A personal challenge I set for myself this year was to read eight classics. I have a bit of a habit of collecting pretty editions of classics, but I don’t necessarily end up reading them, so this challenge was a way for me to actively change that. I picked eight because in the past when I’ve picked ten, I’ve never gotten close to achieving it. Five seemed like too little – no challenge in the challenge.
So, how did I go?
I read seven!
I’m pretty pleased with this. I thought I might have been able to squeeze in the eighth between Christmas and New Year but I have a few other books I’m keen to get to so I thought I’d call this one at seven.
What I read:
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne – read to fill the classics square for book bingo
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – read for a buddy read with members of my Page by Page Book Club and co-hosted with Carpe Librum
Macbeth by William Shakespeare – read to help my daughter out with her year 12 Shakespeare assessment
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – read with my local book club
Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott – as above
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll – read for #6degrees of separation
Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll – as above
I’m setting this challenge for myself again next year. One thing I discovered with classics is that they make for a terrific buddy read experience. My aim is to read two classics next year as buddy reads. Hopefully Tracey from Carpe Librum will be on board for that with me!
Theresa Smith Writes 
You did so well! I have like 50 classics sitting on my shelves and I almost never look at them haha. Every now and then I pick one up intending to read it and cross it off my list and I never actually do it.
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They’re more work to read, which is why I dither about with them. However, sometimes (with the right one) they’re so worth it. Eight a year seems an achievable goal for me. Any more and I seem to pack up sticks and forget the whole thing. 😁
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Yes, that’s my thing too – more concentration and effort to read plus it dips into the usually huge piles I have for each month. I need to make more of an effort to try and include them, even if it’s just a couple a year
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Maybe chime in with a buddy read at some time. Our Rebecca one was good. I want to try and recapture that with another classic.
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Yeah I definitely will, if I have the book and it isn’t one I’ve already read lol.
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Good on you, doll! It’s the old “shoot for the moon, land among the stars” trick. I’m blown away by how many books you get through, so managing to squeeze in any classics at all seems miraculous 🙈 Looking forward to seeing what you get to in 2020!
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I’ve got a few in particular I want to tackle. And as always, I’ve kept a bingo square for classics. Doing my bit to force people to do my bidding. 😁
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YES YES YES!!! I’d l-o-v-e to co-host another buddy read with you this year. I have a number of classics I want to get to as well. I think the reason Rebecca worked so well was because it was a book many of us have wanted to read for ages, there’s been a movie adaptation and even people who read it years ago wanted to share their thoughts about it.
Some classics like this that I’m interested in reading are: Robinson Crusoe, The Count of Monte Cristo, Lord of the Flies, Lady Chatterley’s Lover and The Day of the Triffids. I’d also be interested in reading Jane Eyre or Emma by Charlotte Bronte. Do you have any in mind? Let’s chat!
(Sorry about getting to this late, I have a list of blog posts I’m still making my way through 😉 )
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We’ll have to brainstorm and maybe narrow it down to three classics so the club members can then vote. Sounds like a plan!
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