Wednesday 7 December 2011

The Classics Reading Challenge 2012


The Classics Reading Challenge is a reading challenge being hosted by Jessica at Thoughts At One In The Morning. The rules are simple:

1. This challenge starts January 1st 2012 and ends December 31st 2012.
2. All books read for this challenge can be counted toward all other reading challenges.
3. All books chosen for this challenge must be books you have NEVER read or NEVER finished that were written prior to 1980.
4. Choose a level or number of books you would like to read.
5. Create a sign up post for your blog including the Classics Reading Challenge picture above and the books you would like to read (you can change your mind at any time).

I've always struggled to read the classic classics (Shakespeare, Dostoevsky,Dickens) but I figure some of the modern classics should be too hard. Still, I know this will be a difficult challenge for me so I'm going to give myself a break and will participate at level 2. This means I need to read 4-6 books. At the moment these are my picks:

1. Anne of Green Gables
2. Catcher in the Rye
3.Great Expectations
4. Sense and Sensibility
5. A Little Princess
6. ?

This is one of only two challenges I'll be doing this year so I'm going to make it count! Am a bit excited about 2012 now...

14 comments:

  1. Great picks! You know I don't think I have ever read little princess either! I will be cheering you on :D

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  2. I'm so glad you're joining! You're going to love Anne Of Green Gables. :)

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  3. Good luck. Great picks - especially Anne of Green Gables. How about adding Mark Twain to the list (although he's a little older than modern). Or John Steinbeck.

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  4. I really liked Catcher in the Rye. I'm curious if you'll will. Good luck!

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  5. I'm a bit interested in doing it. I think I'll think on this though. Some of my picks will be books I never finished, and I think I never finished them for a reason!

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  6. Thanks for the encouragement guys! I am such a slow reader and classics usually drain me, but I'm going to try my darndest.

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  7. I LOVE the idea of this challenge! I don't really read many classic books either -- actually, besides Shakespeare or ones we've had to read for school, I don't think I've read ANY classics LOL! x) I don't know why, but I can hardly stand reading un-modernized writing (which is funny, because I adore Elizabethan)! I'm picky like that. :P

    But it's so awesome that you're doing this anyways, and I'll be rooting for you all the way, Lan!! GOOD LUCK! :)

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  8. Super fun! I usually make sure to read and reread the classics regularly, but there are just too many new books to read. I'm not sure I'll be able to do this challenge, but I'll look into it. It's such a great one, though. Good luck!

    I read Anna of Green Gables when I was a kid, but don't remember too much anymore. I've read Great Expectations a couple of times, and it's always awesome. And, I adore Sense and Sensibility. One of my favorites.

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  9. I loved Anne of Green Gables! The other ones . . . not so much. But I think they're definitely good ones to have read, since they're referenced so often. Good luck!

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  10. What a great challenge! I've never been a big classics fan, but I do have several on my shelf that I've never read. I'm tempted....

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  11. Good luck girlie!

    I don't think I've read any classics either although I have a few on my shelves (well actually they're packed now)

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  12. Oh awesome! I was just thinking about a classics challenge, but I'm glad there's already one in existence! I shall have to sign up in a bit! I have *so* many classic books sitting around my house, but I never read them :( I mean, I want to, but a part of my mind always thinks, "You're in no rush, classic books will always be around and relevant ..."

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  13. Sense and Sensibility! Woot! Love Austen. :)

    You guys have me all excited...will have to jump in on this, just need to pick some titles.

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  14. I've read them all except Anne of Green Gables. My sister read the lot and loved them. Mark Twain is definitely worth adding to that. Huck Finn is wonderful, but try something different - how about Connecticut Yankee? I read that years ago and my sister got me a copy of the first British edition, which came out at the same time as the first US edition.

    Classics are classics for a reason: because they still have something to offer us. So before you all get snobby about stuff you think of as what you have to read for school, remember that! :-) I admit I only read quite a few books because I had to, but then, I know if I don't buy a theatre subscription there are a lot of wonderful plays I'll never see either, so it's not a bad way to start.

    I just took my class through an intro to Shakespeare and found, to my surprise and delight, that they actually WANTED to see A Midsummer Night's Dream! I only intended to show them a few scenes, with the explanation that Shakespeare comedies have about four stories going at once. So I showed them a few scenes at a time, talked about the characters and the confusion, asked them, "What's happened here?" (and got the right answers) and we all enjoyed the last of it Thursday afternoon. Classics rock!

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