Back to the Classics 2019
I really enjoy this challenge each year, and the fact that there’s a draw at the end is just an added bonus. I even won a couple of years back. You also get to make a list of books, which is always half the fun.
For this challenge, anything fifty years or older (published no later than 1969) is considered a classic.
- Complete six categories, and you get one entry in the drawing
- Complete nine categories, and you get two entries in the drawing
- Complete all twelve categories, and you get three entries in the drawing
Here are the categories and my tentative choices:
- 19th Century Classic: Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson
- 20th Century Classic: The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham
- Classic by a Woman Author: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
- Classic in Translation: Notes from the Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- Classic Comic Novel: The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton
- Classic Tragic Novel: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
- Very Long Classic: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- Classic Novella: The Girls Of Slender Means by Muriel Spark
- Classic From the Americas (includes the Caribbean): One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
- Classic From Africa, Asia, or Oceania (includes Australia): Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
- Classic From a Place You’ve Lived: The Salzburg Connection by Helen MacInnes
- Classic Play: Lady Windermere’s Fan by Oscar Wilde
I really like the categories this year.
14 Comments
Silvia
Akroyd is fun. Looks like tons of us have picked One Hundred… for the Americas. Your African title sounds intriguing. Muriel, I keep seeing her books all over. I must have to read her soon.
Rob
Yeah, I think you mentioned that you enjoyed Akroyd, so I figured I’d pick that next.
I’ve heard so many good things about One Hundred Years of Solitude that I thought this was a good time to pick it up. I’m also sadly unknowledgeable of South American writers, so I think I’ll need to focus a bit there soon.
I’ve read a couple Muriel books and really enjoyed them, so I’m excited to carry on with her.
Silvia
I am also looking forward to your reviews on the challenge titles and in general. Cheers to a great year!
Rob
Thank you, great year to you too!
Silvia
Oh, I forgot. South American writers, and Mexican, are another inexhaustible source of excellent lit. I read a lot of magic realism books in my youth, and didn’t make a dent. But what is important, I believe, it’s that I got a taste of Marquez, and his unbelievable quality. I can’t wait to revisit his luxuriant book.
Rob
Yeah, the fact that I had such trouble coming up with classic titles for any Americas country outside of Canada and the US was a bit worrying for me, so that will definitely be something I need to look into.
Christina Gibbs
Great list for 2019. I’ve read a few of them, but some are new to me. I think I need to try a Muriel Spark this year, maybe that novella would be a good little start. Happy New Year and Happy Reading!
Rob
Thanks, and Happy New Year! Muriel Spark is a bit of a bizarre one, definitely worth checking out. Never know what she’ll come out with.
Jane
Lots of luck!
Rob
Thanks!
J.E. Fountain
Excellent…100 Years of Solitude is quite unusual. I really enjoyed it.
Rob
Good to hear!
nikki @bookpunks
The fun of making the list almost makes me want to join in ha. I tried to do this challenge one year, but with only sci fi classics, but as with every other reading resolution, I totally failed. But the list was still fun to make. Heh. Good luck!
Rob
The lists are low key the best part of these challenges…