#ClassicsCommunity 2021 Reading Challenge discussion
Recommendations Corner
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Laurie wrote: "Naomi wrote: "Does anyone have any Christmas book/stories recommendations? I want to start a tradition of reading a Christmas book every year around Christmas and this year I have 'A Christmas cora..."Thank you! I know I'm getting the Tolkien book for Christmas and 'A Merry Christmas and other Christmas stories' is also on my list, but the others are completely new to me so I'm definitely going to check them out!!
Naomi wrote: "Does anyone have any Christmas book/stories recommendations? I want to start a tradition of reading a Christmas book every year around Christmas and this year I have 'A Christmas coral' and 'Twas t..."There is also The Nutcracker by German writer E. T. A. Hoffmann, it's beautiful!
Israa wrote: "I am also starting with Charles Dickens!!!!!! According to the internet, many people recommend reading Great Expectations, so that’s what I’m gonna read."I actually did love David Copperfield and I found it very easy to read.
Great expectations is lovely also, but for me a little bit harder. The Picwick papers is also a very enjoyable book too. And Oliver Twist is a nice one to start with.
slowssonne wrote: "Naomi wrote: "Does anyone have any Christmas book/stories recommendations? I want to start a tradition of reading a Christmas book every year around Christmas and this year I have 'A Christmas cora..."I'll be seeing the Ballet on saturday so I might just see if I can read the book soon then
Naomi wrote: "slowssonne wrote: "Naomi wrote: "Does anyone have any Christmas book/stories recommendations? I want to start a tradition of reading a Christmas book every year around Christmas and this year I hav..."Oh it's my favourite ballet ever, just magical! But you can read the novella afterwards, it's more detailed and anyway it's more clear what's going on than when you watch the ballet :) so you can learn the whole story, and it's just perfect for Christmas.
Hi everyone! I grew up in Africa, but now live in Canada. It's super cold here today, -30C with wind chill, and the winter is just starting. I'm looking forward to getting into a few good classics in 2020. I'm going to try to read The Brother's Karamazov, because I loved Crime and Punishment. I'd also love to be able to read Les Mis. They are 2 chunkers and classics don't really make up the bulk of my reading, although I do tend to enjoy most of the ones I pick up, so I might pick up something else, but I don't have anything concrete in mind yet. Excited about this challenge!!
Emma wrote: "@slowssonne - Dante for Italy and Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes for Spain. They are the first two that spring to mind."I would add The House of Ulloa by Spanish author Emilia Pardo Bazán, it's a novel that was written in 1886, and it is one of the greatest works of nineteenth-century Spanish literature.
1. I would love a general rec for an intriguing classic novel, preferably with a female protagonist.2. I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice, which Jane Austen novel should I read next?
My father’s family is Polish and Lithuanian. Does anyone know any good Polish or Lithuanian authors?
For Anthony Trollope, I would start with the Barsetshire series, which begins with "The Warden", which is the shortest book of the series, and it's kind of an introduction to the rest of the series. Although, some people aren't as fond of the Warden as some of the other books, I really liked the Warden, and I loved the main character, Mr. Harding. The six books in the series are all wonderful, my absolute favorite being Doctor Thorne.
I have been in the foulest reading mood lately, and I can’t pinpoint where it’s coming from. Right now I’m reading City of Stars by Robert Jackson Bennett and Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory by Patrick Radden Keefe. I am absolutely eating up both while also not feeling motivated to read at all. I would love to delve into a classic but don’t know what would be along the lines of both books. I don’t typically enjoy “who done it”/mystery books so it strikes me as odd that I’m loving City of Stars, and I’ve read a ton/am super interested in World War II/the Holocaust. I’m also tremendously interested in The Troubles in Ireland partially because I am American but also because I am far too young to know what happened. Does anybody have any suggestions of what to read? I have a copy of Little Women in my Audible collection that has been dramatized by a cast that includes Laura Dern, so that may be picked up soon. Thanks :)
*Correction: City of Stairs by Robert Jackson Bennett
Hi, I'd like to make a list of the 50 greatest (readable) classics of English literature. My aim is to create a to-do list from which chose which classic I'll read every month. I am open to books of any kind. Does anyone have something similar and would agree to share it or is there a book you really loved?
Rachel wrote: "Does anyone know where to start with Elizabeth Glaskell or Antony Trollope?"For Gaskell I would start with North and South
For Trollope I recommend either He Knew He Was Right or one of his shorter works like Rachel Ray.
Jenna wrote: "The only book by Dickens I own is A Tale of Two Cities. Is this a bad place to start? Should I get Great Expectations first? I read a Christmas Carol YEARS AGO as a kid so it really feels like I’ll..."I think Tale of Two Cities is a good first Dickens. It isn't his best work, but a good introduction to his writing style and one of his shorter works (so less intimidating). Personally, I liked TOTC better than Great Expectations.
Lily wrote: "Angela wrote: “please recommend a classic that will make me laugh.”Try “Three Men in a boat” by Jerome K. Jerome :)"
Yes!!! Love this.
Also anything by PG Wodehouse, especially Summer Lightning.
Northanger Abbey is less laugh out loud but is definitely fun.
Elle wrote: “ I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice, which Jane Austen novel should I read next?"If you enjoy pride and prejudice, I think you’d also like sense and sensibility.
Persuasion is less “fun” but it’s wonderful.
Angela wrote: "My father’s family is Polish and Lithuanian. Does anyone know any good Polish or Lithuanian authors?"I'm reading Pan Tadeusz by Adam Mickiewicz at the moment, it's a Polish classic set in Lithuania. There is another one of the same cathegory: The Issa Valley by Czesław Miłosz, it's beautifully written.
Other Polish classics that I've read are Quo vadis? by Henryk Sienkiewicz (a historical novel set in ancient Rome at the beginnings of Christianity) and The Dark Domain by Stefan Grabiński (one of the inventors of horror fiction in the 1910s). Solaris by Stanisław Lem is also a classic of science fiction. They are very different kinds of books, but I liked them all. :) I haven't read Peasants by Władisław Stanisław Reymont, but all my friends say it's a wonderful classic.
I'm not so good at Lithuanian literature. I only know one Lithuanian classic (In the Shade of the Altars by Vincas Mykolaitis-Putinas), and I wouldn't recommend it with all my heart. I haven't regretted reading it (it's a pretty good representation of life in Lithuania at the beginning of the 20th century), but I don't think it's so well written. I know a modern classic, though, published in the 80's: The Gaze of the Viper by Saulius Tomas Kondrotas. Now that's really something to read!
Mind you, I'm neither Polish nor Lithuanian, so I may not be the best person to ask about these classics. I've read all these books in Hungarian or (in the case of Grabiński) English translation. I'm not even sure you can find an English translation of all these books. But if you can read in Polish or Lithuanian, you'll surely find them and can choose one or two that you'll like. :)
Angela wrote: "My father’s family is Polish and Lithuanian. Does anyone know any good Polish or Lithuanian authors?"...and Maria Dąbrowska is also a Polish classic, nominated for the Nobel Prize several times. I haven't read her book Nights and Days yet, but I'm very interested in it, because it's a historical novel about a period of time when Poland and my country had to face very similar challenges.
slowssonne wrote: "What classics would you recommend from any country but Russia, the UK, US, France and Germany? Like maybe Spanish, Italian, Japanese, African, whatever you know!In English-language classics I'd r..."
@slowssonne, I hope you can still see this after so much time... Sorry, I haven't seen your question before. I'm sure you've already received lots of recommendations on Spanish, Italian, or Japanese literature, so let me have a look of my knowledge of other cultures. I've read quite a few classics in the previous years from different countries of the world. Some I can recommend to you.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Death and the Dervish by Meša Selimović
Romania: basically ANYTHING by Vasile Voiculescu, but I especially love his short stories written in magic realism
the Ukraine: Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol
Poland and Lithuania: see my comment above this one :)
the Czech Republic: The Grandmother by Božena Němcová, or any short stories by Karel Čapek
Slovakia: if you can find anything in English by Timrava, read it
Estonia: if you can find anything by Jaan Kross, read it
Latvia: The Annele Trilogy by Anna Brigadere, or the tales of Kārlis Skalbe
Finland: Silja by Frans Eemil Sillanpää (winner of the Nobel Prize)
Sweden: Gösta Berling by Selma Lagerlöf (ditto)
Norway: Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset (ditto)
Denmark: Out of Africa or Babette's Feast by Karen Blixen
Belgium: Thyl Ulenspiegel by Charles de Coster or The Lion of Flanders by Hendrik Conscience
Austria: anything by Gustav Meyrink
Monaco: La Légende de Sainte Dévote by Louis Notari (if you can read in French, because there's no English translation)
Portugal: I wonder if you can find Almeida Garrett or Luís Camões in English - I like the previous one more
Bulgaria: Under the Yoke by Ivan Vazov
Albania: The General of the Dead Army by Ismail Kadare
Syria: anything by Lucian of Samosata (ancient writer)
Iran: The Book of Kings by Firdausi
China: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en or Water Margin by Shi Nai'an
Myanmar: short stories by Khin Myo Chit
Vietnam: The Tale of Kieu by Nguyễn Du
Morocco: The Travels of Ibn Battutah (by the same)
Mali: The Fortunes of Wangrin by Amadou Hampâté Bâ
Sudan: Season of Migration to the North by Tayeb Salih
Guinea: The Dark Child by Camara Laye
Benin: Doguicimi by Paul Hazoumé
Cameroon: The Old Man and the Medal by Ferdinand Oyono
the Democratic Republic of the Congo: The Lianja Epic
Tanzania: Memoirs of an Arabian Princess from Zanzibar by Emily Ruete
Lesotho: Chaka by Thomas Mofolo
Guatemala: The Bejeweled Boy by Miguel Ángel Asturias
Costa Rica: Marcos Ramírez by Carlos Luis Fallas
Cuba: anything by Alejo Carpentier
Jamaica: The Autumn Equinox by John Hearne
Dominica: anything by Jean Rhys
Trinidad and Tobago: anything by V. S. Naipaul
Paraguay: Son of Man by Augusto Roa Bastos
Uruguay: The Shipyard by Juan Carlos Onetti
There must be lots of classics worth reading from other countries, too, but I haven't read them yet. These I have (except for Oyono). I've read lots of other books from other countries, too, but they are contemporaries.
I left my own country to the end of the line, see my following comment.
Let me recommend you two Hungarian classics: The Tragedy of Man by Imre Madách
The Man with the Golden Touch by Mór Jókai
Of course there are other classics from my country in English, too, but these two I've written about in English (you can find them on Goodreads), and so you'll be able to see why I recommend them to you. :)
@Timar_Krisztin thank you so much for all of the great recommendations 🖤
Angela wrote: "@Timar_Krisztin thank you so much for all of the great recommendations 🖤"You're welcome. :) I'm glad if you can make use of them. When I finish Pan Tadeusz, I'll write about it both in my own language and in English. You can have a look then and decide if you're also interested.
@Timar_Krisztin, I would like to thank you also. I have copied your recommendations, so I will be able to use it as a guide.
Karen wrote: "@Timar_Krisztin, I would like to thank you also. I have copied your recommendations, so I will be able to use it as a guide."I'm glad you can use it. :) I thought people didn't read comments very often, but I see I was wrong and it's great! :)
Lily wrote: "I’m looking to read more short stories this year. Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m open to any genre..."Check out my recommendations above; there are lots of short stories among them. :) Also, I highly recommend Marie de France. She was a medieval French author, and she wrote her short stories in verse form, but they're stories all the same. And really enjoyable.
Louise wrote: "Elle wrote: "1. I would love a general rec for an intriguing classic novel, preferably with a female protagonist.2. I am currently reading Pride and Prejudice, which Jane Austen novel should I rea..."
thanks!
Hi! I really want to read a biography of Jane Austen. But as there are so many, I really don’t know which one to pick. Does anyone have a good recommendation?
Willekeurigekorteverhalen wrote: "Hi! I really want to read a biography of Jane Austen. But as there are so many, I really don’t know which one to pick. Does anyone have a good recommendation?"Many People recommend Jane Austen at Home by Lucy Worsley
@Nad...Thanks you so much! It looks like a great version.
Hi I'm looking for some recommendations of collections of letters or journals. I've read Jane Austen's letters, I've got the Mitford sisters letters and I'm looking at getting Henry James letters but can anyone recommend any particular collections please?
Claire wrote: "Hi I'm looking for some recommendations of collections of letters or journals. I've read Jane Austen's letters, I've got the Mitford sisters letters and I'm looking at getting Henry James letters ..."
Kafka has a lot of really great letters. Letters to Felice and Letters to Milena!
Thank you, I will be sure to look that one up as I've never heard of it before.
For 19th century Spanish literature I recommend: -Fortunata and Jacinta by Benito Perez Galdos (he’s like the Spanish equivalent of Charles Dickens)-it’s a of book but a really interesting story.
-The house of ulloa by Emilia Pardo Bazan
-La Regenta by Leopoldo Alas
I am also planning on trying to read some of Cervantes short tales as I have already read Don Quixote. I know about these books as I did a year abroad in Spain and one of the modules I did was on 19th century Spanish literature and these were some of the books I studied. These books are all available in English translation (or at lest they were when I bought them in English).
McKenzie wrote: "Claire wrote: "Hi I'm looking for some recommendations of collections of letters or journals. I've read Jane Austen's letters, I've got the Mitford sisters letters and I'm looking at getting Henry..."
Thank you, will have a look at these.
Lily wrote: "I would like to challenge myself and get into Russian literature next year, any suggestions where to start?"Yay!!! I recommend Leo Tolstoy. He wrote for the masses and those with less education, so the writing is very accessible. Go in knowing that usually there are a lot of names, so it might be helpful to keep a list of characters so you can keep them straight. :-)
Mary wrote: "slowssonne wrote: "What classics would you recommend from any country but Russia, the UK, US, France and Germany? Like maybe Spanish, Italian, Japanese, African, whatever you know!In English-lang..."
Fun fact: Mordecai Richler's son lives in the same village as my family in Canada. Super cool!
Hi everyone! I was just wondering if Agatha Christie is considered a classics author? If so, do you have any particular recommendations? Thanks all!
Angela wrote: "My father’s family is Polish and Lithuanian. Does anyone know any good Polish or Lithuanian authors?"For some more Polish literature:
I really liked On the Niemen by Eliza Orzeszkowa, please don't get discouraged seeing the rating - it's a compulsory reading in Polish schools.
Henryk Sienkiewicz, as @Timár_Krisztina recommended is also a great author, I think that the Trilogy is worth reading as well as Quo Vadis.
If you are interested in the World War II period, I highly recommend Tadeusz Borowski's short stories.
Oh, and Bolesław Prus, The Doll is a very good Polish classic and his novellas are great.
Julia wrote: "I really liked On the Niemen by Eliza Orzeszkowa, please don't get discouraged seeing the rating - it's a compulsory reading in Polish schools."That sounds great, and there is a Hungarian translation, I'll put it on my list, too. :) I must confess I started reading Sienkiewicz's Trilogy, too, but wasn't able to finish even the first part... perhaps some time later. It was quite a long time ago, though.
Does anyone know where to start with classic gothic literature?
Lizzie wrote: "Does anyone know where to start with classic gothic literature?"With Horace Walpole, I think. I seem to remember that his Castle of Otranto was the first Gothic novel proper.
Lizzie wrote: "Does anyone know where to start with classic gothic literature?"Castle of Otranto is where the genre started but I wouldn't recommend it as your first pre-20th century Gothic novel as I found it a bit bizarre/hard to read.
You could start with later novellas like Carmilla (Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu) or Frankenstein (Mary Shelley) as they're relatively easy to read. The Picture of Dorian Gray also has Gothic themes (Oscar Wilde is always fun). Good luck!
Anuja wrote: "Lizzie wrote: "Does anyone know where to start with classic gothic literature?"Castle of Otranto is where the genre started but I wouldn't recommend it as your first pre-20th century Gothic novel..."
I agree.
Frankenstein was a great experience for me, too. I've read it three times. Wonderful.
Dracula could also be easier to read.
Lizzie wrote: "Does anyone know where to start with classic gothic literature?"Like others have stated, Frankenstein and Dracula are popular within the gothic genre and they are pretty easy to read. I would also suggest The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and Phantom of the Opera. If you don't want to necessarily read a book with monsters, The Picture of Dorian Gray or something by the Bronte sisters like Wuthering Heights or Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre is long, but to my memory is not a complicated read and I really enjoyed it.
Lorna wrote: "Hi everyone! I was just wondering if Agatha Christie is considered a classics author? If so, do you have any particular recommendations? Thanks all!"Hi Lorna,
I just listened to Lucy's Video again. She basically says that we can use our own discretion to determine what is a classic. Christie published from 1920 - 1976. A couple of her best works are Murder on the Orient Express, and And Then There Were None. A few of them are now out of copyright (or in the public domain).
Bottom line, I think Christie is a classic, because she is still being read, and movie adaptations are still being made, long after her death.
Does anyone have any recommendations of some French classics?
Leah wrote: "Does anyone have any recommendations of some French classics?"Hello Leah
As a student of French literature I can recommend the following as some of my personal favourites:
Dangerous Liaisons by Choderlos de Laclos
W ou le souvenir d'enfance by Georges Perec (I am not sure what the English translation of that title would be)
Un long dimanche de fiançailles (A very long engagement) by Sébastien Japrisot
Auschwitz and after I, II and III by Charlotte Delbo
Thérèse Raquin by Emile Zola
Simone de Beauvoir's memoirs
Any book by Elsa Triolet (most of these are no longer available in translation though, so unless you can read them in French you might have difficulty finding any of her books, but I do highly recommend them, she is a much underrated author and I personally love her writing)
I hope this helps! Enjoy your reading!
Ruthreadsabook wrote: "Leah wrote: "Does anyone have any recommendations of some French classics?"Hello Leah
As a student of French literature I can recommend the following as some of my personal favourites:
Dangerous ..."
And what about L'Éducation sentimentale? I've heard that is really good.
Kind regards!
#ClassicsCommunity 2021 Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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White Nights (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Dinah Maria Mulock Craik (other topics)Fyodor Dostoevsky (other topics)
Anonymous (other topics)
Harry Houdini (other topics)
Rabindranath Tagore (other topics)
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Naomi, there are a couple of other short stories by Charles Dickens other than A Christmas Carol. There's The Cricket on the Hearth and The Chimes. A few other classics are A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote, Letters from Father Christmas by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum, The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, and A Merry Christmas and Other Christmas Stories by Louisa May Alcott. I've read some of these selections but not most of them.