Deal Me In Challenge List 2015

Happy New Year all!  My first post for the year is a list of Short Stories, Essays, Poems and Children's Books for my 2015 Deal Me In Challenge.

THE LIST:

Clubs – Short Stories

A –  Cabbages and Kings - O’Henry

2 – The Runaway - Chekhov

3 –  Doctor Marigold - Dickens

4 – Le Horla – de Maupassant

5 – The Tell-Tale Heart - Poe

6 – The Princess - Chekhov

7 – Father Brown: the Worst Crime in the World- Chesterton

8 – A Little Woman - Kafka

9 –  A Haunted House - Woolf

10 – The Birds - Chekhov

J –  The Yellow Wallpaper - Gilman

Q – The Eyes - Wharton

K -   Signs and Symbols - Nabakov

Spades – Essays

A – Milton - Williams

2 – Friendship - Emerson

3 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream - Chesterton

4 – Christianity and the Survival of Creation- Berry

5 – A Panegyric for Dorothy L. Sayers - Lewis

6 – Hamlet : The Prince or the Poem - Lewis

7 –  Monsters and the Middle Ages - Chesterton

8 – The World of Tomorrow – E.B. White

9 – Discipline and Hope, Means as Ends - Berry

10 – Sense - Lewis

J – Sex, Economy, Freedom & Community - Berry

Q – Different Tastes in Literature - Lewis

K – Vulgarity - Chesterton

Diamonds – Poetry

A – Ode to a Nightengale - Keats

2 –  Gesang Der Geister Über Den Wassern - Goethe

3 – The Morning of Life - Hugo

4 – Sonnet XXIX – de la Vega

5 – A Lover’s Complaint - Shakespeare

6 – Resolution and Independence – Wordsworth

7 – Ode VIII: Quiet Night – de León

8 – Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night - Thomas

9 – Ode to a Grecian Urn - Keats

10 – Tears, Idle Tears - Tennyson

J – Song II:  The Dark Night – de la Cruz

Q – A Red, Red Rose - Burns

K – Phoenix and the Turtle - Shakespeare

Hearts – Children’s Classic

A – The Forgotten Daughter - Snedeker

2 – Three Greek Children - Church

3 – The Mysterious Benedict Society - Stewart

4 – The Ides of April – Ray (1)

5 – Journey from Peppermint Street - deJong

6 – The Tanglewood’s Secret – St. John

7 – The Wolves of Willoughy Chase - Aiken

8 – The Cabin Faced West - Fritz

9 – Sprig of Broom - Willard

10 – Teddy’s Button - LeFeuvre

J – The Book of Three – Alexander

Q – Tales from Chaucer - Farjeon

K – Beyond the Desert Gate – Ray (2)

Deal Me In Challenge 2015

Okay, only one more challenge ....... really ..........!  Jay at Bibliophilica is having his yearly Deal Me In challenge and it looks like such fun, I couldn't resist.  I've been watching Dale @ Mirror With Clouds participate all last year, and Marianne gave me an idea with a twist for it that should work wonderfully!

The rules are:

What is the goal of the project?

To read 52 short stories in 2015 (that’s only one per week)

What do I need?

1) Access to at least fifty-two short stories (don’t own any short story collections or anthologies? See links to online resources below)
2) A deck of cards
3) An average of perhaps just thirty minutes of reading time each week

Where do I post* about my stories?

(*You don’t have to post about every single story, of course, but if you have something to say about the story you read any given week, your fellow participants would love to hear it.)

1) On your own blog or website if you have one (I will link to your post at the bottom of my weekly post. I currently plan to do my weekly post on Sundays)

2) if you don’t have a blog or website you may comment on my weekly post, sharing thoughts on your own story – or start one at WordPress or blogspot – it’s easy and free to create a basic blog.

How do I pick which stories to read?

(The 52 stories themselves are totally up to you.) Before you get start reading, come up with a roster of fifty-two stories (you can use any source) and assign each one to a playing card in a standard deck of cards. It can be fun to use different suits for different types of stories, but that is optional. Each “week,” (if you’re like me, you may occasionally fall a story or two behind) you draw a card at random from your deck and that is the story you will read. There are links to last year’s participants’ rosters here if you want to see some examples.

What if I don’t have time to read a story every single week?

Try one of the challenge variations noted below, the Fortnight (or “payday” if you prefer) version is one story every two weeks or the “Full Moon Fever” version with just thirteen stories read or selected on seeing each full moon…

How do I sign up?

Leave a comment below with your URL and I will link you. My first wrap-up post of the year (I post weekly, usually Sunday night or Monday morning) will include links to any new Deal Me In posts and a list of the participants with links to their roster of stories.

What is the purpose?

To have FUN and to be exposed to new authors and stories and maybe get in the habit of reading a short story a week. Isn’t that enough? :-)

Now I've decided to follow Marianne's lead and adjust the challenge to work for my reading plans for the year.  Part of my plan for 2015 was to try to read more children's classics, essays and poems for the year, so instead of reading all short stories, I'm going to split it into four categories:  Short Stories, Essays, Poems and Children's Classics.  

I'm really looking forward to this challenge.  In the next day or so, I'll post my list of titles corresponding to the playing card deck.  I'm not promising I'll be able to read all 52 of them, but I'll certainly do my best!

List of Deal Me In Challenge Book Titles

2014 Russian Literature Challenge Wrap Up

This was one of my favourite challenges this year.  It pushed me to focus on all things Russian and helped me finish that epic Russian novel, War and Peace. It also introduced me to my first Dostoyevsky and my first Turgenev. Dostoyevsky is going to take more getting to know, but Turgenev was a delight ....... very different from what I expected of a usual Russian novel.

I had aimed at finishing 1 - 3 books but I ended up reading 5, so I'm pleased with myself. Here are the books I read:

War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

Eugene Onegin by Alexander Pushkin

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak

The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

Thanks to O at Behold the Stars for hosting this challenge!  I am now firmly entrench in a love of Russian Literature!

TBR Pile Challenge Wrap-up 2014

Okay, this was quite possibly my worst challenge of the year.  But expected it to be my worst challenge, so that's alright .........  I think ............

Of the twelve books, I managed to finish ten.

 1.  Defense Speeches by Cicero  August 20, 2014

  2.  Le Morte d'Arthur by Thomas Mallory  December 6, 2014

  3.  Frankenstein by Mary Shelley   April 4, 2014

  4.  The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis   June 15, 2014

  5.  The Epic of Gilgamesh  August 14, 2014

  6.  Stories from the East from Herodotus by Alfred J. Church

  7.  The Sayings of the Desert Fathers  August 25, 2014

  8.  Tom Brown's School Days by Thomas Hughes

  9.  Socrates by Paul Johnson

10.  Daniel Deronda by George Eliot  February 24, 2014

11.  Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome  December 29, 2014

12.  The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton  August 20, 2014

And my alternates:

1.  Allegory of Love by C.S. Lewis

2.  Oedipus Rex/Oepidus at Colonus/Antigone by Sophocles  December 28, 2014


If I really wanted to, I could try to power through Socrates and Stories from the East in the next few days, but I don't.  I'm done.

My 2015 TBR Pile list is much more focused so I'm hoping for more success then.  Wish me luck!

2014 Challenge Wrap-Ups

While I've done some individual wrap-ups for certain challenges (and have some more to go), because I had so many challenges this year, I thought I'd encapsulate them in one big main post.

Chunkster Challenge:                   Goal:  5-6 books    Completed: 11 books

Arthurian Lit Challenge:              Goal:  3-4 books    Completed: 3 books

Back to the Classics:                     Goal:  10 books       Completed: 10 books 

History Challenge:                         Goal:  1-3 books     Completed:  5 books

Russian Lit Challenge:                  Goal:  1-3 books     Completed:  5 books

Books on France Challenge:    Goal:  3 books       Completed:  5 books

TBR Pile Challenge:                       Goal:  12 books      Completed:  10 books

Pre-Printing Press Challenge:    Goal:  4-6 books     Completed:  13 books

Shakespeare Challenge:              Goal:  1-4 books      Completed:  9 books

Around the World Challenge:    Goal:  6 books       Completed:  7 books

C.S. Lewis Challenge:                   Goal:  12 books      Completed:  14 books

British Books Challenge:             Goal: none            Completed:  40 books

Mount TBR Challenge:                 Goal:  24 books     Completed:  55 books

European Challenge:                    Goal:  5 books       Completed:  4 books

52 Books in 52 weeks:                  Goal:  52 books      Completed:  75 books

 So, all in all, and considering the number of challenges I participated in, it wasn't a bad year.  My fails were the TBR Pile Challenge and the European Reading Challenge.  Yet in other challenges I far exceeded my goals, so I'm pleased.  I made it to Mt. Ararat in the Mount TBR challenge, read a good number of Shakespeare's plays and did well on my Chunkster and Pre-Printing Press challenges.

I can't wait to see what 2015 will bring.  Will I be able to finally complete the TBR Pile Challenge 2015?  Will I be able to handle the scope of my challenges:  from English literature to Pre-Printing Press literature to books in translation .....?  I'm going to try for a bit more focus for the coming year and see what I can accomplish!

2015 Books In Translation Challenge

Okay, she's done it again.  Just like last year, Jean @ Howling Frog Books has tempted me into another challenge.  And I love books in translation, so how could I resist?

Jen @ The Introverted Reader is hosting the challenge and the rules are as follows:

Read translations of books from any language into the language that you're comfortable reading.  You can read any genre and age range.  Crossovers with other challenges are fine.  Any format that you chose is acceptable.  The challenge will run from January 1 through December 31, 2015.  

Levels:
Beginner:  1 - 3 books
Conversationalist:  4 - 6 books
Bilingual:  7 - 9 books
Linguist:  10 - 12 books

Since my challenges are more concentrated on English literature, I have no idea how I'll do with this challenge.  Time will tell!  And please pop over to The Introverted Reader if you're interested in joining us!


My List

1. Meditations - René Descartes
2. The Adventures of Pinocchio - Carlo Collodi
3. The Plague - Albert Camus
4. Erewhon - Samuel Butler (original in Latin)
5. Confessions - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
6. Beowulf 
7. Ecce Homo - Friedrich Nietzsche
8. What Is To Be Done? - Nikolai Chernyshevsky
9. Money - Émile Zola
10. Mein Kamp - Adolf Hitler
11. The Story of My Experiments with Truth - Mohandas Gandhi
12. The Canterbury Tales - Geoffrey Chaucer
13. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
14. Selected Essays - Michel de Montaigne
15. Rule of Saint Benedict 

Classic Children's Literature Event 2015

Another year and another Classic Children's Literature Event for the month of January, hosted by Amanda at Simpler Pastimes! I'm going to pledge to read two classic children's books for this event, probably Carry On, Mr. Bowditch and My Father's Dragon or The Trumpet of the Swan.  Amanda's chosen read-along is Pinocchio, so I will try to fit that one in too.

Event Basics

• During the month of January, read as many Children’s Classics as you wish and post about them on your blog and/or leave a comment on the event page on this blog. I will have a link page starting the first of the year to gather posts so that we may share as we go.
• The optional RAL title: The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi. I plan on discussion the weekend of January 23-25.
• I’m not going to be the “children’s classics” police. Use your own judgement for what fits the category but if you want some guidelines, these are what I’m going by:
• I think many of us have read more recent children’s books that we may already deem “classics” (for example, many people feel that way about the Harry Potter books), but for this event, I’d prefer if we read books that were written prior to 1964. This will still allow a lot of options, and will hopefully avoid the “but what is a classic” dilemma! (And yes, 1964 is rather arbitrary. Rebel if you wish, but 50 years old seems a good age.)
• Defining “children’s,” especially prior to 1900 or so can be a challenge as some books we think of as “children’s” today may not have been intended that way at the time. Personally, I’d say books appropriate for approximately an elementary-school aged child or preteen (to read or to have read to them) should be fine. I’d personally also count the various fairy tales, even though some of the earliest versions were not exactly family friendly.
• Feel free to include books from any country, in translation or not. I have limited exposure to non-American children’s lit, so I’d love to learn about books from other countries myself.
• Feel free to double up with other events or challenges if you wish.
• And if you need ideas I posted
• A suggestion list in 2013
• Some more ideas in 2014
• There is no deadline for joining or participating (other than, of course, the end of January).

Most important: Have fun!

Last year I was able to complete The Wizard of Oz, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Once and Future King and Prince Caspian.  Wow!  I'm not so ambitious this year so we'll see how many I can complete.  And please join us if you feel in a children's books mood!


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The Canterbury/The Brubury Tales Project 2015

I've been meaning to read The Canterbury Tales for years but have been too intimidated to attempt them by myself.  I've looked for read-alongs and buddy reads but to no avail.  Then suddenly in one of my Goodreads' groups, a new member joined who has written a book called The Brubury Tales, which is based on Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales.  Voilà ...... inspiration, and a person who can give me more insight into both reads!  Works for me.

Woodcut from William Caxton's
second edition of The Canterbury Tales
source Wikipedia

The Brubury Tales, written by Frank Mundo, is a modern version of The Canterbury Tales, and for his work Mr. Mundo won the Poet Laureate Award Nomination from UCLA and CAL, Reader Views 2011 Reader's Choice Award for Poetry Book of the Year, and the 2011 Bookhitch Award for the Most Innovative Poetry Book of the Year.  The LA Book Examiner said about his work, "a unique and powerful new book, The Brubury Tales draws upon Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and classic stories by Mark Twain, Edgar Allan Poe and Charles Dickens, to name a few.  Frank Mundo takes risks with his writing, which is sensitive, thoughtful, and gritty." 

I have received nothing from Mr. Mundo in exchange for reading his book.  He has been a very valued member in the discussions in my Goodreads group and has never once even mentioned that he was an author, which increased my respect for him.  I can't wait to start this paired read, probably around April or May of this coming year!

Back to the Classics Challenge 2015

For the second year in a row, Karen from Books and Chocolate is hosting the Back to the Classics Challenge.  This is probably my easiest challenge; as I read so many classics, my categories fill up quickly.

Here are the categories and rules:

1.  A 19th Century Classic -- any book published between 1800 and 1899.

2.  A 20th Century Classic -- any book published between 1900 and 1965.  Just like last year, all books must have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify as a classic.  The only exception is books that were published posthumously but written at least 50 years ago.)

3.  A Classic by a Woman Author.

4.  A Classic in Translation. As in last year's category, this can be any classic book originally written or a published in a language that is not your first language.  Feel free to read it in its original form if you are comfortable reading in another language.  

5.  A Very Long Classic Novel -- a single work of 500 pages or longer.  This does not include omnibus editions combined into one book, or short story collections.  

6.  A Classic Novella -- any work shorter than 250 pages.  For a list of suggestions, check out this list of World's Greatest Novellas from Goodreads.

7.  A Classic with a Person's Name in the Title.  First name, last name, or both, it doesn't matter, but it must have the name of a character.  David Copperfield, The Brothers Karamazov, Don Quixote -- something like that. It's amazing how many books are named after people!

8.  A Humorous or Satirical Classic.  Humor is very subjective, so this one is open to interpretation.  Just tell us in the review why you think it's funny or satirical.   For example, if you think that Crime and Punishment and funny, go ahead and use it, but please justify your choice in your post. 

9.  A Forgotten Classic.  This could be a lesser-known work by a famous author, or a classic that nobody reads any more.  If you look on Goodreads, this book will most likely have less than 1000 reviews.  This is your chance to read one of those obscure books from the Modern Library 100 Best Novels or 1001 Books to Read Before You Die.  Books published by Virago Modern Classics, Persephone, and NYRB Classics often fall into this category.  

10.  A Nonfiction Classic.  A memoir, biography, essays, travel, this can be any nonfiction work that's considered a classic, or a nonfiction work by a classic author.  You'd be surprised how many classic authors dabbled in nonfiction writing -- I have nonfiction books by Dickens, Trollope, Twain, and Steinbeck on my shelves. 

11.  A Classic Children's Book.  A book for your inner child!  Pick a children's classic that you never got around to reading.  

12.  A Classic Play.  Your choice, any classic play, as long as it was published or performed before 1965.

And now for the rest of the rules:  

• All books must be read in 2015.  Books started prior to January 1, 2015, are not eligible.  Reviews must be linked by December 31, 2015. 
• All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; therefore, 1965 is the cutoff date.  The only exception is books published posthumously, but written before 1965. 
• E-books and audiobooks are eligible!  Books may also count for other challenges you may be working on.  
• Books may NOT cross over categories within this challenge.  You may NOT count the same book twice for different categories in this challenge.  One book per category -- otherwise, they won't count.  
• If you do not have a blog, you may link your review from Goodreads or other publicy accessible online format.  
• Please sign up for the challenge using the linky below BEFORE MARCH 31, 2015.  If possible, please link to your sign-up announcement post, if possible or applicable.
• You do NOT have to list your books prior to starting the challenge, but it's more fun if you do!  You can always change your list at any time.  Books may be read in any order.
• Please identify the categories you've read in your wrap-up post so that I can easily add up your entries for the prize drawing!  Adding links within the post would be greatly appreciated.
•  The prize will be awarded the first week of January, 2016.  All qualifying participants will receive one or more entries, based on the categories completed, and will receive a $30 (US) gift card from Amazon.com or The Book Depository, as long as they live in a country that can receive shipment.  See here for list of countries.  

As usual, I don't have particular books planned for each category but I have a few in mind:

1. The Plague - Albert Camus
2. Orlando - Virginia Woolf
3. one of Jane Austen's works
4. Ulysses - James Joyce (we'll see --- it makes me quake ....)
5. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
6. Framley Parsonage - Anthony Trollope
7. Confessions - Jean Jacques Rousseau
8. Hamlet - William Shakespeare

It's entirely possible that my list will be completely different at the end of the year, but it will be fun to compare!


List COMPLETED!!!:

  1.  Persuasion - Jane Austen
  2.  East of Eden - John Steinbeck
  3.  Orlando: A Biography - Virginia Woolf
  4.  The Plague - Albert Camus 
  5.  Confessions - Jean-Jacques Rousseau
  6.  Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton
  7.  The Narrative of the Life and Times of Frederick Douglass
  8.  Gulliver's Travels - Jonathan Swift
  9.  The Club of Queer Trades - G.K. Chesterton
10.  Meditations - René Descartes
11.  The Adventures of Pinocchio - Carlo Collodi
12.  Hamlet - William Shakespeare

The Pre-Printing Press Challenge 2015

For the second year in a row, I'm going to participate in The Pre-Printing Press Challenge hosted by Elena at All Booked Up.  I believe books written before 1440 are largely under-read, so anything I can do to support these works, I will.

Last year I planned to read 4-6 books and I've made it to 12.  My success makes me want to branch out but, knowing that I have challenges that will keep me reading newer books ---- Reading England Challenge, Jane Austen Project, etc. ------, I'll reign myself in and aim for the trusty 4-6 books, hoping to read more.  What do I have in mind?  Well, from my Classics Club list, I hope to get to Herodotus' Histories, The Republic by Plato and The Cantebury Tales.  Otherwise, I'd like to read Ovid's Metamorphoses and Plutarch's Lives, but these are two chunksters that I don't see myself being able to fit in this coming year.  However, one never knows .........

The rules of the Pre-Printing Press Challenge:

1. All books must have come out before 1440, when the printing press was first invented.
2. Books chosen for this challenge can overlap with other challenges.
3. Books can be translated into the language of your choice.
4. All the books you've chosen must be read by December 31, 2015.
5. You can read 1-3 books, 4-6 books, 7-9 books or 10 or more books if you're feeling particularly ambitious.
6. The choice of books is up to you. There are no set reading lists, and you don't have to set one when you join.
7. Post your blog address where you'll be posting your comments on your choice of books in the comments of this post when you join, and tell me how many books you've chosen. I'll set up a link to participating blogs from here.
8. Above all, Have fun.

The challenge starts January 1st.

Are there any other ancient and early medieval literature enthusiasts out there who are planning to join this challenge?

2015 TBR Pile Challenge

It is once again time for the TBR Pile Challenge hosted by Adam at Roof Beam Reader and once again, I'll be a participant!

This is by far my hardest challenge for the simple reason that I have such a difficult, insurmountable, arduous, overwhelming problem with following lists. When it comes to reading, I'm more of a free spirit who would like to flit here and there as the mood or read-along takes me.  Being trapped in a schedule is not my thing.  HOWEVER, I do realize that it's beneficial to work on the areas that are challenging for me, so this challenge reflects my effort at balance.

I still have a couple of books to finish for last year's challenge.  If I can get to them, I'll be more than a little pleased!

Here are Adam's rules:

The Goal: To finally read 12 books from your “to be read” pile (within 12 months).

Specifics:

1. Each of these 12 books must have been on your bookshelf or “To Be Read” list for AT LEAST one full year. This means the book cannot have a publication date of 1/1/2014 or later (any book published in the year 2013 or earlier qualifies, as long as it has been on your TBR pile – I WILL be checking publication dates). Caveat: Two (2) alternates are allowed, just in case one or two of the books end up in the “can’t get through” pile.

2. To be eligible, you must sign-up with Mr. Linky below – link to your list (so create it ahead of time!) and add updated links to each book’s review. Books must be read and must be reviewed (doesn’t have to be too fancy) in order to count as completed.

3. The link you post in the Mr. Linky below must be to your “master list” (see mine below). This is where you will keep track of your books completed, crossing them out and/or dating them as you go along, and updating the list with the links to each review (so there’s one easy, convenient way to find your list and all your reviews for the challenge). See THIS LINK for an idea of what I mean. Your complete and final list must be posted by January 15th, 2015.

4. Leave comments on this post as you go along, to update us on your status. Come back here if/when you complete this challenge and leave a comment indicating that you CONQUERED YOUR 2015 TBR LIST! Every person who successfully reads his/her 12 books and/or alternates (and who provides a working link to their list, which has links to the review locations) will be entered to win a $50 gift card from Amazon.com or The Book Depository!

5. Crossovers from other challenges are totally acceptable, as long as you have never read the book before and it was published before 2014!

And so, of course, now I have to come up with a list.  Since I'm being even more unfettered with my planning this year, a list is certainly going to be a challenge.  Let's see what I can come up with:

1. Meditations -  René Descartes
2. Orlando -  Virginia Woolf
3. The Plague - Albert Camus
4. Confessions  -  Jean-Jacques Rousseau
5. Hamlet  -  William Shakespeare
6. Ivanhoe  -  Sir Walter Scott
7. Walden  -  Henry David Thoreau
8. Framley Parsonage  -  Anthony Trollope
9. If On A Winter's Night A Traveler  -  Italo Calvino
10. Persuasion  -  Jane Austen
11. Notes from the Underground - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
12. The World's Last Night and Other Essays - C.S. Lewis

Alternates:

1. The Cantebury Tales  -  Geoffrey Chaucer
2. Ulysses  -  James Joyce

Whew!  I think I have a list I can stick to.  Ivanhoe and Ulysses are monster reads but I should be able to accomplish at least one.  I hope!

Best of luck to everyone on their TBR Pile Challenge!