2021 Classics Challenge Wrap-up

I did it! My 7th year doing the Back to the Classics challenge is done. I really wasn't sure I was going to get all 12 categories done this year. I actually read more books this year than I have since 2014 but surprisingly a lot of that was more modern and non-fiction (and not as surprising, a lot of of that was children's and middle grade, both pre-reading and read-aloud/along). 

But the Classics I did read, I overwhelmingly enjoyed. I can't think of any of them that I look back and think "well, that was a waste of time" although I am also much more willing to abandon books part way through than I used to be. I think I realizing I'm running out of time to read all the things that are worth reading. Now I get to rest on my laurels for approximately 2 second before thinking about what I am going to read next year!

19th Century Classic: Silas Marner

20th Century Classic: The Chosen

Classic by a Woman: My Cousin Rachel

Classic in Translation: The Daughter of the Commandant

Classic by a BIPOC: Their Eyes Were Watching God

Classic by a New-to-You Author: Ngaio Marsh's Death in a White Tie

Classic by a Favorite Author: Celia's House

Classic about an Animal: Lassie Come-Home

Humor or Satire: That Hideous Strength

Children's Classic: The Little Prince

 

Travel/Adventure Classic: Phantastes

Classic Play:  Antigone

(If I need to be reached, please do so at Limesand AT gmail.com)

Classics Challenge: The Daughter of the Commandant.

Yet again I turn to a Russian author for my Classic in Translation selection. These Russians, they grow on you. I was going to go with Eugene Onegin and was enjoying it at first but I got sick and found my brain couldn't handle the verse so I switched to the next one on my goodreads list. Sometimes translated, as The Captain's daughter, The Daughter of the Commandant was just delightful. 

Petr' is a great main character. Despite being kind of "a mess" at the beginning of the story, you still find yourself on his side as he grows up. Now there are an improbably number of coincidences but I don't even care, it was just fun with an interesting plot that keeps you guessing while not being too stressful (This was a thanksgiving read - I didn't want to be (and wasn't!) worried that anyone was going to jump in front of a train). And its not too long so if you haven't ventured into the world of Russian lit, I think it would be a good choice. 

Classics Challenge: Their Eyes Were Watching God

The kids and I are taking a short break from doing "the riches" with the Ambleside Online rotation and doing Picture Study and Composer Study with Heritage Mom's Harlem Renaissance Stomp study. We're about half way through and it's been really enjoyable so far. We just finished a read-aloud about a young girl who wants to be a writer. In the story she is mentored by Zora Neale Hurston so naturally when I was searching for a BIPOC Classic Challenge book, I thought of her and her works. Their Eyes Were Watching God is her best known work so I thought it was a pretty safe bet as it's almost December and I didn't have time to get half way through a book and give up for another. Time is ticking people!

But I'm glad I picked it! I enjoyed the plot a lot more than I thought I would. I was expecting it to be sadder, or more emotionally challenging and while it definitely had some challenging moments, I just ENJOYED reading it more than I was expecting. I really liked the main character Janie and I wasn't sure I would at the beginning so that was a really nice surprise. I really respected her choices throughout the story and I was really rooting for her. 

I did find the dialect really difficult. I often have to resort to reading dialect out loud but this was my Jude's bedtime read (as in, I read it on my phone while sitting with him waiting for him to fall asleep, not that I read it to my 3 year old :-) ) which made that difficult. I stumbled along and got better at it but I do think, if read well, this would be enjoyable as a audiobook. 

Their Eyes Were Watching God is my Classic by a BIPOC author selection in the Back to the Classics Challenge. 

Classics Challenge: That Hideous Strength

I'm not sure this is a the best book to read with a deadline looming as its pretty intense, but it IS definitely worth reading. This is my second time through. According to Goodreads (and not my memory because I had no clue!) the last time I read this was in the beginning of 2014 which meant I had a 3 year old and a 1 year old. Which might explain why I had very little memory of it. I do remember feeling lost through quite a bit of it and just being proud I finished. 

This time I did much better! I remembered the first 1/3 as I read and then it felt like a brand new book and not a re-read. I won't presume to say that I understood all of what C. S. Lewis was trying to say in it (I think that would take 10-100 more readings) but I did start to notice things and make connections and really ponder ideas. I'm going to be reading Abolition of Man (again) this spring and I'm exciting to make connections between the two. 

I'm putting as my Humor/Satire Back to the Classics selection which is making me laugh because I had planned to take that category in a much lighter direction originally but I guess I wasn't in a laughing mood because every other book I picked or even sometimes started for Humor was abandoned...don't over analyze that, I think I just needed the motivation to stick with this one! I'm very glad I did.