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Friday, December 4, 2015

12 Month Classics Challenge 2016


For 2016, Lois is hosting a wonderfully fun, manageable, and flexible Classics Challenge and I'm hopping along for the ride. :) If you're interested in joining as well, you can check out her details post here.

She kindly says rereads are valid and I’ve tried to balance my choices fairly evenly. Idealistically, it would be fun, too, to be able to do a review for each title, but we shall see about that when the time comes. (Incidentally, I also have some other titles I'll be working on, so keep an eye on my sidebar for those.)

And now...

My Choices for The 12 Month Classics Challenge 2016


January: A classic you've always wanted to read
Shakespeare's Hamlet

February: A classic you've always dreaded reading
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë

March: A classic you've been recommended
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas

April: A classic you've seen the movie/miniseries/TV show of
Laura by Vera Caspary (a reread)

May: An American classic
The Chosen by Chaim Potok (another reread)

June: A British classic
Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton :)

July: A European classic (non-British)
Under Western Eyes by Josef Conrad

August: A modern classic (up to your interpretation)
Sam the Sudden by P.G. Wodehouse (this and May's selection are slightly interchangeable)

September: A children's classic
Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne (a reread)

October: A classic by a female author
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (most definitely a reread... time #4, perhaps? :))

November: A classic by a male author
No Name by Wilkie Collins

December: A classic written under a pseudonym
Guy Mannering by Sir Walter Scott (Yes, he wrote his novels under a pseudonym! This one’s also a particularly overdue reread, but -- depending on what’s going on at the time -- I may end up switching it out for an Austen or an Agatha Christie.)

This should be fun. I’m looking forward to it!

(And... *drumroll* our next post will be the Grand Party Reveal! :D Yay!!! VERY exciting... ;D)

Tell me! Are you joining any reading challenges this year?



16 comments:

  1. Lois TinúvielDecember 4, 2015 at 6:46 AM

    Some fun titles! I dreaded Wuthering Heights too.... I'm interested to see what you think of it. I want to re-read Winnie the Pooh again this year as well. It's been a very long time.

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    1. HeidiDecember 5, 2015 at 9:34 AM

      Lois,
      Thank you! This'll be a lot of fun and yes, I really do hope to do some reviews -- especially for WH. :) Thanks so much for hosting!

      Delete
  2. Rosie McCannDecember 4, 2015 at 7:21 AM

    G.K. Chesterton! Three cheers, say I :)

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    1. HeidiDecember 5, 2015 at 9:40 AM

      Rosie,
      YES, three cheers!!! :) IMHO, I think he should be mandatory reading. ;D

      Delete
    2. Rosie McCannDecember 6, 2015 at 9:30 AM

      Sorry, I meant to put my reply down here. Anywho. But YES. He should be mandatory. And so should Wodehouse :P

      Delete
  3. Ruth @ with freedom and booksDecember 4, 2015 at 7:58 AM

    Ha! I dread reading Wuthering Heights, too. I don't know why.

    Loved The Chosen. I need to reread this.

    I CANNOT WAIT to read North and South. It is so encouraging to see that you've read it three times already. : )

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    1. HeidiDecember 5, 2015 at 9:53 AM

      Ruth,
      Yes, exactly. I don't have quite the same feeling of uncertainty about WH that I have for Anna Karenina, The Age of Innocence, The Scarlet Letter, or The Great Gatsby, but.... yes, it's reluctance, the idea of just getting through it. I'm really looking forward to taking a good look at it, though, and then writing something up on it.

      I'm so glad you love The Chosen, too! Really looking forward to that one again... :)

      And SO excited you can't wait for North and South! I LOVE IT. Books, movies, everything... (as you can tell ;D). I'd love to hear your thoughts when you finish!

      Delete
  4. Rose December 4, 2015 at 11:02 AM

    A good selection of titles! Looking forward to hearing your opinions of them (especially Wuthering Heights).
    Reading challenges are much fun, I'll also be joining this one.

    The Grand Party Reveal!!! I'm so excited to see what you have thought of this time :)

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    Replies
    1. HeidiDecember 5, 2015 at 10:02 AM

      Rose,
      Thank you! I'm really hoping to share. And what fun -- I'm so happy you'll be joining, too! I look forward to seeing your list. :)

      And THANK YOU! I'm super happy you're excited about the party... ;) I was working on buttons this morning. :D

      Delete
  5. Katie HannaDecember 5, 2015 at 7:11 AM

    Ohhhh . . . I love "Orthodoxy" so much! Have you read it before, or is it a first-time read?

    Can't wait for the Grand Party Reveal :)

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    Replies
    1. HeidiDecember 5, 2015 at 10:38 AM

      jessica,
      Hee. Now just WHY am I not surprised....? ;D This is the first time for me and I'm sooooooooo looking forward to it!!! :D Can't wait!

      And oh, I'm so pleased -- I'm getting super excited, too. Lots to do! ;D

      Delete
  6. NatalieDecember 5, 2015 at 2:32 PM

    This seems like such a cool challenge, Heidi! I'll look forward to any reviews that pop up from this list. :)
    And eek!! You're announcing it tomorrow?! :D YAY!!

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    Replies
    1. HeidiDecember 5, 2015 at 7:34 PM

      Natalie,
      Isn't it fun? I'm looking forward to it and thank you for the encouragement on reviews. :) I'm really hoping to!

      And yay, YES!!! Don't worry, though... These last few days have been kind of full and I've got some details to wrap up, so my target is posting Monday or Tuesday-ish. (*coughs* I've also got some super important email to catch up on a bit first. ;))

      Delete
    2. NatalieDecember 6, 2015 at 12:38 PM

      Oh, that sounds fine! I'll be looking forward to it, whenever it occurs! :)

      Delete
  7. *ೃ༄ JillianDecember 10, 2015 at 10:11 AM

    This is great! I have never heard of The Chosen so I'm off to find out what it's about. I'm so tempted by all these challenges, but so very bad at following through. Hamlet is excellent! Good luck with WH. :P

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    Replies
    1. HeidiDecember 21, 2015 at 7:53 AM

      Jillian,
      Isn't it a wonderful idea? And thanks for the encouragement! Let me know if you're able to read The Chosen sometime and then we can compare notes. :D

      Delete

I'd love to hear your thoughts and look forward to further confabulation. Please just be courteous to one and all. Oh, and I love thoughts on old posts, so comment away!

(Also of late -- what with time being finite, and Life Happening + managing multiple blogs and computer issues and all that -- I sometimes have to alternate between creating new content and replying to comments, but rest assured I'm thrilled to hear from each and every one of you and always hope to reply thoughtfully in full ASAP. <3)