Wednesday, November 2, 2016

BACK TO THE CLASSICS CHALLENGE 2016 WRAP UP POST



I managed to read all 12 books for the challenge by September, but (a) quite a few were short-ish (less than 300 pages), (b) 3 of the longest were by Trollope, Dickens and Whipple who are writers I love and so am able speed through their works, despite any heft and (c) I did some business travel this year, which is rare for me, which did allow me to get a lot of reading done in hotels and airports.
  • The first book I read was for the category A Classic Detective Novel.   The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey is the fourth book I have read from her.  It was a good mystery (and refreshingly bloodless) but there was quite a bit of virulent class prejudice that was a bit hard to swallow.
     
  • The next book was The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope which was for A Classic Which Includes The Name Of A Place In The Title.  This is the fifth book in the Barsetshire Chronicles and I absolutely adored it.
     
  • I went on to read The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle which ticked the box for An Adventure Classic.  The book was a lot of fun, but its dated racism soured the experience for me a bit.
     
  • The fourth title fit the category A 19th Century Classic, I went with my original pick which was  The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens.  I was a little worried that I wouldn’t get on with it at first, but I ended up really loving it.
     
  • I then read Frankenstein by Mary Shelly to fill the spot for A Fantasy, Science Fiction, or Dystopian Classic.  I have to say I was a bit let down by this book, but I think my expectations were impossibly high. I am keeping my copy and will re-read/re-evaluate it at some point.
     
  • For the category A 20th Century Classic I read The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. This book almost put me into a slump. It is fantastic, but such an emotional journey, it wrecked me just a bit.
     
  • Next up was A Separate Peace by John Knowles which I first read in high school and chose for the category Re-read a classic you read in school (high school or college). I quite enjoyed the re-visit and I think I appreciate the story much more now as an adult than as a teen.
     
  • Then I read Greenbanks by Dorothy Whipple for A Classic by a Woman Author.  Since Whipple is one of my favorite authors, it is no surprise that I adored this title.
     
  • Next up was Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov for the category A Classic Which Has Been Banned Or Censored.  Like The Grapes of Wrath, this book broke me a little bit as well.
     
  • I then read Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe to fit A Classic by a Non-White Author. I really enjoyed this book for its insight and subtle complexity.
     
  • My penultimate choice was Bonjour Tristesse by Françoise Sagan, translated from the French by Irene Ash, which fit the bill for A Classic in Translation.
     
  • Finally, for the category A Volume Of Classic Short Stories, I read The Dracula Book of Vampire Stories edited by Leslie Shepard, which was fun but I didn’t find too many of the stories to be that scary.
One of the best things about this challenge is how easy it is in terms of choice and options. Also, like last year, I was able to fill the majority of the categories with titles from my own shelves, which is always a nice feeling: Of the 12 books, two were from the library, seven I already owned and three I bought used for around a dollar each.

12 comments:

  1. Congrats on finishing this challenge; you read some great books! I still need to read The Grapes of Wrath...and while Trollope is on my list, I haven't tackled any of his books yet. Will you do this challenge again next year?

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    1. Thanks for the comment Lark. I hope you like Trollope when you get to him.

      I will definitely do this challenge in 2017. I can't wait to see what categories Karen comes up with!

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  2. Congratulations! I just realised I've only read seven and the year's nearly up, so I'm not sure how far I'll get. Still, it's a fun challenge, so I'll do it next year again.

    I've never read Trollope before. I really need to get on that.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Rob. The minimum for the challenge is to complete at least 6 of the 12 categories, so you could press on or you could wrap up now!

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  3. Great job! I had a hard time doing all 12 categories this year, but I think I'm on track for six. I also re-read A Separate Peace and appreciated it FAR more than I did at age 13.

    I always have fun with the different categories. Hopefully I can manage a few more next year.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Lori. Last year I really struggled to finish but I got luck this year with page length I think!

      I also have a lot of fun with the categories...a lot of the pleasure in this particular challenge is just thinking about and listing the possible choices, I think.

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  4. What an interesting & varied list! I'm almost finishe the 11th book & have read a chapter of my final choice so hopefully in a month I should be finished. 2nd year I've been a part of the challenge & look forward to next year's offerings.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Carol. I will be sure to pop over to your blog and check out your final list! Next year is sure to be fun too.

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  5. Wow! I am totally impressed that you completed the challenge this early and with so many great books. I am a huge fan of Pickwick so glad you enjoyed it--it is a bit slow going at first (best to skip the first chapter, in my opinion) but is a good rollicking tale otherwise. I also read and loved Small House at Allington this year, and was also disappointed with Frankenstein. And, I also reread A Separate Peace a couple of years ago and enjoyed revisiting this high school staple. I've already decided that Lolita is just not a book I'm willing to read--I value my psyche too much.

    Congrats and start working on next year's list!

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    1. Thanks for the comment Jane. I already have a small stack of books set aside in the hopes that they will fit in any or all of next year's categories!

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  6. hi, I don't know what it is about your blog but I'm pulling my hair out trying to comment.

    ...

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  7. and OF COURSE! my original comment (which was much more polite and offered holiday greetings and congratulations on finishing the challenge) is GONE!

    Please please add the Name/URL option! I can usually comment otherwise it just goes in circles...

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