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����Բ�’s comments from the Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) group.

Hello Murphy and Sanchita. Welcome and I hope you enjoy the group as much as I do!

I have added two novels in March to the Bingo Board.

I3 A historical novel The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier (1969) March 22, 2025 5*
I love du Maurier. This was really fun!


G1 A book by a favorite author. Thornyhold by Mary Stewart (1988) March 29, 2025 5*
And she really is one of my favorites. This was a light, enjoyable romance that takes place in the English countryside. This is the sort of novel that introduced me to Mary Stewart.


du Maurier and Mary Stewart feel the same to me. They are very similar writers in my opinion. Daphne's may me more "literary" and Mary's more "popular" in nature, but I would choose either of these authors for a fun romance book.

Teri-K wrote: "Sara wrote: "What an exciting reading year you are having already. I love the way you mix it up. I like my little rut far too much and have to push and shove myself outside of it."

I've been known..."

I have never heard of the brand Kobo. Interesting. I tend to read on the laptop that I also use for posting on ŷ������. I originally bought it to use the in classroom. I'm glad you found something you like.

I read another quick Sci Fi short story. I am reading a Decade of Sci Fi short stories from the 1930s. This early decade will probably be juvenile literature for the pulp magazines. The story I read met that description. The Ideal by Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935) March 24, 2025 3*

Congratulations on the challenges you completed. I also like Flannery O'Connor.

Welcome. I like the two that you have chosen and try to complete them myself. You have variety and a little exploration in the choices.

Terris wrote: "Lynn wrote: "Wow Terris, look at you go!! You're really on fire right now."

Yes, I'm moving right along! I just posted Mockingbird by Walter Tevis. Have you read that one? If you hav..."

Thanks for the recommendation.

Wow seven challenges so far. Very nice.

Samanta wrote: "B5 A book with a ŷ������ rating of 4.0 or better

by E.L. Konigsburg

Review..."


What a delightful choice. It's such a classic children's book.

oh yeah, my monthly format:

1. Group short story The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin (1834) March 1, 2025 4*
2. Science Fiction on a Whim: The Ideal by Stanley G. Weinbaum (1935) March 24, 2025 3*
3. A Challenge Book: One Autumn Night by Maxim Gorky (1895) March 12, 2025 4*
The Green Kitten by Maxim Gorky (1897) March 19, 2025 2* - This was a new author for me.
4. A Group Read Novel: The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier (1969) March 22, 2025 5*

Thanks April.

I joined this group to read the "big names" in literature. What I love about the challenges is seeing so many books I've never heard of. What a nice list Lori.

Nice plan. I will watch for your reviews. I have not read any of these yet.

Here's my March Reading diary a little before the end of the month.

Short Stories
The Queen of Spades by Alexander Pushkin (1834) March 1, 2025 4*
One Autumn Night by Maxim Gorky (1895) March 12, 2025 4*
The Green Kitten by Maxim Gorky (1897) March 19, 2025 2*


Novel
The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier (1969) March 22, 2025 5*

Starting with the short stories. I reread "The Queen of Spades" and it was quite good and well written. Pushkin is a good author.

Next I read 2 by Maxim Gorky. The first was brutal and depressing, but had redeeming qualities. The second about the kitten was about animal cruelty - really brutal and unredeeming. Gorky was friends with some of the Russian Soviets. His time and life was turbulent. He was a new author, but not one I care to read much more from.

I loved, loved The House on the Strand 5*. It is now my favorite du Maurier book. It is a historical novel with suspense, engaging characters, time travel, and an unreliable narrator. What's not to like?

I am still reading The Name of the Rose. I may still be reading this for a long, long while. Yet, I have not given up on it.

Finished and I loved this book. Here is my review copied and pasted below:

I loved this book. For years I would say Rebecca was my favorite book, but I may like this one better! I definitely thought it was better than Jamaica Inn or My Cousin Rachel. Still that ranking is picking the most perfect out of a selection of wonderful books. This book is Historical Fiction with time travel and a potentially unreliable character. The characters drew me in and Daphne du Maurier masterfully fills her books with suspense.

The story revolves around a narrator named Dick Young, who observes the lives of others. He becomes obsessed with finding out about their lives. In many ways readers can relate to this. If you have ever read a book and couldn't put it down, Dick Young has a similar, albeit stronger, experience. I had to wait a couple of weeks for a physical book to be delivered and then a week or so to find the time to read. I read almost the entire book in a day. The next morning I reached for the book first thing to read the last hour. Great book.

Like Sue and Chris said, I went into this book blind. I started late because I ordered a copy and it took some time to arrive.

First, I didn't realize it would be about time travel at all. I find a small line in the early chapters about "memories" that a house can hold interesting. Modern "ghost hunters" will talk about vibration being held in a building. It seemed a similar concept.

The name Magnus rang a bell in my mind. I looked up "Alchemists named Magnus". Google says Albertus Magnus was a German Dominican friar and Catholic bishop who lived in the 13th century. He was considered a founder of alchemy and chemistry, but later scholars of course say that is incorrect. (Later scholars seem to make their careers correcting the people that went before.) He is also known as Saint Albert the Great.

Finally, there is a 1973 film version of The House on the Strand that I found on Youtube. I thought it would be fun to watch once I complete the book.

Darren wrote: "just for the record, come 1st Jan 2025 I did in fact reduce my TBR pile to...

...drum roll...

exactly 80!

I think I now have it under control :oO and maybe can reduce it to below 50 this year..."

Fantastic!

April wrote: "Hi!

I had something i wanted to discuss or ask of the group aa a whole, but of course, I forgot it now. 🤦‍♀��

I DO want to write up a plan for the month, but being as March is half over, I think ..."



Yes, April. Our threads can reach thousands of posts. They reach a point where there is just so much that it is unwieldy. At the beginning of 2025 we did some reorganizing and the extremely large threads were archived. Also threads from previous years' challenges were archived. Nominations threads more than a year old are archived. The actual votes in the polls area stay forever.

Welcome Mary and Keenreader. Join any discussion you like!

Sara wrote: "I love that blurb, Lynn. Because she was so popular and wrote such captivating stories, it is sometimes overlooked how well-crafted they are and how thoughtful and meaningful. I hope you enjoy this..."

Thanks, Sara!