Yes, I’m in again, and hoping I’ll do better than 2016! It’s fun to consider the possibilities and start something fresh in the New Year. 🙂 You can find all the guidelines for the Back to the Classics Challenge over at Books and Chocolate.
- A 19th Century Classic: Well, Mr. D is reading Ben-Hur next term, and I have yet to read it, so I may join him. On the other hand, I could let him narrate to his dad (who’s already read it) and find something else… 😉
- A 20th Century Classic: I may count Lewis’s The Problem of Pain in this category, as I’ll be reading it along with Miss A.
- A classic by a woman author: Pride and Prejudice will definitely fit here. I’ll probably be listening to an audio version this time through, although I do love my Penguin hardcover. 🙂
- A classic in translation: I’ll be making my second trek through the Iliad with A and D starting in January, using the Lattimore translation. I really want to read Kristin Lavransdatter, too, but don’t know if I can get to it this year…
- A classic published before 1800: I should read The Vicar of Wakefield along with Miss A next term, although I’m less than enthusiastic about it. 😉 Maybe an audio version will help.
- A romance classic: Of course, P&P would fit here, too, but I can’t use one book in two categories. I think Kristen Lavransdatter would qualify, but again, the time factor. Maybe I’ll try something shorter, like an Elizabeth Goudge novel. We shall see!
- A Gothic or horror classic: Maybe Jane Eyre this year? I have the new and highly-rated audio version read by Thandie Newton.
- A classic with a number in the title: I could attempt A Tale of Two Cities again, but with so many other long novels on the list, maybe something like Three Men in a Boat would be better.
- A classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title: I could read or listen to Black Beauty with the kids. I wonder if My Family and Other Animals would qualify – I’ve heard it’s hilarious.
- A classic set in a place you’d like to visit: Well, any of those British novels I’ve already mentioned would fit, but I’m thinking of reading Padraic Colum’s The King of Ireland’s Son to the kids around St. Patrick’s Day. 🙂
- An award-winning classic: I think The Little Prince would qualify for this – and it’s short. 😉
- A Russian Classic: I do want to read Anna Karenina, and there’s a lovely (if heavy) edition waiting on the shelf, but…the length! Pretty sure I couldn’t do Anna K and Kristin L both in one year, but I can dream, can’t I? One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich would be much shorter, but perhaps more depressing (than again, maybe not :P).
Just to make things more interesting, I’ve signed up for the 2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge as well, but I think there will be some overlap between the challenges. I think I really just like planning these things out, even if I don’t stick to those plans. 😉
I am also going to try to read Norms and Nobility by David Hicks again, this time with the group on the AmblesideOnline forums (their schedule has already started and continues through 2017). There’s a lot in that book, and reading others thoughts on it will probably help me get more out of it – but I probably won’t contribute much to the conversation myself.
I have one more book to finish this year to reach my goal of 52 for the Goodreads Reading Challenge, and I’ll be trying to reach that again in 2017.
What are you planning to read next year?
Nice selections.
On Kristin Lavransdatter, her three books can, in my opinion, be considered standing alone books. I placed the third one as one for the challenge (I have read the other two before). All that to say you could read the first one, right? lol.