These book lists, they're killing me!

I didn't think I wanted to do any reading lists this year. I wanted a no-pressure, read what I want, do what I want year of reading. I wanted to tear off the shackles of my, uhm, I don't know. I picked the books on my list last year so I'm not sure what I wanted but I was pretty sure it would invovle a lack of book challenges. But then, well, they started popping up. And now, I've completely changed course and am reading for 3 different challenges.

Well, you know what they say about a woman's perogative. So what are the three?

#1 - Karen's Back to the Classics Challenge.

I think this is my 4th year. It's such a good one! Just enough limits that I'm challenged but enough flexibility that I'm not normally stuck reading something I don't want to. It pushes without being pushy. I am not picking all my books in advance this time, for any of the catagories, just a few to start with and I'll go from there. I'm sure some of the books I select for other catagories will work here too. And I'm going to be okay if I only get 6 or 9 catagories done. Enough with the overachieving.

Here are the Categories for that and my selections if I've picked on.  

1. 19th Century Classic.

2. 20th Century Classic. 

3. Classic by a Woman Author.

4. Classic in Translation. Silence (Spoiler, I just finished this! In a little under a week! Review coming soon.)

5. Classic by a Person of Color. 

6. A Genre Classic. Probably one of the many mysteries I'll read this year. Although I could probably be convinced to try a different genre if you have one you'd highly recommend. 

7. Classic with a Person's Name in the Title.  Emma? I think it needs a re-read before/after the movie comes out. 

8. Classic with a Place in the Title. Death on the Nile. 

9. Classic with Nature in the Title. How the Heather Looks - This is an AO Year 7 selection I didn't get to, because I was limiting myself to books I owned or could get from the library, but I'm going to buy in this time because I really really want to read this before the big move. I'm pretty sure I'll love it. 

10. Classic About a Family. This classic should have multiple members of the same family as principal characters, either from the same generation or multiple different generations.  Updated: Family members in the title are also acceptable.Examples include Sense and Sensibility; Wives and Daughters; The Brothers Karamazov; Fathers and Sons; The Good Earth; Howards End; and The Makioka Sisters.

11. Abandoned Classic. Choose a classic that you started and just never got around to finishing, whether you didn't like it at or just didn't get around to it. Now is the time to give it another try.

12. Classic Adaptation. Would Sanditon count I wonder? It's unfinished and fairly short but I've never read it and I'm watching the PBS version (Parts of which I like a lot - parts of which I DO NOT). If not maybe I'll put Emma here and do a different Person's name book. 

#2 - The Literary Life's 20 for 2020 Challenge

This one is also really flexible too but a few catagories will stretch me.

I'm tentatively planning to read The Odyssey so that will definitely count for intimidating (Oh, I just realized it would count for #11 with the B2CC too! If I don't abandon it again.) I just finished On Reading Well so that's my Book about Books, Northanger Abbey was my satire, An Emily Dickinson Poetry book and Lucy and I are reading Hamlet together so that will be my Shakespeare. I'm halfway through Trent's Last Case for my detective novel. I'd also like to do some Chekcov short stories for the short story one. Any ideas for Essays? Please don't say Wendell Barry, I have read and liked some of his essays but other times I just feel bogged down so the idea of a whole book of him is too much. Why don't I like him the way I should? I feel it's burden I must bare alone because Everyone Loves Wendell! Except me. And I have no idea for a Ancient Play. I've done Oeidpus Rex and once was enough but that's honestly the only one I can name!

#3 Schole Sisters 5x5 Challenge

This one is interesting because it's only 5 catagories but you pick them and read 5 things in each. 

My Catagories are

Poetry 

1) Emily Dickinson

2) The Odyssey

3)

4)

5)

History

1) Undaunted Courage

2) Churchill's History of English Speaking People #3 (I'm over half way through this 4 book series. I can't stop now!)

3) 

4)

5)

Novels - An Easy catagory of me but also important as I don't want all my must read for my reading list books to crowd out what I enjoy reading for its own sake. 

1) Something by Elizabeth Goudge

2) Heaven Tree Trilogy

3)

4)

5)

British Related - I need help here. What else would work well in this catagory? Could be fiction or non-fiction just things that give me inspiration when I'm overwhelmed with the moving process - or when I'm feeling homesick post-move. 

1) How the Heather Looks

2) The Wild Places

3)

4)

5)

Teaching Inspiration - some of these will probably be repeats but I need to revist them as my kid's are getting older and hitting new stages. 

1) The Living Page 

2) Mind to Mind

3) 

4)

5)

Whew, typing this all out has me half exhausted and half inspired. I think I could solve both those "problems" by curling up on the couch with a good book for a while. Better get to it before nap time ends.