Faye’s Comments (group member since Nov 05, 2013)

Faye’s comments from the The Reading Challenge Group group.

Brenda wrote: "I read Great Expectations in grade school, and all I remember is looking around wondering how many kids were going to take it as proof that reading was no fun.

Read Oliver Twist as a teen trying t..."

I loooove Our Mutual Friend. As much as I adored Desmond, I kind of wanted to slap him for being so silly as to deprive himself of such a masterpiece! I mean, come on, how many people know they're going to die long enough in advance to read such a massive book? *shakes head*

I can only imagine the insane amounts of awesome that Dickens' next books would have achieved if he had lived longer, given that Our Mutual Friend was the last book he completed before he died. The one or two weak points in his writing (the way he wrote women, for one) had turned into strengths at last. It would have been so amazing to see him progress even further as a writer after achieving something so close to perfection.

17. The Trumpet-Major

Ahh, Thomas Hardy, how I love thee and thy sadly realistic endings...

Welcome Srividya and Judy!

Yep, that's pretty much my strategy. Except the books I read are longer on average than 250-300 pages, and I aim for a book every 4 days or so, so I set a goal of at least 50 pages on weekdays and 100 on weekends. Usually I exceed my goal, but if I fall behind I do tend to choose a book that isn't very long or that is a quick read.

I work at home, so it's easy for me to pull out a book whenever I take a break, and I tend to read during commercial breaks when I'm watching TV, sometimes while I'm eating, usually when I'm *ahem* in the bathroom, and to wind down last thing at night. Books are my passion, so to fill every spare moment with one is a no-brainer for me. :)

Holly wrote: "I've been meaning to read Dune. The length is just so daunting!"

Wait, Dune was abnormally long? I honestly didn't even notice, it was so engrossing! As soon as I finished the first book I was craving the second. I've had to limit myself to only reading that series in the summer, or I would have flown through it ages ago!

Srividya wrote: "3. A big fat notebook with several pens and pencils - to write my own novel. After all a deserted island without any distractions, except for the adventure that it brings with it, is definitely the best place to work on your dream book!! Hahaha "

Ohh, I like that idea!

Aitziber wrote: "I would take my e-reader and a solar charger. Okay, I get that's not playing by the rules, but I feel it is way too stubborn to pretend that dropping us in a desert island would erase our knowledge..."

Sorry, Aitziber, trying to answer a silly question with logic just doesn't fly. :P

Ohh, I love these! Nice quotes, everybody!

Cindy, you beat me to the one I was going to post, so my second choice would be...

"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move."

- Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

I completed 7 books in February.

Jenna wrote: "where do we post the books that we read in February so that they can be added to the whole group total?"

I was creating the topic at the very moment you posted! It's right here. :)

It's that time, folks! Time to tell us how many books you read in February. :)

Remember, I'm asking ONLY for the number of books you read in the month of February, NOT the amount that you have read so far this year.

NOTE: Please don't give me two numbers to choose from. If you counted a book towards your personal 2014 goal, it also counts here. If you're not sure how many books you read in February, go to your "read" bookshelf and look at the dates that you finished your books. Any book that you completed in February can be included, as long as you didn't include it in the number you gave me at the end of January.

Let's see if we can break 800 again this month!

(NO CONVERSATION IN THIS THREAD, PLEASE. I don't want anyone's number to get lost in the shuffle. If you have any questions or comments, you can post them in the original Can We Reach 10,000? thread. Thanks!)

16. The Dead Secret

Meh.

Renee wrote: "Sandy & Roseanne-

I also wanted-to-but-missed-out on Northanger Abbey this month. Does the topic/file stay open after the goal date? If so we could continue to post our thoughts there and compare ..."

Sorry for the late answer - Yes, the topic will stay open. :)

I hate to throw down the mod hammer here, but this conversation is veering off in a million different directions! Could the non-Austen discussions move to appropriate threads, please? I feel as though people who just want to talk about the book might be feeling lost in the shuffle here. Thanks, guys. :)

So, Northanger Abbey... now that many of you have finished it, what do you think? Should I, a self-proclaimed Austen-disliker, bother reading it?

Amy wrote: "I'm 6 books behind! I just have no time at all. :( I will catch up, I will catch up.."

Yes you will!

Same gorgeous writing and haunting atmosphere. Really good characterization and plot. I wasn't quite as blown away by it as I was by Rebecca, but it's still an excellent book. :)

15. Jamaica Inn

It was good, but I found the ending disappointing. I think it was supposed to be a happy ending, but I didn't see it that way.

Welcome, Judy!

Far from the Madding Crowd
Catching Fire
The Jungle Book
Le Petit Prince
Time and Again
The Alienist
Zuleika Dobson
Memoirs of Hadrian

I probably won't stick to that...

Welcome, Kaylie!