Reading Challenge 2018

Last year my goal was to read 75 books.  That's a bit lower than what I usually read, but I wanted to try more classics.  I ended up being a bit out of control and I read 200 books (a total of 65,232 pages!)- Yowza!  I need to probably find a bit more balance in my life this year, but one thing I really loved was the classics challenge, because it forced me to read outside of my comfort zone, and also check a couple of books off my list that I should have read a long time ago.  I'm most proud of my accomplishment in reading Tolstoy's War and Peace.  That had been on my to-read list for years and years!  I've decided to try the Classics Challenge again this year.  This is what I have so far, but I'm already thinking of changing a few.  We'll see.  Once again I tried to pick mostly books that I've always wanted to read, but for some reason or another haven't gotten around to reading yet.  I like the extra little push this challenge gives me. 

1.  A 19th century classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899.

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

2.  A 20th century classic - any book published between 1900 and 1968. Just like last year, all books MUST have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify. The only exception is books written at least 50 years ago, but published later, such as posthumous publications.

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

3.  A classic by a woman author. 

Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain

4.  A classic in translation.  Any book originally written published in a language other than your native language. Feel free to read the book in your language or the original language. (You can also read books in translation for any of the other categories). Modern translations are acceptable as long as the original work fits the guidelines for publications as explained in the challenge rules.

           La casa de Bernarda Alba by Federico García Lorca

5. A children's classic. Indulge your inner child and read that classic that you somehow missed years ago. Short stories are fine, but it must be a complete volume. Young adult and picture books don't count!

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder (I thought about reading this with my daughter since I love it so much)

6.  A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction. This can be a true crime story, mystery, detective novel, spy novel, etc., as long as a crime is an integral part of the story and it was published at least 50 years ago. Examples include The 39 Steps, Strangers on a Train, In Cold Blood, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, etc.  The Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones list is an excellent source for suggestions. 

something from Agatha Christie

7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction. The journey itself must be the major plot point -- not just the destination. Good examples include The Hobbit, Around the World in 80 Days, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, Kon-Tiki, Travels with Charley, etc. 

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien

8. A classic with a single-word title. No articles please! Proper names are fine -- Emma, Germinal, Middlemarch, Kidnapped, etc.

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

9. A classic with a color in the title. The Woman in White; Anne of Green Gables; The Red and the Black, and so on. (Silver, gold, etc. are acceptable. Basically, if it's a color in a Crayola box of crayons, it's fine!)

The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

10. A classic by an author that's new to you. Choose an author you've never read before.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

11. A classic that scares you. Is there a classic you've been putting off forever? A really long book which intimidates you because of its sheer length? Now's the time to read it, and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised!

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (the length has always made me shy away)

12. Re-read a favorite classic. Like me, you probably have a lot of favorites -- choose one and read it again, then tell us why you love it so much. 

Chronicles of Avonlea by LM Montgomery