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B1 A book set in an Old or Ancient Empire: Augustus by John Williams (3.2.25)
B2 A book from our Old School Bookshelf: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
B3 A book in translation: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas
B4 A book you read for another Challenge: Rabbit Redux by John Updike
B5 A book with a Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ rating of 4.0 or better: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

I1 A story from our Short Story Group Shelf: The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford
I2 A book from your Personal Bookshelf: The Drifters by James A. Michener
I3 A Historical Fiction or a Nonfiction History: Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
I4 A book by a new-to-you author: Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
I5 A book one of our Group members read in 2024: A covenant with death by Stephen Becker (read by Wobbley)

N1 A book by a male prize winning author: American Pastoral by Philip Roth
N2 A book by a female prize winning author: Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (2.16.25)
N3 Free Space: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (1.29.25)
N4 A book written by an author born during the 19th Century: Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence
N5 A book found by using Literature-map.com: Big Sur by Jack Kerouac (Using Vonnegut) (4.13.25)

G1 A book by one of your favorite authors: For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway
G2 A book by an author found on our Group Bookshelf: Memoirs of a Geisha
G3 A book with an imaginary setting (not a real place on Earth): The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
G4 A book by an author who was born during the 20th Century: Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 by Hunter S. Thompson
G5 Three short stories by the same author: At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft

O1 A Mystery, Suspense, or Thriller: The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
O2 A book about a journey: The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
O3 A book written by Anonymous or Author Unknown: Beowulf
O4 A book from our New School Group Shelf: The Razor’s Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
O5 A book you would recommend to others: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry

Welcome to the challenge,Shawn!I hope you enjoy it!

Enjoy your planning, Shawn!

Nice to see you are playing, Shawn. Enjoy.

I've just returned from vacation. I'm excited to get planning!

Shawn, you to see you playing bingo this year :) The Hobbitt is a good journey book we read here some time ago. I hope ypu enjoy too :)

Well it appears the planning is all finished. I really spent some time sifting through this and tried to come up with a solid plan. I feel good about my choices and mixing in some longer books with a reread or two. Hopefully I stay focused and on task this year! I’m looking forward to getting started. Where to start?

Yay, I'm so glad you're going to give "A Covenant with Death" a try. The second half is particularly good!

I really enjoyed Interview with a Vampire and I will be interested to hear what you think of American Pastoral.

I'll be particularly interested in your reaction to Dandelion Wine. I absolutely loved it and found it was such a departure from how I had seen Bradbury before.

That looks like a fabulous variety of great books that you could really get lost in. I'm wondering what entices you to choose your books? It's a really impressive list.

Wobbley wrote: "Yay, I'm so glad you're going to give "A Covenant with Death" a try. The second half is particularly good!"

I was trying to fit this one in before the end of this year, but couldn't make it happen. I am hoping to fit this in early in 2025.

Klowey wrote: "That looks like a fabulous variety of great books that you could really get lost in. I'm wondering what entices you to choose your books? It's a really impressive list."

I am not entirely sure how to answer your question. I have a huge TBR list and keep my eye on the lists out there of the greatest books. I've also added a few that I really enjoy and haven't read in a while. Sometimes checking in with those gets me motivated to stay on point. I think this year I spent a lot of time trying to balance the length of books selected - in the past I have picked a bunch of big books and then get intimidated by them. I tried hard to avoid that for this year. I'm looking forward to having a good year, hitting the ground running, and reading some fun books. Good luck on your challenge.

Welcome Shawn! I hope you enjoy the books you have chosen. I love how you have found many books from our Group bookshelf. You can comment on the older threads even if we're not reading it right now. You also never know when one might be nominated for a reread. Have fun.

Finished my first book for the year - Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

What an incredible book. The writing made me really feel the story. This story felt like it was written for me about my childhood. It was so relatable. I grew up in a small town that felt so much like Green Town. As young boys we played outside from the time we woke up until we went to bed and made up all kinds of adventures. I miss those days and how much more simple life felt.

Dandelion wine is something a few locals make each year and as an adult it was always my favorite. It has been many years since I have enjoyed the taste of dandelion wine. I moved away shortly after graduating college and don't make it home as much as I should.

I've added this to my favorites shelf. I really enjoyed reading this and following the trail of growing up, while remembering my own childhood. This is definitely one of those books that touches you and makes that connection. It is so well done.

I should also mention this was so incredibly different from the only other Bradbury I have read - The Martian Chronicles.

I really can't say enough good things about this book. I'm so glad I started the year with this one. I would recommend to anyone/everyone.

I am so glad you loved this book. I did as well. I could not believe it was Bradbury, it was so unlike his other work. I wish it were better known. Great start to the year!

Bradbury is a terrific and versatile writer. His writing style is lovely, and he's great at creating a nostalgic tone. Well done getting your first book done!

So glad you loved this--a favorite of mine too. And you've tasted the magical stuff! This is a wonderful way to start the year, Shawn.

Finished Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie for space N2. Not my first Christie, but what I've come to expect. She is so good at what she does. I really enjoyed this story line and the way it all came together. I think more than any other, this ending was very fitting. It came on quickly, but I wasn't disappointed by its quick appearance.

Well done checking off your second Bingo read! Orient Express was actually the first Christie I ever read.

Finished B1 - Augustus by John Williams.

I very much enjoyed this. I felt like each book had a different feel from the previous book. I took my time with this and spread it out over 2 months. Taking my time really allowed me to think about some of the things going on with the story. I felt bad for Augustus that his true friends (prior to achieving power) slowly died off, leaving him with no one to really confide in. I have never been in a position of power, where I was concerned about true friends vs those trying to gain something. I also really struggled with the idea that someone would marry their daughter off for political gain, have the same daughter divorce to remarry because of changes to the political landscape. I have three daughters and can't fathom that thought. The domestic situation with those in places of power/authority was really very loose and fast.

All in all, I really enjoyed this. I more than likely would not have read this had I not chosen it as part of the group read.

A first time for Williams - I very much enjoyed his writing. I am looking forward to tacking Stoner later this year.

Glad you enjoyed it so much! It was a winner for me too.

Very pleased you enjoyed Augustus, Shawn. I felt for Octavius when he made the decision to sacrifice Julia for what he considered to be the good of Rome. I also cannot imagine making that choice. But then, I cannot imagine being forced to marry someone I did not know or love, but women experienced that for centuries and in some places I'm sure they still do.

Anxious to see what you think of Stoner.

To your point, I’ve read plenty of other books where forced marriage and women lacking basic rights have been a theme, but it didn’t stick with me in the same this did. I suppose it’s all a matter of perspective and where one is in the their life. I was just shocked that it was at the forefront of this one. I’m not sure what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised. I supposed that’s why you take a chance on a book- to be pleasantly surprised.

Finished N5 - Big Sur by Jack Kerouac. This is my 3rd Kerouac and probably my least favorite. Not sure if this is more about me or the book. I feel like this one didn't speak to me. You can definitely tell things are coming undone for Kerouac, but I felt like this one bogged down for me. On to the next one...

Sorry this one wasn't a winner, but great progress!