Classics and Challenges - My Current Reading List

For my first post into the BookClub community, I thought I would keep things nice and simple and talk about what I plan on reading over the next few weeks.

For one reason or another, I have not read nearly as many books as I would have liked to have by the time I was 43. Although I am not rolling in money or diving into a neverending pile of golden coins like Scrooge McDuck (you have the theme music in your head now, don't you? If you know, you know), I wanted to start reading again. Help sharpen my writing skills, and there is nothing better than getting lost in a good book, is there?

There is also the fact that some classic books missing from my "read list". As I've admitted in another article.

So here's what I will be reading over the next few weeks.

Animal Farm by George Orwell

It has been a long time since I read Animal Farm, so I want to refresh my mind. There is nothing else that needs to be said about this satirical allegory.

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Sticking with Orwell for my next choice is Nineteen Eighty-Four. As embarrassing as it may be, I have never actually read this book, so I am looking forward to it. I saw the film and know a lot about it and its influence (hard to escape, really).

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

One of my favourite stories. I have wanted to reread it again for a long time. I actually invested in the Wordsworth Classics edition that includes The Merry Men and a couple of his other short stories. So, plenty of new things to read along with Jekyll and Hyde. Here is a HaikuBookReview I published about it -

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott. Fitzgerald

Another classic that I have never read before, so it will be interesting to see if it lives up to the hype. I often write in the first-person when writing fiction, so I'm interested to see what makes Fitzgerald's approach so praiseworthy, as well as the descriptions I've read so much about.

House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski

I remember Dean F. Hardy mentioning this, and I had read about it before and forgotten about it. It screams "must read" to me. I love the concept and the fact that the execution has been critically praised. We will see how I get on, as it's quite intimidating! I am more than up to the challenge, though.

Here is a HaikuBookPreview I wrote about it, based on my excitement:

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Thanks for reading!

There you have it, folks, my reading list for the next few weeks. If I feel confident enough, I may post a follow-up giving my thoughts on the books I've never read before, or separate reviews. We shall see.

What are you reading currently or next?