Archive for category Classic Events

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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Victorian Mini-Challenges

Does following Wilkie Collins and Elizabeth Gaskell on tour not seem like enough? Do you want to feel more involved in reading Victorian authors? Are you sad that Trollope or Eliot didn’t win the survey so you’d have some motivation to read their

works? Do you need a challenge? Becky can help.

Becky is hosting not one, not two, not three, but FOUR challenges at Mini Challenges Hosted by Becky for the 19th century authors for whom The Classics Circuit considered organizing blog tours — Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Anthony Trollope, and George Eliot. Sure, you can read these authors on your own, but wouldn’t it be more fun to do it with a group? Becky’s mini-challenges are great. You can read two books, read a book and watch a movie, or even watch two movies. (But really, isn’t the book usually better?)

The Wilkie Collins Mini-Challenge began October 1, 2009 and ends December 1, 2010. You won’t believe the number of books you can choose to read and review. Then you can post a link to your review and read everyone else’s reviews, too. I bet you’ll end up adding to your to-be-read pile.

The Elizabeth Gaskell Mini-Challenge started January 1, 2009, but don’t worry. You have until June 1, 2010 to complete it. Gaskell has something for everyone–novels, short-story collections, and even a biography of Charlotte Bronte.

The Anthony Trollope Mini-Challenge has even more options–novels, short stories, travel, essays, biography. He even wrote series. It’s a good thing the challenge doesn’t end until August 31, 2010.

George Eliot may be the least prolific of the three authors with only seven novels to her name, but in a mini-challenge, quantity isn’t so important. Sign up for the George Eliot Mini-Challenge; you’ll find at least two books that pique your interest.

Warning: Reading challenges can be highly addictive.

If you are hosting a read-along or mini-challenge that revolves around classics (especially those that are by dead authors), let us know on the Notify Us of a Classic Event Page. We may highlight it on this site.

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