Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

My local Library turns 100 in 2014.
To celebrate they have issued a reading challenge to all Library patrons to read 1 book from each decade from 1914 through 2014.
I thought it would be a fun challenge to share with everyone here.
I've accepted the challenge, will you ?
End date is August 24, 2014.

1914 - 1919 - Dracula's Guest - Bram Stoker (1914)
1920 - 1929 - Siddhartha - Hermann Hesse (1922)
1930 - 1939 - Arctic Wings - L. Ron Hubbard (1938)
1940 - 1949 - Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl - Anne Frank (1947) Audio book read by Julie Harris
1950 - 1959 - Lord of the Flies - William Golding (1954)
1960 - 1969 - Strange Women of the Occult - Warren Smith (1968)
1970 - 1979 - Lupe - Gene Thompson (1977)
1980 - 1989 - Anne Frank Remembered - Miep Gies (1987)
1990 - 1999 - Zombie - Joyce Carol Oates (1995)
2000 - 2009 - The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic - Darby Penney (2008)
2010 - 2014 - Dead Ever After - Charlaine Harris (2013)

Since they've given you a year to do this, I *might* be able to get this challenge done. :) We'll see... I'm thinking that the earlier decades may be tougher than the newer ones.

1910 - 1919 -
1920 - 1929 -
1930 - 1939 -
1940 - 1949 - I Capture the Castle (1948)
1950 - 1959 - Story of O (1954)
1960 - 1969 -
1970 - 1979 -
1980 - 1989 - Majestic (1989)
1990 - 1999 - Cat & Mouse (1997)
2000 - 2009 - The School of Essential Ingredients (2009)
2010 - 2014 - Hounded (2011)

Seems like a nice challenge, though my reading has seized up recently. But I'll give it a try.


1914 - 1919
1920 - 1929
1930 - 1939
1940 - 1949
1950 - 1959
1960 - 1969
1970 - 1979
1980 - 1989
1990 - 1999 The Trip to Jerusalem, by Edward Marston. 1990
2000 - 2009
2010 - 2014 Toby's room by Pat Barker 2013

Sounds like fun. I've added dates at the end, since the book I'm currently reading was published in 2011.

1914 - 1919 - My Antonia - Willa Cather (1918)
1920 - 1929 - All Quiet on the Western Front - Erich Maria Remarque (1929)
1930 - 1939 - The Good Earth - Pearl S. Buck (1931)
1940 - 1949 - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter - Carson McCullers (1940)
1950 - 1959 - Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov (1955)
1960 - 1969 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey (1962)
1970 - 1979 - The Water is Wide - Pat Conroy (1972)
1980 - 1989 - Bill Bailey's Daughter - Catherine Cookson (1988)
1990 - 1999 - Sunday's Children - Ingmar Bergman (1990)
2000 - 2009 - Eggs - Jerry Spinelli (2007)
2010 - present - The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern (2011)

1914 - 1919 - Penrod
1920 - 1929 - Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story
1930 - 1939 - A Traveller In Time
1940 - 1949 - My Brother Mike
1950 - 1959 - Emily of Deep Valley
1960 - 1969 - The Great Brain
1970 - 1979 - Are All the Giants Dead?
1980 - 1989 - The Catalogue of the Universe
1990 - 1999 - Old Friends
2000 - 2009 - Worried Sick: A Prescription for Health in an Overtreated America
2010 - 2014 - A Summer of Sundays

Thanks for the fun. I just finished the Dr/Scientist's analysis of the American health care system last night. Highly recommended.

Oops, I messed up the dates. They are now corrected.
And, sure it's fine to use a book that you read last week. Since this started in August and lasts until next August please feel free to list any books read in August or September. I just didn't think about posting the challenge on here until this week. :(

Okay, I will take up the challenge.


1914-1919
1920-1929
1930-1939
1940-1949 The Three-Two Pitch--Wilfred McCormick 1948
1950-1959 The Old Man and the Sea--Ernest Hemingway 1952
1960-1969
1970-1979
1980-1989 Speak for the Dead--Margaret Yorke 1988
1990-1999 The Poisonwood Bible--Barbara Kingsolver 1998
2000-2009 Heaven Sent--Christina Jones 2007
2010-2014 Murder As A Fine Art--David Morrell 2013

This looks like a fun challenge so I thought I'd give it a try.
1914 - 1919
1920 - 1929
1930 - 1939
1940 - 1949
1950 - 1959 The Old Man and the Sea - Ernest Hemingway
1960 - 1969 The Keys to Hell - Jack Higgins
1970 - 1979 84 Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff
1980 - 1989 A Month in the Country - J L Carr
1990 - 1999 Ice Station - Matt Reilly
2000 - 2009 A Feast for Crows - George R R Martin
2010 - 2014 The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Neil Gaiman

If I remember, I'll keep track and see how it goes.

1914 - 1919 - The Bear by James Oliver Curwood (1916) - /review/show...
1920 - 1929 - PLANNED: The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (1920)
1930 - 1939 - At Swim-Two-Birds - Flann O'Brien
1940 - 1949 - READING NOW: Bridge On the Drina by Ivo Andric
1950 - 1959 - The Adventures of Augie March - Saul Bellow
1960 - 1969 - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Ken Kesey (1962)- /review/show...
1970 - 1979 - The Princess Bride - William Goldman
1980 - 1989 - The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat - Oliver Sacks
1990 - 1999 - White Oleander - Janet Fitch (1999)
2000 - 2009 - The Inheritance of Loss - Kiran Desai (2006)
2010 - 2014 - The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake - Aimee Bender

This sounds like a lot of fun. Guess I'll get started. I assume I can count audio books?

It was interesting looking thru the books for each decade to see I've already hit most decades. Now I'm really looking forward to doing the challenge!

1910 - 1919 - Pygmalion - Bernard Shaw
1920 - 1929 -
1930 - 1939 -
1940 - 1949 -
1950 - 1959 - Lolita - Vladmir Nabokov
1960 - 1969 - A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
1970 - 1979 - Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card
1980 - 1989 -
1990 - 1999 -
2000 - 2009 -
2010 - 2014 - Jim Henson The Biography - Brian Jones

I must be out of my mind to sign up for this, considering how far behind I am in other challenges I've taken on. But count me in. I'm counting children's books, since I read to my daughter more than I read for myself. :P

1910 - 1919 -
1920 - 1929 -
1930 - 1939 -
1940 - 1949 - Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey (1948)
1950 - 1959 -
1960 - 1969 - Go, Dog. Go! by P.D. Eastman (1961)
1970 - 1979 - What Was That! by Geda Bradley Mathews (1975)
1980 - 1989 -
1990 - 1999 - Arthur's Family Vacation by Marc Brown (1993)
2000 - 2009 - Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely (2008)
2010 - 2014 - Fairytale Interrupted: What JFK Jr. Taught Me About Life, Love, and Loss by RoseMarie Terenzio (2011)

I'm in as well :-)

2011 - 2014 - A Summer of Sundays

Though it's contemporary, this MG family story has a retro feel, and should appeal to fans of The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy

I am going to join this challenge - count me in too!

I'm having a go at this!


1914 � 1919:
(1918) My Antonia � Willa Cather [21/04/14]

1920 � 1929:
(1920) The Age of Innocence � Edith Wharton [22/03/14]

1930 � 1939:
(1939) The Enchanted Wood � Enid Blyton [26/12/13]
(1936) Gone with the Wind � Margaret Mitchell [31/01/14]

1940 � 1949:
(1943) The Magic Faraway Tree � Enid Blyton [26/12/13]
(1944) Anna and the King of Siam � Margaret Landon [15/02/14]

1950 � 1959:
(1951) Spartacus � Howard Fast [18/02/14]
(1952) The Bridge over the River Kwai � Pierre Boulle [04/04/14]

1960 � 1969:
(1962) One Few Over the Cuckoo’s Nest � Ken Kesey [03/02/14]
(1968) True Grit � Charles Portis [27/03/14]

1970 � 1979:
(1973) Carrie’s War � Nina Bawden [27/12/13]
(1979) If on a Winter’s Night a Traveller � Italo Calvino [24/02/14]

1980 � 1989:
(1983) The Woman in Black � Susan Hill [22/01/14]
(1989) Crazy Heart � Thomas Cobb [10/04/14]
(1987) Moon Tiger � Penelope Lively [16/04/14]

1990 � 1999:
(1993) Birdsong � Sebastian Faulks [03/10/13]
(1998) The Bomber � Liza Marklund [07/11/13]
(1991) The Matisse Stories � A.S. Byatt [21/11/13]
(1991) The Last Station � Jay Parini [03/12/13]
(1990) Death Comes to Pemberley � P.D. James [31/12/13]
(1999) The Wild Things � Dave Eggers [02/01/14]
(1997) The Way I Found Her � Rose Tremain [06/01/14]
(1993) Girl, Interrupted � Susanna Kaysen [04/02/14]
(1994) Prozac Nation � Elizabeth Wurtzel [11/02/14]
(1999) π: Screenplay & The Guerilla Diaries � Darren Aronofsky [16/03/14]

2000 � 2009:
(2004) Long Way Down � Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman [17/10/13]
(2001) The Secret Life of Bees � Sue Monk Kidd [21/10/13]
(2008) The Luminous Life of Lily Aphrodite � Beatrice Colin [26/10/13]
(2004) How I Live Now � Meg Rosoff [12/11/13]
(2005) Giotto’s Hand � Iain Pears [18/11/13]
(2002) Prime Time � Liza Marklund [16/12/13]
(2006) The Bullet Trick � Louise Welsh [23/12/13]
(2006) The Dead Fathers Club � Matt Haig [13/01/14]
(2007) The Road Home � Rose Tremain [16/01/14]
(2006) The Ladies of Grace Adieu and Other Stories � Susannna Clarke [19/01/14]
(2007) The Raw Shark Texts � Steven Hall [13/02/14]
(2004) Darkly Dreaming Dexter � Jeff Lindsay [22/02/14]
(2004) Dearly Devoted Dexter � Jeff Lindsay [24/02/14]
(2005) Arthur & George � Julian Barnes [17/03/14]

2010 � 2014:
(2010) The Postcard Killers � James Patterson & Liza Marklund [20/11/13]
(2010) Naming the Bones � Louise Welsh [10/12/13]
(2012) The Silver Dark Sea � Susan Fletcher [05/03/14]
(2012) Tigers in Red Weather � Liza Klaussmann [01/04/14]

I found a 'lost classic' in a thrift store. By the author of the children's award-winning story Blue Willow, Doris Gates, the book My Brother Mike is an orphan adventure for boys, complete with worms, puppies, a bully, a tramp, and riding a boxcar to Los Angeles. 1948.

Added several more. Seems like older children's books are easier for me to find. A notable exception is Laughing Boy: A Navajo Love Story, 1929. It's relatively short, but intense. Reads like YA or maybe NA, though of course those designations weren't yet created back then.

Challenge complete^

Congrats, da-wildchildz, on completing the challenge. Yikes! I'm falling behind!

WooHoo da-wildchildz !!! Congratulations !!!

Seems like a nice challenge

1910 - 1919 -
1920 - 1929 -
1930 - 1939 -
1940 - 1949 -
1950 - 1959 -
1960 - 1969 -
1970 - 1979 -
1980 - 1989 -
1990 - 1999 -
2000 - 2009 -
2010 - 2014 -

I almost forgot about this - I'll have to look at the 'My Books' feature to see if I can fill in the last few decades. Congratulations, da-wildchildz!

I own, from 1939, A Traveller In Time and so I've put it on my nightstand.

I don't own anything from the teens... I've ordered from ILL Old Mother West Wind (1917) and The Magic City (1910) - I hope to get one of them, or else maybe I can use Project Gutenberg to find an ooc for my e-reader.

For the teens, I borrowed My Antonia (kindle edition) from the public library & really enjoyed it. I'm trying to read as many classics as possible - killing two birds with one stone, I guess. Presently reading The Good Earth for the '30s. Looking for suggestions for the '40s and '80s.

Doing well, but just had to remove 'Ethan Frome' which was published in 1911. Just too early!

Finished A Traveller In Time for the 30s. Can't quite recommend it.

Lots of good children's books were written in the 40s. Check out a list of Newbery titles and you'll find some classics you may not have read yet, but should have... ;)

Mission accomplished! Just finished last night. This was fun and I read a lot of books that I've been wanting to read for a long time. Thanks, Edwina, for the fun challenge :-)

Congratulations, K M!
I really should be finishing this soon, somehow, but that narrow initial 'decade' of 1914-1919 is not easy....

Ah, I just noticed, we only have about a month and a half to go for the deadline. I'm going to try Penrod - 1914.

Most impressed with da-wildchildz's list. Not just one for every decade, but many.

Thanks, Cheryl. Penrod looks like a fun read.

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Congratulations, K M!
I really should be finishing this soon, somehow, but that narrow initial 'decade' of 1914-1919 is not easy...."

Just wanted to give a *heads up* to everyone.
We only have 1 month left to go before this challenge ends.
How is everyone doing ?
Don't forget to update your post with your books read.
Hope you're having as much fun with this as I am.

Turns out that Penrod is racist & classist, more so than can be excused by the times, and not really all that funny, because Penrod is just a horribly feral boy, and it's his parents' basic neglect that makes him as wild at 12 as 'common' child of 7.

But at least I'm done with the challenge! :)

Too bad Penrod turned out to be a dud. But congrats on finishing the challenge, Cheryl.

thank you

I found a lovely book for the 1914 - 1919 slot. The Grizzly King (my edition was a movie tie-in called The Bear) was set in the mountains of British Colombia and tells the story of hunters pursuing a giant grizzly. The author was a hunter turned conservationist, so it doesn't turn out as badly as one might expect! /review/show...

That does look interesting. I think the challenge is over, or very nearly, though, isn't it?

Just a few more days. The deadline is August 24th. I'm going to do my best to finish before then.

I am going to throw in the towel. Since I have a week to read five decades worth of books, chances are I won't get it done. Early on, I thought I could manage this as I had a year to read all the decades, but kept getting ARCs I felt responsible for reading. On the one hand, I have discovered some new authors; on the other hand, I have blown off older ones that would have helped complete the challenge. Sorry Edwina. Congratulations to your library for 100 years! :)

Nancy wrote: "I am going to throw in the towel. Since I have a week to read five decades worth of books, chances are I won't get it done. Early on, I thought I could manage this as I had a year to read all the..."

I had to as well, Nancy - seems like I got too involved with other things including a half marathon, husband running for office, and daughter getting married. Just about half of the decades covered. Congrats to the library on a remarkable milestone!

Challenge complete.
I hope everyone enjoyed this and maybe even read some classics that they'd been meaning to read for a while but needed some motivation to get them going.
Any interest in doing this challenge again ?
I will be posting a new Decade Challenge that will run from September 1, 2014 through September 1, 2015.
Come join the fun!

Congrats Edwina, well done.

Yes, I'd like to do it again. The thing that surprised me this time was that it was so difficult to find books for the WWI and 1920s period which discussed the war period. There are plenty of social comedies, not necessarily set in that period, by Evelyn Waugh, Edith Wharton, etc. I would have expected more comment on the futility of war. There were war poets, but where's the literature?

Btw, I haven't quite completed the challenge, but I will, even though I'll miss the deadline. I've been really savouring The Bridge on the Drina otherwise I would have finished by now as I'd chosen the rather short The Age of Innocence as my final book.

Bookguide, have you read All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (1929)? It was quite good.

Wonderful challenge, Edwina. And, yes, it was a great opportunity to catch up on classics I'd always meant to read. I'm off to join your new challenge.

Good point about the dearth of WWI lit. Erich Maria Remarque's classic dominates, I guess.

I'm not sure whether I want to do it again or not. Maybe if we had more discussion? Anyone want to talk about what they're reading?

K M, yes I read All Quiet On the Western Front years ago and it made a big impression on me. Another good book about that era, though I'm not sure when it was published, is Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain. I know there's been a WWI challenge on Library Thing because one of my GR friends who is also a BCer has been adding reviews (Ali, who is HeavenAli on BC, I think). In any case, it's certainly interesting to read books when you take into account what was going on in history at the time.