Classics on my bookshelf, some of which I’m planning on reading this year

The continuously disappointing fantasy fiction I’d read towards the end of 2024 left me in quite the reading slump.

I was on the verge of re-reading Tolkien, much as I’d done in 2022, knowing I would not be disappointed.

But after sorting through the bookshelves, I decided it was high time I started reading the classics I’ve collected over the years.

After making a list – any excuse to make a list – I started in January with Homer’s ‘The Iliad’, which I’ve read before, years ago when I was still single.

Having forgotten what I’d thought of it all those years ago, I was pleasantly surprised to find it quite the enjoyable read with delightful and poetic descriptions.

I then read ‘The Last Day of a Condemned Man’ by Victor Hugo, and ‘Peter Schlemihl’ by Adelbert von Chamisso; again, I’d read these before, but it was long enough ago that I didn’t remember much about them, so it felt like reading them for the first time.

Alongside these, I was also reading a couple of non-fiction books, including ‘Sword and Scimitar’.

I took a little break from the classics in March as I was focussed on other things, and it was enough of a break for me to rethink my list.

Having watched a few YouTube videos by ‘Tristan and the Classics’, I decided to redo my list and focus on ones I hadn’t read before and really wanted to read.

In one of his videos, he talked about setting aside time in the day, whatever time suits you, to read 12 pages of a classic. (If you want to watch the video, I’ve linked it HERE as the ‘video feature’ doesn’t seem to be working)

That’s all, just 12 pages.

As he said, it gets you to slow down and annotate, another practice that helps you remember what you’ve read.

Alongside that, if you wish to read other genres, you can still do so.

To prove his point, he listed the books he and his Patreon book club had read in 2024, averaging 12 pages a day:
‘A Study in Scarlet’ – Arthur Conan Doyle
‘Cranford’ – Mary Elisabeth Gaskell
‘Death Comes to the Archbishop’ – Willa Cather
‘Time Will Darken It’ – William Maxwell
‘Movable Feasts’ – memoirs by Ernest Hemingway
‘The House of the Dead’ – Fyodor Dostoevsky
‘Lark Rise’ – Flora Thompson
‘Invisible Man’ – Ralph Ellison
‘Madame Bovary’ – Gustave Flaubert
‘Cold Comfort Farm’ – Stella Gibbons
‘Down and Out in Paris and London’ – George Orwell
‘Grapes of Wrath’ – John Steinbeck
‘Three Men in a Boat’ – Jerome K. Jerome
‘The Way Of All Flesh’ – Samuel Butler

I really like this point he made, more than once – it’s not how many books you read that matters, it’s how well you read.

It’s a little embarrassing – actually quite embarrassing – to admit that, even in my ripe old age, I sometimes go through phases of counting the number of books I’ve read… and I do struggle to remember what they were about.

So, keeping the ‘12 pages a day’ in mind, I finally decided to embark on Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’.

I can’t remember the last time I read such a tome; my copy clocks in at 1317 pages, which is just the story itself, not counting the notes at the end.

And I checked – my copy of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ is just under 1000 pages.

I did a bit of homework before starting and looked up the history of the wars covered in the book, which, to be honest, wasn’t a chore at all and I certainly learned more about a period I’ve only skimmed over before.

I was of the opinion the book was going to be heavy-going, possibly a bit turgid and confusing with the great cast of characters.

But, to my delight, by the second page, I was hooked.

This is my first taste of Tolstoy’s writing, and I find his style easy, it flows so well.

After a few days of reading only 12 pages a day, I realised I was reading a bit more each time through sheer enjoyment.

Also, I have the luxury of being able to read in the mornings and evenings, so I’m averaging about 24 pages a day, and I’m not reading anything else alongside this.

I’ve annotated before, but this is my first time doing it properly, in that I’m mindful of the characters, their locations, interactions, highlighting passages and quotes.

Although I’ve used a pen for the marginalia in other books – cheap, second-hand copies – I’m using a pencil for this one.

The book is divided into four parts, and I’m about 100 pages from the end of Book One, after which I’ll probably take a pause and write up my notes in a notebook.

About the translation, my copy is the revised and updated version of the Louise and Aylmer Maude translation.

When I think of how quickly I used to get through books, it sometimes stops me in my tracks to think that it’ll be June by the time I finish this book.

But now that I’ve tried it, I do like this slow reading, and I’m looking forward to continuing with the classics for the rest of the year.

I’ve also included Tolkien in my list for this year, which I’m pleased about.

If you’re interested in the classics, I’d recommend ‘Tristan and the Classics’; he’s a delight to listen to.

Reading Classics and Starting 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy