A Classics Challenge 2012

Published on by Margaret

It’s that time of year when ‘challenges’ for next year keep appearing on book blogs. Each year I think I won’t join in and each year I do attempt a few. Here’s one that appeals to me, but not as a ‘challenge’ (see my previous post for my views about ‘challenges’). This one promises to be more interactive:

It’s A Classics Challenge, devised by Katherine Cox of November’s Autumn. It involves reading seven works of Classic Literature in 2012, but only three of the seven may be re-reads.

But, instead of writing a review as you finish each book (of course, you can do that too), visit November’s Autumn on the 4th of each month from January 2012 – December 2012, where you will find a prompt, it will be general enough that no matter which Classic you’re reading or how far into it, you will be able to answer. There will be a form for everyone to link to their post.

I like the idea.

My Reading List

I have quite a lot of unread classics on my bookshelves and even more loaded onto my Kindle, so I have plenty to choose from. At present I think I’ll start with these seven books (but the titles could most likely be substituted for others when I actually get down to reading!)

  • Emma by Jane Austen – a re-read. I first read this many years ago. Recently I read Sebastian Faulks’s view of Emma as a snob in his book Faulks on Fiction and decided it was time to re-read the book.
  • The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. I read The Moonstone earlier this year and liked it very much, which spurred me on to get The Woman in White.
  • Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome – a book that I’ve known about for ages, but have never read. It’s a humorous story of a boating expedition on the River Thames. I’m looking forward to some comedy.
  • Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell. The only Gaskell book I’ve read is Cranford – time to remedy that with this tale of the mid-19th century England pre the Industrial Revolution.
  • Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I’m re-living my youth with this book, which I first read at school, when I was about 13 or 14. I can’t remember much about it, except that I thoroughly enjoyed it at the time. It’s historical fiction set in 18th century Scotland, based on real people.
  • Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens. This is a mammoth book (nearly 900 pages) with many characters. I hope I don’t get bogged down in it – it looks as though I’ll need to concentrate.
  • The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf. I began to read this (Woolf’s first novel) a few years ago. I love Mrs Dalloway and To the Lighthouse, but the opening of this didn’t grab my attention as much and I got distracted by other books. I’ll have to start it again.

Writing this has made me keen to read them all – but which one to pick first?

15 thoughts on “A Classics Challenge 2012”

  1. Like you I have quite a few unread classics on my shelf which I want to read next year. Can’t make up my mind about this one though. I planned not to do too many challenges next year apart from my personal one so I’ll think on it. Oddly enough I’ve just bought myself a nice new copy of My Mutual Friend, planning to read it early next year. It certainly *is* a big’un! Three Men in a Boat is huge fun.

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    1. I’d planned not to do any challenges next year, except for the Agatha Christie reading challenge and my own Britain in Books! But this one shouldn’t be too much – that’s how I get drawn into joining in with challenges. I might do the What’s In a Name one as well, although what is so interesting in choosing to read books based on a particular word in the title is beyond me – but I do like to see if I have any titles that fit – sad, I know! 🙂

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  3. I like the sound of your Britain in Books challenge! I’ve been trying to collect Northumbrian novels recently.

    I think I would start with Our Mutual Friend, in case I needed to read other things alongside it. It’s actually one of the handful of Dickens’ novels I have read, but I don’t think I’d attempt it again, although I enjoyed it. But I think I would probably rather re-read the ones I love, like Bleak House, than try a new one – it’s easy to drown in words with Dickens. I should think the rest ought to be plain sailing, what a lovely selection of titles!

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    1. Thanks, GeraniumCat. I’d love to know about the Northumbrian books! I read Bleak House after watching the TV series years ago – not the most recent one. I love it too.

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  4. Sounds like a great idea – before I sign up I need to check I can find 7 books that fit the ‘classic’ and ‘crime’ tag, as opposed to ‘classic crime’. I should be OK – but it will be more fun if I haven’t read any of the books.

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  5. Hi,
    I’m new to your blog and am enjoying your posts. I also like the idea of a classics challenge. I just read Wives and Daughters a few months ago and recommend it highly. Appealing heroines, mysterious romantic entanglements, and a strong father-daughter story, make this an engaging and (relatively) quick read. There is also a BBC dramatization of it that remains quite faithful to the book!

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  6. Wonderful set of books–Our Mutual Friend is on my tbr list but not in the foreseeable future. I loved Kidnapped–wonderful book and due for another reread by me soon, I hope. Three Men in a Boat is cute–definitely diverting. I’m always impressed by anyone who tackles V Woolf. Enjoy the challenge!

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  7. Margaret – I like this approach to a challenge. I’ll be really interested in what you say about the books on your list, too. I’m so glad to see you have The Woman in White on your list; many people think it’s better than The Moonstone. I’ll look forward to your view on it…

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  10. It was the idea of a Classics Challenge that isn’t really a challenge that appealed to me too.
    Great list – I like the sound of Three Men in a Boat which I hadn’t thought of and have never read but a bit of comedy would be nice.

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  11. Thank you for joining, Margaret!
    I love Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters and hope you enjoy it too, looking forward to your thoughts on it. 🙂
    Haven’t heard of Jerome’s novel but it does sounds fun. I saw an adaptation of Stevenson’s Kidnapped, I really must read the book! Looking forward to sharing thoughts on Collins’ novel. 🙂

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