Back to the Classics 2019

It's back! My most favorite challenge, Back to the Classics, is back for 2019! And the categories are really interesting this year! I had picked out a number of books I wanted to read for the challenge this year before the categories came out. It was a mix of books from my Classics Club list and others that had crossed my path and I wanted to make sure I got to them this year. I was able to fit almost all of them into this list! And without further ado, my list for the next year.

1. 19th Century Classic: Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens (1897) (660 pages)

A continuation of my desire to read Dickens's novels in the order he published them. If I read this one, I'll be able to cross this off my Classics Club list as well as my Dickens list. 

FINISHED 6/9/19 - Pleasantly surprised at how much I liked this. Neat bit of history too.

2. 20th Century Classic: The King of Elfland's Daughter by Lord Dunsanay (1925) (301 pages)

I'm not sure how I found this one, but it came up in a list of readalikes for something I read recently. The title is intriguing, and one of the latest editions has an introduction by Neil Gaiman. The brief description I read makes this book seem like it's right up my alley! I'm very excited for this!

GAVE UP 12/16/19 - Found myself doing anything but reading this. DNF


3. Classic by a Female Author: Daniel Deronda by George Eliot (1876) (800 pages)

I remember watching an adaptation of this on Masterpiece Theatre when I was a teenager. Hugh Dancy was the main character and I was very attracted to him. The miniseries stayed in the back of my mind, and I came across it again while making my Classics Club list two years ago. I don't plan on watching it until I read this novel, and I'm very excited to do so! I've never read anything by George Eliot before.

FINISHED 10/29/19 - Wanted to like this much more than I did. Beginning and end were fine, but bogged down in the middle.


4. Classic in Translation: The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi (1883) (100 pages)

Original language is Italian. I'm a children's librarian, and one of my favorite things lately has been reading children's classics and comparing them to current children's literature. My only experiences with Pinocchio are the traumatizing Disney movie, the Pinocchio from Once Upon a Time, and a retelling of the story that I read from work called Out of Abaton: The Wooden Prince. I'm curious how the original holds up. Another crossover with my Classics Club.

FINISHED 2/1/19 - rather simplistic, ridiculous, and not very fun to read. Clearly a children's book.

5. Classic Comedy: Emma by Jane Austen (1815) (495 pages)

Jane Austen's novels quite often make me laugh out loud. In public. I've been wanting to reread all her works for a while now, and this year will be the year.

FINISHED 11/14/19 - While not my favorite Austen, one of my favorite books read for this challenge. I love Austen so much.



6. Classic Tragedy: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte (1847) (450 pages)

I'm just going to say, I have not liked this book in the past. I don't like Cathy. I don't like Heathcliff. And yet, people I know and respect say this is their most favorite book ever. So I've read it multiple times to try and figure it out. Last time I read it was in my early 20s, so we'll see if any of it grows on me in my early 30s. I also had the other Bronte sisters on my Club list, so I added Emily Bronte to round the list out.

FINISHED 5/20/19 - I hate this book. I hate this book more than any other book I've ever read. 

7. Very Long Classic: East of Eden by John Steinbeck (1952) (601 pages)

This is one of my dad's favorite books. I've enjoyed the Steinbeck novels I've read in the past, so it seems time for me to read this one. At 601 pages, it certainly fits (though so do at least two other novels on my list this year. Crossover with my Classic Club list.

8. Classic Novella: Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote (1958) (152 pages) 

Do you ever watch a movie that everyone says is amazing and feel underwhelmed? That was my experience with Breakfast at Tiffany's. Still, I always wonder how book versions will fare. So I'm willing to try this... particularly since it's under 200 pages. Crossover on classic club list.

FINISHED 6/21/19 - As underwhelmed with the book as I was with the movie.

9. Classic From the Americas: One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1967) (416 pages) 

This was on my list last year and I just never got around to it. My reading got stalled somewhere. Hopefully this is the year! This is a crossover with my classics club list.

FINISHED 6/18/19 - most surreal reading experience I've had in a while. Loved the book even as I disliked most of the characters and story...

10. Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania: The Memoirs of Lady Hyegyŏng: The Autobiographical Writings of a Crown Princess of Eighteenth-Century Korea (1805) (372 pages)

Picking one for this category was difficult. However, these memoirs look really interesting. I'm curious what I'm going to learn from this.

11. Classic From a Place You've Lived: The Adventures of Augie Marsh by Saul Bellows (1953) (586 pages) 

I wasn't sure how broad or narrow to go. In the end, I decided to go by city. I'm from Chicagoland area so it's definitely something that will work. (I'm also a little annoyed that I read Song of the Lark last year because it totally would have fit here.) FAIL review here

New possibilities - Years of Grace written by Margaret Ayer Barnes - focuses on social manners of upper middle class society
Sister Carrie - looks like it broke tradition in many ways.
Native Son - A book about race relations and growing up African American in Chicago during the 30s.

Ended up finish Years of Grace on 3/17/19. Better than Augie March, though the bits I enjoyed most were the actual discussions of Chicago. 

12. Classic Play: The Winter's Tale by Shakespeare (1623) (300 pages)

This is on my Classic Club list, so it seemed fitting to add it here.