Hi everyone, this post is just to formalise what I have been thinking about recently. It has been almost a year since I joined The Classics Club and wrote my list of 60 books to read in 5 years. Since then, I have read 11 out of those 60 and it seems the right kind of time to do a small review of my list. If any of you don’t know what The Classics Club is, then the blog devoted to it is here.
I don’t like the idea of crossing books off the list before I’ve even tried them, so I have decided to add in some more books as ‘alternatives’. What I mean is, I have to try to read 60 books within 5 years as normal, but they can be any 60 out of my list, so that I don’t have to read every single book I chose last year if there are some that are too daunting or I just don’t fancy.
I came up with these books usually due to buying them and realising they weren’t on the original list or just because they have cropped up as something I want to read. Here they are:
Alternative Classics Club Books:
- Charlotte Brontë – Shirley
- Charles Dickens – Dombey and Son
- Charles Dickens – The Pickwick Papers
- Stella Gibbons – Conference at Cold Comfort Farm
- William Shakespeare – Richard III
- William Shakespeare – Two Gentlemen of Verona
- Anthony Trollope – The Warden
I bought Shirley in the new PEL editions, not realising it wasn’t on my list; I saw Dombey and Son as a musical-ish version in Bristol and enjoyed it so I wanted to read it; a friend gave me The Pickwick Papers; I enjoyed Cold Comfort Farm and wanted to read something else by Gibbons; I am seeing Richard III and Two Gentlemen of Verona in Bristol in the next few months so I wanted to read them before; I randomly bought The Warden.
Now, I am not saying that this will be my only review of my Classics Club list, as in a year’s time I will probably have a few more books to add on. For example, if I enjoy The Warden, I am likely to add in more Trollope books and the Shakespeare plays I see next year will probably determine some more to read for that. I am still really enjoying being part of The Classics Club, as it is a real community and gives a lot of structure and direction to the otherwise enormous and overwhelming number of books we want to read in out lives.
Is anyone else thinking of having a review of their list? Let me know!
Oooh, Richard III!! I can’t wait to read that one.
I will be reviewing my list and progress for The Classics Club next month but this month I did revise my list: http://thebookwormchronicles.wordpress.com/2013/02/20/the-classics-club-list-revision/
I’m thinking of switching a couple of my titles actually, I didn’t really enjoy my experiences with Japanese lit during the J-lit month a blogging friend organised so I think the two J-lit titles on my classics club list might benefit from being read more freely at some point rather than as part of the classics club experience. I reckon I might sneak another Dickens on there but am still thinking about the other freed up spot. Lovely dilemma to have though.
Yes exactly, the luxury of too many books
I hope you find a good replacement.
You should really try to read Shirley, it’s a great novel! Also, I feel curious about “The Warden”, I’ve seen it in may people’s Classics list. Anyway, for some reason I can’t explain I’ve read more than 40 books (of my original 64) of my challenge. For me the great thing about this challenge – besides the community it has created – it’s the freedom it gives you as a reader. You have a lot of time to read the books and you can choose more or less what you want – the rules are not very strict about what to consider a classic or not. Anyway, what I meant to say is that I’ve changed the list many times. For example, I’ve added books! Also, I’ve removed some I hadn’t purchased yet because I had changed my mind and didn’t feel like reading them anymore. The thing about this is to have fun reading classics, so I guess it’s perfectly alright if you choose some alternatives
(sorry for the long comment!)
wow it seems like the classics club has really worked for you! I am looking forward to Shirley