Thursday, December 18, 2008

Victorian Reading Challenge

I found a new challenge, The Victorian Challenge. This will go PERFECTLY with my own two challenges--18th and 19th Century Women Writers Reading Challenge, and the Centuries Challenge. It will also work well with the Themed Reading Challenge where my 'theme' is books with names in the title.

Victorian Challenge 2009
Challenge Blog; Sign Up Here.
January 1, 2009 - June 30, 2009
books required: participant chooses between 3-6 books

My goal is to take 'a tour of the British Museum' which would require me to read FIVE books. But I'm secretly hoping to go all the way to Buckingham Palace--6 books. But I don't want to jinx myself. Here is a site that gives a listing of authors.

Becky's Pool of Books

Elizabeth Gaskell: North & South; Mary Barton; Ruth; Sylvia's Lovers;
George Eliot: Adam Bede; Daniel Deronda; Romola; Felix Holt; Mill on the Floss; Middlemarch;
Anthony Tollope: Ayala's Angel; Rachel Ray; The Way We Live Now; The Claverings; The Vicar of Bullhampton

Alternate pool (books I don't own but are on wishlist):
The Daisy Chain by Charlotte Mary Yonge
Hester by Margaret Oliphant
Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant

What gets read:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.


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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good luck! Have you read any of these before? Trollope is one of my favourite authors - of the books you don't own I've read "Miss Marjoribanks" and really enjoyed it - it's fun (Lucilla, the heroine, gets wallpaper to match her complection... :) )

Anonymous said...

Sorry, I forgot to add my initial above. L :)

Becky said...

I'm so glad to know that you love Trollope, that gives me a boost of confidence that I'll love him too.

The only books I've read before are Middlemarch and Mill on the Floss. I read those in 2001 for a class on women authors. But it's been a while.

I'm thinking that the next Amazon order will include Miss Marjoribanks. But it will probably have to wait until after Christmas.

Anonymous said...

One thing about Trollope that I think I ought to mention, then, is that the first two-three chapters are nearly all introduction - to the characters, their places in society, their relationahip toward one another. It's all important, though - he just seems to like to get it all out of the way; in fact he even said so in one novel, yes, he could start right away with the story, but then he'd just have to go back and describe it later. But I think you'll like him. :) L.

bookwormans said...

I HIGHLY recommend North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell. Though her writing is not quite as sophisticated as other authors of the era, it is still very powerful. With many similarities to the works of Austen, Dickens and the Bronte's, it is a great read for any Victorian Lit lover.

Kim said...

My thoughts exactly--this new challenge fits in so well with your women writers challenge which I have already joined! Great picks on your list--
*smiles*
Kim

Annette said...

"Sylvia's Lovers" is a hard read, one of the few books I've never been able to finish, it is because of the dialect of the characters, I get bogged down every time.