I’ve set myself a 2024 reading challenge! Long-time StuckinaBook readers will remember a few previous times I’ve done ‘A Century of Books’ – reading a book published every year for a century. I started doing 1900-1999, and a few times I’ve just done whatever the previous hundred years is. This year, I’ll be doing 1925-2024.
It’s a fun challenge because you don’t have to think about it much for the first half or so of the year – it just fills up by itself. And then the final months are an intense scramble to find books that fit the remaining spaces…
Of course, anybody is welcome to join in – or to make your own century, or do it over two years etc.
I’ll be filling up the gaps here with links to all my reviews. Wish me luck!
1925
1926
1927: The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder
1928: The Vicar’s Daughter by E.H. Young
1929
1930
1931
1932
1933
1934: The Spring Begins by Katherine Dunning
1935: A Clergyman’s Daughter by George Orwell
1936
1937: I Would Be Private by Rose Macaulay
1938
1939: The Disappearing Duchess by Maud Cairnes
1940
1941: Death and Mary Dazill by Mary Fitt
1942
1943
1944
1945: Lady Living Alone by Norah Lofts
1946
1947
1948
1949: Ashcombe by Cecil Beaton
1950
1951
1952
1953: Landscape in Sunlight by Elizabeth Fair
1954
1955: The Oracles by Margaret Kennedy
1956: Why I’m Not A Millionaire by Nancy Spain
1957: The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino
1958
1959
1960: Twice Lost by Phyllis Paul
1961: The Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978: What’s For Dinner? by James Schuyler
1979
1980: Basic Black With Pearls by Helen Weinzweig
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987: Strangers by Taichi Yamada
1988: Sweet Desserts by Lucy Ellmann
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002: Antwerp by Roberto Bolaño
2003
2004: Joe Cinque’s Consolation by Helen Garner
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015: The World Between Two Covers by Ann Morgan
2016: This Must Be The Place by Maggie O’Farrell
2017: Bellevue Square by Michael Redhill
2018: Dear Mrs Bird by AJ Pearce
2019: Trick Mirror by Jia Tolentino
2020: The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams
2021
2022: Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
2023: Day by Michael Cunningham
2024
That sounds like so much fun. Also a wonderful way to time travel and observe the subtle changes from one year to the other and larger trends across. Good luck. Will be looking out for your reviews!
That sounds a fun challenge. I will join in as far as is still enjoyable – I think I will struggle to fill the 2000-1024 slots I think, but I’ll keep a record and see how it goes.
That sounds like quite a challenge – very fun, although potentially expensive in my case if I need to plug the gaps!
I once started the 20th century of books (see here) and am still working on it. Some years are harder than others.
Maybe I should just extend it.
Good luck – always think this is such an interesting project!
Have fun!
Your project is tempting…
I’m in! https://thecaptivereader.com/2024/01/03/a-century-of-books-1925-2024/
So, can you cheat and just read a book and plug it into the year, or do you have to try to read a book from every year? That’s about 2/3 of my yearly reading! Yikes! I see, you allowed some latitude by telling us to make up our own century or just do two years. Hmm, I have to think about this. It’s a megachallenge.
OK, I’m in. I think I’m nuts!
I completed A Century of Books in 2018 and it was great fun. I will modify the challenge this time and try to read A Half Century of Books for the 1915-1965 period you suggested. It will be a challenge to me as I also am going to try to not buy many books this year (Project 24?). I’m going to see how far I get reading from my shelves and the library. Last year I read books from 39 of the 50 years in the 1915-65 period so this project looks doable. Good luck!
Good luck! Sounds like a great challenge
What a fun challenge! Good luck with it. (I couldn’t do it since I don’t read 100 books in a year.)
Thanks Emma!
I remember my century of books year with fondness. . My reading rate has slipped too much to attempt this. A fascinating span of years to read through too. Good luck I shall watch your progress with interest.
Thanks Ali!
Oooh this is so fun! I’m actually kind of eager to see the mad scramble, that’s where the magic is and you find books you wouldn’t otherwise have looked at :)
Sadist :D but yes, in previous years that has unearthed some real gems
I’m joining you but ALL women’s writing.Started with Book 1 of The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard.Wonderfully absorbing and I have the other four lined up.Published 1990.I’m also buying second hand A House and It’s Head by Ivy Compton Burnett,August Folly by Angela Thirkell and Bliss by Katherine Mansfield.In between read The Force by Don Winslow🤭
Oh briliant, what a fantastic challenge.
Ha- I tried to do it in 2015 and I’m still doing it – got stuck in the 80s! Have fun!
I ‘cheat’ with a lot of non-fic about earlier periods :D
I am trying to do this one along with you, Simon, but my page tends to have a bunch of books for the same year instead of having them nicely spaced out like yours! I have a feeling you have a huge collection of books on your shelf and you just have to reach out and can immediately find a book for any given year!
I have lots of books on my shelves, but those are the ones I’ve already read. Hmm, may have to start rereading tons of books.
I have a feeling I’m not going to finish my century, but I’m plugging along. I hope you don’t think it’s rude that I have provided my link in case you are interested in looking at how I am doing. https://whatmeread.wordpress.com/about/a-century-of-books-challenge/
(I cheated somewhat and included the books from the end of 2023 if I posted their reviews in 2024. I hope that’s not a horrible thing to do. If you think so, I’ll take them off.)
You can absolutely make your own rules for this challenge, so please do it however works best for you! But yes, you’re right, I have a farcical number of unread books on my shelves so do have options for every year – and will try to read from my shelves as much as possible.