Christopher I am very pleased to meet someone who feels the same way about THE YENNANT OF WILDFELL HALL,when I try to get friends to read this book all they can say is no thank you ot is too depressing.I can't begin to understand why people cannot grasp the socio-feminist point to this book.And I was seriously beginning to think the fault lay with me.
So from the bottom of my heart THANK YOU!

Everyman wrote: "Paula wrote: "So - making good on my comment to find these stories online.... (O = on-line; K (US) = found for free for Kindle, but not sure if it works the same for those not in the US)."

Amazon ..."

Here is a handy search portal for e-books that someone told me about recently. Try it!

http://ebooks.addall.com/Plugin/ebookhel...

Everyman wrote: "the Mobileread.com website has thousands of free ebooks in many formats which have been uploaded by members for free download. Here is a free collection of Dickens's five Christmas books..."

Thanks for all the extra info, E-man!

Boof wrote: "However due to popular demand we also plan to have a buddy read of Our Mutual Friend for those who want to join in. "

I'm glad to see that. Frankly, I overdosed on A Christmas Carol decades ago (also on The Gift of the Magi. Both stories are good to read or hear about the first time but not the fifteenth!)

So delighted to see that OMF will be discussed (and just sorry it didn't win to be the primary read. But that's democracy for you--if I won every time I would be king, right?)

Paula wrote: "So - making good on my comment to find these stories online.... (O = on-line; K (US) = found for free for Kindle, but not sure if it works the same for those not in the US)."

Amazon is not the only, or necessarily the best, source for free Kindle books, let alone other ebooks, particularly those which are out of copyright. For example, the Mobileread.com website has thousands of free ebooks in many formats which have been uploaded by members for free download. Here is a free collection of Dickens's five Christmas books, and the same collection is available in other ebook formats. (If you don't have a Kindle you can get a free Mobile Read program that will read Kindle books on your computer.)

Feedbooks (for some reason their search box isn't working for me at the moment but I could search by author) doesn't have a single collection of the Christmas stories but has several of them individually here on their Dickens page.

With OMF not being an official group read it means that it won't disappear after 2 months so people can take their time with it and not feel pressured to read it in a particular time-frame. It will be a much more relaxed experience (for me and I'm sure for others) if we can come to it when we can.

Paula wrote: "I'd like to read OMF as well, but won't have time to do so until next year. I want to get caught back up in the Classics and the WC group (I've been behind since I joined!) and there are a few othe..."

Paula, I would like to have people just read along, as we usually do. I am sure that some will have read it, and some will be reading it for the first time (and, oh what a treat for them!). I am currently looking at the novel to see if I can figure out a logical way to break it up into manageable sections. I will most assuredly do my homework and try and make this a wonderful experience for all of us! ;-) Cheers! Chris

I'd like to read OMF as well, but won't have time to do so until next year. I want to get caught back up in the Classics and the WC group (I've been behind since I joined!) and there are a few other books that have been calling my name lately (and not quietly!).

Chris - do you think we should have read the book before you begin the discussions, or are you planning on a way of guiding us through the book as we read it together?

I want to read OMF too, which I originally voted for, but maybe in January. I'd have done by Les Miserables by then, so there'll be time for another hefty Victorian novel.

I will be reading Our Mutual Friend. It will be my first Dickens book. It seems all my groups have been picking long books lately...It is free for the Kindle :)

Paula, you are a superstar for positng the links!

Good for you Chris, and thanks for volunteering for this - I'm sure it will be a great discussion with you leading it as we know how much you love this book.

Please feel free to start the discussion on Dec 1st as it is a long book and we may need a couple of months to enjoy it and join in properly around the holiday commitments. Looking forward to this!

Paula wrote: "Peregrine wrote: "December/January will be one seriously generous reading period! A record turnout for the poll, a squeaker of a finish, various people thinking and working to fit all the readings ..."

Yeah, I know the feeling, I get that all the time too from friends and family.

So, when am I supposed to kick off the Our Mutual Friend read? January 1st?

I am actually quite stoked, and it is my favorite Dickens. So, I want to put some thought into how best to navigate those who choose to read it with me in a fun, lively, and engaging fashion. It is such a great book and it deserves a quality effort! Cheers! Chris

Peregrine wrote: "December/January will be one seriously generous reading period! A record turnout for the poll, a squeaker of a finish, various people thinking and working to fit all the readings into the group tim..."

Seriously - I can't get over that this group was clamoring to read more than one book for our Dec/Jan group read! That's just so awesome to me! I have so many friends in the 'real' world who give me a funny, somewhat annoyed look when I suggest reading one book together!

Sarah wrote: "Paula, you are the kindest moderator on the planet. Thanks for finding all those eTexts -- so helpful as many of our book budgets become tighter and tighter during the holiday season. You are great!"

Glad this is helpful! I had the same concerns - I bought one version and am having a hard time justifying the purchase of another book when I haven't even started Xmas shopping yet, and still need to buy Thanksgiving fixings for 10 guests!

I think A Christmas Carol is the main focus, then the remainder of the stories will be available for discussion, but not required (not that anything is required!). My intention was for ACC, plus The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth but many seem to have the Penguin version that has the first 6 (which doesn't include the stories I just mentioned).

My main point in the recommendation was ACC and to read some of the seasonal Dickens stories, which don't get much attention otherwise, and which offer a great intro into a master in literature without committing oneself to 700 pages or more during a busy holiday season, that's all :)

Paula wrote: "So - making good on my comment to find these stories online.... (O = on-line; K (US) = found for free for Kindle, but not sure if it works the same for those not in the US).

In some cases I ente..."

Paula, thanks for the links. So are we going to read all of those stories or just A Christmas Carol plus the three stories that are mentioned earlier?

Sometimes the Penguin edition is not available here and I have to get the Wordsworth or the Barnes & Noble edition, which might not have the same stories in them.

Paula, you are the kindest moderator on the planet. Thanks for finding all those eTexts -- so helpful as many of our book budgets become tighter and tighter during the holiday season. You are great!

December/January will be one seriously generous reading period! A record turnout for the poll, a squeaker of a finish, various people thinking and working to fit all the readings into the group time and space, and 2 1/2 books on the go! Are we good or what?

The Penguin classics version includes the first 6 stories; many of the other versions of the Dickens' Christmas Stories include A Christmas Carol and the last 4 above.

So - making good on my comment to find these stories online.... (O = on-line; K (US) = found for free for Kindle, but not sure if it works the same for those not in the US).

In some cases I entered multiple sites for one story, just in case one site was experiencing problems.

The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton
O: http://www.readbookonline.net/read/156/4...
O: http://www.hornpipe.com/mystclas/myscl28...

A Christmas Episode from Master Humphrey's Clock
O: http://www.archive.org/details/masterhum...

A Christmas Carol
O: http://www.literature.org/authors/dicken...
K (US): http://www.amazon.com/A-Christmas-Carol/...

A Christmas Tree
O: http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/d/dickens/...

What Christmas Is, As We Grow Older
O: http://www.classicreader.com/book/877/1/...
O: http://www.free-short-stories.org.uk/cha...

The Seven Poor Travellers
O: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1392

The Chimes
O: http://www.literature.org/authors/dicken...
O: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/653
K (US): http://www.amazon.com/The-Chimes/dp/B000...

The Cricket on the Hearth
O: http://www.literature.org/authors/dicken...
K (US): http://www.amazon.com/The-Cricket-on-the...

The Battle of Life
O: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/676

The Haunted Man
O: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/644

For $0.99US, A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life & The Haunted Man (US): http://www.amazon.com/The-Cricket-on-the...

http://www.mostweb.cc/Classics/Dickens/ (almost all of Dickens' published works)

Boof wrote: "Arghhhh! Maybe we could have posts for all the stories in the oxford version and the penguin version so that people can join in with the ones from their version? ..."

Sounds good to me! I think some people already own of of the versions already - I'll see if I can find links to the stories online so people don't need to buy multiple versions.

My apologies :(

Paula wrote: "Oh no! My nomination won, but it didn't win. Totally my fault - I meant to post a link to the version with "The Cricket and the Hearth" and "The Chimes" in it, that I ordered earlier this month.
..."

That's why I put the oxford version up as I knew you had specifically mentioned Cricket and Chimes.

Arghhhh! Maybe we could have posts for all the stories in the oxford version and the penguin version so that people can join in with the ones from their version?

Paula wrote: "Oh no! My nomination won, but it didn't win. Totally my fault - I meant to post a link to the version with "The Cricket and the Hearth" and "The Chimes" in it, that I ordered earlier this month.
..."

Paula - I bought the penguin edition, but I may run to teh used book store and see if they have an edition with those stories in it. My interest has been peeaked by our reading of Drood; Dicken's christmas tales play a minor role in that novel.

Oh no! My nomination won, but it didn't win. Totally my fault - I meant to post a link to the version with "The Cricket and the Hearth" and "The Chimes" in it, that I ordered earlier this month.

Oh well - good excuse to buy another book! And perhaps if I sneak in discussions of his other Christmas books, some people may want to join along?

All changed. Penguine edition it is.

Yes, lets stick with the edition voted upon if possible.

I voted based on seeing the Penguin edition, which the local bookstore stocks, and which has stories I've not heard of that I was looking forward to reading. I read with mild dismay that the edition has now been changed. I suggest keeping the Penguin edition, which was the one put up for vote. The other stories may make a good run for it another year.

Good question, Sandybanks, I was just going to write a mail about that.

I have put the new Oxford Wold Classics edition on the home page as that has The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth which tend to be the two that appear most regulalry alongside CC. It also has two other stories called The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man . When I looked at the Penguin edition it had about 7 short stories but none of them were any of the above.

As there are so many variables on this I would suggest that whichever edition we get has CC, The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth as these three seem to be the most common.

If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions please let us know.

What is the other three stories that are going to be read together with A Christmas Carol? I want to make sure that the edition that I will get have them also.

Jenny wrote: "If I could figure out how to do it, I would change my vote over to OMF as well, though I loved Everyman's idea of Mary Kingsley's Travels in West Africa. "

For future reference, just click Change Your Vote at the bottom left of the poll itself. I hope that we have other votes this involved.

AND THE WINNER IS..........................

A CHRISTMAS CAROL & OTHER STORIES BY CHARLES DICKENS

Wow! What a close one this turned out to be! It was Dickens v Dickens for the last few miles and finally, with only one vote in it, A Christmas Carol made it to the finish line just as the bell rang.

Now, for anyone not following the "hoopla" (as Chris put it) in the poll comments section - this is what we plan to do:

A Christmas Carol will be our main Dec/Jan read. For anyone who has only seen the dodgy TV adaptations, let me reassure you that this is one of the most magical books I have ever read. It is just wonderful and perfect for snuggling up with at Christmas time. However due to popular demand we also plan to have a buddy read of Our Mutual Friend for those who want to join in. This thread will appear in the General Book Discussions folder and Chris has volunteered to run this discussion as it is one of his favourite books (what better person to lead this discussion - although I'm sure he would appreciate any help). OMF is not our official read so don't feel pressured to read it if you have other commitments but it would be great if people want to join in.

How exciting!

Ooooooh, Jenny, if you had figured out how to change your vote it would have been a dead heat between OMF and CC!

If I could figure out how to do it, I would change my vote over to OMF as well, though I loved Everyman's idea of Mary Kingsley's Travels in West Africa.

Elizabeth wrote: "I changed my vote to OMF yesterday, although I had really wanted Wildfell Hall. sigh."

Elizabeth, I did precisely the same thing! I hope that we can, some day, read TTOWH; it is such a magnificent novel. I just kinda hope that OMF ends up carrying the day... Sigh... Cheers! Chris

I changed my vote to OMF yesterday, although I had really wanted Wildfell Hall. sigh.

Everyman wrote: "The current poll is neck and neck between A Christmas Carol and other Christmas stories, and Our Mutual Friend. It seems likely that one of these two will be chosen.

Those who voted for other bo..."

Everyman, you should go see the discussion in the comments at the base of the poll. Great minds think alike! ;-) Cheers! Chris

The current poll is neck and neck between A Christmas Carol and other Christmas stories, and Our Mutual Friend. It seems likely that one of these two will be chosen.

Those who voted for other books still have the rest of the day to change their vote if they have a strong preference between these two options. Just go to the poll, click on "change your vote," and make your new choice.

Full disclosure: I'm pulling for Our Mutual Friend as the book which is much more likely, IMO, to generate a strong discussion.

Darcy wrote: "In our family it wasn't the death scene in Little Women, but Where the Red Fern Grows. I have three siblings and we all bawled loudly at the end of that book. Looking back, I'm sure my parents must..."

I was 10 when I read Where the Red Fern Grows and I remember being sad for weeks after I finished that book. The death in Little Women is not what resonates the most with me. Though I was affected by it when I read it, it's not what I find most memorable about the book.

In our family it wasn't the death scene in Little Women, but Where the Red Fern Grows. I have three siblings and we all bawled loudly at the end of that book. Looking back, I'm sure my parents must have been inwardly groaning as soon as one of their offspring pulled that book off the shelf, knowing that they would shortly be spending a considerable amount of time rubbing our little backs and explaining that coons probably wouldn't ravage our dog Marcus.

Susanna wrote: "Eight Cousins and its sequel, Rose in Bloom, were easily my favorite Alcotts, though I also liked Little Women. Just not as much."

I remember really liking Under the Lilacs, too, partly because the title held such charm for me. Oh, and Jo's Boys! My father read that to the seven of us.

Christopher wrote: "Books that have surpassed the test of time for me are Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass and Beatrix Potter's delightful little tales. The later Winnie the Pooh is in that camp too."

I think that about half of Winnie the Pooh is written for adults to make them keep reading the stories aloud to the kids.

Audrey wrote: "Nicki: "The only thing that makes me a little reluctant is that it may lose some of it's magic, reading it as an adult. That happens sometimes and it's always sort of sad, in a way. Our perceptions..."

I think I just never grew up.

Susanna, yes, I loved them both.

Eight Cousins and its sequel, Rose in Bloom, were easily my favorite Alcotts, though I also liked Little Women. Just not as much.

Paula wrote: "I always thought one of the joys of becoming a parent would be re-visiting some of my favorite children's books with a child of my own. I have no children now, so don't know if that is the case or not. "

It's even better as a grandparent, when you have the time and leisure to read with them which sadly working parents today don't have.

There is absolutely nothing in the world that compares with sitting on the couch with an attentive, delighted grandchild on each side of you, reading them the same books that your parents and grandparents read to you.

Christopher wrote: "Books that have surpassed the test of time for me are Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass and Beatrix Potter's delightful little tales. The later Winnie the Pooh is in that camp too."

Agree with all of those.

My Jr. High library had many of her books, not just Little Women. And Little Women wasn't my favorite. Eight Cousins was. I read it over and over and over again until I graduated. The local public libraries didn't carry any of Alcott's books, so I never saw them again until quite recently.

I can understand not wanting to read Alcott if you come to her as an adult and if you normally do not read any YA books.

As for the charge that the book is sickeningly sweet, it probably is, but I remember a book about parenting girls that I read in my late teens that described a mother telling her family, "Hush, Beth is dying." because her daughter had gotten to that point in the book. I TOTALLY got it. It was also probably the first book girls read even in the 1950s where someone got very, very sick and died.

Boof wrote: "Beatrix Potter will never grow old for me. I am as much in love with Peter Rabbit now as I was then. Those pictures are still so magical to me - I still get such a cosy feeling when I see them."

What a nice reminder of a series I had read as a child and mostly forgotten about. I should really re-visit those books. I always thought one of the joys of becoming a parent would be re-visiting some of my favorite children's books with a child of my own. I have no children now, so don't know if that is the case or not.

THE NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OVER AND VOTING HAS BEGUN (SEE POLL AT BOTTOM OF PAGE). HAPPY VOTING!