Saturday, January 6, 2018

Back to the Classics 2018

The good folks at Books and Chocolate are again hosting the Back to the Classics Challenge for 2018.  The nice thing about this challenge is you don’t have to finish all twelve to be eligible for the prize – Yep a PRIZE and everything.




***FANFARE***  My list (subject to change)
Change ONE (and TWO): I gomered up my original list. (apologies if "gomered" is politically incorrect...I can't keep track). I had Deliverance by James Dickey as my Travel Classic, but isn't quite 50 years old and therefore ineligible per da rules. I'm changing it to Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. Then somehow, I had USA by John Dos Passos as my 19th Century Classic. It isn't even close - don't know what I was thinking. I've switched to The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. Both reflected below now as well. 

(reviews in orange hyperlink)
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 A 19th century classic: The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens (1840). 

Looking forward to this Dickens title I have never read, because Dickens has yet to disappoint me.
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A 20th century classic: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote (1958)

My first time reading this or Capote, and...I haven't watched the film. My favorite way to begin a book.




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A classic by a woman author: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Another first for both book and author.






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A classic in translation: The Idiot by Dostoevsky

First read of this title, but I've read and enjoyed several works by Dostoevsky






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A children’s classic: The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

A reread of a favorite. 






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A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction: The Man Who was Thursday by G. K. Chesterton

Also a reread. I found this very profound, and I promised myself a reread to contemplate it further.




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A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction: Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome

I've read JKJ's short stories and thought they were great fun. Looking forward to this.






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A classic with a single-word title: Middlemarch by George Eliot

First time read of both novel and author.







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A classic with a color in the title: Dream of the Red Chamber by Cao Xueqin

I'm really looking forward to this. I haven't read much Far-Eastern literature. This is considered one of the Four Great Classics of Chinese Literature.




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A classic by an author that’s new to you: Native Son by Richard Wright

First read of this novel and author.






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A classic that scares you: A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell

This scares me because it is nearly 3000 pages (though that alone does not scare me), but it also reminds me in title and synopsis of In Search of Lost Time - which I sort of hated. But it's part of my Quest, so I gotta tackle it. It is actually 12 novels, 3 each in 4 volumes.



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A classic reread: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck








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22 comments:

  1. Oooh! Breakfast at Tiffany’s? That could be interesting.

    You have a fantastic list built here. My Back to the Classics list isn't filled out this much yet, but I have a few titles in mind for sure.

    I don't know how soon you'll be reading Little Women, but I'll be hosting my annual L.M. Alcott reading challenge in June, if you're interested in joining up.

    Tarissa
    http://inthebookcase.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks Tarissa. I'd have been too late for your LMA read along.

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  2. At some point, you must read In Cold Blood. It is terrifying, but so well written by Capote. Even if you end up not liking Breakfast at Tiffany's (which I've not read), don't skip In Cold Blood.

    And next I thought: Native Son is really gripping, too.

    And of course, Little Women is wonderful. I hope you enjoy it.

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    1. Well good news; I already have In Cold Blood queued up for not longer after I'm finished with the 100. Yeah, I just read Go Tell it on the Mountain and I know that Baldwin and Wright are....comparable. Thanks for the feedback.

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    2. Agree with Ruth, you must read In Cold Blood. I have read Breakfast at Tiffany, but honestly, I didn't understand what it was about, and I found it boring. So..yeah, I failed it.

      Anyway, have fun with the challenge, Joseph!

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  3. Best of luck with the challenge! And I can help you out with The Man Who Was Thursday, when you get to it. After reading it for the third time this year and with help from an annotated edition I've figured out most of what Chesterton was saying (although not all, because he himself didn't always seem to remember, lol!) I didn't re-review it though so it's not on my blog ..... hmmm ..... I should re-review it, shouldn't I?

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    1. Yeah...The Man Who was Thursday probably left me with a lot of questions that I hope to sort through a bit on a reread. I'd be interested in your review...but of course...up to you.

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  4. Great list! I've been meaning to read G. K. Chesterton for ages now. I haven't read a single one of these, actually, so looking forward to hearing about them.

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    1. Thanks Rob. I think I may have to read The Man who was Thursday several times (this is my first reread). I don't know if this is true for Chesterton in general, but this work was mostly fun and farcical...until the end and the WOW! Chesteron had a message...I'm certain I didn't comprehend it all, or even most. I just know it's very profound.

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  5. I really like your list, Breakfast at Tiffany's is a great 20th century choice :)

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  6. Daaaaamn, man, your pick for scariest novel. Out out of interest, how do you think you'll approach reading it/them (all at once or breaks?), and how long do you think it'll take you to finish it?

    Little Women ♥ I think Breakfast at Tiffany's is also a great choice. I've never heard of the Chinese novel before, but just googled and that sounds really interesting - I will be interested to know how easy it is to read.

    In general, great list! Lots of range.

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    1. I recently read Remembrance of Things Past (aka In Search of Lost Time) which is a bit longer and it took me almost three months. I'll just go slow and steady.

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    2. Nice! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it.

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  7. Looks like a good list and I'll be interested to read future reviews.

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  8. I'm curious to see what you think of Native Son after you read it. It's a good book and despite being set in the 1930s and published in 1940, I think it's still timely and touches on issues of today.

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  9. I love this challenge--I skipped it last year, but am doing it again this year. Okay--LW was so much more fun to read than I thought it would be, though I think I am unique in liking Amy more than Jo, as a character. I'll be interested to hear what you think of Breakfast at Tiffany's--I wanted to love it, but found it very dated, although a seminal 20th century work. Middlemarch is one of my absolute favorite novels--enjoy! Likewise, Of Mice and Men is superb--I'm a big Steinbeck fan anyway. I haven't read Native Son since high school, but I remember being profoundly shaken by it. Finally, I hate to be a spoiler, but I don't think Deliverance qualifies as a classic per Karen's rules of 50 years, meaning 1968 is the cutoff.

    Happy reading and enjoy your classics!

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    1. Oops...you are correct. Thanks for pointing it out. I will have to find something else for this category.

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  10. Some very interesting and not too well known titles here - or maybe it's just me that hasn't heard of most of them. Some pretty long reads as well. If I can I'd like to read a few fat titles this year: Anna K which I've meant to read for a few years; War & Peace; & LOTR. I may only get to one of them.

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    1. Thanks Carol...good luck with your long read, whichever you choose. Those are all well worth the investment.

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  11. That looks like a great list. I especially love Middlemarch, Little Women and Three Men on a Boat. Will look forward to seeing your thoughts about them.

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