Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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Please Introduce Yourself
I just joined, I'm Karen from Massachusetts, I am 56 yrs old with a husband and son.My favorite author is William Faulkner. I also love F.Scott Fitzgerald and just finished The Great Gatsby for the third time. I also love Kerouac and I know, I should read more women. My next novel I have in mind is The Unbearable Lightness of Being, by Kundera. I look forward to hearing about what you all are reading and what you think!
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Kathy wrote: "Welcome, Karen. Glad to have you as part of the group. Sounds like you have read some great books -- you should fit right in with the group."Great, thanks!!
Hi Karen! I just read 'the unbearable lightness of being' for the 'collecting dust July challenge' in this group. I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it! :)
Hi, I'm Peter. I live west of Chicago, and my reading ranges widely. This summer I'm trying to finish Ulysses, an endeavor 30+ years in the making. I re-read King Lear and then I followed it up with Christopher Moore's Fool. I'm right about in the middle of A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah, and I've just finished the first book in Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series--I think I'm going to read them all!
Linnea wrote: "Hi Karen! I just read 'the unbearable lightness of being' for the 'collecting dust July challenge' in this group. I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it! :)"Oh good! I'm looking forward to it then!
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Glad to have you in the group. I think I might read the Barsoom series before I go with Ulysses. Sounds like a good idea.
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On my list -- I'm moving it up to read sooner now.
Kathy wrote: "Linnea wrote: "Hi Karen! I just read 'the unbearable lightness of being' for the 'collecting dust July challenge' in this group. I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on it!..."I'm going to start it next week,I'm trying to write a review of The Great Gatsby, my favorite, and I can't adequately do it. I may give up.
Kendall from Texas. Very glad to find a group reading Anna Karenina at the same time I am. I buckled down to read it at this particular time because there were four references to it by other authors within a period of one week in the podcasts I listen to. It was fate's way of saying, "Read it now."I consume a lot of non-fiction (history) in audio form, fiction in written form. Aside from reading and work, I spend much time rehearsing and performing as a brass musician. Then running and CrossFit.
Hi Kendall! What instrument do you play? I wish that I could play an instrument.
French horn in orchestra and brass quintet, tenor horn in British brass band.
Wow! You are an accomplished musician! Proficient on several instruments too!
Hello! I'm Teresa from Austria. I am currently spending my summer in London as an au-pair to improve my English and thought I would like to catch up to some English classics. I have read most of them in German but I'd like to reread the original material! I am looking forward to get to know some new books as well :)
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Hi everyone. My name is Jorge and I live in Curaçao (feel free to google it :P). I just happen to have taken a break from reading Anna Karenina at the end of the first part and am currently reading Robinson Crusoe, but as soon as I am done I'll start again with the former.
Besides reading, I enjoy movies, going out for lunch/dinner and just hanging out. I'm finishing a degree in English, but already teach at a vocational school.
I look forward to participate in discussions and being an active member.
Welcome Jorge!! As you likely have already surmised our group has some lively, yet friendly, discussions.
I saw your post within a different topic, stating that is is normal to learn and speak multiple languages in Curacao. I wish the same was true within the United States. I did not have an opportunity to take a foreign language until high school and now have forgotten much of it because I did not have anyone to converse with. It would make so much more sense to teach all children a second language beginning in elementary school. That is just my perspective anyway.
Anyway Jorge, I think your written English is very good, which is the point I was eventually getting to! :-)
I saw your post within a different topic, stating that is is normal to learn and speak multiple languages in Curacao. I wish the same was true within the United States. I did not have an opportunity to take a foreign language until high school and now have forgotten much of it because I did not have anyone to converse with. It would make so much more sense to teach all children a second language beginning in elementary school. That is just my perspective anyway.
Anyway Jorge, I think your written English is very good, which is the point I was eventually getting to! :-)
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Thank you, Lisa and Bob. Lisa wrote: "Welcome Jorge!! As you likely have already surmised our group has some lively, yet friendly, discussions.
I saw your post within a different topic, stating that is is normal to learn and speak mu..."
Children almost effortlessly absorb a second language, so starting in elementary school makes a lot of sense. The question would be, would children (or their parents) be able to choose from a particular set of languages or would they be offered one? If the former, which languages? Spanish? French? What would the criteria be?
Hi I'm Miriam. I was a part of this group a while back and because of school could not precipitate in the discussions. So, I am re-introducing myself and saying hi and that I'm looking forward to reading along with you guys once again.
@ Jorge
You make some very good points and unfortunately there aren't any easy answers. Finding ways to fund additional classes would likely problematic as well. I guess it was just more wishful thinking on my part.
@ Miriam
Welcome back to the group!! :-)
You make some very good points and unfortunately there aren't any easy answers. Finding ways to fund additional classes would likely problematic as well. I guess it was just more wishful thinking on my part.
@ Miriam
Welcome back to the group!! :-)
Hi, there. I'm Zheng from China. Nice to join this group to discover and discuss classic books. I love literature books, both Chinese and Western. I also read a little about culture and linguist. My hobbies include jigsaw and stretching around. And I started a McDonald's Collection recently.(^_^)
Welcome Miriam, Maya and Cheng to the group. I hope you have good times in here :).
Jorge wrote: "The question would be, would children (or their parents) be able to choose from a particular set of languages or would they be offered one? If the former, which languages? Spanish? French? What would the criteria be?"In most (?) countries schools offer maybe 2-4 languages depending on their size and the parents can choose from them with their children. Even my small school offered French and German and that was already our third foreign language.
Hi, I just joined yesterday. I was so excited to see a group that has monthly book picks. I've been an avid reader of the classics since my undergraduate days (too many years ago to admit!)
My favorite books are classic women's literature and Victorian/Edwardian literature. I was totally swooning when I saw the pics for this month - right up my alley!
I am also a writer and am working on revising 2 novels right now to hopefully self-publish within the next year or so. I write contemporary fiction/women's fiction (no romantic relationship in it, though), so I felt a little guilty that I don't really read contemporary fiction. But I'm ready to embrace my guilty pleasure and use it to better myself as a writer.
My other hobbies are cooking and watching classic films.
Tam
Hi Tam!Don't feel bad about not reading contemporaries. I read very little of it myself.
I have started to read more contemporaries during the last few months. There are just so many interesting ones out there, I don't know where to start.
hi everyone...Jorge you make a good point. so much easier for elementary students to learn new languages. But of course resources (money) are always a problem. I think it would be great if exchange students and colleges kids from foreign countries spent some time in elementary schools exposing little ones to their native languages. It would be invaluable for all the kids, great experience for the foreign student (could earn credit and maybe even a little money) and economical for the school district. as far as what language, there are probably no bad choices, but in the southern US especially Spanish would be a logical choice. And probably some of us better start learning Chinese.
Nancy wrote: "hi everyone...Jorge you make a good point. so much easier for elementary students to learn new languages. But of course resources (money) are always a problem. I think it would be great if exchange..."Where I'm from, some elementary schools are starting to hire in English teachers to come teach a couple of hours a week. Maybe there are elementary schools that also do that in the States, but for what would be a foreign/second language there (like Spanish).
To my mind, Spanish also seems to be the logical choice to make, especially in the Southern part of the states as you pointed out.
I read somewhere that in California, they are using Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL); so for example, the students get an hour of math taught in English, and then another hour of math (same lesson) taught in Spanish. I think they are mainly focusing on Spanish speaking immigrant children, but perhaps it will grow into something bigger. Have you heard of it?
Nancy wrote: "But of course resources (money) are always a problem."I've understood that for example Finland spends less money per student than USA does, and I studied three languages in the comprehensive school, four in the upper secondary school...
I actually read somewhere that Spanish wouldn't be a good choice for Americans because the Hispanic population will always be better at it.
Hello, everyone! My name is Symone, and I am from Chicago, Illinois! I have been a book lover ever since I was a little girl. I love different types of books, but I like classic books the best.I have been a member of Goodreads since June of this year, and I am so happy that I have found other bookworms like me. Happy reading!
Hello I'm Marsha - I love classic novels and used to read them exclusively (trying to expand my reading palate a bit lately). My favourites are Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Hardy, Steinbeck, etc. So many authors, so little time - love my 19th century Russian authors the most but I'm up for almost anything classical.
I just joined this group! I love to read! I enjoy all types of books, but love classics. My husband and I own two businesses. I am blessed to be the mother of a lovely young woman and two very crazy, hyperactive, German Shorthaired Pointer puppies! Sometimes I have lots of free time to read and other times I don't have a free moment for weeks.
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Missed you! Glad to see you are back.
And welcome to all of our newest members too. So nice to see that our group is still growing. Happy reading all.
Hello, everyone. I'm Andee, from Iowa but going to college in Kentucky for history and criminal justice. I love reading and discovering classics. I have read many but also have many more to read. My friends and family don't read so it will be nice to have a community of people who enjoy reading the good works of the past.
Hi Andee!I just joined this group around the last wk of April. I enjoy it.
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Hi, I'm Paul! I live and study in Oslo. I've seen several of my Goodreads friends commenting in this group, so I though I'd give it a try. Got interested in the classics (whatever that means) about 3 years ago, and I'm slowly making my way through them!
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Thanks Kathy. My favourites so far are undoubtedly The Brothers Karamazov, The Stranger and East of Eden!
Hi, I'm Lori. Originally from Glasgow, Scotland but have lived in London my whole adult life. I'm hoping that this group will help me read those classic books on my tbr as I keep putting them off.
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Hi, I'm Alisia. I have been on GoodReads for a few years, but just joined this group. I am currently focusing on reading ancient classics, and I just started the Epic of Gilgamesh. My favorite classics are slightly more modern than that. :-) A few of the classics I adore are A Tale of Two Cities, anything by John Steinbeck, Tale of Genji, Anna Karenina, and Pride and Prejudice.
The Handmaid's Tale is my absolute favorite book of all time, so I was happy to see it as this month's New Classics group read! I am a big Atwood fan.
Welcome Alisia!! We are so glad you decided to join in on our current book discussions.
Me, too @Alisia! Margaret Atwood is great! Did you hear that HBO has picked up the rights to the MaddAddam trilogy?
Kirsten wrote: "Me, too @Alisia! Margaret Atwood is great! Did you hear that HBO has picked up the rights to the MaddAddam trilogy?"Lol, I just commented on your post about Year of the Flood. :) I hadn't heard about HBO, how interesting! Although, I must admit I usually can't stand apocalyptic rampant virus plots. Especially hemorrhagic ones! Reading the three books in the trilogy back-to-back really messed with my mind...I kept having the worst dreams!
Hello! I'm Rachel and I recently joined GoodReads. I also recently joined this group to (hopefully) encourage me to read more classics!
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Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
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Your 'about me' on your profile is very funny. The bad library user, and skillz comments made me crack up :D