Denise's Old and New Classics Challenge 2017

[Denise]

I hope it's OK for me to start a modified Old and New Classics Challenge at this late date. I don't always succeed in these challenges, but I'm going to try! Since I'm getting a late start, my list has 3 Old School Classics, 3 New School Classics, and 4 Wild Cards for a total of 10 books with 2 alternates. I just finished My Name Is Lucy Barton this past weekend, so at least I'm on my way! Please let me know if I've committed a faux pas of any kind in this post.

Old School Classics (1899 and before):

Villette by Charlotte Bronte
David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (audiobook)
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne Finally finished 7/9/17 3.5 Stars

New School Classics (1900-1999)

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf

Wild Cards

My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout Finished 3/12/17 4.5 Stars
The Door by Magda Szabo
Ross Poldark by Winston Graham
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett

Alternates

Sidney Chambers and the Shadow of Death by James Runcie
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro


I'm a big fan of public television, so want to read the Poldark and Granchester (Runcie) books. Also, I heard there might be a series based on Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles books, so thought I would give The Game of Kings a try, too. I hope audiobooks are acceptable. I have already listened to a couple of the books in the Poldark series, but want to read them as well.

Denise

[Pink]

No faux par, we advise trimming the challenge depending on when you start, so that it equates to roughly one book per month, which is exactly what you've done :)

Congrats on finishing your first book and good luck with the rest!

[Melanti]

Completely fine. As Pink says, we actually recommend cutting back on the challenge if you join mid-year.

Welcome to the challenge!

I recently bought a copy of My Cousin Rachel, which I'm looking forward to, and I've been meaning to read The Game of Kings for years now. I'll be interested to hear how you like it!

[Denise]

I finally finished The Scarlett Letter, which was kind of a slog for some reason. I'm starting My Cousin Rachel next, a little late to the game as usual, since it's this July's New School Classic. I just saw the new movie so am looking forward to seeing how the movie compares with the book. I think I read My Cousin Rachel as a teenager, but didn't remember the plot when I saw the movie.

[Pink]

Good luck with My Cousin Rachel, I loved the book, but haven't seen the film yet.