The Book Challenge discussion
7 Classics Challenge
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Lynne wrote: "Just out of curiosity, which ones are your favorites? My list is in no particular order so I might have to bump the ones you say you think are great up from "maybe this year" to "definitely this year" status." Lynne, here are the ones I was referring to.
1. Heart of Darkness
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. A Tale of Two Cities
2. The Picture of Dorian Gray
I actually have to reread Heart of Darkness soon for a class--sometime before August. If you'd like to tackle it together and discuss, let me know.
Actually, Heart of Darkness keeps coming into my conciousness (?) from many different angles. That is probably the one I would have read next anyway. Send me a message when you start and I will read it too.
Lynne wrote: "Actually, Heart of Darkness keeps coming into my conciousness (?) from many different angles. That is probably the one I would have read next anyway. Send me a message when you start and I will r..."Sounds good.
Before Goodreads I would never had attempted this, much less doing more than one challenge a year. Now I am doing 4 and am totally addicted. Here is my list: 1. FOUNDATION - by Isaac Asimov (Finished)
2. THE GIVER - by Lois Lowry (Finished)
3. A Tail of Two Cities
4. East of Eden
5. Rebecca
6. Robinson Caruso
7. Middlemarch -currently reading
8. The Handmaid's Tale
9. Wuthering Heights
10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH
And since my husband and I are reading them together, I will add the rest of the foundation series:
Foundation and Empire
Second Foundation
Foundation's Edge
Foundation and Earth
Prelude to Foundation
Forward the Foundation
Man I don't think that this is doing my A to Z any good since a lot of them start with the same letter. Maybe I'll adjust as I go along.
Actually - I guess The Giver is not actually a classic, though it should be. So I will replace it with The Grapes of Wrath, which believe it or not, I have never read.
Sis (Lynne) and Mark - Let me know what you thing of The picture of Dorian Gray. I tried to read it a few years ago, but had trouble getting into it. I am wondering if I should give it another try.
Lyn wrote: "Sis (Lynne) and Mark - Let me know what you thing of The picture of Dorian Gray. I tried to read it a few years ago, but had trouble getting into it. I am wondering if I should give it another try. "Why don't you do what you usually do and let me read it first and tell you whether or not I think you would like it.LOL. Ask Mark. I think he has already read it.
OK smarty - I thoughts that's what I just did. LOL
You "thoughts"? Maybe you shouldn't ask Mark. I don't want him to know what an illiterate family we come from. I already didn't know how to spell consciousness.
OK so I can't type -Mark - seriously, can you let me know what you thought about the book and what you particularly liked. I'm trying to decide whether to try reading it again or not.
Lyn wrote: "OK so I can't type -Mark - seriously, can you let me know what you thought about the book and what you particularly liked. I'm trying to decide whether to try reading it again or not. "
It's been a LONG time since I read this one, but read it for a college course once. I just liked that it dealt with aging and the impact that sin has on it, in the story's context. It did seem rather subjective, but if you can get past the (I guess) narcissism, it's an interesting tale. I liked its gothic qualities, but I find it more gothic horror than just gothic, as Jane Eyre was. Sorry, I can't give much more.
Now you've made me want to add it to my list. But I'm actually preparing for an exam this fall for my English M.A. I have a ton to read already. But after October 24, I'm all FREE to read whatever I want. The classics I listed are on my list.
Mark wrote: "Lyn wrote: "OK so I can't type -Mark - seriously, can you let me know what you thought about the book and what you particularly liked. I'm trying to decide whether to try reading it again or n..."
Thanks - I think I might try to re-read it, but after I finish the ones on my list. I honestly can't remember exactly what I didn't like about it, just that I was having trouble getting into it. I'm actually curious about the book now, so it is back on my list.
Thanks
PS Good luck on your M.A.
Yeah MArk, good luck on your M.A. from me too. I look forward to discussing the classics with you and my sister (the other Lyn).
Lynne wrote: "Yeah MArk, good luck on your M.A. from me too. I look forward to discussing the classics with you and my sister (the other Lyn)."Thanks, ladies.
I started reading Tom Jones this week--it's long. I read Moll Flanders last week, and was pleasantly surprised by what an easy read it was considering it's from the late 17 century. I definitely recommend that book. Interesting to see what life for women was like in that period if you did not marry well.
Lucky for me I live in this time period and I did marry well.:)
Awesome challenge. I've been wanting to work at the classics in my bookshelves for awhile. Hence, the lenth of the list...2009
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2010
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2011
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Silas Marner by George Eliot
Middlemarch by George Eliot
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
I am adding Wuthering Heights to my list since I just realized that I have never read it.
Kelly wrote: "Awesome challenge. I've been wanting to work at the classics in my bookshelves for awhile. Hence, the list being 15 titles long...1. Dubliners by James Joyce (Reading)
2. Swann's Way, Vol. I b..."
I LOVED "great Expectations" and "The Crucible". If you want my recommendation, start with those.
Kelly wrote: "Lynne you read my mind."Well, I got to pick the shelf for next month and I picked "Classics". So have at it. (You can thank me later) :)
Since I picked the Classics shelf for the Pick a Shelf group, I'm going to start "A Tale of Two Cities" for my June read. How about you guys?
I'm starting with Middlemarch. Not sure where I'll go from there. So many books, so little time. For those of you here who are not part of the Pick-a-Shelf group, you should look it up. It's a great group and we have some cool challenges.
Esther wrote: "I read a ton of classics in my twenties but have been into popular fiction recently. .."It's going slowly because I keep finding other books i need to read :0)
1. Love in the Time of Cholera
2. Cranford
3. Northanger Abbey
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OK - So I didn't read Middlemarch. I did however, read both The Grapes of Wrath and started Robinson Crusoe. I'm coming to the conclusion that most classics are slower reads than popular fiction. There is so much going on, and since many of them are older, the language takes more concentration. BUT - all in all they are worth the extra time.
Mark wrote: "Lynne wrote: "Just out of curiosity, which ones are your favorites? My list is in no particular order so I might have to bump the ones you say you think are great up from "maybe this year" to "defi..."HEy Mark- Are you getting a summer? or are you still studying? Just thought I would let you know that I finished "A Tale of Two Cities" and really enjoyed it. I loved the language and metaphores. I also loved how all the characters ended up being connected to one another at the end. That is one of the things I have always enjoyed so much about PG Wodehouse. Plus I thought Citizeness Defarge got just what she deserved. I loved the characters Sydney Carton and the sewing girl at the end.
I'm game!Question. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," a classic yes or a classic no?
1. The Hound of the Baskervilles by: Arthur Conan Doyle
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Yes it is a classic. Never read it though.Brianna wrote: "I'm game!
Question. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," a classic yes or a classic no?
1. The Hound of the Baskervilles by: Arthur Conan Doyle
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Thank you, Mark!Mark wrote: "Yes it is a classic. Never read it though.
Brianna wrote: "I'm game!
Question. "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court," a classic yes or a classic no?
Diane's 7+ Classics for 2009:1. Age of Innocence - Edith Wharton
2. The Stranger - Albert Camus
3. The Time Machine - H.G. Wells
4. Animal Farm - George Orwell
5. The Awakening - Kat Chopin
6. The Beast in the Jungle and Other Stories - Henry James
7. The Journey into the East - Herman Hesse
8. Night - Elie Wiesel
9. Madame de Treymes and Three Novellas - Edith Wharton
10. Flatland - Edwin A. Abbott
Oh, this is great! It'll be a good motivation to finally read the classics that have been on my TBR list for years.November 2009
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I will put them up as a I Go and this is from Dec 3rd 2009 to dec 2nd 2010* is the on am currently reading
1) A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings Read 11/12/09
2) Little Women By Louisa May Alcott (audio)- Am planning to read book aswell later
3) Persuasion By Jane Austen
4) Wuthering Heights (audio) By Emily Bronte
5) Frankenstein By MAry Shelley (audio)
6) Dorothy & The wizard in oz (no 4 audio) by L Frank Baum
7) The forsyte Saga_man of Property By John Gallsworth
Finished
I would like to join this! Since there are seven novels by Jane Austen, I think it would be fun to read all seven of her novels in a year. :) I already have a collection of her novels, so I'm all set!
As part of my new year's resolution, I'm in! My list for 2010 is:- Middlemarch
- Ulysses
- Phineas Finn
- To be decided (a French author)
- To be decided (a Russian author)
- To be decided (an American author)
- To be decided (something I wouldn't normally choose, e.g. poetry, a play...)
Jo, I just finished Middlemarch a week or so ago and it was a pleasant surprise. I had dreaded that book for a long time. I think I started it once, but couldn't get into it. It turned out to be quite enjoyable. Enjoy!Mark
1. Lady Chatterleys Lover (read)2. Dracula
3. frankenstein
4. Catcher in the Rye
5. To Kill a Mockingbird (read)
6. Inferno
7. Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (read)
8. Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde (read)
9. 1984
7 Classics ChallengeDuration: 2010
07/07 Done
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FINISHED :)
Ooo! Excellent, this fits with my personal goal of at least 6 classics a year! What fun!
Crime and Punishment
The Scarlet Letter
A Passage to India
The Woman in White
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
Something by Jane Austen
My mainstay is Kobo for eReading, when I replace my 11 inch laptop I will be back to using Kindle for PC
Crime and Punishment
The Scarlet Letter
A Passage to India
The Woman in White
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
Something by Jane Austen
My mainstay is Kobo for eReading, when I replace my 11 inch laptop I will be back to using Kindle for PC
1. Jane Austen - Emma2. Leo Tolstoy - Anna Karenina
3. Robert Louis Stevenson - Treasure Island
4. Joseph Conrad - Heart of Darkness
5. F Scott Fitzgerald - Tender is the Night
6. F Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby
7. Charlotte Brontë - Jane Eyre
7 Classics ChallengeDuration: 2010
07/07 Done
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Just got a Kobo ereader, and it came preloaded with 100 free classics. I'm starting with The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and I'll see what draws me next!
I want to play! I recently took one of those quizzes where you check off to see how many of 100 top books you've read, and I came up with 30...which isn't bad. Several I've deliberately passed on. But I did feel sheepish when I saw some classics I do have on my Kobo eReader that I haven't read...and I have no excuse! I have my Kobo with me all the time...so what is the deal? hahaha So, I'm going to start with Pride and Prejudice and come back with my list!
I just finished my 10 classics in 2010 challenge! I tried to keep a balance between longer and shorter classics, but some of the longer ones are LONG! A couple of them I'm glad I will never have to worry about reading ever again! And some of them I really enjoyed. Here's my list:-Emma by Jane Austen - finished Feb. 4
-Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - finished April 24
-Dracula by Bram Stoker - finished July 10
-The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - finished May 30
-Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - finished July 4
And five classics from the Lost Lit List:
-Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck - finished Aug. 22
-The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne - finally finished April 29!
-The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - finished July 30
-Moby Dick by Herman Melville - finally finished Nov. 1!
-The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky - finished Dec. 26!!!!!
I posted my reviews on this thread.
I did this challenge in 2009 and liked it, so will attempt it again in 2011. So here's what I think I'm going to read:FINISHED 2011/10/28
In no particular order1.
2. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
3. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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The Book Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Crying of Lot 49 (other topics)The Count of Monte Cristo (other topics)
The Illustrated Man (other topics)
Crime and Punishment (other topics)
Frankenstein (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Herman Melville (other topics)Emmuska Orczy (other topics)
Alexandre Dumas (other topics)
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (other topics)
Ray Bradbury (other topics)
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Lynne wrote: "Okay, here are 12 I want to read, in no particular order. I will try to..."
Just out of curiosity, which ones are your favorites? My list is in no particular order so I might have to bump the ones you say you think are great up from "maybe this year" to "definitely this year" status.