Classics Challenge Update; Phantom of the Opera and Sense and Sensibility

Hello all readers and Classics Challenge followers! So far this New Year is looking promising in my battle to read more classics, with one completion and a new book started already!
The classic I have recently read (and will post about shortly) was a book I didn't even know existed in any other form than a stage show and from there a DVD. But no, it turns out that the infamous 'Phantom of the Opera' was indeed a book first.

Just a little background on the book at it's author will hopefully motivate you to read until I get around to publishing a full post on the story. The Phantom of the Opera was written by the frenchman Gaston Leroux and has been translated into English several times, so perhaps it is better to use it's real, French title; Le Fantôme de l'Opéra. It was written in 1910 and wasn't actually very popular at the time! The story is one of obsession, music and the redemptive power of love, often demanding the reader to think carefully as to what is insanity and what is the mark of a tormented, abused person. This book is captivating from start to finish and if you are like me you may find yourself puzzling over it long after you have read the last page. This is a definite must-read with teary moments, but a better, more detailed review of this amazing story is to follow soon!

The classic I recently started and adore is the well-know, much loved Sense and Sensibility by the wonderful Jane Austen. Having seen the film many times and loving the characters; Elinor with her reserved character and Marianne who makes a drama out of anything and everything, I just had to read it. So far, so good! On completion a review will follow!

If you wish to read along with me, see details of the classics already read on other Classics Challenge posts and feel free to leave recommendations and comments in the comments section below.
Happy reading! From RedHead :)

Poppy's War

Happy New Year everyone! If you're looking for something new to try out this year I recommend reading a new genre. If you're bored of the usual adventure or rom com, why not try this genre of historical romance? Here is an amazing book that sums up this genre in every way possible; Poppy's War by Lily Baxter. The book starts in turbulent 1939, when thirteen year old Poppy Brown is evacuated to Dorset to escape the threat of bombing in London. Picked out of a ragged bunch of children on a station platform by the wealthy Mrs Carroll, Poppy is thrust into a scary new environment of a big country manor with servants and strict rules. Poppy finds little sympathy from the harsh servants, who begrude the fact that she is given nice clothes and good food, and the Carroll family don't even acknowledge her most of the time. Soon Poppy meets Guy, the kindly son of the Carrolls, and to Poppy's anguish, his lovely fiancee Amy who takes Poppy under her wing. Follow Poppy's turbulent life as she survives the death or her famiy, befriending land girls, working as a nurse and being in love with a man who is never going to see her as more than the friendly little girl from London. This book is, quite simply, amazing. The story covers such a wide range of events and problems and people, but still remains a dramatic, lovely and thrilling read. I read this book in a day, simply because once I picked it up I could not stop reading it. Poppy is an amazing character, full of mystery and emotion, and even when you think you know her Lily Baxter throws in a plot twist and enthralls you all over again. When the book ended I cried, simply because it was so lovely. Poppy's War is a full five shiny stars, and quite simply a MUST READ. I loved it, and it is now one of my favourite books!