Monday, December 18, 2017

Back to the Classics Challenge - 2018



After skipping challenges in 2017 so that I could focus on Reading Northumberland, I decided to do a couple in 2018.

My favorite is the Back to the Classics Challenge hosted by Karen at Books and Chocolate.

Here's my line up for 2018--honestly, I don't think I will get all 12 read, but we'll see. The last thing I want to feel is pressure to read something that I don't feel like reading!

A 19th century classic – Our Mutual Friend – Charles Dickens 
A 20th century classic – A Farewell to Arms – Ernest Hemingway
A classic by a woman author. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
A classic in translation.  The Paradise – Emil Zola
A children's classic. LittleTown on the Prairie – Laura Ingalls Wilder
A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction.  Murder on the Orient Express, Agatha Christie
A classic travel/journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction. A Moveable Feast - Ernest Hemingway
A classic with a single-word title.  Villette – by Charlotte Bronte
A classic with a color in the title.  The Black Arrow – Robert Louis Stevenson 

A classic by an author that's new to you.  Cry, the Beloved Country - Alan Paton
A classic that scares you.  Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Re-read a favorite classic. Persuasion - Jane Austen

Except for Can You Forgive Her and The Black Arrow, all are currently on my shelves.

A few are from the Classics Club Challenge, and a couple are ones that I've had on the shelf for awhile now.

12 comments:

  1. This is a great list. A word of caution, Can You Forgive Her? is the first book in the Palliser series, you might get drawn in :) I am on The Duke's Children which is the sixth and last book.

    I am also reading Villette at the moment. So far I am finding it superb.

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    1. I fully intend to read all of the Palliser novels--I'm just finishing up the Barset series, which has been so enjoyable.

      Glad to hear you're enjoying Vilette.

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  2. Great list! I am always in favor of Trollope and Zola. If you like The Ladies' Paradise, I also recommend Pot-Luck (Pot-Bouille) which precedes it in the Rougon-Macquart series and has one of the same characters. They can essentially stand alone so you could just consider it a prequel. It's different in tone than The Ladies' Paradise, more of a farce but I really enjoyed it. Thanks for signing up!

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  3. Good luck! I may have to do this one to help me with classic clubs reading challenge! The Haunting of Hill House has been on my reading shelf for awhile now! I loved her "We Have Always Lived in the Castle." I've been wanting to re-read Emma for my Austen love. Good luck this year!

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  4. Really good list and I looked at the 50 classics you chose in 2013 and very impressed. Certainly I plan to read Shirley or Villette in 2018. Trying to come up with my own list and hopefully will have it ready to go by end of this year.

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  5. That's quite a list of good books you've got! Good luck on this challenge. :)

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  6. We will both be reading Our Mutual Friend and The Paradise for this! Nice! And I plan to reread as many Tey books as I can next year. I should have put one of those nice short ones as the reread item. ;)

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  7. Great list! I might also try The Man in the Queue. I think I have all of Tey's novels on my shelves and that is definitely one of hers that I have not read yet.

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  8. Good luck with them! You are so industrious! I will look forward to your reviews for whatever you read. I especially hope you read Can You Forgive Her? and Our Mutual Friend, also Villette. And who could resist rereading Persuasion? Enjoy your reading year!

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    1. p.s. So happy your new blog design now has sharing buttons and email subscription! I don't want to miss any of your posts. :)

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  9. Great list Jane! Custom of the Country and The Ladies' Paradise are on my longer Classics Club list. Maybe I'll get to one or both in 2018 too. I loved Villette and Shirley, and the Haunting of Hill House is perfectly unsettling and atmospheric. And not much beats a reread of Persuasion. Happy (classics) reading!

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  10. You managed to come up with a list that includes not one book I've read. I'll be watching for your reviews for ideas for my own TBR.

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