The 1900 to 1950 Readathon Announcement

[@elizabethdunford6329]

Anything by Ford Maddox Ford is GORGEOUS. Deeply emotive and beautifully written. H G Wells was also a revelation to me when I first read his work.

[@serena432]

Thanks for the suggestions. Now I shall go and look up Ford Maddox Ford and see all of his gorgeousness!

[@katiejlumsden]

I've actually just read The Good Soldier which I really enjoyed!

[@williamharveyhayes-arttalk5887]

Listening while I make my breakfast. A lot better than morning TV. Thanks

[@katiejlumsden]

Ha thank you!

[@josuelopez1500]

You could read "The Aleph and other Short Stories" by Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges. 😊

[@CN-xp7qk]

Borges is absolutely great! 🙌

[@katiejlumsden]

I've actually read a fair bit of Borges' short stories. I feel mediumly about his work. I can't believe I forgot to mention him here, though I totally had in my head he was a later 20th century writer, though I think all the stories I've read by him are from the 1940s!

[@BJPDesigns]

Thank you for the suggestion. I added Jorge Luis Borges to my reading list.

[@AhabsDaughter]

That sounds like a lovely readathon! I'll try to join. I've never had enough courage to read Thomas Mann. So, for Germany, I'd recommend and maybe read Hermann Hesse (Steppenwolf, Demian, Siddharta), Hans Fallada, Franz Kafka, Anna Seghers (The Seventh Cross), Irmgard Keun (The artificial silk girl), or Alfred Doeblin, if you'd like to explore Berlin in the 1920s. There's also Bertold Brecht, Stefan Zweig (chess story), or Kurt Tucholsky. Hans Fallada also wrote a novel set in WWII Berlin, in which an elderly couple tries to invoke resistance against the Nazis by distributing postcards all over the city. I think it's available as "Every man dies alone". I liked it very much!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks for all the recommendations. I've actually read quite a lot of Hans Fallada short stories but not for years, I should revisit his wokr!

[@gloriawandrous6461]

Primo Levi's If This is a Man (1947) is powerfully moving and is non-fiction about WW2 and written by an Italian-Jewish author.

[@katiejlumsden]

Sounds fascinating, thanks for the recommendation!

[@takingteawithcatherine]

I'm in! I have an intense amount of books at home that encompass this time period so can definitely make this work. My favorite poet, Edna St. Vincent Millay, wrote during this time period, and I highly recommend her work.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks for the recommendation :)

[@BlatantlyBookish]

This sounds like a lovely readathon Katie! I can't wait to put together my TBR and some additional recommendations. I may stick to books from my shelves, but you also recommended so many that I'd like to read as well. We'll see what I get around to :)

[@katiejlumsden]

My TBR is somehow at like 20 books already. I have a few on my shelves but I hope the libraries will be open by then too!

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Yessss I've been waiting for this! I was brainstorming my TBR while watching this, got some hard choices to make now. Incidentally, I can imagine a whole readathon just for 1950's novels - so many great works published in that decade!

[@katiejlumsden]

Hoorah - I'm so excited for this too :)

[@chadm8868]

So glad I found your channel! It’s a bit like drinking from a wide open fire hose and I love it. I’m definitely going to participate in this from across the pond.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks I think?! XD

[@shawnbreathesbooks]

This fabulous readathon has completely upended my reading plans for May - wow, can’t wait!

[@katiejlumsden]

Sorry and thanks XD Enjoy!

[@victoriajackman2976]

What a wonderful and fun Readathon! I love this period and genre of Classics, and am so looking forward to re-reading some of my favorites that fit into each category, as well as the 'bonus round' finds. Some of my very favorite authors wrote during this period, so I'm looking forward to discovering some of their new-to-me classics such as : Edith Wharton's "The Children" (for Mother's Day), The Mirror Cracked from Side to Side (an Agatha Christie I've not read), "Monday or Tuesday - 8 Stories", A Virginia Woolf I've not read, The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald, my favorite book of all time being The Great Gatsby. Anne of Avonlea, A Farewell to Arms, Call of the Wild, Howard's End, How Green Was my Valley, and the Hobbit make 10!~ Going to be a busy but super interesting reading month for sure. :) Thankyou Katie for the inspiration!

[@paulinelafford4773]

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, a 1940 USA publication.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@thescottishyarnfestival]

* runs to the bookshelves * This is such a golden period for literature. I think I'll begin with Her Privates We (republished as The Middle Parts of Fortune) by Frederic Manning, Passing by Nella Larsen, and The Life and Death of Harriet Frean by May Sinclair. I can highly recommend The Blind Owl by Sadegh Hedayat which was published in 1937 in Persian, and This Way For The Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen by Tadeusz Borowski, published in 1946 in Polish.

[@katiejlumsden]

I have actually read Her Privates We too, it's a good one. This Way For The Gas, Ladies and Gentlemen sounds intriguing.

[@jenmiller9744]

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith! So good.

[@katiejlumsden]

This may also be going on my TBR, though I think my TBR will end up pretty long at this rate XD

[@RunwrightReads]

There are so many authors that were active during that period that I want to read so this is a great idea. Thanks for hosting

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks :)

[@mame-musing]

American author Sinclair Lewis, a 1930 winner of the Nobel Prize for literature wrote many pre-1950 novels. A few are “Main Street”, “Babbitt”, “Elmer Gantry”, and “Arrowsmith” (awarded the Pulitzer Prize for the novel). His stories are mostly set in the American Midwest.

[@katiejlumsden]

Sounds interesting.

[@elizabethbrink3761]

This sounds fantastic! I love the 1900-1950 time period in literature too. This gives me a great excuse to choose some Persephone, British Library Women Writer's series, and Dean Street Press books I have been collecting but haven't read yet. :) I'd also like to read some Booth Tarkington for an American writer. Christopher Morley (American) wrote two lovely novels called Parnassus on Wheels (1917) and The Haunted Bookshop (1919).

[@katiejlumsden]

I must look into Dean Street Press more, I always hear great things about them!

[@novellenovels]

I’m definitely in and will do my best to fill as many of the prompts as I can.. Love this so much 🎉🎉🎉

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks Emily :)

[@rachy5384]

I am excited that you mentioned 'Miss Pettigrew lives for a day' even though it was a brief mention... I had a really hard time in Jan with some stuff at work and was genuinely struggling and my best friend sent that book to me to read to cheer me up. It's fabulous. So lovely and lighthearted and really did make me smile. I recommend it to everyone it's easy and quick to read and it makes everything better (for me it did, I was sad when I'd finished it and it's definitely going to be a book I re-read when I need a pick me up) xx

[@katiejlumsden]

Yes I really like Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day! I read it years ago but it's great.

[@MargaretPinard]

Perfect avenue for my spillover from March of the Moderns! I got to about 30% of the books that I had on my shelf to attack, ha!

[@svea7175]

This sounds brilliant, I'm definitely going to take part! Remarque has been on my TBR for ages. The challenges are great, not too overwhelming but still very interesting!

[@katiejlumsden]

All Quiet on the Western Front is amazing, I promise!

[@evangelinepaschal1779]

Such a great challenge!!! I highly recommend Le Grand Meulnes by Alain Fournier, from 1913. It’s quite beloved, and the only book the author wrote before being killed in WW1. Haunting book.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks!

[@thelibrarybat4254]

I'd really recommend The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Arnim from 1920. It's about 4 women who decide to leave behind their husbands and responsibilities for a month and spend the entirety of April living in a castle in Italy instead. It's funny and heartwarming and lovely. I'd also recommend The Return of the Solider by Rebecca West, about a soldier who returns home from ww1 with memory loss, and follows the three women in his life as they deal with this

[@katiejlumsden]

Ooo The Enchanted April is absolutely going on my TBR - I've been meaning to read that for ages! And yes, I love The Return of the Soldier - I'm annoyed I forgot it here!

[@thelibrarybat4254]

@@katiejlumsden I'd also recommend Elizabeth and Her German Garden by Elizabeth Von Arnim, it's from the 1890s so wouldn't fit for this readathon but it's fantastic too so worth a read as well as the Enchanted April!

[@goodstrongwords]

So excited to join in! Margaret Pinard hosted a similar Readathon in March but it didn’t end up working out for me to participate much so this is perfect!

[@katiejlumsden]

Hoorah, hope you enjoy!

[@MarionOlvas]

Thank you thank you! :D I modified the readathon a little bit (sorry about that!) to my likings, that I prolonged it to april-may and prolonged the timeline as well, till I realized that so many books that I wanted to pick up are from the '50s... :D But I already finished a Somerset Maugham - which I loved, and I will start a hungarian classic (from one of my favourite hungarian classic author, Géza Ottlik) today. So really thank you to remind me that I have sooo many books on my tbr from that era that I just always procrastinate on, and now, finally I will pick them up! I will read a du Maurier, an Edith Wharton, All Quiet on the Western Front, H. G. Wells short stories, maybe another hungarian classic (by Gyula Krúdy) or Graham Greene... and I have the best time! :)

[@katiejlumsden]

Fair enough of course :) Enjoy!

[@HamzaTalksFootball]

Just started reading Jane Eyre and a character says, "where the Dickens is she?" It reminded me of your Dickens series- which was wonderful! 😍 I go to your channel after every Dickens novel I read. I've read 9 since October 2020 and got Bleak House on my bookshelf. Might read 3 or 4 shorter books first though. Have a break from the great man. 😂

[@katiejlumsden]

Ha thank you! Dickens is the best.

[@betinaceciliafeld9854]

Oh, great! When I first saw this on IG I thought it was planned for April 🤦🏼‍♀️ Now I know I have more time to get the books 😅 I'll be participating! 📚

[@katiejlumsden]

Yep, a bit more time - I always try and give a month's notice for these things :)

[@meghanthestorygirl4581]

Love this idea and these challenges! I've actually been reading quite a few books from this time period this year so it's perfect!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks Meghan - hope it'll be fun :)

[@aliced3524]

I am in! Apart from Agatha Christie this time period is not the usual era most of my reading comes from. Have been to raid my shelves for everything I can find from this time and I have an interesting mix. The hardest one for me is a non- British author, hoping I can count T.S Eliot for both that category and the poetry as I have The Wasteland to read. Roll on May!

[@janetsmith8566]

Awesome. I love this period. Daphne here I come💕💕💕

[@katiejlumsden]

:)

[@lindae9543]

Yay! I’m definitely going to take part, just need to look through my bookshelves now.

[@katiejlumsden]

Hoorah, enjoy :)

[@ReadingNymph]

Ooh I can't wait to take part!!

[@chiyapink7607]

For German authors I recommend Kafka and Bertolt Brecht. Both worked mostly in the right time period and wrote a lot of "non-novels" (Kafka short stories and novellas/ Brecht plays)

[@jersy6406]

I recently discovered Eduard von Keyserling, don't know if he's been translated, though. The book I've read had very relatable and realistic dialogs and great characterisation.

[@katiejlumsden]

How could I forget Brecht?! Mother Courage is one of my favourite of all plays. I think I'd better put some more Brecht on my TBR :)

[@serena432]

You bring sunshine to my day! You have a good energy about you. I am thrilled to be participating in this read a thon.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks!

[@JasmineReads]

Ohhh fun, I love this idea!! I may have to partake 👀

[@HannahsBooks]

Wonderful! I was hoping you would do this project! Due to some other commitments, I may twist the rules up and read some brand new biographies of some early -20th-century authors for part of my TBR. I can’t wait to see everyone’s videos!

[@katiejlumsden]

That still sounds in the spirit of it :)

[@CN-xp7qk]

Hi Katie! This sounds great. I'll read some books that have been sitting in my TBR: Short Stories by Mansfield, Mrs Dalloway or A Room of One's Own by Woolf, and Poesía Reunida by the Chilean poet Teresa Wilms Montt, to read something from my own country. Another follower mentioned Borges, who I really love and I strongly encourage you to read. He was Argentinian, and he is a God! His short stories are master pieces. Big hug! ~ Carolina

[@katiejlumsden]

I've actually read a fair bit of Borges, many short stories. I don't love his work . . . Well, I quite like it, but I don't love it. I can't believe I forgot to mention him here, I totally had in my head he was a later 20th century writer, though I think all the stories I've read by him are from the 1940s.

[@mgabrielbenitez]

From my country, Argentina, I'll probably read The Invention of Morel by A Bioy Casares, or perhaps something by Silvina Ocampo or Roberto Arlt. From another country, maybe Virginia Woolf, EM Forster, Edith Wharton or John Steinbeck. So excited to join! :)

[@katiejlumsden]

Great :)

[@inanimatecarbongod]

I like the look of this challenge and I need something to inspire me to read, so I reckon I'll take part. I have a lot of stuff to read from that period which would fit pretty much all those challenges, so I won't exactly be struggling to find things.

[@katiejlumsden]

Perfect, hope you enjoy the readathon :)

[@taylorrae3316]

This sounds awesome, Katie! 🖤

[@katiejlumsden]

:D

[@crazypatterns93]

Ooo definitely going to join in on this. Maybe I’ll finally read Frenchman’s Creek which has been on my shelf for over a decade! And maybe some Virginia Woolf and Tanizaki. 🙌👌

[@katiejlumsden]

Good choices :)

[@launchedathousand]

I can't wait! A couple I'm thinking about reading are The Wind in the Willow, National Velvet and My Friend Flika, but I have so many I'll have to see closer to. I'd recommend anyone to read The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, it's her only adult novel about a woman coming into her own when she only has a year left to love!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks for the recommendations :)

[@merletwowildsymphonies1836]

this sounds like fun! :) i was planning on reading tanizaki and lu xun for the asian readathon, and this just became the perfect crossover.

[@katiejlumsden]

Perfect!

[@CafeCynthia]

YAY! I'm in!! I think I just chose my whole May TBR from this video!

[@katiejlumsden]

Ha enjoy :)

[@BJPDesigns]

Your Readathons are my very favorite! Thank you so much Katie. I like books in this time period too, especially the British literature too. I appreciate all you do for us reading enthusiasts!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks so much :)

[@beyondthepages19]

What a brilliant idea!! I'm excited to take part :)

[@katiejlumsden]

Great, thanks Ange :)

[@BJPDesigns]

I want to read and re-read all the authors and books you mentioned! I hope to find other authors and books that are not so known or discussed these days too. One such book I already started is “Love Insurance” by Earl Derr Biggers. He’s an American novelist and playwright and this book was first published in 1914. The paperback cover is gorgeous and so far it’s really good, and funny too. He has other books too and is most famous for his Chinese detective Charlie Chan series.

[@katiejlumsden]

Sounds intriguing.

[@FaeryLaume]

I forgot you had planned this, so glad you are following through. I have a handful of books already on my TBR that would work for the readathon. Yay!

[@katiejlumsden]

I'm so excited for the readathon :)

[@readingwiizard]

How exciting! 🤩

[@katiejlumsden]

:)

[@Maria_Efe]

This sounds wonderful! I think I'll try to read a book from a different decade for each challenge; it'll be fun trying to fit books from my tbr in those prompts! I'm a little ashamed that I can think of dozens of english book recommendations and only a couple from my own country (Greece) for this time period, but hopefully the readathon will help me with that! 😅

[@adamheath9061]

Zorba the Greek was published in 1946.

[@katiejlumsden]

I think reading a book from every decade would be fun :)

[@kathleencraine7335]

Katie--A few more authors: Both Willa Cather (American) and Sigrid Undset (Norwegian) had all of their books published between 1900 and 1950, so they are good go-to authors NOT from the British Isles. Cather's "One of Ours" is about WWI. 😊 Another Brit: most of John Galsworthy's books and plays were published during this timeframe. Also Edith Wharton published a slim non-fiction volume about WWI: "Fighting France", which is a collections of eye-witness articles she wrote while in France from behind the lines. Would fit either WWI or nonfiction. I intend to try this challenge!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks for the extra recommendations! Fighting France sounds fascinating.

[@rae_of_sunlight]

This readathon is so up my street! Can’t wait :)

[@katiejlumsden]

Enjoy!

[@rustiqjoy]

Yep looking forward to it.

[@katiejlumsden]

:)

[@AniasBellJar]

I am so so excited for this readathon!! I was looking at my shelves and thought for a second that I didn't have that many books from that time period but your recommendations really helped 😊 The first challenge is still a little bit hard for me since I'm not that well read in Polish literature but I'll try and do some research 🙌🏻

[@katiejlumsden]

Good luck and enjoy :)

[@eruditearchive]

I was already planning on reading The Great Gatsby and A Room with a View next month! Can't wait to read them and see what you read. I also want to read The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams, which I've had for a while, a historical mystery about a journalist investigating a murder in the social circle of the Duke of Windsor and Wallis Simpson set in WWII Bahamas (even though it was published in 2019...).

[@katiejlumsden]

Perfect timing then!

[@penhallj]

Great idea for a Readathon. I would recommend the Anne of Green Gables series as a brilliant children's series from this period. I've also recently enjoyed a lot of Edith Wharton books. Finally I recommend Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier to anyone and everyone!

[@katiejlumsden]

Excellent recommendations!

[@BeatrixOnyx]

I can't wait for this readathon. I have a collection of Katherine Mansfield short stories I've been wanting to get to. 😊

[@katiejlumsden]

Katherine Mansfield is so great!

[@naomisbookshelf]

The Wizard of Oz would be brilliant and quick!

[@katiejlumsden]

Good thought :)

[@beckybleaden]

Very excited for this readathon!!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks :)

[@taaptee]

so exciting, thank you for this and i hope you enjoy this very much!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks!

[@leeah8419]

So exciting and that last challenge...!

[@katiejlumsden]

:)

[@jorgem71962]

Edith Wharton "The Custom of the Country" is an amazing novel. I love "Ethan Frome" as well. (I live in New England - Massachusetts, and I think the book captures the region so well. Wharton is one of my favorites, I have been to The Mount, her house in western Massachusetts.) Larson's "Passing" is a great book. Thomas Mann "Royal Highness" is a fascinating book and very different from his others.

[@katiejlumsden]

Ethan Frome is so amazing, as is Passing. I'll have to look into Royal Highness!

[@MilenaReads]

This is the perfect readathon for me, honestly! I’m going to read Tanizaki with my book club in May and I’m hoping to add some Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster in the mix as well! Just bought a Dutch novel called ‘Eva’ from 1927 as well. Great timing 😃

[@katiejlumsden]

Hoorah, I hope you enjoy! I'd really like to read some Dutch literature sometime so I'll look up Eva.

[@MilenaReads]

@@katiejlumsden i’m not sure it’s translated. If you would like some historical fiction from the time period, I’d recommend Hella S. Haasse. Most of her work is translated! 🙂

[@chiyapink7607]

I just pulled out some of my tbr books to see what would fit and I found a German ( own country) collection of Crime short stories. Together with African Queen that checks all the prompts and finding something for the bonus prompts should be managable

[@katiejlumsden]

Enjoy the readathon!

[@lilsvintageworld]

I am going to say I am taking part but to be honest I read classics from 1900 - 1950 all the time so just like a normal reading month for me! Haha 😂

[@katiejlumsden]

Haha I think that's true! Anyway, enjoy accidentally taking part XD

[@BJPDesigns]

Another author who wrote during this time was Elizabeth Von Arnim. I believe she was born in Germany but also lived in Switzerland and America. I’d like to read her book “Vera” first published in 1921. One of my very favorite books is “Enchanted April” which was first published in 1922. She wrote others such as “Elizabeth and Her German Garden” but that was first published in 1898.

[@katiejlumsden]

Yes I really need to read something by her!

[@kathleencraine7335]

Von Arnim was born in Australia, grew up in England and Switzerland; married a German; lived in Germany, Poland, Switzerland, England and France; and died in the United States. Pick a country! Enchanted April is one of my favorites as well.

[@BJPDesigns]

@@kathleencraine7335 Thank you for all the great info. You’re right, Elizabeth von Arnim was born in Australia, not Germany as I first thought. I’m not so sure I will read “Vera” after reading more about it, but eventually I will read it. I really like “Enchanted April” and the trip to Italy. I read her book about the German Garden which is nice too.

[@ChaoticBibliophile]

*clears all other reading plans for May* I voted for this theme so I'm extremely excited to take part! (This is also one of my favorites, if not my favorite, literary time-period, by the way~)

[@katiejlumsden]

I hope you enjoy!

[@butchpoetics5096]

i love this concept! i will definitely try to join in! also, this would generally be the perfect time to start/continue in the search for lost time by marcel proust

[@katiejlumsden]

Hope you manage to join in!

[@jersy6406]

I initially planned to read a book from each period but everything on my radar that was published within this time frame is from the 1920s, so I'll either fill all of the challenges with them or I'll need to do more research

[@katiejlumsden]

The 1920s is a pretty great time in literature!

[@Sherlika_Gregori]

Lima Barreto is outstanding.

[@katiejlumsden]

I'm excited to read that book!

[@sir_prize]

Another timely option, given what we've been going through, would be Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter. It's a short novel about another global pandemic. (The author was a survivor of the Spanish flu, which killed millions of people in the early twentieth century.)

[@katiejlumsden]

Not one I know but sounds interesting!

[@sir_prize]

@@katiejlumsden For those who are not familiar with it, I should mention that Pale Horse, Pale Rider also counts as a (short) novel about World War I. According to one review I've read, the culture of pro-war enthusiasm is depicted "as a mind virus that rivals the flu."

[@gaildoughty6799]

A great WWI book is Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain. It’s long but completely repays the time spent.

[@katiejlumsden]

I must read that sometime!

[@MargaretPinard]

It's hard to go wrong with a Winifred! 😊👒

[@katiejlumsden]

:)

[@BernasBookishAdventures]

It looks like my tentative May TBR will fit this challenge but can we combine the prompts?

[@katiejlumsden]

Oh absolutely, combine away :)

[@Mouseling216]

Recommend 'Brave New World'. I was going to suggest 'Witness for the Prosecution' but that is 1957. 'Hobbit' is also still fun

[@Rhianalanthula]

I know Maurice was published posthumously in 1971, but Forster wrote it around 1913/4 (if i remember correctly).

[@katiejlumsden]

Yeah, I think for 1900-1950 you're more than welcome to count something written then but published later :)

[@meiliu9689]

Eileen Chang is my favourite Chinese author! She did write in English when she lived in America but her English publication was unsuccessful at that time. Perhaps her language skill in Chinese cannot fully transformed in English writing. I think The Golden Cangue was her best novel. I ve never read an English version of her work but this one seems to be translated by herself. In this case perhaps the language issue can be minimised.

[@katiejlumsden]

I've been meaning to read her for ages, so I'm excited for Half of a Lifelong Romance.

[@KevTheImpaler]

Seems a strange challenge. Edwardian books are so different to interwar books. There were different things going on in different countries. Might read one of P.G, Wodehouse's Psmith comedies, but I have not read any D.H. Lawrence or any of the Forsyte Saga yet. May I put in a word for Winged Victory by W M Yeates?

[@katiejlumsden]

I thought it might be fun to explore this time period everywhere!

[@leonief8066]

Recommendations? I second Georgette Heyer. Crime - Margery Allingham and Ngaio Marsh. General weirdness, Barbara Comyns. War - Henrietta’s War, Joyce Dennys.

[@janetsmith8566]

Oh dear, my pile is getting very tall 😆

[@katiejlumsden]

My TBR pile is also very big now XD

[@GraceAn3]

I am only sorry this doesn’t begin immediately! In the meanwhile I will just enjoy making my plans.

[@katiejlumsden]

I feel like I need a month to sort out my current massive TBR XD

[@meggo329]

I'm so excited 😃 for this readathon. Next year for historical fiction I would like to suggest North and South by John Jakes I believe it was written in the 1980's. It is a trilogy there is also a t.v mini series with a lot of major stars back in the day. Everyone who was anyone wanted to be in this mini series and it has remained one of my favourite stories. It taught me alot about the civil war and racism. Orry is from the south and George is from the north. They become best friends at West point academy fight together in the war with Mexico. Their families are close but their differences and tensions growing in the south and north over slavery can't be ignored and it strains their friendship. Virgilia is George's sister and is the extream abolishionist they tackle the topic here of yes she is right slavery is evil but the way she goes about dealing with it is wrong. She is just as violent and hateful. I would love to hear your take on these books and or mini series. I wanted to suggest these books and mini series because even if it's technically historical fiction a lot of good lessons can be learned. You see the pain that these families go through especially during the civil war and how hard it is to rebuild those relations after. I can't recommend these enough especially the mini series. Sorry for the ramble.

[@meggo329]

There is a tone more to say as they both have huge families and there are three huge books not to mention the t.v series. That's a snippet of the story.

[@katiejlumsden]

Sounds intriguing! We'll get to historical fiction next year :)

[@AliceandtheGiantBookshelf]

I'm so excited for this readathon... I went straight to raid my shelves after watching this video!

[@sir_prize]

As an American, I feel compelled to also mention the authors William Faulkner and John Steinbeck. They did win the Nobel Prize for Literature after all.

[@katiejlumsden]

I still haven't read any Faulkner. I must confess I haven't loved Steinbeck so far XD

[@sir_prize]

@@katiejlumsden Thanks for your reply. If you haven't read Faulkner, As I Lay Dying might be a good opportunity to see whether you take to his writing style or not. It's shorter than some of the other novels, but it is still masterfully written. Most importantly, it is set in Yoknapatawpha County, Mississippi, the setting that Faulkner used for many of his works. As for Steinbeck, I understand that everyone has their own personal likes and dislikes, but make sure to try The Grapes of Wrath before writing him off.

[@jamesduggan7200]

Oki just checked the year (1949), I'll be reading simone beauvoir

[@katiejlumsden]

Enjoy!

[@gelligraphic]

Another readathon I'd love to join and look forward aside from #janeaustenjuly and #victober. 📖🤎

[@katiejlumsden]

:)

[@marshaprice8226]

British recommendations: Georgette Heyer and C. S. Lewis USA recommendation: Nobel Prize Winner Pearl S. Buck

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks for the recommendations!

[@claudianunez8983]

If you are interested in Chilean literature, I will strongly recommend Maria Luisa Bombal

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@TheSalMaris]

No Conrad, James, Ford, Durrell, Miller?

[@katiejlumsden]

As I said, these are just my recommendations from my own experience/taste. I've read a little Conrad and James but don't love them. I've actually just read some Ford Maddox Ford for the first time. I haven't read anything by the others.

[@GunpowderFictionPlot]

Love to hear about your love hate relationship with Evelyn Waugh, I suspect you mean you love some of his novels and hate others, but I myself love and hate his books simultaneously, I'm still not sure what I think of Vile Bodies.

[@katiejlumsden]

I think a whole video is in order. I love Vile Bodies and A Handful of Dust and sort of hate Brideshead Revisited and sort of love and hate at the same time Decline and Fall. I did a whole module on him at university so I have sort of studied him more than any author except for Dickens but I never know if I actually like his work!

[@SunriseFireberry]

R u gonna do a 1950 to 2000 Readathon later this year?

[@katiejlumsden]

Nah, I think three readathons in a year is quite enough.

[@Nyledam89]

Might have to come out of my booktube hiatus for this readathon. :)

[@katiejlumsden]

YAY, please do!! :)

[@melissahouse1296]

Yes! im in : ) I have so many tbr's that fit the bill, *really* want to read The Mandarins (Simone de Beauvoir)- aftermath exploration of WWII (begins just as forces are retreating from occupied France).. but its published 1954 : ( Tempted to bend the rules slightly.. ummm.....?? lol

[@katiejlumsden]

That sounds fascinating! I think you can bend the rules a little :P

[@bighardbooks770]

¡Hola, Katie! I'll read _Of Love and Hunger,_ by Julian Maclaren-Ross (1947) a recent gift from Roz @ Scalldandling About the Books! --Allen

[@katiejlumsden]

Enjoy!

[@gilliancooke8799]

Can't wait for this! Reading The Makioka Sisters (1948) with a book club in May so fits in perfectly and reading East Goes West by Younghill Kang (1937) for North Korea in #InvisibleCitiesProject The rest of the TBR will take some thought. I'd recommend Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada and Berlin Finale by Heinz Rein (both 1947) for the war prompt - both 5 star reads for me.

[@katiejlumsden]

The Makioka Sister is amazing - enjoy!

[@kimhoot2044]

1900 to 1950 inclusive? The Great Escape by Paul Brickhill, a WWII story, was published in 1950.

[@katiejlumsden]

Yep, that'd count :)

[@JentheLibrarianreads]

Really excited for this. I’m starting my planning now (and wondering just how gay I can make it 🤣)

[@katiejlumsden]

Yes! That sounds wonderful. I'm hoping to read The Well of Loneliness which I have been meaning to read for AGES.

[@sararichards518]

I’ll go with you but I don’t have a Booktube channel. I’ll join up via Instagram if that’s ok? My husband loves British lit from that period.

[@katiejlumsden]

Of course, please do join on Instagram!

[@tomg1048]

Hi

[@molly9310]

I have never heard you speak this slowly!🤔

[@katiejlumsden]

I've recently started slowly my videos digitally even more, so now we're at .84x rather than .9x where we were a year ago XD

[@books_tea_things]

This sounds fun. Time to start planning my TBR I think.

[@katiejlumsden]

Enjoy :)