It wouldn’t be the New Year without a few reading challenges doing the rounds, and I am embarking upon three!
The nine novels of The Forsyte Saga Chronicles is the first, Liz, Karen and I and possibly one or two others are doing this – there isn’t a hard and fast timetable, broadly one volume of three novels every four months. I have talked about this read-a-long before, and can now report that having finished the first novel and the interlude which comes after it – I am hooked. My first Forsyte review will be up in a day in a day or two.
The second challenge is another Librarything Virago group read, the Virago group have had some superb year-long challenges in the past – and this is another! The Seven Ages of Women; books concerned with; childhood, coming of age, independence, marriage and relationships, motherhood, self-discovery and old age of women. I have created a new page on this blog, mainly for my own use, but you can find the wonderful list of books that have been chosenhere. The books on the list are mainly Virago or Persephone editions – unsurprisingly we are a Virago readers group, and there are some simply fantastic titles on the list.
The final challenge is one I am in great need of; #TBR20 was started by Eva Stalker over on Twitter. Basically you pledge to read twenty books from your tbr before buying another book. I have no intention of just reading the twenty books in my pile and nothing else – so I am hoping that by the time I have got to the bottom of my #TBR20 pile – I will have made a much bigger hole in my enormous tbr. Many of the books in my pile are ones I want to read soon, but generally I gathered a fairly random pile together without thinking too much about it. Another great thing about #TBR20 is you can join at any time, it doesn’t have to be January the 1st. Some people are already a few books into their piles, while I am reading my first, because I didn’t add the Forsyte Saga to the pile.
All the best 🙂
Thank you.
Love the Seven Ages of Woman challenge! The list could be my TBR right there (except for the ones I’ve read already).
Yes it’s a great list of books.
The TBR challenge is a great idea – did you pick the biggest books off the pile? That’s what I would have done! Of course, I have no hope with my birthday coming up and a friend coming to shop in the local charity shops, but one can always try …
I’m enjoying the Forsyte challenge and am going to find it hard to stop at one book and an interlude this year … but then I have my Reading Trollope For The First Time challenge to do, too …
I chose pretty randomly with a few books I knew I wanted to read soon.
Liz mentioned the Galsworthy challenge and I started listening to Man of Property yesterday. Totally hooked. There are 42 hours of recording so not sure how long it will take to listen to. 4 hours down and 38 to go! Looking forward to your review, Ali.
Glad you’re hooked too 🙂
All the best Ali…I admire your TBR20 challenge and really look forward to The Seven Stages of Women event…I will be picking some of my 2015 reads from there!!
Great! Hope you enjoy whatever you choose.
I love the idea of The Seven Ages of Women. What a list!
It’s great isn’t it 🙂
I have to look closer into the Seven Ages of Women; that sounds really interesting. While I probably won’t have the time to join, it’s something that would be good to do in the future. I’m also doing the #TBR20 challenge. I have one down, 19 to go… 🙂
I do love the #TBR20 challenge, enjoying reading all the Twitter chat.
A great set of challenges, I can’t wait to follow you in them! Not sure I’ll be doing any challenges this year, I should be doing the TBR one as I keep adding to it!!
I think we’re all guilty of that.
Wishing you all the best with your challenges, Ali. I’ve also adopted the #TBR20 idea, but I’m picking my books as I go depending on where the mood takes me at the time. There’s a tentative pile on my shelf although books keep moving in and out!
Yes I do that a bit too 🙂
That looks like a great reading plan. I have in mind the seven ages, more Trollope, and maybe Galsworthy, with the TBR dare to make sure I read from my own shelves.
🙂 there are a lot of good challenges around at the moment.
[…] Superb selection from Ali, particularly a lot of 20th century women. Plenty I haven’t heard of here and will need to check out. And she has included the wonderful Alice Munro. Ali has written about #TBR20 on her blog. […]
Don’t those Virago’s look beautiful when they are laid next to each other?? i so wish I had kept the few I bought when I was a student, I would have had a good start to a collection now.
Those covers are lovely, and so much better than the modern Virago covers.
I love the idea of the Forsythe Saga readalong. I’m just not sure I can fit it in.
I read the trilogy years ago (after the wonderful BBC series starring Rupert Graves – I’ve had a bit of a thing for him every since A Room with a View!)
Since then I realised that the saga continued on when I found an old copy of Swan Song in a secondhand bookshop.
Good luck.
Thank you. Though we would love to have you join us and there really isn’t a timetable for it. My first Forsyte review will be up tomorrow 🙂
Enjoying the Forsytes so far!
Excellent 🙂
Great challenges! I love the Forsytes so much that I got out my copies. The Virago looks good, too. I had no idea Virago had published Nadine Gordimer. She is one of my favorites.
I have yet to read Nadine Gordimer The Seven Ages of Women will be a perfect excuse to get started.
[…] along too, as is Liz and a number of other bloggers – Ali’s introductory post is here and her first review is here. In any case, I have started January off with the first book in John […]
I am, very belatedly, catching up on everyone’s posts on challenges and goals. I love the seven ages reading theme as a goal, it’s so expansive while still giving shape to your reading. Good luck with all your goals and that very tall TBR pile!
Thank you. Currently reading my first book for The Seven Ages of Women challenge, An Episode of Sparrows by Rumer Godden.
Juuuust a little late to the game – I’m doing the Forsyte challenge! On In Chancery now. Even though I’ve seen the mini series and read these first books before, I can’t put it down.
Oh good glad to have another Forsyte reader in our midst. They are so good aren’t they?
[…] Forsyte Saga Chronicles with Ali of HeavenAli and others, because why challenge yourself to read just one Victorian novel when you can read nine […]