The Classic Six Reading Challenge Wrap Up for 2025 and Announcement for 2026!

Last year I hosted a reading challenge on Storygraph for the first time... I called it simple The Classic Six Challenge. And I'll be doing it again for 2026! You should totally join us!

The idea is, of course, to read six classics during the year. I like to spread them out and at least get to one every other month. I started doing this because my classics reading has been terrible the past few years and I wanted to fix that! And I did! I managed six classics this past year! It helped that three of them were book club books, lol! We'll see if that particular benefit happens again next year.

Here's what classics I read in 2025:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

Nectar in a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya

Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen

Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson

The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut

Soon I'll be figuring out what will be on my pile of possibilities for the 2026 version of this challenge. But in the meantime, I've created a Storygraph page where you can join if you'd like. Click here for the link to that page. Of course you don't have to be on Storygraph to participate. Just let me know here in comments and we'll randomly check in throughout the year.

June Classics Club Meme: Best First Line

The June Classics Club Question is this:

What is your favourite opening sentence from a classic novel (and why)?

And the line that comes to my mind right off is of course this one:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

Did you notice? We actually get a twofer with this one! The best first line AND paragraph! 

I don't know why I love this one so much, probably because there's so much that it's saying here. It paints the picture of this troubled time so well, right from the start. The opposites of life opposing each other, the frustration, the edge of something big happening yet something terrible had to happen first. I don't know, it just hits you hard, this first line.

By the way, this book has the best last line too:

"It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."

Yes, that.

Oh, wait! You'd like to know the book? A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens of course!

What would be your favorite first line from a classic?

The Classics Club May Question: What Are You Reading?

It's a bit of a classics check in this month! Here's the question (found over at the main blog here):

Tell us about the classic book(s) you’re reading this month. You can post about what you’re looking forward to reading in May, or post thoughts-in-progress on your current read(s).

So... I'm thinking this post is going to be all about my failing this challenge! Yes. It's sad, but true.

First of all, I've been working on Vanity Fair since the read along started in.... what?... February? It's because shiny, newer books keep popping up! And books that I need/amsupposedto review! So, I can't really blame the book, because the book is fine, really. The read is not that hard, but it is... different. And the other books are, well, easier. You see. Gah, I'm determined to finish it! And it just so happens that I'm done with all the other books, at the moment! So maybe I'll read some VF tonight... maybe. Or at least a chapter.

As for what I'm looking forward to reading from my classics list. Well. I look at my list and I'm not getting very excited about anything. Maybe I need to revamp my whole list? Maybe, I'm just in a mood, you know? Dang. I need to be at least excited about my list!!

And then, there's the fact that I've hardly read any classics so far this year! Um, don't I have to read like 10 a year to accomplish the goal? I think so. 

Yeah. I'm pretty much failing at this at the moment. Maybe I can redeem myself at some point. But I don't see it happening for awhile.

How's the classic reading going for the rest of you classic clubbers?

The Classics Club March Question: Jane Austen

Hey! So it's a question from The Classics Club today!

Do you love Jane Austen or want to “dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone”? (Phrase borrowed from Mark Twain).

Why? (for either answer)?

Favorite and/or least favorite Austen novel?

First of all, let me just say that I had no idea there are people out there who DON'T like Jane Austen! Really? What's up with that? I can't even imagine. Why would readers not like her? I'm baffled.

And so, I guess it goes without saying that yes, I'm a Jane Austen fan. Her books are just simply... simple and wonderful. They capture emotion and real life. I love that the plots are simple but the feelings are complex. I love the soap opera feel, the crazy stuff that happens, the misunderstandings and the relationships the are made and broken all over the place. And yes, I love that they are happy endings!

It's really hard for me to pick a favorite. I would probably have to go with Pride and Prejudice, even though that  is perhaps the expected and normal response. But it just has it all.  I think Emma is the one that is lighter and fluffy, Persuasion is deeper and heavy. Sense and Sensibility is also a bit deep and sad in parts. Mansfield Park and Northanger Abbey, I just really don't know those ones as well! (Ha, I've only read them once, whereas the others are all multiple times now, I'm beginning to lose track of how many times I've read Pride and Prejudice ) So, yeah, I should maybe read them again someday and then I can remember what I thought of them!

How about you? Team Jane Austen or not? Can you name a favorite of hers?

The Classics Club January Question: Best So Far

The January Classics Club question:

"What is the best book you've read so far for The Classics Club — and why? Be sure to link to the post where you discussed the book! (Or, if you prefer, what is your least favorite read so far for the club, and why?)"

Having just started on this official classics quest in September, I've only read three books for the challenge so far. The best of the three without a doubt is A Tale of Two Cities. (My review here.) And why is it the best?

• an unlikely hero
• a tumultuous historical backdrop
• witty and at times sarcastic writing
• it's a Charles Dickens that's not huge but manageable!
• love and sacrifice at its very best
• plot twists and other sneaky stuff
• an ending that will stick with you forever

What's a favorite classic you've read recently... and what makes it so good?

The Classics Challenge: November Prompt and December Wrap Up

Back last year, I decided to join The Classics Challenge hosted by November's Autumn. Remember that? Here's what I said I would read:

Seven classics I'd like to read are:
1. Vanity Fair by William Thackeray
2. Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson
3. Precious Bane by Mary Webb
4. various unread Wilkie Collins that I have here on hand
5. Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
6. A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott
7. My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara

Here's what classics I actually ended up reading:
(links to my reviews)
(I've loosed up my definition of "classic" a bit, and also this is very much counting re-reads!)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: a re-read, five stars
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle four stars
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut three stars
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen: a re-re-re-re-read! five stars
Lady Susan by Jane Austen three stars
Precious Bane by Mary Webb four stars
12 Angry Men by Reginald Rose four stars
I Capture the Castle by Dorothy Smith: a re-read, four stars
Persuasion by Jane Austen: a re-read, five stars

Hmmm... that looks NOTHING like my original list! Love it! Sort of. So much for list making, eh? I got one of them anyway. BUT, wow, I read many more classics this year than past years. Go me.

Each month we were given a very fun prompt to do regarding whatever classic we were reading at the time. These were awesome prompts and I wish I would have done more of them! Here's what I did manage:

January: The Author Jane Austen
September:Merry Robin Hood Music

Seriously? Only two? I totally had plans for more, one of them being November which I think I will stick in this post anyway! Here are the questions:

Of all the Classics you've read this year is there an author or movement that has become your new favorite? Which book did you enjoy the most? Or were baffled by? Who's the best character? The most exasperating? From reading other participants' posts which book do you plan to read and are most intrigued by?

-- I have no new favorites as of yet! Charles Dickens and Jane Austen retain their spots.

-- I totally enjoyed Robin Hood of course, and I loved the re-reading experience with Pride and Prejudice. But I think of the new to me books,  Precious Bane would rank pretty high. Quite the story, that one.

-- I was baffled by Slaughterhouse Five! Weird book! Lady Susan was also a bit baffling... that one just didn't do it for me.

-- Best character... Sydney Carton from Tale of Two Cities... but yeah, Robin Hood, Mr. Darcy, Captain Wentworth and Kester from Precious Bane were ALL pretty awesome too.

-- Most exasperating character... Lady Susan was very icky to say the least.

-- And finally, I plan to read: hmmm.... I'm not sure on this one yet. I know that whatever I plan to read will most likely come from this list! I think Vanity Fair is going to be high on the list next year. Here's hoping.

Well. I love the classics. I am happy that my list is growing again (back a little to what it was like pre-blogging days.) I look forward to keeping that up next year!

If I can count this post as completing both November and December prompts, then I earn the "completed" badge! (four prompts, seven books) I'll declare this challenge completed for now. Let me know if you disagree!

Book Review: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Book: A Tale of Two Cites by Charles Dickens
Genre: Classic
Rating:★★★★★
For: The Classics Club and Classics Challenge
From: free ebook

The first time I read this book I was in 9th grade. Much of it went right over my head, but through class discussions and a TV series that came out right about that very time I ended up loving it, even with all the confusing parts. Recently, I've been very anxious to read it again to see how it seems to me as a now old grown up person.

Here's what I  discovered:

-- this book that I thought was confusing was actually quite simple. Some people in French are very upset over their treatment by the nobility and so one day they rebel and storm the Bastille prison. After a few years, anybody with any connection at all to this nobility has their head on a chopping block, literally  In the meantime, Lucie (who earlier discovers her father she thought was dead has been released from the a fore mentioned Bastille) falls in love with Charles, who sadly has a connection to the French nobility, though he has renounced them and makes a happy life in England. But one day, he decides to go back to France to help a friend. Bad bad choice!

-- the character that I fell in love with the first time WAS as awesome as I remembered, although he didn't appear as often in the story as I remembered or would have liked. Why can't we get to know Sydney Carton a little better? His background? His story? It seems to me all we know is that he is a drunk, lonely dude, but smart as anything and helps his lawyer friend all night long, but gets no recognition. Why? I want to know more. Oh, yes, and strange thing, he looks a lot like Charles. And he loves Lucie, but of course, Lucie loves Charles.

-- I was surprised at the amount of sarcasm and witticisms the author threw into the story. I think that sometimes he was trying to be funny, but I felt like the book and its serious story really didn't lend itself to that, so it was just weird to me. This, of course, was something I didn't catch even a little bit as a 15 year old! I also noticed the literary devices (such as personification) that he uses much more this go around. And no wonder it was confusing to a 15 year old! He's appears to be talking about one thing, when he's really talking about another. This happens over and over again.

-- the end hit me just as hard now as then, maybe harder. Have you read this book? Do you know the ending? I'm guessing pretty much everyone does, but maybe there's a few who don't know it, so I will leave things spoil free here (even though it may be easily guessed too!) but I'd love to discuss in comments your feelings on this ending. The first time around of course I knew nothing so it blew me away. This time I felt the tension building up and dreaded every moment I got closer! Then, it was actually a little anit climatic from what I remembered, but still. There were parts that hit me much harder this time around and I got weepy, yes I did!

Bottom line: Oh, I so do love this book.

Other Reviews:

The plot is relatively fast-moving, and almost free from sub-plots and extraneous characters: it’s not as dense and wordy as a lot of Dickens’ works, and thus is an exciting and thought-provoking read. From Ela's Book Blog

Reading the book this time round the character of Sydney Carton is much clearer in my mind, with several vivid images of his slovenly appearance and drunken behaviour. From BooksPlease

Ultimately, what finally did bring me in to the novel was the human interest: the characterization. Once I understood how all the different characters fit together, I found myself engaged in the novel. From Rebecca Reads

It was an amazing piece of craftsmanship, and I was impressed with how all of the parts of the story worked together. From At Home With Books

The Classics Club November Question: Am I Scared?

Today I would like to answer The Classic Club's November question, which is:

What classic piece of literature most intimidates you, and why? (Or, are you intimidated by the classics, and why? And has your view changed at all since you joined our club?)

While I'm not too very intimidated by the classics (at least I wasn't, I find them harder than they used to be lately!) there are some pieces that do scare me quite a bit!  The one that comes to mind right off the bat is Ulysses by James Joyce. Not sure I'll ever have the guts and fortitude to tackle this one! 

I remember one time I checked it out of the library simply because I'd heard it about it somewhere   (I think it was back in the beginning of online book clubs) and so I saw it and thought, what the heck. The librarian at the counter sort of freaked when he/she saw it and basically said to me... "Seriously?" I wondered why.

Until I read the first page or two and I instantly knew... this book was HARD. It made no sense. And when I came to understand that it was ONE day in the life of some dude and it was... what?.... nearly a thousand pages long? Oh, boy. How? Just how?

Well, of course I took it back unread, and I haven't tried again since.

Some are scared of War and Peace. That book isn't so bad really. I read half of it and I'm determined to finish it some day. The peace parts are awesome. The war parts.... those I don't get, but maybe, just maybe I can do it!

What classical book intimidates you?

Book Review: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle

Book: The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle
Genre: Classic
Rating: ★★★★☆
For: Double Classics Challenge and The Classics Club list
From: the very first book I added to my Kindle!

So, it only took me nearly six months to read this. This is in no way a reflection of the book itself, which is simply delightful, but rather my inability to concentrate on it and being distracted by too many other books.

But yes, I'm glad to have finally finished this quaint book so I can now say I've read one of the first Robin Hood books. I had to do a little Wikepedia research to find out if that's even the truth. (Because, as we know, Wikepedia is the place to go for said truth!) and I learned that this book was published in 1883....by an American no less. Wow, I would have guessed much earlier. And I also would have guessed he was British.

But regardless, Mr. Pyle took the ballads and stories of Robin Hood and compiled them into what they call "coherent narrative in a colorful, invented "old English" idiom." It was meant for children, which I can see a little, but I maintain that the "old English idiom" will/would/is a bit hard for kids to grasp. That being said, I think this book would be an absolute BLAST to read aloud. And kids will love it.

And while this book is not considered the "first" of course, it is considered the one that got everyone all interested in Robin Hood and sparked the retellings and fascination we see today. At least that's what some think.

The characters are wonderful, and it's a blast to meet them all and see how they are different or the same from other versions of Robin Hood. For instance, Little John is giant big and is proficient with a staff, but in this book, he is Robin Hood's closest friend out of all the guys in the gang. Some other stories I've read (or watched) have Much, the miller's son as his best friend (or Midge as he's called in this book.)

Will Scarlet is quite the dandy in this book, which is a little different that I'd thought of him, yet he IS a very strong and powerful one! Allan a Dale sings, as is his norm, and the Sheriff is as obnoxious as ever. Guy of Gisbourne shows up for only one story and he is quite the wimp, I see no tortured villain in him at all! (Must be just a BBC thing with that angle.)

But.. wait!!! There's no Maid Marian! (I think she is mentioned at the beginning, but never appears.) What's UP with that? So, that's one of my few complaints! How can there be Robin Hood without Marian? What was this author thinking?

But back to the language! I loved it! Such poetic fun style! Such description of these guys who are always "merry, lusty, stout, jolly, joyful, sweet" and etc. And verbs like "quoth, bade, jest, prate, spake" etc.

I highlighted a few passages that I liked, though I had to quit after awhile or I'd highlight the whole thing, and here's a couple to share:

The Little John turned to Robin Hood. "Why, how now, good master," said he. "Alas! Thou art in an ill plight. Marry, thy jerkin is all befouled with the dust of the road. Let me help thee to arise."

" A plague on thy aid!" cried Robin angrily. "I can get to my feet without help, good fellow."

Or this:

"Hold good cook!" said he. "Now, I bethink me it were ill of us to fight with good victuals standing so nigh, and such a feast as would befit two stout fellows such as we are. Marry, good friend, I think we should enjoy this fair feast ere we fight.  What sayest thou, jolly Cook?"

Isn't that just so tongue trippy? Makes me happy.

The stories are filled with sword fights, and archery contests, and mistaken identities, and lusty songs and ballads, and jokes and tricks and adventures, one after another after another. These boys had fun, I tell you! It covers the time from when Robin Hood first becomes an outlaw, takes us through how he meet all his jolly merry men, tells about all their adventures, and then sadly, we even are treated to the demise of poor Robin. Yes, a very very sad story there in the end and not jolly or merry at all.

Bottom line: I loved it. It was a blast to see the "beginning" of this tale.

Other Reviews:

It’s joyous and raucous and funny, and the characters, thinly sketched as they sometimes are, are really likable. From 50 Books Project

Robin Hood is like the ultimate pastoral fantasy combined with a heist story. From All- Consuming Media

Lots of laughs, and definitely lots of action as Robin gathers his band, outwits the sheriff and becomes a hero through his "redistribution of the wealth." From Jeanette's Books

And now, I'll attempt one more time (well, I'll not guarantee that) to convince you to watch this BBC show. What are you waiting for? 

Banned Books Week Book Review and Giveaway: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Book: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
Genre: classic SF/Historical Fiction mix, sort of
Rating: ★★★☆ ☆
For: Banned Books Week
From: a gift last Christmas from Ibeeeg at Polishing Mud Balls

As part of celebrating the freedom to read this week, I agreed to participate in the party hosted by Sheila of Book Journey by reviewing a book from the banned/challenged book list. I've picked this book in particular because it's been sitting in on my shelf for quite sometime waiting for an opportunity just such as this!

I had no idea what to expect. I've never read anything by this author, though I've wanted to see what the fuss is all about surrounding him. But what this book was about (other than what I read months ago on Ibeeeg's blog, which of course I'd forgotten already) I knew nothing.

What I got was a weird, very strange, bizarre book! I don't even know where to begin!

So there's this guy who wants to write a book about his war experiences, so he goes to talk to his war buddy,  and they reminisce sort of. But then, the book shifts to another guy, Billy, who we follow for pretty much the rest of the book (the narrator pokes his head in now and then) throughout his sad and crazy life.

For you see, he time travels in and out of all his life's experiences, including the time he was kidnapped by aliens and put on display in their zoo. Yes.

But it's my opinion that Billy wasn't really time travelling at all, and that he didn't really get abducted by aliens, but in fact, his brain was doing strange and fantastical things in order to survive the horrors of war. Because it was the horrors of war that this book dealt with for the most part. Billy goes off to fight, gets caught behind enemy lines, is sent by train (cattle-like) to a POW camp that in fact didn't sound so bad at first, and then is sent to Dresden where the city was bombed and destroyed. But the American POWs survive.

Then he comes back home to live his life, all the while dealing with these memories. We jump back and forth, back and forth, from the war, to his post-war life, to his childhood, to his alien abduction. This method, I must say, wasn't as jarring as it sounds and actually gives the reader a fabulous feel of what it might be like to be in this guy's head.

And it wasn't a fun place to be at all.

In the end, I found the book a very quick and easy read despite the difficult subject matter. I did find several parts a bit offensive and the language sometimes harsh, thus the reason, I'm sure, for it's being on the banned list. The alien bits were at once funny and awful. I think alien stories creep me out as much as anything else, and this one was no exception. Though strangely (or maybe not when you think about it) enough, I think Billy was happiest during this "experience."

Bottom line: While I can't truly say "enjoyable" I can say that it was an interesting experience and one I'm glad to have finally accomplished!

And so it goes.

Other Reviews:

Bizarre, and incredibly engrossing. This is not a book to be missed. From Polishing Mud Balls

If people are shocked by this book, than they’ve been living under a rock. From Fizzy Thoughts

Vonnegut’s deceptively simple masterpiece is about life itself; it is about the futility and utter waste of warfare; it is about time, and the way that we perceive it; it is about fate and whether any of us really has any control over what happens to us next. From Book Chase

It was clever, but there wasn’t anything underneath the cleverness. From Jenny's Books


Now, as part of the celebration, I will giveaway a copy of this book to a lucky reader! Just fill out the form below (I plan to send it to you from Amazon, so anyone that Amazon ships to can enter) with your information.

I'd also love to have you comment on 1) have you read this book and how did you interpret it? and 2) what book from the banned list to you find most shocking to be there.

 I just have to end with this song, which was pretty much in my head the whole time while reading this book. You'll understand if you've read it. Besides, I LOVE this song, so I must share:


 

A Classics Challenge September Prompt: Merry Robin Hood Music

At the beginning of the year I had great aspirations of posting a thought on whatever classic I was reading or had read, using the prompts found over at November's Autumn  every month. I think I've done ONE! That's so frustrating!

But this month, I want to participating in answering this prompt by sharing what MUSIC I think goes with my current classic reading. Sounds like one I can't pass up, right?

The book I've been reading all summer long now is The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. What a fun book! I love the writing and the language. Hopefully a review will be coming soon, but then, let me just say, that it's made up of a bunch of different Robin Hood adventures, some more engaging than others, so perhaps that's part of my issue with just getting it read already!

Anyway, everyone is always happy and jolly! Lusty and merry! I picture them strutting about and dancing and having such a grand old time. Here's a passage that I read just last night to illustrate:

After jolly Robin had left Little John at the forking of the roads, he walked merrily onward in the mellow sunshine that shone about him. Ever and anon he would skip and leap or sing a snatch of song, for pure joyousness of the day: for because of the sweetness of the springtide, his heart was as lusty within him as that of a colt newly turned out to grass.

I'm totally hearing music! Aren't you. And lucky for us all, I found just what was in my head!

Here it is:




Well, at least for me, that totally fits! What do you think?

Here's hoping I can do some more of these prompts. Maybe I can even go back and catch up on a few. I bet no one would care! :)

The Classics Club: My List

After this featured post for BBAW about The Classics Club, I wondered... so, why have I not done this already? I'm slow jumping on this one I guess! But I don't know why I wouldn't do it because it's pretty much in my plan anyway, and this would just help to make it happen.... hopefully.

Are you wondering what I'm even talking about? Reading classics again, that's what!

Last week, we talked a lot about the pros of blogging. I have one con though, and that is that somehow my reading changed to NOT include the classics as much, which has always made me sad. This "club" is to encourage us to try and read 50 classics (at least) in the next five years. Doing some math (I can almost handle this math even!) that's ten classics a year, which is a lot more than I've been doing lately, but still very doable if I step it up.

So, in order to join, all I have to do is list my 50 (or so) books here, ones that are on my radar right now to read, keeping in mind that I can add and delete as we go along.


Classics Currently Reading at the time of this post:

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle (read Oct. 2012)

Classics I have on the shelf already that I assume I wanted to read someday:

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
Twenty Years After by Alexadnre Dumas
Felix Holt by George Eliot
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
Lady Chatterlye's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray
Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck
In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan
Evelina by Fanny Burney
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
The Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory
Eugenie Grandet by Honore Balzac
Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin

Classics that I just plain want to read:

Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens
The Old Curiousity Shop by Charles Dickens
Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope
Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster
The Winter of our Discontent by John Steinbeck
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
A Modern Comedy by John Galsworthy


Classics that I started once upon a time and never finished and maybe might if I try hard again;

The Wings of the Dove by Henry James (this one is really iffy... what a HARD book!)
War and Peace by Loe Tolstory (I could do this one, really)
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (I've no idea why I never finished it)
The Idiot by Fydor Dostoevesky (I'd have to start over again for sure.)
The Netherworld by George Gissing

Wilkie Collins books get their own category:

Poor Miss Finch
Basil
No Name
New Grub Street
Hide and Seek
The Law and the Lady

Classics I want to Re-Read
(I'm sure there will be more in this category, but this one tends to be off the cuff and spur of the moment, know what I mean, so we'll see what gets added as the years go by!)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (Read Dec. 2012)

Newer-ish Books that I'm Calling Classics:
(I have no method to this madness, just what feels newer to me,and yet feels like a classic, or a soon to be classic)

The House on the Strand by Dahne Du Maurier
MaryAnne by Daphne Du Maurier
Extremely Loud and Incrediably Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Anthem by Ayn Rand
Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut (Read Oct. 2012)
A Mercy by Tony Morrison
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb
Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'hara
Roots by Alex Haley
The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath


So, let's check back in five years on September 15, 2017 and see how I'm doing, shall we? :) The idea is that I'll link to my reviews here as I complete things.

What say you? Want to come play too?

Review: Persuasion by Jane Austen

Book: Persuasion by Jane Austen
Genre: Classic
Rating: *****
For: A Classics Challenge
From: own personal library (I have no idea where it came from originally!)

I've been wanting to  re-read this one for quite some time now, so finally, with A Classics Challenge as a push, I've finally done it! I hardly remember my impressions of it the first time around. I must have been too young to get it or something, because I seriously don't remember anything about it.

Then there was the movie from just a few years ago that revived my interest in it. But it was weird, because I expected the book to be like the movie. Yeah, that was not right at all.

But first, in case you haven't read this one, though I assume most of you have, it's about this girl named Anne who was in love with this nice boy when she was 19 I think it was. But then she was persuaded to not marry him because it was just not right. He did not have connections? Or money? Or something. So she refused him and he went off to the Navy. When the book opens, it's eight years later and he has come back. And of course, they are put in a situation where their paths cross again.

Many have said that Persuasion is their favorite Jane Austen book, but I have yet to be persuaded to fall into that category. Pride and Prejudice still has that spot in my heart. Though I understand that this one is very real, and very emotional and very touching. I mean, there's that LETTER after all!

Also, Anne is the strong silent type too, which I think more people relate to then say Elizabeth Bennett. Though, according to that survey thing that was all the rage awhile back, I'm more an Elinor than either Anne or Elizabeth!

So, even though it's not my favorite Jane Austen, I loved it. I love them all! And now I finally have it set in my head what is the movie (running at the end) and what is the book (no running!) I did watch the earlier movie this week though (the 1995 or something one), just to see what they did with it (no running.) It seemed really quite true to the book, though I didn't like the Captain Wentworth as much. He seemed too old or something. But it was fun.

Bottom line: I loved it! (And now I can't write that anymore without hearing my book club buddies snickering. Stop it! Stop it right now!!!)

Other Reviews:

Becky's Book Reviews
The Literary Omnivore
Fyrefly's Book Blog

A Classics Challenge January Prompt: The Author: Jane Austen!

Our questions for January's classic book over at November's Autumn are all about the author we are reading this month. My first classic of the year is a re-read of Persuasion and currently, I'm about half way done. Even though we are all quite familiar with this author I will go ahead with this fun challenge prompt!

So, here are the questions (in different levels according to how far we are in the book) along with my answers:


Level 1
Who is the author? What do they look like? When were they born? Where did they live? What does their handwriting look like? What are some of the other novels they've written? What is an interesting and random fact about their life?

Jane Austen
Born December 16, 1775 in Hampshire, England
Died July 18, 1817 in Winchester, England
Her novels include:
Sense and Sensibility (1811)
Pride and Prejudice (1813)
Mansfield Park (1814)
Emma (1815)
Northanger Abbey (1818, posthumous)
Persuasion (1818, posthumous)
Interesting fact: Northanger Abbey, though published after her death, was actually the first novel she wrote.

A sample of her handwriting

Chawton Cottage, where she lived with her sister starting in1809.

Level 2
What do you think of their writing style? What do you like about it? or what would have made you more inclined to like it? Is there are particular quote that has stood out to you?

LOVE her writing style! It always takes me a few chapters to warm up to it, to get into the flow of the style and wordiness, but once that happens, wow, it clicks in, and I love it. I feel like going around talking like that! I like that it's so flowery and witty and blunt, yet subtle at the same time. Ah, I don't know what it is about her writing, but it's truly amazing.

A quote that stands out? Wow, there's many and my mind goes blank! What is one of your favorite quotes, particularly from this book, Persuasion?

Okay, I'm off so I can do what needs doing today, so I can jump back into this book and finish it soon. And when I do that, then yes, I will re-watch the movie, and then when I do THAT, I will find a modern version of this story to read for Melissa's challenge! See the fun I'm having? :)

Review: Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Book: Bleak House by Charles Dickens
Genre: Classic
Rating: B+
For: Classics Challenge and Read Along
From: Bought it years ago

On the off chance that there's someone who wants to read my final thoughts on Bleak House, here they are:

I don't know! :)

This reading experience reminded me a little bit of the time I was in 8th grade and for some reason decided that I would read Great Expectations for my 10 minute beginning-of-class-silent-reading book. I still have the little notes that we had to write down every day after reading to report what we read and it amazes me that I came up with something to report because all I remember was being in a huge daze and fog. I remember something about an old lady, a rotten cake, a boy named Pip and girl that was awfully mean to him.

Of course, I've read it again since then and it's now one of my all time favorites!

Bleak House was like this experience in the sense that I felt like I was in a fog for much of the time. There were many chapters that I just didn't get and wondered what they had to do with anything. However, there were many chapters that I loved and thought were very interesting and intriguing. My guess is that upon a re-read, I'd "get" so much more.

To help me understand things, I checked out the BBC series from the library and watched along with my final few pages of reading. There were lots of moments where I thought, "Wait? When did THAT happen?" or "Oh boy, I must have missed that part entirely!" Too funny. And of course I really really enjoyed the movie, and in fact, got much more emotionally involved and found myself quite weepy several times.

Oh wait? Would you like a summary of this book? Let me try.

So there's this case being heard in court that's gone on and on. It's because they don't quite understand who the dead dude wanted to name as beneficiaries of his will, or actually he had too many wills. It was all very confusing. But anyway, two of the main characters, a boy and girl who are cousins, are hoping that the court will rule in their favor. In fact, the boy becomes obsessed with this idea, much to the sadness of his guardian uncle, and many other people involved.

Meanwhile, their friend who shares their uncle as her guardian, learns about her parentage, which is quite a surprising shock to her and to her mother who thought she was dead from birth. Despite this, she is a stalwart girl and ends up being the glue that holds everyone together. Her mother, however, falls apart.

Mixed up in all of this, we have several deaths, several love stories, several bad schemes, and many secrets. And tons and tons of characters. They were overwhelming at first, but in the end, I found them all quite interesting, and it was fun to see how my feelings for them changed drastically over the course of the book...and perhaps also influenced by the movie.

All that makes for quite a good story, if you can understand it! Mostly, I just think I was rusty on my Dickens and seriously shouldn't let such a long time go by again before reading another one!

Bottom line: I enjoyed.... most of it!

Other reviews:

Age 30+... a Lifetime of Books
Bookworm1858
To Read or Not To Read
Books and Chocolate
The Zen Leaf

I may have posted this trailer already, but in case I didn't, or in case you missed it the first time, here it is:

Signing Up for Stuff

Here I am, signing up for stuff again. Actually, it's been awhile, so it's okay, right?


Really Old Classics Challenge: In which we read stuff from before 1600. This one tempted me last year, but this year, I have to participate because my daughter is taking a Greek and Roman Lit class at college and I want to read something with her. I'll probably read The Iliad or The Aeneid. And if that goes well, maybe I'll read something else off her list!



R.I.P V: In which we read spooky stories for the fall/Halloween season. Want the definition of spooky? Check out Carl's post with details included. Once again, this challenge is pretty much not optional! I mean, if you're a book blogger, you just do this one! But then again, why would you not want to? I'm going to read at least two books for this challenge, which puts me in Peril The Second. Also, I hope to do Peril on the Screen and watch a fun movie for this genre.

My list of potentials:
The Replacement by Brenna Yovnoff
The Mist by Stephen King
Interview with a Vampire by Ann Rice
The Prince of Mist by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer

And I don't really know what else. I'm to be perusing all your lists and when I see something that sounds fabulous, I'll be adding to my own list!



Dewey's 24 Hour Readathon: In which we read all day long on October 9th. I think that works for me! Does it work for you? If so, better get on over and sign up. It will be a blast. You don't want to miss it!

That's all at the moment. That's all I can really handle too, so hopefully no one will come by tempting me with more.

What will YOU be signing up for?

The Classics Challenge 2010

Here's my official sign up for another challenge I try to do each and every year, the Classics Challenge. I'm opting for the Classics Snack, which is to read four classics from April through October. I want to do more, I should be able to do more, but for some reason, I keep having a hard time with this challenge!

Four classics I hope to read for the challenge are:

Twenty Years After by Alexandre Dumas
Bleak House by Charles Dickens
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

And for the bonus read (a book that WILL be a classic some day) I want to read The Secret History by Donna Tartt.

So that's my plan! We'll see how it goes.

Review: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

Book: Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

Genre: Classic

Rating: B+

For: Classics Challenge

I wanted to read this one for the Classics Challenge because it's one of the last few of the Bronte sisters stack that I hadn't read yet. There's a reason it's not one of the more popular ones and that's because there really isn't much to it.

It's about a girl who decides to be a governess because her family is struggling financially. The first place she goes to is pretty awful, and she doesn't last long there. Then she ends up at another place, which really isn't much better, but enough that she stays longer. From there, it turns into a sweet, simple love story, without much emotion or drama or surprises.

So, yeah, it was cute and quaint. Everything I expected. So I totally enjoyed it. But it doesn't replace my favorite Bronte books by any means!

The Classics Challenge 2009

I've got to get back to reading more classics. They almost always end up as my favorite books of the year, or the ones I look back on so fondly and want to read over and over again. I can't leave them hanging! And so, here I am signing up for the Classics Challenge for 2009. (Hosted by Trish of Trish's Reading Nook.)

I'm choosing to do the Classics Entree which is to pick five books to read between April and October. Also, I will do the Bonus, which is to read a "future" classic, as suggested by those participating in the challenge.

My five books:

1. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (I WILL finish this! I WILL!)

2. Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte

3. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot

4. Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell

5. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe

Bonus: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

Challenges I Did NOT Complete!

Well, at least I try. And it's fun trying, so that's all that really counts, right?

Two challenges that I tried, end this month.

The 2008 TBR Challenge: Read 12 books this year from your TBR stack. Must have had them for 6 months or longer to count as a TBR. I finished 10 and 1/2 ! So close! Books I DID read for this challenge, linked to their review:

Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Messenger by Lois Lowrey
The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld
Magyk by Angie Sage
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
Quentins by Maeve Binchy

I'll be signing up for the next installment.... 2009 TBR. More on that later.

Classics Challenge: I thought this one would be easy! But still it was a no go. I really need to get back to reading more classics, my first love in books. However, YA seems to have taken over for the time being. Anyway, I never did get to the Balzac book... and we all know that I failed completely with War and Peace.... BUT I will keep it up. My new goal... finish it by the end of 2009!!! :) And the bonus read, will go on a new challenge list and I'll read it this year for sure.
1. Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins
2. Eugenie Grandet by Balzac
3.The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
4. The Little Prince by Saint Exupéry
5. War and Peace by Tolstoy (currently reading!)
Bonus: The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Post to come..... Challenges I'll TRY next year!