2023 Reading Plan

 

2023 is around the corner, it's time to create a new reading plan (or sort of!). Same like with 2022's, I divide mine into three sections. I will also read some non-classics, and I'm thinking of creating special feature for this. Because I love my blog name and theme, but including non classic reviews into a classic-themed blog seems strange, and I don't feel like creating a second blog, so.. a feature will be a perfect compromise. Anyway, here's the three sections:

• By Month/Events - I love to read certain genre/author in certain month, but this year I'll limit myself to only several events.
• By Category 
• By Author - in line with my Author Challenge, and because certain authors need to be read every few years.

📚 BY MONTH/EVENTS 

JANUARY

I will dedicate this month for #CC Spin, because it seems to be a fun way to kick off the new year.
As you might have known, #CC Spin #32 has picked me:

1. The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy

APRIL

Ladies and gentlemen... I proudly announce that #Zoladdiction will turn 10 in 2023! I have been hosting this beloved event for ten years now, who would believe that? I don't 😋 I am still thinking what I should do to celebrate it, any idea? Your suggestions will be warmly welcomed! Maybe you'd like to co-host it with me, just for this special occasion? Don't be shy, just let me know! 😉 Official announcement will be published around March.

Anyway, I'm going to read my last unread book of The Rougon-Macquart cycle:

2. Doctor Pascal by Émile Zola - #Zoladdiction2023

MAY

As per my habit for the last three years, I'll be reading Willa Cather in May. I call it: #CatherInMay. You are welcomed to join me! It will be a silent event, though, just reading and reviewing together. More on this will be posted around April. My book for this event:

3. The Professor's House by Willa Cather - #CatherInMay

JUNE

Laurie @ Relevant Obscurity and I used to dedicate June for #JazzAgeJune, reading books correspond to the the Jazz Age. I haven't discussed this with Laurie, but in the meantime, here it is (more to follow after our discussion):

4. The Last Tycoon by F. Scott Fitzgerald

JULY

July is for any French-related books for #ParisInJuly:

5. Perestroika in Paris by Jane Smiley
6. Luncheon of the Boating Party by Susan Vreeland



OCTOBER

7. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

8. The Hound of Death by Agatha Christie 


DECEMBER

Christmas reads! Will read at least three books (and maybe a novella/short story or two?) for A Literary Christmas:

9. Mistletoe Murders and Other Stories by P.D. James
10.
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📚 BY CATEGORY

12. RE-READ: The Ladies Paradise by  Émile Zola  (tentative)
13. PLAY: The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams
14. CHILDREN: Where The Red Fern Grows? by Wilson Rawls 

15. INDONESIAN CLASSIC: Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk (The Dancer) by Ahmad Tohari
16. 18th CENTURY: Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
17. 19th CENTURY: Rural Hours by Susan Fenimore Cooper
18. 20th CENTURY: Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

19. NON ENGLISH: The Vicomte de Bragelonne by Alexandre Dumas

20. NON CLASSIC: Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer  (tentative)

21. NON FICTION: All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

📚 BY AUTHOR

22. EDITH WHARTON: Summer

23. DICKENS: Barnaby Rudge

24. AGATHA CHRISTIE:   - Sad Cypress 

25.                                        - Evil Under the Sun

26.                                        - N or M?

27.                                        - The Body in the Library

28.                                        - Five Little Pigs

 

                                                       📚 FREEBIES

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Back to the Classics 2022: WRAP UP

Despite of some personal struggles on second half of this year, I have managed to read ALL twelve categories of Back to the Classics 2022 hosted by Karen (Books and Chocolate). Here's the complete list (with some adjustments from the original one):

1. A 19th century classic:
Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth von Arnim

2. A 20th century classic
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier 

3. A classic by a woman author
A Lost Lady by Willa Cather

4. A classic in translation
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

5. A classic by BIPOC author
The Knight of Maison-Rouge by Alexandre Dumas

6. Mystery/Detective/Crime Classic
Appointment with Death by Agatha Christie

7. A Classic Short Story Collection
For a Night of Love by Emile Zola

8. Pre-1800 Classic
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu

9. A Nonfiction Classic
84, Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

10. Classic That's Been on Your TBR List the Longest
Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens

11. Classic Set in a Place You'd Like to Visit
The Lark by E. Nesbit (English countryside)

12. Wild Card Classic
Evelina by Frances Burney (18th century classic)


I'd like to thank Karen for, once again, hosting this fantastic challenge. It's not been an easy one for me, but somehow I completed it; it makes me so proud of myself!

my contact: vixxiomail [dot] gmail [dot] com

Merry Christmas! A Literary Christmas 2022: WRAP-UP

First of all, I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this year’s jolly season's reading. Thanks abundantly to Tarissa @ In The Book Case for hosting it! I’ve planned to read four books, but end up with five (thanks to Hamlette/Rachel @ The Edge of the Precipice! 😉). Click the link to bring you to the reviews!

Jane and the Twelve Days of Christmas by Stephanie Barron - 💗💗💗1/2

It’s just as I have expected. (Very) cozy murder mystery. Witty, with a bit of romances, and packed with Christmas jolly – English Christmas jolly!

 

A Very French Christmas: TheGreatest French Holiday Stories - 💗💗💗1/2

A mixed of some Christmas delights and some not very Christmassy. Some were jolly, but some quite bleak. All in all, a good collection to be devoured with a blanket each night before Christmas!

 

Hercule Poirot’s Christmas by Agatha Christie - 💗💗💗💗

It’s a great murder mystery that happened to be committed on Christmas, but it’s definitely not what I’d hope for a Christmas read. There’s just too much blood for the festive seasons!

 

The Christmas Hirelings by MaryElizabeth Braddon - 💗💗💗💗💗

The perfect Christmas one can ever hope for! Joyful, heartwarming, full of love and forgiveness. 

 

Miracle on 34^th Street by Valentine Davies - 💗💗💗💗

A novella based on 1947's movie; heartwarming and a little inspiring. 

 

And last but not least, I would like to wish you all, from my heart to yours.…

Image by pikisuperstar on Freepik

 

Miracle on 34th Street by Valentine Davies

🎄 Kris Kringle, a kindhearted old man who lives at a senior house, believes himself to be the real Santa Claus. On the other hand, Doris, who works at Macy, is a hardworking sceptical widow who doesn't believe in miracles, let alone Santa Clause. Her only daughter, Susan, also shares her skepticism.

🎄 Several days before Christmas, Macy needs a 'Santa Claus', and Doris offered the job to Kris, who took it. He instantly becomes a star, Macy's customers loves his genuine kindness and cheerful nature. Kris even brings the Christmas spirit far beyond Macy.

🎄 However, he also realized that his main mission is to turn Doris and Susan into believers. And it's not an easy thing to do; when a selfish and greedy man turned a nasty obstacle into real impossibility. If he's really Santa Claus, can he do it?

🎄 As a Christmas story, this novella seems to be an ordinary modern tale about Santa Claus. What makes it special is because this novella is, in fact, an adaptation of a film Davies wrote in 1947, which earned him an Academy Award for Best Story.

🎄 If the story isn't that special, perhaps the hidden message it conveys is significant. No, it's not just about whether Santa Claus exists or not, it's about letting your heart takes control, together with your brain, in steering your own life. Let it embraces new hopes, and trust it.

🎄 What about the miracle? Well, miracle happens when you have faith. Because when you do, good things will happen through other people. How it works, nobody knows. But it's not a hocus-pocus thing, it's just believing that things could happen even when you don't have control over it.

Rating: 4 / 5

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Hope Santa Brings This Year

 

I may not do Top Ten Tuesdays hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl very often, but occasionally I can be tempted to do one, like today’s prompt (it’s super easy – I could have done more than ten!)

Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings This Year:

The Cornish Coast Murder (John Bude)

A Merry Christmas (Louisa May Alcott)

Father (Elizabeth von Arnim)

Lucy Gayheart (Willa Cather)

The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival (John Vaillant)

Murder Most Unladylike (Robin Stevens)

The Girl, the Dog, and the Writer in Lucerne (Katrina Nannestad)

Agatha Christie: An Autobiography (Agatha Christie)

Perestroika in Paris (Jane Smiley)

Agatha Christie’s Poirot: The Greatest Detective in the World (Mark Aldridge)

 Do you see some favorites here? Books you have read? Or just a few that you are interested in?

The Christmas Hirelings by Mary Elizabeth Braddon

🎄 Sir John Penlyon is a wealthy landowner. He became a cantankerous, hard hearted old man after the death of, first, his wife, then his first daughter. His youngest daughter's elopement was only the last straw.

🎄 His best friend, Mr. Danby, and his niece, Adella, have persuaded him to hire poor but respectable little children to liven up the Christmas at the mansion. An agreement was binding between the parties. Mr. Danby agreed to bring the hirelings, but Sir John should never ask about their background; while Sir John agreed to pay for everything on condition that the children leave the house immediately after Christmas - no strings attached!

🎄 Three little cute hirelings (a little boy and two little girls) arrive on Christmas Eve. The youngest girl, Moppet, instantly steals Sir John's heart with her sweet precocious nature.

🎄 Christmas celebration in the mansion is as joyful as one hopes; even Sir John's heart is warming up. But when he becomes quite attached to Moppet, something happens that threatens to take her away from him.

🎄 This story is the epitome of what true Christmas is about; joyful, heartwarming, love, forgiveness, and the chance to let go of the past, to right the wrongs, to start all over again with open heart.

🎄 A perfect Christmas read, that I might re-read again and again in the future - maybe as much as A Christmas Carol?...

Rating: 5 / 5

A Very French Christmas: The Greatest French Holiday Stories

🎄 A compilation of fourteen Christmas-themed short stories from ten of French most prominent authors, classics as well as contemporary. Old tales as well as modern portrayals of Christmas, are packed into one collection to lift up your holiday spirits. Here are the fourteen stories:

🎄1. The Gift - Jean-Philippe Blondel
An lonely old man who loathes Christmas, unexpectedly met an old crush during a family Christmas dinner (where he's ignored by the family members), and believed that she was sent by his late wife as his last Christmas gift.

🎄 2. St. Anthony and His Pig - Paul Arène
St. Anthony (the Saint himself) tells some children of his temptation story on Christmas Eve. In a vision of lavish pork dishes (black pudding, roast pork and gravy, sausages, etc.), the devil tempted him to kill and cook his only friend, a pig called Barrabas.

🎄 3. The Louis d'Or - François Coppée
A gambler who's lost all his money on Christmas Eve, found a louis d'or (golden louis) inside a sleeping child-beggar's shoe. He stole it to gamble and won back his money, all the while ensuring himself that he's doing it for the child's sake. An interesting story with a touching ending.

🎄 4. Christmas in Algiers - Anatole le Braz
An ex-soldier is reminiscing the Christmas Eve he's spent in Algiers during war, where he was drawn by Arabic chant, and entered a mosque. During the prayer, visions of Christmas in his fatherland and of his lover appeared vividly before his eyes. A story without a plot.

🎄 5. The Wooden Shoe of Little Wolff - François Coppée
A kindhearted little orphaned boy (Wolff) who is treated wickedly by his aunt and bullied by his rich friends gives his wooden shoe to a barefooted child out of compassion, and must bear his aunt's wrath for that, but what a rewarding ending!

🎄 6. Christmas Eve - Guy de Maupassant
A hilarious story of a man who hates Christmas Eve due to an unpleasant event occurred the year before. He invited a stout street girl to supper with him at home. It turns out she's not curvy, but pregnant! She gave birth that night, and the man must bear all the consequences...long after.

🎄 7. Christmas at the Boarding School - Dominique Fabre
The title promises a jolly story, but it's not. It's a stream-of-consciousness styled story about mixed-race Senegal boy, Joseph aka Black Jo, whose parents sent him to France due to "events" (what does it mean?) Homesick and doesn't get along with other boys, he's devastated when he can't come home for Christmas.

🎄 8. Salvette and Bernadou - Alphonse Daudet
A sad Christmas Eve at the hospital for two wounded infantry: Salvette and Bernadou. Salvette spent his last money to grant Bernadou's wishes of celebrating Christmas with wine and bread... just in time! A sad but sweet story.

🎄 9. A Christmas Supper in the Marais - Alphonse Daudet
A seltzer water manufacturer in Marais lives in an old mansion which was formerly Hôtel de Nesmond. On Christmas Eve ghosts of its old time guests arrive with their splendor, partying until morning light creeps upon them. A charming ghost story!

🎄 10. A Miracle - Guy de Maupassant
It's a miracle story that happens on Christmas, when a woman was possessed after eating an egg her husband found mysteriously laid on the snow. A priest then celebrated eucharist, and raised the holy communion over the possessed woman until the devil surrendered. Well, it's not an unusual "miracle", and not really Christmassy!

🎄 11. I Take Supper With My Wife - Antoine Gustave Droz
A middle aged wife arouses a Christmas spirit long forgotten in her husband by giving him a proper Christmas supper, where they are reminiscing their fifty years of marriage. A sweet little story, written in stream-of-consciousness style.

🎄 12. The Lost Child - François Coppée
The best story of this collection, of a millionaire banker whose life is centered upon moneymaking, and only realizes that love is much more important than money when his beloved son is lost, then found, on Christmas Eve. Loving and inspiring!

🎄 13. The Juggler of Notre Dame - Anatole France
A non-Christmas story of a skillful but ignorant juggler who is devoted to the Holy Virgin, that he becomes a monk. Eager to use his talent to praise the Holy Virgin, he performs his juggling before the altar of the Holy Virgin, to the consternation of the other monks.

🎄 14. Noel - Irène Némirovsky
The last story of this collection is the most poignant of all. It shows how Christmas is celebrated by a disintegrated family with a forced artificial joy. It is written as if we are watching disjointed but chronological snippets from movie scenes. A great warning of Christmas spirit which has sadly faded from our world...

🎄 My favorite is The Lost Child, it's the only one of the whole collection which connects itself with the real Christmas. The beautiful ending, in particular, is quite heartwarming:

"...I am compelled to attribute this miraculous event to the influence of the Divine child who came down to earth nearly nineteen centuries ago to command men to love one another."

🎄 On the whole, what a refreshing Christmas read 

this has been!

Rating: 3,5 / 5