Julie's Old & New Classics Challenge

[Julie]

Old & New Classics Challenge

All of these books have been taken from my to-read list here on Goodreads, some of them I've been meaning to read for years...

1899 and earlier/Old School
1. Louisa May Alcott – The Inheritance (1849) Read January 2016
2. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Scarlet Letter (1850) Read January 2016
3. Frances Hodgson Burnett – Little Lord Fauntleroy (1877) Read August 2016

1900-1999/New School
4. F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Beautiful and Damned (1922) Read January 2016
5. Terry Pratchett – Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch (1990) Read January 2016
6. Thomas Keneally - Schindler's List (1982) Read March 2016

My Wild Card Six
7. Philip Pullman – The Golden Compass (1995) Read January 2016
8. Lionel Shriver - We Need To Talk About Kevin (2003) Read July 2016
9. Daniel Keyes – Flowers for Algernon (1958) Read August 2016
10. Markus Zusak – The Book Thief (2005) Read May 2016
11. A.A. Milne – The Red House Mystery (1922) Read February 2016
12. Margaret Atwood – Oryx and Crake (2003) Read June/July 2016

Alternates
A-1. Ernest Hemingway – The Sun Also Rises (1926) Read November 2016
A-2. Stephen King – 11/22/63 (2011) Read October/November 2016

[Sarah]

There's some really great stuff on here. You're going to have a fun reading year :)

[Desertorum]

Nice list, I have multiple in my TBR pile as well!

[Pink]

Oh you have some great books on your list. I've read numbers 2, 4, 8, 9, 10 and A1. Of those, I loved four of them and hated two, haha, so I'll be looking out to see what you think of them. I'm far from even contemplating my 2016 list at the moment! Good luck!

[Julie]

Pink wrote: "Oh you have some great books on your list. I've read numbers 2, 4, 8, 9, 10 and A1. Of those, I loved four of them and hated two, haha, so I'll be looking out to see what you think of them. I'm far..."

Number 9 was actually chosen per inspiration of you :-)

[Pink]

Oh that's good to know, I really liked it. Made me cry, which doesn't happen often.

[Sara, Old School Classics]

Nice list. I have only read 5 of your choices. I'll wait to see what you think and maybe add some of your choices to my TBR list. I am mulling over my list at the moment...so many books I want to read, but I think I will pull all of them from the longest standing members of my TBR.

[Sarah]

Yes, 9 is a really wonderful book. I read The Beautiful and Damned this year and it was my favorite on my challenge so far but it was one of those things where I could tell my reaction wasn't very objective. I just clicked with it. Good Omens is hilarious :)

[Maarit]

Nice list. I've read 5, 6, 10 and 12 before and I also considered to add number 9 to my challenge, but decided not to. Also number 7 has been in my TBR -pile for way too long of a time, so maybe I should read it next year :D. Also, all the other choices look great as well, I hope you have fun with your challenge.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

I have read books by Alcott, Hawthorne, Fitzgerald, Milne, Atwood, and Hemingway, but none of them match your selections. I read Flowers this year, very good. As for King’s 11/22/63, I couldn’t put it down, a real page turner. The Book Thief is a sure future classic. It will be a great old classic read when my great grandkids read it.

[Janice]

Julie wrote: "So many challenges, so much fun planning them :-)

I had great succes with this challenge last year, so offcourse I'm going to give it another go this year.

All of these books have been taken fro..."

Julie, this is a very attractive reading list (is that weird use of words?) These are all books I would also have picked up to read (not under a challenge though as I don't think I could continuously read classics like this all at once. Well done!

[Julie]

Janice wrote: "Julie, this is a very attractive reading list (is that weird use of words?) These are all books I would also have picked up to read (not under a challenge though as I don't think I could continuously read classics like this all at once. Well done! "

Thank you Janice :-)

Actually I read quite a lot so I mix up my challenge books with contemporary chick lit, ya books and crime fiction

[Amanda]

This is a great list. Lots I want to read on here!

[Julie]

I'm off to a good start - finished The Beautiful and Damned last night and really liked it :-)

And started up Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch which seems promising
(my liking of this book will be a test of whether I read more by the two authors or not...)

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Really nice and varied list. I don't think you will get bored reading your choices. Have loads of fun.

[April]

Great job! One down already. :)

[Cosmic]

Congratulations! I just started The Beautiful and Damned. Did you like it? How did it compare to his other books that you have read? Did you listen to any jazz while you read it?

[Julie]

Cosmic wrote: "Congratulations! I just started The Beautiful and Damned. Did you like it? How did it compare to his other books that you have read? Did you listen to any jazz while you read it?"

Lol, I liked it - the only other by him I've read was The Great Gatsby, and that was some years ago so I don't remember it exactly - and no jazz unfortunately

[Melanti]

Julie wrote: "And started up Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch which seems promising
(my liking of this book will be a test of whether I read more by the two authors or not...) ..."

Some of the plot elements are more Gaiman-ish, but the humor and writing style is pure Terry Pratchett.

So it's fair to judge Pratchett by this book, but don't judge Gaiman by it!

[Pink]

I was pleasantly surprised by The Beautiful and Damned. It was a slow burner and one of my favourites by Fitzgerald.

[[deleted user]]

The Beautiful and Damned great .i hope one day read it

[Julie]

Updated my list with the books I've read so far - I really liked all so far, so it's a great start :-)

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

5/12+ Yes, I'd say you've a great start on this challenge.

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

A great start, absolutely, but liking them all, that's the bonus. Hope the rest are as good.

[Julie]

Updated - now at 8 books read. Just finished The Book Thief which I really enjoyed. My next read from the list will be Oryx and Crake - just ordered it from the library :-)

[Julie]

And I'm done!Flowers for Algernon
(well still need to do the two alternates to be truly done - hope to do those before the end of the year.

My last four reads here Oryx and Crake, We Need to Talk About Kevin, Little Lord Fauntleroy and Flowers for Algernon have been among the best reads of the bunch - topped by Flowers for Algernon which is a new favourite

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Congratulations, I hope you finish the alternates, but the challenge is complete. I can't speak to The Sun Also Rises, but 11/23/63 was very good, it was second or third by King.

[Julie]

Bob wrote: "Congratulations, I hope you finish the alternates, but the challenge is complete. I can't speak to The Sun Also Rises, but 11/23/63 was very good, it was second or third by King."

Yes I've heard really good things about this King Novel :-) If I don't manage to read it this year I'll definately include it in next years wild card reads

[Pink]

Congrats on finishing your challenge! I'm also a big fan of Flowers for Algernon and The Sun Also Rises, if you find time for your extras!

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

Congrats on completing your challenge!

[Julie]

I ended up reading my two alternates as well. 11/22/63 is a new favourite - seems like I have a thing for time travel literature, I also loved Time and Time Again which I read last year.

The Sun Also Rises was not really my thing - I'm just not as much into bullfighting as Hemingway...

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

Now the I know that EHs "The Sun Also Rises" is about bullfighting, I'll be sure to skip it!

[Laurie]

That's great that you read all 14. I love time travel too. Have you ever read To Say Nothing of the Dog? I really enjoyed it last year.

[Julie]

Laurie wrote: "That's great that you read all 14. I love time travel too. Have you ever read To Say Nothing of the Dog? I really enjoyed it last year."

I have not - it goes on the list :-)

[Sarah]

Congrats on finishing!