Ashley’s Comments (group member since Jun 05, 2020)

Ashley’s comments from the #ClassicsCommunity 2021 Reading Challenge group.

I’m only half way through. Plan to finish today or tomorrow. I feel the same as you. It didn’t grab me. I recently read The Wilderking trilogy, which is a modern series, and this felt so much like that. I didn’t enjoy that very much either. It’s the structure and way the story is told that felt similar and wasn’t as engaging as other stories. I’m interested to see how the situation with the goblins ends and how Curdie and the Princess cement their relationship (which I assume happens based on the title of book 2). So far I don’t plan to read 2 unless my kids want to do these books as a read aloud or the ending turns around and gets better. I’ll come back when I’m done and update my thoughts.

No mistake! I just wanted to confirm so I could get it right on my planner! Thanks!

Oh wait! I'm writing in my planner and want to confirm that Pippi is Feb and not Birchbark House. I wasn't sure what we finally decided in the other thread. Thanks!

How quickly do you plan to read? My bookstagram is the best way to communicate for people who don’t know me personally. @ashleysbooknook

I’m so sad! I can’t find a pretty copy! But it was definitely not the Curdie book I had a pretty copy of, so it’s ok, I guess! It was Freckles I was thinking of. This series and that author get recommended a lot together in a FB group I’m in and I’ve never read either, so I guess I confused them. Oh well. I’ll either borrow a copy or read it on Kindle. Grateful for the push to finally read this!

I’d do Anna Karenina. Maybe in February though. I might have to skip it if you choose January. We’ll see how the month goes with the other books I’ve got planned! It would be a reread though, so it might be easier to squeeze in.

Hi! I joined you in the second half of last year. I don’t remember if I introduced myself, but I loved the few buddy reads I joined. I’m Ashley! Grew up in Southern California (USA) for 20 something years before living for a year in Pennsylvania and then moving to Utah with a friend who needed a roommate. She was going to school, I got a job. I met my future husband after being here a couple days. It took a couple weeks to start dating, and then we got married a year and a half later. I had one year left of college, so we both transferred to Utah State (he started at a smaller school and planned to transfer to a different university, but I needed to get further away from his family (who I love now) for a few years....which worked out well and helped us solidify our bee marriage). We have 3 kids- oldest (boy) will be 9 in a month, girl just turned 7, and the caboose will be 2 in the spring. I have chronic pain (arthritis and other injuries/problems in my back and hips and joints) and didn’t think the last baby would ever happen, but she was really wanted and here she is after a lot of miraculous events (if you believe in that sort of thing).

I am a life time lover of reading and have always read a lot. I’m picky and have a hard time with most modern books, but still am always trying to find good ones because when they are good, they are good! But I read a lot of biographies and classics. My favorite is probably Les Mis, but anything Dickens is a close second. I also love Middlemarch (which I keep trying to get different groups to read!), Anna Karenina, A Lantern in Her Hand, and CS Lewis.

This year I hope to reed Kristen Lavransdatter, Roots, and I forget what other large tome I chose! I like to have 2 or 3 as a goal for the year and take them slowly. I created a Toni Morrison group on FB (come join if you’re there) so I have to focus on that and the one book a month, but I also found a group that is reading all of Dickens in 2021. I said no way at first, but now I’m considering it. There are groups here on GR that read this works slowly, which is nice and easy to fit in. But this group seems like it will be very active and fun so I might try. I read 3 (and a half- but I may give up the half read one and start this challenge early) Dickens novels this year, so I’ll probably skip those next year to give me more time to fit in everything else. It’s only 25-30 pages a day, but Dickens pages and I usually read a lot of books at once, so I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it up. I don’t do well with long challenges and often get bored. It’s hard to read one author over and over again for a really long period. Has anyone ever done anything like this?

I think I own a pretty antique style copy of the second book, but not this one. I’ll have to go to the bookstore soon and see if I can find a pretty copy of this one! This is another book that’s been on my short list for years, but I never got around to. Excited to start the year off with some good books!

So excited!! I wanted to read this in October, but I had too many other haunting books to read and another group was residing it in November, so I waited for them. But after Halloween I wasn’t in the mood for gothic novels, so I didn’t read it. So January is going to be perfect! This book has been on my short list for years, but never gets to the top, so it’ll be the perfect way to start the year!

I read the complete collection of her Christmas stories, but skipped some, like A Country Christmas, which I could not get into. I think my favorite was Rosa's Choice. I loved that her innocence and love brought the entire family back together and gave the grandmother back her family! I liked What Love Can Do and how everyone worked together to make the girls happy. I love the magic of Christmas and Santa and getting to see children smile and be purely joyful. So magical! I also liked The Quiet Little Woman. I was sad that Patty couldn't be with the Aunt or that they didn't at least live close to each other so they could continue their relationship. I was sad that even in the end, when the Murrays began to see Patty differently, Patty still thought she had to earn their love. She said she would stop complaining and maybe they could all be happier. I hope she learns her worth and that their relationship lasts and keeps getting better.

I was just going to mention Dash & Lily! It made me want to revisit the book too! I think I read it as a kid, but I don’t remember too much! I’m so excited about all these picks! I’ve been here for some and not others since I found you a few months ago! But now that I’ve gotten through all the books I had planned that were getting in the way of reads here, I’m all in!!

42 is amazing!!! That’s almost a book a week! Way to go! This year has been ROUGH on everyone. Some more than others, I know. I am not surprised that some people had slumps or that others read more. Everyone responds differently to different things. And at different times we ourselves might respond differently to the same situation. Either way, congrats! You did awesome!

I’m in the same boat as Anne! I planned to read 100 books the last few years. This year was way easier to reach that goal. I’m over 150. I was on track to maybe reach 200 if I pushed myself the last 2 or 3 months, but then I stopped reading 17 ish books a month and had months with 10 or 12, so I gave up striving for that. This year I didn’t really try to push myself. I just read as much as I wanted and this is where I am.

I already naturally read a lot of classics, so my goal there was to finish some big ones, and I finished more than I planned because of groups like this! Count of Monte Cristo, War & Peace, David Copperfield, Ben Hur, and I’m working on Little Dorrit.

It’s much easier than it seems!! I read it a few years ago. For me, I’d compare it to Jane Eyre. That’s the book that comes to mind when I think of how intense it feels and how long it takes to read. Maybe because I read them in the same year (maybe?). I read Count of Monte Cristo and War and Peace this year. It’s nothing like those. Much quicker read. Not as deep as W&P. I read Les Mis last year and it’s easier than that too. So you can do it!!! You’ll love it! As long as you remember it’s not supposed to be a happy book and the characters suck. Haha. But I love them and I love the story.

Anyone support switching Pippi and Birchbark? Or do you feel strongly about how it is? I just really want to read Birchbark soon, so I’ll probably read it on my own Jan/Feb if you’re all waiting until April. It’s totally ok to keep it how it is, but I thought I’d ask in case others didn’t care either way. It is always more fun to read together.

I also really want to read Rebecca, so I’ll be there for it!

Little House is a family favorite here, but we always discuss the treatment of the natives. My son is listening to the first Birchbark right now, so I really want to read it...and the whole series. I think it would be a great addition to our family culture of classics and love of Little House!

I’d join for Breakfast at Tiffany’s!!

Birchbark House and Princess and the Goblin!

For sure! You have to be on the right mood for a book! And things speak to you at different times. Maybe I will never be a Christie fan, if this is more like her and Orient isn’t as great to those that like her. It is one of the ones made into a movie, so it was accepted by popular media. It may not be as true to her style as others. I’m interested. I’ll have to try some others when I’m in the mood. What are your favorites (all of you)?