Hi, Shannon! I recently discovered your channel and I’m really enjoying your videos! I am also a Gen X book lover living in MA (former English major - I read a lot). I can’t believe that I’d never heard of this MA reading project until discovering your channel, but now I have, so thank you! It sounds like a lot of fun and I might give it a try this year. From your list, I’ve read Flowers in the Attic (also back in the 80s, as a teenager), Bad Feminist ( I have almost no recollection of my impressions- I might have DNF’d it, although I admire Roxane Gay), and Clockwork Orange (required college read - very difficult to get through, but am glad I read it. I believe it was for a class on literature to film - the movie is even tougher to get through. Now that I have a teenage son, I’m not sure I could re-read or re-watch this 😒.) I love Nancy Mitford, but don’t think I’ve read this particular book. I also have plans to read my first Anya Seton this year, Dragonwyck, being a huge historical fiction and classics fan, especially books written during or about the 19th century-I’m eager to hear how your Seton selection goes! Good luck with your reading project and thanks for posting about it! ☺️
Yassss! Shout out to GenX! I'm go glad to be helping folks find new things. It was seriously by accident that I found this reading challenge last year. It sounds like we have similar reading tastes and I so look forward to hearing about your reading adventures through the year. I also have Dragonwyck on my shelves but I have no idea when I'll get to it.
Thank you for doing different videos with different book suggestions than what we see all the time!!! I also read Flowers in the Attic when I was very young too. I don't know why it was very popular then (it was way after 1979!) and I think it is making a comeback again nowadays....It was soooo disturbing!...Also, good luck with A Clockwork Orange! I tried reading it but dnf'd it because it was too difficult to read with the weird vocabulary and it just didn't pull me in. Oh well, can't love 'en all!
I remember reading “Flowers in the Attic” and getting a giant ICK! That was probably the first time I learned that what was popular wasn’t necessarily good. I made it through “A Clockwork Orange” a long time ago and am glad I did but definitely won’t be doing it again. Thank you for offering books that aren’t on every other book review channel! I’m now going through Jane Austen again and just finished “The Darcy Myth” thanks to your suggestions. Annnnddd…I now know that Maine has a Center for the Book!
@JudyGraves-ws7yl I'm so excited to hear what you think about The Darcy Myth! I haven't started it yet but I can't wait to read it. I think it's so great that most states have a "center for the book" affiliate. I came across the Massachusetts one only by accident!
I'm in MA too! I started the challenge last year, but got hopelessly derailed. This year, I'm going to try my best! This is what I have so far. A little nervious that I haven't figured out February yet! 1.) The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes 2.) 3.) The Sum of Us by Rachel McGee 4.) either The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz or The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk 5.) 6.) The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters 7.) 8.) How Does that Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague 9.) This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone 10.) Nantucket Neighbors by Pamela Kelley (Published by Piping Plover Press, which I'm pretty sure is owned by the author in Plymouth, MA. I could be wrong.) 11.) I have a bunch of cozy mysteries that take place in restaurants on my TBR. Probably Mia P. Manasala's Tita Rosie's series, whatever one I'm up to by November. 12.)
@ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged I just found another book to add for October (and you're the only one I know who might care, so I'm sharing)! It's a poetry collection called Chamber After Chamber by Saara Myrene Raappana published by UMass Press. It came out last year two days after the author died of cancer.
Those are cool prompts. I wonder if there is a Texas Center for the Book and if they have a different challenge.
Texas definitely has an affiliate! It's located here: www.tsl.texas.gov/centerforthebook but I don't know if they are doing a challenge.
Hi, Shannon! I recently discovered your channel and I’m really enjoying your videos! I am also a Gen X book lover living in MA (former English major - I read a lot). I can’t believe that I’d never heard of this MA reading project until discovering your channel, but now I have, so thank you! It sounds like a lot of fun and I might give it a try this year. From your list, I’ve read Flowers in the Attic (also back in the 80s, as a teenager), Bad Feminist ( I have almost no recollection of my impressions- I might have DNF’d it, although I admire Roxane Gay), and Clockwork Orange (required college read - very difficult to get through, but am glad I read it. I believe it was for a class on literature to film - the movie is even tougher to get through. Now that I have a teenage son, I’m not sure I could re-read or re-watch this 😒.) I love Nancy Mitford, but don’t think I’ve read this particular book. I also have plans to read my first Anya Seton this year, Dragonwyck, being a huge historical fiction and classics fan, especially books written during or about the 19th century-I’m eager to hear how your Seton selection goes! Good luck with your reading project and thanks for posting about it! ☺️
Yassss! Shout out to GenX! I'm go glad to be helping folks find new things. It was seriously by accident that I found this reading challenge last year. It sounds like we have similar reading tastes and I so look forward to hearing about your reading adventures through the year. I also have Dragonwyck on my shelves but I have no idea when I'll get to it.
Thank you for doing different videos with different book suggestions than what we see all the time!!! I also read Flowers in the Attic when I was very young too. I don't know why it was very popular then (it was way after 1979!) and I think it is making a comeback again nowadays....It was soooo disturbing!...Also, good luck with A Clockwork Orange! I tried reading it but dnf'd it because it was too difficult to read with the weird vocabulary and it just didn't pull me in. Oh well, can't love 'en all!
I remember reading “Flowers in the Attic” and getting a giant ICK! That was probably the first time I learned that what was popular wasn’t necessarily good. I made it through “A Clockwork Orange” a long time ago and am glad I did but definitely won’t be doing it again. Thank you for offering books that aren’t on every other book review channel! I’m now going through Jane Austen again and just finished “The Darcy Myth” thanks to your suggestions. Annnnddd…I now know that Maine has a Center for the Book!
@darkpumpkinspice Flowers in the Attic and A Clockwork Orange are definitely going to be interesting but I'm up for the challenge!
@JudyGraves-ws7yl I'm so excited to hear what you think about The Darcy Myth! I haven't started it yet but I can't wait to read it. I think it's so great that most states have a "center for the book" affiliate. I came across the Massachusetts one only by accident!
I'm in MA too! I started the challenge last year, but got hopelessly derailed. This year, I'm going to try my best!
This is what I have so far. A little nervious that I haven't figured out February yet!
1.) The Man With a Load of Mischief by Martha Grimes
2.)
3.) The Sum of Us by Rachel McGee
4.) either The Sequel by Jean Hanff Korelitz or The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections by Eva Jurczyk
5.)
6.) The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters
7.)
8.) How Does that Make You Feel, Magda Eklund? by Anna Montague
9.) This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar, Max Gladstone
10.) Nantucket Neighbors by Pamela Kelley (Published by Piping Plover Press, which I'm pretty sure is owned by the author in Plymouth, MA. I could be wrong.)
11.) I have a bunch of cozy mysteries that take place in restaurants on my TBR. Probably Mia P. Manasala's Tita Rosie's series, whatever one I'm up to by November.
12.)
@@tarasalvi6873 ooohhh that’s a fantastic list! I have The Berry Pickers on my shelves too but no idea when I’ll get to it.
@ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged I just found another book to add for October (and you're the only one I know who might care, so I'm sharing)! It's a poetry collection called Chamber After Chamber by Saara Myrene Raappana published by UMass Press. It came out last year two days after the author died of cancer.
For a book spanning generations, I would recommend "China Court" by Rumer Godden. Really engaging - and not as chunky.
@@renastone9355 Thanks for the suggestion as I’ve been meaning to read a Rumer Godden!
Born in '79, she says, sounding a bit embarrassed. Made me do my quick math and figure out that I was 24 in '79-. :(
@@renastone9355 I’m only joking, I’m definitely not embarrassed about my age, I’m quite proud of it!
Nice selection!
Thanks so much!