MaryG2E's 2016 Challenge: Classics - One per Month

[MaryG2E]

I'm setting myself two year-long challenges, "One per Month" in each category, which means 24 books in total.

CHALLENGE 1: Classics to read or re-read
We all have gaps in our literary knowledge, something I wish to redress. Plus, I'm a shocker for not finishing books, such as A Fortunate Life, which all Australians should read. I know I started it at least twice, and have subsequently abandoned it twice! OR, it is a book I read so long ago I no longer remember the details, like Rebecca, which I read when I was about 15, many decades ago!! This is the year of the re-read, or read for the first time of some well-known titles:

JAN: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 3★s
FEB: The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson 4★s
MAR: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.5★s
APR: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 4★s
MAY: The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford 4★s
JUN: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 3★s
JUL: Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner 3★s
AUG: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 3★s
SEP: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald DNF
OCT: ---
NOV: ---
DEC: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 3.5★s

[Sharon]

Great challenge Mary. Good luck :)

[MaryG2E]

Sharon wrote: "Great challenge Mary. Good luck :)"

Thanks Sharon

[Carolyn]

Excellent challenge Mary!

[MaryG2E]

Carolyn wrote: "Excellent challenge Mary!"

Thanks Carolyn

[Veronica ⭐️]

Great challenge Mary. Love the number one!

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

I loved A Fortunate Life when I read it a little while ago. It's not a big book either; but big in what happened with him!

Excellent challenge!

[Sally906]

Love your 2nd challenge - reading by numbers. What a clever idea :)

[MaryG2E]

Thanks everyone.

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Great challenge Mary! Good Luck and I look forward to your reviews :)

[MaryG2E]

☼♄Jülie wrote: "Great challenge Mary! Good Luck and I look forward to your reviews :)"

Thanks Jools

[MaryG2E]

#1 January: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 3 ★s.

I need to practice more at reading that high, florid 19th century prose style. I enjoyed the story but found it hard going at times.

[Ryan]

I intend to read a few classics this year as well Mary. Of the books on your list I read 1984 (3 stars) and The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith (4 stars) just last year.

Nice challenge

[MaryG2E]

#2 February: The Getting Of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson 4★s.
An Australian classic, this book explores issues for teenagers that are perennial. Even though the novel was written in 1910, it still has relevance today. And it is so well written, with delightful prose. Loved it!

[Stef]

I loved that one too Mary!

[MaryG2E]

Stef wrote: "I loved that one too Mary!"

It's a gem, Stef.

[MaryG2E]

#3 March: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.5★s
I read this story at about age 10, many, many years ago. I've set myself a goal in 2016 to re-read some of those classics I've almost forgotten with the passage of time. I really enjoyed this classic adventure of derring-do and mayhem on land and sea. Such vivid characters, not the least of which is the iconic Long John Silver with his crutch and his foul-mouthed parrot Captain Flint!

[MaryG2E]

#4 APRIL: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 4★s
This satirical novel was published in 1932, but it remains surprisingly fresh and modern. It is genuinely funny, and I literally laughed out loud on many occasions.

[Catsalive]

MaryG2E wrote: "#4 APRIL: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 4★s
This satirical novel was published in 1932, but it remains surprisingly fresh and modern. It is genuinely funny, and I ..."
Loved this one. Re-read it a few years back. Enjoyed the movie too.

[MaryG2E]

Although I came up with a wish list of titles at the beginning of the year, I'm finding it difficult now to access some of them. So I've decided to delete the proposed books that I'd locked in, in favour of classics that come to hand readily.
At present I am house-sitting and animal-minding on a remote horse property in central Victoria. No new books (the owner doesn't like reading!) but lots of 20th century hardbacks, probably inherited from her parents. I'm enjoying browsing them at my leisure.
#5 MAY The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford, from 1961. 4★s

[Elaine]

This is a great challenge Mary. I'm surprised I didn't hear about it earlier. It's a great way to read the classics. I might have to steal the idea from you....maybe for next year's challenge. And your current situation with the remote property and the old books sounds like a great gig.

[MaryG2E]

Elaine wrote: "This is a great challenge Mary. I'm surprised I didn't hear about it earlier. It's a great way to read the classics. I might have to steal the idea from you....maybe for next year's challenge. And ..."
Can I just say a tad too remote for my personal liking Elaine. I have to drive 5kms just so I can get 2 bars on my mobile phone, and there is no internet at all...I've been driving into town to use public internet facilities.
I'm enjoying this challenge, of reading or re-reading some 19th and 20th century classics. It's a looooong time since high school for me, and I'm afraid my memory is not so great any more. Nice to get reacquainted with old treasures. Anyone is welcome to steal the idea...:-))

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Oh Mary it's commendable the extremes you will go to, to meet a challenge! ;)

[MaryG2E]

☼♄Jülie wrote: "Oh Mary it's commendable the extremes you will go to, to meet a challenge! ;)"

Thanks Jools. Reading your comment, typing this reply in a smart cafe with wifi internet, sipping a smart latte - divine, and a helluva lot more appealing than looking at the horses yet again!

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

MaryG2E wrote: "☼♄Jülie wrote: "Oh Mary it's commendable the extremes you will go to, to meet a challenge! ;)"

Thanks Jools. Reading your comment, typing this reply in a smart cafe with wifi internet, sipping a s..."

Good for you! Enjoy ;)

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

MaryG2E wrote: "☼♄Jülie wrote: "Oh Mary it's commendable the extremes you will go to, to meet a challenge! ;)"

Thanks Jools. Reading your comment, typing this reply in a smart cafe with wifi internet, sipping a s..."

LOL!!!

[Elaine]

MaryG2E wrote: "Elaine wrote: "This is a great challenge Mary. I'm surprised I didn't hear about it earlier. It's a great way to read the classics. I might have to steal the idea from you....maybe for next year's ..."

Well that makes it sound a bit less romantic now that you've shattered my image of the property. Agree though it would be painful and not much fun to have to drive that far out of your way. Great challenge though.

[MaryG2E]

#6 JUNE: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, published in 1965 and touted by author and publisher as the first 'non-fiction novel'. 3★s

[MaryG2E]

#7 JULY: Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner. A genuine Australian children's classic, first published in 1894. 3★s

[MaryG2E]

#8 AUGUST: The great Australian family saga: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 3.5★s

[Deb]

Brilliant challenge... and you are doing well! The Thorn Birds scarred me!

[MaryG2E]

#9 SEPTEMBER: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald DNF.
I read this book many decades ago for English Lit, and enjoyed it then. I found I had great difficulty with this, along with many other books written in the early 20th and late 19th centuries, in that I find it hard nowadays to slip smoothly into reading the more formal language of earlier eras. I find it stilted, and my concentration tends to waver. Even though it is a genuine classic, I found I could not get into "The Great Gatsby" this time.

[MaryG2E]

#12 DECEMBER: The Annotated Alice: The Definitive Edition by Lewis Carroll 3.5★s

Having more or less abandoned this challenge for the reasons posted above, I had to read this book for my local Book Club meeting. I did enjoy it a lot.

Glad that this challenge has now ended, and disappointed by my own lack of enthusiasm for the task.

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Haha! Don't worry Mary - you did well :) I feel that way about classics as well...

[Ryan]

It wouldn't be a challenge if it wasn't challenging. I find many of the classics to be boring, or at least overrated, but I do feel a sense of achievement when I finish them. And even if I rate them two stars (or less) I'm always glad I read them. However if I rate a newer book less than three stars I feel like I wasted my time.

[MaryG2E]

Ryan wrote: "It wouldn't be a challenge if it wasn't challenging. I find many of the classics to be boring, or at least overrated, but I do feel a sense of achievement when I finish them. And even if I rate the..."

I agree 100% Ryan.

[MaryG2E]

CHALLENGE: Classics to read or re-read
2016 has been the year of the re-read, or read for the first time of some well-known titles. I enjoyed many of the books I read, but found that my enthusiasm for this challenge flagged. I found I had great difficulty with many books written in the early 20th and late 19th centuries, in that I find it hard nowadays to slip smoothly into reading the more formal language of earlier eras. I find it stilted, and my concentration tends to waver.

Here's the final results of the year-long challenge.

JAN: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens 3★s
FEB: The Getting of Wisdom by Henry Handel Richardson 4★s
MAR: Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.5★s
APR: Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons 4★s
MAY: The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford 4★s
JUN: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote 3★s
JUL: Seven Little Australians by Ethel Turner 3★s
AUG: The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough 3★s
SEP: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald DNF
OCT: ---
NOV: ---
DEC: Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll 3.5★s

[Brenda, Aussie Authors Queen]

Congrats Mary!

[Jülie ☼♄ ]

Well done Mary! It was a big ask!! ;)