Another Sarah's 2016 Classics Challenge

[Sarah]

The final list:

1899 and earlier
1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, 1859 , completed 10/21/16
2. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, 1719
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, 1813 completed 9/13/16

New School (1900-1999)
4. The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle, 1912 completed 3/8/16
5. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende, 1979 completed 12/9/16
6. The Confession of Brother Haluin by Ellis Peters, 1988 completed 4/28/16

Wild Card
7. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, 1819 completed 8/31/16
8. Heidi by Johanna Spyri, 1881 completed 1/19/16
9. The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri completed 12/28/16
10. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain, 1876
11. Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, 1599 completed 12/5/16
12. Journey to the Center of the Earthby Jules Verne, 1864 completed 9/20/16

Alternates
1. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, 1894 completed 7/23/16
2. The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Welcome to the challenge and good reading.

[Sarah]

Oh, there are some wonderful goodies in here! 1 & 2 especially. I love the title of your challenge. :)

[Sarah]

Sarah wrote: "Oh, there are some wonderful goodies in here! 1 & 2 especially. I love the title of your challenge. :)"

A lot of these are books I have been meaning/wanting to read for awhile. This challenge seemed like a good way to motivate me to get to them.

Thanks, lol
There seem to be a lot of Sarahs on GR. Not surprising given how common a name it is, but it is kind of funny!

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

I read pride and Prejudice this year, it was excellent. Tom Sawyer is also a good read and at times quite funny.

[Sarah]

Bob wrote: "I read pride and Prejudice this year, it was excellent. Tom Sawyer is also a good read and at times quite funny."

I have tried and failed to read Jane Austen many times. I just have never been able to get into her work. But this time I am not going to let myself give up on it.

[Sarah]

Emily wrote: "I love your old school list! It took a little while for me to get into "Pride and Prejudice", but it ended up being one of my favorite books. "The Neverending Story" was a frequent retread for me i..."


I have hesitated on The Neverending Story because I love the movie and I know the author despised the movie. But I think it is time to get over that!

Many people i know love Pride and Prejudice (or Jane Austen in general) so it must be me, which is why I am trying again.

I want to get to all 14 to be honest, but we shall see how the year goes.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Sarah, I too have a hard time liking Jane Austen. I've read some of her books with my F2F book group and at least I have one other friend there who feels the same. But I do keep trying another of hers -- just in case it really is just me.

[Michelle]

I haven't been able to get into Austen so far either. I'm hoping my timing has just been off, though. I really want to read Neverending Story as well, it might make it onto my Bingo 2016. I have to track down a copy yet, since my library doesn't have it digitally.

[Sarah]

Michelle wrote: "I haven't been able to get into Austen so far either. I'm hoping my timing has just been off, though. I really want to read Neverending Story as well, it might make it onto my Bingo 2016. I have to..."

I am giving Jane Austen one more shot. If it doesn't go any better this time, I give up.

The Neverending Story is available really cheap from Amazon. They don't have a Kindle version (that I can see) so maybe it isn't available in ebook yet.

[Desertorum]

I´m reading Robinson Crusoe at the moment but unfortunately I´m having a little hard time with it.
I have read Austen´s P&P and S&S in my teens and really liked them. Emma and Persuasion and read recently and Emma was pretty good and Persuasion not that much. This year I´m going to try Mansfield par and Northanger Abbey and then I think I have her pretty much covered.
Ivanhoe I really liked!

[Michelle]

Thanks for the info Sarah. I will have to look on Amazon. :)

[Sara, New School Classics]

ha, ha...there are indeed a few of us. I love your list. I do hope you enjoy the Austen. I love her so much that it is incomprehensible to me when someone says they don't. Of course, I have lots of writers I don't adore that other people rave about. Keeps life interesting.

[Sarah]

Sara wrote: "ha, ha...there are indeed a few of us. I love your list. I do hope you enjoy the Austen. I love her so much that it is incomprehensible to me when someone says they don't. Of course, I have lots of..."

It is too popular a name around here! :)

Glad you like the list. Most of them I have been meaning to read for ages, though I wasn't very good about making sure my TBR list on GR had everything on it.

So many people I know love Austen, so I am really hoping Pride and Prejudice is the one that will work.

If we all liked only the same writers, discussions would be boring! It is fun when people have different opinions on books and those who wrote them. As long as those opinions can be discussed civilly anyway.

[Sarah]

Two down...

[Pink]

Great list and well done completing your first two books. I've read and hated Robinson Crusoe, but it's the sort of book that you feel you should read. Pride and Prejudice was okay for me, but I preferred some of her others. This could be the one for you though and if not, at least you've tried. I also have The Canterbury Tales on my challenge list for this year, but not the Old English version, I think it's daunting enough already.

[Sarah]

Pink wrote: "Great list and well done completing your first two books. I've read and hated Robinson Crusoe, but it's the sort of book that you feel you should read. Pride and Prejudice was okay for me, but I pr..."

Thanks Pink!
Yeah, several of these are books I feel like I "should" read that I haven't yet or that I don't know how I managed to avoid in high school. My mom loves Jane Austen and finds it totally baffling that I don't so I told her I would try one more time. If Pride and Prejudice doesn't do it for me, I am giving up on her stuff.
I have read parts of The Canterbury Tales in Old English before. It was definitely tricky, so I am also opting for a "modern" English translation for tackling the whole work.

[Ciera]

Good luck on your list Sarah! I loved Tom Sawyer! Tom is like that mischievous little brother you can't help but love. Also, Much Ado About Nothing is great! I recommend reading it on Sparknotes with the NoFearShakespeare. They have the original text on one side of the screen as well as the modern version. I have really grown to love Shakespeare because of Sparknotes.

[Sarah]

Ciera wrote: "Good luck on your list Sarah! I loved Tom Sawyer! Tom is like that mischievous little brother you can't help but love. Also, Much Ado About Nothing is great! I recommend reading it on Sparknotes wi..."

Thanks, Ciera!

I'm looking forward to Tom Sawyer, that's one that I don't know how I got through school without reading.

While I don't always like the characters (I spent most of Romeo and Juliet wanting to smack people for being dumb), I usually enjoy Shakespeare's writing style and the quality of the writing.
A Midsummer Night's Dream is my favorite of his plays. Do you have a favorite?

[Susie]

I recently finished Tom Sawyer for this challenge too. It was the first time for me too, and I loved it!
Even though some of the stories are familiar, there is so much more to this book, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it.

[Ciera]

So far, I really like Macbeth. I also enjoyed Much Ado About Nothing as well, probably even more than Midsummer's Night Dream. I dearly ship Beatrice and Benedick together.

[Sarah]

Ciera wrote: "So far, I really like Macbeth. I also enjoyed Much Ado About Nothing as well, probably even more than Midsummer's Night Dream. I dearly ship Beatrice and Benedick together."

Nice!

[Sarah]

I really need to get moving on this...

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Sarah wrote: "I really need to get moving on this..."

This one is the challenge of mine that I tend to ignore till last (or in the case of last year -- too late). And I don't know why, because I love the idea of the challenge & I always choose books that I really do want to read. I think perhaps that choosing the books ahead is hard because I am a "mood" reader.

[Sarah]

Kathy wrote: "Sarah wrote: "I really need to get moving on this..."

This one is the challenge of mine that I tend to ignore till last (or in the case of last year -- too late). And I don't know why, because I l..."

I think that's part of my problem. I tend to be a "mood" reader too. These are books I want to read or feel I should read, but I keep reading BotM for this group and others or books that just strike my fancy at the moment.

[Sara, New School Classics]

Still almost half the year to go, you can make it. I like this challenge because I put the books I tend to push off on it and it makes me get serious about reading them.

[Sarah]

I tend to be a mood reader, too. I do find that creating one of these makes me prioritize the books that I really want to read so I put ones on here that I need extra incentive for. For some reason making a schedule works well for me on these even though I usually resist being hemmed in by schedules.

I'm really motivated by crossing things off, though. It feels like such a victory!

[Sarah]

Sara wrote: "Still almost half the year to go, you can make it. I like this challenge because I put the books I tend to push off on it and it makes me get serious about reading them."

I don't want to be stressed out at the end of the year. The last few months of the year are stressful enough on their own!

Sarah Anne wrote: "I tend to be a mood reader, too. I do find that creating one of these makes me prioritize the books that I really want to read so I put ones on here that I need extra incentive for. For some reason..."

I tried the schedule thing. It lasted for about a month, lol

[Sarah]

Lol! I normally don't do well with that either :)

[Sarah]

Finally finished Ivanhoe, so that's another checked off the list.

[Sara, New School Classics]

The sound you hear is me clapping.

[Sarah]

Sara wrote: "The sound you hear is me clapping."

Thanks :)

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Sarah wrote: "Finally finished Ivanhoe, so that's another checked off the list."

Did you like it? Another one on my list to read someday that I just haven't gotten around to doing.

[Sarah]

Kathy wrote: "Sarah wrote: "Finally finished Ivanhoe, so that's another checked off the list."

Did you like it? Another one on my list to read someday that I just haven't gotten around to doing."

It was pretty good. It did start to drag a little over the halfway point of the book. It got a little tedious at times, but on the whole I liked it. The characters were good and the story had a little bit of everything in it.

[Sarah]

Another one down!

[Pink]

Well done!

[Sarah]

Pink wrote: "Well done!"

Thanks Pink!

I realized I really needed to get a move on with this list so I am trying to focus a little more on it.

[Sarah]

And another one down.
Finally making some good progress on this list.

[Pink]

Oh great progress now! I find it's easier when you focus on one challenge at a time, or else it all gets a bit much!

[Sarah]

Pink wrote: "Oh great progress now! I find it's easier when you focus on one challenge at a time, or else it all gets a bit much!"

I was slowly losing my mind trying to be working on all three challenges I am doing at once. There was some crossover, fortunately, but it was too much. I definitely got a little over zealous this year and committed to too many challenges.

[Pink]

That sounds like me every year!

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Me too, :(

[Sarah]

Kathy wrote: "Me too, :("

Pink wrote: "That sounds like me every year!"

I've been on GR for years, but only really started using it for more than just keeping track of books a little over a year ago. So I thought the challenge thing sounded cool and then way over estimated what I could handle my first time out.

[Sara, New School Classics]

I think we might all fall prey to this one, Sarah. Keep reminding yourself that the only thing you HAVE to do is the one you WANT to do.

[Bat-Cat]

I've been on GR for years, but only really started using it for more than just keeping track of books a little over a year ..."

Me too!!! ;-)

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Sara wrote: "I think we might all fall prey to this one, Sarah. Keep reminding yourself that the only thing you HAVE to do is the one you WANT to do."

Best attitude for reading pleasure.

[Andrea AKA Catsos Person]

The important thing Sarah, is to just have fun!

[Sarah]

Sara wrote: "I think we might all fall prey to this one, Sarah. Keep reminding yourself that the only thing you HAVE to do is the one you WANT to do."

Good point!


Andrea (Catsos Person) is a Compulsive eBook Hoarder wrote: "The important thing Sarah, is to just have fun!"T

Kathy wrote: "Sara wrote: "I think we might all fall prey to this one, Sarah. Keep reminding yourself that the only thing you HAVE to do is the one you WANT to do."

Best attitude for reading pleasure."

Thanks all :)

[Sarah]

Another one down, finally finished A Tale of Two Cities tonight. Now hopefully I can start making better progresss on The Divine Comedy

[Pink]

Wow, they're two daunting books. Congrats on finishing A Tale of Two Cities, that should at least free up some more time for The Divine Comedy. I still haven't read either, but I might tackle the first part, Inferno, next year and see how I get on with that. I'll be interested to know what you think of it when you're finished.