Tuesday, February 26, 2019

The Classics Book Tag

Picture source: http://invisiblebread.com/
I am super impressed by all the bloggers participating in the Back to the Classics Challenge 2019 who have already read one or even multiple books that will count towards the challenge.  However, I do not number among those dedicated bloggers! I’m sure I will catch up, but currently I am only about half-way through my first pick: Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens.  But I wanted to at least post something in February so I dug up an older tag which was originally created in February 2015 by blogger It’s a Books World which went like wildfire through Booktube back in the day. So here goes:
  1.  An over-hyped classic you never really liked: I would not claim he is over-hyped, but I have never been able to appreciate D.H. Lawrence. I hated The Rainbow, I hated Sons and Lovers and I hated Women in Love. Three strikes, he’s out.
  2. Favorite time period to read about: I am not sure if my favorite time period is Victorian Era England or if I just love Dickens and Trollope…
  3. Favorite fairy tale: Can't say I really have one...maybe Beauty and the Beast?
  4. What is the most embarrassing classic you have not read?: Not embarrassed but I (despite my blogging friend Jane’s at Reading, Writing, Working, Playing lack of enthusiasm) I have never read any Anne Bronte and would like to remedy that!
  5. Top five classics you want to read: This isn’t really the top but the first five that came to mind: (1) The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope, (2) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, (3) Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens, (4) The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky and  (5) In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. 
  6. Favorite modern book or series based on a classic: Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier which has certain elements which echo Jane Eyre but stands in its own right as a classic.
  7. Favorite movie version or TV series based on a classic: the Hercule Poirot and Jane Marple televised adaptations staring David Suchet and Joan Hickson respectively. They are, in my opinion, perfect representations of Christie’s books even if they do stray from the text a little bit from time to time.
  8.  Worst classic to movie adaptation: I don’t know if I have seen enough to really make a determination. I think there is a televised version of Mansfield Park where it opens with Fanny athletically riding a horse…which, if you have read the book you will know is just wrong, so I will pick that one.
  9. Favorite editions you would like to collect more of: I like my classics to be annotated and in hardback; the best fit here is the Every Man library editions of which I do own a handful.  Plus they have a dust jacket and a ribbon book mark, small details that I appreciate. 
  10. An under-hyped classic: A Dance to the Music of Time by Anthony Powell.  It is 12 books, but oh so worth the read in its entirety if one has the time and the inclination.
Hopefully I will have one (or two) reviews to post in March! Crossing my fingers. 😄
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7 comments:

  1. Lark February 27, 2019 at 12:53 PM

    Love this post! I've only read two classics so far this year, and the one I just finished was my classic novella, so that one really didn't take too long. Good luck finishing your Dickens! :)

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    1. RuthiellaFebruary 27, 2019 at 2:28 PM

      Thanks for the comment Lark! Everyone is way ahead of me but I will catch up. Maybe once I finish Barnaby Rudge I should read Cannery Row since it is very short and will bring me more quickly up to speed!

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    2. Lark February 28, 2019 at 1:58 PM

      I'll probably end up reading all my short classics first, and have all the long ones left at the end of the year when my enthusiasm for reading challenges starts to fade...and then what will I do? ;D

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  2. Kathy's CornerFebruary 27, 2019 at 2:41 PM

    Hi Ruthiella, I've read two Back to the Classics novels but they were short and I'm thinking the Dickens book you are reading is probably longer and you are smart getting the larger book out of the way first. Very interesting questions you have posed about books. I have a feeling I wouldn't be a fan of D H Lawrence either. My favorite time period Victorian England but also the Great Depression of the 1930's and the pioneer days can be the setting for inspiring novels.

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    1. RuthiellaFebruary 27, 2019 at 4:33 PM

      Thanks for the comment Kathy! If asked the question in elementary school, I most definitely would have answered the pioneer days in the U.S.

      D.H. Lawrence is far too descriptive for my tastes as a reader unfortunately.

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  3. JaneGSMarch 2, 2019 at 2:23 PM

    I love this meme. So much to say.

    I read a lot of DH Lawrence in my late teens, and haven’t felt the urge to read him since...except for now I’m starting to think about reading some of his Southwest stuff.

    I love Victorian English novels too—my favorite type of book, and so many exceptionally good, prolific authors to explore.

    I’m ready for you to convince me to give Anne Bronte another try :)

    Rebecca is the best classic based on a classic—DMM was a genius with that book. I’m reading The Scapegoat in April with a GoodReads group and cannot wait!

    I actually think the most recent BBC MP with Billie Piper as Fanny is the worst adaptation, but I get your point about the Rozema film.

    Now I have to find out about Dance to the Music of Time—12 books, no less!

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    1. RuthiellaMarch 2, 2019 at 4:42 PM

      Thanks for the comment Jane! Yes, Victorian English authors! So many to try. In particular, I think I need to read more Elizabeth Gaskill.

      I want to read more DDM too but I don't think her other books quite measure up to the masterpiece that is Rebecca. At least the ones I've read have not yet.

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