Thursday, July 5, 2018

Back to the Classics Challenge: Mid-Year Check-in and Giveaway!


2018 is already halfway over! How's everyone doing with the Back to the Classics Challenge?

I'm happy to report that I've already finished nine of of the twelve categories.  Here's what I've read so far:

That leaves me with only three categories left: Classic by a Woman Author; Classic Crime Novel; and (naturally) Classic That Scares You. So far I think my favorite was The Jewel in the Crown (except for Wives and Daughters, of course!) I'm hoping to start the next book in the series this summer, though I won't be able to count it for this challenge since it doesn't really fit any of the remaining categories. 

I'm also planning on reading Crime and Punishment this summer, which I will probably count as the Classic that Scares Me (unless I count it for Classic Crime). I'm also hoping to read something by Irene Nemirovsky which I can count as my Classic by a Woman Author.


I'm very pleased with my progress. And how is everyone else doing? As a little incentive, I'm having a giveaway! One lucky winner will receive a beautiful Penguin Clothbound Classic of their choice (value up to US $20).  




Here are the rules for the Giveaway:

1.  To enter, you must already have been signed up for the challenge (sorry, the cutoff date was back in March.) If you have not already on the list, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE.


2.  Challenge participants must have already linked at least one review to one of the twelve categories in the 2018 Back to the Classics Challenge. If you've signed up but haven't posted any reviews, the cutoff date to post is July 31.




3.  Any new links to the Challenge must follow the original parameters for the Challenge.


4.  Challenge participants must leave a comment below, letting me know which book they've most enjoyed reading for the challenge. If you like, you can also tell me which Penguin Clothbound Classic you would choose if you won (you can change your mind if you're the winner). Include an link or an email address so I can let you know if you've won. 


5. One lucky winner, drawn at random, will receive his or her choice of Penguin Clothbound Classic valued up to $20 (US) from either Amazon.com OR The Book Depository. The winner must live in a country where they can receive delivery from Amazon.com or The Book Depository. If you're not sure, click here to see if The Book Depository delivers to your country. 


6.  Comments and links must be posted no later than July 31, 2018 at 11:59 p.m., U.S. Pacific Standard Time. On July 1, I'll post the name of the winner. 

7.  The winner must contact me with a good address by August 8, 2018, at 11:59 p.m., or I'll choose another winner. 


So what are you waiting for?  Post some reviews, tell me which books you liked best, and let me know which Penguin Classic you'd pick if you won! 

27 comments:

  1. I have really been enjoying the challenge so far, thank you for hosting! I have finished seven books for the challenge and liked most of them. However, the real standout was Wind, sand and stars by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, which I loved.

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    1. I've only ever read The Little Prince and it was back in high school or middle school -- I should really read St. Exupery as an adult, I'm sure I'd get much more out of it.

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    2. I read The Little Prince for the first time (I think) last year but wasn't really taken by it. I much prefer his memoirs.

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  2. I deeply enjoyed my first book of the year, Great Expectations by Dickens. It was my classic that scares me, due to a bad high school experience. I've only read 3 classics for the challenge so far but I'm at 23 on my GoodReads for 2018. Considering my toddler turned into a three year old whirlwind, I'm doing ok! https://gabisunshine.wordpress.com/2018/02/02/book-review-great-expectations/

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    1. Ha! My toddler also just turned into a three-year-old whirlwind too! It's really amazing.

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    2. I didn't read much when my children were young either -- and I never read any Dickens in high school, he's very intimidating at first, so many of his books are long! I really enjoy the audio versions in the car (thought that might be tough also with small kids.)

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  3. How nice of you to have a mid-year giveaway. I've finished 6 categories so far - and my reading included A Farewell to Arms, The Paradise, Little Town on the Prairie, Murder on the Orient Express, A Moveable Feast, Villette, and Fahrenheit 451.

    I'm half way through Our Mutual Friend, and it is my favorite so far, followed by The Paradise, of the ones I've actually finished.

    If I win, I would pick Great Expectations--I've only listened to an abridged version and plan on it being my next Dickens book. Those covers are gorgeous, though. All of them are exquisite.

    janetgs05-at-gmail.com

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  4. My post for my 7th category (reread of Three Men in a Boat) goes up tomorrow! I've really liked six of the seven books but I'll say Emma because there was the largest gap between how I expected to feel about the book and where I ended up.
    And the next clothbounds on my wishlist are Middlemarch and Persuasion so it would be one of those. You would save me my neverending back and forth of which to buy next. ;)

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  5. Hi Kristen I finished four The Witch At Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Spears, New Grub Street by George Gissing, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie and There Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston. I still have 8 to go though so I better get a move on. I love this Classics Challenge There Eyes Were Watching God and New Grub Street two of the best books I've read in years.

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  6. I've reviewed 6 books and finished a couple more. My favorite so far is Rilla of Ingleside. I've read the rest of the Anne books over and over, but this was my first time to finish Rilla. It was especially poignant with the 100th anniversary of WWI events being commemorated.

    aggierudy3 at gmail.com

    If I win, I would like to get one of the books I read from the library for the challenge. Moby Dick has a lovely cover!

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  7. Ooh, fun! Let's see, I have read 8 titles out of a planned 12. I think my favorite has been my translation pick, The Dawning, by Milka Bajic Poderegin. It's Serbo-Croatian! Plus it was three generations of women and I just really enjoyed it a lot. jean at roadq dot com

    I would have to think for a long time to pick which book. POSSIBLY Les Miserables, because I need to read it!

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    1. Wow, I don't think I've ever read anything by a Serbo-Croatian author. . . my reading history from Eastern Europe is pretty sparse. Three generations of women sounds wonderful. Have you read Wild Swans by Jung Chang? It's nonfiction about three generations of women in 20th century China. Fascinating!

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  8. Hi Karen, I'll have a go too. I've read 9 out of the planned 12. I've linked reviews for 7 and the other 2 are in the queue. I've enjoyed Wives and Daughters and Anna Karenina most as a tie so far. And if I won, I think I'd go for Moby Dick, since the whale pattern on the cover is gorgeous. My contact detail is paulavince(at)internode(dot)on(dot)net.

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    1. I love the whales too! Wives and Daughters is one of my all-time favorites -- I think Penguin needs to reissue it as a clothbound classic!

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  9. I've completed seven of the twelve so far, though I still need to get reviews out for some of them. I've really enjoyed pretty much everything I've read so far but my two favorites are probably War and Peace and The Way We Live Now. If I won I'm not sure what I'd want. Maybe Pride and Prejudice... it's my favorite book and of course I already own a copy but it's only a generic paperback.
    http://youmeandacupofteablog.blogspot.com

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    1. I have all the Jane Austens in the clothbound classics, they're just beautiful! I've read War and Peace but it's been many years, I should really try to read it again -- still hoping to get to Crime & Punishment this summer (after I finish Jude the Obscure!). And The Way We Live Now is one of my all-time favorites, it was my gateway to Trollope.

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  10. This was the first book challenge I'd ever heard of, and I am loving it! I guess I need a bit of structure to help plan my reading. I've reviewed books from 7 categories thus far. Favorite was The Seven Dials Mystery by Agatha Christie. It's a good mystery as you'd expect from Christie, but there are also lots of whacky people and events at a country house, a la Wodehouse. I expected Jeeves and Wooster to show up at any minute! I think I'd like Middlemarch, although they are all so beautiful, it's hard to pick. Thanks for the challenge! DuchessMaude-at-gmail.com BookTapestry.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks for joining, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I also love anything by Agatha Christie, she is by far my favorite mystery writer. Middlemarch is just wonderful!

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  11. So far I have read seven books for this challenge, and in the middle of the 8th book. My favorite so far, and it has become one of my all time favorite: East of Eden--it's just a perfect book! I picked it for the 20th century classic. However, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is following very closely. If I won, I'd probably want Vanity Fair. My link: klasikfanda [at] blogspot [dot] com

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    1. I love Steinbeck, East of Eden was just wonderful.

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  12. I managed to finish the challenge so I've read all 12. As ever, I love this one and I'm looking forward to the next! :) My favourite was for the A classic by an author that's new to you category, for which I read Vis and Rāmin by Fakhruddin As'ad Gurgani. If I won the challenge... The Ramayana by Vālmīki would be very welcome, though I'm also tempted by the Lewis Carroll... :)

    My link: On Bookes.
    Email: onbookes[at]gmail[dot]com

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    1. All twelve, congratulations! I will post the link-up for the Final Wrap-Up in a few days.

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  13. I'm fighting my way through this challenge. 3 books read, one review written ... and I can't find the links in the sidebar - actually the sidebar has gone missing. I try nonetheless to post here. I have linked to my one review in the Colour in the title-category, hope I did right.

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  14. I'm five books in with another read but not reviewed. I think so far my favourite was the first book I read: Man’s Search for Meaning. But I've really been enjoying all of my choices so far.

    http://looselogic.com/2018/01/01/back-to-the-classics-2018/

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  15. I've finished 11 of the 12 classics on my list! Yay! I am working on the last one now. My favorites would be between He Fell In Love With His Wife by Edward Payson Roe - and old-fashioned but very charming story - and Adam Bede by George Eliot.

    https://barbarah.wordpress.com/2018/07/19/back-to-the-classics-challenge-mid-year-check-in/

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  16. I'm only four books in from my original list so I'm running behind. (Though I've also read half of the biggest on my list). My favorite has to be Silas Marner, but I've liked them all. Not a bad choice yet, yay for me!

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  17. I've finished 9 of the 12 classics on my list! This challenge has been so much fun, and I'm really looking forward to completing all 12 categories. It was so hard to pick a favorite as I love all the books for different reasons, but I really loved To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf just for how beautifully so many of the scenes are written. I also had a lot of fun reading Little Women and Invisible Man. At this point, I'm undecided on which classic I would pick if I won.

    https://iwouldratherbereadingblog.wordpress.com/

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