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Personal Classics Challenge-2014
My personal challenge is to read some of the classics I already own. I think most of them are also on that one Finnish list.They would be (not necessarily in this order:
- Sinuhe
- Dorian Gray
- The Unknown Soldier
- Wuthering Heigts
- Red and Black
- Crime and Punishment
- Missä kuljimme kerran (Där vi en gång gått) And argh! It's shelved as Swedish literature when it's actually Finnish and happens in Finland. (It won the Finlandia Prize so that's why it's considered a classic even though it's quite recent.)
- and maybe In Cold Blood
So there would be Russian and French classics with a Finnish one and books in English. And I have already read one and the review is here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show..., in Finnish. But there is a picture of a nice statue. :-)
My personal classics challenge for 2014 is to read at least one classic a month. If I pull off the two reading challenges I signed up for it will actually end up being two per month.
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For saving space only No Spoiler (view spoiler)
I am considering some sort of 'gigantic book' classics challenge. I'm not sure if I should do 1, or 4, or if it should be 1000+ pages, or maybe 750+ pages.Some options to consider so far, are,
War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, Don't know which edition, various page lengths from 1k - 2k+
Vanity Fair,by William Makepeace Thackeray, 836 pages
David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens, 1108 pages
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Well, David Copperfield just won for February's revisit, so that should get you started. I know what you mean, I have skipped books just because they are so long and intimidate me I guess.
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Great challenge, Bob.
Kathy wrote: "Well, David Copperfield just won for February's revisit, so that should get you started. I know what you mean, I have skipped books just because they are so long and intimidate me I guess.."Yes, they can seem daunting! I don't think don't think I'll be ready for a 1k+ pp book in February, that's why I included it here (heh). I would like to read that one, just not next month. Too many other titles, and February is a short month as it is ;-).
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I still wonder how I was able to read Gone with the Wind over one weekend. Got it from the library after school on Friday and finished it after school on Monday. And I was eleven.Btw, I just realized that Missä kuljimme kerran (not translated to English) starts in 1905 and the epilogue happens (I've heard) just before the Winter War so it's quite close to Dr. Zhivago's timeline. It might be interesting to compare them. If I ever manage to read both...
The trailer of the film http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaISDi... because there's not much in English about it. (The movie is OK.) But all my friends who have read the book have given it five stars, so...
I want to read most if not all of the classics I own right now. 19th century
Earlier than 19th century
20th century+
I will most likely not finish all them because certain authors such as Charles Dickens I only read one of his books a year.
My main goal for 2014 is to read the books I own. Outside of that I want to read lesser known classics and classics from different countries. I want to see more diversity in the classics I read.
Kathy wrote: "What is your personal classic challenge for 2014?"My goals for classic reads are three-fold I guess. The first is to continue to participate in group reads.
The second is not so much for this year but an ongoing challenge that I have begun this year. It is to read classics from around the world, particularly a book which is considered a classic in its country of origin. I'm a little worried about finding translations but I would like to give it a try. My first focus is Southeast Asia, Asia and the Pacific Region.
A long term goal is to eventually be able to read books in Spanish and it would be wonderful to read classics from Spanish speaking countries in that language once I feel familiar enough in that language to feel confident to read a book.
Wish me luck! :)
Tytti wrote: "Missä kuljimme kerran (not translated to English) starts in 1905 and the epilogue happens (I've heard) just before the Winter War so it's quite close to Dr. Zhivago's timeline."
Missä kuljimme kerran by Kjell Westön, right?
What does "Missä kuljimme kerran" translate to? What is the story line of the book?
MK wrote: "I'm not sure if I should do 1, or 4, or if it should be 1000+ pages, or maybe 750+ pages."
This feels daunting to me. Bravo. I admire it.
Bob wrote: "I group my classic reads mostly by age not necessarily because they are proclaimed "classic" by experts."
You know, I often feel inclined to do this too.
Good Luck, Daisy! I would love to read in another language, too. Alas, I only have hs spanish. I've downloaded, last year, some free Spanish kids kindles, tho. A few I actually could understand the gist of :-). Someday, I'll renew that goal, but for now, it's "on the bucket list" :-p. To read well enough to read classics in Spanish, well that would be fabulous! I'll be cheering for you.
Good luck, Daisy. I've heard that Spanish is relatively easy language to learn, so you should be able to succeed. By Kjell Westö, right (-n is the genitive marker). It roughly translates "Where we once walked". It has lots of characters, but it is about Swedish speaking people in Helsinki, both the rich "bourgeois" type and the poor working class and how their lives cross each other. Some say the town itself is the main character. And of course the major event is the Civil War and everything that leads up to it and the aftermath (excutions and prison camps) and also what it does to people, and love and relationships and people and their lives, and the political turmoil between world wars.. It has many themes, I think. But I've only seen the series and it's a bit different from the book, I'm told. The movie concentrates more to the love affair between rich and older Lucie and Allu from the working class who was still a boy during the war.
Daisy wrote: "Kathy wrote: "What is your personal classic challenge for 2014?"My goals for classic reads are three-fold I guess. The first is to continue to participate in group reads.
The second is not so mu..."
Last year I really wanted to see diversity in the classics I was reading. I specifically want to read classics from Asia. I still do this year but I'm really tied down by the books I own right now. I think reading classics around the world would be a good challenge to do for the group.
I've read a lot of classics, but here are some I haven't read that I really want to (eventually) read:Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
War And Peace
Anna Karenina
Kat wrote: "...Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
..."
My husband and I were reading that one aloud to each other each evening, during the last trimester of my pregnancy. We had heard that reading aloud, and playing classical music, during gestation would be good for the baby's brain :-).
Said daughter arrived when we were just about 3/4 of the way done .... and the book still waits. Leather-bound Easton Press, with satin ribbon bookmark. (Daughter will be 24 in June :-p)
MK wrote: "I'll be cheering for you."Thank you MK!
Tytti wrote: "I've heard that Spanish is relatively easy language to learn, so you should be able to succeed."
I hope so, thanks.
And, thank you for the overview of Missä kuljimme kerran. It looks like it would be a great way to learn more about this region during this time period. Do you think it would be a monumental project for translation?
Sara wrote: " I specifically want to read classics from Asia."
If you ever start to do this (after you finish the books you own, huh?) please share about the books you read! I agree it would be fun if the group were interested.
MK wrote: "Daughter will be 24 in June :-p"Did it help?
Tytti wrote: "Did it help?"She's in her second year of vet school, so .... maybe! *grin*
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Moby-Dick; or, The Whale
War And Peace
Anna Karenina"
All of those are on my list too!!
Daisy wrote: "And, thank you for the overview of Missä kuljimme kerran. It looks like it would be a great way to learn more about this region during this time period. Do you think it would be a monumental project for translation?"It has been translated at least to German, Dutch, Estonian, Spanish and Norwegian, it seems. (Though they say that the Norwegian one is bad. How is it even possible? Swedish and Norwegian are as close as languages can be, almost...) But I presume English language publishers were not interested. It's a thick book but in Swedish so there should be more translators available, too. Väinö Linna's Under the North Star is about the same events, this may be more about the characters.
Tytti wrote: "Väinö Linna's Under the North Star is about the same events, this may be more about the characters."Under the North Star is on my list. :)
Daisy wrote: "Under the North Star is on my list. :)"Mine too... I am a bad Finn... But if I ever get married, the wedding waltz will be from that movie. That's decided. (It's very popular here.) http://yle.fi/elavaarkisto/artikkelit... That concert was actually held in Soviet Estonia, in 1984 (explains the style and wedding rings on the right hand, that's the Orthodox way).
Tytti wrote: "But if I ever get married, the wedding waltz will be from that movie."I moved this to the "Just Talking" thread. I hope that's okay?
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
My personal classics goal is to read at least 7 of the classics that have been on my TBR shelf for 5 years or more and to include 1 or 2 Charles Dickens titles.
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by
Boris Pasternak
by
Leo TolstoyAnd Maybe:
by
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
by
Nikolai Gogol
by
Leo Tolstoy
I think my goal is going to be a bit simpler ,since I don't do well with lots of guidelines and rules .
I'd like to take my time, but learn to read and enjoy several classics I have yet to read, but also learn a bit more about the authors, and possibly watch tv series of them as I'm reading along. I thought that might keep me more interested if I see it done like that ,while also reading along .
I guess I'm starting that already with Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. :)
I'd like to take my time, but learn to read and enjoy several classics I have yet to read, but also learn a bit more about the authors, and possibly watch tv series of them as I'm reading along. I thought that might keep me more interested if I see it done like that ,while also reading along .
I guess I'm starting that already with Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. :)
I have a sort-of Wimpy Challenge . I have all of Jane Austen's books but have yet to read one ,so my challenge is to AT LEAST read one of them this year. I've tried a couple times but haven't succeeded yet .
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I so know that feeling! Of all my close friends, only one other and I are not Jane Austen fans.
Does that mean you have tried them and don't like them, or just have yet to give them a shot ? I have them all but don't think I've tried every single one. I think the main one I have tried repeatedly is Pride & Prejudice .
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Yea, that's sort-of the opinion I got of them . For some reason, I tend to like male writers more than female ,so maybe that's part of the problem . We need to have a little bit more drama, like swordfights and pirates . :)
My friend has promised (or decided really) that he would read Gone with the Wind this year. I "might" have mentioned it a couple of times to him and he can't say it's not good because he hasn't read (or watched) it. :-P Now he's afraid that he might actually like it. :D
I set War and Peace as my challenge. Started in in February, now half way done. Now that I'm into it, I find it is not so much a challenge - it is quite engaging and really good!I've read some of the books mentioned above - by Dickens, Austen, Stendahl, Thackeray, etc. - I think you'll find once you get into them you'll have a similar experience.
My challenge is to read at least 4-6 classics this year that I have never read (or tried to read).
I want to read all of Jane Austen's novels this year. Here's my schedule, although I've not done too well so far.Jan-Feb: Emma
March: Pride and Prejudice
April-May: Sense and Sensibility
June: Northanger Abbey
July-August: Mansfield Park
Sept: Persuasion
I am currently listening to S&S, but didn't get through Emma, and didn't read P&P...although I do love that one, so it should be easy to fit in.
I will probably read four; I read one about every 3 months. Some are so long, it takes me 3 months to read them!
My challenge is to read either the Iliad , the Aeneid, and the odyssey all in 2014. This will also help me with improving my multitasking and time management.
I'm planning on reading some of american twentieth century novels and the bronte sisters' works in 2014.
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I just joined this group around the last week of April. My personal challenge is to read at least 7 more classics by the end of the year.
Uh I should do a personal challenge as well :-)I aim to get my %-read on 'BBC Big Read Top-100' up to 60%. I'm currently at 53%, so that means I will need to read 7 books from that list.
My personal challenge is to read one classic novel per month. As a multi-year challenge, I would eventually love to read all the Dickens, Austen and Bronte sisters novels that I own. Bought multi-novel books at Costco a few years back, partially because the covers were so pretty, with the intention of reading them. Since most of the Kindle versions are free, they are far easier to read than cumbersome and heavy books. They look cool on the bookshelf though. :-)
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Yep ditto!! ^^^ :-)
Lisa, Kathy, me too. I like having my Kindle carousel full of interesting things :D
My personal challenge for 2014 WAS reading all novels by Jane Austen. I started with Persuasion, which I liked very much. After that I read Emma, which was a lot harder to get through... Next I discovered some other wonderful authors and decided to let Jane Austen rest in peace...Last year I read only 5 classics. But this year I discovered all these wonderful book groups on Goodreads and decided to increase it to 35.
Until now I've read: 30!
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Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
Books mentioned in this topic
Peter Pan (other topics)A Tale of Two Cities (other topics)
Emma (other topics)
Emma (other topics)
Persuasion (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Elizabeth Gaskell (other topics)Wilkie Collins (other topics)
Thomas Hardy (other topics)
Jane Austen (other topics)
Boris Pasternak (other topics)
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Now we do.
What is your personal classic challenge for 2014?
Perhaps:
*You want to read a classic book a month
*You want to read several classics by a single author
*You want to read classics from different countries
*You want to read classics from a country that is different from where you live
*You want to read classics from the country where you live
*You want to convince us that some current best sellers will become classics.
Make it personal! It's all about reading the classics.