Back to the Classics Challenge (or How Peer Pressure Works)

So...I was just innocently scanning through my blog roll and I noticed that What Red Read had posted about how she signed up for a challenge. That's kind of weird, I thought. Red doesn't do challenges. So I investigated. And she does. At least this one. And now she's exerting peer pressure on the rest of us to join her. I'm so easily led. Especially when it comes to challenges. You guessed it--I'm totally signing up. If you want to give in to peer pressure too, then click on the challenge button above.


Here's the deal. Sarah Reads Too Much is once again hosting.

1. Challenge runs from January 1, 2012 through December 31, 2012. Books started before January 1st do not count, and all links/reviews/comments for each category must be posted in the correct place by December 31st. Feel free to join in at any time, but the end date is December 31.
2. Please feel free to use books in this Challenge toward any other Challenge you may be participating in. However, you must read a different book for each category of this challenge. Audio and e-books are allowed.
3. Please sign up for the Challenge using the linky list on her blog (or comment section if you do not have a blog/website).
4. Once the Challenge has begun, you will see a new bar on the left hand side of her blog. This will list the places for you to link/comment your reviews of the book you have read for each category as well as a "wrap up" page. She will probably do a "Half Way" post in June. These will be important because....
5. THERE IS A PRIZE THIS YEAR! People who complete the challenge (and she will check that all categories are completed!) will be entered into a random drawing for $30 worth of books (Book Depository will be used for an International Winner). There may be other prizes as well.

Categories (and my projected titles--I reserve the right to change my mind):

• Any 19th Century Classic: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens (2/29/12)
• Any 20th Century Classic: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (7/12/12)
• Reread a classic of your choice: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson (6/3/12)
• A Classic Play: The Taming of the Shrew by William Shakespeare (6/30/12)
• Classic Mystery/Horror/Crime Fiction: The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (4/4/12)
• Classic Romance: Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (8/13/12)
• Read a Classic that has been translated from its original language to your language (To clarify, if your native language is NOT English, you may read any classic originally written in English that has been translated into your native language.): The Mystery of the Yellow Room by Gaston Leroux (3/19/12) [French]
• Classic Award Winner (To clarify, the book should be a classic which has won any established literary award.): The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin [Newberry Award Winner] (4/6/12)
• Read a Classic set in a Country that you (realistically speaking) will not visit during your lifetime (To Clarify, this does not have to be a country that you hope to visit either. Countries that no longer exist or have never existed count.): King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard (5/29/12) [South Africa]