The Classics Club Challenge: Year 1 Wrap Up

 I have completed my first year of the 5 year long Classics Club Challenge. I set out to read 50 classics in 5 years and in the first year I have read..... 

1. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

2. Animal Farm by George Orwell

3. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

4. Macbeth by William Shakespeare

5. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

6. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

7. The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie

My reviews for these books are on my blog and also on the website The Classics Club. I have had so much fun this past year reading classics. I didn't force myself and some became a favorite and wanting to read more from one author and of course dislikes. I wish that I could have gotten to 10, but 7 is decent for me where in the past I only read maybe 1 or 2 classics a year, sometimes classics wouldn't even be on my radar.

My favorite classic from my 1st year is: THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY!!!!

My least favorite classic from my 1st year: THE SCARLET LETTER with Anna Karenina in 2nd place.

The Classics Club Challenge: Year 2 Wrap Up

 My second year of the classics club challenge is done and I have three more years left. I am not feeling pressure yet but I have some big ones on my list and I want to get to them soon. I have The Count of Monte Cristo out from my library right now and I am hoping to read it next month. But this post is about the ones I read this year. I started my challenge with 50 books and in my first year I read 7. 

Year 2 started at 43 and now I am down to 39. 

I only read 4 classics this past year that were on my list. I have read more Agatha Christie for the Agatha Christie challenge that I am also doing, but does don't count towards this challnege sadly.

My reviews for these books are on my blog and also on the website The Classics Club.

1. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

2. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

3. Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

4. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne

My favorite classic of Year 2 is.......... The Phantom of the Opera with Jane Eyre in 2nd place.

My least favorite is 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.

The Classics Club Challenge: Year 3 Wrap Up

 My third year of the classics club challenge is done and to be honest, I am starting to panic. I have two more years left and I am slacking majorly. Last year I only read 4 books off of my list and I started year 3 with 39 books. I have read 5 more in the last 12 months and there were some big ones.

My reviews for the 5 down below are on my blog and also on the classics club website. 

1. The Count of Monte Cristo

2. Frankenstein

3. Brave New World

4. Gone With the Wind

5. The Catcher in the Rye

Now onto my favorite and least favorite of the year.

My favorite was The Count of Monte Cristo. I never lost interest and wanted more.

My least favorite was my most recent read and I have no idea why it exists because it is a waste of paper and a tragic loss of a tree. That is The Catcher in the Rye. 

Review: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

 

Another classic done for my 4th year of the Classics Club challenge. My 4th year is done and my 5th and final year has started. This is my third Charles Dickens and I thought I would enjoy it like I did A Tale of Two Cities.

Unfortunately, this was OK. I gave it a three stars and it is a little forgetable. I went in knowing nothing except the main character's name and that he was an orphan. I do have to say that the character growth of every single character kept my interest and the plot was not in my favor.

We follow a young boy named Pip who is being brought up by his older sister and her blacksmith husband named Joe. One night he sees two convicts on the marshes and he is told to bring them food and not to tell a soul that he saw them. They eventually get recaptured and then one day he is summoned by a woman who lives in the town to come play for her. This is where I started to get confused by the whole ordeal.

The timing of this story was also off because I had no idea that Pip was growing up until he was given money and was living with Herbert. I was so confused with the character Miss Havisham and why she was so obsessed with Pip. I kind of think that she wanted Estella to be with Pip but she screwed that up. 

I just cannot wrap my head around this story and I honestly think I may lower this to a 2 stars because it is so jumbled.