Monday, February 28, 2022

Back to the Classics Challenge 2022

I am joining the Back to the Classics Challenge for 2022. The challenge is hosted by Books and Chocolate and is in its 9th year.



The challenge consists of twelve prompts for classic books. All books must have been written at least 50 years ago to qualify; therefore, books must have been published no later than 1972 for this challenge. The deadline to sign up for the challenge is April 1, 2022. More detailed rules can be found here

I have listed possibilities for books I may read but I am not committed to those choices. In some cases there are many possibilities on my Classics Club List to fulfill the category description. Ideally I would read one for each prompt for a total of 12, but as long as I read at least 6 books for this challenge, I will be happy.


Here are the categories for 2022 (followed  by my choice where I have one): 


1. A 19th century classic. Any book first published from 1800 to 1899.

Dracula – Bram Stoker (1897) 


2. A 20th century classic. Any book first published from 1900 to 1972. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1972 and posthumously published.

Daphne du Maurier – Rebecca (1938)


3. A classic by a woman author.

Edna Ferber – Giant (1952)

Edna Ferber – Show Boat (1926)


4. A classic in translation.  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. 

Leo Tolstoy – Anna Karenina (1878)


5. A classic by BIPOC author. Any book published by a non-white author.

Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart (1958)


6. Mystery/Detective/Crime classic. It can be fiction or non-fiction (true crime). 

James Cain – The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934)


7. A classic short story collection. Any single volume that contains at least six short stories. The book can have a single author or can be an anthology of multiple authors. 

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – Adventures of Sherlock Holmes  (1892)


8. Pre-1800 classic. Anything written before 1800. Plays and epic poems, such as the Odyssey, are acceptable in this category. 

William Shakespeare – Much Ado About Nothing (1598)


9. A nonfiction classic. Travel, memoirs, and biographies are great choices for this category.


10. Classic that's been on your TBR list the longest. Find the classic book that's been hanging around unread the longest, and finally cross it off your list!  

Jane Austen – Sense and Sensibility (1811)


11. Classic set in a place you'd like to visit. Can be real or imaginary -- Paris, Tokyo, the moon, Middle Earth, etc. It can be someplace you've never been, or someplace you'd like to visit again.


12. Wild card classic. Any classic book you like, any category, as long as it's at least 50 years old! 


19 comments:

Cath said...

So pleased you're joining this one! I like your choices too, Sense and Sensibility is a JA that I've never got around to reading either. Possibly because I know it so well from the wonderful film. I've filled one category so far (no surprises that it's the crime one) so I need to pull my finger out and read some more.

Margot Kinberg said...

I like your choices for the challenge, Tracy. I thought Things Fall Apart was memorable, and it's good to see some Conan Doyle there, too. Oh, and the James Cain is good example of noir, I think. I'll be interested in what you think of all of them.

pattinase (abbott) said...

Very curious to see how Ferber holds up.

pattinase (abbott) said...

I am wondering if Willa Cather might hold up better if you can't get into Ferber. I really liked MY ANTONIA, THE PROFESSOR'S HOUSE, DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP, and A LOST LADY was amazing.

Jo said...

Great Classics! I just got Emma by Jane Austen!!

Rick Robinson said...

Sounds good. For your non-fiction/travel, you might try TRAVELS WITH CHARLIE by John Steinbeck. I agree with Patti on Cather instead of Ferber, but I’ve not read Ferber… Not being a fan of Cain, I’d sub in Hammett or Chandler.

TracyK said...

Cath, I thought I had read all of Jane Austen's books when I was younger, and maybe I did, or maybe I just saw film or TV adaptations. But I did read the other five novels in 2017 and never got to Sense and Sensibility. I know it is the classic that has been on my TBR the longest because I have a Folio Society set of the Austen novels that I got so long ago I don't remember when or how I got them.

I definitely want to read it this year. Then maybe I will start rereading the other novels by Austen.

TracyK said...

Margot, I always dither about my choices which is one reason why it took me so long to sign up this year. I hope I finally read Things Fall Apart this year, and the Conan Doyle short stories.

I am not too thrilled about the Cain, to be honest, it may be too noir for me, although I enjoyed Double Indemnity and Mildred Pierce. But it is on my Classics List so I will be reading it in the next year or two anyway.

TracyK said...

Patti, I too am curious about the books by Edna Ferber. Both are on my Classics List so I will at least give them at try. Both were main into very good films. But your suggestion of books by Willa Cather is good. My Antonia is on my Classics List, and I appreciate your suggestions for other books by her to try, since I don't know much about her writing.

TracyK said...

Jo, I have loved all of the novels by Jane Austen that I have read. When I read them a few years ago, I enjoyed them much more than I expected.

TracyK said...

Rick, Travels with Charley is a great suggestion for the nonfiction book category. I always have trouble with that one.

You might be right on Cain, I may not enjoy The Postman Always Rings Twice. And I definitely have more books by Chandler that I want to read. The Long Goodbye by Chandler and Red Harvest by Hammett are both on my classics list.

Katrina said...

There are some really enjoyable books there. I've read them all except numbers 5, 6 and 7 and Giant. I must say I loved Travels with Charley.

Lark said...

Yay! This is such a fun reading challenge. I always enjoy doing it, and I look forward to seeing what classics you read...and what you think of them! :D

TracyK said...

Katrina, I am looking forward to the books I read for the challenge. I hope I really do get to Much Ado About Nothing, because I keep putting that one off. I find reading Shakespeare's play intimidating.

And good, another vote for Travels with Charley.

TracyK said...

Lark, this is a really great challenge, but I have never actually completed it. But that's OK, I will try harder this year.

NancyElin said...

Well, as I scrolled down the screen and saw your

10 reading selectons...I exclamied to myself: 8x "wonderful book'!
Top favorites: Dracula and So Big!

TracyK said...

Nancy, I do have some selections here that I am excited about and I need to work hard on this challenge because it would make a good dent in my Classics list.

R. E. Chrysta said...

Hello Tracy, love your choices! Admittedly though, I've only read Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Everything else is basically on my TBR XD. Hope you have a wonderful year reading your chosen classics for the year!

TracyK said...

Thanks, R.E. Chrysta, I hope to make some progress on my Classics list with the books I read for this challenge, but so far I have not made much progress. I checked out your list; you have some good choices.