Even though I started this challenge of reading 26 classic novels in 2026 to expand my literary education back in January, I only announced it here last month and haven’t written about anything that I’ve read yet.
So I thought I’d get started with a roundup of the books I read in the first five months of the year, which include a rare DNF! Can you guess which one?
PERFUME by Patrick Süskind
I started the year with this modern classic. And while I was impressed with Süskind’s commitment to the sense of smell and his use of scent based imagery throughout, I mean it doesn’t waver one bit, I can’t say I enjoyed it. To be honest, and I feel terrible saying this because I know so many people love this book, I found it revolting on almost every level. I’m glad I read it, the commitment and non-visual imagery were great lessons to take away, I won’t ever be rereading. This is a one and done for me.
BEOWULF by Unknown
I powered through this one, and after a shaky start (my start not the book), I thoroughly enjoyed this. Such lyrical symmetry. It was dramatic and beautiful and I can’t recommend this one highly enough, which was a pleasant contrast after ‘Perfume’. If you haven’t read it, it’s pretty short, the Seamus Heaney translation is beautiful (what else would you expect from Heaney?) and you’ll start seeing certain storytelling elements from it in other things too. It’s the basis of so much Western literature for a reason. So glad I read this and it is definitely one I’ll be coming back to.
THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO by Alexandre Dumas
My third book of the challenge, was the enormous book. I’m not going to lie, I was a little daunted by its heft, it’s the longest book I’ve ever read, but I’m glad I didn’t let that put me off. It’s marvellous. I completely understand why it gets so much love on Social Media. It has everything: love, quest, revenge, injustice, adventure, politics and even a treasure island! It’s the ultimate fantasy and I loved it. It’s another one I want to come back to and this time go slower with it. I know I read too quickly this time as I was so invested I just wanted to see what happened next. Another time, I want to savour it all.
THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME by Victor Hugo
I know this is a favourite of so many, and I had high hopes. Although I’ve never seen the beloved Disney film, or the other much loved movie version starring Charles Laughton, I was expecting so much. And I was monumentally disappointed. I was bored rigid. I did listen to the audiobook, so perhaps I just wasn’t vibing with the narrator, but I don’t think that would account for it all. It took so long to get going; there was so much history and if you know me you’ll know I love me some history so it was a surprise that I didn’t enjoy it. I mean there was a 20 minutes chapter on the history of a prison cell! I don’t care. I don’t care about the location of a furnace or where Caesar has stood. I wanted the Hunchback and Esmeralda and a love story that goes somewhere. I’m afraid I got to Esmeralda’s trial and gave up.
THE FAERIE QUEEN by Edmund Spenser
This is a delight. It will probably take me most of the year to read, not because it’s dull or I’m struggling but because I’m wallowing in the language … and the spelling! What a joy it is!
If you’ve been paying attention, my plans to read one 20th Century novel and one pre-1900 book a month has not materialised. I’m skipping around a bit based on the energy I have available when I finished a book and the fact that I had to spend time licking my wounds from Hunchback, I couldn’t face another big, heavy book after that.
I also lost a fair amount of time to a problem with one of the choices for my bookclub and having to hurriedly find a new choice meant most of March was spent with a myriad of increasingly dull 1930s murder stories written by distinctly mediocre men.
The plan is to keep track on a monthly basis from now on. Let’s see how that one pans out, shall we?
Have you read any/all of these books? What did you think? Do you agree or is there a perspective I haven’t considered. Tell me in the comments.