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Paul's Reading Through the Decades Challenge


Paul

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Hello all,
I finally figured out how I wanted to read through the decades. Just too many unread books had immediately come to mind, so here is a master list of possibilities I have selected. It has "difficult" books for me - books that I have always wanted to read, but never got around to through the decades. Some books I have started to read, and still want to read, but got stalled; some books are simply challenges to read in themselves; a few plays that I have enjoyed and want to read; and one non-fiction. This list will probably remain stable in spite of other reading I do, and I will slowly get one book read for each decade, noting them as I go. This list may be the only way to get them read, but read them I will!
And of course other books may get added :roll:

PS It was impossible not to add extra decades on each end, but don't mind me!

Reading the Decades - Master List
1800
Wolfgang von Goethe - Faust (1800), tr Yuan Shi. Completed.
 
1810
Walter Scott - Waverly (1814)
 
1820
Wolfgang von Goethe - Wilhelm Meister's Journeyman Years (1821)
 
1830
Stendahl - The Red and the Black (1830)
 
1840
Mikhail Lermontov - A Hero of Our Time (1840) - In progress.
 
1850
Gustave Flaubert - Madame Bovary (1857) - Completed
 
1860
George Eliot - Silas Marner (1861) - Completed.

1870
Thomas Hardy - Far From the Madding Crowd (1874) - in progress

Lewis Carroll - The Hunting of the Snark (1876) - Completed
George Eliot - Daniel Deronda (1876) - Completed.
 
1880
Henry James - Washington Square (1881) - Completed
Anthony Trollope - Kept in the Dark (1882)

1890
Henry James - The Turn of the Screw (1898)
Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness (1899) - Completed.

1900
Henry James - The Wings of the Dove (1902)

Samuel Butler - The Way of All Flesh (1903)
Louis Tracy - The Wings of the Morning (1903) - Completed. A reread of one of the first books I ever read.
Joseph Conrad - The Secret Agent (1907) - Started.

1910
Edith Wharton - Ethan Frome (1911)
Thomas Mann - Death in Venice (1912) - Completed.
Ford Madox Ford - The Good Soldier (1915) - Completed.

1920
Somerset Maugham - The Moon and Sixpence - (1919)
D. H. Lawrence - Women in Love - (1920)
F. Scott Fitzgerald - This Side of Paradise - (1920) - Started
F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby (1925) - Completed
Theodore Dreiser - An American Tragedy (1925)

1930
F. Scott Fitzgerald - Tender is the Night (1934)
Robert Graves - I, Claudius (1934)
Margaret Mitchell - Gone With the Wind (1936)
William Faulkner - Absalom, Absalom - (1936) - Completed

1940
Arthur Koestler - Darkness at Noon (1940) - Completed.
Herman Hesse - Magister Ludi (1943) - Started
Eugene O'Neill - The Iceman Cometh (1946)
Tennessee Williams - Streetcar Named Desire (1947)
Arthur Miller - Death of a Salesman (1949)

1950
Ian Fleming - Casino Royale (1953)
William Gaddis - The Recognitions (1955) - Started
Robert Heinlein - Tunnel in the Sky (1955)
Tennessee Williams - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955) - Completed

1960
Perre Boulle - Planet of the Apes (1963)
Samuel Beckett - How It Is (1964) - Completed
Arthur Miller - After the Fall (1964) - Completed
Saul Bellow - Herzog (1964) - In progress

Taylor Caldwell - A Pillar of Iron (1965)
Daniel Keyes - Flowers for Algernon (1966) - Completed

1970
Rosamunde Pilcher - The End of the Summer (1971) - Completed
William Styron - Sophie's Choice (1979)
Cormac McCarthy - Suttree (1979)

1980
Marilynne Robinson - House Keeping (1980)

John Crowley - Little, Big (1981)
Salman Rushdie - Midnight's Children (1981)
Clarice Lispector - The Stream of Life (1989) - Completed

1990
John Irving - A Prayer for Owen Meany (1990) - In progress.
Philip Roth - American Pastoral (1997) - Completed

2000
Scott Turow - Burden of Proof (2000)
Rosamunde Pilcher - Winter Solstice (2001)
Margaret McMillan - Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World (2002)
Javier Marias - Your Face Tomorrow v1 Fever and Spear (2002) - Completed
J. M. Coetzee - Elizabeth Costello (2003) - Completed
Javier Marias - Your Face Tomorrow v2 Dance and Dream (2004) - Completed
Javier Marias - Your Face Tomorrow v3 Poison, Shadow and Farewell (2007) - Completed
Sebastian Barry - The Secret Scripture (2008)
Roberto Bolano - 2666 (2008) - Completed

2010
David Mitchell - The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (2010)

Thomas Pynchon - Bleeding Edge (2013) - Completed.

Edited by Paul
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What a great list Paul! Many of my favorites are listed, it's hard for me to take in that Gone With the Wind and I, Claudius, two of my all time favorites both came out in the '30's. I knew it of course, but it didn't sink in till I just saw it on your list.

 

And I see Planet of the Apes...I only read that a few years ago. Nothing like the horde of films made in it's name. A good little book.

 

As for overflow, so what? :D The more the merrier.

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Many thanks Pontalba for your nice post. It is a sort of nice list. I'm looking forward to reading many of the books that I have always heard about, and heard about, and heard about. And, of course, GWTW is all in a category by itself. :D

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Yay - a fellow challengee for the decades challenge! :mad:

 

That's a good list you've got there - I haven't really though of many yet - I'm just taking them as they come along or take my mood.

 

Yes, Janet, we seem a small but mighty crew. :D

The list was relatively easy to come by -- so many are right here on my shelves unread already, or else have been ingrained on my mind for so long. The new ones I read as the moment strikes me won't get on the list. It was hard enough keeping it this small, so these are only the real challenges to get read, and having the list will help that along. :D

But still only one for each decade at first.

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Sorry about removing the post Paul, I didn't intend to cause confusion, I'm a fairly private and reserverd person and very new to the internet forum experience.

 

My original post read: This is such an interesting reading challenge you've put together Paul, there are many books in your selection that I would like to read someday, you have definitely inspired me to put together my own reading through the decades challenge.

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Sorry about removing the post Paul, I didn't intend to cause confusion, I'm a fairly private and reserverd person and very new to the internet experience.

 

It's quite alright. And being cautious is not such a bad idea here on the Internet. I don't want to spook you, but the various forums are all different and it pays to see how each one works and what the people are like before jumping in with both feet. I know I have been surprised on more than one occasion on other forums than this one and wish I had been more cautious. But we'll focus on reading here and accomplish our goals! :roll:

 

BTW: Very nice avatar!

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Thanks Paul for being so understanding!

 

Like I said in my original post, you have inspired me to put together my own reading through the decades challenge - I think I would like to make mine a 19th century literature challenge, which fits with my resolution at the start of the year to explore more authors and influential books from this era, particularly books that have contributed to the shaping of modern day writing - already this year I have read Anna Karenina, Crime and Punishment, Modame Bovary and I'm currently reading Moby Dick. If you have any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate It!

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Ah, Shelbel, I see you don't shy away from the big ones or the difficult ones. That's wonderful because they have so much great reading! This is a quick response while I scratch my head about the nineteenth century. I'm no expert, least of all on influences in literature, but there are a fair number of books I have enjoyed and some other authors with notable reputations whom I haven't (yet) read, so I can put together some suggestions.

In the mean time, there is one very readable and informative book of criticism that I have just finished which you also might enjoy, namely How Fiction Works by James Wood. He's a well-regarded contemporary critic who might well add to the way you look at the literature that you read.

When I am more awake, I'll be back with some further thoughts.

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Back again, Shelbel,

I think it was Mark Twain who said it was easier to write a long letter than a short one so, yes, there are many more suggestions for the nineteenth century than I thought there would be. First those I have read, and then those that I might get to someday. In addition, there are more-esteemed authors not represented who also deserve reading, and also many other works from the same authors listed here. They may be more 'literary' or more 'scholarly' or more 'famous,' but I read mainly for pleasure, so here are the books that have come to my mind:

 

Novels I have read:

The Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle

She - H. Rider Haggard

Treasure Island - Robbert Louis Stevenson

Ben Hur - Lew Wallace

The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins

A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bront

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We have very similar tastes in reading, Paul! You're more well-read than me, but I have most of those books either on my TBR pile or on my wish list.

 

I hope you don't mind me butting in with a few recommendations...

 

If you've enjoyed the Dickens' that you've read so far, then I'd recommend Great Expectations. I have a few others of his on my TBR pile and am looking forward to getting into them.

 

I've read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky which I found challenging but ultimately an excellent book.

 

And then there are the classic horror works such as Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, both of which I thought were brilliant reads.

 

I also think that you might appreciate the works of Vladimir Nabokov (Pnin or Lolita are probably your best starting points).

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We have very similar tastes in reading, Paul! You're more well-read than me, but I have most of those books either on my TBR pile or on my wish list.

 

I hope you don't mind me butting in with a few recommendations...

 

If you've enjoyed the Dickens' that you've read so far, then I'd recommend Great Expectations. I have a few others of his on my TBR pile and am looking forward to getting into them.

 

I've read Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky which I found challenging but ultimately an excellent book.

 

And then there are the classic horror works such as Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, both of which I thought were brilliant reads.

 

I also think that you might appreciate the works of Vladimir Nabokov (Pnin or Lolita are probably your best starting points).

 

Kylie, No problem adding in. The more the merrier; it's an open conversation. We certainly do have similar tastes beginning with Vladimir Nabokov! I've read all of his novels except for Invitation to a Beheading and Bend Sinister. And I have read Crime and Punishment that you mention, although not too many of the other great Russian novels.

But Great Expectations lies ahead, especially now that you mention it specifically, and also the horror books Dracula and Frankenstein which I thrilled to as movies.

Many thanks for the independent recommendations. They definitely count when I am deciding what to read.

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Wow……thanks Paul! There are some wonderful suggestions there, a real eclectic mix of books from this period.

 

Some of your suggestions I have already read; but I have to admit they were many years ago and I should probably reread them at some stage - I don’t know when, as I’m having so much fun exploring new books.

 

There are quite a few authors you’ve listed, like; George Elliot, Jane Austen, Robert Lewis Stevenson, Alexander Dumas and Charles Dickens that I was already considering including in my challenge.

 

But Paul! There are many interesting books you’ve mentioned that I would never have considered and now think would be worth taking a look at. Particularly some of the lesser known authors to me like: Wilkie Collins, James Fenmore Cooper, Rider Haggard, Joseph Conrad and Lew Wallace.

 

Mm……So much to think about, the choices seem endless! I’ve had a busy weekend so I haven’t had a great deal of time to think about this challenge; I’m hoping to devote some energy to it this week.

 

I’ve been trying to think of a few recommendation of my own for you Paul, but I must admit I’m a little stumped, as I have a feeling that you’ve already read quite a broad cross section of books, and know exactly what you like and want to read - so I’ve decided to list a few of the more stand out books that I’ve read in the past twelve months and some of the books in my TBR pile that I anticipate will be exceptional reads.

 

Stand out reads in the past twelve months:

 

French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

A Farwell to Arms by Hemingway - reread

The Hours by Michael Cunningham

Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

To Kill a Mocking-Bird by Harper Lee - reread

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Call of the Wild by Jack London

Breakfast at Tiffany’s Truman Capote

Son of the Circus by John Irving

Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The English Patients by Michael Ondaajte

Another Country by James Baldwin

Orlando by Virginia Woolf

 

Books currently sitting in the TBR pile that may be of interest to you:

 

The Waves by Virginia Woolf

Cold Blood by Truman Capote

One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

Rabbit, Run by John Updike

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test by Tom Wolfe

The Sea by John Banville

The name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

The Wind-up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Timbuktu by Paul Auster

 

I don’t know if you’ve read much Australian fiction, but I thought I would mention a few of my most favourite Australian writers:

 

Peter Carey – Oscar and Lucinda

- True History of the Kelly Gang

Tim Winton – Cloudstreet

Randolph Stow – Tourmaline

 

This has been great fun! Thanks so much and good luck with your reading challenge - I hope you keep us posted with regular updates of your reading as you work your way through your challenge. Kind regards Shelbel.

 

 

 

 

:

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Shelbel,

You've done a fair amount of interesting reading yourself, so I'm glad to see quite a few I haven't read yet:

 

To Kill a Mocking-Bird by Harper Lee

Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Son of the Circus by John Irving

Midnight

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Just finished American Pastoral by Philip Roth.

Set during the Vietnam years in America, this passionate story vividly captures all the anguish, anger, heartache, shouting, torment and love in a family whose daughter engages in a disastrous act of political protest. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and definitely recommended for capturing the emotions of an era.

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Sounds like an interesting book Paul! I've always been interested in reading prize winning literature and enjoy discovering the qualities that make a particular book so special that it deserves notable recocognition - I would love to hear your thoughts on this in regards to American Pastoral by Phillip Roth.

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Sounds like an interesting book Paul! I've always been interested in reading prize winning literature and enjoy discovering the qualities that make a particular book so special that it deserves notable recocognition - I would love to hear your thoughts on this in regards to American Pastoral by Phillip Roth.

 

An interesting question. In a sense I think it was a no-brainer to win the Pulitzer. It was about a controversial era in recent American history and was crammed full of stark opinionated characters with just about every different opinion or feeling one might have had about political, social, racial or ethnic issues then. Anyone who lived through those years could get their blood going at some part or other, not to mention that Roth wrote in a very loud and powerful voice. Tumultuous and hard-to-ignore are probably two good descriptors for the book and it must have been a standout among candidates. I was thinking about putting together a review just this morning, so that might show up in a week or so. (There! That commits me! :) )

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  • 2 months later...

This, at last, is the review I was last seen thinking of writing in the previous post. It took a while to get here because of involvement in an intense forum discussion elsewhere.

Here is Philip Roth turning his spotlight up to blow-torch intensity to look with searing realism at the members of a star-crossed American family, some of whom wished to live an American dream and others who wished to have their own dream for America. Set against the background of civil protest and violence which intruded into people's lives during the Viet-Nam war, it closes with an enigmatic question for the reader, but there is no uncertainty whatever about the overwhelming ability of the author to capture in words the passionate emotions and conflicted thoughts of people caught in a vivid American experience. Very highly recommended

I learned that, not only does the book present vivid viewpoints across generational lines, it is likely that any discussion that you might get into will probably bring equally diverse and strenuous reactions from the members of the discussion themselves, including the revolutionaries of the time. Much fun was had by all (I think). :lol:

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And a quick P.S.

 

I've gone back a hundred years or so for a change of pace, and am now thoroughly enjoying Thomas Hardy's Far From the Madding Crowd. A Victorian-era novel with a refreshingly different and amiable style, it begins:

"When farmer Oak smiled, the corners of his mouth spread until they were within an unimportant distance of his ears, his eyes were reduced to chinks, and diverging wrinkles appeared round them, extending upon his countenance like the rays in a rudimentary sketch of the rising sun."

I've extended the front of my list to the 1870's, up above, to include it.

 

Samuel Beckett's How It Is continues to make progress slowly, also. (p24)

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Hi Paul, just popped by your thread to wish you good luck with your challenge. I've never really bothered with challenges, but then again I haven't looked at making lists of books I've read throughout a year, before now. 2009 is the year were I will make such a list! I don't think I'll attempt any challenges other than a personal challenge to read some good, new reads. :D

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Hi Paul, just popped by your thread to wish you good luck with your challenge. I've never really bothered with challenges, but then again I haven't looked at making lists of books I've read throughout a year, before now. 2009 is the year were I will make such a list! I don't think I'll attempt any challenges other than a personal challenge to read some good, new reads. :D

 

By all means keep a list! I started a couple years ago and was surprised to see how quickly the books mounted up -- about 50 a year for me, which really impressed at least me. There are others who read way more than that, but I do it also to remember what I have read. Titles and authors of all but the most exceptional books quickly fade into the background unless I write them down (and even some of those fade too. :lol: )

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