BRITISH AUTHOR CHALLENGE IN 2016 - PLANNING THREAD

The British Author Challenge will be with us again in 2016 God and Jim willing!

This thread will log the selections per month.

January

SUSAN HILL



&

BARRY UNSWORTH

February

AGATHA CHRISTIE



&

WILLIAM DALRYMPLE

March

ALI SMITH



&

THOMAS HARDY

April

GEORGE ELIOT



&

HANIF KUREISHI

May

JANE GARDAM


&

ROBERT GODDARD

June

LADY ANTONIA FRASER



&

JOSEPH CONRAD

July

BERNICE RUBENS



&

H.G. WELLS

August

DIANA WYNNE JONES



&

IAN McEWAN

September

DORIS LESSING



&

LAURIE LEE

October

KATE ATKINSON



&

WILLIAM GOLDING

November

REBECCA WEST



&

LEN DEIGHTON

December: WEST YORKSHIRE WRITERS

Tentative Reads

January
Hill - In the Springtime of the Year
Unsworth - The Quality of Mercy

February
Christie - Murder on the Orient Express
Dalrymple - White Mughals

March
Smith - How to be Both
Hardy - The Hand of Ethelberta

April
Eliot - Middlemarch
Kureishi - Gabriel's Gift

May
Gardam - Old Filth
Goddard - Fault Line

June
Fraser - Mary Queen of Scots
Conrad - Nostromo

July
Rubens - The Elected Member
Wells - The Time Machine

August
Wynne Jones - Deep Secret
McEwan - Atonement

September
Lessing - Martha Quest
Lee - Selected Poems

October
Atkinson - Started Early, Took My Dog
Golding - Rites of Passage

I will read The Pure in Heart in January. That's all I know for sure at this point. :-)

I love that we're all planning for 2016!!

My tentative plan:

January: The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
Land of Marvels by Barry Unsworth

February: Murder at Hazelmoor by Agatha Christie
City of Djinns by William Dalrymple

March: Girl Meets Boy: The Myth of Iphis by Ali Smith
Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy

April: Impressions of Theophrastus Such by George Eliot
The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi

May: Old Filth by Jane Gardam
Closed Circle by Robert Goddard

June: Warrior Queens by Antonia Fraser
The Secret Sharer by Joseph Conrad

July: The Elected Member by Bernice Rubens
The Island of Dr. Moreau by H. G. Wells

August: Howl's Moving Castle and sequels by Diana Wynne Jones
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

September: The Grass is Singing or The Cleft by Doris Lessing
Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee

October: Human Croquet by Kate Atkinson
The Spire by William Golding

November: The Return of the Soldier by Rebecca West
The Ipcress File by Len Deighton

December: The Tennant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome

Wild Card: Burmese Days by George Orwell
The Peacock Spring by Rumer Godden

Barbara's tentative list

Januar
Susan Hill - The Risk Of Darkness
Barry Unsworth - Land Of Marvel

February
Agatha Christie - The Mysterious Affair at Styles
William Dalrymple - Nine Lives

March
Ali Smith - The First Person and Other Stories
Thomas Hardy - Far from the Madding Crowd

April
George Eliot - Middlemarch
Hanif Kureishi - Something to Tell You

May
Jane Gardam - Old Filth
Robert Goddard - Long Time Coming

June
Antonia Fraser - Marie Antoinette
Joseph Conrad - The Secret Agent

July
H. G. Wells - The War of the Worlds

August
Ian McEwan - Atonement

September
Doris Lessing - African Stories
Laurie Lee - Cider With Rosie

October
Kate Atkinson - One Good Turn
William Golding - Lord of the Flies

November
none

December
Barbara Bradford Taylor - Secrets from the Past
Peter Robinson - Gallows View

My tentative plan:

January
Susan Hill: The Various Haunts of Men
Barry Unsworth: Morality Play or Land of Marvels

February
Agatha Christie: Whatever is next in my chronological reread (currently in late 1940s)
William Dalrymple: Return of a King

March
Ali Smith: How to Be Both or Artful
Thomas Hardy: Far from the Madding Crowd

April
George Eliot: Middlemarch
George Orwell: Burmese Days

May
Jane Gardam: Old Filth
Robert Goddard: Beyond Recall or Into the Blue

June
Lady Antonia Fraser: Marie Antoinette or Mary, Queen of Scots
Joseph Conrad: The Secret Agent

July
Bernice Rubens: Favours (U.S. title for A Five Year Sentence)
H.G. Wells: The Invisible Man or The War of the Worlds

August
Diana Wynne Jones: Howl's Moving Castle
Ian McEwan: Atonement

September
Doris Lessing: African Laughter
Laurie Lee: Cider with Rosie

October
Kate Atkinson: Behind the Scenes at the Museum
William Golding: Lord of the Flies

November
Rebecca West: Survivors in Mexico
Len Deighton: Mexico Set

December:
Anne Bronte: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

I've chosen books for January and February, but I think I am going to hold off posting my choices here until all the choosing is done and I have a full 24 books to post.

How is 'mughal' pronounced? Every time I say it, it comes out as 'muggle' and I know that is not right.

>20 Fourpawz2: Sort of "moog-hal"

>21 PaulCranswick: - thanks Paul. Don't know why I couldn't figure that out myself. I so did not want to say ' muggle' in public for fear of great embarrassment. Of course I don't know when, exactly, I might find myself speaking of Mughals, but then you never know....

Thinking I'll read

Hill -The Various Haunts of Men The first Serailler novel (if I've worked it out right)
Unsworth - The Ruby in her Navel (maybe: my library appears to have his entire back catalogue, which is exciting)

February
Christie - Probably her autobiography if I can find a copy.
Dalrymple - White Mughals

leaving bread crumbs . . .

Not sure what I'll read yet, but I'm glad you included Agatha Christie. >23 charl08: I have her autobiography in my DNF pile. It was incredibly boring! Her mysteries are so much better!

>24 LoisB: Thanks for the heads up. I might keep one as back up in case.

Like Charlotte, I'll wait to post a complete list. That being said, I can't wait to read Sacred Hunger and have ordered City of Djinns and I'm the King of the Castle via Amazon today.

Not at all sure what I'd pick for January. I have several Susan Hill mysteries on my iPod, copied a couple of years back from library cds and yet I've never got to them. I've already read and enjoyed The woman in black and Howards End is on the Landing.
I've read a few by Barry Unsworth and still have Sacred Hunger to attempt, it is a chunkster though. I also have The song of the kings.

Will probably not try for a Christie and have Dalrymple's From the Holy Mountain: A Journey In The Shadow of Byzantium which looks interesting.

>23 charl08: >24 LoisB: I loved Agatha Christie's autobiography when I read it years ago. I had read a good portion of her works by the time I read the autobiography. Maybe that influenced my appreciation of it.

>27 avatiakh: Oh right, I've had Howards End is on the Landing for such a long time and forgot it was by Susan Hill of course!

My tentative plan is to read one author per month for the BAC-2016. I'm not even going to switch back and forth; I'm just going to read (at least) one book by (at least) one of the authors.

>30 EBT1002: Good for you Ellen - there is really no pressure to read them both!

>30 EBT1002: That's what I did thus year. I'll be trying for one per month again in 2016.

No challenges for me anymore, but will pop in with a word or 2 if my reading coincides

having said that love how the discussions has brought up lists of Authors that are on the " must read before I xxx " & life is short so you never know what next year will bring

>33 roundballnz: If reading coincides is reason enough, Alex!

I think I'll try to participate sporadically in next year's challenge, and the American and Canadian ones, focusing on the books I already own and want to read. So, I'll plan to read How to Be Both by Ali Smith, and The Black Album by Hanif Kureishi for now.

Thanks for all your posts and I am energised just looking at the plans taking shape for next year.

>35 kidzdoc: I think that your idea is a good one, Darrly and 60 books in the year to complete all three challenges is a task for sure. I am hoping to manage it myself but let's see.

So far my tentative selections would add 7 1001 Book first editions to my score and 2 Booker Winners.

>37 PaulCranswick: Nice.

>37 PaulCranswick: I love that when various challenges line up. It definitely speaks to the quality of the BAC for next year.

I didn't realize you were working on the 1001. Are you keeping count?

>39 streamsong: Thanks Janet. I have tried to make the selection process this year a little bit more inclusive (and theatrical) and I do believe that the results, not all my own picks, afford a reasonable balance for next year.

I am keeping count against the first edition of the 1001 Books. I have currently read a paltry 259 out of the original 1001.

For anyone looking at Dalrymple, From the Holy Mountain is amazing. And probably timely, given what's afoot in Syria. That book is single-handedly responsible for my planning no fewer than three separate trips to the region he traveled through...

Robert Goddard newbies can't go wrong with Into the Blue or Past Caring.

>41 Chatterbox: Thanks for that Suz - I do know that you and I have long been advocates of Goddard.

>40 PaulCranswick: Paul, You're actually read twice the 1001 that I have. I paddle along in the shallow end, reading a book or two a month. I do have to say that the BAC has helped me along that path.

>41 Chatterbox: Thank you. I'll see if I can find a copy of From the Holy Mountain to read. I'm definitely not up to speed on the Syrian problems.

>41 Chatterbox: Suz, I had been wanting to read for a long time, and recently ordered City of Djinns, but you are making me think I need to order From the Holy Mountain too. Then it'll be a question of which gets read that month, but I suspect the latter, due to its timeliness factor.

I really loved Past Caring, which I listened to last month, and got my library to order Goddard's latest book, The Ways of the World, which they got as an audibook this week. I'm simply thrilled.

>14 PaulCranswick: : Is your intention for us to choose our own West Yorkshire writers for December, or are you holding this spot until you're done teasing us and ready to reveal?

>45 countrylife: Cindy - I may be overly theatrical but I am not cruel! You can choose whatever you like for December from any published West Yorkshire author. xx

I'm putting together my plans for next year, and this is what I've slotted in for the BAC. Not sure I'll get to ALL my planned books, but I will certainly try!

January:
✔ I'm the King of the Castle by Susan Hill
♫ Sacred Hunger by Barry Unsworth

February:
♫ A Murder Is Announced Agatha Christie
✔ From The Holy Mountain William Dalrymple

March:
❉ How to Be Both by Ali Smith
♫ The Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy

April:
♫ The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot
❉ The Buddha of Suburbia Hanif Kureishi

May:
❉ The Man in the Wooden Hat by Jane Gardam
♫ The Ways of the World by Robert Goddard

June:
♫ Marie Antoinette: The Journey by Antonia Fraser
♫ Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

July:
✔ Mr Wakefield's Crusade Bernice Rubens
♫ The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells

August:
❉♫ Sweet Tooth Ian McEwan

September:
♫ The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
✔ As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning Laurie Lee

October:
✔ When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
♫ The Spire by William Golding

November:
✔ The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca Wes

December:
♫ The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

♫ = audiobook
✔ = off the shelf
❉ = library book

I'm going to give this another shot in 2016. It helps that I have nearly all of the year covered already!

Although I did not read all of the books that I set out to for this challenge, I am pleased to report that of my 15 favorite reads of 2015, 9 of them were from the BAC - including my number one read for the year, China Mieville's The City & the City. Never expected that when I signed on.

I have started reading Crete by Barry Unsworth. I've had it on my shelves for some time so now seems like a good time to get it off. I also have Ruby in Her Navel and might try to get it read as well.