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Friday, December 31, 2021

2022 Reading Goals

Since I didn't think that the Back to the Classics reading challenge was going to continue into 2022, I started a book club with my family. I asked for favorite genres and specific book suggestions. There is a genre/theme for each month and 3 books to choose from. I have included the book(s) I plan to read for each month.

The good news is that Back to the Classics 2022 has officially been posted! This will be the 5th year I'm participating! For those not familiar with the reading 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 1972 or older. There are several other minor rules (like having to read all the books in 2022), which you can read at the link above. If you are interested in joining the challenge, the deadline to sign up is April 1st. I'd love for others to join me in doing this!

Every year, I try to read a play and a Christmas story. I also am working on 2 author challenges and clearing out my TBR shelf. That being said, I already came up with a book list for my family book club and I'm trying to keep my goals realistic this year. Instead of reading 12 books for the Back to the Classics challenge, I plan on reading 9 books. I will link my reviews below as I finish the books.

Author Challenges - all TBR
Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )
The Circle Reforged Series (unfinished? TBD)
     -The Will of the Empress (2005) - Sandry
     -Melting Stones (2008) - Evvy (simultaneous to The Will of the Empress)
     -Battle Magic (2013) - Briar (Prequel to The Will of the Empress)

Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )
The Arrows Trilogy

Family Book Club and Classics
January - Mystery
-No classic category
by GK Chesterton (English, 1874-1936)

February - Romance
-Classic by a female author
by Jane Austen (English, 1775-1817)

March - Feminism 
-20th-century classic
by 14 authors, edited by Elizabeth Jordan (American, 1865-1947)

-19th-century classic
by Louisa May Alcott (American, 1832-1888)

April - Fantasy
-No classic category
by Mercedes Lackey (American, 1950- )

by JRR Tolkien (English, 1892-1973)

by Adrienne Young (American, 1985- )

May - Comedy/Satire
-Classic that's been on your TBR list the longest. 
by Ray Bradbury (American, 1920-2012)

June - Thriller
-Classic set in a place you'd like to visit. (London, England)
by GK Chesterton (English, 1874-1936)

July - Romance
-No classic category
by George Bernard Shaw (Irish, 1856-1950)

August - Comedy/Satire
-No classic category
The Carpet People (1971)
by Terry Pratchett (English, 1948-2015)

September - Fantasy
-No classic category
Associated Shades Quartet - TBR
    -A House-Boat on the Styx (1895)
    -The Pursuit of the House-Boat (1897)
    -The Enchanted Type-Writer (1899)
    -Mr. Munchausen (1901)
by John Kendrick Bangs (American, 1862-1922)

October - Thriller
-Wild card classic
by HP Lovecraft (American,  1890-1937)

November - Mystery
-Mystery/detective/crime classic
The Moonstone (1868) - didn't finish
by Willkie Collins (English, 1824-1889)

December - Christmas/Winter
-Classic short story collection
(17 stories first written/published 1841-1966; 3 stories written/published 1922-1996)
by 20 different authors

Non-Month/Genre Connected Classic
Note: In order to have read 9 books for the Back to the Classics challenge, I need to read 1 book from the below options:

-Classic in translation (Japanese)
Ten Billion Days and One Hundred Billion Nights (1967) - couldn't get into
by Ryu Mitsuse (Japanese, 1928-1999)

-Classic by BIPOC author
by Amos Tutuola (Nigerian, 1920-1997)

-Nonfiction Classic
by CS Lewis (British, 1898-1963)

-Pre-1800 classic
The Blazing World (1666) - didn't finish
by Margaret Cavendish (English, 1623-1673)

I also have a large TBR shelf if I happen to finish all the other books early. I'm just starting to get back into reading, though, so I'm trying to keep my goal realistic this year. I still have 21 books to read, which seems like a lot - but several are pretty short. We'll see how it goes...

Wednesday, December 29, 2021

2021 Reading Wrap-Up

I had a goal of 38 books to read in 2021 - they're listed at the link if you're interested. I read 10 of those books in the first 3 months of the year! At the very beginning of April, I received some news that turned my world upside-down. I haven't had the desire, time, or mental/emotional energy to read fiction since then. I've read a lot of self-help articles online and a couple non-fiction books. I finally picked up a fiction book again the day after Christmas and I'm hoping to get back into reading next year.

In 2021, I participated (sort of) in the Back to the ClassicsChunkster Reading Challenge, and other challenges/goals of my own. I didn't read a Christmas book this year, but I  did read a play - which I try to do every year! I also started a book club with my friends, but that only lasted 2 months before it fizzled out. Below is what I read in 2021, organized by challenge. My reviews are linked to the book titles.

Back to the Classics Challenge:
Note: I read 6 books, so I get 1 entry into the drawing.

1. 19th-century classic 
(published 1800-1899)
    -Phantastes   
    -The Light Princess
    -The Giant's Heart
    -The Golden Key
    -At the Back of the North Wind
    -Lilith
by George MacDonald 
(Scottish, 1824-1905)

2. 20th-century classic (published 1900-1971) 
by GK Chesterton (English, 1874-1936)

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

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

5. Children's classic
    -The Princess and the Goblin (1872)
    -The Princess and Curdie (1883)
by George MacDonald (Scottish, 1824-1905)

6. Classic play
by George Bernard Shaw (Irish, 1856-1950)


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)

-1,266 pages; by Tamora Pierce 
(American, 1954- )





Author Challenges:
1. Bronte Sisters - COMPLETE!
(English, 1816-1855)
-After reading Shirley and 
The Professor in 2021 (both by Charlotte), I have read all 7 books published by the Bronte sisters!
-You can read all my reviews of the Bronte Sisters' books by clicking the link above.



2. Tamora Pierce 
(American, 1954- )
-The Circle Opens Quartet
     -Magic Steps (2000) - Sandry
     -Street Magic (2001) - Briar
     -Cold Fire (2002) - Daja
     -Shatterglass (2003) - Tris
-I started the final Circle trilogy the day after Christmas!



3. Mercedes Lackey 
(American, 1950- )
-None read in 2021.



Ranked Books - Best and Worst:
I use a CAWPILE Rating for each of the books I review. This year, I would consider the books I read either average or good. There were no horrible books - nor great ones. 

Nonetheless, here are the top 3 books and bottom 3 books from 2021:


1. Briar's Book - Street Magic (2001) - The Circle Opens #2 - 8/10
by Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )

2. Tris's Book - Shatterglass (2003) - The Circle Opens #4 - 7.9/10
by Tamora Pierce (American, 1954- )

3. The George MacDonald Treasury - averaged together = 7.7/10
    -The Princess and the Goblin (1872) - 7.3/10
    -The Princess and Curdie (1883) - 8.1/10
by George MacDonald (Scottish, 1824-1905)



8. Press Cuttings (1909) - 5.9/10
by George Bernard Shaw 
(Irish, 1856-1950)

    -Phantastes (1858) - 5.9/10
by George MacDonald 
(Scottish, 1824-1905)

10. Daja's Book - Cold Fire (2002)  - The Circle Opens #3 - 5.1/10
by Tamora Pierce 
(American, 1954- )



I hope there will be a Back to the Classics 2022 reading challenge, but nothing has been posted yet. I have a large TBR shelf right now, so I'm planning on focusing more on that next year rather than doing a bunch of online challenges.