Literary Exploration discussion
Literary Exploration Challenge
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The Hard Challenge - 2013
I plan to try the Hard Challenge. I might be doing this one alone!
Mod
OK I'm going to commit to this level...I was going to do the Insane challenge, but with all the other challenges I will be doing next year, I thought I might have been overdoing it a little;)
Must we add a list of books before the challenge starts or can we decide throughout the year?
I am going to do this one! Can you read a book you've read before, or does that sort of defeat the object of exploring literature? :-)
Brenda - I had no idea there was a graphic novel version of "the kite runner", that might be interesting!
FINISHED: 12/11/13. WOOHOO!!!
Leanne wrote: "Can you read a book you've read before, or does that sort of defeat the object of exploring literature? :-)"I'd say no as this is about trying new things and getting out of your comfort zone.
Kim wrote: "Leanne wrote: "Can you read a book you've read before, or does that sort of defeat the object of exploring literature? :-)"I'd say no as this is about trying new things and getting out of your c..."
I thought that might be the case, just wanted to check, thank you :)
Leanne wrote: "Brenda - I had no idea there was a graphic novel version of "the kite runner", that might be interesting!"I've been wanting to get it for a few months now, so this will be my excuse:) It came out late last year I think...
Michael wrote: "Nice choices"Thanks Michael:)
I'm thinking about doing this one. I'll have to do a little researching to figure out which ones I will read.
It took me quite a few hours Franky! It's a big, but enjoyable, job!
I have a huge TBR pile which I plan to plow through with this challenge.
Mod
I would of said re-reads are OK, but KIM as decided :P
Kathy F wrote: "Must we add a list of books before the challenge starts or can we decide throughout the year?"
You don't have to pick now, it's up to you (I'm going to pick as I go).
Can they be subject to change as well Michael?
I'm going to use this as an opportunity in one instance to read some Terry Pratchett - for years I've heard about how great his books are, but the one time I picked up one of his books (Eric) I lost interest pretty quickly. Any recommendations on what to read by this author would be appreciated.
Michael, so, is there any particular order we have to read these in, or is it just try to read all these genres?
Mod
Does anybody have any ideas for thriller books for people who have never really read one before?
I really wanted to do the insane list but am part of other book clubs and was worried I would be able to do it all. If I finish all of these, I will upgrade! Exciting and difficult deciding!!Adventure- American Gods By Neil Gaiman
Chicklit-The Nanny Diaries By Emma McLaughlin
Classics - Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Graphic Novel-Oz: The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz
Biography/Autobiography - Me Talk Pretty One Day By David Sedaris
Drama Room by Emma Donoghue
Fantasy- Convergence By Sharon Green
Historical Fiction - The Clan of the Cave Bear By Jean M Auel
Horror Scowler By Daniel Kraus
Humour-Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea By Chelsea Handler
Literary Fiction - Never Let Me Go By Kazuo Ishiguro
Magical Realism - The Night Circus By Erin Morgenstern
Mystery Gone Girl By Gillian Flynn
Paranormal - City of Bones By Cassandra Clare
Philosophical - Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Poetry The Lady Of Shalott by Alfred Tennyson
Romance -The Black Opal By Victoria Holt
SciFi -Ender's Game
Thriller- Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Victorian- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wild
Young Adult- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian By Sherman AlexieThe Non Fiction - Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate
Pulp The Black Dahlia
Steam punk - Clockwork Angel
Kim wrote: "Almost any book by John Grisham, Michael Crichton or Robert Ludlum should fit the job."Thanks for the advice. I think I'm going to read Jurassic Park for thriller. As for the rest I have some ideas but there is no doubt in my mind that they will get changed as I learn about more books this upcoming year.
Katie wrote: "I really wanted to do the insane list but am part of other book clubs and was worried I would be able to do it all. If I finish all of these, I will upgrade! Exciting and difficult deciding!!"Very nice list Katie :)
Adventure: The City & the City by China MievilleChicklit : Palimpsest by C. Valente
Classics : Swann's Way by Marcel Proust
Graphic Novel: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Vol. 1 By Alan Moore
Biography/Autobiography : Karl Marx: His Life and Environment by Isaiah Berlin, Jung Stripped Bare: By His Biographers, Even
Drama:Hamlet by W. Shakespeare
Fantasy : The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories, and The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe
Historical Fiction : The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Gibbon,Big Breasts and Wide Hips by Mo Yan
Horror: The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories by Angela Carter, The Philosophy of Horror, Or, Paradoxes of the Heart by Noel Carrol, The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror, 2011 Edition and mmmaaaybbe Poe's Children: The New Horror: An Anthology
Humour: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, My Man Jeeves by PG Wodehouse
Literary Fiction : Orlando by Virginia Woolf
Magical Realism : The Night Circus By Erin Morgenstern,
The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Midnight's Children – Salman Rushdie
Mystery: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiel Hammett, Finch by Jeff Vandermeer
Non-fiction :Modernismby MichaelH.Whitworth, The Cambridge Companion to Gothic Fiction,The Postmodern by Simon Malpas, Modernism by Peter Childs ,Albion: The Origins of the English Imagination by Peter Ackroyd, The Coming of the Third Reich- Evans,
Paranormal : Dracula by Bram Stoker
Philosophical : The Oxford Companion to Philosophy Edited by Ted Honderich, Hegel's Phenomenology of Spirit: An Introduction
Poetry : The Collected Poems by Sylvia Plath
Pulp : The Black Dahlia Black Dahlia
Romance :Nightwood by Dunja Barnes,Under a Glass BellandDelta of Venus by Anais Nin
SciFi : Snow Crashby Neal Stephenson or Eclipse 3: New Science Fiction and Fantasy
Steampunk :Steampunkby Ann VanderMeer and Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories
Thriller: Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton
Victorian: Uncle Silas by Sheridan Le Fanu
Young Adult- Railsea by China Mieville
Hmm, actually, i might just move over to the insane challenge.
Ok, let's see how 2013 goes. Humour - Me Talk Pretty One Day or Bossypants - I'm not convinced yet.
Literary Fiction - 1Q84
Philosophical - The Fountainhead
Poetry - Shakespeare's Sonnets (I've been reading them for awhile already but it's gonna take me forever to finish so I won't add a different book in this one sorryyyy)
Pulp - (Hard-Boiled or Noir) - The Big Sleep
Steampunk - Soulless
Thriller - The Bourne Identity
Adventure - The Hobbit by J.R.R. TolkienAuto-Biography/Biography - Mortality by Christopher Hitchens
**Chick-Lit -
Classics -The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Drama - Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf by Edward Albee
Fantasy - A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Graphic Novels - Berlin, Vol. 1: City of Stones/Berlin, Vol. 2: City of Smoke by Jason Lutes
Historical Fiction - I Claudius by Robert Graves
Horror - The Stand by Stephen King
Humour - Politically Correct Bedtime Stories A Collection of Modern Tales for Our Life and Times by James Finn Garner
Literary Fiction - The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov
Magical Realism - Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
Mystery - Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco
Non Fiction - The Social Conquest of Earth by Edward O. Wilson
Paranormal - A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Philosophical - Symposium by Plato
Poetry - The Wasteland and Other Poems (Modern Library Edition) by T.S. Eliot
Pulp - The Long Goodbye by Raymond Chandler
*Romance - Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
Science Fiction - Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Steampunk - Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Thriller - Timeline by Michael Crichton
Victorian - Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Young Adult - A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
I think I may have cheated with my choice for Romance. Anyone have any suggestions for chick-lit(preferably not YA for either)?
You'll find quite a lot of books mix genres. I generally call a book by whatever the main element is. For Eragon to me it's a fantasy first, YA second.
good luck, Kristie! I hope you enjoy Eragon more than I did :-)Squirrel, I would recommend you give Bridget Jones's Diary a try especially since you are also going to read Pride and Prejudice.
When I first read the genre list, I thought, "Steampunk and Horror? No way!" But I love a challenge, so I'm in. I will pick my books as I go, starting with Shine Shine Shine for science fiction, and then The Marriage Plot for romance.
Thanks Lauren! I'll check it out.Ohh I've heard really good things about The Marriage Plot. I still need to get around to it sometime.
Here's what I have so far. I could use some recommendations for the four genres I haven't decided on. There are a ton of biographies I'd love to read, but to be honest, I'm not the fastest reader, and a 1300 page bio would probably weigh me down quite a bit.Also, if anyone has a recommendation for which translation of The Illiad I should read, I would appreciate it.
Auto-Biography/Biography - Infidel
Chick-Lit - The Time Traveler's Wife
Classics - The Picture of Dorian Gray
Drama - The Great Gatsby
Historical Fiction - I, Claudius
Horror - Salem's Lot
Humour - A Confederacy of Dunces
Literary Fiction - The Shipping News
Non Fiction - Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster
Paranormal - ????
Philosophical - The Alchemist
Poetry - The Iliad of Homer
Pulp - (Hard-Boiled or Noir) - The Black Dahlia
Romance - ????
Steampunk - Perdido Street Station
Thriller - ????
Victorian - A Tale of Two Cities
Young Adult - A Wrinkle in Time
edit:
added Infidel
changed edition of The Iliad of Homer
Since you're reading Persepolis, I'd recommend Infidel for the autobiography/biography. Infidel is an autobiography about a woman's experience growing up in Somalia/Saudi Arabia/Ethiopia/Kenya, her escape to the Netherlands, and immersion in that culture. She attempts to reconcile the religion she grew up under with Christianity and secularism in the Netherlands, particularly as it applies to the treatment of women, in an incredibly moving and thoughtful way (she rejects extremes and is interested in justice above simply lambasting current structures). Her experience under different forms of government is equally as nuanced and honestly-explored. The book itself reads easily and never drags (or lacks for page-turning events).
As for the Iliad, Lattimore is one of the more true-to-the-ancient-Greek, but can be more difficult to read. Fagles is very poetic, but often takes more liberties. Fitzgerald strikes a decent balance. Lombardo uses the most modern language while still maintaining the heart of the epic--also really good for reading aloud. I think Lombardo also received praise from some branch of the military for his Iliad translation for its representation of military culture. (For more detailed comparisons of some translations, here's an article in the New Yorker)
Oh hey, Perdido Street Station is labelled steampunk.
(Posted in two comments since posting as one would not load)
Infidel sounds like a great recommendation. I actually jumped the gun on this challenge a bit with Persepolis and read both books over the last week and loved every minute of it. I'm highly interested in human rights, feminism, the role of religion in society, etc... so well done! This sounds like the perfect book for me. Thanks so much!As for Perdido Street Station... I found it under the steampunk genre. Is that wrong? I haven't read any Mieville yet, so I don't really know what to expect.
Thanks again!
Oh, forgot to mention the Illiad! I'm reading the New Yorker piece right now. I haven't decided yet, but this is definitely helpful!!
I've finished my first for this challenge...Non Fiction... Anne Frank Remembered: The Story Of The Woman Who Helped To Hide The Frank Family
Brian, glad I could help! Infidel's one of my all-time favorites, and if you liked Persepolis, I'm fairly certain you'll like this one too.I have a thing about trying to remain as true to the original at the beginning, so I first read Lattimore's translation, then read Fagles'. I've personally never really been able to get myself into Fitzgerald's translations, but maybe he'll work out for you. Lombardo's next on my list.
I'm not entireely sure what constitutes steampunk, but a lot of people seem to have labelled it as such. I have three of Mieville's books, but have yet to get to reading them. I've mostly heard of Perdido as a scifi/horror/awesome mashup.
Brenda, how was it? I've run across that one before but never read it.
Alright, Squirrel, I've decided to go with the Lattimore translation. Like you, I think it's important to remain as close to the original as possible. Also, I read a section of The Iliad for my poli-sci class a few years ago. I LOVED it at the time and wish I had the time to read the entire poem (but I was too entrenched with writing papers and studying for exams). It was a chore--I took notes on literally every line--but I thought it was amazing. I'm a little sad that I haven't been able to read it until now. Anyway, I just uncovered my notes from that class and it was the Lattimore translation that we used. Thanks again for all your help and input!
@ Squirrel. Absolutely gut wrenching, but a great read. I've read The Diary of a Young Girl and this is the other side of the story...I'll do my review shortly.
Brenda wrote: "@ Squirrel. Absolutely gut wrenching, but a great read. I've read The Diary of a Young Girl and this is the other side of the story...I'll do my review shortly."Here's my review Squirrel... http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Brenda: The book looks great! I'll have to check it out sometime.
Squirrel wrote: "Brenda: The book looks great! I'll have to check it out sometime."Well worth a read Squirrel:)
Finished my third..Mystery.. New York to Dallas by J.D. RobbReview .. http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...
Adventure - Auto-Biography/Biography -
Chick-Lit -
Classics - Bend Sinister by Vladimir Nabokov read
Drama -
Fantasy - Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett
Graphic Novels - V for Vendetta by Alan Moore, started
Historical Fiction - The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe
Horror - Uncle Silas by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu read
Humour -
Literary Fiction -
Magical Realism - Cursed by Lynn Ricci, read
Mystery - The Merry Misogynist by Collin Cotterill
Non Fiction -
Paranormal -
Philosophical -
Poetry -
Pulp - (Hard-Boiled or Noir) -
Romance -
Science Fiction -
Steampunk -
Thriller - All the Beautiful Sinners by Stephen Graham Jones, read
Victorian -
Young Adult -
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For people doing the hard challenge, to discuss progress and planned books.
Adventure
Auto-Biography/Biography
Chick-Lit
Classics
Drama
Fantasy
Graphic Novels
Historical Fiction
Horror
Humour
Literary Fiction
Magical Realism
Mystery
Non Fiction
Paranormal
Philosophical
Poetry
Pulp - (Hard-Boiled or Noir)
Romance
Science Fiction
Steampunk
Thriller
Victorian
Young Adult