Victorian Literature Challenge

Now that I'm back to book blogging, one of the first things I've done is look for book challenges. I love the push to read something new or to read more of a genre. I just like a challenge in general. The Victorian Literature Challenge was one of the first I came across and is a perfect challenge for my new year! Thanks to the beauty of public domain books,I have been planning on indulging in more of my favorite Victorian authors, as well as trying some new ones, so this will give me that extra push I need.

There are four levels to choose from in this challenge:

Sense and Sensibility: 1-4 books.
Great Expectations: 5-9 books.
Hard Times: 10-14 books.
Desperate Remedies: 15+ books.

I think I can safely try for the Great Expectations level, and who knows, maybe more. :)


1. King Solomon's Mines, published 1885 (This is a cheat, in a way, as I started it before I joined this challenge.)
Read 11 January 2011. Read my review here.

2. The Leavenworth Case, published 1878. Mrs. Green was one of the first writers of detective fiction in the U.S. and is given credit for shaping the genre into it's classic form, including the recurring series detective.
Read 17 January 2011; my review here.

3. The Evil Genius, published 1886. Collins has long been a favorite of mine, I've not yet read this one and it will cross over to my What's in a Name Challenge for "a book with evil in the title".
Read 14 January 2011. Read my review here.

4. The Mystery of a Hansom Cab, published c.1889 (I get differing reports of anywhere from 1886-1889). It was the most popular mystery of that century and prompted Doyle to try his hand at the genre.
Read 22 January 2011. Read my review here.

Sense and Sensibility level completed!

5. Martin Hewitt, Investigator by Arthur Morrison. Read 2 February 2011. Read my review here.

6. Victorian Short Stories of Troubled Marriages; authors: Rudyard Kipling, Ella D'Arcy, Arthur Morrison, Arthur Conan Dolye, and George Gissing. Read 9 February 2011. (my review here)

7. Modern Instances by Ella D'Arcy.  Read 3 March 2011. (my review here)

8.  The Bishop's Dilemma by Ella D'Arcy.  Read 4 March 2011. (my review here)

9. Ziska by Marie Corelli.  Read 11 March 2011.  (my review here)
Great Expectations level completed!

10.  Monochromes by Ella D'Arcy.  Read 12 March 2011. (my review here)