Book Challenge!

I spend a lot of time making lists of books I intend to read next; then I begin thousand-page, 5-book and counting series (yes, I’m talking about you, George R.R. Martin). My affinity for long-winded fantasy and sci-fi series means I rarely make much progress with my list, which currently stands at over 100 titles.

So, I’ve set a challenge: I will read 10 books off the top of my ‘Classics’ list in the next 5 months. 

I will admit this particular list is entirely influenced by what was available for free on the Kindle, but hey, they’re still good reads.

The list:

•  The War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells
•  Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea – Jules Verne
•  The Idiot – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
•  Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
•  The Man in the Iron Mask – Alesandre Dumas
•   Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
• Dracula – Bram Stoker
• Treasure Island – Robert Louis Stevenson
•  The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
• The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde

I’m easing myself into it -- The War of the Worlds weighs in at about 100 pages, and despite being published in 1890, still features all the science fiction elements the geek in me craves.

I’ll update on my progress as I go, so far I have to say the juxtaposition between horse and buggies, gas lamps and giant tripod-esque Martian machines rules. The Tom Cruise film adaptation would have been so much better if it had been set in the 19^th century.