Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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Please Introduce Yourself
Mod
Welcome to Linsey & Neisha! This is a fun group. Relaxed and everyone seems so nice. Hope you can read & discuss some books with us.
I'm a Torontonian, and I don't really discriminate based on genre (except when it comes to mystery...mystery's always awesome). My favourite book is probably The Left Hand of Darkness.Hoping that this group is still active despite that the last post on this particular thread is dated to last year September.
March wrote: "I'm a Torontonian, and I don't really discriminate based on genre (except when it comes to mystery...mystery's always awesome). My favourite book is probably The Left Hand of Darkness...."Hi March! I hope you can see this response - maybe your browser isn't bringing you to the end? Last post is today, not last September :). I recall you posting in the 'what are you reading now' thread (b/c your name and your book matched heh). Welcome :))
Ndiritu wrote: "Kathy wrote: "1263 members. Just looked1 Wow, seems that just a couple weeks ago we were celebrating our 1000th member. Growing fast."This is great progress. Hope more members continue to join."
Update since 16 hrs ago (lol) ~
1,300 members, last active 3 minutes ago
So cool. Hope many of our newest members decide to stay and join in some group reads :))
Shanna wrote: "Hi All--I'm Shanna. I actually had no idea that Goodreads had book clubs until I accidentally stumbled across this group. I've been trying to get back into the classics and I'm glad to find a gro..."
Cool! Glad you found us, then, Shanna. Welcome, and I hope you enjoy it :)
Hi everyone, I'm Marleny from Brooklyn, NY. I'm a stay at home mother of an 11yo and 14yo. I am in my tenth year (yikes! that long!) of volunteering at my children's public elementary school library. I love reading, biking, walking and traveling. My favorite books are fiction, classic and fantasy. I recently finished Greenwitch by Cooper, Shadow of the Wind and am now reading Gone Girl and will soon start reading An Abundance of Katherines by Green.
Oh wow, yeah I see them now. No idea why I didn't before.
Hi everyone! I'm Jim. I am retired and live in West Virginia and enjoy duplicate bridge and the outdoors. I've been reading a lot in the last decade or so and I enjoy variety in my reading which is mostly fiction. I really like mystery/crime and especially police procedurals.About a year ago I decided to make a concerted effort to read more classics, something which I've been neglecting in all these years of reading. Some of the books I have read in the last year are Great Expectations, A Tale Of Two Cities, North and South, The Woman in White, Crime and Punishment, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Road, Madame Bovary, Les Miserables and Clarissa.
I have enjoyed all of those but especially the last two. Les Miserables is my favorite of all time. I plan to read it again soon in a different translation. Clarissa is an epistolary by Samuel Richardson and I just loved it. It seems to me that it doesn't receive its just due when classics are discussed.
I expect to be removed from this group soon since I am not a frequent poster. I am not a book reviewer or literary critic and I don't consider myself particularly articulate. In short, I am a reader not a writer.
Mod
Welcome. Glad to have you here. Looks like you just finished some great books.
Mod
Welcome, Jim. We are just fine with those of our members that just like to read. We don't remove our members because they are quiet. It takes all kinds.
March wrote: "Oh wow, yeah I see them now. No idea why I didn't before."Well, I'm glad we got that sorted! :D
Gronk wrote: "...I expect to be removed from this group soon since I am not a frequent poster. I am not a book reviewer or literary critic and I don't consider myself particularly articulate. In short, I am a reader not a writer. "wut!? No, you wouldn't get removed from the group :). Participate as the fancy strikes you :). Hopefully, you'll find some reads that you'll be interested in joining in on, but no worries. There's not a 'minimum post # requirement'. :D
Oh good, I see Kathy already told you that. Exactly so. Welcome, and enjoy :)
Gronk wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm Jim. I am retired and live in West Virginia and enjoy duplicate bridge and the outdoors. I've been reading a lot in the last decade or so and I enjoy variety in my reading which is..."I am impressed that you have read a wide collection. I raced with excitement when you mentioned Les Miserables, crime and punishment, Madame Bovary, Great Expectations, A Tale Of Two Cities, and the The Count of Monte Cristo. These classics happen to among my best read. I should read Clarissa though.
Hello,I am unfamiliar with how Goodreads works, but have been wanting to find a group who read and discusses classic literature.
I live in Las Vegas and Boise. I'm teaching myself how to sew and garden and am an empty nester with two dogs as replacement children.
I like almost anything that is easy to read, but want to challenge myself to read more difficult material and make my literary background more well-rounded.
I have to qualify that with saying that I am not comfortable reading material that is written with very graphic violent or disturbing sexual (rape, incest) content, so I will tend to stay from some of that material.
I guess the next book start date is May 1st for To Kill A Mockingbird, which I am looking forward to. How does this work? Do we read one-fourth of the book a week and then come back to discuss it? Or is it more like read and post as you go?
Hi, Julie, welcome :)We are very relaxed, the book threads always remain open, so you can read as best fits your schedule. They're open for past reads, too. Please feel free to post your thoughts on any of the book discussions :-).
Yes, To Kill a Mockingbird is one of our upcoming May reads. I'm looking forward to that as well! Somehow, I've managed to never have read it before.
We are trying a quarterly long read for the first time (War and Peace. For that one, there is a tentative weekly breakdown of pages, but that is really more for 'pacing'purposes, to help budget the reading over the three months, to make it a bit more manageable.
Nominations for our June reads (Old School Classics, Contemporary Classics, and Revisit the Shelf) are open thru the 15th, if there are titles you'd like to nominate for group reads :-)).
No worries about not reading material you don't like. One of our current month's reads (A Clockwork Orange) does contain much of what you mention I've read (I haven't started yet myself), so I'd recommend steering clear of that one, for sure.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask. Welcome, again!
Mod
We have a wide variety of books. But stick to the classics label. So there should be plenty here that should suit you. Never feel like you have to read a selection.
Glad to have you here.
I think I could handle A Clockwork Orange. There's not much I won't read, but a book like The Bluest Eye would be a problem for me. How do you read and discuss with everyone reading at a different pace?
MK wrote: "Hi, Julie, welcome :)
We are very relaxed, the book threads always remain open, so you can read as best fits your schedule. They're open for past reads, too. Please feel free to post your thoughts..."
Kathy wrote: "Welcome Julie. I'm assuming Las Vegas in the winter and Boise in the spring. But both are hot during the summer. I'm in Middleton, Idaho. Big town, ha ha. We have a wide variety of books. But sti..."
That's great that you are so close. I'm actually in Caldwell. I'm really loving it up here. Everyone is so nice.
Julie wrote: "I think I could handle A Clockwork Orange. There's not much I won't read, but a book like The Bluest Eye would be a problem for me. How do you read and discuss with everyone reading at a different pace? "
There are separate threads, one for 'first impressions' that don't contain any 'spoilers' (discussions of what happens in the novel), and another (sometimes more than one) that you post in as you read, or after you read, that does contain 'spoilers'.
I'll post the links to each of our currently reading book folders, you can see what I mean:
Contemporary Classic April 2014 Read - Slaughterhouse Five
Old School Classic April 2014 Read - The Scarlet Letter
Revisit the Shelf April 2014 Read - A Clockwork Orange
Long Read Classic 2nd Quarter Read - War & Peace
In my case, I'm staying current with the War & Peace pace, but I only just finished the March reads, so I haven't yet started the April reads. But some other people are already done. So they already have posted away, and I will wait until I start :).
Mod
We have a wide variety of ..."
If you are in Caldwell, we are really close. Probably less than 10 miles. I could bike over. :)
Hi everybody!I am Veronica, from Italy. My passion for reading started when I was a child and never stopped. In my spare time, I love reading classics, biographies, modern history books, and I sometimes try modern literature. Looking forward to get even more reading inspiration in this group. :)
Hi Julia, welcome! Hopefully some of our reads will coincide with your Time Magazine 100 best novels reading list :)
Hi, I'm Tanika from the UK. I read a lot of classics as a child in primary school, hoping to rediscover some old favourites and tackle some classics that secondary school destroyed for me without the resentfulness of canned, recited interpretations. (GCSE English destroyed Of Mice & Men for me). Was very much into Dickens & Austen (and yes, did enjoy Wide Sargasso Sea, which someone mentioned). I also love French classics - Candide, Les Misérables, Dangerous Liaisons, and am currently reading L'Étranger. Also confess an obsession with the Discworld series and other children's books that are sometimes wasted on children :)
XxX
Hi! My name is Rachel, I'm 20 years old and I'm a medical biochemistry student at universityI realised that since being at uni I'd hardly had time to read anything and so I've been making a real conscious effort this year to rediscover my love for reading
Looking forward to tackling some of the classics around my busy student life (aka - drinking too much, injuring myself playing lacrosse and doing essays last minute)
Much love!!
Rachel
Choral wrote: "Hello everyone, Since this seems like an incredibly friendly group maybe it’s time to introduce myself as well. I’m Kara, a student from London, UK. In between studying lengthy case reports two ..."
Walking with an audiobook sounds lovely! I should try that
Hi, Tanika and Rachel! Welcome to you both :).Julia, fantastic! Looking forward to seeing you there :D
Hello! My name is Kaitlyn.I'm a student at the University of Colorado Boulder studying English Lit and Education. I'm new to GoodReads and really need to read some of the classics I missed out on. I'm excited to join the group!
We're excited to have you! Welcome, Kaitlyn :)
Mod
Welcome to Veronica, Julia, Tanika, Rachel, & Kaitlyn!
Hi! My name is Morgan, I live in Michigan and I am a freshmen in High School.I really enjoy classics! (Yes, there are 15 year olds who enjoy classics! And I am one of them). I haven't read many classics and decided that joining a classics group would be the perfect way to counteract that! My most recent classic I went through was,A Tale of Two Cities, and am now going through Jane Eyre!
Morgan wrote: "Hi! My name is Morgan, I live in Michigan and I am a freshmen in High School.I really enjoy classics! (Yes, there are 15 year olds who enjoy classics! And I am one of them). I haven't read many cl..."Hi Morgan! That is pretty awesome, I have to say. Good for you :)). Welcome, and we are glad to have you. Looking forward to reading some books with you.
Happy reading with your Jane Eyre!
Cathy wrote: "...The list is endless. Where are you from and what do you like to read? Life is really to short to read anything you don't like -- no matter how how good they are for you. I read most all genres so if you give some specifics, I can perhaps help you with a list..."Oh, I almost forgot to reply.
at first, thanks for recommending those books, I'll look through them and might add them to my list if I find them appealing.
I'm from Europe, Austria to be specific. To be honest, I haven't really found my favorite genre yet.. I'm still a teenager and I haven't really read much. But I like protagonists who are weird and crazy (Fight Club, for example), but it could be any genre. I also wanna try every genre, even though I probably won't like chick lit and YA so much.
Essentially I enjoy books about psyche and philosophy, books that get me thinking about those topics
Hello, my name is Eric. Within the past 6 years I've enjoyed some classics. I've wanted to start reading War and Peace for a few years now, but I haven't made the time. I noticed it was one of the current reads in this group, so that was my initial reason to join.I currently work for a Class 1 railroad as a freight conductor. I have a Secondary English Education degree and certification to teach in the state of Pennsylvania. I enjoy basketball, music (however, I am not a musician), hiking, and fishing.
A few of my favorite authors are Stephen King, Raymond Chandler, and Edgar Allan Poe. Margaret Atwood, Charles Dickens, and Kurt Vonnegut are three authors I'd like to further read.
And Kathy, thanks for the warm welcome!
Hi Eric! Welcome :)Yes, we've only just begun on War and Peace. Looking forward to having you join the discussion!
We are currently reading Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five. Maybe you'll join us for that read too :) (And, I am also currently reading Atwood's Oryx and Crake - I like your taste in books *grin*)
Hi Everyone. I'm Sheila and I live in Colorado. I have a daughter, Lindsay who just turned 18 and I'm a single parent. I work as an Office Manager for a small local company. I have read some of the classics but would like to challenge myself to read the ones that I haven't read before. I'm relatively new to GoodReads and I'm happy to have found a group where I can share my love of books.
Hi!My name's Felicia. I'm an English Literature graduate working as a news reporter right now.
I haven't read any classics this year, Oops! Although Slaughterhouse Five is on my list, so maybe I'll jump into that group read 15 days late!
Hi, Felicia! Welcome :)No worries about 'late', I'm only just getting started on that one myself ;-). Jump in at any time, the water's fine :D
Hi all, I'm Caity and I joined this group because at one time I wanted to be a Lit major and my first day in the classic American literature class the teacher asked what everyone's favorite books were and as they all shouted out famous classics, I realized that I had no clue what half of them were.
Long story short, now I prefer classic literature as the writing is so beautiful and different from what we find in contemporary works, though I do enjoy Wally Lamb, and Memoirs of a Geisha was incredible.
My hobbies are art, animals, outdoor activities like surfing and tennis, singing, photography, music and I'm learning a couple of instruments. I'm in Southern California. Great to meet you all!
Mod
My name is Doreen, I live in Boston, MA and am the proud fur-mom to 3 kitties. I'm so happy reading and my main interests are history, biographies and politics. I have started adding an occassional classic here and there and my favorite author so far in this genre is Nathaniel Hawthorne. Really looking forward to being a part of this group and hopefully adding something to a discussion!
Hi, Doreen! Welcome. We are reading a Hawthorne title this month (The Scarlet Letter). I hope you will join us for the discussion. :)
Thank you very much MK! I just finished reading The Scarlet Letter about a month ago so I'm sure I'll enjoy the discussion!
Mod
It's nice to meet everyone! My name is Stephanie and I come from the far, wintry lands of North Dakota. I am a soon-to-be graduate of the University of North Dakota with a degree in English and Psychology. As can be assumed from my degree, I love to read and to be given the opportunity to discuss important literature amongst those who share my similar interests. I look forward to getting the opportunity to read some of the long forgotten classics on my bookshelf while getting to meet new friends!
Hi Stephanie! I'm new here too. I used to go to college north of you in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan so I feel your pain at the winters. I have been through North Dakota on a Greyhound bus coming home for Christmas vaca and it really is a very beautiful and peaceful part of the country.
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Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
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Thanks, Cathy! And ... IT IS! :P (just wait, you'll see. lol)
Also, hello to Lindsey and Neisha! Welcome :)
Lindsey, Princess Bride is one of my husband's favorite movies (I don't think he's read the book tho)!. And Neisha -- cool on the banned books list! You should post it down below in one of the folders. I bet others might have fun joining you in that quest :D