1. When did you join The Classics Club?
May 2014
1.a How many titles have you read for the club so far?
50 for list #1 ç That right there, reddish brown text, that’s a hyperlink. Go ahead and click it. (sorry, you probably know that, but I’m desperate for blog stats)
Total of 194
2. What classic are you planning to read next? Why?
Probably Loving by Henry Green. Cuz it’s next on my list.
3. Is there a book first published in 1926 that you plan to read this year?
Nope. This sort of makes me feel guilty, like I should…but nope. How about 50 years ago? I may get to The Magus by John Fowles. I’ve been saving it for this year, so I wouldn’t get challenged on whether it’s a classic or not.
4. Classic author who has the most works on your club list? Or, classic author you’ve read the most works by?
Dickens: 12 read for the club. I plan to read all of Dickens’ novels, 3 to go, unless I decide to read Edwin Drood, then it's 4 to go, see question #16
5. If you could explore one author’s literary career from first publication to last — meaning you have never read this author and want to explore him or her by reading what s/he wrote in order of publication — who would you explore? Obviously this should be an author you haven’t yet read, since you can’t do this experiment on an author you’re already familiar with. Or, which author’s work you arefamiliar with might it have been fun to approach this way?
Probably Stephen King, but I’ve already read The Stand and The Dark Tower series.
6. First classic you ever read?
Either The Hobbit or The Call of the Wild. Both sometime in 4th or 5th grade.
8. Which classic is your most memorable classic to date? Why?
Most memorable? Not best?, not favorite? (those are not the same btw). Most memorable, perhaps…no, maybe…no...umm. THIS IS HARD! I’m gonna cheat. The Cellist of Sarajevo (not a classic), but MAN, was it powerful.
9. Least favorite classic? Why?
The Recognitions by William Gaddis. I sort of hated it. But I'm very pleased with my review. I usually hate doing bad reviews.
10. Favorite movie or TV adaption of a classic?
To Kill a Mockingbird is almost perfect.
11. Favorite biography about a classic author you’ve read, or the biography on a classic author you most want to read, if any?
I’d like to read a biography on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (The Little Prince). I remember searching once and didn’t find one; unbelievable right? If anyone knows of one, I’d be grateful for a recommendation.
12. Favorite classic author in translation? Do you have a favorite classics translator? What do you look for in a classic translations?
Either Dostoyevsky or Tolstoy. I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve read: The Brothers Karamazov, Anna Karenina, War and Peace, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot. Well, I didn’t care for The Idiot. I just look for a translator with good score on GR.
13. Do you have a favorite classic poet/poem, playwright/play? Why do you love it?
Kipling. Very versatile writer, and even when sticking just to poetry he is very diverse.
14. Which classic character most reminds you of yourself?
Tom Sawyer. As a child I was Tom Sawyer.
15. What is the oldest classic you have read or plan to read? Why?
Daphnis and Chloe by Longus (200AD), which was pretty good. I’ve also read The Tale of Genji which is sometimes called the oldest novel in the world, even though Daphnis and Chloe predates it by 800 years.
16. If a sudden announcement was made that 500 more pages had been discovered after the original “THE END” on a classic title you read and loved, which title would you be happiest to see continued?
I’m tempted to say Wives and Daughters because it is very good but unfinished. It is only barely unfinished. The great dilemma is overcome and a happy ending is ensured, so it’s not had to imagine the ending. So, for my real answer: The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Dickens. What could be worse than an unfinished mystery? I want to read all of Dickens’ novels, and most would say this is one of them, but it seems maddening to read an unfinished mystery. Recommendations?
17. Favorite edition (or series) of a classic you own, or wished you owned, if any?
First edition of The Little Prince. Runner up: Deliverance signed by the author James Dickey.
18. Do you reread classics? Why, or why not?
Very seldom. I’ve reread The Lord of the Rings at least 6 times, and I’ll reread it yet again someday. But other than that the only rereads are works I read before I started blogging. I will reread them to refresh my memory before writing my blog review. Otherwise, there are too many classics I've yet to read. It will be very rare that I reread.
19. Has there been a classic title you simply could not finish?
Nothing I couldn’t finish, because I am very stubborn. Once I start, I’m going to finish. I really wanted to quit In Search of Lost Time (longest novel in the world), but I read every word, and that is lost time I’ll never get back.
20. Has there been a classic title you expected to dislike and ended up loving?
War and Peace.
21. List five fellow Classic Clubbers whose blogs you frequent. What makes you love their blogs?
This is a timely question. I’ve been thinking about this. I’ve been book-blogging for nearly 15 years. I used to get a lot of comments, but in the last year or so, I rarely get any. Lest that sound like a complaint, or worse a whine, I must also admit, that I rarely comment on other’s blogs anymore. It says in THE Old Book, "if a man has friends, he must himself be friendly…" Apologies for being a poor correspondent. I’ll try to do better in 2026. Now to answer:
With Freedom, Books, Flowers, and the Moon
Reading, Writing, Working, Playing
Oh, and Anonymous. That guy cracks me up.
Why? Different reasons for each one. Similar world view in some cases, contrasting tastes in other cases which give me pause to my very opinionated opinions. But in all of these a similar diet of classics.
23. If you could appeal for a readalong with others for any classic title, which title would you name? Why?
I’m not really interested in a readalong. Don’t ask why.
24. What are your favorite bits about being a part of The Classics Club?
The Bookstore discount.
25. What would like to see more of (or less of) on The Classics Club?
I got nothing. So, instead I’ll just say THANK YOU! To the mods for keeping it going. Great job…seriously. And thanks for this questionnaire, lots of fun.
26. Question you wish was on this questionnaire? (Ask and answer it!)
Who is your favorite Transcendental Movement novelist of young-adult extraterrestrial mythology written in Romantic Period prose? Millard Fillmore of course.
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