CLASSICS I WANT TO READ IN 2019

[@giorgivadachkoria7308]

Don't be afraid of tolstoy! I read " Anna Karenina" when i was 14 and loved it! He became my favorite auther of all time . He is very readebale and easy to read . His language very simple but also very beautiful. You can read his shorter works ( especially the death of ivan yilich and hadji murat) .

[@serenity8910]

giorgi vadachkoria which translation would you recommend?

[@giorgivadachkoria7308]

@@serenity8910 i dont know anything about translations. I read him in russian. Thought i heard that Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translations are great.

[@serenity8910]

@@giorgivadachkoria7308 thanks!

[@leaclaire7349]

Same here! I read it when I was 15, the first 100 pages took me so long because I wasn't really into it, but then i fell in love with it more and more and was really sad when I finished! This year I will go for war and peace :)

[@giorgivadachkoria7308]

@@leaclaire7349 War and peace is so good. There are so many interesting charecters in that book. Also his underrated third novel ressurection is very good ( not as great as anna karenina or war and peace) . I read war and peace last year and it was so marvelous . Also i think his short works are underrated The Kreutzer Sonnate, devil, The death of ivan Yllich, Hadji murat, etc.

[@lostboy3050]

With Russian literature, you need to be careful because proper enjoyment can depend on the translation. The older public domain translations are fine but change the novels flow to read like a Victorian English novel (Constance Garrett translations) and not the environment of the 19th century Czarist Russia that they were written in. I recommend the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translation as the one that has the best and accurate flow. Enjoy diving into Russian classics!

[@sparklyrockets]

Interesting. I personally enjoy the Maude sisters translations best, and the Pevear/Volokhonsky translations least by far. Just goes to show, everyone can have a preference and what one might have in 'accuracy' it might lose in descriptive language or other details. I don't think it's a thing anyone need to be "careful" of though, to be honest.

[@lostboy3050]

@@sparklyrockets Yes the Maudes personally knew Tolstoy and consulted him, and I love their translation. However, that edition, to me, has a flow in the paragraph structure that is of the English mind set and a desire to make the translation elegant, rather than the capture the Russian sentence structure and Tolstoy's phrasing. I do hear Rosemund Bartlett's translation is quite good though, a sort of middle ground between the two styles.

[@ririschannelx]

lostboy3050 this is interesting! didn’t know that, thanks for letting us know

[@_yellow]

If you're really bold you will learn russian and then read the original.

[@conker690]

Like Nabakanov once said, translations are always a waste of time. Why would I want to reconstruct the Russia sentence structure when the purpose of how its written only makes sense in Russian? Why not just go with the translation that Tolstoy himself worked on? Every P&V translation have a dubious claim to being accurate anyway when one knocks out the dictionary translation as quickly as possible while the other tries to make it readable. Either way, they are hard to read.

[@lindaharrison3240]

Happy New Year, Lucy! Don't fear Anna Karenina. The hardest thing about it is lifting it.

[@szekelynora772]

Anna Karenina is wonderful and to me it was a surprisingly easy read. I read it during my summer holidays within a week.

[@dorky_editor8261]

I want to thank you for making these videos. I am a 16 year old girl and I love YA books. But I’ve always been drawn to classics. I own quite a few but because of my age I have never felt like I am “mature” enough to read classics. But your videos inspired me and I just purchased a few more classics to read when I get back from vacation. I’m sure I’ll have a great time reading them. I love how you’re so passionate about them.

[@nereagonzalez238]

You're so gonna love The importance of being Earnest, I know I did. If you are looking for translated classics, I do recommend any novel from Gabriel García Márquez, I love his writing.

[@vanessak69]

Hi Lucy, my classics book club read Madame Bovary a few years ago, and I was surprised by how much I liked it. It feels very modern (even if the story isn’t) and there are surprising funny parts. And A Tale of Two Cities is great. IDK if you are interested in American lit, but John Steinbeck is my favorite author. My favorite book of his is also a short and funny one: Cannery Row. His love for lovable misfits blazes through the book.

[@nataliewood3095]

I haven't read too many classics but my favorites so far are definitely the Sherlock Holmes stories- my dad had a collection with the original Strand printings and I read it as a young teenager. *fond memories*

[@itsmehayleymissygirl2054]

Thanks Lucy... You are my "go to" person for Classics books recommendations 😘

[@Munahidfrommars]

She reads classics *_subscribe_*

[@archit28]

I love how you analyse and make books much simpler and easier. I can tell that you’ve overcome this fear of reading and now you encourage others to become an avid reader like you. I appreciate your effort and inspiring videos! Also love your british accent and you’re gorgeous !!

[@fiencriel4159]

Hi! I've been following you for a couple years now and it amazes me and also makes me very happy to see you evolve from an enthousiastic literature fangirl to a critical thinker reconsidering the ideas proposed in the books that you read. In this video alone, you already touched so many interesting ideas and analyseses that I hadn't even thought about. I love how you explain in a very accesable way why classics are still relevant today.

[@soumiayousfi9968]

Madame Bovary is one of my favs!

[@Callalilly45]

I'm so glad I found your channel! I love reading classics, and it's so rare to find someone who can appreciate them like I do. My top 3 classics are Dracula, Villette, and Wuthering Heights. The Bronte sisters are amazing and I love them.

[@abbiel7566]

All Sherlock Holmes are wonderful! The Hound of the Baskervilles is also amazing, but check out the short stories too! I love The Speckled Band.

[@jennaostroff6742]

Also the Importance of Being Earnest is sooooo hilarious. It's not meant to be taken seriously but it's one of my favorite plays of all time.

[@racheldemain1940]

A Handbag!!😁

[@joannestockdale3284]

Just grabbed my copy of Anna Karenina off my bookshelf. I have been putting it off for a long time but when I saw you say you were going to read it, i thought I should do the same.

[@mariamakarova8329]

Same! And I'm Russian :)

[@themightyquill560]

Just found your channel! There were a fair amount of books and authors you mentioned that I’ve never heard of, but I love finding new authors to enjoy! I want to read My Cousin Rachel this year too. Good luck on your reading goals!

[@AFrolicThroughFiction]

The Mysteries of Udolpho is one I want to get to eventually, also because of Northanger Abbey! I'm intrigued to see what you think of Howards End. I personally enjoyed A Room With A View a lot more but I think that's because I like short fiction and it just came along at the perfect time for me. But I reckon you'll really love Howards End!

[@sarahhall4107]

Hi Lucy. Hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year! I'm starting a Classics challenge this year. I love classic stories but I'm not very confident when reading them. So I'm going to read the ones I already have waiting on my shelves but read them alongside an audiobook. I used to read like this as a child. I wasn't a reluctant reader I just found reading hard. My mum would buy books with the recording on cassette tapes so I could read along with it boosting my confidence. I thought I would try it again. Good luck with your endeavours, I hope enjoy all you read!

[@inkspired47]

I love how you've arranged your books in the background. It's really nice to not see the classic white book shelf.

[@Beccasawrus]

Have you read Perfume? Its kind of about obsession. I loved A Tale of Two Cities when I read it :) I liked War and Peace way more than Anna Karenina.

[@RashmikaLikesBooks]

Yes! Perfume is awesome!

[@rhianathomas9709]

I loved Perfume! I was just thinking about rereading it the other day.

[@rea4298]

War and peace was so immersive and captivating. All the aspects of it from politics, war, love, drama, development, and so much more. Work of art

[@rubybooks5960]

I read My Cousin Rachel in 2018 and I absolutely loved it - I would also recommend Frenchman’s Creek! I study the importance of being earnest at college and it’s a great play, very funny and witty. I also have Anna Karenina on my TBR, you’re definitely motivating me to pick it up!

[@tabatha82]

The tunnel was of the few mandatory readings in high school that I greatly enjoyed! Ernesto Sábato in general is one of my favorite authors. There are two classics I wanna tackle this year: Middlemarch (which I started in December and so far is pretty great), and the Brothers Karamazov. I've started it soo many times, and it is soo good, but the length and the language are so daunting! If I manage to finish it, the next Russian book on the list for me will be The Master and Margarita, which a lot of my Russian friends keep recommending me.

[@brendakelley9197]

I just finished My Cousin Rachel and I loved it. Enjoy. Anna Karenina is on my 2019 list.

[@kdnxnhdhdbfn2769]

If you like the ww1 poetry book I can recommend “All quiet in the west” it’s about the experience of a German boy who was still at school before he and his classmates decided to join the army. It revolves around their journey and is written and inspired by the life of the author who was a soldier himself. I read an loved it

[@ant7936]

Look at Remarque's other books. Very enjoyable.

[@92ninersboy]

I love your enthusiasm for my beloved Bronte sisters. I was curious if you have read "Madame Bovary", so I'm excited to see that you are planning to. Maybe by now you already have. It's probably the book I've read more often than any other (I read books multiple times), so I would love to hear your take on it. The translation is very important. I like a number of them - Lydia Davis and Adam Thorpe are two of my favorites.

[@withtheclassics]

This is such a great list! I'm excited to see which books you end up reading. I read Anna Karenina last year and the Mysteries of Udolpho a while ago and enjoyed them both. It was wise to give yourself time to read them. And having read Udolpho makes Northanger Abbey just that much more fun to read.

[@AnotherChatterbooks]

If you like 19th century realism, you should definitely read some Émile Zola! Its one of my favourite French writer.

[@ant7936]

Rougon-Macquart. Love them! And Hugo, Dumas, Flaubert.

[@NatalieThor]

I read Anna Karenina in 2018 and completely loved it! Just give yourself time to read it. It took me three months but it was well worth it! I find your list very interesting! In fact, I am thinking of maybe adding a few of these to my own list for this year. I love classics! And need to add some to my TBR. Thank you!

[@LuxVi7]

You will love My Cousin Rachel. It’s my favorite Du Maurrier book so far and I will be reading Frenchmans Creek pretty soon. Howards End was my favorite 2017 book along with The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton.

[@racheldemain1940]

Not a fan of Daphne Du Maurier. Don't know why , can't put my finger on it!

[@kathybolton2240]

The biggest trouble I had with Tolstoy were all those Russian names that were very similar. I was not happy with the ending of Anna K (read in high school). I need to read War and Peace sometime. I enjoyed the various types on your TBR. Happy New Year! I can't wait until your book comes out, I've already preordered it!! You must be so excited!

Yes! And they also all have nicknames and titles which makes it even harder to tell the characters apart 🙈

[@MaryAmongStories]

Anna Karenina and A Tale of Two Cities have been on my tbr for the longest time! aaah I need to read The Importance of Being Earnest, because I do love Oscar Wilde! lovely video, good luck! x

[@anna.francesca]

with cinnamon, please Same! Anna Karenina has been something I’ve wanted to read for a long time.

[@dadanikk]

with cinnamon, please tale of two cities is a trip , great expectations even better

[@chambeet]

Danny K Yeah, I was gonna say that Tale of Two Cities is famous, but not considered one of Dickens’s best the way that Great Expectations and Bleak House are. But it was my grandmother’s favorite book, so what do I know?

[@jeffsmith1284]

We have similar tastes. I’m wondering if you’ve read any works of the Danish writer Tove Ditlevsen. My classmate in college has translated her Copenhagen trilogy for Pinguin Classics. And I HIGHLY recommend her writing, especially her poetry and what I consider her masterpiece, Dependency (book 3 of the trilogy).

[@shannonhughes8488]

you may have already read this but all quiet on the western front is one of my favorite books. it takes such a realistic and heartwrenching perspective of wwi. your summary of despised and rejected made me really want to read it; i haven't read very many classics in the past few years, hopefully i can get back into it c:

[@taliagilpinnash]

So glad to hear that you'll be reading "The Tunnel", I read it last year and absolutely loved it. 🤗 Greetings from Argentina 🇦🇷💕

[@Nancenotes]

You can definitely do Anna Karenina! It's not actually hard to read, just a little long. As a lover of Victorian Literature, you'll enjoy it.

[@GenWivern2]

Oh, The Sign of Four is wonderful Grand Guignol stuff served up at a breakneck pace - I envy you reading that for the first time and look forward to your thoughts on it. Also on Udolpho, which is a good one to wile away the cold winter nights. It's high time I re-read Tristram Shandy too ... interesting reading year in prospect.

[@BlatantlyBookish]

It's crazy how similar our taste in books is! I just finished Howards End and fell in love with it. I think you'll really enjoy it. Anna Karenina is not as intimidating as it seems. It's been a while since I read any Russian literature, but I remember being shocked by how approachable Anna Karenina was (minus keeping track of the Russian names, which is always a bit of a struggle). My Cousin Rachel is definitely a book I'd like to read as well. I've also toyed with reading the Mysteries of Udolpho, but its size has always intimidated me too much. I hadn't realized how little Dickens you've read. I too, would like to explore more of his works. I was thinking of tackling David Copperfield or Bleak House next. Cold Comfort Farm is on my radar to read as well. Madame Bovary has been on my distant TBR for years now too. Your TBR is so ambitious, and you have fascinating themes to pursue this year! :)

[@giorgivadachkoria7308]

You should read dostoevsky and turgenev .i'd recommend first love and his novels by turgenev. And dostoevsky idiot and crime and punishment are both great. Also ivan bunins short stories and chekhovs they are great. Also the wings by kuzmin . It was the first russian novel which feautured same saxe themes ( it was published in 1905 i think) . Also the corydon by andre gide.

[@ant7936]

I like Russian writers (trans English). A few years ago, I was queuing 30 minutes for tickets at Edinburgh Festival, reading Turgenev and I noticed a man, 3 places ahead of me, reading the same book and edition!

[@beautyhasheart05]

Omg! I just started Anna Karenina and had the same fear!! It is huge but once I started reading it I fell immediately in love and it is so much easier to read than I imagined. I’m so glad I finally picked it up! I know you will love it too!

[@krthurber1]

I am planning on starting my Thomas Hardy journey because of you!

[@ginnybair2533]

I've already begun my 2019 classics reading with Pride and Prejudice. I know, it is shameful that I haven't picked it up before now, but I had my reasons. But once I'm done with that... I'll definitely be reading more Agatha Christie this year, as I'm working through her books in publication order. I was also considering a re-read of Jane Eyre. After that I don't really know. I have tons of options to choose from, but if I try to plan it, I'll almost certainly end up avoiding them XD

[@franciscajavierafernandeza8709]

i also struggled with 'hard times' while reading it, i think because it was written earlier in dickens' career and his writing style wasn't really *there* yet. on the other hand, 'a tale of two cities' was my first dickens and i loved it!

[@TheBookishLand]

Great list of classics Lucy! I hope you enjoy all your readings!! And I also highly recommend you to read some Chinese classics, especially The Story of the Stone by Cao Xueqin, I hosted a readalong for it last year and many western readers found the book was interesting and the translation was easy to read. It's a family saga talking about Jia's family in Qing dynasty, it's a great historical classics and also has great female characters, hope you decide to read it some day!

[@JessTAS]

Ohh I'm currently reading the penguin classic edition of The Story of the Stone which I think has a great introduction including some background knowledge to understand the book better. I adore the writing style and these wonderful and interesting characters!

[@TheBookishLand]

@@JessTAS How nice! I'm glad you found the penguin classic edition helps with the footnotes, also, feel free to check out our goodreads group for the readalong, I posted quite a few notes while reading it (especially for book 1), and also the pictures of the garden that Jia's lived in (not the actual one, but the garden was built based on the book). The group is called "The Story of the Stone (Dream of Red Chamber) readalong #storyofstonealong" (a kind of long name lol). Hope you continue enjoying the book! My favorite Chinese classic.

[@charlottebanbury8101]

I'm reading Anna Karenina for the first time right now as well! I'm not an avid reader and I've been able to understand it so far so you're already better off than me! Hope you enjoy it!

[@xoSamyxo]

i'm reading "Anna Karenina" right now! and you're the one who got me into the Bronte sisters and Jane Austen. (finished Jane Eyre two weeks ago)

[@bycecelia6633]

how are you liking Anna Karenina?

[@shanehorsfall1337]

How long did it take you to read Jane Eyre ?

[@kdnxnhdhdbfn2769]

We studied Effi Briest briefly in our German class, it seems really cool and I can relate very well with her and was quite moved reading just an extract

[@PatrickStahlitrm]

This is a fantastic list! Not that I’ve actually read many of these books, but I’ve read about many of them, or at least heard about the authors in general. I’m also a big 19th-century Lit fan (and possibly a 19th-century lit scholar in the near future).

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Great list! I really hope you enjoy Howards End, that was one of my favourite reads of 2018. I read The Last Man a couple of years ago and found it a bit difficult to get through, but it was a very interesting read and not at all what you would expect. Wilde's Ernest is one of my all time favourite classics, I would recommend the 2003 film adaptation with Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Judi Dench if you've not seen it yet. Also love most of the Sherlock Holmes stories, but the Sign of Four is one I really did not like. If you don't either, don't let it put you off and instead move on to The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Ooh, Effie Briest is an interesting choice. I read it in high school but barely remember it. Definitely one for me to revisit. Hope you enjoy your 2019 reading!

[@NuttyNaythan1]

I just set my reading challenge on Goodreads to 12 books (one per month) I feel that’s a bit ambitious for me but I’m determined. I’m going to be filming my 2019 TBR video at the weekend so keep an eye for that. Good luck with your TBR and as always, great video. Happy New Year!

[@ivanarachellebiong]

I'm a new subscriber and I love your content! You inspired me to read classics and explore their stories. If you are exploring classics from other countries, from my country, the Philippines, we have classic novels, the most famous of them are from Jose Rizal: the Noli Me Tangere, and El Filibusterismo. He also had written several poems. All of these novels have English translations. :)

[@chiyapink7607]

We read Effi Briest next to Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina in school since they all have a common theme. Since you plan to read all three this year, I'd recommend to compare them

[@jinnysoto]

I read Madame Bovary last year and loved it! And I must recommend you The Read and The Black by Stendhal, Chronicles of a Death Foretold by Gabriel García Márquez, Siddartha by Hermann Hesse and La Charca by Manuel Zeno Gandía. These are some of my favoritr classics of all time. La Charca might be hard to find because it's a Puerto Rican classic. I read it in school and the end was so unexpected that to this day its still roaming my thoughts. All of these books are completely different but I'm sure you'll enjoy them.

[@gooby2211]

read war and peace last year and definitely feel it wasn’t as daunting as some people think! loved it and i am also looking into reading anna karenina this year. although some of the comments mention translations/editions to look out and i can say thats very true with my experience of war and peace my edition kept all the original french in it (luckily i am pretty okay with french) which could make the flow difficult for some

[@actual-spinster]

i've read despised and rejected and i thought it was an incredible, remarkable book! i hope you enjoy it, it can be both light and sweet and very heavy and difficult! good luck w everything

[@nancyepark0821]

Lucy, I just discovered your page and love your videos and your love of classics, which I have begun to include in my tbr lists. I am probably too late, regarding “ Anna Karenina,” but Oprah’s Book Club read that book, and on her website, they designed a very helpful bookmark. On one side, there are all the names of all the characters, and who they are in the book. On the other side, is a break down of how many pages to read a week, to finish the book in two months. I printed it out and lamented it. She did the same reading timeline for “A Tale of Two Cities,” and “Great Expectations.” I hope this helps you.

[@mimi-c]

So pleased to see that you are including Tolstoy! Russian classics are incredible - Dostoyevsky too is just such a glorious writer. His ‘Brothers Karamazov’ has been one of my top 3 books of all time since I first read it at University. With best wishes, M

[@jfogarty92]

Anna Karenina is my all time favorite book! It is incredible! Once you start it you won't want to put it down.

[@bookwizards]

Two other "Last Man" quick reads are "Level 7" Mordecai Roshwald a bit dark and "I Am Legend" Richard Matheson which has a Wow!!! ending. Both are afternoon reads of a few hours. I read them over 50 years ago and still remember them and have forgotten thousands. My wife and I owned a brick and mortar used book store and for years I read at least a book a day so I could discuss them with customers who also recommended ones I should read. I was also reading way ahead of my grade I did a book report in the 6th grade on David Copperfield and my teacher asked me several specific questions before she believed I really had read it. I grew up in a home that read and we had a set of Harvard Classics which I read cover to cover. I also liked College Literature books from used book fairs over Readers Digest. Now I am re reading authors from back then that I liked Huxley Sartre and a lot of technical books in Math, History, Archeology, Geology, Astronomy, Physics. I am also taking open classroom courses in a variety of subjects. Best of luck and many classics are available as free e-books. I was also fortunate to stumble into a divorce sale in the 70's where I picked a set of Great Books of the Western World for $100.

[@jackiesliterarycorner]

This year I have read Crime and Punishment, Persuasion, and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Currently reading Count of Monte Cristo.

[@JonathonWoodgate]

I’m currently obsessed with George Orwell’s 1984. I was given it for Christmas, and I’m loving it.

[@katiejlumsden]

I think you'll love Anna Karenina - it's long, but amazing.

[@caitlinmccurdy4035]

I'm aiming to read a ton of classics in 2019, and was wondering which editions you prefer to read? I cant decide between so many beautiful covers lol x

[@marthafountain9576]

Cait_Steph 1 penguin English library editions!! The covers are stunning and the text inside makes reading a lot easier (not sure why)!

[@Beckykeenanx]

I got Anna Karenina and my cousin Rachel for Christmas, can’t wait to read them

[@marianacotromanesfulton5603]

So excited you’re going to read more Russian literature! My grad degree is in Russian politics so I enjoy studying all things from the region. I loved Anna Karenina, and there is so much great Russian literature from the Victorian era. AK is a hefty novel, but I have the feeling you’re going to love it Lucy! 😊

[@emilyh1886]

I would love to knuckle down and finish War and Peace this year. I won't be challenging myself to 100 books this year so it will hopefully be a more manageable goal. So many interesting books you have mentioned in this video!

[@Sherlika_Gregori]

Madame Bovary I read twice, very well written and very emotive. It’s not an easy read in the way it makes you feel.

[@anastasiaa7775]

I just discovered your channel (thanks, KZbin recommendations!) and it is really nice to see such a good selection of books! Don’t be afraid of Anna Karenina, it is good and easier than War and Piece. If you really want to read more Russian classics, may I recommend you Crime and Punishment by Dostoevsky? It’s my personal favourite and also, there is a saying that all people can be divided into two categories: those who love Tolstoy and those who love Dostoevsky, so you can compare the two pillars of Russian literature and tell us which category you belong to.

[@ElenasBookshelf]

Hi Lucy! I enjoyed Anna Karenina, even if this book looks so intimidating, it`s not! I also had a love-hate relationship with Mysteries of Udolpho, I`m curious if you`ll like it.

[@resa_reads]

You'll love The Importance of Being Earnest!!!! It's my all time favourite play, nothing beats Wilde's wit!

[@cunningba]

Don’t know if you’ve gotten to The Bride of Lammermoor yet (I haven’t, but hope to someday), but I would recommend watching Donizetti’s opera Lucia di Lammermoor for inspiration if you haven’t already. It will only take a couple of hours and the music is beautiful.

[@fantasytaylz]

I've officially added all of these books to my TBR list on Goodreads. I recently fell in love with Oscar Wilde and have been wanting to dive deeper into some of his other plays. Thank you for the recommendations!

[@MrArchiePancakes]

I love hearing about classics. I want to read at least one more Virginia Woolf and Jane Austen this year (trying to read all their works). And I think you'll love the importance of being earnest, it's hilarious and just so much fun!

[@emilyw5051]

I read Anna Karenina, the same edition you have. I really enjoyed it, it’s really readable and surprisingly funny in places. It does waffle on at the end, I admit I skipped some passages, but still got loads of it. I am tempted to read War and Peace this year. Looking forward to your thoughts.

[@jamillasmith-joseph3822]

Delighted to see War of the Worlds here! I studied it at GCSE - it's quite different but highly enjoyable. I'm also just about to start 'An Ideal Husband' by Wilde in A Level English Lit. In terms of personal reading I want to read 'A Clockwork Orange' by Anthony Burgess, 'The Great Gatsby' and 'Tender is the Night' by F Scott Fitzgerald, some Thomas Hardy and 'Death of a Salesman' by Arthur Miller. In terms of recommendations, I'm a Classicist, so any Homer would really add to your already impressive repertoire. I'm very inspired by you to get back into reading for enjoyment - gained a subscriber!

[@shawnwilker2755]

I finished Anna Karenina a couple of weeks ago and I am glad that I did. It had been on my reading list for quite a while. I felt mixed feelings towards the protagonist, not always liking or feeling sympathy for her. I just finished Great Expectations yesterday. The was my first introduction to Dickens and lead me to start A Tale of Two Cities today. Best of luck with your list. You have given me a few ideas for my own list.

[@lilap8868]

I highly recommended a tale of two cities! It's one my favorite books of all, and based on your preferences, I think you will really enjoy it!

[@ShainaHerrmann]

I read Howard's End along with the Close Reads Podcast through The CiRCE Institute. It's a book that I was very surprised by! I really enjoyed it. I'm sure I will read it again in the future.

[@ButOneThingIsNeedful]

You strike me as intelligent and a quality reader -- I believe you can handle Anna Karenina. In fact, since I haven't read it myself, I'll look forward to your honest feedback about it. Admire your attitude of challenging yourself to grow as a reader. Good for you! BTW, my very favorite Sherlock Holmes is The Hound of the Baskervilles, which is splendid! I predict you'll love it too (when you get to it).

[@corajohnston22]

This is my favorite video you make! I want to read a lot of these books too. H .G . Wells is one of my favorite authors I’d recommend reading The Time Machine or The island of Doctor Moreau first if you want to get into his works

[@omalia489]

you really should get your hands on Nabokov - his language is just magic. but i wouldn't recommend starting with Lolita, i started with Speak Memory (beatifully written autobiography) and it really helped me with understanding his fiction.

[@rmcewan10]

I’m close to finishing Lolita and it’s the Nabokov I’ve touched. I absolutely adore it. I challenge anyone to find a more eloquent writer, Jesus.

[@amandaborowski2290]

Anna Karenina was so good I read it in a week and it is now one of my all time favs!

[@algreene2254]

I respect your curiosity. Please forgive any redundancy. The Collector by John Fowles is a good introduction into his work. Of course, The Magus is perhaps his magnum opus. 20th c. I am also a big fan of T.Hardy. Sounds like you have a full plate. Cheers!

[@anyaconda3155]

OMG! I also just ordered Anna Karenina in the same edition and Doctor Zhivago. I really want to finish those two books and annotate them as well. :)

[@catarinathebookworm]

First of all as a lover of classics I am so happy to see someone bringing them to light and put so much work into them. Second, I have read Anna Karenina and I have to tell you is not thay intimidating. It has a slow plot yes but it has a lot of character development and it is so gret to see stuff through our characters eyes! It was a great book and it sounds way tiresome and slow than it really feels. You can do it! A tale of two cities is an amazing masterpiece I love it with all my heart, but I do enjoy Dickens' plot and characters so much so that is probably why I loved it so much. Also the drama! So great.

[@Robeeh2]

Great List, great challenge, best of luck xxx

[@gloriaandtheneverendingtbr]

One of my goals for the year is to read more classics and this is giving me so many ideas! The Importance of Being Earnest is one of my favorite books of all time, Ive reread it so many times 😊 Great video!

[@gabrielailieva8801]

Have you read anything from Hermann Hesse. If not you should check out Steppenwolf and Demian. Other books that I can recommend you are - Lord of the flies by William Golding, Dracula by Bram Stoker, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell, Catch 22 by Joseph Heller, Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut.

[@curlynoodle2929]

Oh you've really inspired and motivated me. I have a shelf full of unloved and unread classics. Time to dust them off. Great video, thank you. Sharon x x

[@frmaha]

This is my first time on one of your videos so not sure what all you’ve read, but here’s my suggestions for the future: I’m reading The Life and Opinions of Tomcat Murr by E.TA. Hoffman (German) and it is strange and fantastic! And I’m Canadian so a Canadian classic I would recommend is The Diviners by Margaret Laurence (1970s). Also if you’re interested in gender and sexuality in classics Virginia Woolf’s Orlando is great!

[@carlabrown6849]

Hello Lucy, I love your voice and video. Your suggestions are very good; a few I have read. I’ve read Anna Karenina twice and love it. I’ll be interested in hearing who your favorite character is. I’m wondering if you have read David Copperfield by Dickens. I’ve read that one twice too. It’s long but so good. I literally would laugh out loud since it’s so funny in parts. By the end, the book felt like a best friend. I’m also interested to know if you like George Eliot? I have never met anyone who likes George Eliot (except me); I’ve read Middlemarch, Silas Mariner, and Mill on the Floss. Eliot was a true master of the English language. I’m glad I found your channel!

[@andreea-danielabelciug660]

I'm also wanting to read The Mysteries of Udolpho mostly because of Northanger Abbey :)

[@Glyhnzel]

A book that really intimidates me but I do want to read, is Les Miserables by Victor Hugo. Sure I could get an abridged version but what's the fun in that? I loved Hugo's Notre Dame De Paris (or The Hunchback as we know it; I don't like using that title because Hugo hated it and the novel isn't solely about Quasimodo) and his endless descriptions are wonderful imo, very rich with detail. I hope to find the courage to read it this year.

[@Chesh35]

A very thought-through-tbr! A Tale Of Two Cities is definitely easier than Hard Times, do read it! 😊 I'm planning on reading Frankenstein, a lot of Shakespeare, some Charles Dickens (David Cooperfield), Virginia Woolf for sure!, The Handmaid's Tale, and a few other which I'll add on as I go 😁

[@UptownOracle]

I watched the My Cousin Rachel film, with a discussion of themes after and it's super interesting and intriguing! I'd love to read the book as well to get more of a taste of it though

[@keb-ol3cw]

So this past year I started The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky and I really want to finish it. I'm nearly a third of the way through it. I own Anna Karenina and depending on how the year goes, I may try to tackle that one as well.

[@CaraLovesToRead]

A Tale of Two Cities is fantastic! One of my favorite classics! Can’t wait to hear your thoughts

[@opalewing8631]

I’ve read Anna Karenina. I read it pretty soon after starting to read Classics. I think you can definitely read it. Don’t be too scared. It took a while to read because of its size but I found the only really tough thing was all the Russian names, as they’re often quite similar to each other. It wasn’t a storyline that I really enjoyed but obviously that’s not a very common view.

[@cutoutpaperheart]

I think you'll really enjoy Cold Comfort Farm! I'm planning to read My Cousin Rachel soon too. And I really loved Anna Karenina, so hope you do too. You've got some interesting translated ones in here that I hadn't heard of! Shamefully Madame Bovary was one of the only older classics that I read last year so I really want to get back into reading them more :)