Last week I shared some of the reading challenges that I’m using to help guide my reading and stretch my reading repertoire to grow in writing.
Today I want to share my favorite challenge from the past 5 years: the Back to the Classics Reading Challenge with Books and Chocolate.
Classics are essential to grow in writing well. They deepen your understanding of language, grow vocabulary, teach about different times and places and grow our imagination. As I read in the introduction of one classic, a good book will always require you to use a dictionary and I find that every classic I read does just that. With this challenge it opens up many possibilities and has introduced me to many classics I might not otherwise have read.
This year’s categories will be doing just that. The categories for 2021 are:
1. A 19th century classic: any book first published from 1800 to 1899
2. A 20th century classic: any book first published from 1900 to 1971. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1971 and posthumously published.
3. A classic by a woman author.
4. A classic in translation, meaning any book first published in a language that is not your primary language. You may read it in translation or in its original language, if you prefer.
5. A classic by BIPOC author; that is, a non-white author.
6. A classic by a new-to-you author, i.e., an author whose work you have never read.
7. New-to-you classic by a favorite author — a new book by an author whose works you have already read.
8. A classic about an animal, or with an animal in the title. The animal can be real or metaphorical. (i.e., To Kill a Mockingbird).
9. A children’s classic.
10. A humorous or satirical classic.
11. A travel or adventure classic (fiction or non-fiction). It can be a travelogue or a classic in which the main character travels or has an adventure.
12. A classic play. Plays will only count in this category.
There are some fantastic categories that are definitely stretching me to reach into realms I have not ventured before now. I have not yet decided all the categories, but some of the books I plan to read this year include:
Little Women
The City of God
Beezus and Ramona
Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl
Anne of Green Gables
Narrative of the Life of Frederic Douglas
There are so many possibilities with the categories above!
What classic books would you read in each category?