The End of The Classics Circuit

My second child, my daughter named “Strawberry” for the purposes of public blogging, was born more than six months ago! She’s adorable, and my son Raisin loves being a big brother. This is obviously a very belated post to say that I will not be starting up The Classics Circuit again. I will keep this blog open for your reference. If you are looking for your next reading ideas, check the “Past Tours” archive for ideas.

Over the past few years, I put a lot of time into this blog and organizing The Classics Circuit. I also had other bloggers helping me. However, I no longer have the time necessary to coordinate “blog tours” of the classic authors. Also, the blogging world changes, and I don’t see the need for it right now.

Instead, I refer you to the incredible and inspiring project called The Classics Club. This is a blog for challenging yourself in your own way, but it also provides links to other bloggers who read the classics. They also encourage you to share the classics mini-challenges you are giving yourself. I find it very encouraging, and I hope to participate more fully as I find time to do so.

Thanks for all your support in the past, and I wish you the best as you read the Classics!

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Classics Circuit Hiatus: Classics Reading Challenges

Hello all! I hope you are busy enjoying your last months of 2011.

Although I had intended to post about the next tour in November (to be held in January), I’ve decided it’s time for a hiatus from The Classics Circuit. For those of you who follow my personal blog, you’ll know that I’m currently pregnant with my second child. Baby is due at the end of February, and in order to make life a little less stressful, I’m ready to take a break from The Classics Circuit now (as evidenced by the fact that I never got the next tour information up!).

I still really enjoy running The Classics Circuit. Assuming all goes well and I adjust to a newborn in a timely fashion, I do hope to pull together another tour by next summer or fall, but given how I’ve not yet experienced life with TWO children, we’ll have to see how things go.

I, of course, still love the classics, and I hope you decide to continue reading them on your own. If you are interested in community projects similar to The Classics Circuit, here are some that may appeal to you. You can also browse A Novel Challenge for more reading projects, challenges, and readalongs. If you are hosting a reading challenge (classic-focused or otherwise), fill out a form on that site to be included on the listings.

In the meantime, I hope you keep reading the greats of literature!

  • The Beauty of Eclectisicm is hosting a 2012 Medieval Reading Challenge. She encourages you to read 4, 8 or 12 works written between 400 and 1550 B.C.E. during the year 2012. She provides reading list ideas on her site.
  • Sarah Reads Too Much is hosting a 2012 Back to the Classics Challenge. She encourages you to read 9 different classic works in 9 different categories during the year 2012. There is a prize drawing for those who complete the challenge before the end of the year.
  • Howling Frog Books is hosting a 2012 Greek Classics Challenge. She has four different reading levels you can sign up at, from 1 Greek classic to 11+. She encourages you to post a sign-up post on your blog and to post on your blog when you’ve finished a work for the challenge.
  • Fig and Thistle is hosting a January 2012 Charles Dickens Month in honor of his 200th birthday. She encourages you to post about something related to Charles Dickens on each Tuesday in January (there are five). Those who post on Tuesdays will be entered into a drawing and mentioned on the round-up post on February 7 (Dickens’ actual birthday).

I found these challenges and projects on the A Novel Challenge blog.

Are you also hosting a classics-themed yearly or mothly project?

I know there are more out there. Let me know below, with a link to your post about the challenge, and I’ll add it to this site.

Happy reading in 2012!

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Gothic Lit Tour in Retrospect

Although Halloween is over, you still have a lot of Gothic literature blog posts you can read about. If you missed any of the stops on the tour, here is the list of permalinks to participants posts! I personally had a hard time keeping up this tour, but I look forward to visiting each blog this week and seeing just what you had to say about the Gothic classics!

Full list of tour stops after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

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Gothic Literature Tour: Touring Now!

It’s officially October, which means our Gothic Literature Classics Circuit tour will be coming very soon, beginning in just two weeks. Below (after the jump), you will find the schedule for this very full tour!

I hope you enjoy following the tour as it comes. It’s bound to bring us into the proper mood for this Halloween season.

As always, if you note a mistake on this schedule or if you change your mind about the book you’d like to post on, please send me an email at rebecca[at]rebeccareid[dot]com.

When you do post feel free to send a link to @classicscirc on twitter and I’ll retweet it for others to find!

Read the rest of this entry »

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Announcing: Sign Up for Gothic Literature

Come read the introduction to gothic literature, get some ideas of what to read, and then sign up!

Visit The Classics Circuit here.

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Coming Soon: Gothic Lit

As you plan your reading for the coming months, please take note that the last two weeks of October (tentatively planned for October 17-28) will feature a tour of Pre-Victorian Gothic Literature (published before about 1840)

Pre-Victorian Gothic literature includes

  • The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole’s
  • The Mysteries of Udolpho or The Romance of the Forest by Anne Radcliffe
  • The Monk by Matthew Lewis
  • Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  • And much more.

We’ll be preparing an introductory form with more reading ideas, book summaries, and links to online reviews.  Sign up will begin (probably) at the end of next week. Stay tuned!

If you want to help pull together book lists, write book summaries, and/or find quotes from bloggers or reviewers online, please send me an email at rebecca[at]rebeccareid[dot]com.

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John Steinbeck in Retrospect

Have you missed any of the stops on the John Steinbeck tour? Check out the permalinks below and enjoy reviewing all the books that have been discussed during the tour.

Thanks to all who participated! Stay tuned for more information about an upcoming tour.

 

Monday, August 15

Bibliographing The Acts of King Arthur (permalink)

Becky’s Book Reviews The Grapes of Wrath (permalink)

2606 Books and Counting Travels with Charley (permalink)

 

Tuesday, August 16

Ardent Reader Grapes of Wrath (permalink)

things mean a lot Of Mice and Men (permalink)

 

Wednesday, August 17

Caribousmom John Steinbeck’s Letters (permalink)

A Literary Odyssey The Winter of Our Discontent (permalink)

Seagreen Reader Cannery Row (permalink)

 

Thursday, August 18

Book Clutterer Pastures of Heaven (permalink)

I read. Do you? Travels with Charley (permalink)

The Reading Life The Pearl (permalink)

The Book Project The Grapes of Wrath (permalink)

 

Friday, August 19

Kristi Loves Books Cannery Row (permalink)

The Avid Reader’s Musing Sweet Thursday (permalink)

Shelf Love Travels with Charley (permalink)

 

Saturday, August 20

Six Great Books Grapes of Wrath (permalink)

Pining for the West Travels with Charley (permalink)

 

Sunday, August 21

Stiletto Storytime The Pearl (permalink)

Read the Book Of Mice and Men (permalink)

 

Monday, August 22

The Story Girl The Grapes of Wrath (permalink)

Words And Peace Of Mice and Men (permalink)

 

Tuesday, August 23

fictional100 The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights (permalink)

Reading Thru The Night East of Eden (permalink)

Meditations of a Teenage Philosopher East of Eden, Tortilla Flat, The Winter of Our Discontent (permalink)

 

Wednesday, August 24

An Armchair by the Sea East of Eden (permalink)

Laura’s Reviews Short Story: “Flight” (permalink)

Connie at The Blue Bookcase Travels with Charley (permalink)

 

Thursday, August 25

Reading, Writing, Working, Playing Cannery Row, Sweet Tuesday (permalink)

Rebecca Reads The Grapes of Wrath (permalink)

Christina at the Blue Bookcase Of Mice and Men (permalink)

 

Friday, August 26

Joyfully Retired The Long Valley (permalink)

Books and Chocolate A Russian Journal and/or some other work (permalink)

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Steinbeck Classics Circuit

On Monday, we begin our Steinbeck Classics Circuit Tour. The following sites are where John Steinbeck will be visiting on each day. Check back each morning to click over to the reviews. Thanks for following the tour, and enjoy!

Monday, August 15

Bibliographing The Acts of King Arthur

Becky’s Book Reviews The Grapes of Wrath

2606 Books and Counting Travels with Charley

 

Tuesday, August 16

Ardent Reader East of Eden or Wayward Bus or Grapes of Wrath

things mean a lot Of Mice and Men

 

Wednesday, August 17

Caribousmom John Steinbeck’s Letters

A Literary Odyssey The Grapes of Wrath or The Winter of Our Discontent

Seagreen Reader Cannery Row

 

Thursday, August 18

Book Clutterer Cannery Row, Pastures of Heaven, or Tortilla Flat

I read. Do you? Travels with Charley

The Reading Life The Pearl

The Book Project The Grapes of Wrath

 

Friday, August 19

Kristi Loves Books Cannery Row

The Avid Reader’s Musing Sweet Thursday

Shelf Love Travels with Charley

 

Saturday, August 20

Six Great Books Grapes of Wrath

Pining for the West Travels with Charley

 

Sunday, August 21

Stiletto Storytime The Pearl

Read the Book Of Mice and Men

 

Monday, August 22

The Things We Read The Winter of Our Discontent or The Russian Journal

The Story Girl The Grapes of Wrath or Of Mice and Men

Words And Peace Of Mice and Men

 

Tuesday, August 23

fictional100 The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights

Reading Thru The Night East of Eden

Meditations of a Teenage Philosopher East of Eden, Tortilla Flat, The Winter of Our Discontent

 

Wednesday, August 24

An Armchair by the Sea East of Eden

Laura’s Reviews Short Story: “Flight”

Connie at The Blue Bookcase The Pearl and/or Travels with Charley

 

Thursday, August 25

Reading, Writing, Working, Playing Cannery Row, Sweet Tuesday

Rebecca Reads The Grapes of Wrath

Christina at the Blue Bookcase Of Mice and Men

 

Friday, August 26

Breathing Space The Grapes of Wrath

Joyfully Retired The Long Valley

Books and Chocolate A Russian Journal and/or some other work

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