#3

Ghost Stories of an Antiquary. By M.R. James. Published 1904. There are multiple versions of this book. Part 1 is the first 8 stories. Part 2 is another 7 stories. This version is all 15 tales.

The stories are set in the 1500s to 1800s, and are told by an antiquary who has heard a peculiar tale in the course of research. James is very good at setting up unsettling descriptions of sights and events and is famous for leaving most of the horror to his reader's imagination.

"Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad": Holy mackerel! Need to read Dombey and Son, chapter xii, referenced in this.

Several of the stories have been filmed for various programs or movies. (See the IMDb listing for Montague Rhodes James for details.) I've actually seen "The Runes" as the basis for the 1957 Dana Andrews movie "Curse of the Demon," which occasionally turns up on Turner Classic Movies around Halloween. H.P. Lovecraft was a fan of James'. Leonard Maltin gives the movie three and a half stars out of four, and viewer reviews are equally favorable. 

This book satisfies the POPSUGAR Challenge calling for a ghost story as well as 1900-1909 in the BookCrossing Decade Challenge.

*The page numbering on this Kindle edition is eccentric: several multi-page stories are listed as starting on "page 101 of 101."

#2

1/3-6/2019: I've finished my second book for 2019: Little Women. It's 400 pages in fulfilment of several POPSUGAR challenges: #1 A book becoming a movie in 2019. #2 A book that makes you nostalgic. #31 A book about a family. #34. A book that includes a wedding. #37 A book with a two-word title.

A book about a family:

"I do think that families are the most beautiful things in all the world!" burst out Jo, who was in an unusually up-lifted frame of mind just then. "When I have one of my own, I hope it will be as happy as the three I know and love the best.

Next: Ghost Stories of an Antiquary.

#1

1/1-2/2019: Second day of the new year, and I've finished my first book for 2019: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's 96 pages in fulfilment of the POPSUGAR advanced challenge, prompt #9: A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom (e.g., Big Brother from 1984). In Alice, there's the thought of "Mad as a hatter."

Last year, I listened to the Audible version of Alice, but as so often happens, I zoned out in sections of the story. I don't do that with printed materials, so it was good to read this.

Next: Little Women.

I'm looking at two different reading challenges for 2019: The BookCrossing Decade Challenge and the PopSugar Challenges. (In the PopSugar Challenges, you can use a single book to satisfy multiple prompts, so if your South American author writes a book with a two-word title, you've filled two prompts.) I may not complete either challenge; I hate it when needing to read a challenge book interferes with wanting to read something else. I also have a bunch of unread targets from the Great American Read I hope to work into these challenges.

BookCrossing 2019 decade challenge

Regular Challenge: Read one book first published (not a reprint) in each decade.

1920 - 1929 - Doña Bárbara (1929) Rómulo Gallegos (of Venezuela)

1930 - 1939 - The Grapes of Wrath (1939)  John Steinbeck

1940 - 1949 -  For Whom the Bell Tolls (1940) Ernest Hemingway

1950 - 1959 - The Catcher in the Rye (1951) J.D. Salinger

1960 - 1969 - The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress (1966) Robert Heinlein

1970 - 1979 - The Killer Angels (1974) Michael Shaara

1980 - 1989 - Downbelow Station (1982) C.J. Cherryh

1990 - 1999 - A Great Day for the Deadly (1992) Jane Haddam

2000 - 2009 - The Friday Night Knitting Club (2006) Kate Jacobs

2010 - 2019 - Dead Letters (2018) Jane Haddam

BONUS decades:

1900-1909 - Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904) M.R. James

1910-1919 - Julia Ward Howe, 1819-1910, published 1915 (Pulitzer 1917); written by Howe's daughters Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards, and Maud Howe Elliott. (Actually written by three female authors, including Howe’s third daughter, Florence Hall.) OR  Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story (1911) Max Beerbohm OR The Secret Garden (1911) Frances Hodgson Burnett

POPSUGAR Challenge

1. A book becoming a movie in 2019 Little Women Louisa May Alcott (film version)
2. A book that makes you nostalgic  Little Women Louisa May Alcott
3. A book written by a musician (fiction or nonfiction)
4. A book you think should be turned into a movie Hamilton Ron Chernow [Go ahead and make it a musical, Hollywood! It’s in development.]
5. A book with at least one million ratings on Goodreads The Catcher in the Rye (1951) J.D. Salinger
6. A book with a plant in the title or on the cover Dead Letters (2018) Jane Haddam
7. A reread of a favorite book Downbelow Station (1982) C.J. Cherryh First read about 1983; last read 2018
8. A book about a hobby The Friday Night Knitting Club  (2006) Kate Jacobs
9. A book you meant to read in 2018  Hamilton Ron Chernow [Go ahead and make it a musical, Hollywood! It’s in development.]
10. A book with “pop,” “sugar,” or “challenge” in the title PopCo (2005) Scarlett Thomas
11. A book with an item of clothing or accessory on the cover The Girl in the Green Sweater: A Life in Holocaust's Shadow Krystyna Chiger, Daniel Paisner [I have the pattern for the sweater, and I hope to knit it soon.]
12. A book inspired by mythology, legend, or folklore Circe (2018) Madeline Miller Or The Lightning Thief  Rick Riordan
13. A book published posthumously Our Souls at Night (26 May 2015) Kent Haruf (died 30 Nov 2014)
14. A book set in space The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress  (1966) Robert Heinlein
15. A book by two female authors The Temple and the Stone (Knights Templar #1) (1998) Katherine Kurtz, Deborah Turner Harris or Julia Ward Howe, 1819-1910 published 1915 (Pulitzer 1917); written by Howe's daughters Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards, and Maud Howe Elliott. (Written by three female authors, including the third Howe sister, Florence Hall.) OR Sorcery & Cecelia: or The Enchanted Chocolate Pot Patricia C. Wrede & Caroline Stevermer
16. A book with a title that contains “Salty,” “Sweet,” “Bitter,” or “Spicy” Sweet, Savage Death (1984) by Jane Haddam
17. A book set in Scandinavia Roseanna (1965) Maj Sjöwahl and Per Wahlöö [The first in an excellent mystery series set in Sweden. Also, see Wallender series by Henning Mankell.]
18. A book that takes place in a single day
19. A debut novel  The Friday Night Knitting Club  (2006) Kate Jacobs
20. A book that’s published in 2019
21. A book featuring an extinct or imaginary creature The Dragonriders of Pern: Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon Anne McCaffrey
22. A book recommended by a celebrity you admire Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy. Recommended by Jennifer Lawrence OR anything by N.K. Jemisin, recommended by her cousin W. Kamau Bell
23. A book with “love” in the title Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story (1911) Max Beerbohm OR Love and Friendship Jane Austen
24. A book featuring an amateur detective  The Friday Night Knitting Club  (2006) Kate Jacobs
25. A book about a family   Little Women Louisa May Alcott
26. A book written by an author from Asia, Africa, or South America Doña Bárbara (1929) Rómulo Gallegos (of Venezuela)
27. A book with a zodiac sign or astrology term in the title
28. A book you see someone reading on TV or in a movie
29. A retelling of a classic Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast (1978) Robin McKinley OR Hiddensee Gregory Maguire
30. A book with a question in the title How'd I Get Here? And Why Am I stealing M&M's from Air Force One? Dan Beckmann
31. A book set on a college or university campus  Zuleika Dobson, or, an Oxford love story (1911) Max Beerbohm OR The Daughters of Cain Colin Dexter
32. A book about someone with a superpower The Lightning Thief  Rick Riordan
33. A book told from multiple character POVs Downbelow Station C.J. Cherryh
34. A book that includes a wedding  Little Women Louisa May Alcott Or Great Expectations Charles Dickens
35. A book by an author whose first and last names start with the same letter  The Lightning Thief  Rick Riordan OR  Downbelow Station C.J. Cherryh
36. A ghost story Ghost Stories of an Antiquary (1904) M.R. James
37. A book with a two-word title  Little Women Louisa May Alcott Or Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy. Recommended by Jennifer Lawrence Or Doña Bárbara Rómulo Gallegos (of Venezuela) Or Downbelow Station C.J. Cherryh
38. A novel based on a true story The Killer Angels (1974) Michael Shaara Or Anna and the King of Siam (1943) Margaret Landon
39. A book revolving around a puzzle or game  The Baseball Whisperer: A Small-Town Coach Who Shaped Big League Dreams (2016) Michael Tackett Or Ready Player One Ernest Cline OR The Roger Angell Baseball Collection: The Summer Game, Five Seasons, and Season Ticket by Roger Angell
40. Your favorite prompt from a past POPSUGAR Reading Challenge

ADVANCED POPSUGAR Challenge

1. A “cli-fi” (climate fiction) book The Dry Jane Harper OR Drought: A Californian Environmental Disaster Thriller Graham Masterton
2. A “choose-your-own-adventure” book
3. An “own voices” book
4. Read a book during the season it is set in The Roger Angell Baseball Collection: The Summer Game, Five Seasons, and Season Ticket by Roger Angell
5. A LitRPG book Ready Player One Ernest Cline
6. A book with no chapters, unusual chapter headings, or unconventionally numbered chapters
7. Two books that share the same title (1) The Invisible Man  H.G. Wells
8. Two books that share the same title (2) Invisible Man Ralph Ellison
9. A book that has inspired a common phrase or idiom (e.g., Big Brother from 1984) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland for "Mad as a hatter" an "Curious and curiouser"
10. A book set in an abbey, cloister, monastery, vicarage, or convent A Great Day for the Deadly (1992) Jane Haddam

Great American Reads

To be read:

1. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain
2. Alex Cross Mysteries James Patterson
3. Americanah Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
4. Atlas Shrugged (1957) Ayn Rand
5. Bless Me, Ultima (1972) Rudolfo Anaya
6. The Call Of The Wild (1903) Jack London
7. The Catcher in the Rye (1951) J.D. Salinger
8. Coldest Winter Ever Sister Souljah
9. The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas
10. Crime and Punishment Fyodor Dostoyevsky
11. Doña Bárbara (1929) Rómulo Gallegos
12. Game of Thrones George R. R. Martin
13. Ghost Jason Reynolds
14. Gilead Marilynne Robinson
15. The Giver Lois Lowry
16. Gone Girl Gillian Flynn
17. Hatchet Gary Paulsen
18. Heart Of Darkness Joseph Conrad
19. The Help Kathryn Stockett
20. The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins
21. The Hunt For Red October Tom Clancy
22. Invisible Man Ralph Ellison
23. The Joy Luck Club Amy Tan
24. Lonesome Dove Larry McMurtry
25. The Martian Andy Weir
26. Moby-Dick Herman Melville
27. The Notebook Nicholas Sparks
28. Outlander Diana Gabaldon
29. The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
30. The Pilgrim's Progress John Bunyan
31. Ready Player One Ernest Cline
32. Siddhartha Hermann Hesse
33. The Sirens Of Titan Kurt Vonnegut
34. The Stand Stephen King
35. The Sun Also Rises Ernest Hemingway
36. Swan Song Robert R. McCammon
37. Tales of The City Armistead Maupin
38. Their Eyes Were Watching God Zora Neale Hurston
39. Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe
40. The Twilight Saga (series) Stephenie Meyer
41. War and Peace Leo Tolstoy
42. The Wheel of Time (series) Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson

Already read (before 2019):

1. 1984 George Orwell
2. A Prayer For Owen Meany John Irving
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith
4. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Lewis Carroll
5. And Then There Were None Agatha Christie
6. Anne of Green Gables Lucy Maud Montgomery
7. Beloved Toni Morrison
8. The Book Thief Markus Zusak
9. Catch-22 Joseph Heller
10. Charlotte's Web E. B. White
11. The Chronicles of Narnia (series) C.S. Lewis
12. Clan of the Cave Bear< Jean M. Auel
13. The Color Purple Alice Walker
14. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon
15. Don Quixote Miguel de Cervantes
16. Dune (1965) Frank Herbert
17. Foundation (1951) (series) Isaac Asimov
18. Frankenstein Mary Shelley
19. The Godfather Mario Puzo
20. Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell
21. The Grapes of Wrath John Steinbeck
22. Great Expectations Charles Dickens
23. The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
24. Gulliver's Travels Jonathan Swift
25. The Handmaid's Tale Margaret Atwood
26. Harry Potter (series) J.K. Rowling
27. The Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy Douglas Adams
28. Jane Eyre Charlotte Brontë
29. The Little Prince Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
30. Little Women Louisa May Alcott
31. The Lord of the Rings (series) J.R.R. Tolkien
32. Memoirs of a Geisha< Arthur Golden
33. One Hundred Years of Solitude Gabriel García Márquez
34. The Pillars of The Earth Ken Follett
35. Pride and Prejudice Jane Austen
36. Rebecca Daphne du Maurier<
37. To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
38. Where the Red Fern Grows Wilson Rawls
39. Wuthering Heights Emily Brontë

Probably won't read:

1. A Confederacy of Dunces John Kennedy Toole
2. A Separate Peace John Knowles
3. The Alchemist Paulo Coelho
4. Another Country James Baldwin
5. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Junot Díaz
6. The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown
7. Fifty Shades Of Grey (series) E. L. James
8. Flowers In The Attic V.C. Andrews
9. The Intuitionist Colson Whitehead
10. Jurassic Park Michael Crichton
11. Left Behind (series) Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
12. Looking for Alaska John Green
13. The Lovely Bones Alice Sebold
14. Mind Invaders Dave Hunt
15. The Outsiders S. E. Hinton
16. The Shack William P. Young
17. This Present Darkness Frank. E. Peretti
18. Watchers Dean Koontz
19. White Teeth Zadie Smith

Monday

I've worked 12.25 hours today. At the end, I'd finished the first Training Plan (63 courses and four tests) in a total of 32.5 hours. So much for 34 courses a day to meet the deadline.

Since I'm behind schedule, I have 22 training plans to go--402 courses to go in the next 8.5 days. That's 47+ courses per day.

The 2nd training plan is 61 courses, with 3 tests. And since tomorrow isn't a holiday, there'll be other work coming in.

It's after 1am, and I have Alexa set to wake me at 7:30.