Back to the Classics Tentative Reading List

Ah, the new year. When all your book lists seem possible and the time in unending. Alas, I always seem to add more books to my tbr year than I end up actually reading but I guess that's not a bad thing. What if I actually ran out of books I wanted to read?! I used to worry about that when I was a kid, poor little worrier that I was. But I still love the challenge of making lists and reading hard books so here we are, back at it once again. I haven't picked for all the categories and I'm sure half the books I actually pick will change over the course of the year but at least this gives me a starting place.

1.  A 19th century classic - I use this category for my yearly Dickens.  I'm going with Pickwick Papers this time. 

2.  A 20th century classic - Howards End. I'm not actually thrilled with the idea of this book but my favorite podcast Close Reads is chosen it for January and I can't say no. Putting it in this catagory gives me double motivation. And maybe it will surprised me (basically, I'm imagining this as depressing and I don't tend to like that in a book but I have no real basis for that over than Anthony Hopkins is in the movie and he just makes me think dark and depressing. Maybe it's super funny and lighthearted! I don't know!)

3.  A classic by a woman author. Not normally a hard catagory for me to fill but all the choices are leaving with no firm answer. 

4.  A classic in translation.  I will read it this time. 

5. A children's classic. The House of Arden by E. Nesbit. My kid's love Nesbit but I'll confess that they've always listened to them as audiobooks so I don't have much experience with her myself. Time for that to change. 

6.  A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction. 

 Over at Close Reads podcast, they've talked a few times about murder mystery versus spy novel and I'm definitely a murder mystery fan but my one attempt at a spy novel didn't end well. I want to give it another go.  Maybe The Spy Who Came in from the Cold? If I abandon it, I'm sure I'll have one (dozen) murder mysteries to choose from my read in '18 list that I could plug in here. I think one of the Close Reads selections this year might fit and some hand holding is always nice. 

7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction. 

Kon Tiki

8. A classic with a single-word title. Beowulf. This might get moved to A classic that scares you. Because...poetry! But for now, it stays here. 

9. A classic with a color in the title.  Maybe Agnes Grey? Still undecided. 

10. A classic by an author that's new to you.  Again, too many choices! I'll probably end up with some Close Reads or Ambleside Online selection here? Maybe another Russian Novel. That could go in  the scares me catagory too. 

11. A classic that scares you. This category is getting smaller now that I've spent the last two years really pushing myself. But I could put The Holy Way by John Bunyan here. Lucy and I have been reading Pilgrim's Progress and she loves it but I'll just say its not my style. So the idea of more Bunyan is not appealing. But I've committed to it in my year 8 plans and that is a bit scary. 

12. Re-read a favorite classic. Jane Eyre. I read this in high school and thought it was okay. I re-read it a few years ago and maybe it was just the right time for me because I loved it. I've been scared to re-read it for fear I won't like it as much this time  and ruin that memory (hmm, so maybe it should be "a classic that scares you ;-) but I want to try anyway.

Wanna join in? It's super fun! Go visit Karen at Books and Chocolate to find out more.