Saturday, December 9, 2017

Back to the Classics 2018


It's back! Once again, I'm hosting the Back to the Classics Challenge.  I hope to encourage bloggers to discover and enjoy classic books they might not have tried, or just never got around to reading. And at the end, one lucky winner will receive a $30 (US) prize from Amazon.com or The Book Depository!

Here's how it works:


The challenge will be exactly the same as last year, 12 classic books, but with slightly different categories. You do not have to read all 12 books to participate in this challenge!

  • Complete six categories, and you get one entry in the drawing
  • Complete nine categories, and you get two entries in the drawing
  • Complete all twelve categories, and you get three entries in the drawing

And here are the categories for the 2018 Back to the Classics Challenge:


1.  A 19th century classic - any book published between 1800 and 1899.


2.  A 20th century classic - any book published between 1900 and 1968. Just like last year, all books MUST have been published at least 50 years ago to qualify. The only exception is books written at least 50 years ago, but published later, such as posthumous publications.


3.  A classic by a woman author


4.  A classic in translation.  Any book originally written published in a language other than your native language. Feel free to read the book in your language or the original language. (You can also read books in translation for any of the other categories). Modern translations are acceptable as long as the original work fits the guidelines for publications as explained in the challenge rules.


5. A children's classic. Indulge your inner child and read that classic that you somehow missed years ago. Short stories are fine, but it must be a complete volume. Young adult and picture books don't count!


6.  A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction. This can be a true crime story, mystery, detective novel, spy novel, etc., as long as a crime is an integral part of the story and it was published at least 50 years ago. Examples include The 39 Steps, Strangers on a Train, In Cold Blood, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, etc.  The Haycraft-Queen Cornerstones list is an excellent source for suggestions. 


7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction. The journey itself must be the major plot point -- not just the destination. Good examples include The Hobbit, Around the World in 80 Days, Unbeaten Tracks in Japan, Kon-Tiki, Travels with Charley, etc. 

8. A classic with a single-word title. No articles please! Proper names are fine -- Emma, Germinal, Middlemarch, Kidnapped, etc.


9. A classic with a color in the title. The Woman in White; Anne of Green Gables; The Red and the Black, and so on. (Silver, gold, etc. are acceptable. Basically, if it's a color in a Crayola box of crayons, it's fine!)


10. A classic by an author that's new to you. Choose an author you've never read before.


11. A classic that scares you. Is there a classic you've been putting off forever? A really long book which intimidates you because of its sheer length? Now's the time to read it, and hopefully you'll be pleasantly surprised!


12. Re-read a favorite classic. Like me, you probably have a lot of favorites -- choose one and read it again, then tell us why you love it so much. 


And now, the rest of the rules:

  • All books must be read in 2018. Books started before January 1, 2018 do not qualify. All reviews must be linked to this challenge by December 31, 2018. I'll post links for each category the first week of January which will be featured on a sidebar on this blog for the entire year. (The exception is the Final Wrap-Up link which I'll post later in the year, to avoid confusion).
  • You must also post a wrap-up review and link it to the challenge no later than December 31, 2018. Please include links within your final wrap-up so that I can easily confirm all your categories. If I cannot find your reviews, I will not enter your name in the drawing. Also, it is OK to rearrange books to fit different categories in your wrap-up post. Most books could count toward several different categories, so it's fine if you change them, as long as they are identified in your wrap-up post. If you do not have a blog and wish to link your reviews on Goodreads, you MUST post a wrap-up in the comments section of the Final Wrap-Up Link.
  • All books must have been written at least 50 years ago; therefore, books must have been written by 1968 to qualify for this challenge. The ONLY exceptions are books published posthumously. Recent translations of classics are acceptable.
  • E-books and audiobooks are eligible! You may also count books that you read for other challenges.
  • Books may NOT cross over within this challenge. You must read a different book for EACH category, or it doesn't count. 
  • Multiple books by the same author are also acceptable. 
  • Children's classics are acceptable, but please, no more than 3 total for the challenge; and please, no picture books.
  • Single short stories and short poems do not count, but you may use full-length narrative poems like The Odyssey and short story collections like The Canterbury Tales, as long as it is the entire book.
  • If you do not have a blog, you may link to reviews on Goodreads or any other publicly accessible online format. For example, if you have a Goodreads account, you could create a dedicated list to the challenge, and link to that with a tentative list (the list can change throughout the challenge). If you do use Goodreads, make sure you indicate in each review or in your wrap-up which book corresponds to which category, otherwise I will not count it.
  • The deadline to sign up for the challenge is March 1, 2018. After that, I will close the link and you'll have to wait until the next year! Please include a link to your original sign-up post, not your blog URL. Also, make sure you add your link to the Linky below, NOT IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. If I don't see your name in the original Linky, YOU WILL BE INELIGIBLE. If you've made a mistake with your link, just add a second one and let me know in the comments. It's no problem for me to delete an incorrect link.
  • You do NOT have to list all the books you're going to read for the challenge in your sign-up post, but it's more fun if you do! Of course, you can change your list any time. Books may also be read in any order. 
  • The winner will be announced on this blog the first week of January, 2019. All qualifying participants will receive one or more entries, depending on the number of categories completed. One winner will be selected at random for all qualifying entries. The winner will receive a gift certificate in the amount of $30 (US currency) from either Amazon.com OR $30 worth of books from The Book Depository. The winner MUST live in a country that will receive shipments from one or the other. For a list of countries that receive shipments from The Book Depository, click here
So what are you waiting for? Sign up at the linky below! I'll be posting my list of possible reads for 2018 in the next few days. Happy reading!


140 comments:

  1. great categories. Two quick questions. can you read more than one book by the same author and although L M Montgomery is famous a children's author I believe The Blue Castle was published as and is generally seen as a book for adults so can read it without it counting to the children's book limit?

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    1. Yes, multiple books by the same author are allowed! And yes, some authors have written for both adults and children (A. A. Milne wrote mysteries, who knew?) so The Blue Castle is allowed for adults (and I've read it and really enjoyed it!). Some books like Little Women and Gulliver's Travels can arguably go either way, so I'm pretty flexible with those.

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    2. Thank you I don't know how to label the catergory on goodreads so will mention in my reviews. so far
      2oth century- 4.50 from Paddington
      Woman- The Daughter of Time
      Translation- Phantom of the Opera
      Children- Little Lord Faulteroy
      Colour- The Blue Castle
      Crime- The Murder of Roger Akroyd
      New to me- Last Seen Wearing (the Hilary Waugh one)
      One word title- Trilby
      Reread- Anne of Green Gables

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    3. Great list! You can't go wrong with Agatha Christie. I've read both those by L. M. Montgomery and loved both of them. If you like Frances Hodgson Burnett, I also recommend one of her adult novels, The Shuttle. It's long, about 500 pages, but it's really worth reading.

      Last Seen Wearing is new to me also so I'm interested to learn more about it.

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    4. Last Seen Wearing is noted as the first mystery in the genre of "police procedural." For a first, it's unexpectedly good, well worth reading.

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    5. Oh my gosh. I just discovered your blog and this challenge and I'm so excited as it coincides with the 5 year classics challenge I am already doing but I just saw you mention The Shuttle and which I am currently reading and LOVING. Currently compiling my list and will sign up for your challenge today :)

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  2. I'm so happy you're doing this again! I have some ideas for my list, but I'll sign up properly in a few days :)

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    1. I was really waffling about it, I've blogged so little lately. But I've had all the categories decided on for months, and I really love how the button came out -- I couldn't waste it! And maybe it will inspire me to blog more (and read more of my own books!).

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  3. I'm in again, even though I still haven't completed my goal for the 2017 challenge. Thanks for hosting!

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  4. Ah! The new list is here!!! I must begin plotting next year's classic goals NOW... even though I still need to finish up my 2017 classics challenge. :) Heeheehee...

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  5. I'm so excited to join in again! Thank you for hosting!

    Anahit

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    1. Thank you so much for doing this again!!!! I look forward to it because it pushes me to read books I might otherwise not read...like Frankenstein and Eugene Onegin (both of which have become favorites of mine)!! I brainstormed some ideas on my blog for this year, but there are so many good choices I may just see where the year takes me!!

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  6. I was so happy to see this post go up - I've been checking like a crazy person since the end of November! I love this challenge and am happily brainstorming my books now. Thank you for continuing on with it.

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  7. I've decided to revive my blog and get back to reviewing books when I saw this challenge in my rss reader. I can't wait for it to start!

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  8. I like the idea of this challenge, therefore I'm in. Bloglink added above :)

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  9. Just made my list! I'm so excited. I've been wanting to read more classics and I never do. I'm signing up to do the entire thing, just one a month! Should be fun. Thank you for hosting!

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  10. I signed up for 2016, but failed miserably. We'll see if this time goes better! LOL

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  11. I haven't read many classics the last years, so hopefully I'll get better now :)

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  12. I'm in and I just started a blog. Yay! Brainstorming my books......

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  13. I'm in again. Thanks for continuing to host!

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  14. Hello! This is my first time doing this challenge and I am excited to have motivation to read some awesome books.

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  15. I'm going to try to reboot my blog *and* do this entirely with books I already own. It's kind of embarrassing how easy it was to come up with a list.

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  16. I just found this challenge. Great idea. I'll try. Thanks to the Queen of Carrot for showing me the way.

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    1. ... and by the way. I can't find out how to "steal" the button, please help.

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    2. I don't know the official or best way but I just take a screenshot and crop it. Then I link it to this page. Hope that helps some!

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    3. I could find out how to download the photo to my files, then I did a you say. Thanks.

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    4. I don't know what happened to my link. Page not found, but I did nothing to it. I have put up a new one, please delete # 22

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  17. I'm joining! It's been a few years, but I'm looking forward to being apart of this community again. :) Thanks for hosting. I'll put up my list soon! Amy@hearthridgereflections

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  18. Yay! I'm going to be planning and plotting my 2018 challenge! I love this year button or logo, love those book spines.

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  19. Third time's the charm? LOL I tried the last couple (few?) years but just never get far. Here's to another try.

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  20. I had to update LOL. One blog post and already a mistake LOL. !

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  21. What about books of poems like Leaves of Grass by Whitman or Poems by Dickinson - neither of which I've read yet.?

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    1. The only poetry that qualifies is full-length narrative poems like The Odyssey or The Divine Comedy. The whole book should tell a story, not collection of individual poems.

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  22. Sorry if this is a repeat comment. I thought I had posted one but it's not showing up...

    I plan to do the Goodreads route. One of the rules listed is that you want a wrap up review linked. How do you want this done for Goodreads? Just link the list and have reviews for each book? Thanks!

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    1. When you've finished the challenge (or as many books as you can, you don't have to do 12 to qualify for the drawing), there will be a post to link your Final Wrap-Up (you can see the 2017 links in the sidebar on the left). If you don't have a blog, you can just write a short post in the comments section -- basically, I should be able to link to all your reviews on Goodreads, and I should know which book goes to each category. If you want to add comments about your favorites, least favorites, etc., that's fine too.

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  23. I've never joined before but I really want to get through some of these classics on my TBR so I'm in! Yay!

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  24. I'm so happy you're doing this challenge again, Karen! It helped me to stay focused last year and complete my goal of reading 12 classics. I loved all of your categories last year and look forward to following along again this year. I have chosen the 12 books I want to read in 2018 (but I may deviate from this list as I did last year when I was tempted away by books others in the challenge were reading).
    Shirley (stampartiste)

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  25. I first heard about this challenge last year about a week after the cut-off date, so I've been eagerly awaiting this for about 9 months. I'm so excited to be able to participate this year!

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  26. I entered my url wrong. Emily #41 can go.
    I couldn't put the categories on goodreads so I'll list them here:
    1. 19th Century Classic - Heart of Darkness (1899)
    2. 20th Century - The Inimitable Jeeves (1923)
    3. Woman Author - The Last Man by Mary Shelley
    4. A Translation - The Count of Monte Cristo (French)
    5. Children's Classic - A Little Princess
    6. Classic Crime Story - Miss Marple Short Stories Collection
    7. Travel or Journey - Journey to the Center of the Earth
    8. Single Word - Dracula
    9. Color in the Title - The Red House Mystery
    10. New Author - The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard
    11. Classic that Scares Me - The Silmarillion
    12. Old Favorite - The Jungle Books

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  27. This 2017 wasn't good with classics but I hope do it better in 2018.

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  28. Hi Karen, I put the wrong link for my sign up challenge. I don't know if you can delete it because I don't see where I can. If you can, the link that needs to be deleted is #45

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  29. Yep, I'm joining in for 2018 after skipping 2017. Looking forward to reading more classics in the coming year.

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  30. Here I go again!
    19th Century: The Pioneers by James Fennimore Cooper
    20th Century: All That Swagger by Miles Franklin
    Woman Author: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
    Classic in Translation: Kristen Lavrandatter: The Wife by Sigrid Unset
    Children's Classic: The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge
    Classic Crime Story: The Crime at Black Dudley by Margery Allingham
    Journey or Travel Narrative: Forbidden Journey by Ella Maillart
    Classic with a Single Word Title Katherine by Anya Seton
    Classic with a Colour in the Title: Red Pottage by Mary Cholmondeley
    Classic by an Author New to You: Sunlight on a Broken Column by Attia Hosain
    Classic that Scares you by its Sheer Length: Black Lamb Grey Falcon by Rebecca West (1100 pages)
    Re-Read a Favourite Classic: To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf

    It's fun choosing the books. My owned but unread shelf will shrink - a bit! Thank you Karen

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    2. I think Black Lamb Grey Falcon is an excellent choice. When I read it a long time ago I thought it was really a 20th century masterpiece. There is no other book like it (travel narrative, philosophy, history, prophecy, domestic drama). But as the only book of its kind in creation, it's not easy sailing - West is hyper-intellectual, hyper-fluent, and she intimidates the heck out of me. Length is not half the challenge....

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  31. Well, hopefully third time’s the charm and I actually make good progress on this one this year! I’m looking forward to it, as I have some books I’m really looking forward to this year that will fill out the categories quite nicely. Thanks for hosting again!

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  32. hello I'M in :D
    want to ask about the favorite classic actually I don't have one. do you think I can choose one my favorite movies and read it's book like Anna karenina

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    1. The category is actually a re-read, so it should be something you've already read, something that's already a favorite, not something that's new. Many books are different than the TV and movie adaptations (that was actually a category a few years ago) -- especially very long books like Anna Karenina. If you don't have a classic that you consider a favorite you can just skip that one. You're not required to read every single category to qualify for the drawing.

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    2. The reason I don't have a favorite is because I only read like 3 classics my whole life Romeo and Juliet , Jane Eyre and Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales. And this challenge is a great chance to read at least the famous onces. What do you think about Jane Eyre can I reread it as a favorite? It is the one I liked the most among the three but it is not a favorite it is like a 3 stars rating.

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  34. Thank you for this challenge.
    My List.
    19th century - Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskill, 1866
    20th century - A Room With A View by E. M. Forster, 1908
    Woman author - The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer, 1950
    In translation - Angelique by Anne & Serge Golon, 1956
    Children's - The Coral Island by J. M. Ballantyne, 1857
    Crime story - Calamity Town by Ellery Queen, 1942
    Travel or journey narrative - Cape Cod by Henry David Thoreau, 1865
    Single-word title - Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, 1819
    Color in the title - The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins, 1859
    Author that's new to you - Mrs. Mike by Benedict & Nancy Freedman, 1947
    Scares you - War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy, 1868
    Favorite classic - Persuasion by Jane Austen, 1817

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  35. What's the policy on books that we started years ago and abandoned? Is it fine to use those as long as we start from page 1 in 2018?

    There are a couple of books I'd love an excuse to actually getting around to trying to read again.

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    1. That's fine! And you've given me an idea for a new category for next year's challenge, so thank you!

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    2. Thank you, and I'm glad that helped with category ideas!

      Right then, time to tackle The Shahnameh for the fourth time. I look forward to reading with you all!

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    3. I bailed out of The Tale of Genji in 1980 and only returned to it in 2017 to start over and finish it. So there is always hope....

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  36. I am looking forward to this challenge! Thank you for encouraging people to read the classics. I will encourage my friends to join as well.

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  37. Stumbled on this challenge through Instagram and I'm excited about it! Thanks for hosting!

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  38. I took part in this challenge last year but only managed to read a couple of books due to moving house - hopefully I'll do better this year as I've tried to keep my challenge more manageable. Thanks for hosting this - good to encourage folk to read the classics.

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  39. Hi all, I saw that there are quite a few of us reading The Scarlet Letter and was wondering if anyone would be interested in a buddy read. If you are let me know by clicking the link below and when you'd like to read it.
    https://thebrokenspine.net/2017/12/28/2018-blogging-goals/

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  40. Just signed up. Looking forward to a good year of reading!

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    1. Oops, I accidentally signed up twice - #80 and #82. Please delete #80 - it points to my general blog, and not the reading challenge post. Thanks!

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  41. Thanks! I was looking for a reading challenge and this one sounds both interesting and challenging. I realized too late that I should have typed in "@goodreads after my name, but clicking on my name takes one to my tentative list there.

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    1. Ummm...how do I get my name to show instead of "Unknown"? I am #87 Sheri.

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    2. Well, something worked... :-)

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  43. Great list! First time joining here; looking forward to it!- Maria Pia

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  44. Oh, count me in! I'm also doing The Classics Club reading challenge so my goal was to get as much overlap as possible. What could be more inspiring than having two great classics communities to follow!
    1. A 19th century classic: The House of the Seven Gables
    2. A 20th century classic: Wind, sand and stars (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
    3. A classic by a woman author: Perhaps "The Second Sex" by Simone de Beauvoir
    4. A classic in translation: Many choices here but I'll go with Vita Nuova for now.
    5. A children's classic: Moominpappa at Sea
    6. A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction: No classic crime stories on my Classics Club list but I read a lot of classic crime so I'm sure it will sort itself out.
    7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction: The Wonderful Adventures of Nils or Scott’s last expedition
    8. A classic with a single-word title: This one is much easier for Scandinavian novels, maybe Kallocain, The Emigrants (Utvandrarna), The Wreath (Kransen), Middlemarch or Kalevala
    9. A classic with a color in the title: The Color Purple is the only one on my classics club list and that one is too young so I will have to wait and see if something else comes up.
    10. A classic by an author that's new to you: The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald
    11. A classic that scares you: The Unknown Soldier (Väinö Linna) or Heimskringla
    12. Re-read a favorite classic: City of My Dreams (Per Anders Fogelström)

    /ireadthatinabook

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  45. Posted! Out of curiosity, do books about time travel count for a book about traveling? :)

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  46. I'm in. I should hit a lot of these with my coursebooks. Really wish I hadn't started Middlemarch though - that's 900 pages I can't count! :')

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    1. Yeh, I was torn about Middlemarch - I've never read Eliot so it could've gone for New To Me Author, but because it's long, 19th century, and philosophical it scares me to bits so I put it in that category.

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  47. Hi

    I'm toying with the idea of reading two books for every category, but so far here is the list:

    http://majoryammerton.blogspot.com/2017/12/back-to-classics-2018.html

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  48. I'm so happy you're hosting this challenge again, it's a favorite of mine! Great categories this year, I can't wait to get reading :)

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  49. I am so happy you are doing this again !

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  50. I've just signed up and I'm excited to start getting into the classics more this year. I've just begun Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

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  51. I'm in for the 4th year in a row. Love this Challenge!

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  52. I'm from Germany and I have a question:
    Do I need to read all the books in English and do I have to write my reviews in English as well? Reading and writing in English is not a problem for me, but I usually write book reviews for a German audience on my blog. Also, some classics might not be available in English.

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  53. That sounds like such a fun challenge... I'm in!

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  54. I'm really glad that i found this challenge, the categories are great!

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  55. I left a comment already but am not seeing it. Did it post?

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    1. I am assuming that my first one didn't post. Basically I said I don't have any ideas yet of what books I will be reading but I will sit down and think of them tonight. I've never done a reading challenge like this and I am excited. Also- I created a tumblr specifically for this challenge so sorry if it's lame.

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  56. This looks amazing,I am hoping to do this with my 11 year old daughter who is a fantastic reader.

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  57. Oh, BTW I found this challenge from an Instagram account I follow who posted her book stack.

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  58. I accidentally signed up twice. Please delete #108

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  59. 19th Century:
    The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
    20th Century:
    The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
    By a Woman Author:
    Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
    Classic in Translation:
    The Pillow Book by Sei Shonagon
    Children’s Classic:
    Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
    Classic Crime Story:
    In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
    Classic Travel Narrative:
    Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
    One-Word Title:
    Dracula by Bram Stoker
    Color in the Title:
    The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas
    New-to-Me Author:
    Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
    Classic That Scares Me:
    Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
    Re-Read of a Favorite:
    Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

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  60. I've been trying to read more classics and I like your list. It gives me places to look! One question, do we have to hve a blog to sign up? I have an old abandoned one but thats it.

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  61. I'll give it a shot! Been meaning to read more classics anyway.

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  62. I'm excited about this year's challenge!

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  63. I'm joining my first ever book challenge! This looks like it's going to be quite a bit of fun. I have publishe my list here: https://allthingsimind.wordpress.com/2018/01/06/back-to-the-classics-challenge-2018/

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  64. I'm in...again. Just posted my link

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  65. I'm so excited about this challenge! I have included my list in this post :) http://joslibrary.blogspot.co.uk/2018/01/a-court-of-thorns-and-roses-by-sarah-j.html

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  66. I finally decided to jump in :)

    Here's my tentative list:
    19th Century Classic: *Wildcard
    20th Century Classic: Parents and Children by Charlotte Mason (1904)
    Woman Author: Archimedes and the Door of Science by Jeanne Benedick (1962)
    Classic in translation: The Iliad by Homer (762 BC)
    Children's Classic: Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery (1908)
    Crime Story: The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey (1951) (or the Man in the Queue - 1st in the series 1929)
    Travel or journey: Around the World in 80 Days - Jules Verne (1872)
    Single-word title: Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (1820)
    Classic with a color in the title: The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson (1888)
    Classic that scares you: The Church History by Eusebius (324)
    Re-read a favorite: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (1962)

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  67. I'm not super into the classics, so I am def looking forward to exploring more of them with this challenge! My list is linked above, but for posterity:

    1. A 19th century classic: Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
    2. A 20th century classic: To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee.
    3. A classic by a woman author.: Pride & Prejudice.
    4. A classic in translation: Les Liaisons dangereuses
    5. A children’s classic: The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
    6. A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction: An Agatha Christie.
    7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction: The Lord of the Rings, Journey to the Center of the Earth or 2, 000 Leagues under the Sea (both Jules Verne)
    8. A classic with a single-word title: Persuasion – Austen.
    9. A classic with a colour in the title: Black Beauty – Anna Sewell
    10. A classic by an author that’s new to you: The Outsiders – S. E Hinton.
    11. A classic that scares you: Fahrenheit 451.
    12. Re-read a favorite classic: Probs Little Women, tbh. Maybe A Clockwork Orange.

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  68. This is awesome! I'll be posting my list soon :D

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  69. What fun! I'm new to reading challenges and blogging, but I love to read, so I'm in.

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  70. Where can I post my link to a review?

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  71. My first comment disappeared, but I think this is such a fun idea! I'm new to reading challenges and blogging, but I'm in. Thank you for hosting this challenge.

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  72. I just signed up. I'm so excited to participate in this challenge again!

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  73. Thank you for doing this again! It's great motivation to read some books I've been putting off.

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  74. Love your categories and I had fun browsing many of the lists as I picked out my own possible choices. First time in. Amy

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  75. Sounds like fun! I'm new to reading challenges and blogging, but I'm diving in. Thanks for setting this up.

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  76. I made a mistake the first time and linked you to my Goodreads profile rather than my book list on Goodreads. (please delete 147; I have corrected the link with 148.) I am excited to give this a try, although I don't know that I will stick with my original picks. If I manage 6 out of 12, I will be really pleased. Thanks!

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  77. Looking forward to participating again this year! Thanks so much!

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  78. Oops, my first link (#153) did not link to my specific post. Sorry, please delete it.
    #154 is correct.

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  79. Very excited to have found this challenge! I need more classics in my life! :) Thank you for hosting!

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  80. Going to try for an ambitious 2018, at least right now, this list itself scares me.

    A 19th century classic: The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
    A 20th century classic: Summer Will Show by Sylvia Townsend Warner
    A classic by a woman author: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
    A classic in translation: The Odyssey by Homer
    A children's classic: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
    A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction: Death at the President's Lodging by Michael Innes
    A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction: The Road to Oxiana by Robert Byron
    A classic with a single-word title: Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov
    A classic with a color in the title: The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
    A classic by an author that's new to you: The Sleepwalkers by Hermann Broch
    A classic that scares you: Ulysses by James Joyce
    Re-read a favorite classic: The Man Without Qualities by Robert Musil

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  81. I'm in! Thanks for the great categories, and for hosting. :)

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  82. Posted my 2018 list yesterday. As always, I am really looking forward to this! Thanks so much Karen for organizing this challenge. :D

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  83. I had to correct my list (URL above for The Once Lost Wanderer is the same). Ya see it's like this, I ummm....well it was an innocent mistake, but I cheated a little. I had USA by John Dos Passos for my 19th Century Classic and it isn't even close - don't know what I was thinking. I've replaced it with The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens. Then I had Deliverance as my Travel Classic, but it is a bit less than 50 years old. Thanks (grrr!!!) to Jane for pointing this out. Just kidding, truly thanks. I'd have been wracked with guilt. I've replaced it with Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome.

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    1. No worries! I always end up changing my list around, often books will qualify for multiple categories. It's no problem as long as you let me know at the end in your final wrap-up which books go in each category. And I LOVE Three Men in a Boat, excellent choice!

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  84. I have read quite a few classics during the school days.I have been meaning to re-read some of them for a while now but never got around to do that. When I saw this challenge, I gave a whoop of joy. I am looking forward to the endless possibilities of rediscovery by reading some old classics with this challenge. Thanks for this challenge and I will be coming back to this post for the suggestions for the various prompts shared by other book lovers.

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  85. I have added my entry twice, # 157 and #164, by mistake. Please remove my second entry. Thank you and sorry for the trouble.

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  86. Finally made my list of books for this challenge! I am real excited!
    Hope I manage to link and post as I'm supposed to haha!

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  87. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  88. I made my list and posted it to my blog.

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  89. It's a great challenge - I really struggled to find a book with a color in the title though! Hope this gets me reading the classics this year :)

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  90. I'm excited for this challenge. I finished my 20th century classic last night. Eleven to go! All are listed on my blog at explorenewness.wordpress.com. Thanks for all the good recommendations as well!

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  91. I love this challenge. Just entered! I can't wait to go through and see what everyone has on their lists. Number 179 just says my name but my list can be found at https://mommyandbellaread.wordpress.com/2018/02/24/back-to-the-classics-2018/

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  92. Does The Wizard of Oz count as a journey narrative? The story is all about Dorothy going to Emerald Cit...

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  93. Just wanted to check with you to clarify on a couple of book titles. Would you consider either Oliver Twist (Dickens) or Swiss Family Robinson (Wyss) to be children's books? (Just making sure my children's quota doesn't end up over 3!)

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    1. I definitely think Oliver Twist is not a children's classic! Swiss Family Robinson was originally written for the author's children, so I'd say that one is a children's classic.

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    2. Thank you for your guiding wisdom on these titles! :)

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  94. Karen, do plays (for example, A View From the Bridge) count towards the challenge? TIA, I'm so grateful for this challenge :)

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    1. As long as it's the entire book and it's published before 1968, it counts. We had a category especially for plays a couple of years ago, maybe I'll add it to the list for next year!

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  95. I'm sorry I didn't find this blog sooner, or I might have joined in on this challenge! (Also, it seems you and I have two things in common - books and chocolate!)

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  96. It's all cool to me! I'm on a waiting list for this book at the library. I don't think I'll get it before Christmas, so crossing fingers!
    Can You Play Books

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  97. I'm too late for this classic books reading challenge ��

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