Back to the Classics 2018

Back to the Classics 2018
Host: Books and Chocolate (sign up)
January - December 2018
# of books: 6 - 12

✔ 19th century classic
Mary Barton. Elizabeth Gaskell. 1848. 437 pages. [Source: Bought]
✔  20th century classic
East of Eden. John Steinbeck. 1952. 601 pages. [Source: Bought]
✔ classic by a woman author
So Big. Edna Ferber. 1924/2005. Kessinger Publishing. 376 pages. [Source: Library]  
✔ classic in translation
The Ladies' Paradise by Emile Zola. 1883/2012. Oxford University Press. 438 pages. [Source: Library] 
✔  children's classic
Dream Life for Children. Mattie K. Foster. 1918. 178 pages. [Source: Read online]
✔ classic crime story
The Daughter of Time. Josephine Tey. 1951/1995. Simon & Schuster. 208 pages. [Source: Bought]
✔classic travel or journey narrative
Barracoon: The story of the Last Black Cargo. Zora Neale Hurston. Written in 1931. 2018. HarperCollins. 2018. 256 pages. [Source: Library]
✔ classic with a single-word title
Herland. Charlotte Perkins Gilman. 1915/1979. 147 pages. [Source: Bought]
✔ classic with a color in the title
Agnes Grey. Anne Bronte. 1847. 224 pages. [Source: Bought] 
✔ classic by a new-to-you author
My Antonia. Willa Cather. 1918. 336 pages. [Source: LIBRARY]
✔ a classic that scares you
Crime and Punishment. Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Translated by David McDuff. 1866/2002. 671 pages. [Source: Library]
✔ re-read a favorite classic
Framley Parsonage. Anthony Trollope. 1861. 573 pages. [Source: Bought]

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. 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. A journey should be a major plot point, i.e., The Hobbit, 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.

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. 

© 2017 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews