Which of The Classics, in your opinion, should be read?

[[deleted user]]

I've been wanting to try more Classics ,so I think I'll go back through this entire thread and write down on paper how many votes each book got. That'll sorta give me an idea of which ones were all-time favorites in the group .

[Jason]

There are some good lists on here Julie. I am working my way through this one.
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

On my 5th book from the list so far.

[Debbie]

Hi Julie, I've read and loved classics since my teenage years. I suggest you think about what kind of genre you usually like to read and then get recommendations. There are so many authors that are excellent, you need to narrow the field and start off where you're most likely to get most enjoyment.

[[deleted user]]

Thank you Jason. That list will help a lot . I just got done going through the posts in here on Classics .

It seems these are the some of the most mentioned as favorites :

Jane Eyre
Rebecca & Tess ( tied )
To Kill a Mockingbird
Wuthering Heights
Pride & Prejudice
Anna Karenina
Dracula

I've been thinking about something by Trollope for awhile now. I've seen him mentioned frequently . I bought his complete works for my Kindle ,but have yet to crack it open .

I'm surprised Dickens didn't get more votes than he did . He got several mentions ,but not a huge number .

Some of my favorites :
Rebecca
Great Expectations
David Copperfield
Pickwick Papers
Moonstone
Woman in White
Count of Monte Cristo
East of Eden
Grapes of Wrath
Huck Finn
Augustus Carp ( reminds me a bit of Diary of a Nobody )


**Am I the only one who finds it surprising to see a photo of the author of some of these old classics, (mainly the men,) and think they look really stodgy ... but then you read their books and they are really funny ! I guess people always had a sense of humor, so maybe it's just the photos that make them look old and dry and dusty .

[[deleted user]]

Debbie wrote: "Hi Julie, I've read and loved classics since my teenage years. I suggest you think about what kind of genre you usually like to read and then get recommendations. There are so many authors that are..."

Thanks for the suggestions, Debbie .
I usually like books that have a sense of humor ,but also like ones that can be serious in spots so that it teaches me something about Life that I need to learn ( or at my age, , maybe RE-learn !
For some reason, I like more male than female authors . I don't go for much romance ,but a little tossed in is ok .
I also like the adventure-type stories such as Robinson Crusoe ,Treasure Island and those types .

[Debbie]

Julie wrote: "Debbie wrote: "Hi Julie, I've read and loved classics since my teenage years. I suggest you think about what kind of genre you usually like to read and then get recommendations. There are so many a..."

Henry Fielding is very good for a bit of bawdy comedy (Tom Jones, Joseph Andrews). Thomas Hardy is one of my favourites, he chronicles the harshness of life at his time perfectly as does Elizabeth Gaskell. Charles Dickens is a firm favourite, earlier novels more comedic and later novels definitely heavy on the social commentary.
I too have yet to try any Trollpe, I've added his Palliser series to my series challenge.
In MHO you can't beat Alexandre Dumas for a bit of swashbuckling, furious paced adventure, The Count of Monte Cristo and the Man in the Iron mask are tremendous and the 3 Musketeers I remember as amusing too.
As always the book lover's dilemma is too many books and not enough time. Hope you find something you enjoy. x

[[deleted user]]

Hi Debbie
I'll definitely look up Fielding and Hardy . I have yet to try either one .
I do have a few of Gaskell's books , in fact, have been slowly working my way through Cranford. By slowly, I mean ,I listen to it before I fall asleep, which means I have yet to get beyond about 50 pages . I do like her writing ,though and watched the Cranford videos on youtube with Judi Dench . They were wonderful ! I was excited to see a couple of Downton's main actors in it also .

Thanks again for the comments. I'm writing down all the ideas I find in here for future reads .

[Debbie]

Julie wrote: "Hi Debbie
I'll definitely look up Fielding and Hardy . I have yet to try either one .
I do have a few of Gaskell's books , in fact, have been slowly working my way through Cranford. By slowly, I me..."

My pleasure, glad to be of help. Fortunately/ unfortunately the camaraderie on BV is infectious and the to-read list is getting longer and longer instead of shorter by the weight of other's recommendations. Thank God for the ebook, saved me buying another set of shelves since joining in January!!

[[deleted user]]

Yep, Debbie,
I use my Kindle all the time . It's pretty handy . I can carry around my whole library in my purse !
** NOTE

A bit TOO handy if you have a credit card and a Kindle.

About as dangerous as having a can of gasoline and some matches !

I've MELTED my credit card . :(

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Anna wrote: "I've not read many, and was thinking I might try a few in 2013.

So which ones do you think shouldn't be left unread?"

I'm not to classics and starting reading them in my early 30's. So far I loved Of Mice and Men, Animal Farm, Flowers for Algernon, The Catcher and the Rye, Gone with the Wind. I enjoyed Dracula, Jekyll & Hyde, and the Invisible Man. Didn't care much for A Separate Peace and Fahrenheit, and had to abandon Pride and Predjudice (So far Jane Austen isn't my style of writing, but will give her another chance.)

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Jean wrote: "Sam - I agree with Susan. A Tale of 2 Cities is NOT a good starting place for Dickens. I've just listened to it again as a complete audio book and was surprised how much the writing dragged in part..."

I have trouble staying in Great Expectations, my first Dickens to read. I have a lot of his stuff waiting to try. He is very wordy and kind of all over the place, but the story and writing style aren't atrocious. It could have been my mood too. I won't give up on him yet.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Atia wrote: "Definitely 1984 by George Orwell :))"

I'm planning to read that within a few weeks.

[Pat]

Thomas Hardy, although I was introduced to it at school. May not have liked it if I hadn't understood references etc.though.

[Sandy]

Erin, you may want to try Wilkie Collins. He was friends with Dickens and wrote several exceptional classic novels and short stories. His work is easier to follow than Dickens and as great character development without being too wordy.

[Erin *Proud Book Hoarder*]

Sandy wrote: "Erin, you may want to try Wilkie Collins. He was friends with Dickens and wrote several exceptional classic novels and short stories. His work is easier to follow than Dickens and as great characte..."

Thanks for the recommendation, haven't heard of him. Will keep him in mind.

[Daniel]

Les Miserables...imo a deeper and more enriching reading experience than War and Peace.

Don Quixote - even if you don't know about the knightly sags this is a superb read.

[Jason]

I have nearly finished The Count of Monte Cristo next classic I will read is Anna Karenina

[Jazzy]

There are so many!

My absolute favourite book ever EVER

Les Misérables

and following close behind

War and Peace

oh i see i have answered this before.

[Jo]

Anna K is amazing. Plus The Way We Live Now - I urge you to read this on our November monthly read!!!

I must read War and Peace one day. And Les Mis.

[Maureen]

Jo wrote: "Anna K is amazing. Plus The Way We Live Now - I urge you to read this on our November monthly read!!!

I must read War and Peace one day. And Les Mis."

Big books are really daunting to me. I wouldn't attempt Les Misérablesor War and Peace. But I may try The Way We Live Now

[Jazzy]

I read Les Misérables over 5 months and War and Peace over 11, although that was 2 months longer than planned as I was doing a buddy read and had to wait for her to catch up. Don't be daunted by the size. Read other books as well that are shorter. The journey is the exciting part. I didn't want them to end!

[Pat]

I keep thinking about War and peace too. Anna Karenina was long but I zipped through it as I found it a page turner.

[Jason]

Just finished The Count of Monte Cristo was a bit of a chore at times but enjoyed it in the end.

[Maggie the Muskoka Library Mouse]

I was surprised at how much I enjoyed "Vanity Fair." It was a good read, and quite witty. :) Becky Sharp is a delightfully nasty character.

[Annika]

Margaret wrote: "I was surprised at how much I enjoyed "Vanity Fair." It was a good read, and quite witty. :) Becky Sharp is a delightfully nasty character."

With the phrase "delightfully nasty", you have inspired me to finally read Vanity Fair next year, Margaret.

[Jason]

Don Quixote is a must read, mainly cos it is referenced in so many other books and on TV, will help you get what they are going on about.

[Annika]

Jason wrote: "Don Quixote is a must read, mainly cos it is referenced in so many other books and on TV, will help you get what they are going on about."

Don Quixote is on my Want to Read shelf. The Newsroom mentioned Don Quixote throughout all three seasons. If it's good enough for Sorkin it's good enough for me. :P

[Pat]

Hated Don Quixote. We can't agree on everything Jason. Please exclude Virginia Woolf too in that statement. I like her books. i texted my friend today and we both reckon we are the only people in the world who like Virginia Woolf, our favourite was To the lighthouse. Sorry Jason.

[Jason]

I never said Don Quixote was great, I gave it 3* but I think it is a must read, just to understand references to it. I only read it because of the Johnny Depp film the ninth gate.

To the lighthouse is another matter, I think even Harry Potter is better than that.

[Pat]

Oh no. I like Harry Potter. Let's agree on Thursday Next books and ignore the rest.

[Jason]

Oh dear, following this logic you must also love 50 shades of grey. :)

[Pat]

Nope. We are back on track, Jason. Yippee.

[Saffron]

My Great Aunt insisted I read Tess of the D'Urbervilles as it is her favourite book. I remember getting to the end and hating everything about it, I was disgusted with Hardy for his treatment of Tess. I was in my early 20's back then and just didn't get the complexities. However about 20 years later I can still to this day remember the whole story, how it made me feel and the whole plight of women back in Hardys time. So now I too agree with my Great Aunt, it really is a true classic and I still blame Angel Clare even though Alec is the evil villain.

Great Expectations is also one of my all time favourites, It is such a well rounded story with some delicious characters (Dickens must have loved people watching) I have always loved Estella as a strong female role and Magwitch is also a favourite.

Wuthering Heights Is such a dark book, I read it one night when I couldn't sleep, I could not put it down, that it was written by a woman of the time is phenomenal too.

The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald for me writes in technicolour, I adore his descriptive writing and Jay Gatsby is such a sweetheart.

My all time favourite is Jane Eyre but then I think that has almost become a cliche to say that nowadays, I know a lot of men tend to yawn loudly when you state this. The same with Jane Austen, I loved every one of her books but my Husband managed about 50 pages of S&S and nearly died of boredom, yet he read the whole of A Brave New World in a day.

As with any list it's always personal preference.