The Classics Challenge 2009

I love a challenge...so when I saw the Classics Challenge for this year, I just had to join.

I picked these books to read:

1. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
As a true blue historical fiction reader fanatic, I had planned to read this book from the get-go.

2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
Funny enough, I have never read this book even though Hemingway is one of my favorite authors.

3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Everytime I go to Starbucks Cafe in Barnes and Noble in Florence, I would look at the posters of the great classics. One of them was A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I told myself that one day I was going to read it. Well, that one day will come soon enough.

4. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Sylvia Plath. Enough said.

5. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Bloom
Ten Bloom recounts her horrific days in a Nazi concentration camp in this book.

6. Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
I love mysteries...so I chose this book which starred Doyle's best known character - Sherlock Holmes.

As a bonus selection, I chose The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I once saw my friend Christy reading it. I've read Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns and I was completely blown away. If you haven't read it, you should.

For a future classic, I suggested Little Bee by Chris Cleave. The novel stayed with me for days after I read it. Suzanne of Chick with Books did a review if you want to read it. We both enjoyed the book so much that we went on and on about it. LOL. Reading that book felt like riding an emotional roller coaster. The book was funny that I had to laugh out loud, but some parts were so sad and terrifying that I just wanted to cry. There was also a portion of the book where I felt just as vindictive as Little Bee. The book had so much impact that it was unforgettable. It was excellent and will forever stay in my book collection.

If you would like to join the Classic Challenge of 2009. Check it out. You don't have to have a blog to sign up. You just have to love reading. Have fun! See you there!