Wednesday, January 7, 2015

Back to the Classics Challenge


When I saw the categories that Karen at Books and Chocolate chose for this year's Back to the Classics Challenge I knew I had to sign up.  There are 12 different categories to choose from, but the challenge is flexible; you can read books in just six categories, or nine, or all twelve. The whole point is just to read more classics. And what could be better than that?

Here are the six categories (and the books) I'll for sure be reading this year:
A 19th Century Classic: Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
A Classic by a Woman Author: The Castle of Wolfenbach by Eliza Parsons
A Very Long Classic Novel: Armadale by Wilkie Collins (which is 661 pages of very small, very dense type. Gulp!)
A Classic Novella: Either The Bunner Sisters or Madame de Treymes by Edith Wharton
A Classic with a Person's Name in the Title: Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
A Classic Children's Book: The Independence of Nan by Nina Rhoades

Here are the three categories that I might read this year:
A Forgotten Classic: A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott
A Classic in Translation: Embers by Sandor Marai
A Classic Play: Henry V by Wm. Shakespeare (or maybe The Merry Wives of Windsor)

And finally, the last three categories that I probably won't get around to reading this year 
(but you never know):
A 20th Century Classic
A Humorous or Satirical Classic
A Non-fiction Classic

Aren't they great categories? Now you see why I couldn't resist signing up for this challenge.  Best of all? I actually own all the books that I've chosen...they're sitting in my TBR pile waiting for me to read them. Looks like this could finally be the year. Are you planning on reading any classics this year? If so, which ones?

Happy Reading!

12 comments:

  1. Kudos for filling in the list from your TBR pile! They are great categories -- I'm really hoping to do them all. Many of your titles are unfamiliar to me; I'll be interested to learn more about them.

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  2. Good luck with the challenge. I loved Armadale, Cranford and Aurora Floyd. I've also read A Long Fatal Love Chase and enjoyed it, though it was very different from the other Louisa May Alcott books I've read!

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    1. Oh, good. That makes me feel better knowing I have some good books to look forward to. And I won't have to feel guilty any more that I own so many books that I haven't read. :)

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  3. Hmmm...might have to put some classics on my TBR this year. So far I am thinking of Thoreau's Walden, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (I know...don't know how I missed this one growing up), and King Lear. All of these books are on my shelf, too. Good luck hitting your goals this year!

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    1. Thank you. Good luck with yours; I love both Walden and Huckleberry Finn. I hope you enjoy them, too!

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  4. Good luck, it sounds like an interesting mix of books. And I'm going to look this one - A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott - up as I've never heard of it and I love LMA.

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    1. The Alcott is one that she wrote before Little Women that they republished several years ago; I picked up a cheap copy at a library book sale and it's been sitting on my shelf ever since. But this is the year I'm definitely going to read it!

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  5. I think it's great that you can enter this challenge with books you already own and wanted to read! I hope you have a wonderful time with this challenge.

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    1. That was part of the draw for me...checking off books on my TBR list and completing a challenge at the same time.

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  6. You do have a great list, and all from your own shelves too! I hope you enjoy them all! I've heard of The Castle of Wolfenbach - such a promising title :) but I don't know anything about it.

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    1. I only know that The Castle of Wolfenbach is mentioned in Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey...as for anything else about it, I'll let you know. :)

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