actually joined another blog challenge. This year that's going to change! I have avoided several of the books on my TBR shelf due to their length, so I'm going to join the Chunkster Reading Challenge 2021. The books (whether individual novels, collections of short stories, or a series) must be 450+ pages long to apply to this challenge.

Update 3/8/21: I've also just started a virtual book club with some of my friends called The Book Hoarders. We have a category for each month, starting in March, and 2 book suggestions for each category. If someone doesn't like the choices, then they can choose a different book that fits the category.

Below are my reading lists for 2021. 
I will link my reviews to the book titles below throughout the year.

Back to the Classics Challenge:
1. 19th-century classic (published 1800-1899)
-The George MacDonald Treasury (1858-1895) - TBR 1
    -Phantastes   
    -The Light Princess
    -The Giant's Heart
    -The Golden Key
    -At the Back of the North Wind
    -The Princess and the Goblin
    -The Princess and Curdie
    -Lilith
by George MacDonald (Scottish, 1824-1905)

2. 20th-century classic (published 1900-1971) 
-The Man Who Was Thursday (1908) - TBR 2
by GK Chesterton (English, 1874-1936)

3. Classic by a woman author
-Shirley (1848) - Bronte 1
by Charlotte Bronte (English, 1816-1855)

4. Classic in translation
-Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights (1967)
by Ryu Mitsuse (Japanese, 1928-1999) - originally written in Japanese

5. Classic by BIPOC author
-The Brave African Huntress (1958)
by Amos Tutuola (Nigerian, 1920-1997)

6. Classic by a new-to-you author
-Fahrenheit 451 (1953) - TBR 3
by Ray Bradbury (American, 1920-2012)

7. New-to-you classic by a favorite author
-The Professor (written 1846 - published posthumously 1857) - Bronte 2
by Charlotte Bronte (English, 1816-1855)

8. Classic about an animal (or with an animal in the title)
-The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) - reread for TBR
    -The Magician's Nephew
    -The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
    -The Horse and His Boy
    -Prince Caspian
    -The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
    -The Silver Chair
    -The Last Battle
by CS Lewis (British, 1898-1963)

Note: I would like to reread all 7 books before reading the commentary I have on the series. The commentary has been sitting on my TBR shelf for a while. I plan to read in chronological order instead of publication order.

9. Children's classic
-Home for Christmas: Stories for Young and Old - 20 Christmas short stories
(2002; 17 stories first written/published 1841-1966)
by 20 different authors

Note: I searched each short story to find when they were originally written/published: 12 stories 1895-1966, 1 story 1995, and 1 story 1996. Six of the stories I couldn't find a publishing date, so I went off of the author's birth year (plus 10) and year of death: 5 stories 1841-1953 and 1 story 1922-1983. Even after you take the 3 stories from (possibly) after 1971, the book is still about 300 pages, so I will count this category complete, even though the entire book does not fit within the 'classic' time frame.

10. Humorous or satirical classic
-Associated Shades (1895-1901) - quartet omnibus
by John Kendrick Bangs (American, 1862-1922)
or
-The Carpet People (1971)
by Terry Pratchett (English, 1948-2015)

11. Travel or adventure classic 
-Idylls of the King (1859-1885) - TBR 4
by Lord Alfred Tennyson (British, 1809–1892)

12. Classic play
-Press Cuttings (1909) - play
by George Bernard Shaw (Irish, 1856-1950)

Author Challenges:
1. Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )
-The Circle Opens Quartet
     -Magic Steps (2000) - Sandry
     -Street Magic (2001) - Briar
     -Cold Fire (2002) - Daja
     -Shatterglass (2003) - Tris
-The Circle Reforged Quartet (unfinished)
     -The Will of the Empress (2005) - Sandry
     -Melting Stones (2008) - Daja
     -Battle Magic (2013) - Briar (Prequel to The Will of the Empress)
     -Untitled Tris Book (TBD) - not yet published

2. Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )
-The Arrows Trilogy
    -Arrows of the Queen (1987)
    -Arrow's Flight (1987)
    -Arrow's Fall (1988)
*Additional Valdemar books by Lackey?

Chunkster Challenge:
1. The George MacDonald Treasury (1858-1895) - 650 pages
by George MacDonald (Scottish, 1824-1905)

2. Shirley (1848) - 480 pages
by Charlotte Bronte (English, 1816-1855)

3. The Chronicles of Narnia (1950-1956) - 1,540 pages
by CS Lewis (British, 1898-1963)

4. The Circle Opens Quartet 1,266 pages
by Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )

5. The Will of the Empress (2005) - 539 pages
by Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )

6. Battle Magic (2013) - 464 pages
by Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )

7. The Arrows Trilogy - 936 pages
by Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )

8. The Complete Father Brown Stories (1911-1936) - TBR 5 - 770 pages
    -The Wisdom of Father Brown - 152 pages
    -The Donnington Affair and The Incredulity of Father Brown - 24 and 147 pages
    -The Secret of Father Brown - 135 pages
    -The Scandal of Father Brown and The Mask of Midas - 135 and 10 pages
by GK Chesterton (English, 1874-1936)

The Book Hoarders' Book Club: (the choice I will most likely read is starred)
1. March - Published 1800-1899
-Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen

2. April - Female Author
-Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown
-When Women Ruled the World by Kara Cooney
*Instead I read:

3. May - Published 1900-1999
-The Man Who Was Thursday by GK Chesterton*
-Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

4. June - Travel or Adventure
-The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman
-Idylls of the King by Lord Tennyson*

5. July - POC Author
-Becoming by Michelle Obama*
(This was the only book we all agreed on!)

6. August - Children’s Chapter Book
-The Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe by CS Lewis*
-Moxie by Jen Mathieu

7. September - Published 2000-2021
-To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
-The Chronicles of Narnia and Philosophy: The Lion, the Witch, and the Worldview 
edited by Bassham and Walls - TBR 6*
Note: I want to reread all of The Chronicles of Narnia before I read this.

8. October - New-to-You Author
-The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
-Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher
*I will probably read a different book.

9. November - Humorous or Satirical
-A House-Boat on the Styx by John Kendrick Bangs*
-We are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

10. December - New-to-You Book by ‘Fave’ Author (CS Lewis)
-Mere Christianity (read portions)
-Out of the Silent Planet (already read)
*I will probably read instead:
-On Stories and Other Essays on Literature - TBR 7
-The Dark Tower and Other Short Stories - TBR 8

If you're actually keeping count, then, with The George MacDonald Treasury being counted as 2 due to length and The Complete Father Brown Stories being counted as 5 as they were published, I have 38 books to read this year!

As I said earlier, I hope you consider joining the Back to the Classics 2021 reading challenge with me! (Over double the number of people signed up this year compared to last year!)

14 comments:

  1. Oh, I love Ray Bradbury! Happy reading!

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    1. I've been trying to read one of his books for a couple of years now and it just never worked out. I'm excited to finally get to read Ray Bradbury!

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  2. Fahrenheit 451 is great. If you have the copy that includes his lecture on the loss of reading, it's equally fulfilling as his story.

    I'm planning to read Idylls of the King this year, too.

    Good luck on all your challenges.

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    1. My copy only has they story - but I'll look into the lecture for sure!

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  3. Awesome reading goals for next year. I'm a huge fan of Ray Bradbury. And The Princess and the Goblin was one of my favorite books growing up; I had an old used library copy that I read over and over. :)

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    1. I'm excited to be introduced to Bradbury and MacDonald this year! They've been sitting on my TBR shelf for a while. Will you be joining the classics challenge this year?

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    2. I'm thinking about it...but I haven't decided yet.

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    3. It would be fun if you joined again - I like reading your reviews! I also understand about not wanting to sign up for too much. I'll keep an eye out on the sign up posts.

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  4. Some great choices. I've read The Man Who was Thursday twice now...I'm stunned by it...I may have to reread it again and again in my life. Deep waters there. Enjoy!

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    1. I enjoyed Manalive by Chesteron - I'm excited to read more by him!

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  5. A fun-looking list! I read the Arrows trilogy recently and now I want to read more of her, too.

    I thought Fahrenheit 451 was really good.

    Grand Hotel is on my TBR. Might read that, too, this year.

    Thanks for stopping by!

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    1. You're the first to actually mention anything about Mercedes Lackey. I feel like she's a forgotten gem. I believe there's 37 books in her Valdemar universe, where Arrows is set. If you look at my menu bar, hover over 'Favorite Authors' and click 'Mercedes Lackey,' I list the books in chronological order.

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  6. Wow, these are great picks, and I like how you combined the Back to Classics challenge with other challenges! I am starting my first Father Brown this year, so that made my Back to Classics List. I read The Professor and it was okay, but I much preferred other Bronte novels... I think I much prefer stories told from a female perspective than a male's (as is The Professor), even when it is written by a female author. Feeling connected to a protagonist is something important in my reading, I guess! Which of the Bronte novels that you have read did you enjoy most? I LOVED Jane Eyre, Tenant of Wildfell Hall, and Agnes Grey (in that order). Liked Wuthering Height's broody atmosphere and mystery (but was incredibly annoyed with Kathy and Heathcliff!)
    Here is my list, if interested! https://elle-alice.blogspot.com/2021/01/back-to-classics-2021-challenge.html

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  7. Thanks! I excited to try Father Brown for the first time this year, too! Jane Eyre is one of my all-time favorite books, which is why I decided to read all the others. Tenant is next (only slightly and probably because I have a nostalgic bias towards Jane Eyre). Agnes Grey was OK, Villette seemed too close to a Jane Eyre knock-off to me (I had mixed feelings), and I hated Wuthering Heights. I'm thinking I'm going to read The Professor first because I've heard mixed things about it. I'm looking forward to Shirley, though, which is why I want to save it for last.

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