☯Emily ’s Comments (group member since Jul 27, 2011)

☯Emily ’s comments from the Classics for Beginners group.

I am extremely familiar with Agatha Christie, having read most of her books. I am also a member of Goodread's book club called Agatha Christie Lovers where we read all of her books in chronological order. If anyone is interested in joining that group after reading this month's selection, go to https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

This book is difficult to find in book form. I work in a used book store and we get gobs of Christie books and I have never seen or read this book. However, you can find it on-line: http://leikskolinn.is/os/skjalasafn/k...

You can also listen to the Christmas Pudding which was a BBC Radio Drama: https://archive.org/details/Adventure.... It is not a reading of the short story, but radio dramatization of the story.

Are we reading all the short stories in the book or just The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding?

Gisela wrote: "Maybe we could also shorten the 50 years to say 30 years, as I have a lot of what generally is seen as classics, for instance in Radio 4s "A good read", but they tend to be just a bit too young :)"

I am thinking of a theme month where we can shorten the years just for that month. We'll see...

I might try to read the whole book. When I was homeschooling my boys, we read a condensed version which both boys enjoyed.

Louise, I have wondered if changing the rules a little might create more interest. Perhaps we could allow rereads if the book has been read more than 5 years ago. That would make Anna Karenina eligible. Just a thought for the group to ponder.

Just a reminder that for long books, which The Brothers Karamazov is, we would extend the time to read to two months, so there would be no need to rush through it. Could even make it three, if needed.

Thanks Susan. I will contact you next week and give you more information. (It is snowing here as I prepare to visit my mother this weekend! I should be busy until Monday.)

If you nominate, please indicate if you are willing to lead the discussion if your book wins. It helps the group if you can do this since the moderators might not be able to read the book that is chosen.

It is with sadness that I need to inform the group that many of the moderators have decided to retire from moderating for various reasons. I am unable to handle all the work the moderators do all by myself since I am currently teaching literature courses.

So these are our options: 1) Do 2 or 3 of you want to become moderators? We currently have 4 moderators, so each moderator handles 3 months a year. 2) Do we want to shut down the group? We also need more participation in the group reads, since it is discouraging for everyone when there are only a few comments.

Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

PS. If you are interested in learning more about being a moderator, please PM me.

It is with sadness that I need to inform the group that many of the moderators have decided to retire from moderating for various reasons. I am unable to handle all the work the moderators do all by myself since I am currently teaching literature courses.

So these are our options: 1) Do 2 or 3 of you want to become moderators? We currently have 4 moderators, so each moderator handles 3 months a year. 2) Do we want to shut down the group? We also need more participation in the group reads, since it is discouraging for everyone when there are only a few comments.

Please share your thoughts. Thanks.

PS. If you are interested in learning more about being a moderator, please PM me.

I have found many of Dicken's women are completely unrealistic. They are caricatures, showing them too good to be true or horribly wicked. It is obvious Dickens did not appreciate women or understand them.

Contemporary authors also wrote long books, like Anthony Trollope. However, Trollope's portrayal of women was much more nuanced and accurate. I would read a Trollope book any day over a Dickens book.

Dickens is a very tedious writer. I have not read Little Dorrit, but I have found much of his writing to be long-winded and confusing. His cast of characters are endless and you need a directory to keep track of them. I have had some success if I can find a condensed version of his books!

I did think that A Tale of Two Cities was less long-winded and I did enjoy that book.

Gisela wrote: "How about An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde. I have to admit I never read, only watched, Oscar Wilde. Can lead."

I saw this play in Stratford, Ontario a few weeks ago.

I read The Painted Veil several years ago and thought it was fantastic. I have wanted to read more of Maugham, but have been too busy.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen. Can lead.

Glad you are joining us, Beril.

Kenneth, you can only nominate one book. Which would you prefer?

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

Any book published before 1968 that is still accessible would be considered.