Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I want to try this, too. Though usually if I make a list of books I want to read, it's a good way to ensure that I won't read them...

1899 and earlier
1. The Vampyre 1819
2. Rue Morguen murhat ja muita kertomuksia 1845
3. Linnaisten kartanon viheriä kamari 1859
4. Carmilla ja muita kertomuksia 1872
5. Heart of Darkness 1899
1900-1999
6. The Scarlet Pimpernel 1903
7. The Golem 1915
8. Sudenmorsian 1928 31/1
9. Rebecca 1938 (BC)
10. Animal Farm 1945
11. The Quiet American 1955
12. To Kill a Mockingbird 1960 (BC)

Alternates
A-1. People in the Summer Night 1934 (Nobel)
A-2. Breakfast at Tiffany's 1958

I seem to have a hard time both picking books and sticking to my own rules... And coming up with the theme, too.

I have already decided to read shorter books next year, I have so many on my shelves and I want to set them free soon, so I won't even think about the longer ones for this challenge. I need and want to be in the right mood to tackle them.

I am in agreement with you Tytti. If I select some of my shorter books on my shelf I will get more of them read and thus possibly complete the challenge.

You always have some great sounding book about Finland that is near impossible to find here in the states.

As someone who for a long time didn't even read much of Finnish literature I have to agree. Most of them won't even get translated, some maybe to Swedish or German but that's it.

One of this year's nominees for the Finlandia prize interests me a lot, it's about a young couple who crosses the border in 1922 in hopes to build and live in the great Soviet utopia. Of course the reality is different and it's not a happy book... I believe she reads Anna Karenina when they are at the place where the riding competition took place, so that's interesting, too. But I might have trouble getting it from the library and again, I need to have the right mindset.

So far you've pick some great books. The Unknown Soldier is one I will have to check out.

Bob wrote: "So far you've pick some great books. The Unknown Soldier is one I will have to check out."

It's pretty much THE Finnish classic, apart from the first novel written in Finnish. Most read it in schools, I've only seen both movies and a play at the National Theatre (where I was asked to dance on stage.)

I'm not sure this is the final selection, though, but many of them are books I have been meaning to read for quite some time. It's just that they are written in English and I try to read books from other countries, too.

ETA: There is a new English translation of The Unknown Soldier! It's about time, the old one has been critized a lot. http://www.bonnierrights.fi/books/the...

I've read quite a few from your list, great choices! I've also added The Unknown Soldier to my own TBR, so thanks for the tip on translations :)

It's easy to pick good books when you haven't actually read that many of them in the first place... Though I still would like to have some kind of a theme, like books from different decades, from different "smaller" countries in a literary sense, or maybe from Nobel laureates or other winners.

In another group I have done 12 decades for the last three years. I enjoy the diversity. You already have a good start, you've got the 1920's, 30's, 40', & 60's. You could build your other choices back towards the 19th century. I do agree that some kind of theme works well. good luck

Tytti, your choices so far look nice. I've read numbers 1, 4,6 and 7 myself and both of the alternatives (didn't like Wuthering Heights, it was too slow and boring for my taste, but everyone has their opinion about it). Number 7 was interesting enough and I liked the diary sort of writing it had.

Nice choices Tytti :-) I've read 1, 4, 5, 6 and A-2

Bob, I try to do that anyway, checking the graph every now and then to see where there are blank spots. It's just that it's more difficult to pick older books because finding them might be almost impossible and there are not always translations available.

Maarit, I think I might enjoy WH, it sounds like it might be my kind of a book and it's been looking at me disapprovingly this past year... I bought the "diary" on sale, I think the hardcover cost less than 2 euros, so that's why it's on my list. :-P At the moment anyway.

I did some rearranging, at least now I have a theme, almost. I couldn't really find anything interesting enough for 1870s or 1880s so I picked earlier ones. (I might not want to read Seven Brothers or Dracula next year...) I have read nothing that was written in 1860s anyway.

This might not be the final selection even now, if I find some better choices I will change them. Though now the average length for a book is 220 pages, a nice round number. I like numbers. (BC means a bookcrossing book, which is why I would like to read and then set them free, to make room on my shelves. Two were my wishlist books, too.)

I was going to ask what the BC meant. I hadn't heard of bookcrossing and googled it. How cool!

Yeah, it's a nice way to find new books and authors. We have meetings twice a month, sometimes more, and I just keep bringing home books... Many are books I wouldn't buy or even borrow from a library but when they are on the table, it's easier to take them. And I don't have to read them immediately.

I forgot about Animal Farm! Craaap. Otherwise, your list looks like a great one. Alice in Wonderland is one of my all time favorites, and Wuthering Heights certainly won't leave you disappointed!

I can't seem to make up my mind, though! :D I have another list elsewhere with about 20 books and I try to pick 14 for this one. But those three are probably on it, anyway.

I know I have now 13+2 but I might as well save it for now. :D It's not quite every decade but there is a bit of a theme for the 1800s. I might have to change the alternatives because those two need the right mood and time to read them.

Sure what is one more book to read.

I had to come over here and look at your challenge. To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the best books ever published. It's absolutely amazing and a personal favorite of mine. I had never heard of The Golem. Breakfast at Tiffany's should be a lot of fun. I read Animal Farm years ago and enjoyed it. You're going to have a pretty fun year.

Yep, I picked "nicer" reads and books I wouldn't probably borrow from the library otherwise. The Vampyre was asked about in a pub quiz and I thought it would be interesting to compare that and Carmilla. Maybe I will read Dracula after them. Then a bit of Poe and one old Finnish ghost story. The Golem I found somewhere and it's about an old legend, too. I tried picking something from every decade but had to take something off.

The Heart of Darkness is somewhat familiar to me from Apocalypse Now and might as well use it in Bingo for Africa. Tiffany's is something I have been wanting to read for a long time, I actually borrowed it from the library already. The rest are sort of "must reads" and I have many of the books already. The Scarlet Pimpernel is just something I have seen mentioned many times.

I wonder about the Mockingbird, though, I have seen the the movie but the story doesn't really interest me that much beforehand, maybe it's a cultural thing... But it's on almost every "list" so I might as well see for myself. In a way I feel proud that when African-American athletes took part in the Helsinki Olympics in 1952, some of them said that it was the first time they had been treated as people. I believe one even mentioned how surprised he was to see a white woman cleaning his room, so my perspective is probably different.

Oh, I love "Rebecca". It's one of my all time favourite books. "Animal farm" too.
I was very doubtful when I started "To kill a mockingbird", but ended up loving it.

I think that the writing is what makes Mockingbird work. The movie wasn't as good. The fascinating thing about the book is that because you're seeing the events from a very young child, there's no filter over what's happening. She doesn't understand what's going on so you're not getting her opinions, which means they don't get in the way. It's fascinating. I hope you like it.

Sarah wrote: "I think that the writing is what makes Mockingbird work. The movie wasn't as good. The fascinating thing about the book is that because you're seeing the events from a very young child, there's no ..."
I was thinking exactly the same thing!

That's pretty funny! We must be right then.

And now I remembered a werewolf story or something like that really should be included because it kinda fits my theme. I have to remember take something off before Thursday.

Do you want to get rid of books from the 1900-1999 category, or something from the earlier period as well?

I'd keep 1-5, I didn't much like Heart of Darkness, but I see it fits your theme and the Bingo challenge.

I'd definitely keep Gatsby, Rebecca, Animal Farm, Breakfast at Tiffany's and To Kill a Mockingbird, they are all fantastic. I haven't read the others, so can't offer any more help with these.

Well, the ones you recommended are the ones that don't fit, they are just those I have been meaning to read. But they are also more like the books I would usually read anyway.

I wanted to read more books from the 1800s so that started this all. I found the two vampire stories from earlier decades (not that much to choose from), then there are a couple of Finnish classics (a ghost and a werewolf) and the Golem. Animal Farm also fits nicely. I haven't read any Poe and that story was one of the first ones I added to TBR here. I think I will drop Alice first, though I think I will read it anyway. And Pimpernel is something that keeps popping up and it has a good publishing year. :-)

It sounds like you might need more than one challenge! I think this is why I'm participating in so many, I'm adding different sorts of books to different challenges. Could some of your choices fit for the Bingo challenge instead, if you're doing this?

I won't be thinking of bingo ahead of time, I will just add books when I read them. I won't read that many books in the first place. But I don't also want to pressure myself to reading books I don't feel like at the time. I want to leave some space for other books, too.

ETA: I think my challenge is finally finished. Its theme seems to be "evil" and baddies in all its forms but with alternatives and one nice romantic adventure keeping it lighter. I wanted to add also The Leopard and/or In Cold Blood but I couldn't fit the first one and the latter might be too "much" for a challenge.

I'm glad you've finalised your list, it looks great!

I just finished Heart of Darkness, took me about 4 months (even it´s short!)...just didn´t like it at all. I´m interested to see what you think about it. Maybe it was just too great for me.
But To Kill a Mockingbird I liked a lot.

I have been wanting to read it ever since I watched Apocalypse Now, probably 20 years ago. Considering that the movie isn't exactly easy to understand, I guess I have to expect the same about the book...

I finally finished my first book for this challenge, "Wolf Bride",review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I also realised too late that Lord of the Flies would have been great for this theme...