Back to the Classics Challenge 2021

I did say in a recent post I will not enrol in too many challenges. My main aim for 2021 is to be firm on lowering the number of unread books on my shelves. They amount to around 180 as I write this. It would be perfect to reach down to 100 at the end of next year. So, I choose only challenges that will help me in my endeavour. I did not think I have so many classics on my shelves, but checking them I found 18! Well, well, should be enough for this challenge, if I can fit them in. Anyway, I am interested in reading more Classics, so this challenge will be a suitable complement to my list from The Classic Club.

For eight years now Karen at Books and Chocolate has been hosting the Back to the Classics Challenge. Here is my preliminary list (might be changed depending on the situation). Scroll down below to find the rules for the challenge.

Without further ado, here are the categories for 2021: 

1. A 19th-century classic: any book first published from 1800 to 1899 - The Red and the Black by Stendhal (1830)

2. A 20th-century classic: any book first published from 1900 to 1971. All books must have been published at least 50 years ago; the only exceptions are books which were written by 1971 and posthumously published - The Moon and Sixpence by Somerset Maugham (1919)

3. A classic by a woman author - Katherine by Anya Seton (1954)

4. A classic in translation, meaning 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 - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1878) (Russian will read in English). 

5. A classic by BIPOC author; that is, a non-white author - The Prophet by Khalil Gibran (1923)

6. A classic by a new-to-you author, i.e., an author whose work you have never read - Dr Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (1957)

7. New-to-you classic by a favourite author -- a new book by an author whose works you have already read -  Sandition by Jane Austen (1817)

8. A classic about an animal, or with an animal in the title. The animal can be real or metaphorical. (i.e., To Kill a Mockingbird) - Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)

9. A children's classic - Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)

10. A humorous or satirical classic - Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (1889)

11. A travel or adventure classic (fiction or non-fiction). It can be a travelogue or a classic in which the main character travels or has an adventure -  The Baron in the Trees by Italo Calvino (1957)

12. A classic play. Plays will only count in this category - The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde (1895)

That is my list. Seven of them I have on my shelves, one on my iPad and the rest I will either borrow from the library or buy as an e-book. 

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Here are the rules for the challenge.  Please go to her website for further information. 

A year-long challenge in which participants are encouraged to finally read the classics they've always meant to read -- or just recently discovered. At the end of the year, one lucky winner will receive a prize $30 (US) in books from the bookstore of their choice. The rules and prize are the same as last year, only the categories have changed. This year, I've tried to come up with some fun categories -- I think we could all use as many fun and relaxing reads as possible!

• Complete six categories, and you'll get one entry in the drawing; 
• Complete nine categories, and you'll get two entries in the drawing; 
• Complete all twelve categories, and you'll get three entries in the drawing

So -- I hope everyone likes the categories, I tried to make them fun and as light as possible for next year. And of course, you do NOT have to read 12 books to qualify for the drawing! The rest of the rules also remain the same.

THE RULES: 

• All books must have been written at least 50 years ago to qualify; therefore, books must have been published no later than 1971 for this challenge. The only exceptions to this rule are books which published posthumously but written before 1971. Recent translations of classic novels are acceptable. 

• All books must be read from January 1 through December 31, 2021. Books started before January 1 do not qualify. All reviews must be linked to this challenge by 11:59 p.m. on January 1, 2022. I will post links the first week of January for each category, which will be featured on a sidebar of this blog for convenience through the entire year. (The link for the final wrap-up will be posted towards the end of the year, to avoid confusion). 

• The deadline to sign up for the challenge is March 31, 2021. After that, I'll close the link and you'll have to wait until next year's challenge. Please include a link to your actual sign-up post, not your blog URL/home page. Make sure you sign up in the below, not the comments section. If I do not see your name in the sign-ups, you are not eligible. If you've made a mistake with your link, just add a new one and let me know in the comments. It's no trouble for me to delete an incorrect link. 

• Books may NOT cross over within this challenge -- that is, you may not count the same book multiple times within this challenge. You MUST read a different book for each category in this challenge, or it doesn't count. 

• Participants must post a wrap-up and link it to the challenge, and it must include links to all the books they've read for this challenge, specifying which books for each challenge. If I cannot confirm which books you've read for each challenge, I will not enter your name into the drawing. It is fine to rearrange books for the challenge since many books can fit multiple categories -- just let me know in the final wrap-up! 

• The wrap-up post MUST include contact information so that I can contact the winner privately before announcing the winner on this blog. If your blog doesn't have a link, or if you have a Goodreads account, let me know in the comments of the wrap-up post. If I cannot contact you, I cannot award you the prize!

• The winner will be announced on this blog the first week of January 2021. All qualifying participants will receive one or more entries, depending upon the number of categories they complete as stated above. One winner will be randomly selected from all qualifying entries. I will contact the winner privately and award the prize before posting on the blog. 

• The winner will receive a gift certificate in the amount of $30 (US) from Amazon.com (US) OR $30 in books from The Book Depository. Winners must live in a country that receives a shipment from one of these online retailers. To check if your country receives deliveries from The Book Depository, click here. 

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There you go! I hope some of the books from my Classic Club list will fit in here somehow. What about you? Interested?