Classics Without All the Class discussion

It's officially a week until New Year's Day, so I'm going to say it is now resolution season. Do you guys have any ideas for a reading resolution? Are there any particularly interesting challenges you have done before that you plan on repeating, or that bring back fond memories? Is there any chance of you actually accomplishing what you claim you are going to do or do you forget about five minutes in? Is there a limit to the number of sentences that I can post that are interrogative? Share away!

The last two years I've been all about my numbers challenges and the Classic Author Challenge so this year I'm really hankering for some non fiction. That and I joined a local book club that ACTUALLY meets and has a really awesome edgy choice of literature that I dig, so my focus will be on reading with them.
I will, however, plot a Classic Author Challenge in my journal and IF I find myself plugging away at some fiction titles that qualify, I just may complete a 2015 challenge...

Tanya wrote: "The last two years I've been all about my numbers challenges and the Classic Author Challenge so this year I'm really hankering for some non fiction. That and I joined a local book club that ACTUAL..."

I find myself getting too attached to my number goals sometimes, so personally I'm toning down on the sheer volume of titles this year.
The Classic Author Challenge is fun, but if I find myself veering away from it I don't feel too bad, because after a while I realized that a lot of my favorite classic authors have the same letters in their name. I refuse to give up some of my favorites and my annual re-reads, and working it all in with the book selections for groups is complex sometimes.

I guess this counts, but I want to finish my first book entirely in Swedish as my reading resolution! I'm learning the language, and so far reading is my strong point, so to be able to finish an entire book in the language would be an accomplishment :)

Sarah wrote: "I guess this counts, but I want to finish my first book entirely in Swedish as my reading resolution! I'm learning the language, and so far reading is my strong point, so to be able to finish an en..."
That's an interesting, and most definitely achievable goal.

I do the same thing with Welsh, although I'm not going to finish the book this year. So I'm carrying it over to 2015.

Last year I had so goals that I was steadfast to keep them and while I met them I felt that it came at the expense of some other books that I wanted to read. So I am not sure what reading goals to make. I have so far achieved two of my reading goals (12 classics, and 12 books published 2014), but have one more book to read for my Newbery goal.

15 books in 2015. And I'd like it more spread out over months this year. I read a lot in the summer...

I've had a goal of reading a book published in each decade since 1900 for the past two years and found it a useful tool to ensure that I read a wider spectrum of books. This year I managed to go back to 1880.

In the last few months I have discovered a lot of new authors and genres, so my resolution for next year is to keep going. I want to read one book each month that I wouldn't normally pick up. It'll be a new adventure every month!

Jeane wrote: "Last year I had so goals that I was steadfast to keep them and while I met them I felt that it came at the expense of some other books that I wanted to read. So I am not sure what reading goals to ..."
Jeane, you are exhausting me just with these goals, not to mention the number of books to read. Sheesh.

Carolien wrote: "I've had a goal of reading a book published in each decade since 1900 for the past two years and found it a useful tool to ensure that I read a wider spectrum of books. This year I managed to go ba..."

That's an interesting way to go about picking books? Do you manage to tie in a lot of the book club books into this challenge, because I can imagine there's overlap?

Shanea wrote: "Carolien wrote: "I've had a goal of reading a book published in each decade since 1900 for the past two years and found it a useful tool to ensure that I read a wider spectrum of books. This year I..."

Yes, I do. I kept a count this year and I read 24 Books of the Month in 10 groups to which I belong. Quite a few of those were classics so that made up the bulk of the earlier decades. I'd like to see how many I can manage in the 1800s next year.

My other resolution for next year is to read a wider diversity of authors. I'm South African and about 20% of my books are normally by African authors which I'll maintain. Next year I want to try 20% by authors who are NOT American/British/African - so translated European and some Asian authors will probably make up the bulk here.

I read 24 books from 24 genres in 2014 which was a challenge at one of the other clubs I belong to. I got them all done by Dec 1 and felt good about the accomplishment. The genres at that club are the same in next year's challenge so I decided to come up with my own genre/categories ... some that are my favorites and others are out of my comfort zone but I want to give them my best. Here is my genres and a few choices I have made for 2015, suggestions are welcome!.

1. Contemporary Psychological Thriller
2. Something from the Golden Age of Science Fiction
3. WW1 Non Fiction
4. WW1 Historical Fiction
5. Civil War Historical Fiction
6. Classic Satire
7. Alternate History
8. Southern Gothic
9. Russian Novel/Author
10.Short Story Collection (The Lottery and other Stories by Shirley Jackson)
11.Over 750 pages (Middlemarch by George Eliot)
12.Something by Joseph Conrad
13.Something by Charles Dickens (David Copperfield)
14.A Classic Play
15.Another book by last year's favorite author (Ken Follett)
16.American Western Fiction
17.Graphic Novel
18.Asian Novel/Author
19.Biography
20.Supernatural Horror (The Exorcist by William Peter Blatty)
21.200 years ore older
22.2nd book in a series (All Things Bright and Beautiful by James Herriot)
23.Science Non-Fiction
24.Travelogue:Italy
25.Published in 2015

This year, I had a goal of reading 100 books and I'm not going to complete that challenge. I guess it's because some of the books I read are extremely long. I've already read Middlemarch, which is next month's group read. I might still set a goal but would decrease the number of books to 75 or less.

My resolution for next year is to broaden the genre and type of books I read. I love reading classics and I've been trying to get away from that and expand my horizons. I'm going to start reading 3 books at a time. I've already mentioned this in another post but one book will be a work of fiction, the second a science book, and the third will be a work of non-fiction but not science.

Tuyen wrote: "This year, I had a goal of reading 100 books and I'm not going to complete that challenge. I guess it's because some of the books I read are extremely long. I've already read Middlemarch, which i..."

The combination of 3 books at a time will work. I do it all the time and as long as they are very different from each other, it's nice.

I used to have a target of 100 books, but have brought it down to 80 which I manage better.

Carolien wrote: "Shanea wrote: "Carolien wrote: "I've had a goal of reading a book published in each decade since 1900 for the past two years and found it a useful tool to ensure that I read a wider spectrum of boo..."
...That sounds both interesting and exhausting. Conciously trying to read more authors from various backgrounds can be difficult, I have noted.

Shanea wrote: "Carolien wrote: "Shanea wrote: "Carolien wrote: "I've had a goal of reading a book published in each decade since 1900 for the past two years and found it a useful tool to ensure that I read a wide..."

It is very difficult. I have a very long TBR list, but I am now finding that I have to concentrate more when I select books. Fortunately, my one second hand bookshop has a nice shelf full of Asian books which I discovered last week. It's only about 20 books that I need to find for the year.

I have decided not to really look at how many books I read next year and instead really look at WHAT I'm reading. I'm trying to read more diversely so I'm trying Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge. And try to get through a lot of my TBR bookshelves.

If anyone is interested in the read harder challenge here is the challenge and they have a group here on GR.

Karena wrote: "I have decided not to really look at how many books I read next year and instead really look at WHAT I'm reading. I'm trying to read more diversely so I'm trying Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge. ..."

Maybe it's just me, but the link isn't working.

Years of failure have taught me not to make reading resolutions! I always have a stack of things I ought to read, but before I get to them other enticing books come along. In fact, this year am hoping to read (and work) less and write more. Will doubtless fail at that resolution as well. ;)

Shanea wrote: "Karena wrote: "I have decided not to really look at how many books I read next year and instead really look at WHAT I'm reading. I'm trying to read more diversely so I'm trying Book Riot's Read Har..."

It didn't work for me either, Shanea so I just went to Book Riot and found it from there. Of course I'm signed up! :-/

I saw an interesting post on bookriot from a guy that wants to read less next year. I think he makes some interesting points. http://bookriot.com/2014/12/08/2015-h...

2015 Reading Resolution #3: For every book less than 50 years old, read two books that are older.

Daniel wrote: "I saw an interesting post on bookriot from a guy that wants to read less next year. I think he makes some interesting points. http://bookriot.com/2014/12/08/2015-h..."

I've been thinking the same thing, Daniel. I read to the exclusion of just about everything else last year and I was thinking to cut my reading goals back a bit this year. Of course I have since signed up for four more challenges! I do love to read, but there is more to life (I guess!) :)

ack sorry about the link. Try this one.

http://bookriot.com/2014/12/15/book-r...

and the group link,

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Mark wrote: "2015 Reading Resolution #3: For every book less than 50 years old, read two books that are older."

This will have some interesting implications. happy reading!