Bel-ami Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 I was on the What's Your Age thread elsewhere and it led me to think that it might be interesting to read a selection of books published in one's year of birth. Wikipedia obligingly have a series of "19xx in literature" pages, so turning up a few titles isn't too much like hard work. This challenge will of course vary from BCF member to BCF member. To fine-tune it a little, I thought it would more enlightening to choose books which have some relevance to the social 'mores' of the world at that date - ie. rejecting historical novels (there seem to be plenty of WW2 novels in my birth year) and sci-fi/fantasy novels. Thus I've rejected James and The Giant Peach and Thunderball........and I've already read Catch-22. With this criteria, I've selected a list of 5 from my birth year: A Severed Head - Iris Murdoch The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark Marnie - Winston Graham The Primal Urge - Brian Aldiss The Day of the Tortoise - H.E. Bates (Yes, I really am that old ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueB Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 The first edition Lord of the Rings - Tolkien was published the year I was born for starters I too am old Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bel-ami Posted September 8, 2009 Author Share Posted September 8, 2009 The first edition Lord of the Rings - Tolkien was published the year I was born for starters I too am old Of course we're only as old as we feel Sue! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueB Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Of course we're only as old as we feel Sue! Today I feel 21 again just wish someone would remind my body (sorry ) xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi. Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 This is a great idea - having just looked on Wiki I've already read a lot of the titles listed. They include Watership Down, Invisible Cities by Calvino, Charlie & The Great Glass Elevator, The Odessa File, An Unsuitable Job For A Woman and Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas - you can play 'guess the year' from those titles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 (edited) This challenge will of course vary from BCF member to BCF member. I like the sound of this challenge, although I haven't finished my 'Reading Through The Decades' challenge yet! This is a link to the Wikipedia 'List of Years in Literature'. I shall have a look and see if I can find 5 books to add! ETA: I'm 1966! Edited September 8, 2009 by Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueB Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 I like the sound of this challenge, although I haven't finished my 'Reading Through The Decades' challenge yet! This is a link to the Wikipedia 'List of Years in Literature'. I shall have a look and see if I can find 5 books to add! ETA: I'm 1966! Thanks for the link Janet I just copied and pasted though cos Im lazy 1963 in literature - Planet of the Apes (La Planete des Singes) - Pierre Boulle; V. - Thomas Pynchon; The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath; Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi. Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Thanks for the link Janet I just copied and pasted though cos Im lazy 1963 in literature - Planet of the Apes (La Planete des Singes) - Pierre Boulle; V. - Thomas Pynchon; The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath; Cat's Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut Some great books there Sue. I love The Bell Jar - that's been a favourite of mine for over 20 years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SueB Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Some great books there Sue. I love The Bell Jar - that's been a favourite of mine for over 20 years Thats what Im thinking too Scarlet..................must resist urge to buy more books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicola Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 A Book of Spooks and Spectres by Ruth Manning Sanders sounds pretty cool I'm envious of you ScarletBella......so many great books! I love Hunter S Thompson! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Of the ones listed on Wiki, I've read: Judy Blume - Blubber Judy Blume - Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing Terry Pratchett - The Dark Side of the Sun Anne Rice - Interview with the Vampire But unfirtunately, from the rest of the list there was nothing that interested me. I'd have to do some research and find a few that I fancied if I were to do this. To be honest, I don't consider any of the four I've read to be literature as such... I'd have to have a really good think. Great idea for a challenge though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
honestfi Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Hmmm good one I may take up the challenge, perhaps, maybe. Fraid I was uninspired by Wiki's list (1970) didn't fancy any of them. Another site: http://www.caderbooks.com/best70.html...a bit more promising. And, ha!, that famous book Everything you wanted to know about sex...etc, was out in the year I was born. How about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 This is a neat idea! My birth year, 1989, was a good year for books. At least the ones I enjoy anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceinwenn Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 This sounds like a good one, but there are only 1 or 2 on either list for my birth year that interest me.....maybe after some research I might find some others? Would be interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
busy91 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 I've seen this challenge somewhere else, but did not join it because there was only 1 book in my year that I would even think about reading. Thornton Wilder - The Eighth Day Nothing that peaked my interest was done in 1967. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 This is such an interesting challenge! I looked up my year (1982) and found the following books: Arthur C Clarke: 2010: Odyssey Two Graham Greene: Monsignor Quixote Thomas Keneally: Schindler's Ark Stephen King: Different Seasons and The Running Man Alice Walker: The Color Purple There are a couple of other interesting books, but as with 2010, they are part of a series. I've read 2010 and Different Seasons, but I would be interested in reading the others on this list at some stage. I already have The Running Man and The Color Purple on my TBR pile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 This is a great idea - having just looked on Wiki I've already read a lot of the titles listed. They include Watership Down, Invisible Cities by Calvino, Charlie & The Great Glass Elevator, The Odessa File, An Unsuitable Job For A Woman and Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas - you can play 'guess the year' from those titles I believe you and I were born the same year, ScarletBella since I have those same titles . I was also super excited to see 'My Name is Asher Lev' by Chaim Potok published in that year. That is such a wonderful book! Also 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' by Richard Bach. I read that many years ago and loved it too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ceinwenn Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I believe you and I were born the same year, ScarletBella since I have those same titles . I was also super excited to see 'My Name is Asher Lev' by Chaim Potok published in that year. That is such a wonderful book! Also 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' by Richard Bach. I read that many years ago and loved it too. Make that three of us born in the same year, as those were the choices for me, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Year of Birth reading challenge is a good idea Bel-Ami! And Janet, thanks for the link I'm 1981, which was a bad year for books in my opinion anyway. I'm only interested in Jan Quillou's Ondskan, and I've already read Stephen King's Cujo (I found it funny what was said in the first sentence for the literature in the year 1981: "The year 1981 in literature involved some significant events and new books." I mean, c'mon, new books?? Really? ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysalis_stage Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 (edited) I was born 1986 and there are only a few that seem to interest me, they are: Stephen King - It Louis L'Amour - Last of the Breed (I like the sound of this) Tanith Lee - Dreams of Dark and Light: The great Short Fiction of Tanith Lee Orson Scott Card - Speaker for the Dead - (sequel to enders game) Terry Pratchett - The Light Fantastic Roger Zelazny - Blood of Amber The corrected edition (revised) of H.P Lovecraft - Dagon and Other Macabre tales Edited September 9, 2009 by chrysalis_stage Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 Make that three of us born in the same year, as those were the choices for me, too. I would say it was a very good year then for everything, obviously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi. Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 I believe you and I were born the same year, ScarletBella since I have those same titles . I was also super excited to see 'My Name is Asher Lev' by Chaim Potok published in that year. That is such a wonderful book! Also 'Jonathan Livingston Seagull' by Richard Bach. I read that many years ago and loved it too. Well, if you're 1972 then yep! I loved Jonathan Livingston Seagull, probably time for a re-read on that one for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peacefield Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Well, if you're 1972 then yep! And what a good year it was! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fi. Posted September 10, 2009 Share Posted September 10, 2009 Oh most definitely All the best people were born that year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Readwine Posted September 25, 2009 Share Posted September 25, 2009 1961 a Good Year for Reading: 1. The Agony and the Ecstasy, Irving Stone 2. Franny and Zooey, J. D. Salinger 3. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee 4. Mila 18, Leon Uris 5. The Carpetbaggers, Harold Robbins 6. Tropic of Cancer, Henry Miller 7. Winnie Ille Pu, Alexander Lenard, trans. 8. Daughter of Silence, Morris West 9. The Edge of Sadness, Edwin O'Connor 10. The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck Great idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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