A Classics Challenge Prompt - December Wrapup

Thanks to Katherine @ November's Autumn for hosting A Classics Challenge.

I've loved participating, looked forward each month to the prompts and have really enjoyed writing posts different from the usual review style. 


December's Prompt 1: Link to your favourite Classic Literature post you've written this year, it doesn't have to be related to this challenge. Just something you enjoy sharing.

 I do love to use pictures (saves me struggling with words) so some of my favourite posts are of the Visual Tour type - a combination of images and quotes or a brief review.

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome

Prompt 2 :Make a list of what you read for the challenge.

I've read 26 Classics this year including the seven that were on my list for A Classics Challenge ( marked with an *) and completed 11/12 of the prompts. 

January - the author. 
*Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy.
January prompt Level 1
January prompt - Level 2 & 3

February - a character
* North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell - Hannah Thornton

March - Setting
* The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

April - the Book Cover
* My Antonia by Willa Cather

May - Literary Movement
Howards End by E.M.Forster - The Bloomsbury Group

June - A Visual Tour
* The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

August - Quotes
* Persuasion by Jane Austen

September - Music
The Godwits Fly by Robin Hyde

October - Chapter Musings
* The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

November - Looking Back 


Now I look forward to next year and taking part in Katherine's Turn of the Century Literary Salon.

Vintage Mystery Challenge Completed

Thanks to Bev @ My Reader's Block for hosting this great challenge. It had been a long time since I'd read vintage crime and I really enjoyed reaquainting myself with some old favourites and discovering new authors. The extra challenge for me was tracking down the books, many of these authors are hard to find here and I've become a real haunter of secondhand book shops.

For the challenge we had to choose from a list of themes and read 8 books for one theme. I did two and read the following 16 books.

Theme One - Golden Age Girls -8 books by female authors OR 8 books with female detectives

1. The Beckoning Lady by Margery Allingham
2. The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart
3. The Nursing Home Murder by Ngaio Marsh
4. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
5. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
6. Have His Carcase by Dorothy L Sayers
7. The Ivory Dagger by Patricia Wentworth
8. Coroner's Pidgin by Margery Allingham

Theme Two - Lethal Locations - 8 books that are all about place (for instance: country houses, hospitals, schools or even particular cities/countries)

1. Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L Sayers
2. The Grand Babylon Hotel by Arnold Bennett
3. The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie
4. Colour Scheme by Ngaio Marsh
5. The Red House Mystery by A.A.Milne
6. The Watersplash by Patricia Wentworth
7. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
8. The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey

Great fun............and now I'm off to sign up for 2013.

What's In A Name 5 Challenge Completed

As always thanks to our host at BethFishReads . This is one of my favourite challenges - looking for the right titles is great fun and not always as easy as it sounds. Here is what I read this year.

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title
Death on the Downs by Simon Brett

2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title
 Little Star by John Ajvide Lindqvist

3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title
 Snake Ropes by Jess Richards

4. A book with a type of house in the title
The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title
Miss Buncle's Book by D E Stevenson

6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title
11/22/63 by Stephen King

Looking forward to 2013!

A Classics Challenge

I wanted a Classics Challenge for 2012 and this one is perfect. 

It's not a traditional sort of challenge but I love the freedom of few restrictions, plenty of space to adjust if real life gets in the way , not having to review and the blog hop format. Sounds like great fun!

Hosted by Katherine @ November's Autumn and here's how it works....

Read seven works of Classic Literature in 2012
Only three of the seven may be re-reads

I've organized this challenge to work a little like a blog hop. I hope this will make it more interactive and enjoyable for everyone.

Instead of writing a review as you finish each book (of course, you can do that too), visit November's Autumn on the 4th of each month from January 2012 - December 2012.

You will find a prompt, it will be general enough that no matter which Classic you're reading or how far into it, you will be able to answer. There will be a form for everyone to link to their post. I encourage everyone to read what other participants have posted.

So I've spent the last few days making lists and trying to decide which seven  hasn't been easy but here are my choices.....

North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell.......................has been looking reproachfully at me since January. I bought a copy for the Gaskell Challenge but then an earthquake came along and shook up all my good intentions.
February Prompt - A Character 

Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy............I bought this recently because I'm researching a family branch that came from this part of England and I want to know more about Victorian English rural life.
January prompt Level 1 
January prompt - Level 2 & 3

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton.........I read and enjoyed The Age of Innocence last year and then picked this one up at the Book Fair - time to actually read it.
October Prompt - Chapter Musings

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte............I had planned to read this during 2011 but somehow never got to it..........hopefully next year!
March Prompt - Setting

My Antonia by Willa Cather - I've never read any of her work but I've joined the Willa Cather Challenge so will fit in with that.
April Prompt - The Cover

Middlemarch The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot.....................I've never read anything by this author so probably it's time I tried although I do find the thought a bit daunting for some reason. I decided to keep Middlemarch until next year after Clarissa is finished.
June Prompt - Visual Tour

Jane Austen - either Persuasion or Emma as those are the two I haven't read.
August Prompt - Quotes

*********

Howards End by E.M.Forster

May Prompt - Literary Movement

The Godwits Fly by Robin Hyde
September Prompt - Music

December Wrapup

More info. and signup here

Regency & Victorian Challenge

hosted @ Royal Reviews

Books set in the Regency or Victorian eras or written during these eras count.

Want to join us in our Regency & Victorian Reads  Challenge? (Come on, you know you do!)
The rules are simple:

-Any sub-genre of Regency/Victorian Reads counts (paranormal, historical, contemporary, young adult etc.)

-To join this challenge, put a post on your blog saying that you are participating in the challenge. You may post a list of the titles that you are planning to read, or you can add them as you go. (Don’t forget to link your review to the book title on your challenge post.)

-Don’t have a blog, but wish to participate? Leave your information in the comment section.

- Any format counts except audio book.

-Challenge begins October, 2011 and ends March 1st, 2012

 Challenge Levels:

--Countess/Earl-Read 4Regency/Victorian Books
--Duchess/Duke- Read 6 Regency/Victorian Books
--Princess/Prince-Read 8 Regency/Victorian Books
Prizes will be awarded randomly.

Now that I've almost completed a few challenges I feel able to take on a new one.I'm signing up at the Duchess/Duke level.

1. The Somnambulist by Essie Fox

2. The Arrow Chest by Robert Parry

3. The Warden by Anthony Trollope

4. Island of Wings by Karin Altenberg

5. An Honourable Man by Gillian Slovo

6. North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell

COMPLETED