This year, there are 12 categories. And a PRIZE! (hope to remember by December.) No required categories, just levels to accomplish for entries: Complete six – get one entry; complete nine, get two. Etc.
My choices/options for the categories are… (go read the rules and join by clicking on the button above.)
1. A 19th Century Classic — Dang it! Sister Carrie doesn’t count for this?! (pub’d in 1900) ok, will look for something else… Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup.
2. A 20th Century Classic — SISTER CARRIE! It’s not too late to join our readalong of this. Check Twitter for #CarrieAlong. See my post on it –> here <–.
3. A Classic by a Woman Author. The King Must Die by Mary Renault. I adore the title, it’s under 400 pages.
3. A Classic by a Woman Author. The King Must Die by Mary Renault. I adore the title, it’s under 400 pages.
4. A Classic in Translation. GERMINAL by ZOLA – watch for a readalong later in the year…
5. A Very Long Classic Novel — a single work of 500 pages or longer. This does not include omnibus editions combined into one book, or short story collections. OPTIONS: Mansfield Park (509 pages!) by the incomparable Miss Jane. (thought I would find more but everytime I looked at a title, it would be under 300 pages! huh)
6. A Classic Novella — any work shorter than 250 pages. For a list of suggestions, check out this list of World’s Greatest Novellas from Goodreads. Wide Sargasso Sea – WOW – I thought this was a chunkster!! until I looked it up to see if qualified for category #5. Must have it confused with Middlemarch? OH CRAP – this was pub’d in 1966. NOW WHAT am I going to choose? Candide! or Heart of Darkness!!
7. A Classic with a Person’s Name in the Title. First name, last name, or both, it doesn’t matter, but it must have the name of a character. Jude the Obscure will fit just fine.
8. A Humorous or Satirical Classic. Humor is very subjective, so this one is open to interpretation. Just tell us in the review why you think it’s funny or satirical. For example, if you think that Crime and Punishment and funny, go ahead and use it, but please justify your choice in your post. {no idea here…}
9. A Forgotten Classic. This could be a lesser-known work by a famous author, or a classic that nobody reads any more. If you look on Goodreads, this book will most likely have less than 1000 ratings. This is your chance to read one of those obscure books from the Modern Library 100 Best Novels or 1001 Books to Read Before You Die. Books published by Virago Modern Classics, Persephone, and NYRB Classics often fall into this category. {no idea here, neither… I really do not know how to judge this at all by just looking at the titles I have on my Club 50.}
10. A Nonfiction Classic. A memoir, biography, essays, travel, this can be any nonfiction work that’s considered a classic, or a nonfiction work by a classic author. — Will have to do more research. Likely something by Virginia Woolf will work but I was trying to titles already on my Classics Club 50.
11. A Classic Children’s Book. A book for your inner child! Pick a children’s classic that you never got around to reading. Again, I have no idea for this one.
12. A Classic Play. . . .
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good luck with your challenge! sorry sister carrie just missed the cutoff!
But it counted for the other one, so all good.
Good luck! What about Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome for the humorous classic? But I think you already read that? Looking up the author’s name, I just saw that he wrote a sequel (with bicycles) Three Men on the Bummel, which I had never heard of!
I *DID* read Three Men in a Boat last year! 😀
Isn’t Trollope supposed to be funny? I might be confusing him with someone else.
Children book would be a favorite of mine. I thoroughly enjoyed Anne of Green Gables last year.
How about the Count of Monte Cristo or Anna Karenina for the very long classic?
I enjoyed Anne of Green Gables a few years ago and I read The Count last fall! I finally tackled AK in 2013, Ithink. and no, not really interested in any other of those Russians. Maybe a Wilkie? I’m sure I’ll find something.
Yay! I love this challenge. I think Wilde would be a fun play. I’m in for Germinal too!
Oh yes! GREAT idea.
A Germinal readalong!?!? YES!!!! It’s on my list for this challenge too.
Great!
Okay – satirical could be anything by Jane Austen. I agree that for a play, you should pick something by Wilde. You will enjoy every bit of it. For children’s, or even one of the more obscure ones, how about Heidi or Little Men? Just suggestions!
Thanks! I am listening to a short Shakespeare play and realized it will count for this challenge.
So glad you are joining in this one too! I joined last year and totally bombed but hopefully this year I’ll at least get half way 🙂
I tried reading Mansfield Park last year and unfortunately left it on my nightstand for too long but would love to re-start it. Enjoy the challenge!
I haven’t read any Jane in a long time.
Heart of Darkness is a novella?? I have horrid memories of that book, so in my mind, it’s 500 pages long.
Yea, I’m not yet convinced…
Love all of these categories!! Almost makes me want to make my own list. Hmmm, I’d be up for a Heart of Darkness RAL. I’ve read it a few times and it still baffles me.
And I’m totally counting Sister Carrie towards my goal of reading 3 before 1900. 🙂
Go for it! And hopefully Heart of Darkness really is a short one. I was surprised…
2015 – the year of readalongs!! Sister Carrie, Misery, Germinal, Heart of Darkness, …
I looked at this but there were just too many “no idea here’s” for me! Good luck!
*Smiles* that’s ok! Thanks for playing.