Back to the classics wrap-up

Another year down! This year was unusual in that I had no problems getting all the books read quite early on in the year but I didn't do a good job writing about them in a timely manner. On well, I got it done in the end. This was actually a fabulous reading year for me so I'll be back with a full end of year wrap up soon that includes my favorite reads and the other challenges I've done but here are my Back to the Classic Reads. Overall, they were top notch. It's hard to believe I've been doing this Challenge for 7 years but its such a good one! Its flexible but definitely encourages me to try books I might not otherwise get to and I love getting ideas from everyone else. 

1. A 19th century classic.  Lilith 

2. A 20th century classic. Mrs 'Arris goes to Paris

3. A classic by a woman author. Ruth

4. A classic in translation.  The Way of the Pilgrim

5. A classic by BIPOC author. To Sir, with Love

6. Mystery/Detective/Crime classic. The Franchise Affair

7. A classic short story collection.  The Wild Muir

8. Pre-1800 classic. A Mid-summer Night's Dream

9. A nonfiction classic. Six Easy Pieces

10. Classic that's been on your TBR list the longest.  The Fellowship of the Ring

11. Classic set in a place you'd like to visit. The Enchanted April

12. Wild card classic. The Cutters by Bess Streeter Aldrich

Email contant: brcbanter [AT] googlegroups.com

Classics Challenge: The Francise Affair

This is a hard category for me. Not because I don't read a lot of mysteries but because I do. I read tons of mysteries, mostly the older classic style (although I have caught up on the Strike series this year which is about as hard boiled as I can go). Which one to write about? I went with this one because I think Josephine Tey is a bit under appreciated. This first one of hers I read was Daughter of Time and you do see that about in gift shops in basically every museum that has a connection to Richard III. It's very good but our libraries didn't have anything else by her so since then I'd just been on the lookout for whatever of hers I could spot in the used bookstores I perused. 

And of course, I found one at the mystery book stop in Hay-on-Wye. Well, I found several but I had to be selective and I think I picked a good one. It's not a murder but a case of kidnapping. Or a case of accused kidnapping. 

 I think Tey has such an interesting way of making you look at multiple sides of a situation and I really enjoyed it and will be looking for more Tey books to go on my shelf...perhaps another trip to Hay-on-Wye. Well, I basically think any excuse is a good one for that sort of thing!

The Francise Affair is my Back to the Classic Mystery/Detective selection 

Classics Challenge: Six Easy Pieces

This isn't really where I thought I'd be going with the non-fiction category. I probably assumed I'd choose a biography or travel book. But I started doing a bit more pre-reading while I prep for Lucy's High School years and I read several science books and thoroughly enjoyed this one. It took me a while to figure out if it qualified because I couldn't find the original publication date. Most of the publication dates I found were after the author, Richard Feynman, had died so at least I knew they weren't quite right. But the book is based on the lectures he originally gave in 1960 and I finally found something that says they were compiled and published for the first time in 1963 which makes more sense so I'm going to go with that and say it works!

It's exactly what the title says. It's 6 lectures written down that talk about a variety of physics topics, some "easier" than others. I thought it was very interesting and I do think it would make an a great accompaniment to intro to physics because it shows how interesting and fun physics can be...if you just stick with the math for a a bit. I know some of it is out of date and some of it will be over a high schoolers head but exposure to the ideas and stating to get them thinking about what and why we care about this is important. Of course, I really like Physics overall so maybe I'm not the best judge. But I do think it will be getting added to Lucy's coursework in the near future. I'm curious to see what she thinks of it!

It also reminded me to read more science books. I clearly like the subject I just don't tend to think about science books much - probably because I read mostly based on recommendations and my literary friends don't recommend much in this genre. But I shall continue to scour the Charlotte Mason High School booklists I have access to and see what else I can find. 

Six Easy Pieces by Richard Feynman is my Back to the Classics Non-fiction Selection. 

Classics Challenge: The Fellowship of the Ring

I have a lot of books on my to be read pile but this really does have to be one of the longest lasting ones. I first experienced The Hobbit when I was about 10 when my mom read it aloud to us and I listened to an old BBC audiobook version so many times as a tween. And then when my younger brother hit the same age, we listened to it together. It was our regular car book when we went to my dad's house when we lived separately in Korea. So why had I never read The Lord of the Rings?

I don't know. I did try to listen to the KayRay audiobook version a few years ago but didn't get past Tom Bombadil part. Kay Ray is one of our family's favorite audiobook narrators so it definitely wasn't her that was the issue nor did I hold it against the book itself. I just struggle with audiobooks  (I have since learned to listen to audiobooks at 2-2.5X speed which helps a lot. Everyone sounds like a chipmunk for a minute but then my brain adjusts and compensates and its glorious!) 

But this year I actually picked up an (e)book and read it with my eyes and made it through the first one. It was good, not my typical genre and I still get confused when Lucy starts rattling off names (which one is he again?) but definitely worth reading. I might try and read the second this year and see  I can keep the streak going. Lucy has read them all and Jonah and Norah are about 50% of the way through the series so by the time I finish, they probably will have too and we can all watch the movies and complain about what's different together. 

The Fellowship of the Ring is my Classic That's Been on my TBR list the longest selection. 

Classics Challenge - Lilith

Lilith is one of those books that shows me how much I've grown as a reader in the past few years. It's been on my to read list for a while but I'm glad I didn't get to it until now because I really don't think I would have made it through it even 5 years ago and would have dismissed it as weird. 

And yes, it is a odd, no doubt about that. Lilith is an otherworld fantasy novel about a man who magically stumbles into this old world of Adam/Eve/Lilith (the supposed first, and ultimately unfitting wife of Adam). Their are parallel stories where man slowly wakes up and learns who he is while Lilith learns about redemption. Just much much weirder with more imagery and symbolism than what I just said. And I  didn't quite know what was going on for a fair portion of it. But having really pushed myself (and gotten some good guidance from the Literary Life podcast and sitting in with Lucy's Good Books class), I am able to read it as a fairy tale and to see past some of the superficial weirdness a bit more to the symbols and that's pretty encouraging.  I still probably only got a fraction of what was in this book but I'm okay with that. Even that fraction gave me plenty to think about on the topics of repentance and forgiveness. 

Lilith is my Back to the Classics 19th Century Selection. 

Mrs 'Arris goes to Paris

This was so cute! I actually had The Picture of Dorian Gray in this category before I realized it was actually written in 1890 so ten years too soon! And I already have that category done. So I read it for nothing.  Just kidding. But it was such a rookie mistake - and I've been doing this challenge for years so I really have no excuse. Although I must say that while Dorian Gray a perfectly fine book, I do think this one will be more fun to blog about anyway so all is well. 

So as I said, this was adorable. I actually read this before I even knew they were making a new movie version. I've heard good things about the movie version but I have such vivid pictures in my head of all the people that I'm a bit afraid to mess that up by watching it.  Mrs 'Arris is a lovely little down to earth cleaning lady who suddenly decides she wants a Dior dress. So she starts to scrimp and save. And with a bit of "movie magic" type situations, she get it and off she goes to Paris. I love Mrs. 'Arris. I love the way she interacts with everyone she meets and the relationships she forms on her journey. As someone who first visited Paris this summer myself, and who, despite all my traveling, still feels that bit of fish out of water, what am I doing here stuff, I just thought this couldn't be more delightful. 

As soon as I finished it, I checked out Mrs. 'Arris goes to New York which is even more far fetched and therefore not quite as charming but definitely still a decent pick for when you need something safe and cozy but still worth reading. 

Mrs 'Arris goes to Paris is my Back to the Classics 20th century selection. 

Classics Challenge - To Sir, With Love

To Sir, With Love is a book about a teacher in England but this is not Goodbye, Mr. Chips. Braitwaite is not teaching in a classic boarding school but in East London where things are a bit rougher. One of my local friends is from East London and I've enjoyed hearing about her experiences growing up and raising children there so I found this especially interesting. And of course, books that ponder what education is are always interesting. There are a few things that are a bit dated (like his descriptions of some of his female students) and I'm curious as to how much of this autobiographal novel is autobiography and how much is novel because he does wrap things up nicely in just a year - but overall I found it enjoyable and thought provoking.  

To Sir, With Love is my Classic by a BIPOC author selection in the Back to the Classics Challenge

 

Classics Challenge - The Way of a Pilgrim

This is a very unique little book. It's written by an annonymous peasant turned hermit/pilgrim who travels around Russia in the 19th century, growing in his faith and prayer life and meeting some interesting people along the way. 

A good friend is Orthodox and in my striving to understand her world a bit more, I learned about the Jesus Prayer which I have come to adore. This story talks quite a bit about that prayer as well as the idea of praying without ceasing. I am still not sure if the author is telling his story but just remaining anonymous or if someone has written this story like a sort of Orthodox Pilgrim's Progrress (without all the allergory) as a lesson. I think the former but I would not be shocked to find out its the later either. It's can be a bit confusing but overall a very interesting read that makes one think a lot about what a life of prayer and  devotion to Christ can and should look. 

I found my copy online and can't seem to find the link anymore so I don't know what specific translation I read but since I don't speak Russian, I can be confident that I did read A translation :-) 

The Way of the Pilgrim is my Classic in Translation selection for the Back to the Classics challenge.  

Classics Challenge - Ruth

North and South is one of my very favorite books. I've read it probably 7+ time.  Wives and Daughters is delightful (and heartbreaking that it never got a full ending but I digress). And vignette style books aren't my favorite but Cranford was still worth a read (and probably a re-read). But somehow the other Ruth Gaskell books have stayed on my to-read list. I think its because I had heard they were all sad. Which is kinda silly because someone could easily make the case that North and South is sad but I don't feel that way at all. It's such a comfort read for me despite the death count. 

Ruth is similar in that if you describe the plot  - young girl becomes fallen woman, struggles, etc...yeah, it sounds pretty depressing. But it really isn't. 

As a character, Ruth does seem a bit too good to be true in the later part of her life but I understand why. And the rest of the Gaskell's characters are great. It's just so well written. Ruth won't ever be North and South and if you are new to Gaskell I definitely recommend starting there but Ruth has encouraged me to keep going and finish up all the Gaskells I can get my hands on. 

Ruth is my Classic by a Woman Author for the Back to the Classics Challenge

Classic Challenge - The Enchanted April

I read this earlier this year with the Literary Life Podcast and the timing was perfect because I was doing the preliminary planning for our trip to Italy. Now that trip is fully planned and booked and we're heading out in just a few weeks. Our will be quite a bit different from the ladies in The Enchanted April - a lot more walking and museums and less sitting amongst flowers and sunshine, but I'm still pretty excited about it!

This one was interesting for me. As a family, we love to travel so I really enjoyed the ideas about beauty and how its worth seeking. Some of the scenes (like them trying to get to the house that first day and all the nervousness involved - so familiar! so funny! How much do I understand those feelings of being out of my element and thinking "what have we done!"...they normally end well and I'm glad we made the leap. But sometimes you do just end up taking a wrong turn out of a church and have to quickly walk through  a parking because the nice Norwegian ruffians are clearly waiting with rolled up sleeves and needles ready for the (thankfully oblivious) kids to be gone before proceeding - true story! And at least one gave me a head nod saying they were waiting. Scandinavians are so polite). 

Anyway, I loved the characters at times, especially our four main ladies, and the way they interacted, especially at the beginning. And the description of Italy were delightful. But I also had a hard time connecting with it at times, especially towards the end. As the story progress, it felt more like a fairy tale (which is good otherwise I'd probably be a lot more annoyed at the husbands and the ending) but that also meant I was sorta distanced from the story. I knew it would end well and I read on because I was interested to see how the author would get us there but I wasn't really invested in any of the women or their stories anymore.  So it was well written and thought provoking but I don't think I'll ever read it again. 

The Enchanted April is my Classic Set in a Place I'd like to Visit in the Back to the Classics Challenge. 

Classics Challenge - The Cutters

Goodness, I haven't written a single review for the Back to the Classics Challenge. It's not that I haven't been reading, I have! This has been one of my best reading years in a long time, both in terms of numbers and quality of books. In fact, I think I have read all but one category already (and I'm working on that last one - Ben Hur is just long!). So I've just gotten extremely behind in the writing part. So expect more of these to follow shortly! 

But I'll start with one of my favorite reads of the year - Bess Streeter Aldrich's The Cutters. Now A Lantern in Her Hand was making the homeschool mom rounds on my goodread list but I didn't have access to it as first so I grabbed this one by her. I have since read A Lantern in her hand and its delightful and arguable the better written book but I just enjoyed The Cutters so much.  

Here's the thing. It doesn't have much of a plot, it's sentimental to the point of bordering on sappy and its dated. There are a few lines that would NOT be published today and if I actually had a hard copy i would could just sharpie out, I would...BUT I loved it so much. At the beginning of the book, Nell has been married 15 years as has 4 kids. The older 3 have names but for for much of the book, the youngest is just called "the baby." And she's me. Me in a different century but me (and yes, Jude may be 4 but we are making a family effort to not call or treat him like "the baby" anymore. That sometimes feels like a losting batter but eventually it will stick, right?)...and I like the idea that mothers throughout time have the same thoughts and problems and silliness ideas I do, whatever century they are mothing in. And sappy or not, the last chapter made me cry. I've recommended it several times to other people lately. I've heard Mother Mason is similar so I need go track that one down now too. 

The Cutters is my Wildcard selection for the Back to the Classics Challenge 

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.  

Classics Challenge: Lassie Come - Home

I was originally planning on using Animal Farm as my choice for this selection. And I did read it. But I don't have much to say about it. It's good. I re-read it especially so I could talk to Lucy about it as she's just finishing up the modern times and I think its a great book for her age. Simple in terms of reading ability but lots of deep ideas to ponder. But I feel like most people know about it already. 

Lassie Come-Home, on the other hand, is not as well known. The plot is pretty simple. Dog gets sent away for reasons, finds his way back. It's for kids so you know he's gonna make it or the book would be cruel. But the real delight is the setting and the people of the land. Lassie's family and the difficult situations and different ways of dealing with them are so touching while not being too angsty for children. But the book doesn't shy away from the hard times Lassie experiences on her journey either.

  Reading this over the summer after spending time in Yorkshire and the Lake District and learning about the changes that occurred during this time period in the mining communities was an amazing combination. There are parts where, at least as a read aloud, I had to push through because not much was happening but I don't think that would have been the case if I was just reading this to myself though and I am very glad we did push through. I may or may not have had a hard time reading aloud the last bits while my kid's just looked at me, rolling their eyes and wondering why there mom was chocking up. (Don't get me wrong - they liked it as well, we're just deep in good natured mom mockery stage around here). 

Lassie Come-Home is my Classic about an Animal selection in the Back to the Classics Challenge . 

My Cousin Rachel

Rebecca is Daphne du Maurier's most popular book. I really enjoyed it a few years back and meant to read more by her but got distracted. At least until Craig and I watched the Netflix adaptation. And as luck would have it, my favorite local bookstore had several du Maurier options for me to pick from so I went with My Cousin Rachel. 

Now, it's not classic literature - but it is fun. Daphne du Maurier can set a scene well, especially if its got a creepy slightly foggy setting. If you want a mysterious gothic page turner that has you trying to figure out what to think, this is it. Unless you really dislike open endings, then I'd skip this one. I think the ending fit the story pretty well - and I definitely have my opinion about what really happened! I do still think I prefer Rebecca to this so if you haven't read that, I'd start there but I won't hesitate to pick up any other Daphne du Maurier books I stumble upon in a used bookstore. 

My Cousin Rachel is Classic by a Women selection in the Back to the Classics Challenge. 

Classics Challenge: Antigone

I read Oedipus Rex in college. I won't say too much about that other than to say that I was never interested in reading another greek play after that. Angelina, Cindy and Thomas convinced me to try again last summer but last summer was a bit intense and I just couldn't make it through. So when I saw another greek play on the Literary Life List, I felt a bit bleh about it. I was WRONG! I should have trusted them. I really really enjoyed Antigone. 

I've done a lot of Greek myth stuff in the last two years so I'm sure that helped me feel less overwhelmed by the whole Greek world but overall, I felt like it was very approachable play even without a lot of that background. I had lots of thoughts and actually wanted to talk to my book buddy about it and how it related to some more modern books and ideas we've been pondering like the balance between fighting the wrongs you see around you in society and investing your time in political things and just keeping your head down and doing the next right thing. 

And then when I actually listened to the podcast episodes, I realized that I had done pretty well on my own. Some of their main points were the same things I had been thinking about! So I wasn't totally lost. That was very exciting for me. I might even try Oedipus at Colonus so I add "has read the Theban plays" to my resume which I think has quite a ring to it. Maybe next summer. 

So anyway, if you're feeling the desire to try something Greek, I'd definitely encourage you to try Antigone. 

Classic's Challenge: Celia's House

I had planned on reading a Gaskell book for this pick because Gaskell really is one of my top 5 authors but I just can't seem to get into the remaining books of hers I haven't read. I checked out Ruth twice and haven't passed the first chapter. I'm reading a lot this year but its an interesting selection - some of it is just lighter reads which is fine but I'm also skewing much more modern than usual (in this case "modern" meaning writen in 1943). Perhaps because I'm reading along with Lucy's history and she's hitting the 1900s so I'm gravitating towards that for my personal reading as well? I'm not sure but its not my usual fare and that's showing up in this classics challenge as well. 

So I went with D. E. Stevenson and Celia's house. Celia's House is my 5th D.E. Stevenson novel (at least according to goodreads. I think I've actually read more but can't remember the titles so I'm stuck relying on goodreads). She's one of my go-to authors when I need something light, sweet and fairly reliable. I think Miss. Buncle's Book is probably her most well known novel but The Four Graces might be my favorite. 

This one was not my favorite. It wasn't bad at first but I was about 1/2 way through when I realized that somewhere around the 1/3 mark (right when it shifted to the next generation), it became a retelling of Mansfield Park. Not a "subtle nod to Mansfield Park" but a straight up retelling with very little being changed. 

I'm not necessarily opposed to Jane Austen retellings on principle or anything but it felt a bit deceitful as nowhere on the cover or in the text was I informed that this would be a retelling. It just felt jarring and took my out of the story and world she had created around the house. And of course, even a good writer will have trouble retelling a Jane Austen better than Ms. Austen herself (even though Mansfield Park isn't my favorite Austen) so I'm sure the comparison didn't help. 

That said, I really didn't HATE it. In fact, I gave it three stars on Goodreads which honestly means pretty much next to nothing as my goodreads ratings are wildly inconsistent and I've yet to find a remedy for that. I just expected to enjoy it more than I did.  But I still won't hesitate to pick up a Stevenson novel in the future. 

Celia's House is my Back to the Classics Classic by a Favorite Author selection. 

Classics Challenge: Silas Marner

I had read Silas Marner before but it has been some years. It was interesting to re-read it because while I remembered the basic plot, so many of the details were fresh and surprising. I kept being surprised by what I  This was another book I read along with the Literary Life Podcast and I particularly enjoyed viewing it through the lens of fairy tale tropes and ideas. 

I think it would make a good book to pick up if you're struggling right now to get back into a reading routine or to read classics because its just a nice, easy to read but still really good book. It's full of really great characters, a bit of a mystery but nothing too crazy and less of the crazy, "why is that character being stupid?" moments that made me want to pull my hair out when I read Eliot's Middlemarch (plus - its a heck of a lot shorter).I'd read a section and then put the book down but keep thinking about everything from faith, community, and parenting to fate and decisions the rest of the day. 

Silas Marner was my Back to the Classics Challenge 19th Century selection.