Do you enjoy reading classics? Which ones did you love? Hate?

I found my love for classics in high school. Part of that love might have stemmed from the idea that I appeared intelligent if I had read the classics but there was always a deeper rooted interest in the works of old. Since then, I have amassed quite a collection of classics. When I stacked them up to take a picture for this post, I realized I actually had way more than I realized (and more that aren’t currently at my house).

What I always wonder about when I am reading or looking at novels deemed as classics, is why they got the title in the first place. How did this novel, out of all others, create such an impact that it was labeled as a classic? It has sparked interesting discussions between me and others about what makes a classic a classic.

When I tried to research this question, I was still left wondering. All I could gather from the internet and my discussions with others, is that more often than not, classics are written in a way that impacts people and continues to impact people for years to come. These novels never stop being relevant in some capacity to the trials, situations, and encounters that humans face.

I do wonder which books from my generation and my parent’s generation will become classics. I think that it is hard to tell exactly what makes a true classic in the moment but I am hopeful about some of the titles I have read and seen come out.

I have recently fallen out of my enjoyment and reading of classics because of the overwhelming amount of new books to read! But, I am going to try and make a point to add one in every month. It is always fascinating to see where stories come from and how they have evolved over time!

Keep reading to see lists of classics I have read and ones that I hope to read. Plus, download a FREE printable to keep track of your own classics reading!

Classics I’ve Read and Enjoyed

I have quite a few unread classics on my shelf, but there are still a lot that I have read that I would gladly read again. I’m sure there are others that I am forgetting, but this is what I can remember.

• Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbury)
• Grapes of Wrath (John Steinbeck)
• The Old Man and The Sea (Ernest Hemingway)
• Wuthering Heights (Emily Brontë)
• Jane Eyre (Charlotte Brontë)
• Crime and Punishment (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
• The Odyssey (Homer)
• Cold Mountain (Charles Frazier)
• Dracula (Bram Stoker)
• Of Mice and Men (John Steinbeck)

Classics to Read

Although I am feeling pretty good about my classics read, I have so many more that I would like to read. Here are a few!

• Anna Karenina (read about half and never finished! – Leo Tolstoy)
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Mark Twain)
• The Awakening (Kate Chopin)
• The Picture of Dorian Gray (Oscar Wilde)
• The Brothers Karamazov (Fyodor Dostoyevsky)
• For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemingway)
• A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens)
• Moby Dick (Herman Melville)
• Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
• Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen)

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Do you want to join me on reading classics this year? Click below to download a FREE PRINTABLE to keep track of your classics!

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What classics are you hoping to read? Which ones have you read already? What classics would you recommend?

Happy reading.