On Thursday I posted my sign-up post for the RIP V Challenge. Now I’m signing up for another one: The Really Old Classics Challenge.
The idea of this challenge is to read at least one work that was written before 1600 AD. If you’re very ambitious you can become a ‘Classicist’ by reading four! You can also read a retelling of a really old classic.
The challenge runs until December 31 2010. See the challenge blog to sign up.
At the moment I have no idea what I’m going to read for the challenge. I’m completely new to ‘really old classics’, so any recommendations would be very welcome!
Recently acquired books…
Bought on a visit to my favourite bookshop:
The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry
The Rose of Sebastopol by Katherine McMahon
The Victorian Chaise-Longue by Marghanita Laski
Won from LibraryThing Member Giveaways:
Can You Forgive Her? by Anthony Trollope
I was particularly excited to find a copy of The Victorian Chaise-longue, as it’s the first dove-grey Persephone I own (I do also have a copy of Laski’s Little Boy Lost, but it’s one of the Persephone Classics editions). I’m hoping to read The Victorian Chaise-longue soon for the RIP challenge.
Currently reading
I’m still reading Bleak House for the readalong. I’m also reading Vathek by William Beckford, which is a Gothic novel from 1786.
Whatever you’re reading this week, I hope you enjoy it!
She Reads Novels 
I’m not officially signing up for the Really Old Classics challenge, but I’m thinking about rereading The Inferno in the next two months.
I’ve never read The Inferno, but it’s on my list of possible choices for the challenge!
I completely forgot that I had ‘The Roses of Sebastopol’ sitting on my shelf. I can’t even remember what it’s about. I’ll await your review and then I’ll try and find it at the bottom of Mount TBR. I’ve read ‘The Secret Scripture’ and it’s brilliant! I always wanted to read ‘The Victorian Chaise-Longue’, it’s now been added to to ‘to get-list’. 🙂 Enjoy the challenges!
I’m glad to hear you thought The Secret Scripture was brilliant! I’m looking forward to reading it. 🙂
The only thing I’ve been told about old classics is not to read the Iilad unless you can take the length! I have to admit I’m not too clued up about any of them.
I don’t know much about the old classics either, so I’m looking forward to this challenge. I’d love to read The Iliad one day (and The Odyssey too) but I’m probably going to start with something shorter!