Awhile back I talked about challenging myself to read more classics in 2011. Since then I’ve made a lot of lists, downloaded a lot of the free classics onto my Kindle and today I even got all dorktastic and made a button and stuffs! So if you want to read more classics in 2011, too, you can even play along! So there’s the little banner thing at the top of this post you can use and here’s the button:
I know, my graphics skills are just blowing you away, aren’t they? Anyway, last time I blogged about this, I listed 30 classics I wanted to read and this morning I went through my bookshelves and found a few more that I own that aren’t even on this list. Basically, I’ve got a ton of options but I think I need to narrow things down a bit so I thought I’d be clever and make my goal: to read ELEVEN classics in 2011. Snazzy, no?
Those eleven books may or may not include:
- Peter Pan by J.M Barrie (I own it)
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- The Good Earth (House of Earth, #1) by Pearl S. Buck (I own it)
-
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll (free on kindle)
- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- Bleak House by Charles Dickens (free on kindle)
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle (free on kindle)
- The Great Gatsby by Scott F. Fitzgerald
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (free on kindle)
-
Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
-
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
-
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (free on kindle)
- Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
-
The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy (free on kindle)
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Metamorphoses by Ovid
- Anthem by Ayn Rand (free on kindle)
- The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
- Pygmalion by George Bernard Shaw (free on kindle)
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
- Dracula by Bram Stoker (free on kindle)
- The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
- War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (free on kindle)
- Around the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne (free on kindle)
- Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Night by Elie Weisel (I own it)
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde (free on kindle)
Plus the Anne of Green Gables books, which I’ll be reading in January especially for the L.M. Montgomery Challenge hosted by Carrie @ Reading to Know. Let’s be honest, folks, which 11 classics I read may change from month to month, some will be from the massive pile of classics that are taking up residence in my bookshelves. Some will be kindle reads. Some may come from other sources entirely. Regardless, when 2011 ends, my goal is to have read 11 classic works of fiction.
Who’s with me? If you don’t want to read 11, that’s fine, too – just pick a number and join in on the fun! I’ll plan to post an update on the last day of each month with any classics I’ve read and how I liked them.
Mommablogsalot 
12 responses to “Eleven Classics in 2011: Momma Challenges Herself to Read the Classics”
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I’ve read lots of these, and I love them! I’m a huge fan of the classics.
Since destroying my iphone, I really haven’t read that much. I don’t really love the feel of paper, and these ebook readers are great. I’m not so sure about a single tasker though! If the ipad was cheaper, I’d be all over that.
I could read on my computer…but I spend enough time in front of it already….though I do have a neglected laptop I could boot up and use.
Ugh. You’ve got me interested in reading again…
This year I do vow to make some more ME time, above and beyond grocery shopping (which I can’t think of as me time when I’m usually racking my brain to find things for Alex to take with him for lunch) and roller derby (which is hard work and exercise. I wouldn’t think of going to the gym as me time, so roller derby def isn’t). I’m thinking 30 minutes of reading before bed. I’m not going to put a goal down for the number of books I want to read. I can’t even begin to think about it.
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I have only read four of those books which is so depressing. If you do read Phantom of the Opera I’d recommend the book Phantom. It’s an awesome depicting of the store from the Phantom’s perspective. I ❤ it.
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This sounds like fun! The question is what to read. I’ve read so many of your classics. I still can’t believe you didn’t read many in hs!
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I’m in! So many of the books on your list have been sitting on my “to be read” list for years. This is just the motivation I need to get reading them! So many books and so little time! Great idea!
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You know I would if I had an inkling of more time (bad excuse I know). We’ll see how the start of next school semester goes.
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I still can’t believe how many of the classics you haven’t read. Night is wonderful and so is 1984 and Catcher in the Rye. Mr. Serious is reading the Sherlock Home’s stories and enjoying them, too.
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