I am so excited for the summer reading challenge. I have been appalled at myself for many years over the lack of knowledge of some of the classics, and this seems like a great way to rectify it. Are you going to reveal which you’re reading first?

I am so excited for the summer reading challenge. I have been appalled at myself for many years over the lack of knowledge of some of the classics, and this seems like a great way to rectify it. Are you going to reveal which you’re reading first?

My favorite book is The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. Reading the book as a teenager was my first introduction to early American literature, and the story fascinated me. The characters were real to me, and the heroic Natty Bumppo became even more a part of my memory as I read all of the Leatherstocking tales. Now I read one of the Leatherstocking books each year to remain friends with Hawkeye and Chingachgook. It has been a good way to keep a connection with my youthful hero worship of the ultimate survivalist.

My favorite book is The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. Reading the book as a teenager was my first introduction to early American literature, and the story fascinated me. The characters were real to me, and the heroic Natty Bumppo became even more a part of my memory as I read all of the Leatherstocking tales. Now I read one of the Leatherstocking books each year to remain friends with Hawkeye and Chingachgook. It has been a good way to keep a connection with my youthful hero worship of the ultimate survivalist.

This is a great idea. I definitely need to check off some of my classics “to-read” list. My favorite has always been Wuthering Heights. It was the first classic I ever read that I actually enjoyed. =) Hope I win! =)

This is a great idea. I definitely need to check off some of my classics “to-read” list. My favorite has always been Wuthering Heights. It was the first classic I ever read that I actually enjoyed. =) Hope I win! =)

Twitter, check. Facebook, check. Goodreads, check.

As I said on Facebook, it’s pretty hard to choose one, but if I had to, I’d go with Wuthering Heights. I wrote my senior thesis on it in college and felt uber-English-majory about it.

Twitter, check. Facebook, check. Goodreads, check.

As I said on Facebook, it’s pretty hard to choose one, but if I had to, I’d go with Wuthering Heights. I wrote my senior thesis on it in college and felt uber-English-majory about it.

I love a lot of the classics, but I think my favorite is The Scarlet Letter. I’ve been collecting vintage editions for several years now.

And yay for your new reading challenge! I’ve been wanting to fill in some gaps in my reading of the classics, and this is a perfect opportunity. Count me in for the challenge and the giveaway.

Thanks!

I love a lot of the classics, but I think my favorite is The Scarlet Letter. I’ve been collecting vintage editions for several years now.

And yay for your new reading challenge! I’ve been wanting to fill in some gaps in my reading of the classics, and this is a perfect opportunity. Count me in for the challenge and the giveaway.

Thanks!

I’m interested in doing this challenge and will probably post about it up on my blog. My question is (as is pretty common with Reading Challenges) if you’ll be putting up a list to the 50 classics featured in BOTB or a link to the author’s website (or somewhere else where they’re listed), or is buying a copy of the book required for participation?

Thanks.

I’m interested in doing this challenge and will probably post about it up on my blog. My question is (as is pretty common with Reading Challenges) if you’ll be putting up a list to the 50 classics featured in BOTB or a link to the author’s website (or somewhere else where they’re listed), or is buying a copy of the book required for participation?

Thanks.

Facebook and Twitter are checked off the list.

Are we talking about 18th, 19th, or 20th century classics?

One of my favorites is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

and…

Washington Square by Henry James

and

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

and

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Facebook and Twitter are checked off the list.

Are we talking about 18th, 19th, or 20th century classics?

One of my favorites is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

and…

Washington Square by Henry James

and

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

and

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My fave classic is probably East of Eden. I love the Good vs. Evil theme.

thereedfamilyATsbcglobalDOTnet

My fave classic is probably East of Eden. I love the Good vs. Evil theme.

thereedfamilyATsbcglobalDOTnet

I’m in for the challenge! My top-two favorite classics are tied for the top spot: East of Eden by John Steinbeck and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.Two totally different books but I love them both.

I’m in for the challenge! My top-two favorite classics are tied for the top spot: East of Eden by John Steinbeck and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett.Two totally different books but I love them both.

I’m game! I have a lot of favorite classics, but at the very tip top is probably The Scarlet Letter. Or The Great Gatsby. Or Pride and Prejudice. Or maybe The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oh, but I forgot The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Gah, I can’t decide!!!

I just found your podcast, thanks to my Mother’s Day gift of an iPod Nano. I’ve been listening to you all week and absolutely love your show. Great job!

Getting ready to Tweet this and do the Goodreads thing too. Must add you to my Facebook!

I’m game! I have a lot of favorite classics, but at the very tip top is probably The Scarlet Letter. Or The Great Gatsby. Or Pride and Prejudice. Or maybe The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oh, but I forgot The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Gah, I can’t decide!!!

I just found your podcast, thanks to my Mother’s Day gift of an iPod Nano. I’ve been listening to you all week and absolutely love your show. Great job!

Getting ready to Tweet this and do the Goodreads thing too. Must add you to my Facebook!

hi mine would have to be jane eyre and east of eden
looking forward to the challenge

hi mine would have to be jane eyre and east of eden
looking forward to the challenge

Although I have read the Odyssey, I have a newer translation that I’ve been meaning to read. (Robert Fagles) Maybe its time.

Although I have read the Odyssey, I have a newer translation that I’ve been meaning to read. (Robert Fagles) Maybe its time.

I haven’t had much success with challenges. This sounds doable though and I am appalled by how few classics I have read!

My favourite classic is Pride and Prejudice and favourite children’s classic The railway children.

I haven’t had much success with challenges. This sounds doable though and I am appalled by how few classics I have read!

My favourite classic is Pride and Prejudice and favourite children’s classic The railway children.

Thanks for the reminder Heather… I’ve put up a “widget” that lets you look at the first 30 or so pages, including the Table of Contents!

Thanks for the reminder Heather… I’ve put up a “widget” that lets you look at the first 30 or so pages, including the Table of Contents!

Thanks a ton for the widget… I’m going to put Middlemarch down as my challenge book (there must be something so great that George Eliot just had to change her name to get put out there, right).

Up to this point, my favorite classic has probably been Lord of the Flies… never been able to get enough of it.

Thanks a ton for the widget… I’m going to put Middlemarch down as my challenge book (there must be something so great that George Eliot just had to change her name to get put out there, right).

Up to this point, my favorite classic has probably been Lord of the Flies… never been able to get enough of it.

Mine is Jane Eyre, which I’ve read at least six times. My dogeared red paperback copy is one of my favorite possessions. At work, we’re reading David Copperfield, one Dickens I never got to in school or out of it.

Mine is Jane Eyre, which I’ve read at least six times. My dogeared red paperback copy is one of my favorite possessions. At work, we’re reading David Copperfield, one Dickens I never got to in school or out of it.

This is very exciting as I’m currently in 3 book clubs but nobody wants to touch the Classics. I even went by an assisted living center near my apartment and am volunteering to either start a classic book group or read to seniors no longer able to read themselves..
My favorite classic is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Looking forward to choosing another classic for this challenge..

This is very exciting as I’m currently in 3 book clubs but nobody wants to touch the Classics. I even went by an assisted living center near my apartment and am volunteering to either start a classic book group or read to seniors no longer able to read themselves..
My favorite classic is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Looking forward to choosing another classic for this challenge..

David Copperfield is probably my favorite. I have picked up the pace on my classics reading over the last few years though so I will be really interested to see how I’m doing!

David Copperfield is probably my favorite. I have picked up the pace on my classics reading over the last few years though so I will be really interested to see how I’m doing!

My favorite (of the books listed in the TOC of BOTB) is Pride & Prejudice.

I’m also a big Willa Cather fan, so O Pioneers! is a favorite.

@Vera Marie Badertscher: I have the Fagles edition of the Odyssey, too, I think — maybe I’ll finally read it this summer!

My favorite (of the books listed in the TOC of BOTB) is Pride & Prejudice.

I’m also a big Willa Cather fan, so O Pioneers! is a favorite.

@Vera Marie Badertscher: I have the Fagles edition of the Odyssey, too, I think — maybe I’ll finally read it this summer!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a reader in possession of a summer must be in want of a classic….My favorite from this list is absolutely Pride and Prejudice. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never read anything by Henry James so Wings of a Dove will go on my summer reading list!

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a reader in possession of a summer must be in want of a classic….My favorite from this list is absolutely Pride and Prejudice. I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never read anything by Henry James so Wings of a Dove will go on my summer reading list!

Looking at the Table of Contents, pretty much the only ones I HAVEN’T read yet are the mega-chunky tomes like “Moby Dick!” The prospect of trying to read 5 Super-Chunky books in one summer is fairly daunting, but I’ll definitely give it a shot!

From the TOC, I would have to say “Pride and Prejudice” is my favrorite Classic as it is the book I’ve re-read the most often.

Please enter me in the Give-Away. One of the greatest joys for an OCD bibliophile is a book comprised of a list of books!

Looking at the Table of Contents, pretty much the only ones I HAVEN’T read yet are the mega-chunky tomes like “Moby Dick!” The prospect of trying to read 5 Super-Chunky books in one summer is fairly daunting, but I’ll definitely give it a shot!

From the TOC, I would have to say “Pride and Prejudice” is my favrorite Classic as it is the book I’ve re-read the most often.

Please enter me in the Give-Away. One of the greatest joys for an OCD bibliophile is a book comprised of a list of books!

Great idea! I love Wuthering Heights, by Miss Emily Bronte, and I see a few comments on that. So , I must nominate another 20th Century classic—”The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitgerald. The poetry in his prose simply glistens on every page. I could read it over and over, and probably will this summer. It’s just simply brillant.

Great idea! I love Wuthering Heights, by Miss Emily Bronte, and I see a few comments on that. So , I must nominate another 20th Century classic—”The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitgerald. The poetry in his prose simply glistens on every page. I could read it over and over, and probably will this summer. It’s just simply brillant.

My favourite classic is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Still waiting for the list to load on my very slow computer, so can’t say which books I’ve read or haven’t.

My favourite classic is Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Still waiting for the list to load on my very slow computer, so can’t say which books I’ve read or haven’t.

Love the idea of this challenge and i think i am up for the challange. As for my favorite classic book. That is a tough one for me i have tried many but have had little success. I think its time for some new “Classics”. My all time favorite book is “No country for old men” That is my new classic.

thanks

Love the idea of this challenge and i think i am up for the challange. As for my favorite classic book. That is a tough one for me i have tried many but have had little success. I think its time for some new “Classics”. My all time favorite book is “No country for old men” That is my new classic.

thanks

I’ve a veritable cartload of favourite classics ranging from Boccaccio’s ‘Decameron’ to anything and everything by John Steinbeck. My absolute favourite though? Well that’s got to be Knut Hamsun’s ‘Hunger’.

I’ve a bit of an affinity with any storyline that focuses on ‘descents into madness’ (which says a lot about my personality )) , but this one is extra special. It’s a real roller-coaster of a read, with the main character’s situation going through so many (minor) highs and (major) lows. I adore the book!
Warmest
Rob

I’ve a veritable cartload of favourite classics ranging from Boccaccio’s ‘Decameron’ to anything and everything by John Steinbeck. My absolute favourite though? Well that’s got to be Knut Hamsun’s ‘Hunger’.

I’ve a bit of an affinity with any storyline that focuses on ‘descents into madness’ (which says a lot about my personality )) , but this one is extra special. It’s a real roller-coaster of a read, with the main character’s situation going through so many (minor) highs and (major) lows. I adore the book!
Warmest
Rob

I haven’t read a lot of classics, but if I have to pick a favorite, it’d be Wuthering Heights.

I haven’t read a lot of classics, but if I have to pick a favorite, it’d be Wuthering Heights.

I’m a huge Dickens fan. I think my favorite of his books is Our Mutual Friend.

I’m a huge Dickens fan. I think my favorite of his books is Our Mutual Friend.

I will fully confess, as an English teacher, that I am missing many, many classics in my library! I find it interesting that the Old Testament is on the list. Though not religious, I’ve always felt that the Bible should be part of an English curriculum, because so much of literature alludes to bible stories.
To Vera, who mentioned the Fagles edition of The Odyssey… It’s a great translation! Definitely my favorite one, both for myself and to use with my students.
Hard to choose a favorite on the list but I’ll go with Middlemarch, by George Eliot. (Glad to see Robert Musil on the list, though I haven’t read that particular title!)

I will fully confess, as an English teacher, that I am missing many, many classics in my library! I find it interesting that the Old Testament is on the list. Though not religious, I’ve always felt that the Bible should be part of an English curriculum, because so much of literature alludes to bible stories.
To Vera, who mentioned the Fagles edition of The Odyssey… It’s a great translation! Definitely my favorite one, both for myself and to use with my students.
Hard to choose a favorite on the list but I’ll go with Middlemarch, by George Eliot. (Glad to see Robert Musil on the list, though I haven’t read that particular title!)

What a great challenge!
I have read all of the Brontes and Austen books and some Dickens.
Over at nonsuck book, There is the RC of all the Proust books in the series Rememberance Of Things Past.
My all time favorite classic is Little Women. I read it almost every year around Christmas.
I will have to check this book out when i get to work!

What a great challenge!
I have read all of the Brontes and Austen books and some Dickens.
Over at nonsuck book, There is the RC of all the Proust books in the series Rememberance Of Things Past.
My all time favorite classic is Little Women. I read it almost every year around Christmas.
I will have to check this book out when i get to work!

I love Jane Eyre and also Dickens Great Expectations. I think I may revisit both.

I love Jane Eyre and also Dickens Great Expectations. I think I may revisit both.

Jane Eyre and Great Expectations are my favourites. I think I may revisit both.

Jane Eyre and Great Expectations are my favourites. I think I may revisit both.

War and Peace although there are so many classics I love

War and Peace although there are so many classics I love

I was given Beloved by my son and both because I love him and I love the book, I would choose Beloved as my favorite.

I was given Beloved by my son and both because I love him and I love the book, I would choose Beloved as my favorite.

Love this!! There are so many to choose from…but I’m finding that re-reading classics as an adult, my preferences change. Right now I’d have to say East of Eden.

Love this!! There are so many to choose from…but I’m finding that re-reading classics as an adult, my preferences change. Right now I’d have to say East of Eden.

War and Peace is my favorite classic. I haven’t read the new, much-touted translation, but I want to.

War and Peace is my favorite classic. I haven’t read the new, much-touted translation, but I want to.

LOL, Just to let you know, I’ve set up a Goodreads account expressly for the purpose of cataloging books that I plan reading for the BOTB Challenge!

Viral markleting at its best!

LOL, Just to let you know, I’ve set up a Goodreads account expressly for the purpose of cataloging books that I plan reading for the BOTB Challenge!

Viral markleting at its best!

And clearly my spelling (or typing) at its worst!

And clearly my spelling (or typing) at its worst!

My favorite classic is Anna Karenina. The sadness the passion. It truly is a tragic novel.

My favorite classic is Anna Karenina. The sadness the passion. It truly is a tragic novel.

I was one of those kids that read all the required reading for school and I have many favorites. I love Shakespeare’s MacBeth, Romeo & Juliet and The Merchant of Venice.

If I have to choose one favorite it would have to be Kafka’s Metamorphosis for its message, symbolism and tight/clean writing.

I f I have to choose a favorite from the Buddha on the Beach it would have to be Hamlet.

I would love to read one of the classics mentioned in the book–perhaps To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf since it’s been sitting on my bookshelf for years.

happy readingm
Dottie Grant Cohen

I was one of those kids that read all the required reading for school and I have many favorites. I love Shakespeare’s MacBeth, Romeo & Juliet and The Merchant of Venice.

If I have to choose one favorite it would have to be Kafka’s Metamorphosis for its message, symbolism and tight/clean writing.

I f I have to choose a favorite from the Buddha on the Beach it would have to be Hamlet.

I would love to read one of the classics mentioned in the book–perhaps To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf since it’s been sitting on my bookshelf for years.

happy readingm
Dottie Grant Cohen

OOPS!! My face is red, I meant Beowulf on the Beach, not Buddha, even though that would be a great title too!!!
Dottie Grant Cohen

OOPS!! My face is red, I meant Beowulf on the Beach, not Buddha, even though that would be a great title too!!!
Dottie Grant Cohen

I have always wanted to read Anna Karenina. With so many books on my nightstand, I don’t know that I will make it this summer, but maybe Beowulf on the Beach will inspire me!

I have always wanted to read Anna Karenina. With so many books on my nightstand, I don’t know that I will make it this summer, but maybe Beowulf on the Beach will inspire me!

My favorite Classic would have to be Wuthering Heights!

My favorite Classic would have to be Wuthering Heights!

Mmm… I’ve read nine of the book listed in the table of contents. More than I thought. My favorite is the Odyssey by Homer.

Mmm… I’ve read nine of the book listed in the table of contents. More than I thought. My favorite is the Odyssey by Homer.

I think my favorite classic to date is To Kill a Mockingbird. I just love that story so much.

I also tweeted, by the way.

I think my favorite classic to date is To Kill a Mockingbird. I just love that story so much.

I also tweeted, by the way.

There’s a nice big white space in my podcast notes where you mention the widget, Michael. I can’t figure out why — but I’d love to see the list of 50 titles and Amazon’s info doesn’t have the look inside possibility either — hear me whining? I am — sorry — didn’t mean to do so. Just am curious.

Dottie

There’s a nice big white space in my podcast notes where you mention the widget, Michael. I can’t figure out why — but I’d love to see the list of 50 titles and Amazon’s info doesn’t have the look inside possibility either — hear me whining? I am — sorry — didn’t mean to do so. Just am curious.

Dottie

Um — I meant the blog post not the podcast notes — Ireally do know the difference — sigh. I’m not doing well with all things books on the net today, I think. Heh!

Um — I meant the blog post not the podcast notes — Ireally do know the difference — sigh. I’m not doing well with all things books on the net today, I think. Heh!

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes is my all-time favorite! I envy anyone who has not read it and will…I wish I could reread the book with fresh eyes…

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes is my all-time favorite! I envy anyone who has not read it and will…I wish I could reread the book with fresh eyes…

I just browsed the table of contents and saw a lot of great books that I love and have read multiple times. Some of my favorites are “Madam Bovary”, “Jane Eyre” and “Wuthering Heights”. However, my absolute favorite from the list, and one of my favorites of all time, is “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. The first time I read it, I could not put it down. I could feel myself living Sethe’s life, even though I’m a white woman in a comfortable suburban home. Morrison’s writing moved me so profoundly. I just love this book.

I just browsed the table of contents and saw a lot of great books that I love and have read multiple times. Some of my favorites are “Madam Bovary”, “Jane Eyre” and “Wuthering Heights”. However, my absolute favorite from the list, and one of my favorites of all time, is “Beloved” by Toni Morrison. The first time I read it, I could not put it down. I could feel myself living Sethe’s life, even though I’m a white woman in a comfortable suburban home. Morrison’s writing moved me so profoundly. I just love this book.

I re-read Ulysses each June for Bloomsday. So I suppose it’s my favorite, as I don’t re-read any of the others quite as regularly. But “Beowulf on the Beach” has made me determined to read “The Decameron” (I am not “The lady who is forever saying her prayers, or baking pies and cakes…”, so cannot leave it alone) and “The Faierie Queene” for the first time.

I re-read Ulysses each June for Bloomsday. So I suppose it’s my favorite, as I don’t re-read any of the others quite as regularly. But “Beowulf on the Beach” has made me determined to read “The Decameron” (I am not “The lady who is forever saying her prayers, or baking pies and cakes…”, so cannot leave it alone) and “The Faierie Queene” for the first time.

What a fun book this is! What other book lets you the index for a favorite topic – Feminism, Heroism, Scabble, Wusses (6 references to these) – and find a classic to read!

What a fun book this is! What other book lets you the index for a favorite topic – Feminism, Heroism, Scabble, Wusses (6 references to these) – and find a classic to read!

Hi Dottie-

Not sure why the widget isn’t showing up for you…? Go to this page and if it doesn’t show up here, it must be an add on or some other program your computer needs:

https://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307409577

Hi Dottie-

Not sure why the widget isn’t showing up for you…? Go to this page and if it doesn’t show up here, it must be an add on or some other program your computer needs:

https://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780307409577

Thanks for pointing out the fun items listed in the index! When I read the book on my eReader, there was no index, and I hadn’t noticed that in the printed version!

Thanks for pointing out the fun items listed in the index! When I read the book on my eReader, there was no index, and I hadn’t noticed that in the printed version!

What a great challenge! I have to say that my favorite classic is Anna Karenina by Tolstoy! A classic love story! I also love To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper.

Will blog about the challenge this weekend! Thanks for the challenge! Sometimes I think we forget that ‘classics’ are allowed as summer beach reads!

What a great challenge! I have to say that my favorite classic is Anna Karenina by Tolstoy! A classic love story! I also love To Kill a Mockingbird by Lee Harper.

Will blog about the challenge this weekend! Thanks for the challenge! Sometimes I think we forget that ‘classics’ are allowed as summer beach reads!

Just tweeted the giveaway!

Just tweeted the giveaway!

I LOVED reading the Iliad last year. Other favorites include Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. I realize I need to read a lot more of the classics! They are so good.

I LOVED reading the Iliad last year. Other favorites include Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice. I realize I need to read a lot more of the classics! They are so good.

Hi Michael! I just posted the Beowulf on The Beach Reading challenge on my blog Chick with Books!
Here’s the URL for everyone to come by and check it out:
http://www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/

Book sounds great!

Hi Michael! I just posted the Beowulf on The Beach Reading challenge on my blog Chick with Books!
Here’s the URL for everyone to come by and check it out:
http://www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com/

Book sounds great!

I really like The House of Moreys, by Phyliss Bentley, but that just might be old and not so much a classic. Not sure. And of course I have my stand bys, Little Women & Pride and Prejudice

I really like The House of Moreys, by Phyliss Bentley, but that just might be old and not so much a classic. Not sure. And of course I have my stand bys, Little Women & Pride and Prejudice

As with all such lists, this one seems to me to have some flaws, especially regarding readability. Some of the choices are just plain boring, whatever other merits, at least by my experience:
Musil’s book: boring! And he’s anti-Semitic.
Faerie Queene by Spencer: boring! I suffered through it in college.
“Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoevsky: boring! I tried reading it again recently, and found it digressive and overblown.
“Ulysses” by James Joyce: boring! Like reading a jigsaw puzzle… and for what?
Proust’s multi-book “Remembrance of Things Past” is impossible! Thousands of pages! Hundreds of hours wasted! OK, try the first of the books, “Swann’s Way” which is quite wonderful.
“Beowolf” is deadly unless one reads the wonderful modern version by Irish poet Heaney.

Some are choices of great authors that are not my own first choice:
I’d rather read “Cousin Bette” anyday than “Pere Goriot” by Balzac.
I like the more reachable “Absalom! Absalom!” rather than the much-academia-touted “Sound and the Fury”.
Mann’s “Magic Mountain” is pretentious and “meaningful” in all the most boring ways. I much prefer his “Buddenbrooks”.
The three Shakespeare plays are all tragedies, because I guess tragedies are serious and therefore more worthwhile than… a comedy! “As You Like It”, a masterpiece. Or, god forbid, a history play, like the masterpiece “Henry IV, parts 1 and 2″, in which is introduced the character of Falstaff.
And a few that just do not belong on a list of classics: Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer”?! (Only Miller can make heterosexual sex boring!) and Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room” (much as I like Baldwin)?

And, of course, forgivable are the missing readable classics, like maybe Sophocles’ plays or Terence’s comedies or Racine’s verse tragedies or… Calderon or… Eugene O’Neill’s “Touch of the Poet”, among the many many missing dramatists. Where’s Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn”? Where’s any one of Yasanari Kawabata’s novels like “House of the Sleeping Beauties”? or one of Munichiro Tanizaki? Why so few women – something not classical about Wharton? Cather? Penelope Fitzgerald? One might argue for Trollope’s “The Way We Live Now”. Is it too early to declare for “The Assault” by Dutchman Harry Mulisch, a standard in that country? Ah, but these are forgivable in a list like that.

As with all such lists, this one seems to me to have some flaws, especially regarding readability. Some of the choices are just plain boring, whatever other merits, at least by my experience:
Musil’s book: boring! And he’s anti-Semitic.
Faerie Queene by Spencer: boring! I suffered through it in college.
“Brothers Karamazov” by Dostoevsky: boring! I tried reading it again recently, and found it digressive and overblown.
“Ulysses” by James Joyce: boring! Like reading a jigsaw puzzle… and for what?
Proust’s multi-book “Remembrance of Things Past” is impossible! Thousands of pages! Hundreds of hours wasted! OK, try the first of the books, “Swann’s Way” which is quite wonderful.
“Beowolf” is deadly unless one reads the wonderful modern version by Irish poet Heaney.

Some are choices of great authors that are not my own first choice:
I’d rather read “Cousin Bette” anyday than “Pere Goriot” by Balzac.
I like the more reachable “Absalom! Absalom!” rather than the much-academia-touted “Sound and the Fury”.
Mann’s “Magic Mountain” is pretentious and “meaningful” in all the most boring ways. I much prefer his “Buddenbrooks”.
The three Shakespeare plays are all tragedies, because I guess tragedies are serious and therefore more worthwhile than… a comedy! “As You Like It”, a masterpiece. Or, god forbid, a history play, like the masterpiece “Henry IV, parts 1 and 2″, in which is introduced the character of Falstaff.
And a few that just do not belong on a list of classics: Henry Miller’s “Tropic of Cancer”?! (Only Miller can make heterosexual sex boring!) and Baldwin’s “Giovanni’s Room” (much as I like Baldwin)?

And, of course, forgivable are the missing readable classics, like maybe Sophocles’ plays or Terence’s comedies or Racine’s verse tragedies or… Calderon or… Eugene O’Neill’s “Touch of the Poet”, among the many many missing dramatists. Where’s Mark Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn”? Where’s any one of Yasanari Kawabata’s novels like “House of the Sleeping Beauties”? or one of Munichiro Tanizaki? Why so few women – something not classical about Wharton? Cather? Penelope Fitzgerald? One might argue for Trollope’s “The Way We Live Now”. Is it too early to declare for “The Assault” by Dutchman Harry Mulisch, a standard in that country? Ah, but these are forgivable in a list like that.

I think for my favorite classics I’d have to go with Hamlet and Macbeth. I liked seeing all the classics people mentioned!

I think for my favorite classics I’d have to go with Hamlet and Macbeth. I liked seeing all the classics people mentioned!

Ernie,
I think the point is, that if you found those books boring, you need to read “Beowulf on the Beach,” for an approach that would make them NOT boring!

Inasmuch as you’re not supposed to judge a book by the cover, judging it by the TOC is also probably not a good idea!

Ernie,
I think the point is, that if you found those books boring, you need to read “Beowulf on the Beach,” for an approach that would make them NOT boring!

Inasmuch as you’re not supposed to judge a book by the cover, judging it by the TOC is also probably not a good idea!

Plus, Ernie, books always come down to individual opinions… What Jack does here is tells you what to look for in these books, what he thinks makes them interesting and why HE thinks their worthwhile.

I’m sure he realizes that not everyone will love these books the way he does, but maybe those on the fence will be pushed over to the good side with a little bit of help.

But again, it’s all about individual opinions and thanks so much for sharing yours!

Plus, Ernie, books always come down to individual opinions… What Jack does here is tells you what to look for in these books, what he thinks makes them interesting and why HE thinks their worthwhile.

I’m sure he realizes that not everyone will love these books the way he does, but maybe those on the fence will be pushed over to the good side with a little bit of help.

But again, it’s all about individual opinions and thanks so much for sharing yours!

Beowulf On The Beach looks like such an awesome book!
I haven’t read all that many but it would be a toss-up between Divine Comedy or a volume of Collected Works of Shakespeare (feels like cheating but I love Shakespeare too much to show favoritism)

Beowulf On The Beach looks like such an awesome book!
I haven’t read all that many but it would be a toss-up between Divine Comedy or a volume of Collected Works of Shakespeare (feels like cheating but I love Shakespeare too much to show favoritism)

To Kill A Mockingbird is my favorite classic book. I read it in junior high and it has stuck with me every since!
Many thanks, Cindi

To Kill A Mockingbird is my favorite classic book. I read it in junior high and it has stuck with me every since!
Many thanks, Cindi

My favorite classic (so far) is Dickens’ “Bleak House.” I re-read it every couple of years and always find something new to appreciate.

My favorite classic (so far) is Dickens’ “Bleak House.” I re-read it every couple of years and always find something new to appreciate.

My favorite classic is To Kill A Mockingbird.

My favorite classic is To Kill A Mockingbird.

I only meant to warn those of you moving towards picking a book, in my experience, which of them are not enjoyable and/or especially enriching experiences. It is, of course, subjective. On the other hand: these selections seem especially middle-brow (“serious” is good, “comic” is not), Western-culture centered (where’s Japan? Africa? Australia? India?), and therefore miss alot that’s out there. And: reading his book, or standing on my head, or eating ice cream the entire time, will not make (for me) REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST less boring. But: there’s alot from the list that IS worthwhile and enjoyable, and I encourage you to choose one.

I only meant to warn those of you moving towards picking a book, in my experience, which of them are not enjoyable and/or especially enriching experiences. It is, of course, subjective. On the other hand: these selections seem especially middle-brow (“serious” is good, “comic” is not), Western-culture centered (where’s Japan? Africa? Australia? India?), and therefore miss alot that’s out there. And: reading his book, or standing on my head, or eating ice cream the entire time, will not make (for me) REMEMBRANCE OF THINGS PAST less boring. But: there’s alot from the list that IS worthwhile and enjoyable, and I encourage you to choose one.

Probably my favourite classic is Pride and Prejudice.

Probably my favourite classic is Pride and Prejudice.

My favourite classic is The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
but I also love Shakespeare plays, George Eliot, Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell
http://lyndasbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/beowulf-on-beach-reading-challenge.html

My favourite classic is The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
but I also love Shakespeare plays, George Eliot, Jane Austen and Elizabeth Gaskell
http://lyndasbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/beowulf-on-beach-reading-challenge.html

I used to love Anna K., but in recent years I’ve developed a strong desire to kick her in the butt. Pride and Prejudice is coming on strong.

I used to love Anna K., but in recent years I’ve developed a strong desire to kick her in the butt. Pride and Prejudice is coming on strong.

Ernie calls Brothers K. boring, but I could not put it down when I read it in college. Re-read it in my forties and enjoyed it once again. Absolutely fascinating people in dramatic situations.
This definitely demonstrates that its different strokes for different folks. That’s fortunate, or only one type of author would be able to sell books.

Ernie calls Brothers K. boring, but I could not put it down when I read it in college. Re-read it in my forties and enjoyed it once again. Absolutely fascinating people in dramatic situations.
This definitely demonstrates that its different strokes for different folks. That’s fortunate, or only one type of author would be able to sell books.

I tweeted and commended on Facebook. I’m glad I found you.

My new favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird. My old favorite is The Count of Monte Cristo.

I tweeted and commended on Facebook. I’m glad I found you.

My new favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird. My old favorite is The Count of Monte Cristo.

My favorite is probably The Three Musketeers…the LONG, unedited version.

My favorite is probably The Three Musketeers…the LONG, unedited version.

I’ve been a lurker for a while so this is as good a time as any to comment. I’m very excited about this challenge as I’ve recently resolved to read more classics and even joined a local book club to accomplish that end.

I too despaired over how little of the Beowulf list I have covered. Some of it, like Virginia Woolf, is a writer I’ve always meant to read–btw, that would be an interesting list or challenge too. Writers you always meant to read but somehow never did. I made my own list recently and found it quite shaming: Jane Austen, Kurt Vonnegut (I know, right?), Cormac McCarthy, Woolf, Marshall McLuhan.

Anyways, I suspect I’ll tackle someone from that list for my own challenge. I’m not sure anything can make me read James Joyce or Proust tho. Sorry.

For my own classic favorites, I vote for “To Kill a Mockingbird”, any number of Tennessee Williams’ plays, “In Cold Blood” and “Great Expectations.”

I’ve been a lurker for a while so this is as good a time as any to comment. I’m very excited about this challenge as I’ve recently resolved to read more classics and even joined a local book club to accomplish that end.

I too despaired over how little of the Beowulf list I have covered. Some of it, like Virginia Woolf, is a writer I’ve always meant to read–btw, that would be an interesting list or challenge too. Writers you always meant to read but somehow never did. I made my own list recently and found it quite shaming: Jane Austen, Kurt Vonnegut (I know, right?), Cormac McCarthy, Woolf, Marshall McLuhan.

Anyways, I suspect I’ll tackle someone from that list for my own challenge. I’m not sure anything can make me read James Joyce or Proust tho. Sorry.

For my own classic favorites, I vote for “To Kill a Mockingbird”, any number of Tennessee Williams’ plays, “In Cold Blood” and “Great Expectations.”

Welcome Vanessa (lurker-no-more!)

Welcome Vanessa (lurker-no-more!)

I love the use of fountain pens and rich creamy stationary, and hardback books with bindings; but I also love my iPhone and today, I dnloaded the Kindle app and did my first WhisperSync dnload, “BOTB!” While I don’t groove on e-readers in general, this I like! I can goto the TOC, tap on the title of a book, and I’m automagically taken to that entry! The app now also has landscaping and tap-to-turn pages (as opposed to portrait-only presentation and swiping). Still, I’ll be buying the novels themselves in dead-tree versions!

I love the use of fountain pens and rich creamy stationary, and hardback books with bindings; but I also love my iPhone and today, I dnloaded the Kindle app and did my first WhisperSync dnload, “BOTB!” While I don’t groove on e-readers in general, this I like! I can goto the TOC, tap on the title of a book, and I’m automagically taken to that entry! The app now also has landscaping and tap-to-turn pages (as opposed to portrait-only presentation and swiping). Still, I’ll be buying the novels themselves in dead-tree versions!

Pride and Prejudice.

Pride and Prejudice.

What’s the protocol on getting an actual discussion started? Do we post a general comment about a book, respond to JM’s points from his book, write something provocative… Do we just jump right in, or will Ann, Michael, and/or Jack moderate/guide discussions or, post Conversation Starters? Do we confine our posts to one forum, or cross-post across all three (blog, FB, Goodreads?)

Just curious

What’s the protocol on getting an actual discussion started? Do we post a general comment about a book, respond to JM’s points from his book, write something provocative… Do we just jump right in, or will Ann, Michael, and/or Jack moderate/guide discussions or, post Conversation Starters? Do we confine our posts to one forum, or cross-post across all three (blog, FB, Goodreads?)

Just curious

I’m in! I posted about the challenge here on my challenge-focused site but my reviews will be at Becky’s Book Reviews.

My favorite classic is probably Frankenstein, though really I love so many it’s hard to know for sure

I’m in! I posted about the challenge here on my challenge-focused site but my reviews will be at Becky’s Book Reviews.

My favorite classic is probably Frankenstein, though really I love so many it’s hard to know for sure

This is just the thing I was looking for, for a summer challenge. I’m in!

This is just the thing I was looking for, for a summer challenge. I’m in!

I’ve just found your reading challenge via The Book Lady’s Blog.

I have several classics that I particularly enjoyed. Pride & Prejudice is a read often favourite. I still have my high school copy with all the notes I wrote in the margins.

I also loved Daniel Deronda by George Eliot and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of being Ernest (am I allowed to include plays?). I also love some of the children’s classics, especially Alice in Wonderland.

I’ve just found your reading challenge via The Book Lady’s Blog.

I have several classics that I particularly enjoyed. Pride & Prejudice is a read often favourite. I still have my high school copy with all the notes I wrote in the margins.

I also loved Daniel Deronda by George Eliot and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of being Ernest (am I allowed to include plays?). I also love some of the children’s classics, especially Alice in Wonderland.

thanks to all who have commented over the past few days.. glad to hear so many have taken up the challenge! (and Susan, plays can definitely count as favorites! Jack includes several by Shakespeare in the book…)

Regarding Tanya’s question about where the discussions will happen…. Firstly, I’d like to apologize for not setting something up sooner. Thanks for the nudge, Tanya!

I’ve set up a Beowulf on the Beach RC folder on our Goodreads group. Within that folder, we can start a discussion topic thread for any of the 50 books in Beowulf on the Beach that we’d like to discuss. I’ve already started one on Moby Dick. Check out my introductory post for more info.

As for whether Jack will chime in, that’s up to him. He’s certainly welcome to, and I’ll extend the offer, but I know he’s a busy guy. That being said, he’s been thrilled with all of you taking on this challenge and reading his book, so I suspect we’ll hear from him!

(NOTE: to any of you not on Goodreads… I know it’s somewhat limiting to confine all of our discussions to one site, but we have a vibrant group over there and Goodreads makes it very easy to organize topics into one folder for easy viewing. It’s a great site that I highly recommend, and it’s free!)

thanks to all who have commented over the past few days.. glad to hear so many have taken up the challenge! (and Susan, plays can definitely count as favorites! Jack includes several by Shakespeare in the book…)

Regarding Tanya’s question about where the discussions will happen…. Firstly, I’d like to apologize for not setting something up sooner. Thanks for the nudge, Tanya!

I’ve set up a Beowulf on the Beach RC folder on our Goodreads group. Within that folder, we can start a discussion topic thread for any of the 50 books in Beowulf on the Beach that we’d like to discuss. I’ve already started one on Moby Dick. Check out my introductory post for more info.

As for whether Jack will chime in, that’s up to him. He’s certainly welcome to, and I’ll extend the offer, but I know he’s a busy guy. That being said, he’s been thrilled with all of you taking on this challenge and reading his book, so I suspect we’ll hear from him!

(NOTE: to any of you not on Goodreads… I know it’s somewhat limiting to confine all of our discussions to one site, but we have a vibrant group over there and Goodreads makes it very easy to organize topics into one folder for easy viewing. It’s a great site that I highly recommend, and it’s free!)

as Ann points out, we actually have more fans on Facebook, than on Goodreads, so I’ll add some discussion areas there as well!

as Ann points out, we actually have more fans on Facebook, than on Goodreads, so I’ll add some discussion areas there as well!

I’d like to join the challenge please and read Jane Eyre, as I never have and so many view it as one of their favourites. Thank you.

I’d like to join the challenge please and read Jane Eyre, as I never have and so many view it as one of their favourites. Thank you.

My all-time favorite has been Pride and Prejudice for quite some time (I can’t get enough of the wit and insults exchanged between Elizabeth and Darcy!).

Still, I can’t help but give an Honorable Mention to Les Miserables. I read it last year as my own personal challenge, and while large sections of it were difficult (who needs to know about Napoleon at Waterloo?), every single one of his characters had such depth and truth. I have to say it: Hugo has skills.

My all-time favorite has been Pride and Prejudice for quite some time (I can’t get enough of the wit and insults exchanged between Elizabeth and Darcy!).

Still, I can’t help but give an Honorable Mention to Les Miserables. I read it last year as my own personal challenge, and while large sections of it were difficult (who needs to know about Napoleon at Waterloo?), every single one of his characters had such depth and truth. I have to say it: Hugo has skills.

[...] about great books for your summer vacation plans (when you’re not reading classics for the Beowulf on the Beach Reading Challenge, of course!). We’ve already talked about most of our recent faves, so we go back a little [...]

[...] to read Beowulf on the Beach as a companion to Jane Eyre, which I’ve chosen for the BoB-themed summer reading challenge hosted by Ann and Michael of Books on the Nightstand. I figured I’d enjoy the book, knock a [...]