I have joined the Classics Challenge 2009 which runs from April 1- October , 2009. The challenge is to read four classics (snack), five classics (entree), or six classics (feast).
I am going to try to read four classics during the challenge. I read Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol every Christmas….but other than that….it has been YEARS since I read a classic!
I’ll come back and edit this post with the ones I am going to read!
Note: Edited to add the ones I probably will read (may change)
- Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
- The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
- Dracula by Bram Stoker
- Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
What are your favorite classics?
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Ok... some of my favorite classics? You may be sorry you asked!
ReplyDeleteTop of my list -- Pride and Prejudice. Or anything by Jane Austen, including the tongue-in-cheek Northanger Abbey. I love the Bronte sisters, too -- Wuthering Heights is fabulous, as is Jane Eyre (although I think Wuthering Heights has the edge there).
How old does a book have to be, to be considered a classic? The Great Gatsby is a quick and powerful read; I always loved it because it takes place on my beloved North Shore of Long Island.
I haven't read Flaubert's Madame Bovary in years, it is a sad but good read. Then there is Thomas Hardy -- I liked Far From the Madding Crowd, Tess of the D'Urbervilles, less so The Mayor of Casterbridge, but Jude the Obscure is gut-wrenching and I don't think I could bear to re-read it.
Tolstoy's Anna Karenina. Liked it more than War and Peace, which you almost need to marry to read, it takes so long.
Others? Cousin Bette, by Balzac. Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment. Great Expectations, my fave of Dickens' works. Does Galsworthy's Forsyte Saga count as a classic? I love that -- all 9 volumes. Thackeray's Vanity Fair -- Becky Sharp is such a great character. Butler's The Way of All Flesh -- for its really deep parent-and-child insights.
I could go on and on, I'm afraid... Now you know why we need more bookshelves in our house.
I used to read the classics for FUN. Now I read lighter stuff, usually -- cozy mysteries, family sagas, historical novels, and of course, DECORATING BOOKS. I am going to accept your challenge and come up with a list of classics that I will read this year. What a great idea.
I hope my old brain, now in its 50s, can handle the strain! I love that you have this book blog; what fun.
Cass
Oh my gosh I am sorry that post was so long! Yikes... Cass
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorites are Dr. Zhivago, Anna Karenina, War and Peace, most of Jane Austen. All I can think of right now!
ReplyDeleteA Room With A View! That is one of my favorites!
ReplyDeleteI love your challenge and I think I'm going to do the same thing! I've read a lot of the classics but there are so many more that I want to read. I think I'll start out with a "snack" but leave the door open for the "entree" or the "feast" just in case!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite classics are Pride & Prejudice and everything else by the great Jane Austen. A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens, the complete and unabridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas. Because that one was originally written in French it's important to get a good translation - I think Penguin books did a great version. The book Wuthering Heights is also so good - way better than any of the movies or mini-series they've made where they leave out most of the story. Oh, there are so many more! Thanks for the challenge. How about a button to put on our blogs so we can introduce your challenge to others?!!
Robin@Miscellaneous Thoughts
Oh this is fun! Love the new blog, great idea!!!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite book is The Picture Of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde) it's such an amazing picture of how a soul can be ruined by the decisions he makes.
I also love Howards End...E.M. Forster
The Razor's Edge ... Somerset Maugham
Classics are some of my favorite reading but at times when I have trouble getting started in one I download it on my ipod (Audible.com) and listening to the beautiful language pulls me right in...
Happy reading~
Robin Rane'
All Things Heart and Home
Susan, I'm not sure what the defnition of a "classic" is, but the first ones that come to my mind are Little Women and Gone With the Wind. I notice Pride and Prejudice is a selection in other comments, and it is also a fav of mine. I'll be anxious to see what you decide to read for this challenge. laurie
ReplyDeleteJust signed up for the challenge - went for the feast. In over my head? Maybe . . . but, what the heck! This is going to be fun!
ReplyDeleteLOL! I think the others have it pretty well covered without me adding any more to your list. Jane Eyre seems to be a favorite, so I'll second that suggestion (I LOVE Wuthering Heights, but I've heard from others that they think it is wretched). Great Gatsby is relatively short and feels more modern. Little Women is another favorite (not mine, though). Alice in Wonderland is a lot of fun. Pride and Prejudice is a great choice. Ok, I'll stop. :)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, Thanks for signing up for the challenge! I look forward to seeing what you settle on. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. Oh--and welcome to book blogging. It is an absolute blast.
oooh fun! I too like Anna Karinena and anything Jane Austin. My book club just read "The Reivers" by Faulkner which is maybe not "classic" but seems like Faulkner should be on everybody's "to read list" I also like "Atlas Shrugged" a lot (although again maybe not "classic") I liked Gone With the Wind a lot also.
ReplyDeletehmmm...Haven't read anything Robin Rane' suggested... I ought to look those up...
I think I'm going to have to come back and visit for ideas