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message 1: by Petrichor (last edited Nov 10, 2020 08:14AM) (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Since I really enjoyed this challenge over the last two years, I'm going to attempt it again :-)

B1: Classic of Asia
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa 11.08.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

B2: Classic Tragedy
Dr. Faustus (original title: The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus) by Christopher Marlowe 15.05.2020 ⭐⭐⭐ (review)

B3: A Book Published at Least 200 Years Ago
Lysistrata by Aristophanes (published -411) 02.03.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

B4: Memoir, Autobiography, or Biography
So, Anyway... by John Cleese 29.03.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

B5: Classic of Europe
Andorra (en: Andorra) by Max Frisch 27.01.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)


I1: Classic Mystery or Crime
Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie 25.01.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

I2: Group Bingo Participant Pick
Nachdenken über Christa T. (en: The Quest for Christa T.) by Christa Wolf

I3: Classic Drama or Play
A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen 04.01.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

I4: Book From Group’s 2020 Bookshelf
A Modest Proposal by Jonathan Swift 02.03.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

I5: Classic Gothic or Horror
Die Elixiere des Teufels (en: The Devil's Elixirs) by E.T.A. Hoffmann (published 1815) 09.07.2020 ⭐⭐⭐


N1: Book From Group’s Old School Classic Shelf prior to 2020
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins 21.04.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

N2: Winner of a Foreign Literary Prize
A Tale of Love and Darkness by Amos Oz 01.06.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

N3: Reader’s Choice
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky 01.09.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

N4: Classic Short Story
The Bottle Imp by Robert Louis Stevenson (56 pages) 17.01.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

N5: Book From Group’s New School Classic Shelf prior to 2020
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 23.01.2020 ⭐⭐⭐ (review)


G1: Classic Science Fiction or Fantasy
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin 19.02.2020 ⭐⭐ (review)

G2: The Bigger Read List by English Pen
Hunger by Knut Hamsun 19.07.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

G3: Poetry or Essay Collection
Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair by Pablo Neruda

G4: Banned Book
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (banned in several US states) 24.09.2020 ⭐⭐⭐

G5: Classic Science or Philosophy
Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!: Adventures of a Curious Character by Richard P. Feynman 06.07.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)


O1: Classic of Africa, Antarctica, Australia, or Oceania
A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute 23.07.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

O2: Classic Western
The Gaucho Martín Fierro by José Hernández 10.11.2020 ⭐⭐

O3: Book Published the Year You Were Born (+- 2 years)
Mort by Terry Pratchett 27.10.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)

O4: Classic Adventure
Asterix als Legionär (en: Asterix the Legionary) by René Goscinny 15.07.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

O5: Classic of the Americas
American Pastoral by Philip Roth 17.01.2020 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ (review)


. B I N G O
1 O O O O O
2 O . O O O
3 O O O . O
4 O O O O O
5 O O O O O


Here's my 2020 Bingo Challenge book shelf


message 2: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments I'm still playing book sudoku to fit the books into the categories.

However, before I finish this, I thought I should already start asking for suggestions for I2, the participant pick :-)

Maybe you can use my book shelf for last year's challenge as an inspiration


message 3: by Luke (new)

Luke (korrick) Petrichor wrote: "I'm still playing book sudoku to fit the books into the categories.

However, before I finish this, I thought I should already start asking for suggestions for I2, the participant pick :-)

Maybe y..."


Welcome to the challenge, Petrichor. I recommend The Quest for Christa T. by Christa Wolf for I2.


message 4: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Aubrey wrote: "I recommend The Quest for Christa T. by Christa Wolf for I2."

Thanks, Aubrey! This does sound very interesting! As a native German speaker (though not German) I have heard of this book before, but I haven't read it yet. It hasn't been on my radar for a while, but you've certainly put it back on there. Thanks!


message 5: by Vikas (new)

Vikas (vikaskhair) | 9 comments All the Best, Happy New Year


message 6: by Veronique (new)

Veronique | 1154 comments Right, I think you may like The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It is a long book but it reads seriously fast and is so compelling. That and the audio is really good - the one with Ian Holm.

Otherwise, The Enchanted April by Von Arnim is balm for the soul and short.

I see you like audiobooks (me too), and Ready Player One, and so you may find the following audio also to your taste: Sleeping Giants (excellent audio production and cool start of trilogy) - Children of Time (scifi with science aspect) - The Screaming Staircase first of five Lockwood and Co, children series but oh so brilliant - and the audio of Leviathan Wakes is great (the whole series in fact). Ok, I’ll stop there :0)


message 7: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Veronique wrote: "Right, I think you may like The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It is a long book but it reads seriously fast and is so compelling. That and the audio is really good - the one with Ia..."

Thank you so much, Vero! Except for Leviathan Wakes, none of those was on my on my tbr list, now they all are!


message 8: by Petrichor (last edited Jan 03, 2020 06:22AM) (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments I am still not done choosing all of the books, but the mess of possibilities has become tidy enough for me to post them above.

I am happy to say that I've managed to use multiple recommendations in this BINGO list. Since I have found other fitting categories for The Woman in White and The Screaming Staircase, which were recommended to me by Vero, I chose The Quest for Christa T. for my participant's pick (thanks, Aubrey).
Other than that, I have also been able to include two books which J_Blueflower recommended to me a few months ago: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! and Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. Thank you, J_Blueflower for those, as well.

The books I am the least excited about are the Memoirs of a Geisha (B1: classic of Asia) and The Gaucho Martín Fierro (O2: classic western). The latter was suggested by Antonomasia here. However, I'm thankful to the suggestion, the idea of reading a classic Western is far less appealing.

However, except for those two, I'm quite excited about my list this year and hope I will manage to find all of them to read them :-D

Edit:
I just noticed that The Screaming Staircase was published in 2003 and thus doesn't count as a classic. Therefore I could not use it for I5 Classic Gothic or Horror :-(
However, The Devil's Elixirs, one of the two books I considered for B3, fits into that category and took The Screaming Staircase's place.
Please let me know if you find other books which don't fit into their category!


message 9: by Lynn, New School Classics (last edited Jan 03, 2020 04:59PM) (new)

Lynn (lynnsreads) | 4757 comments Mod
Last year you enjoyed a book by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. After looking at your shelf I noticed you have not read Slaughterhouse-Five probably one of his best know works. It involves aliens and was influenced by Vonnegut's personal experiences in WW2. Vonnegut was actually on the ground when Dresden was bombed. A book I read by him last year The Sirens of Titan is also good. For a bizarre look at evolution there is a book called Welcome to the Monkey House.


message 10: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Lynn wrote: "Last year you enjoyed a book by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.. After looking at your shelf I noticed you have not read Slaughterhouse-Five probably one of his best know works. It i..."

Thanks Lynn! I did enjoy Mother Night a lot last year, which is why I wanted to read something else by him. I was happy to find Slaughterhouse-Five on the group's new school shelf, so I could fit it into N5. If Mother Night is any indication, those will not be the only books I read by him. Welcome to the Monkey House sounds very intriguing and has just been added to my tbr list, The Sirens of Titan, too.

I feel like for every book I read, I add three new ones to my tbr list. My personal rule is that I try to keep my to-read shelf as low as possible (and shorter) compared to my read shelf. The last few weeks putting the BINGO challenge together have worked towards the opposite! 😄
But I'm always grateful for personalized recommendations!!!
Thank you!


message 11: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Just finished my first book of the challenge: A Doll's House. What a powerful play! A worthy first square on the board.


message 12: by Katy, Quarterly Long Reads (new)

Katy (kathy_h) | 9396 comments Mod
Petrichor wrote: "Just finished my first book of the challenge: A Doll's House. What a powerful play! A worthy first square on the board."

So glad that your first read was a great one, Petrichor! And it is nice to see you doing the challenge again this year.


message 13: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Thank you, Katy!

As Laurie pointed out in another BINGO thread, it IS addictive to do these challenges :-D


message 14: by Veronique (new)

Veronique | 1154 comments Petrichor wrote: "Just finished my first book of the challenge: A Doll's House. What a powerful play! A worthy first square on the board."

That’s a great one to start with. Happy you enjoyed it .


message 15: by Lotte (new)

Lotte | 189 comments Off to a good start. Good to read you liked A Doll's House :).


message 16: by Philina (new)

Philina | 1085 comments Hallo ;-) !
Wenn wir jetzt von Büchern auf Deutsch sprechen:
Ich finde Ferdinand von Schirach super. Für die diesjährige Western- und Abenteuerkategorie habe ich mich für Winnetou von Karl May entschieden. Das habe ich ewig nicht mehr gelesen. Heidi haben wir mal mit der Gruppe gelesen. Im Westen nichts Neues ist ein toller Klassiker, den wir ebenfalls mal hier in der Gruppe besprochen haben. Das Parfum: Die Geschichte eines Mörders und Der Vorleser fallen mir noch ein und aufgrund des aktuellen Kinoanlasses Als Hitler das rosa Kaninchen stahl: mit Materialien. Eine süße kleine Geschichte ist Der wiedergefundene Freund. Die Physiker lese ich jetzt im Bingo als Theaterstück.


message 17: by Kathleen (new)

Kathleen | 5176 comments A wonderful list, Petrichor. I especially loved The Dispossessed and the Pablo Neruda poetry.

In case you're still looking for recommendations, I see Macbeth is on your TBR. I haven't read a lot of Shakespeare, but I really enjoyed that one.

I think you'll be having some fun with this challenge!


message 18: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Veronique wrote: "Right, I think you may like The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It is a long book but it reads seriously fast and is so compelling. That and the audio is really good - the one with Ian Holm."

I finished the book yesterday! You are right! It is a compelling story and Ian Holm is one of the best narrators I've heard so far. Thank you so much for the recommendation!


message 19: by Petrichor (last edited Apr 22, 2020 01:21AM) (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Philina wrote: "Hallo ;-) !
Wenn wir jetzt von Büchern auf Deutsch sprechen:
Ich finde Ferdinand von Schirach super. Für die diesjährige Western- und Abenteuerkategorie habe ich mich für Winnetou ..."


Hi Philina!
Danke fuer deine Empfehlungen, aber es waere nett gewesen, wenn du zuerst geschaut haettest, was ich schon gelesen habe und was ich so mag. Im Westen nichts Neues ist ein absolut grossartiges Buch, da gebe ich dir recht, aber ich hab es schon gelesen. Genauso Das Parfum. Die Geschichte eines Mörders, Der Vorleser und Die Physiker. Karl May interessiert mich nicht wirklich, deshalb hab ich mir fuer die Western Kategorie schon was anderes gesucht.
Ferdinand von Schirach, Als Hitler das rosa Kaninchen stahl und Der wiedergefundene Freund sagen mir nichts. Warum wuerdest du die mir empfehlen?

en translation (I don't want to exclude anybody):
(view spoiler)


message 20: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Kathleen wrote: "A wonderful list, Petrichor. I especially loved The Dispossessed and the Pablo Neruda poetry."

Thank you!
I'm sad to say I didn't like The Dispossessed too much. Maybe there's something I just didn't get, but it felt like the story dragged on waaaay too long. Some of the ideas in the book made me think, but somehow - for me - that couldn't make up for it.

Kathleen wrote: "In case you're still looking for recommendations, I see Macbeth is on your TBR. I haven't read a lot of Shakespeare, but I really enjoyed that one."
I had it planned for exactly that spot on the BINGO sheet before shifting books around and ending up with Dr. Faustus. But I will read this book. Soon. At some point. Maybe next year. I hope.


message 21: by Veronique (new)

Veronique | 1154 comments Petrichor wrote: "I finished the book yesterday! You are right! It is a compelling story and Ian Holm is one of the best narrators I've heard so far. Thank you so much for the recommendation!..."

I’m ever so pleased you enjoyed it! :O) I’m tempted to lose myself in a big book too but right now I seem to gravitate towards re-reads (Austen) and cosy murder mysteries for comfort. Mind you I did read another really good title for here, which I need to update.

Great progress with your challenge too!


message 22: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Veronique wrote: "I’m ever so pleased you enjoyed it!"

I really really did!
All the other recommendations you gave me just moved up a notch on the to-read list!

Have fun with your own (re-)reads!


message 23: by Veronique (new)

Veronique | 1154 comments :0)
Thanks, you too


message 24: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Finally updated after a while.
It's not on purpose, but it looks as if I was trying to do as many books as possible WITHOUT getting a BINGO 😄


message 25: by Bob, Short Story Classics (new)

Bob | 4512 comments Mod
Sometimes bingo is elusive, checking off squares and nothing. The good thing is that after a while, every square checked is a bingo.


message 26: by Katy, Quarterly Long Reads (new)

Katy (kathy_h) | 9396 comments Mod
Petrichor wrote: "Finally updated after a while.
It's not on purpose, but it looks as if I was trying to do as many books as possible WITHOUT getting a BINGO 😄"


Well, congratulations on that event!


message 27: by Pamela (new)

Pamela (bibliohound) | 321 comments Petrichor wrote: "Finally updated after a while.
It's not on purpose, but it looks as if I was trying to do as many books as possible WITHOUT getting a BINGO 😄"


Ha ha, I had that issue too! Eventually the bingos start coming along :)


message 28: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Thank you everybody 😄
This feels a little bit like celebrating my un-birthday!


message 29: by J_BlueFlower (new)

J_BlueFlower (j_from_denmark) | 2072 comments Sorry for being so slow. Are you done with "I2: Group Bingo Participant Pick"?

I recommend:
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
Farthest North
English translation Farthest North:
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/autho...
More Feynman! "What Do You Care What Other People Think?": Further Adventures of a Curious Character or The Pleasure of Finding Things Out: The Best Short Works of Richard P. Feynman (has a bit of overlap with "Surely You're Joking")
From the 1001-books list: Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture: A Novel of Mathematical Obsession


message 30: by J_BlueFlower (new)

J_BlueFlower (j_from_denmark) | 2072 comments Petrichor wrote: "Finally updated after a while.
It's not on purpose, but it looks as if I was trying to do as many books as possible WITHOUT getting a BINGO 😄"


I know the feeling. I have read 41 books this year and completely blank on
O1: Classic of Africa, Antarctica, Australia, or Oceania
O2: Classic Western
O3: Book Published the Year You Were Born

On I2: Group Bingo Participant Pick
I have read Ice by Anna Kavan, that was recommended to me but not in my personal tread, so I don't know if it really counts.


message 31: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments J_BlueFlower wrote: "Sorry for being so slow. Are you done with "I2: Group Bingo Participant Pick"?
Not yet, but I already chose a book. I'm just having trouble finding it.

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I recommend: Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality
I included this book due to your recommendation earlier, even though I'm not using it for I2. I wanted to thank you for that recommendation already!! I'm 75% through and absolutely love it! It's a page turner and I learned a lot already. The story is quite unpredictable and the characters are interesting! A great book, though probably not to everyone's taste, I can imagine.

J_BlueFlower wrote: ... completely blank on
O1: Classic of Africa, Antarctica, Australia, or Oceania
O2: Classic Western
O3: Book Published the Year You Were Born

I know the feeling. The Western Category is really tough for me. A bit too narrow in my opinion. I know that I don't like those, already. I get the idea of expanding my horizon, which I definitely do due to this challenge, but I don't like having to read something I don't enjoy.

J_BlueFlower wrote: "I have read Ice by Anna Kavan, that was recommended to me but not in my personal tread, so I don't know if it really counts."
If you want, I can come over and recommend it to you! XD
But that would be cheating. I don't even know this book.
I'd say if someone recommended it to you, it counts.


message 32: by J_BlueFlower (new)

J_BlueFlower (j_from_denmark) | 2072 comments Meanwhile I have seen that someone recommended me East of Eden. I forgot that. I am actually reading it now, so I just have to move it so I2


message 33: by J_BlueFlower (new)

J_BlueFlower (j_from_denmark) | 2072 comments Here is another recommendation for you: Copenhagen by Michael Frayn. A play about Werner Heisenberg visiting Niels Bohr in Copenhagen in 1941. It is very impressive how far into quantum mechanics he gets without it being hard to follow. Won the Tony Award (what ever that is…), so it is a very bingo friendly read.

BBC has made a radio edition of the play: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p...
You can find the play for download here: https://archive.org/details/bbcradio3...
Benedict Cumberbatch plays Heisenberg.

I am still debating with myself if if it is 4 or 5 stars.


message 34: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments J_BlueFlower wrote: "Here is another recommendation for you: Copenhagen by Michael Frayn. A play about Werner Heisenberg visiting Niels Bohr in Copenhagen in 1941. It is very impressive how..."

Nice! That sounds very much to my taste! Thank you!


message 35: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments A short, belated update:

This year I'm missing two books for a blackout.
I partly blame the irregularities in my life during the past year, but who knows whether I would have finished them during a "normal" year.
I started reading both of them.
The Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair I postponed after reading three due to a lack of interest, the other book, The Quest for Christa T., managed to drag me in, I'm halfway through. However, I also had to put it aside when I couldn't bare reading a depressing part during a difficult personal time.

I still plan to finish both of them, we'll see :-)


message 36: by Lynn, New School Classics (new)

Lynn (lynnsreads) | 4757 comments Mod
Petrichor wrote: "A short, belated update:

This year I'm missing two books for a blackout.
I partly blame the irregularities in my life during the past year, but who knows whether I would have finished them during ..."


You read many good books and had many straight line or diagonal Bingos, so I say it was a success! I understand carrying books over into 2021, and did the same myself. Sorry for the stressful time in 2020 and I hope your 2021 is happier. I think so many of us did not read what we thought we might during the 2019 planning.


message 37: by Petrichor (new)

Petrichor | 196 comments Very true, thanks, Lynn :-)
Good luck with your 2021 challenge!


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