Alexi Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I will probably start the challenge soon after the books are selected too - there are a good number I'm really keen to read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Oh wow, I only just realised you guys have only 5 counties to deal with! Great going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 This thread has gone quiet! I was just wondering... are we all planning to start at the same time? I imagine this challenge will take me more than a year - I can usually read around 60 books a year (+/- some!) but I have found that the classics take me longer than average, and of course I don't want to solely read books for this challenge. I know some of you will do this much, much quicker. Presumably also we'll start our own threads for progress, otherwise it will get quite difficult to follow, I think. Just a few rambling thoughts...! Sorry, been a bit neglectful over the last couple of days I had just thought of having my own thread - like your World Challenge, Janet - but seeing some of the comments here, rather than have a thread per book, why don't we have a thread per county? That way if people read alternatives to the main list, we can keep them all in one place and compare the books and their county associations. Just a thought. Anyway, I think we did have a consensus on a few of the counties - see the full list on the first post. We're just left with two counties now, Worcestershire and Isle of Wight: Worcestershire Black Swan Green by David Mitchell The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall Has anyone come up with any more suggestions? I did find a quote on Wikipedia that said that it is claimed that the county was the inspiration for The Shire in The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings, but that's a bit tenuous (and also this: "In the liner notes for J.R.R Tolkien Reads and Sings his The Hobbit & The Fellowship of the Rings, George Sayer wrote that Tolkien would relive the book as they walked and compared parts of the Malvern Hills to the White Mountains of Gondor"). I also found one of the M. C. Beaton series, Agatha Raisin and the Wizard of Evesham is also set in the county, but it's hardly a famous book, and is one in the middle of a series. Finally, we're back to the Isle of Wight! Can we narrow the list down? And/or should I just put a poll up and see what comes out top? Isle of Wight: England, England by Julian Barnes The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham Wish You Were Here by Graham Swift The Trespasser by D. H. Lawrence Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Sorry, been a bit neglectful over the last couple of days Oh gosh, my comment wasn't meant as a criticism of you, Claire. I'm sorry. Worcestershire Black Swan Green by David Mitchell The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall Finally, we're back to the Isle of Wight! Can we narrow the list down? And/or should I just put a poll up and see what comes out top? Isle of Wight: England, England by Julian Barnes The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham Wish You Were Here by Graham Swift The Trespasser by D. H. Lawrence I really can't make up my mind! I know I suggested The Well of Loneliness but I very much enjoyed Black Swan Green (it's of my era!) and would happily re-read this one. That doesn't help much, does it?! I really don't fancy tackling a Tolkien (I'm not good at fantasy) and I'm not sure about Beaton as an author either. Re: the Isle of Wight - I'm torn here too. I don't really want to reread the Wyndham (although I loved it) because I remember the plot so well. I nominated the Lawrence - I don't know the other two books very well. I've ordered My Uncle Silas and The Misses Mallet in paperback today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 IOW: I'm still going to go for The Day of the Triffids though I know the link is tenuous .. it's just it is the most famous and I hated England, England (which I know is not relevant but I don't think it's famous anyway). Would like one of the other two as an alternative though because would really like to read them (especially if they're relevant to the county.) Worcs: Will go for The Well of Loneliness as it's the most famous. I would love to place Tokien somewhere but, as much as I'd like to, I don't think it's really feasible to place Hobbiton in Worcestershire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 (edited) Isle of Wight: As far as I remember, the Isle of Wight is mentioned in The Day of the Triffids, but none of the action actually reaches there before the book ends - that for me is pushing the link beyond the bounds of satisfying the criteria. I can't see how we can include a book that doesn't even go to the location - this is about books that are set in the respective counties, and for me there is no way that TDOTT satisfies that. So it's famous and it mentions the IoW? It's like saying that just because one of the characters in Mansfield Park goes off stage to the West Indies, so Mansfield Park should count for there in a world tour - it's just not enough and, for me, disqualifies itself from consideration. Of the others, I had never heard of The Trespassers before, even though I have read Lawrence before (without much enthusiasm, and the reviews of this one aren't great). England, England and Wish You Were Here are both about as equally well known (I known of both at least!), although if you had asked me to list books by authors, I would have included EE for Barnes, but not included WYWH for Swift, so there EE gets it marginally, as it does based on the author (surely Barnes is better known than Swift?) and on relevance to place (the IoW is central to the book in EE). So, whilst I have no agenda on the book itself (I've not read it, and am fairly neutral on the other Barnes books I've read), unless somebody can come up with a convincing set of reasons otherwise, England, England has to be my choice. On Worcestershire, assuming that they are both equally set in the country, I would go for The Well of Loneliness, just because it's more famous to me. I don't know either book, and if somebody came up with a good argument for Black Swan Green or another book (and I don't mean just because they would like to read it or that it's ready to be read - that doesn't count as an argument for me in something like this - it has to be about the eligibility of the book), I'd happily go along with it. Edited November 12, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 I'm going with Day Of The Triffids for IOW & staying with Black Swan Green for Worcestershire as i already have it on my TBR pile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 Oh gosh, my comment wasn't meant as a criticism of you, Claire. I'm sorry. Don't worry, Janet, I didn't take it that way, just being my usual apologetic self for being a bit lazy! Looking at people's responses for Worcestershire and adding my own opinion, I think The Well of Loneliness seems to have the most backing, although Kidsmum, you can obviously choose to read Black Swan Green for your own challenge. But, oh dear, I really don't know what to do about the Isle of Wight. I haven't read is myself although I've obviously heard of it, so I've been doing some investigation on the web into the setting. I know Wikipedia isn't always the most reliable source of information but on the Culture of the Isle of Wight page, it states "The island also features heavily in John Wyndham's novel The Day of the Triffids and Simon Clark's sequel to it, The Night of the Triffids." In addition, on the author Isabel Ashdown's website, she includes the book in a list of 10 books set on the Isle of Wight, saying "Locations include Sussex, Wiltshire, London and the Isle of Wight, where a successful colony has been established." I haven't wanted to dig too deep as I haven't read it and if I'm going to, then I don't want too many spoilers. I think the problem is that the Lawrence book is fairly obscure and not many of us have even heard of it, while the Barnes and Swift are both such recent publications that their "fame" may not last, and perhaps in 10 or 20 years, we might be choosing one of these as an obvious choice, or have forgotten about both? Having read other Barnes, I'd be happy to read another, but as willoyd has pointed out, that's not what we're supposed to be basing the choices on, in which case my only option would be The Day of the Triffids as the only book I've heard of in the list, and it's also the one that most people have gone for. I think the only fair thing I can do, is to put both England, England and The Day of the Triffids as an alternative, with a caveat that it is only briefly set in the IOW but that particular section is famously associated with it. Does that sound acceptable to everyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 It is to me Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 It is to me Claire Me too - best solution IMO! You are such a diplomat Claire - definitely the right person to have led this up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 You are such a diplomat Claire - definitely the right person to have led this up! What are you trying to say? I agree .. you've done a marvellous job Claire Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 (edited) And so the list is complete! Here's a link to the first post of the discussion thread with the book(s) for each county. Thank you all for joining in the debate, it's been stressful, challenging, frustrating, FUN!!!! Now, don't forget, you can choose to follow the list to the letter, pick and choose what you want from the list with some of your own alternatives, or completely ignore the list and make your own choices, but hopefully everyone will enjoy taking part in the challenge! I had another thought about how we could keep track of the books, and I thought that maybe if we went for Janet's suggestion that we set up a thread for each book, I could set up a single thread with a post for each county, and link to the book reviews in that post, and also link to any reviews of alternate books that people chose to read, so that we could keep it as a reference for each county for anyone else who wants to join in and get some additional inspiration as to books they could choose. Let me know if you think it's a good idea. Edited November 12, 2013 by chesilbeach Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 (edited) What are you trying to say? Well, can you imagine the chaos if I had?! Your suggestions on organisation sound great Claire. Edited November 12, 2013 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 That sounds like a great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 One thought: Weren't we going to include a Shakespeare play? Under Warwickshire? As I mentioned at the time, the only one I could think of, without researching, was As You Like It, with much of it set in the Forest of Arden. We were going to list it alongside a novel alternative, so can just be listed alongside Tom Brown's Schooldays? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Ooh, yes, we did say that, and I'd like to go for the Shakespeare if that's okay. I just wanted to say thanks, Claire, for organising this. I'm really looking forward to it. I had an email this morning to say my first two books are on their way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Athena Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Nice that you've all completed the list of all the counties and their books! I have to say it was quite informative for me to read your discussion, I don't know a lot about counties in the UK. Good luck all who do the challenge! I might read some books from it too but not in a challenge kind of way, just because I'm interested (and I don't want to pressure myself). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willoyd Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 (edited) I've put up my own list in one of the reserved posts at the start of my Reading Blog thread for 2014. My Counties list sticks closely to the list developed here, except that I've replaced those where I've read the book too recently to want to read it again, so that I've still got the full challenge of reading all the way round the country. Where I've put in replacements, I've tried to stick to the same author if possible to maintain the spirit of the list. For the record, those replacements are: Devon: To Serve Them All My Days Greater London: Mrs Dalloway Hertfordshire: Howard's End Kent: The History of Mr Polly Lancashire: Mist Over Pendle Nottinghamshire: The Rainbow West Yorkshire: Agnes Grey Wiltshire: Doctor Thorne Edited February 28, 2014 by willoyd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I really want to read To Serve Them All My Days. I remember my parents watching an adaptation on TV. I was saying to my Mum a few months ago that I fancy trying the book. I also want to read the Christie so I might read them both! I haven't worked out my final list yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kidsmum Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 Thank you all for joining in the debate, it's been stressful, challenging, frustrating, FUN!!!! thank you Claire for suggesting the challenge & working so hard to set it up, i can't wait to start on it Devon: To Serve Them All My Days Hertfordshire: Howard's End Nottinghamshire: The Rainbow As i already have these on my TBR pile i intend to read them as well. I feel the same way about Mill On The Floss as you do about Lady Chatterly's Lover so i need to find an alternative for that county, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated I haven't worked out my final list yet. Me neither but i've enjoyed checking the library website to see what's available & i'm happy to say that most of the books on the list can be borrowed so i wont be adding to my book mountain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexi Posted November 13, 2013 Share Posted November 13, 2013 I'm really looking forward to this! I will be replacing two books, because I've read both quite recently - Greater London and Leicestershire. I'm trying to keep an open mind about Lady Chatterly! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bookmonkey Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Nice that you've all completed the list of all the counties and their books! I have to say it was quite informative for me to read your discussion, I don't know a lot about counties in the UK. Good luck all who do the challenge! I might read some books from it too but not in a challenge kind of way, just because I'm interested (and I don't want to pressure myself). I'm with you Athena. I won't be doing the challenge, but this thread has given me alot of books to add to my TBR list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Yay - a nice shiny forum to keep all our posts in one place. Thanks, Michelle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
julie Posted November 14, 2013 Share Posted November 14, 2013 Just thought I'd come in and wish you all the best. I'm trying to take a new approach and not stress over my reading ,so I'm trying to read at leisure, pick out any book that strikes my fancy ,and toss out all challenges , reading lists, etc .. Good luck to all of you doing the challenge . I'll be cheering you on from the sidelines . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted November 18, 2013 Share Posted November 18, 2013 Clever Kay has finished Surrey - I'm not sure if she's the first of us to finish a county, but she's the first I've noticed. How are we going to do this? Does whoever finishes a book start a thread in this forum with something like "Surrey - War of the Worlds" as the title and then just dive in with their review, or are we going to have generic 'Book Club' type questions which people can answer and then add any thoughts not covered? Any thoughts, Claire? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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