2016 Classics Challenge: May

Hey guys, 
Back again with another classic! I know you're probably disappointed this isn't a video rather than a blog post...again! I did film a haul video to be fair but I hated how it turned out because I was out of practice! I'd love to say that I'll film this week but I will be filming for work not for YouTube, sorry! So like I keep promising, I AM going to go back to YouTube, I have some ideas and stuff for videos too, I'm gonna be getting rid of Wrap Up videos because I have no fun filming them at all, and I just repeat myself from TBR videos! I'm thinking I'm gonna focus more on some rec videos, because I have an idea for a series of them that I think you'll like and I'm hoping no-ones done it before! Anywaaaaay, on with the post and talk about the Classic...like I'm supposed to be doing! 

I'm still trying to decide what kind of rating I'd give this, I'm differing between whether I'd give it a three or a four. I wouldn't say it's my favourite one yet, but it's not bottom of the pile either! I think I struggled with reading this because of the language but then it works so well for the book at the same time! 

A Clockwork Orange is all about fifteen year old Alex, who's leader of his little gang and he and said gang go on a little crime spree, but when his gang turn on him, Alex winds up incarcerated in prison. It's as he's in prison that he's offered the chance to reform, by trying out a new programme. Which sounded great to him, undergo two weeks on said programme then he's out in the world, free. But the programme isn't what he was expecting. When he's finally let out, he has no choice in his actions he has to do the right thing for society. 

When I Discovered This Classic

God, I say this every single time and I'm beginning to hate myself for it, but I have no idea when I discovered it! I'm fairly certain someone mentioned it or it was mentioned in a film or a tv show or another book. But I have no idea when that was. Sorry guys! Edit: As I've been writing this I've been having a think about how I'd recommend it to and so on, and as I was writing about free will and how it's done in this book....BOOM. I'm 75% sure I discovered this properly when my Philosophy and Ethics teacher mentioned it one lesson, and I then went to look for it on GoodReads! 

Why I Chose To Read It 

Because it's one of those classics that everyone raves about says that you should read at some point in your life. Honestly that is one of the main reasons, but why I chose to read it this month rather than any other month? Because along with it being raved about and so on, it's also only 140 pages and I've read either chunky classics or classics that are a bit hard to read and I wanted to pick a short one because I'm lazy and felt like a break of sorts! 

What Makes It A Classic

I think the language. There's this entire different language in this book, the slang of the teenagers in the book and the entire book is written using it. It made it hard to read, because I was trying to work out what each word meant and remember what each one meant. But it also worked for the book, because it pulled you in to it and like has been said, it's an experiment in language and it works. I also think it's how this book explores free will. We see Alex using his free will and then having it taken from him and all the debate that comes with it. 

What I Thought Of This Classic

I thought it was incredibly well written, like I keep saying, it was hard to read at some points and understand what the narrator was talking about, but once you get used to it and the language used you get in to the flow of things. I think if I re-read it I'd find it easier than this first time round! I quickly cottoned on to some of the Russian or cockney inspired words, that being said! But the slang fit with the book, Alex uses it all the time, it's what he narrates in. Once I got used to the language, I actually quite liked the idea of some of the words, I enjoyed trying to work out the origins of the words, like I said some where clearly Russian or Cockney inspired, but not all. It helped that the author consistently used all of these slang words, otherwise I'd have been lost! 

I liked the bit at the end when he was still using all the same language and slang but his friend from before wasn't and you kind of got hit with just how...I don't know, I kind of want to say young or something. He's however old at the end of the book, he's been in prison before, and he's still using this same language, like he's holding on to it and can't let it go almost. Then the contrast between Alex and his friend, and Alex saying 'Youth must go" and wanting to grow up and get married and have a child, it was almost like he'd been in this little bubble and the language was a part of it. The fact he then uses his free will, which has been returned to him, to decide to grow up, to decide to want bigger and better things rounds it out nicely. That he wants to do it, and doesn't want it because he's been conditioned to. This probably makes no sense, it's hard for me to explain what I mean! 

BUT. Yes there's a but. While I liked that, it also wasn't very believable.  I though it was a bit odd that someone who I would describe as a sociopath, suddenly decides upon seeing this friend that he thinks babies are cute and he wants to have one, while it was nice, I'm not sure how believable it was. I believed his little mate Dim could be made in to a police officer, a corrupt and nasty one that is. I had been wondering what had happened to his other friend but while I liked the contrasts and that we see Alex using his free will to decide to become a family man and stop with all the violence and crime and stuff, it also seemed a bit random that someone who the state had failed to reform, and had even reverted back to his old self...would get bored and decide to throw the towel in. I actually have realised that my edition had the "missing" chapter included as a regular chapter, and upon looking back at where the book ended when originally published...I do think that would have been a better ending. 

I thought it was interesting how all the violence and crime was written, he says "oh we did this and that" the same way you might be like "Oh yeah we went to the cinema and then went for lunch" or something. Casually. He's a complete sociopath and you can see it from how he refers to all the heinous things he did. He doesn't seem the least bit bothered with a conscience. The fact that all these scenes of violence are written with excitement and a sense of casualness, makes them seem even more horrifying, and clues you in to how badly messed up Alex is. It stops it all from seeming glorified. 

The interesting thing about Alex, is that while he could be described as a thug or a hooligan, he's a very cultured one. He may be younger than his droogs but he's almost a step above them. He likes classical music, I actually laughed a little bit when he got so incensed about having one of his favourite songs ruined for him, because of all the things you'd think this guy would get angry at, music wasn't it! The author describes the music and how Alex hears it in a very interesting and lyrical way. Alex himself has an interesting way of speech, Alex has a taste for arts, and as I was reading certain passages,  I couldn't help but think he tended towards a dramatic and flamboyant way of speech at times. As well as thinking he was reliving his heyday or something. It made the book even more interesting to read, and Alex was interesting to read about because he comes across as quite cultured, and yet he can murder someone without blinking. 

Despite what some people may think, this book isn't all doom and gloom and violence, as I've said, the passages about music are beautiful to read, and Alex's speech can be too sometimes when he's feeling flamboyant. It's also fascinating to think about the debate in the book. Reforming someone...but taking away their free will to do it. So they have no choice but to act in the best interests of society. Is it too high a cost? Is it moral? Alex's treatment is referred to in a couple of different ways in the book, hypnotism and conditioning, and my brain came up with a few different words as I was trying to find the word I was thinking about (It was conditioning), torture and brainwashing being a couple and none of them have nice connotations to them really. Yes he's a criminal but still....is it fair? Very interesting to debate about, I would imagine. 

Will It Stay A Classic

I believe this book has a reputation for being ridiculously violent and because it has a reputation with a negative connotation to it, people are always going to be curious to read it, to see what all the fuss is about. As well as the fact that it's referred to as one of those books you have to read. I also think the language is a draw, people would be curious to see what everyone means when they talk about the language of the book, and what all these strange words are! 

Who I'd Recommend It To

Hmmm this is tricky. When I did Philosophy and Ethics for my A-Levels, there was a lot of discussion about free will, so I think it might be of interest to people studying the same thing, not to mention people studying English Language if they haven't done it already! I do agree with everyones assessment that everyone should read it at some point, so perhaps teenagers in GCSE year? People who like a good debate and like to ponder on philosophy would also enjoy reading this and thinking about it and discussing it with others. Oh and people who like the grittier books. I kinda wanna say something stupid like it's kind of like Dexter but with less murder and more philosophy. I think that's about it! 

My Editions

I actually only have the one, but it's one I specifically chose! Penguin have some really brilliant covers for their classics, and that's not just their clothbounds and English Library Editions! They have their Deluxe Editions and then their essential editions and that's the edition of this that I have. The Penguin Essentials edition! For some reason I can't stand the classics with the plain covers, I like the interesting covers! 

2016 Classics Challenge: April

Hey guys! 
I'm another classic down, a lot sooner than usual as well! There's no video for this months, which sucks I know and it'll annoy me to be missing a month, but I should be back to normal soon and doing videos again! I think with this months classic it's safe to say I'm a Jane Austen fangirl! I've read Pride and Prejudice and Emma as part of this challenge and Persuasion when I was reviewing an edition of it, and I'm completely loving each one more than the other! I think Emma is now my favourite! I'll probably say the same each time I read a new Austen one that I haven't read before! 

"I always deserve the best treatment because I never put up with any other"

As you can see, I read Emma this month and I got on with it a lot better than when I first started this challenge. I loved Pride and Prejudice but I did struggle a bit with the writing and the way of speech, now, seeing as Emma is written by the same author, I'm going to assume that I got on better with this because I've not gotten used to the writing of the time! 

Emma is all about Emma Woodhouse, a single lady living with her fragile father, Emma see's no need for marriage or love as she's perfectly content with her life as it is. Emma does however, enjoy playing with the love lives of others, she's something of a match maker. When Emma decides to ignore the advice of her good friend Mr Knightley and attempt to matchmake her protegee Harriet Smith, things don't go according to plan and there are consequences that she never expected. 

When I Discovered This Classic 

I'm (as usual) not entirely sure, Pride and Prejudice is the Austen classic I knew about first, and I guess I found out about this at around the same time, probably when I was reading about the author herself perhaps? Or when I started collecting classics! 

Why I Chose To Read It 

I chose to read Emma because I'd just won a copy of it, and I wasn't too sure what classic to read next or what options to get you guys to vote on, so I thought....why not read another Austen?! It helps that it also sounds really fun, I mean....matchmaking and romance and how wrong it can go...what's not to like?! 

What Makes It A Classic

I'm inclined to say that it's an Austen book so of course it's a classic! But honestly, the writing, the romance, the wit all of it make it a classic. It explores relationships while being humorous, and giving us a brilliant romance. We have a flawed female lead, she's certainly not perfect and you see her come to some realisations and see her change over the course of the book. It's just brilliantly done. Then there's the whole matchmaking catastrophe trying to match people up who like other people and so on, and you can see that in contemporary books done in different ways, and I feel like that plot in Emma is the original as it where. 

What I Thought of This Classic

I have to say, I haven't disliked an Austen book so far and after reading Emma I'm reluctant to point one out as a favourite. Every time I read a different Austen book it's my new favourite so I've decided I'll no longer have a favourite! This book was a lot of fun for me, because I could tell or had suspicions about who really liked who and I found a lot of humour in the book. I loved Emma and Knightley's banter, and their scenes together, I actually loved them so much as a couple. I could understand his actions, but Emma had no idea, it was hilarious because she's supposed to be such a brilliant matchmaker! I liked Emma, she was flawed, and had some not very nice qualities like her snobbery for instance, but at the same time, she shows so much patience to her father when she's dealing with him, she's always cheerful and I think she means well. I think she just wants to make people happy by finding them their perfect other half she just doesn't always get it right or go about it the right way, but I don't think she genuinely means any harm. Besides she changes over the course of the book and you can see it at the end with the Martins and how her opinion has changed. I think what endeared her to me was how she kept digging herself a hole in some situations and making things worse, like with Harriet! 

It has to be said, Mrs Elton was such a cow, and her husband wasn't much better like way to be bitter dude. Mrs Elton was so genuinely vile though! As usual Austen gives us a great many characters, each intriguing and having a very strong personality. There's a lot of mystery in this book, like what is Frank Churchill up to with Emma? What is he hiding? What's going on with him and Jane? You can see which characters are clearly up to something but it's trying to work out what, I must admit I was surprised and hadn't been expecting some of the reveals! 

I should also mention the setting of this book because WHEEY SURREY! Some of you might recall me sharing photos from the top of a hill, and the guy buried upside down on it? That would be Box Hill which is mentioned a lot in this book, it's about a half hour 45 minute drive away from me and we go up there for dinner sometimes so I could so easily picture the hill at the time of the book and the events that happen on it! They also mention Kingston as a lot which is my hometown and technically classed as London rather than Surrey, but I enjoyed seeing a lot of places that are well known to me in the book, described as they must have been at the time! 

Will It Stay A Classic

I think it will, I think all Austen books will because she's such an icon in literature. Each of her books has something different to the others about it, a different kind of romance and memorable characters and each has inspired many contemporary romance books. With Emma in particular, I think once you read it once, you want to read it again to see what you missed and to read it knowing what's going to happen or rather what's really going on, so you'll read it again and again and recommend it to others. 

Who I'd Recommend It To

I would recommend this to romance lovers everywhere! Like I said, I feel like Austen's books are the originals and a lot of contemporary romances take aspects from her books and change them around or use them with other things, so I feel like reading Austen's books are a must. The language, the time period, the romance it all creates a great book. I'd also recommend it to wannabe classics readers because while the language takes some getting used to, I think Austen's books are a good classic to start with as there's romance, and Austen's wit makes for some humorous scenes. 

My Editions

Hmmm, I don't actually have that many editions of Emma, which is a first for me! 
I have the Penguin English Library Edition which is the one pictured! 
Andddd the Penguin Clothbound Edition! 
Aaaaaand the Word Cloud Classic edition! 
There's a couple of other editions of it that I actually need for my collection, thinking about it! 

2016 Classics Challenge: March

Hey guys! 
It's time for the Classics Challenge again! I read this months classic fairly early on, and it's the fastest I've ever read a classic! I literally read it in two sitings! I wasn't too sure in the beginning, but once it got going, I was hooked! 
I've actually read more than one classic this month, as I got to review two completely gorgeous editions of Persuasion and The Woman in White! I'm clearly on a roll! As usual, we'll have the Q&A section, followed by my video with my thoughts on the book! 

"They've done it before and they'll do it again and when they do it - seems that only children weep"

So as you can see, this month I read To Kill A Mockingbird, and I got on really well with it, partly because the writing was more modern, but also because it really hooked me with the whole Boo Radley thing, followed by the trial and so on! 

To Kill A Mockingbird is narrated from Scout's point of view, set in the South in the 1930's. In the book we see Scout and her brother Jem become fascinated with the mysterious Book Radley, and determine to get to see him, along with their friend Dill who comes to town every Summer. But as one Summer begins, so does a trial that will have a big impact on Scout and Jem. Their father Atticus is to defend a black man, in actual fact the real Mockingbird of the book, charged with attacking a white girl. A case that would have been familiar in the time period. 

When I Discovered This Classic

I'm not entirely sure how I discovered this, it's just kind of always been there, as one of the big classics. I'm going to assume I came across it through another book perhaps, or film or TV, or just hearing someone talk about it. Or possibly at school, a teacher may have mentioned it in passing or it could have been on the wall. Our classroom used to have a huge poster with classics all over it. We never did this book at school, but I really think we should have! 

Why I Chose To Read It 

I chose to read it because I always feel like I should have read it long ago. I really do think we should have read this book at school and I'm kind of disappointed we didn't. It's always been on my list of books that I've wanted to read, and I just never got around to it, then I bought it a few years ago determined to read it...and still never got around to it. Then you guys voted for me to read it next and here we are! It's always intrigued me, as everyone speaks so highly of it and now I see why! 

What Makes It A Classic 

The message behind the book, simply. While this is a coming of age novel, in part, it's mostly a book that brings to life a very horrific time period in the South. History is brought to garish light, and is so incredibly real as you're reading it. The message of this book is a warning about prejudice. It shows how nasty people can be when prejudice is involved, and what the consequences of it are. This book shows you all that's wrong with race and class, and warns you against it. The most startling point of the book is that kids can see all that's wrong with this behaviour when the adults can't. It's a very powerful message. There was also some intense hypocrisy in this book at one point that kind of makes you shake your head, as it's so typical of behaviour. 

What also makes this a classic, I think, is that sadly this book teaches us a lesson that is still relevant today. In this day and age. 

What I Thought Of This Classic

Will It Stay A Classic

Undoubtedly. Unfortunately, there are always people who are racist and prejudice to other people, so this book and it's lesson will always be relevant, which is sad, and I do hope I'm wrong, but I doubt it. Especially watching the news these days, I'd love for things to change, but we have a long way to go. 

Who I'd Recommend It To

I nearly said something rude, but I thought I'd best not. In more polite terms, perhaps people who can benefit from reading this book. People who are interested in the history of the time period, people who, like me, haven't read a kids book in ages and fancy reading a book narrated from the view point of a child, but still want to read an adult book, if that makes sense? Definitely teenagers! 

For Those Asking...

I mentioned in my TBR video that I wouldn't be reading Go Set A Watchman, and a few of you where wondering why. Well, I read a lot of articles about the book and how it's publication came about, and I just feel like Harper Lee may have been taken advantage of, and I'm not sure how I feel about the book! 

2016 Classics Challenge: February

Hey guys! 
Another month, another classic down and I'm still going strong. I know we're only two in, but I haven't had to DNF one yet! I'm pretty proud of that. I've answered some questions below, and there's a video that has aaallll my thoughts about Wuthering Heights because this book was a tricky one for me! 

EDIT: I've worked out what my problem with the book was, like I say in the video, I expected Cathy to narrate and it to be all about her and Heathcliff, but more than that I expected a romance between the two and we see the romance grow and I knew revenge was involved but I was thinking more along the "Oh I was going to make her fall in love with me and then break her heart" kind you know? Wuthering Heights, is not that. I wouldn't even class this as a romance, and like I say in the video...it's dark and gothic, but I'm not entirely sure I can class it as a horror? Can I? I wish I'd realised this when I was filming the bloody video. I enjoyed the book because of all the drama and there where so many horrifying parts that I couldn't tear my eyes away from, and horrendous characters, and abuse and so on, it gripped you. So I enjoyed it but this is me realising what made me go "hold on.....what though?"

ANYWAY, it's time for me to answer some questions about the book! I'll answer them to the best of my ability, but bearing in mind here I'm no expert on Classics and all that jazz. 

When I Discovered This Classic

When did I discover this Classic? How could I not with that bloody song *shudder* still going strong when I was a child. I remember seeing the video on like VH1 one Saturday when I was younger, and asking about the song because I thought it was weird, and being told it was based on a book. I was too young at that point to investigate further! If you're lucky enough to be sitting there asking me what song I'm talking about....if you really, REALLY want to know....ENJOY!

Why I Chose To Read It

It was between this and Pride & Prejudice for my January Classic for starters and seeing as it lost I thought I'd do it for February! 
It's also one of the classics that I consider to be one of the "big ones", one of the most well known and loved by everyone, and I was curious about it! 

What Makes It A Classic

I suck at answering this question, I'm not going to lie. I'm really not sure. Maybe because of the writing and the descriptions, or because of the grippingly awful characters, or because of how dark it is with a heavy dose of gothic. Everyone I know seems obsessed with the romance of this and I'm not entirely too sure why so I hesitate to include it as a reason, although Cathy and Heathcliff where what drew me in and intrigued me and kept me reading when I was completely confused at the beginning by the legions of characters. I think the book also surprises people (I can't be the only one who was surprised) and gets people talking which will keep people interested in it and curious about it, because people go in (some people anyway) expecting a romance, and they get an intense and dark book with a lot of emotion in it. 

What I Thought Of This Classic

Will It Stay A Classic

I can't see it not being because it's so unusual, like I said, people expect one thing and get another with a lot of unexpected things thrown in. People will always talk about that and the darker aspects of the book, the emotional and physical abuse that's in abundance, the intense emotions the characters feel, the cast of horrible characters, it all gets readers talking for different reasons. I also think people will continue to be intrigued by them and want to find out what the deal is with them, even though they weren't what I was expecting, they where memorable because of that, I mean no-ones going to forget Heathcliff and his atrocious behaviour anytime soon. 

Who I'd Recommend It To

This is tricky because as I've realised, this is not a romance, and I'm not sure if I can get away with calling it a horror story either. People who like dark and gothic literature for sure! It being the only Bronte book I've read so far, I'd recommend it if you want to see what the Bronte's writing and books are like. Not to mention the people just plain curious because they've heard about Cathy and Heathcliff or ya know...have that song haunting them. 

Let me know what you thought of Wuthering Heights below, if you've read it! As you all know, I'm super indecisive, so below is a nice little poll with a few options for my March Classic! 
It's my birthday month and so, if I picked some options that I fancy and that are either short or more modern than the other classics so far! Heeellppp meeeee choose! 

Which Classic Should I Read In March?

1984

To Kill A Mockingbird

The Scarlet Letter

Peter Pan

Around The World in 80 Days

The Lost World

personality test

2016 Classics Challenge: January

Hey guys! 
The month is nearly over, I've read my classic for the month and it's time to tell you guys aaaalll about it! I wasn't quite sure how to do this, but I'm thinking I'll do it this way, I'll answer the questions here, and then in my videos I'll tell you what I thought of the book! That way the video's aren't really long and there's less of me babbling!
This month's video had some technical difficulties, so there's no actual sign off because I didn't realise it hadn't gotten that bit, so sorry  guys! It's not me being rude! 

ANYWAY, let's get started! 

So this month I picked Pride and Prejudice to read, in case it's not already obvious or known! I actually had a lot to say about it and had a fair few notes, but that's all in the video that I'll link down below! 

1. When did I discover this classic? 

I've been trying to think back to the exact point when I discovered this classic but I really am struggling! We never did any Austen books in school it was Jane Eyre and a lot of Shakespeare with some Of Mice and Men thrown in! I think around about some time when I was in Secondary School, is the answer! It's kind of hard not to discover Pride and Prejudice to be honest with all the adaptions of it floating about and all the merchandise to go with it, especially on Tumblr! I already knew about it but Tumblr just made me more and more interested in it! 

2. Why I chose to read it. 

Easy. Everyone raves about it and it's one of the classics that I consider to be one of the big, main classics along with Wuthering Heights and Little Women and so on. Not to mention the bits of the film that I had seen intrigued me and I had a feeling I'd like the book because ya know...romance. It's also technically historical these days as well! I've been wanting to read it for ages to be honest, I've not read that many Classics on my own just Dracula and Secret Garden and a couple of others, and seeing as P&P is a main classic, I'm kind of ashamed I haven't read it! I also have loads of different editions of it, because I can't resist pretty books, and I collect certain editions and my logic is that ya know...I'm gonna read it eventually, and I know I'm going to love it so why not?! 

3.  What makes it a classic? 

I'm probably the last person who should be saying what makes a classic a classic seeing as I haven't read any! I mean, the fact people are still reading it and loving it makes it a classic I guess? Although I think the correct answer is the language of the book, and the romance. Also the setting, a lot of readers love this particular period of time, and it's a romance set in that time. It's a good romance and it's a great glimpse in to the time period and what things where like. I really suck at answering these questions! 

4. Will it stay a classic? 

I can't really say, things are always changing. I would think that it would because people are still just as interested in it whether it's in book form or film form. I've seen a lot of teenagers on Tumblr who love the book as well so it's not just older generations loving the book either! I think all the film adaptions that are out there will also help it to stay a classic, because you know...a lot of the time people are more likely to watch a book adaption, and a lot of the time someone might watch an adaption and then go and read the book! Not that like..just watching the adaption is a bad thing, it's also keeping P&P as a classic! I think people will always be interested in the time period, it's one that people romanticise a lot and it being a book written at the time, it's authentic in it's language. I think there's something about the language and the etiquette of the time and how things where that interest people, and that people enjoy. 

I'm going in to essay territory here! But I also think that the romance is one that can stand the test of time, not to mention the characters! Elizabeth and Darcy are classic characters and you often find characters in modern day books that have aspects of them, or are very, very like them! Everyone loves a romance though, let's be honest! 

5. Who would I recommend it to? 

For a start, I'd recommend it to people who read a lot, like nothing against people that don't read all that much, but the writing and the language is such that I don't think a casual reader would get on with it, or they would struggle. BUT then on the flip side....it might get a casual reader reading more. So there's that. I'd definitely recommend it to Teens and up, because I think more teens should read the classics. I mean....I regret never picking up all that many classics. I didn't read classics when I was a teen, Dracula and stuff I read when I was younger, I actually got given a copy of Anne of Green Gables by a teacher in primary. But when you're at school reading classics is always a chore a lot of the time, I was lucky because I actually liked Jane Eyre and Of Mice and Men, but being forced to read the set ones at school can put people off, so I think teens should just pick a classic they like the sound of and give it a go! It's great for the vocabulary as well! This sounds really preachy, my bad! 

So there you have it! I kinda feel like I'm doing an English Essay and I such at academic things like that so it's rambly and probably all wrong but I tried! I'll do better for February I promise! 

Speaking of February....my February classic is going to be *drum roll* Wuthering Heights! 

I'm assuming most people guessed seeing as it was my second choice for January, I was hoping to actually read Sense and Sensibility in January because I fancied it after seeing some of the film, but I didn't have time! I have this feeling like I'm going to end up binge reading classics at some point! But yes....Feb's book is Wuthering Heights! No idea what to read for March (which is my birthday month yaaaay!) so any suggestions are welcome! I'll probably do a Twitter people because I suck at being decisive! 

Let me know what your classic for the month was as well hitting me with your suggestions! Check out what I thought of the book in the video below! 

2016 Classics Challenge

Hey guys! 
Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to New Years!?!
I've been a bit quiet on here since Christmas, I do have some posts scheduled but not a tonne! This is just a quick post to chat to you all about the 2016 Classics Challenge!

I have a lot of classics, I kind of collect them in different editions even though I haven't actually read most of them! There's a few I've read, but not really enough and for the past few months I've been meaning to read one a month and I've failed epically! 

Then I discovered via Twitter that the lovely Stacey at The Pretty Books actually runs a Classics Challenge basically doing what I've been trying to do! So I thought I'd jump on board the challenge because by doing this Challenge and tweeting and instagramming and blogging about it means that I'll actually do it because all of you will call me out on it if I don't! I'll have some accountability for it basically! I'm incredibly indecisive though so Lord knows how I'm going to pick one each month! 

What I'll Be Reading 

Like I said...I have A LOT of classics, I'm not sure exactly which ones I'm going to read yet, but there's a couple I definitely want to get to! 

Pride and Prejudice

This has been on my shelf forever and I have like....three or four editions of it, and I kinda started reading the first chapter ages ago and so I should probably ya know...finish it! 

Wuthering Heights

Again, this has been on my list for ages, I only have two copies of this, I'm thinking I may read this in January because the cover of one of mine fits with the miserable vibe the weather is giving off most of the time! 

Jane Eyre

This would actually be a re-read to be honest! I read it back in GCSE's and I've been wanting to read it again! 

Dracula

Another re-read, I haven't read this book in years and it's definitely my favourite, or at least one of my favourites! I'd probably read this around October but then I might read Frankenstein instead or try to read both, we'll see! 

Charles Dickens

I have many, many Dickens books, and I really want to read at least one this year! I was going to read A Christmas Carol in December but I completely had no time I swear! I haven't decided which Dickens book I'll try to read, so if you have a favourite Dickens book let me know! 

Modern Classics

I'm talking Nineteen Eighty-Four, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. Yes, I can hear your gasps of shock, please don't shun me! I'll hopefully read all or one or two! 

Sherlock Holmes

My Dad's obsessed with Sherlock, and I have been known to watch episodes without complaining copious amounts so I think I'll make an effort to try to read a Holmes book! 

Those are my "I really need to read these before everyone discovers I'm a shame to the book community" books, I have quite a nice stack of English Library classics as well as Word Cloud and Barnes and Noble, and these aren't all of them obviously, out of the others I have no idea what I'll read, I'll probably choose each month or pick a couple and have you guys vote on Twitter because like I said...I'm indecisive!