Tuesday, December 21, 2021

Back to the Classics 2021: WRAP UP!


Limping to the finish line, here's my wrap up of the nine books read and blogged for the Back to the Classics Challenge 2021.

1. A classic by a new-to-you author, i.e., an author whose work you have never read.

The House of Ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazán  

2. A humorous or satirical classic.

     Right You Are, Jeeves,  Stiff Upper Lip, Jeeves, Jeeves and the Tie That Binds by P.G. Wodehouse 

3. A classic about an animal, or with an animal in the title. The animal can be real or metaphorical. (i.e., To Kill a Mockingbird).

     Setting Free the Bears by John Irving 

4. A classic by BIPOC author; that is, a non-white author.

     A Grain of Wheat by  Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o

5. New-to-you classic by a favorite author -- a new book by an author whose works you have already read.

     Orley Farm by Anthony Trollope

6. A children's classic. 

     The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame 

7. A classic in translation, meaning any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer. 

     His Excellency, Eugène Rougon by Emile Zola 

8. A 20th century classic: any book first published from 1900 to 1971. 

     Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser  

9. A travel or adventure classic (fiction or non-fiction). It can be a travelogue or a classic in which the main character travels or has an adventure. 

     She: A History of Adventure by H. Rider Haggard

As always, a huge thank you to Karen at Books and Chocolate for organizing this and doing all the heavy lifting. My email is naessa [at] yahoo [dot] com. Most were winners and I am very glad to have read them all; any excuse to explore classic novels I’ve been meaning to get to for years!

22 comments:

  1. Congrats on another successful classics reading challenge! I always love seeing the books you choose to read...and then adding them to my own TBR list. :) Do you think Karen will host this challenge again next year? I hope so!

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    1. I hope so too! Let's cross our fingers. I know blogging for her has become a bit of a problem in the past couple years as well.

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  2. Congrats! It's been fun reading yours. I need to write my wrapup. Like you--as you mentioned in the previous post--I've read more than I managed to blog about, and maybe I'll write about Major Barbara before that. We'll see...

    And joy of the season to you!

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    1. Happy holidays to you too reese! I do love this challenge for all the wonderful classics it introduces me to. :D

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  3. Congratulations Ruthiella and I always look forward to your reviews. Of the books you named I think I would like to read Sister Carrie next year. I believe I started it years ago but I don't know if I ever finished it. I too hope Karen hosts the challenge again although I know how much work it is. But regardless I am so grateful and amazed at the books I have read since starting the challenge. I would never have read these books otherwise.

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    1. Thanks Kathy. I also really appreciate how the challenge makes me read books I have been meaning to read for years but keep putting off. A little bit of organization to my reading list goes a long way, I find. I too hope Karen will continue with the challenge in 2022.

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  4. What do you mean, "limping to the finish line"? You did great! I only wish I'd done nearly as well. I actually did manage to read 9/10 of my choices, but I posted on --- nada! nothing! zilch! Even so, I love this challenge, as it always gets me to read things I wouldn't otherwise. Oh well, maybe next year (I haven't seen anything for 2022; hopefully Karen is up to hosting again).

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    1. Well, I really wanted to do all 12! I am hoping that I will get back into blogging regularly next year. Also, I am crossing my fingers that Karen continues in 2022 as well, but so far no news...

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  5. Well done on finishing up 9! That is quite a line up. Except for Sister Carrie, which I read in high school, Wind in the Willows is the only one I have read, but it is a favorite. I finally read Cider House Rules earlier this year (or was it last year?), and discovered that I like John Irving, so I want to read more by him. Setting Free the Bears might be the place to start.

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    1. Thanks for the comment Jane! I wouldn't suggest Setting Free the Bears for your next Irving read. Try The World According to Garp or A Prayer for Owen Meany instead. Of course, I could be wrong and you will love it. But I found, while it had much of Irving's signature style which he would develop more fully in his later books, it was a little hard going in places.

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    1. I had such fun "discovering" him this year. Now I want to read all the Jeeves & Wooster books in order!

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  7. Hopping over from the Back to Classics wrap-up post linkup. These were all new-to-me titles of classics, except for The Wind in the Willows, which I loved. I enjoyed your review and had no idea that Mr. Toad was based on Kenneth Graham's son as a child, haha!

    Here is my list, if interested! https://elle-alice.blogspot.com/2021/12/back-to-classics-wrap-up-post.html

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    1. Thanks for the comment Elena Alice! I will pop over to your blog to see your wrap up. I love looking at other blogger's lists for discoverability. :D

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  8. A nice assortment! I know I have started but not finished Sister Carrie. Otherwise, I have read all of Jeeves although I will admit I only remember the plots of a few. My mother dislikes The Wind in the Willows so I never read it, which is strange as I am sure I read every other English children's classic.

    Wishing you a Happy New Year!

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    1. Happy New Year to you too CLM! I think all the Jeeves and Wooster plots are essentially Bertie gets into a pickle and Jeeves gets him out of it...ha ha ha. The plots really do run together since they aren't really too different on from another.

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  9. Congrats! You always do an excellent job with this one. Big YAY for Karen, too! WOOT
    Happy New Year!

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  10. Great list! Thanks for participating in the Back to the Classics Challenge!

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    1. Thank you for all you do Karen! I really appreciate it. :D

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  11. A good mix you have there, Ruthiella. Well done on finishing 9 books.

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