Host: Becky's Book Reviews (sign up here)
Duration: January 2021 - December 2021
Goal: Read between 4 to 6 Books (4 minimum)
Choose to participate in the basic challenge (quarterly) or the advanced challenge (themed months). All books must fall into the "Victorian" category being either a) books originally published between 1837 and 1901 b) books originally written (but not published) between 1837 and 1901 c) general nonfiction about the Victorian era (the times, the culture, the people, the events) d) biographies of Victorians.
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I. Quarterly Victorian Challenge
Read ONE book between January 1, 2021 and March 31, 2021
Read ONE book between April 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021
Read ONE book between July 1, 2021 and September 30, 2021
Read ONE book between October 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021
II. There will be ELEVEN themed monthly posts. (And ONE Super-Bonus Theme that will cover all twelve months). You can sign up for this level of the challenge and not "have" to participate every month. The goal is to read at least four to six books throughout the whole year. It is also more important to finish your current book than start a new theme. So if a new month comes and you're still halfway through your book...finish your book...and don't worry about keeping up with that month's theme.
January/February The theme is ADAPTATIONS. Read any book that has been adapted into a movie, miniseries, or television show. OR read any book that you think SHOULD be adapted into a movie. If you choose that option you can even make a case for WHO should star in it.
February/March The theme is LOVE and MARRIAGE. Read any book where characters fall in love, or fall out of love, or court, or become engaged, or get married. It doesn't have to be an epic romance with a happily ever after. (Though it can!)
March/April The theme is JOURNEYS and TRAVELS. Read any book where a character goes on ANY journey. (For example, Pickwick Papers, Three Men in a Boat, Jane Eyre, Can You Forgive Her?, Great Expectations, Treasure Island, Alice in Wonderland, etc.) The journey does not have to be a grand adventure or luxurious vacation.
April/May The theme is SECOND CHANCES. Give an author a second chance. Give a book a second chance. Give a genre a second chance.
May/June The theme is FAVORITE AUTHORS, NEW-TO-ME Books. Choose a favorite author and read a book by him/her that you've never read before.
June/July The theme is NONFICTION. Read nonfiction books (autobiographies, biographies, etc.) published during the Victorian era OR nonfiction books about the Victorian era or specific Victorians.
July/August The theme is NAMES AS TITLES. Read any book where a proper name (a person, a place, etc) is the title of the book.
August/September The theme is BACK TO SCHOOL. Read (or reread) any book that you were
assigned to read in school or university. OR Read any book where a
character's education is emphasized (Great Expectations, Nicholas
Nickleby, Jane Eyre, etc.) OR Read any book that you think SHOULD be
required reading for high school or university. OR Read a Victorian children's classic.
September/October The theme is CRIME OR TRUE CRIME. Thrillers. Mysteries. Suspense. Horror. GOTHIC. This would be a great place to fit in general nonfiction about the Victorian era. Some great true crime books have been published.
October/November The theme is HOME AND FAMILY. Read any book with a focus on family life and relationships between family members. (The relationships do not have to be healthy.)
November/December The theme is COMFORT READS. Reread a book (of any length) that just makes you HAPPY.
January Through December: The super-bonus theme is BEARDED VICTORIANS. I've listed a few examples below.
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| Charles Dickens |
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| Anthony Trollope |
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| Wilkie Collins |
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| George MacDonald |
© 2020 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews




