Update for Classics Club 50 – Round TWO

When I committed to my first Classics Club 50 at the start of 2015, I made a list of fifty books that seemed interesting to me; either titles were ones I needed extra motivation to read, or I thought maybe I was missing out, and/or a few were just a whim or an idea that the author or the book was impressively classic and I wanted to find out why.

I gave myself permission to substitute books and thus, I finished that Five Year Challenge having read 50+ books that were over 25 years old.

However, there were 13 of that original list I missed.

Four years now into my second commitment to read another 50 Classics and wanting to give myself an update post for motivation and preparation for the next twelve months, I am curious how many “classics” I have read so far. ___________________________________________________________________________

Question 1: Did I read many of my next set of 50 listed on 1/1/2020? 
Question 2: Did I manage to tackle any of the non-read titles from my original 50?

   ANSWERs: 

Welp, I didn’t keep a record of any second set of 50 – in fact, I’m not sure I even made a definitive list and/or didn’t keep it static. I think I only made a goodreads tag listing 25-yo books and added to it as time went by.

Q: BUT CARE! Did you read any of those 13?!

A: YES! I read THREE: Cry the Beloved Country, The Three Muskateers, and They Were Sisters by Dorothy Whipple. (Which was by far my favorite of those.) WHICH leaves the following ten to be considered as options for my next 12 months.

But wait! How many classics did I read in the last 4 years? Perhaps I’ve completed the challenge and didn’t even realize it. YES again. I read 46!! I now only have to read 4 more books published 25 years ago or longer and I’ll have completed Round TWO of the Classics Club 50.

Considering that I’ve committed to two Irving books for various challenges: Cider House Rules to satisfy a book with a neurodiversity #ReadICT, and Hotel New Hampshire, also for #ReadICT, I’m not sure which two off the chart above I want to read… The shortest ones? The ones not written by a white man? The ones I own? (A Confederacy of Dunces or Jude the Obscure)

I’ll let you know in December.

___________________________________________________________________________

Hoosier Pie for January 1st

Happy New Year!

Copyright © 2007-2024. Care’s Books and Pie also known as and originally created as Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

2024 #ReadICT Challenge

My town’s library runs an annual challenge called “READ ICT”. My town is Wichita Kansas and ICT is our airport code. A post on our group’s Facebook page went viral and now we have LOTS of people who don’t live anywhere near Kansas joining in and I think it is wonderful. And fascinating! And a bit amusing. So many book lovers; the more the merrier!

If you really want to know more, visit the official library page with all the details here.

If you want to see what I will be reading to satisfy this challenge, read on:

• Category 1: a book with a map – River of the Gods by Candice Millard
• Category 2: a book you meant to read last year – Wellness by Nathan Hill
• Category 3: a book about something lost or found – Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones
• Category 4: a collection of stories, poems, or essays… – Inciting Joy by Ross Gay
• Category 5: a book by or about someone neurodivergent – Cider House Rules by John Irving
• Category 6: a book set in space – <<<< taking recommendations >>>> but I’m thinking the latest Murderbot
• Category 7: a book someone told you not to read – Florida by Lauren Groff
• Category 8: a book with season in the title – Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
• Category 9: a book featuring an animal sidekick – <<<< taking recommendations >>>> (but will be looking for a children’s book)
• Category 10: a book with a recipe
• Category 11: a book published in the year you turned 16 – Hotel New Hampshire, another one by John Irving
• Category 12: a book by an indigenous author – Mean Spirit by Linda Hogan

Follow my GoodReads tracking here.

So if you know any good books that also include recipes, recommend – especially if a PIE recipe! I am not worried about this category, I can always read through a cookbook.

AND, if anyone wants to read anything WITH me for a buddy read or buddies-read, let me know.

Oh dear, I just realized that I didn’t even glance at the ToB books for this year to see if any qualify. Other than Wellness, I mean. Well, HUH. Maybe one of those has an animal sidekick?

One more share, I have already baked a pie this year: presenting Sugar Cream Pie aka Hoosier Pie

Happy New Reading Challenge Year! Eat some pie.

Copyright © 2007-2024. Care’s Books and Pie also known as and originally created as Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Nonfiction November, Week FIVE 2023

Link to the host for this month’s celebration of reading nonfiction:

Challenge: Read NONFICTION in the month of NOVEMBER #NonfictionNovember #NonFicNov2023 #NonFicNov

Week FIVE: What books I’ve added to my NonFiction shelf. [on gr]

I didn’t add as many as I thought I did! So that means I get the pleasure of going through everyone’s post with a more dedicated eye to putting titles on my tbr. Thanks Everyone!

I did clip the latest additions to my tbr (I thought I had added a few from Rebekah’s Palestine list? I will!) and a few are from this month’s #NonFicNov activity: (an obvious pic of how my interests are all over the place.)

I am interested in learning more about the Gaza strip to understand more what is happening there. I appreciate the books that explore the charged American topics such as Gun Control and Right vs Left. After having read The Many Lives of Mama Love by Lara Love Hardin, I am eager to read the book that she wrote with Anthony Ray Hinton about his being innocent and in prison for 30+ years, The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life and Freedom on Death Row.

And I can’t forget to share that I’m reading Ross Gay’s first of the Delightful series and have the next 2 ready to go:

PLUS! ***newsflash*** Apparently one of the TOB Long List books is narrative NonFiction! So I will hopefully be reading this soon. (I’m loving all the TOB books so far...)

And it is a translated book. Plus Plus

The NonFiction book I’m currently enjoying is Dinners with Ruth by Nina Totenberg, all about her friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Lots of good history in this, and feminine power. The TOB book I’ve got going FEELS like nonfiction, but they are calling it a novel. DO check out Dayswork by Jennifer Habel and her husband Chris Bachelder – about literary history, marriage, and all sorts of odd/fun flotsam and jetsam. Lots of goodness about Melville and Hawthorne; I’m 30% in.

Click on this link to travel to the Official blog for this fifth week’s festivities -> Hopewell’s Public Library of Life: New to My TBR

Happy Holidays!

Copyright © 2007-2024. Care’s Books and Pie also known as and originally created as Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Nonfiction November, Week THREE 2023

Link to the host for this month’s celebration of reading nonfiction:

Challenge: Read NONFICTION in the month of NOVEMBER #NonfictionNovember #NonFicNov2023 #NonFicNov

Week THREE: Book Pairings

I have two pairings to suggest: the first, I read both – kind of by accident! and the second, is a pairing recently brought to my attention that looks quite intriguing. Come to think of it, both of these suggestions could bring in the film to make a triptych – or nevermind. ANY book pairing probably has a documentary telling more, do you think?

The FIRST Book Pairing:

The classic All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque was my choice to satisfy the What’s in a Name Challenge 2023 category of a Title with Q or X or Z. But I had accidently requested the Modern Critical Interpretations book from the library instead. Which I read it anyway, of course. I also fell down a rabbit hole reading about Remarque – interesting guy.

The Interpretations was a collection of history and literary scholars discussing why the book was important, its major themes, its reception by the world, etc. VERY good stuff. A few were dry, some quite fascinating.

My review of the Nonfiction Interpretations.

My review of the Fiction Classic:

The Second Book Pairing:

When I heard that Scorsese was making a film of David Grann’s The Killers of the Flower Moon, I figured it was time to finally read this book club darling. It seems like many people I know had read it. What struck me the most and shouldn’t be a surprise, especially in light of so much hate, terror and war on our globe right now, but still! Mankind has a scary appetite for greed and violence.

AND THEN, someone posted a comment on Facebook about an author and one of her books, Linda Hogan: “a Native American poet, storyteller, academic, playwright, novelist, environmentalist and writer of short stories.” (Copied and pasted from the goodreads page) and how sad it is that Grann has all the attention/fame/fortune this story of these crimes against the Osage AND that he likely read this book: (Which, according to the recommendation I saw, is better written.)

Now, I haven’t read this yet; I do think more people should know of her work and give it a try, maybe a terrific way to celebrate during Native American Heritage Month (November). I’m ordering my own copy — and will be stopping by our Mid-America Indian Center to check if they have it on their giftstore book shelf.

Image links to BookShop.org

What has been YOUR favorite FICTION read this year so far that has inspired you to look for a NONFICTION book for further study? Do you enjoy book pairings? I do.

.

Click on this image to find the Official blog for this third week’s festivities:

Copyright © 2007-2024. Care’s Books and Pie also known as and originally created as Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Nonfiction November, Week ONE & TWO 2023

Link to (what I hope is) the host for this month’s celebration of reading nonfiction!

Challenge: Read NONFICTION in the month of NOVEMBER #NonfictionNovember #NonFicNov2023 #NonFicNov

Week ONE: What NONFICTION have you read so far this year?

Type/Source: Doesn’t matter where you get it or in what format you enjoy

I’ve read 18-19 so far, depending on whether or not you count the 1-2 hour Audible Musician “Words + Music” nuggets as “books” which goodreads only does sometimes.

This image is missing the Pete Townsend and the Alice Cooper. I have a thing for musicians, I guess. Also, I have no good time record of when I listened to some of those, so . . . In other words: “whatever”.

Interesting mix, doncha think? I do love nonfiction.

Which brings us to the prompt for Week 2:

Week Two: Choosing Nonfiction?

I have no idea what motivates me to pick up what when. Most can be attributed to spur of the moment and availability. The Dern and Ladd book was super quick: I saw them being interviewed on the Today Show and was already planning on visiting a bookstore that day so I bought it. The Many Lives of Mama Love? I have no idea how that hit my radar but I had requested the eBook from Libby and when it was ready to borrow, I read it. SO GOOD. The Roz Chast Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant? was a gift from the Library kicking off the “Wichita (KS) Reads” program to spark community discussion and resource exploration on death care. VERY GOOD. Killers of Flower Moon because the movie… Walking With Sam was for an author event.

What has been YOUR favorite NONFICTION read this year so far? Mine is this one:

Because I just finished it and I can’t pick a favorite. Recency Bias for the win!

Maggie O’Farrell is a HOT author right now, coming off the success of Hamnet and her latest doing quite well, too. Someone recommended this and it was available. Had just finished an eBook so was ready for another.

In this memoir from 2017, she discusses all the near-misses and brushes with death she has experienced in her life and ends with a chapter on how parenthood challenges skew all of that perspective considerably. Fascinating and written SO WELL; I just might have to add her to my authors-to-read-EVERYTHING-written list. (IS there a good way to title this list? I never know quite how to phrase it…)

Copyright © 2007-2024. Care’s Books and Pie also known as and originally created as Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Poetry 2023 Edition 1

Poetry Goal 2023:  to read a poem* every day.

So. I haven’t yet given you any posts on the poetry collections that I’ve been enjoying this year.

Moving on…

Can I just get away with posting the above image? My blogging skills are rusty. This list is presented most recent at top.

My favorites happen to both be created by Kansan poets, which I think is really cool. I am sad to say that when I researched Diane Wahto, I discovered she recently passed away. Her legacy reached beyond artistic endeavors – she was a passionate advocate for womens rights and human rights. Jamie Lynn Heller is the other.

I dedicate the following share to Jeanne who recently visited Niagara Falls:

At The Edge

On the observation deck, the Niagara’s roar

drowns out voices, thought, all that is rational.

Fist tight around the rail, you know your position

is precarious, sense the ease of a weightless fall

into that mist. So much depends on an upright

stance—the husband who stands beside you,

children who are waiting at home, a cat

who must be fed every day. No free fall

for those who are tied to the flesh of those

who occupy the house still waiting, the key

still fitting into the lock of the solid front door.

I’m taking a bit of a break from poetry for the remainder of the year and am instead, leaning into essays; particularly and specifically, the work of Ross Gay, himself a noted poet but I am delighting in his Book of Delights. His second book of delights is on my shelf but I think I can plan it that I can start that one on January 1, 2024 when I finish his first. (He has an additional title Inciting Joy, which I also own.)

---

I often find that my blogging habit is often on my mind with guilt when I fail to post, so jumping back in, even with something short, can spur me back to a more regular posting. Cheers to you all and may you find pie in your reading, pie as dessert after a fabulous meal, and pie with coffee with a friend or while you are reading some spectacular book. Or poetry collection.

.

Code Pie above is my first attempt to bake with Pie Geometry by @LokoKitchen

*Or more. I’m not tracking, I’m just reading. I’m not limiting this experience to one poem a day – that is only the minimum.

Copyright © 2007-2024. Care’s Books and Pie also known as and originally created as Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

100 Things to Do in Wichita Before You Die

Thoughts by Vanessa Whiteside, Reedy Press 2022, 144 pages

Challenge: What’s in a Name: You or Me category

Genre/Theme: Nonfiction, Travel

Type/Source: Tradeback / (I don’t remember if I got this at the Indie bookstore? probably)

What It’s About: I grew up in Wichita and am back after alllllll those years after college; most of that time enjoying the East Coast. Now I need to re-acquaint myself with my new old home town.

The bad news first: the pie shop is already gone. Or moved farther away and became more of a general dessert shop. I am sad. I did manage to visit before they embarked on that change (and I visited after but wasn’t impressed by their offerings.)

Good news is that Husband and I have visited quite a few of the other food delights and tourist attractions and other sundry odd & ends of places with a few more yet to do. So I’m glad I purchased this book to have it handy for guests and overall angst of “WE NEED TO GET OUT MORE” feelings that I often have when succumbing to hiding at home reading a book. (Not that there is anything wrong with that… ahem.)

Wichita, KS named 4th best US city for summer travel!

Wallet Hub 2023

Thoughts: To be honest, I bought this and read it cover to cover to count for the What’s in a Name Challenge category of YOU in the title! Yay me! LOL

Rating: Five slices of pie because WHY NOT? Everyone should read books about their home town.

Copyright © 2007-2024. Care’s Books and Pie also known as and originally created as Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

Fun Stuff – Quick Share

Hello Friends! Where ya been? oh, sorry… it is ME that’s gone missing?

oops. YEP

OK, so I thought it best to get back in the swing of things but just sharing a few fun quick tidbits. Nothing fancy, nothing deep. Here we go:

Besides stating that my reading has been feast or famine, I’ll just go with the lil things that bring me joy. Here are two situations that are related because they are both LETTER_WRITING related. Actually, it is not wrong to state that whenever I can’t think what to do with myself, I sit with my blank paper and stamps and zip off a quick letter to someone.

First, I have to tell you about my pen pal Nancy. It’s quite possible you know Nancy – she has been in my life for awhile. In fact, we’ve meet in person twice. But that first time was a d o o z y! I zipped off to Charleston SC because she asked for someone to share a vacation spot with her on a trip. I’ve already forgotten how long ago but it was instant friendship-goodness and we had a great time. Then she came up to Boston with me on a trip because she wanted to introduce me to her favorite author – Simon!

We have plans to get together yet again this year, probably October or November. I’ve never been to Mississippi! I’m going to her house this time.

OK, all that but that is not what is exciting me today. All that is background.

Today, I received confirmation that an IDEA I had was successful. I discovered that a town in Oklahoma received my order for stamps AND forwarded on a letter I posted to Nancy. I wanted Nancy to have a letter with a cancellation from that town. THAT part I actually don’t know if was successful – hoping the town had a cool cancellation!! Will have to wait till Nancy weighs in.

I got a nice note with my package. I sent a lovely review.

Nancy? Care to weigh in your view of this?

The second cool fun quick tidbit of sharing is . . . .

I also received a letter today from Stef. Stef of A Stone in the River. I have to say, this woman is brilliant. She inspires me. She loves life, she loves sharing of thoughts-ideas-knowledge that make the world a better place. She often tells of how the world can be better and she shares how she is actively working to make our world incredibly better. Our world IS better because she is in it. I am better because of her influence and touch on my place and how I live in my place. Bless her.

Anyhoo. She has a sense of humor! of course she does!!!! (she puts up with me and the challenges therein LOL)

Here’s what we are up to this 2023. Actually, we may have started this last year, but I am so off track on our simple yet amusing correspondence idea that I really have no real sense what is going on anymore. But wow does it give me laughs and thus joy.

Today’s letter was chock full of goodness. WOW

I pitched the idea of an alphabetic reply-response. Easy, right? One sends a letter with “A” in mind and the reply is one with “B” in mind. Free form, no rules. Just hilarity. (ahem, “H” word)

Because NOW!?!??! somehow, we are off the rhythm. And it is all on me! I can’t even remember what I did first that messed it up, but I just got her “H” letter. And I swear, just sent her the “I” letter. Doesn’t I come after H? do I now reset and get back on track with a “J” letter? or re-send another “I”? HOW DID THIS HAPPEN!?

She didn’t call me out on my mistake so now I have to wonder if the “I” letter even arrived? or, perhaps, she saved it until after she sent the “H” letter.

ANYWAY-AGAIN – – the “H” letter was HILARIOUS! HEAVENLY! So HOPPING Happy Heartwarming and Heroic,

I actually don’t know what to do.

JOY.

Well, huh. JOY is a word that starts with the letter “J”!

.

.

.

Nevermind.

Classics Club Spin March 2023 #ccspin #MyCCSPINList

Time for another Spin! #33 – Number reveal 3.19 – Read by 4/30/2023

UPDATE!  The number 18 was selected so I will be reading Gaines’ A Gathering of Old Men.

Click the image above to go to the announcement post.

Will update later with the selected spin number which will identify the book I need to read…

My Spin List:

1	Villette
2	Twelve Years a Slave – Solomon Northrup
3	Confederacy of Dunces – JKToole
4	the Counterfeiters
5	Eileen Chang’s Love in a Fallen City
6	A Few Green Leaves – B. Pym
7	Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep – PK Dick
8	Under the Greenwood Tree – Hardy
9	The Big Sleep – Raymond Chandler
10	At the Mountains of Madness – Lovecraft
11	Pale Fire – Nabokov
12	The Once and Future King – TH White #OaFKingalong on Litsy
13	Revolutionary Road – Richard Yates
14	The Good Soldier – Ford M Ford
15	Death Comes for the Archbishop – W.Cather
16	Rabbit, Run – Updike
17	All Passion Spent – Vita Sackville West
18	A Gathering of Old Men – Ernest Gaines
19	The King Must Die – Mary Renault
20	The Way We Live Now – Trollope

Here’s hoping 12 hits – GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

Copyright © 2007-2023. Care’s Online Book Club aka Care’s Books and Pie. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care from Care’s Online Book Club aka BkClubCare.  It should not be reproduced without express written permission.

⧫ November ⧫ 2022 ⧫ Recap

HA! WP just prompted me to share 5 things I’m good at…

1. Maintaining a passion for writing letters
2. Being a pie ambassador
3. Loving on the dogs
4. Keeping up with this blog, even if inconsistently
5. Picking myself back up when I fall

 Monthly Recap Time! November

• 5 books; 91 for the year
• 1317 pages, 21.75 hours | 25775 total pages, 217.8 hours for the year so far

I continue to have a flailing ability to focus on reading. I have managed to do more audiobooking due to being in a car more than ever, commuting to the J-O-B. It’s been cold and the old dog has been off & on with wanting to walk so that has diminished, AND!!!

EXCITING NEWS! We got another dog! Who is *not* leash-trained so managing an audiobook/walk is a future goal with this boy:

His name is Copper. He is a 3 yo Wirehaired Pointing Griffon. Esther is not amused…

I started an abandonning of more books lately, or acquired-and-not-even-started!! library books lately, … you may not even be able to call me a “reader”. Oh well, I still managed 5 titles, short as one might be. I finished the Bookclub pick (Into the Abyss) and did OK on adding in some Nonfiction, so I am reasonably satisfied with the results.

Into the Abyss, which I convinced club to read because it was #NonfictionNovember (yay me!) also gave me a pie mention which was delightful to encounter.

…, so he asked me if I would make pies out of them.

~80% in when sharing about Paul peeling a bunch of apples.

Write For Your Life was my favorite. It would be a good gift if you have a letter-writer/reader in your life.

and finally, we come to December. I know blogging has been hit or miss with me but I do love to track my books. The TOB Long List has been out a few weeks now and the Short List should be any day; I hope I get more excited but I do not think I will be as obsessed with the Tournament as much in 2023, what a new family member to work with and distract from sitting around and, well. SITTING. He is high energy!

What was YOUR favorite book of November? Especially NONFICTION so I can add to my list for next year.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Jolly Jolabokaflod!!!

Copyright © 2007-2022. Care’s Books and Pie also known as and originally created as Care’s Online Book Club. All rights reserved. This post was originally posted by Care. It should not be reproduced without express written permission.