Friday, December 15, 2017

2018 Reading Challenge: Dread & Read Challenge

2018 Dread and Read Challenge
Host: Hotchpot Cafe (sign up) Be sure to link to all book reviews.
Dates: January - December 2018
# of books: I'm aiming for 4


1. Arabian Nights, Anonymous (800)
I'm not "dreading" this one so much as the length of it intimidates me.
2. The Tempest by William Shakespeare (1610)
It's not the length this time, but the language. I've read and reread the same eight or so Shakespeare plays but tackling new ones isn't something I do often.
3. Clarissa. Samuel Richardson. 1748.
The length. Definitely the length.
4. Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo (1831)
I love and adore Les Miserables, so why am I so hesitant to read this one? I don't know. I just am.
5. Old Curiosity Shop. Charles Dickens. 1840-41.
This isn't a Dickens I'm looking forward to because I've heard things about Little Nell.
6.  Shirley by Charlotte Bronte (1849)
I love Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I've never read her other works. Am I afraid they'll disappoint? Maybe.
7. Villette by Charlotte Bronte (1853)
Same as above.
8. Sylvia's Lovers. Elizabeth Gaskell. 1863.
I think I'm "dreading" reading this one because it's the last of Gaskell's novels that I haven't read. And I'm putting off reading "the last one."
9. Romola. George Eliot. 1863.
I want to like George Eliot. But I don't always. I own all of her books, and it feels wrong to have them just sitting around taunting me.
10. Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoyevsky. 1866. FINISHED!!!!!
Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Translated by David McDuff. 1866/2002. 671 pages. [Source: Library] 
I read Dostoyevsky for the first time last year. I want to read more. Part of me doesn't know where to start or what to read next.
11. The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy (1921)
I have owned this one since college days.
12. Raintree County by Ross Lockridge Jr. (1948)
I know nothing about this one except it's long--very long. So I'm not sure it's fair to say I'm dreading it. I'm not. I just want incentive to get it read this year. 


Treats I Like:
  • Tea. Since my diet is restricted so much because of food sensitivities and allergies, I really cherish my tea time. Tea is almost always gluten-free, dairy free, and egg-free. (I'm also allergic to cashews. But so far, that's the only nut that seems to cause a reaction.)
  • Book-marks. Doesn't really need an explanation, does it? I think I still have every bookmark I've ever received as a gift or bought for myself. 
  • Post-it Notes. Pens. Pads. Almost goes without saying. I love post-it-notes because I use them to tag pages in books I want to quote in a review. Pens and Paper because I still make lists the old-fashioned way. 
  

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

1 comment:

J.G. said...

I see many good options here! I like the way you've listed many more than your goal of reading 4. That way you're not so locked in. Sometimes I think that's why I don't do better with some challenges; my rebellious side comes out . . . or maybe it's my procrastinator's side.

Anyway, welcome and thanks for joining!