Back to the Classics Challenge 2017

I am very excited to announce the first challenge I am signing up for is the Back to the Classics Challenge from the blog Books and Chocolate. Click on the links to sign up if you are interested. The criteria and books I plan on reading are below. All titles are subject to change!

1.  A 19th century classic : The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. 

Many years ago, I started reading Dickens works in the order he wrote them. Over the course of a summer, I read Sketches by Boz, The Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, and Nicholas Nickleby. Then the school year started and I had to get back to practicing instruments and writing papers. I left off at this one and find myself eager to have a chance to get back to reading it. - On shelf at work

2.  A 20th century classic: The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

I don't know much about this book, but its title has been tossed about numerous times, so I am interested in trying it out! - On shelf at work

3.  A classic by a woman author: Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

My mom showed me the Wives and Daughters adaptation on Masterpiece Theater when I was in middle school. At the time, I hadn't realized it was a book, so when I found out years later, I was very excited for the book to end up on my to read list! - Order from another library

4.  A classic in translation.  Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne

A good adventure classic seems just about right here. - On shelf at work

5.  A classic published before 1800: The Odyssey by Homer

The Odyssey was required reading my freshman year of high school. Of course, we only read bits and pieces of it, and I was not a fan of the translation. In college I decided to read The Illiad and The Odyssey, but after getting through The Illiad I decided to take a break before moving on. I never came back to it, so this will be an excellent time to pick it up again. - On shelf at work

6.  A romance classic: Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen - On shelf at home

7.  A Gothic or horror classic: Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

I wasn't quite sure what I was going to pick from this category at first, but upon looking at the provided GoodReads list, this title jumped out at me. Rebecca has been on my TBR list for a long while.
8.  A classic with a number in the title. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

This is one of those books that I somehow skipped in high school and college. It seemed like whichever English class I wasn't in read this book. Here's my chance to catch up! - On shelf at work

Switched to Fahrenheit 451 because instead of reading Catch-22, I'm finding excuses to do anything other than read.

9.  A classic about an animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title: Either Watership Down by Richard Adams OR The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

Both books I've never read but that have been on my radar for a long while.

10. A classic set in a place you'd like to visit: The Once and Future King by T.H. White. 

This was the first Arthurian Legend I ever read, and it started a massive obsession with Arthurian legends in my high school years. I haven't read it since then, but I'm definitely looking forward to it!

11. An award-winning classic: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Confession: This book sat on my shelf for years. And about a year ago, in a fit of decluttering, I decided I was never going to read it, so I took it to Half Priced Books and sold it. I don't regret getting rid of the book, but of course it seems like now is perhaps the time to read it. - On shelf at work


12. A Russian classic: Fathers and Sons by Ivan Turgenev

I have always shied away from the Russians when it comes to classic literature. Perhaps it's the length of some of the books, or the fact that people always talk about how depressing they are. Whatever it is, my heart sank when I saw this category and thought to the few titles and authors that I am vaguely familiar with. So I did a quick google search and found this book. I will admit, a large part of me chose it due to how the title mirrors my women's author pick.  - On shelf at work