Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

I tend to collect lists of books as well as books. I have combined three lists that I have wanted to get to: a fantasy list, a philosophy list, and a literature professor's recommendations. Since I have already read several on the philosophy list only two of those made it to the final cut.

Old School:
1. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - 1861, recommendation
2. The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald - 1872, fantasy
3. Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - 1891, recommendation

New School:
1. The Napoleon of Notting Hill by G.K. Chesterton - 1904, fantasy
2. The Abolition of Man by C.S. Lewis - 1943, philosophy
3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou - 1970, recommendation

Wild Cards:
1. The Complete Stories by Flannery O'Connor - 1971, recommendation
2. Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book by Walker Percy - 1983, philosophy
3. Many Waters by Madeleine L'Engle - 1985, fantasy
4. Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie - 1990, fantasy
5. Stardust by Neil Gaiman - 1998, fantasy
6. The Round House by Louise Erdrich - 2012, recommendation

Alternates:
1. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky - 1880
2. Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard - 1974

As I finish books I'll post them here...

The Princess and the Goblin - February 11, 2015, 3 stars
The Round House - May 21, 2015, 3 stars

The Round House was fantastic! Good luck :)

Let me know how Stardust is. I've been wanting to read that.

Other than Great Expectations, which is very good, I haven't read any of your selections. I'm familiar with several of the authors, based on that it looks like you have set up a great challenge. Good luck.

Enjoyed Great Expectations and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

I have not read Round House but read The Master Butcher's Singing Club, also by Erdrich, this past year and really liked it. Want to read Round House so will be interested to hear what you think.

Nice list.

I remember reading "The princess and the goblin" as a cild. I didn't really like it back then, but thinking about it now-it's actually a great book.
"The Brothers Karamazov" I finished yesterday. A pretty hard book to read, but very interesting. The beginning is slow, but the second half is a bit more fast-paced.
Also Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Stardust are all time favourites.

Gergana wrote: "I remember reading "The princess and the goblin" as a cild. I didn't really like it back then, but thinking about it now-it's actually a great book.
"The Brothers Karamazov" I finished yesterday. A..."

I'm glad to hear you enjoyed several of these books. It's encouraging. Thanks also for the letting me know about The Brothers Karamazov's slow start. I had tried to start it several years back and couldn't get into it (although it probably didn't help to be doing this at my son's basketball practice). I put it aside then and hadn't picked it up since. I'll know now to push through the beginning.

I see you have Many Waters on your list. I loved the "Wrinkle in Time" series when I was younger! I have been trying to convince my 12 year old daughter to read them with me, but she refuses. I might have to just reread them myself one of these days. I'll be interested to see what you think of it.

The Princess and the Goblin is a mystical fantasy. Not everyone can see what exists in the world. In many ways it reminded me of the much more recent The Ocean at the End of the Lane although The Princess and the Goblin is much more innocent than Neil Gaiman's book.