Week 1 - January #Classicsathon - Updates

[Josie]

I'm reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and loving it so far!

[Catricia]

And I read and finished The Taming of the Shrew today, and I have to say I was a little disappointed. I think I prefer the Shakespere plays that are written in the same style as Midsummer Night's Dream. And I wish Katherina didn't lose her spirit at the end.

[Gia]

The Great Gatsby and Wuthering Heights :)

[Manon*]

I'm also reading Little women at the moment. I'm loving it.
And I plan to start Darcula tonight

[eslem]

I finished Poetics by Aristotle (if you are interested in poetry or writing I reccomend it!) and reading Dracula right now, also I will be reading Emma by Jane Austen in January, hopefully. 🌙

[Hannah]

I am reading Emma. I’m listening to an audiobook for thirty minutes everyday. I’m not quite sure how I feel about Emma’s character at the moment.

[Jackie]

I finished O Pioneers today. It was not a long read, but I imagine it's not for everyone. It's beautifully written, but it's just about the daily lives of these people. More interesting than Cannery Row by Steinbeck

[[deleted user]]

I finished Alice's Adventures In Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass so far.

[Amanda]

I'm starting with North and South. It's long!

[Anabel]

I started and finished Diagnosis by Edith Wharton. It’s a short story about a man diagnosed with cancer and the way he deals with that information. This is my 4th book by Edith Wharton and I really like her writing now I want to know more about her life and I will read a biography this year and as many of her books as I can. Today I’ll start Germinal by Émile Zola 😁📚

[Caitlyn]

I just finished Emma it is my first Jane Austen! I think im going to read Mrs. Dalloway next.

[Lizzy]

I've started the strange case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Lewis Stevenson. People already know the plot twist from this story as there have been many knockoffs, parodies and a musical but I'm finding this story very interesting so far.

[asli]

Read The Great Gatsby to start off the 20's then followed up with the German novella Tristan by Thomas Mann!

I gave both of them three stars, even though I love the prose of both Fitzgerald and Mann. :(

I think the whole atmosphere of money and capitalism in Gatsby threw me off so I definitely need to read another Fitzgerald to get a better taste of his writing. Would gladly take recs for his other books! :)

[lo]

I finally started reading Emma. It's been on my tbr shelf forever & it's my first Austen

[Karen]

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is the one book I haven't read by the Bronte's so, I started this it for my first classic of the year.

[Cecilia]

I started off the year with "murder on the orient express" Although I knew whoddunit from before, I didnt know much more than that, so I enjoyed finally reading it and getting to know the characters. I enjoyed it, but I wonder if I would have read it differently if I didnt know who the murderer was.

[Sally]

Began the year with The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford and thoroughly enjoyed it. Need to finish Call Me By Your Name then back to the classics!

[Sena]

I finished Frenchman's Creek by Daphne du Maurier yesterday and enjoyed it more than I had expected. I thought it'd be just a romance but it turned out to be an adventure novel (with a romance) and it was really thrilling towards the end.

Today I started my second classic: Utopia by Sir Thomas More

[Hannah]

I finished The pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. The first of her books I’ve ever read. I was surprised how an easy read it was, and wasn’t full of ‘what, what!’ and ‘tally-ho’s’.

I still don’t even know if I liked it or not. I’m undecided. It’s just one of those books. It’s not romantic. I didn’t really see it as a comedy. But found it a little sad and bittersweet in the end. I mean whenever I read books from the between war period. I always feel sad for the men, cause I know WW2 is coming.

Any one else read The Pursuit of Love? What were your thoughts?

[Gia]

A few days ago I finished The Great Gatsby. And last night I started reading Emma :)

[Cary]

I read Penguin Island, but am actually unsure what I thought of it! I felt it started well, interesting premise etc, but became very confused and confusing.

[Cary]

I've also listened to Emma as an audiobook this month, but I'm not counting that!

[Cathie]

I'm starting David Copperfield ahead of the film release later this month.

[Laurie]

I've finished Twelfth Night by Shakespeare which was just an okay comedy to read. I will finish The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in a few days and I absolutely love it.

[Linda]

I started by reading Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll, then read some poetry, Songs of Innocence and of Experience by William Blake. Now I'm in the middle of reading The Mysterious Affair At Styles by Agatha Christie.

[Jackie]

Started Pamela. The Epistolary form kind of interesting. More personal.

[Charlotte]

I've finished Agnes Gray by Anne Brontë and am now reading Pride & Prejudice!

[[deleted user]]

I finished A Passage to India, which was also a reread for me.

[Emma]

So far this year I've read Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (and hated it), The Turn of the Screw, Murder on the Orient Express, the Man Who Was Thursday (which was really weird) And The Two Towers. I figured while I'm still on holiday I would smash out some of my reading goals.

[Antje]

I do count Stephen King as classic reading, so I already finished the Gunslinger by Stephen King, and now I'm almost finished with The way of a dog by Albert Payson Terhune

[April]

I'm reading Evelina by Fanny Burney with Georgianuary reading group.

[Rachelle]

I finished East of Eden and absolutely loved it!! can't wait to read more by Steinbeck.

[Rachelle]

I'm now starting A Little Princess

[Gia]

V i c k s wrote: "Is it good the great gatsby? would you recommend it?"

I thought The Great Gatsby was good. It certainly held my attention the whole time I was reading it. It's a short novel, only 180 pages. And, I love the time period the novel is set in, the 1920s. Do you think you'll read it? If you do, let me know what you think.

[Chris]

I just finished reading Jane Eyre. Though it was irritating at times, I found it to provoke profound thought patterns and helped me reach a better understanding of the toxicity in men. As a man, it seems too easy to neglect the sufferings of women, and Jane Eyre has opened my eyes regarding the importance of feminism in society. I prefer to read not for plot, but rather to consider a variety of viewpoints scarce my own; this novel succeeded in broadening my horizons, and for that I am grateful.
Overall, I decided to give it 4/5 stars. I would have given it 5/5, but the almost unnecessary and lengthy introduction coupled with a poignant lack of verisimilitude reduced it to a 4/5.
I am now going to begin reading The Aeneid by Virgil.
Have fun, everyone!

[Laurie]

I've finished The Tenant of Wildfell Hall and I loved it. I typically don't like romances but I am beginning to realize that does not apply to 19th century literature. Maybe the reticence or the different way the lovers must pursue their love makes the difference, but I quite enjoy the romances of the Edwardian and Victorian eras.

[Manny]

Hey everyone! I have a question for y'all. Would you consider Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to be a classic? I just finished reading it and not sure if it counts towards the readathon. 🤣

[ra]

i started vile bodies by evelyn waugh a couple days ago! i've already seen the film so i know the general story and am fairly familiar with the motifs, but it's still a headache to read for some reason.

im thinking of picking up a nabokov/dostoyevsky after this so if anyone has recommendation i'd appreciate it!

[Paperback]

Manny wrote: "Hey everyone! I have a question for y'all. Would you consider Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to be a classic? I just finished reading it and not sure if it counts towards the readathon. 🤣"

A post-modern classic, maybe? ;)

[Paperback]

ra wrote: "i started vile bodies by evelyn waugh a couple days ago! i've already seen the film so i know the general story and am fairly familiar with the motifs, but it's still a headache to read for some re..."

I personally like the double and the gambler by dostoyevsky

[Juliana]

Hi, folks! I finished The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton (1920), and also watched Scorsese's movie adaptation (1993). Here is my review of both: https://theblankgarden.com/2020/01/11...

Happy reading! :)

[Gia]

V i c k s wrote: "@Gia thanks so much!I'm pretty sure I'll read it,I also want to watch Di Caprios movie afterwards! I'll let you know my thoughts"

You're so welcome. Cool! I haven't seen the movie; I'll have to do that, as well!

[Iza]

I finished Dracula by Bram Stoker yesterday evening and gave it 4 stars on Goodreads. I was surprised by how much it felt like a modern read for the time being (gramophone, telegrams, diaries, letters, different point of views, quick pacing) !

[Linda]

Yesterday i’ve finished the modern classic ‘The Secret History’ by Donna Tartt. I gave it 4 stars, there were a few parts that dragged in a but, but overall it was really compelling. I loved the atmosphere and the writingstyle.
Now i’m starting with Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen.

[Hajer]

I finished reading Sons and Lovers and didn't quite like it. It started off well with a pressing issue and promising characters, but then it went boring, dull, repetitve and annoying. I'm currently reading Sense and sensibility and so far i'm enjoying the witticism in it.

[Karen]

I finished The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the last of the Bronte sisters' books that I needed to read.

[Whitney]

Just finished Wives and Daughters yesterday and absolutely loved it! Now I’m 50 pages into The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.

[Gia]

While an avid reader my whole life, I am a newcomer to the classics. I feel a whole new world has opened up to me in this classics reading challenge and it's very exciting! Thank you, Everyone, for teaching me about the classics via this challenge! (I have even listened to some videos, based on your recommendations, and will keep doing this because it's fun! :) I began this classics challenge naming a couple of classics as my goal to start reading. Now I've put aside some of those titles temporarily and I'm now off in a different direction. But it's all good as this is a discovery process for me. Because I know so little about the classics, I have now begun reading the classics 'buffet style.' That is, I'm "nibbling" on several different books (rather than making a commitment on just one or two) because I have yet to discover what authors/books I truly enjoy reading the most. A couple of authors and/or books that are emerging as possible favorites for me are: The Three Musketeers, Agatha Christie and Marcel Proust's "Swann's Way, Book 1." I know these are possibilities because I keep on reading them (and haven't laid them aside). I also realized recently that I'm currently reading two French classic authors at the same time, which may be a clue for me, too. The answer isn't in yet but time will tell and then I'll be reporting back here with another update:) More later! This is a long post, but I really needed to share. Thank you!

[Gia]

V i c k s wrote: "So happy for you Gia! Im also kinda new into classics and Im very grateful for this space that was given to us to talk and share about them"

Thank you, V i c k s! Yes, it's great! Glad you are here.

[Ruth]

So, I have finally finished reading The name of the rose by Umberto Eco and I have to say it is a very interesting book. It is kind of as if a detective mystery novel meets philosophy meets history meets religion all in one book. It has lots of very interesting themes and you are completely immersed in a mediaeval world that is super interesting and also super scary. The protagonists are very lovable characters and the descriptions of landscape and of the abbey in which the main portion of the story is set is also very atmospheric. The author's play with the strategy of a framed story is also very interesting and on the whole I think this is a classic for a reason. Also, it is a book about books and about a library with secret chambers, so it is a dream for any book lover. The only slightly more negative aspect of this book that I can find is that it sometimes elaborates in quite some length on rather difficult discussions for which you might need some more background knowledge in order to really understand them. I sometimes did feel like I was lacking knowledge in places to fully grasp what was being explained. But other than that, this book comes warmly recommended.
I am now on to Daphne du Maurier's Don't look now and other stories and very intrigued by the first few pages.