Janet Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 Thought I'd get the ball rolling! I'm not 100% sure what other people are planning to do, so I may adapt it, but for now I'm planning to read one book from each decade of the 1900s. 2010s - Fiction - 2010 - Solomon's Oak by Jo-Ann Mapson - 6/10 ............Non-fiction - 2010 - Awkward Situations for Men by Danny Wallace - 8/10 ............Children's book - 2010 - Montacute House by Lucy Jago - 9-10 2000s - Fiction - 2009 - The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters - 8/10 ............Non-Fiction - 2004 - Yes Man by Danny Wallace - 9/10 ............Children's book - 2006 - Kiss of Death by Malcolm Rose - 9/10 1990s - Fiction - 1996 - The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks 7/10 ............Non-fiction - 1997 - Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry - 9/10 ............Children's book - 1995 - The Wreck of the Zanzibar by Michael Morpurgo - 8/10 1980s - Fiction - 1988 - The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - 8/10 ............Non-fiction - 1986 - The Cherry Tree by Derek Tangye - 6/10 ............Children's book - 1983 - A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh - 9/10 1970s - Fiction - 1970 - Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach - 9/10 ............Non-fiction - 1971 - 84 Charing Cross Road by Helen Hanff - 7½/10 ............Children's book - 1972 - Watership Down by Richard Adams - 9/10 1960s - Fiction - A Kestrel for a Knave by Barry Hines - 8/10 ............Non-fiction - 1969 - As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning by Laurie Lee - 8½/10 ............Children's book - 1969 - Charlotte Sometimes by Penelope Farmer - 8/10 1950s - Fiction - 1951 The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham - 10/10 ............Non-fiction - 1958 - A Short Walk in the Hindu Kush by Eric Newby - 7/10 ............Children's book - 1958 - Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce - 10/10 1940s - Fiction - 1945 - Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh 9/10 ............Non-fiction - 1949 - Delight by J B Priestley 6½/10 ............Children's book - 1942 The Land of Far-Beyond by Enid Blyton - 7/10 1930s - Fiction - 1933 Love on the Dole by Walter Greenwood - 7½/10 ............Non-fiction - 1933 - Down and Out in Paris and London - George Orwell 8/10 ............Children's book - 1939 - A Traveller in Time - Alison Uttley 9/10 1920s - Fiction - 1929 - All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque - 8/10 ............Non-fiction The Enormous Room - E E Cummings - 2/5 ............Children's book - 1927 - The Midnight Folk by John Masefield - 7/10 1910s - Fiction - 1910 - The History of Mr Polly by H G Wells - 7/10 ............Non-fiction The Cruise of the Snark - Jack London - 4/10 ............Children's book - 1913 - Pollyanna by Eleanor H Parker - 8/10 1900s - Fiction - 1908 - A Room With A View by E M Forster - 4/10 ............Non-fiction - 1908 - The Autobiography of a Super-tramp by W H Davies - 6/10 ............Children's book - 1907 - The Enchanted Castle by E Nesbit - 7/10 ___________________________ 27 books read = 81.82% 27 books read 6 to go I have revised this slightly by adding the 2010s to the challenge, so my new totals are as follows: 36 books read = 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 3, 2008 Author Share Posted September 3, 2008 Okay, I'm embarking on the 1900s (not that I'm doing them in decade order - it just happens to be the first one towards the top of my 'to read' pile. 1908 - Room With A View - E M Forster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 I don't want to seem like a failure at the first hurdle, but I'm not sure I can continue with A Room With A View. It's so slow and I still have 150 pages to go! Oh dear. Has anyone read this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Janet, I can't blame you at all. I read A Room with a View maybe a year ago, I bought it because it was cheap and it was a classic and it sounded interesting and I thought I'd enjoy it. But it was so booooring, I really had to struggle to finish it. If I were you I'd bin it and choose something else, there must be loads of better reads written in the 1900s! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 Thanks Frankie. I used to always struggle on to the end, but I've decided life's too short, so I think that I'm going to do as you suggest and look for something else! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I think A Room With a View is one of those "love it or hate it" books. I adored it, but I listened to a very good audio book version which really made it come alive for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 I think A Room With a View is one of those "love it or hate it" books. I adored it, but I listened to a very good audio book version which really made it come alive for me. I'm sure that would help. Visually I can see it perfectly, but I'm finding the dialogue a bit flat. I've read on a bit and I think part 2 is a definite improvement on part 1, so I think I will persevere after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 6, 2008 Author Share Posted September 6, 2008 I finally finished it! I have to say that although part 2 was decidedly more interesting than part 1, I still didn't feel any empathy with the characters at all, and the whole thing was a huge disappointment to me, I'm afraid! Still, that's one decade down! I've decided that when I get to the end of this challenge (whenever that might be) I might go back and read a children's novel from each decade for comparison! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 17, 2008 Author Share Posted September 17, 2008 (edited) 1929 - All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque In the trenches, one by one the boys begin to fall... In 1914 a room full of German schoolboys, fresh-faced and idealistic, are goaded by their chauvinistic schoolmaster to troop off to the 'glorious war'. With the fire and patriotism of youth they sign up. Their disenchantment begins during the brutal basic training and then, as they board the train to the front, they see the terrible injuries suffered on the front line - their first glimpse of the reality of war. Having read many books about WW1 for A Level English, I thought it would be good to see one written from the other side. Edited September 17, 2008 by Janet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Severnlad Posted September 19, 2008 Share Posted September 19, 2008 1929 - All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque A great book that I read many years ago but I think it is about time I read it once more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 20, 2008 Author Share Posted September 20, 2008 I'm not reading it very quickly (due to other stuff going on, nothing to do with the book) but I'm really enjoying it so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kate Posted September 20, 2008 Share Posted September 20, 2008 1929 - All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque I love this book!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted September 29, 2008 Author Share Posted September 29, 2008 Finished All Quiet... yesterday. What a great book. Two decades down, eight to go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted September 29, 2008 Share Posted September 29, 2008 Hi Janet Great idea for a challange. Have you any idea what you will read for the 1930s? They Shoot Horses Dont they by Horace McCoy is a great depression era book- lots of atmosphere! Theres great noirish detective fiction too such as James Cain! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 2, 2008 Author Share Posted October 2, 2008 Thanks for your suggestion. Sorry for the late reply - I think I must have accidentally marked the forum as read as I've only just seen this. I have Orwell's Coming Up For Air and Down and Out in Paris and London on my 'to read' pile already, both of which are from the 30s, so I'll probably go with one of those, but I've added your suggestion to my Amazon Wishlist as I like the sound of it too. Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jo-Bridge Posted October 2, 2008 Share Posted October 2, 2008 I will be interested to hear what you think of them-I've never read any orwell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 12, 2008 Author Share Posted October 12, 2008 I've read Animal Farm, 1984 and The Road to Wigan Pier, Jo-Bridge and I enjoyed them all. I will post a review when I get round to the others on my 'to read' pile. I've decided to amend this challenge slightly so that I read one book per decade of a children's novel as well as an adult one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nursenblack Posted October 16, 2008 Share Posted October 16, 2008 I've decided to amend this challenge slightly so that I read one book per decade of a children's novel as well as an adult one. That sounds like such a good idea!! Maybe I'll undertake a challenge like that someday... It would be such a education to know some of the great (not as recognizable by the mainstream) children books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 1997 - Moab is my Washpot by Stephen Fry (non-fiction) - 9/10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted October 28, 2008 Share Posted October 28, 2008 Nice challenge! I'm curious, have you chosen any children books yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted October 28, 2008 Author Share Posted October 28, 2008 Not yet - I'm going to try to do the adult one first. But any suggestions are welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chimera Posted November 1, 2008 Share Posted November 1, 2008 I've been trying to come up with some ideas for you but it's not as easy as I first thought Mainly, I'm not sure what you're looking for: any children's books written in that period? Lesser known books? Books which really show the period? For instance you have the Famous five series which spreads through the 40's, 50,s and 60's but they seem so obvious, and still widely read, that they might not be very interesting for a challenge... How do you choose the books you read for the adult part of your challenge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted January 8, 2009 Author Share Posted January 8, 2009 Sorry I missed your post from November Chimera. I hope you see this reply. The adult books I've read so far just happen to be those that I have on my bookcase so it's more of a case of convenience and killing two birds with one stone than a conscious choice. As for children's books, I'm hoping to read authors that I'm not familiar with (so not going down the Famous Five book although I have those upstairs somewhere). I've just read The Midnight Folk by John Masefield which was published in the 1920s - I didn't pick it as part of this challenge but it happens to fit - and I'm currently reading the sequel which was published in the '30s, but I might not count that as I like the idea of 10 separate authors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lopeanha Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 That is a really nice idea for a challenge, I might do yhat sometime myself when I'm back home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nollaig Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Yeah this is a great challenge idea, one I had already been planning on doing next year or the year after, so it'll be interesting to see how you get on Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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