Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
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Please Introduce Yourself
Judy wrote: "Hi, I'm Judy!I'm a real-live grownup from Silicon Valley where I write novel-length... technical manuals. My claim to fame is that I lost on Jeopardy! Really.
I've always liked the classics & ha..."
Welcome to the group Judy! I'm sure you'll find all the classics and discussions to your liking. I'm glad to hear that the best book you've read lately is As I Lay Dying since its on my TBR list. Happy reading!
Hi Judy, welcome to the group :) Hope you find some classics to join us with, even old ones! I haven't read As I lay dying yet. Picked it up a few months ago, but didn't get very far and put it down again. I'll try again one day!
Hi,I'm Jason. I like to read everything, but haven't read as many of the classics as I would like. This looks like the perfect group for me. I can't wait to join in. Looking forward to start reading Dracula with everyone in October!
Jason wrote: "Hi,I'm Jason. I like to read everything, but haven't read as many of the classics as I would like. This looks like the perfect group for me. I can't wait to join in. Looking forward to start ..."
Welcome Jason! This is the place for, pun intended, "Catching up on the Classics"! Good books, discussions and members here! Happy reading and enjoy!
Thanks Loretta! I can't wait to dive in.
Hi Jason, welcome to the group. Dracula is a great choice for October, I'm glad you'll be joining us :)
Hello, I'm Darrell and I'm from New Zealand :)I'm a working mum so I don't have much spare time to read, but have been reading Jane Eyre.
I like that this group had more than one book they are reading, so there is more to choose from.
Look forward to maybe meeting some of you.
Darrell
Hi Darrell, glad you've decided to join our group. I love Jane Eyre, so hope you're enjoying it too. I agree it's good to have more than one book to choose from each month, it makes it easier for everyone to pick and choose what suits them most. I look forward to getting to know you more, jump into any discussions that interest you :)
Mod
Fancy meeting you here Darrell-marie! I'm glad you took my suggestion to check out this classics group. You'll find that all of the members of this group are very engaging and not like the other group, at all! You'll be able to ask your questions about Jane Eyre and believe me, this is the place to get answers because there are many Jane Austen fans here (me included!) to answer you. I'm so happy you're here! Enjoy!
Loretta, it looks like you've been recruiting ;) The more the merrier! We have a great active group of people here, plenty of whom will answer questions and readily join in discussions. Some of us have similar book tastes, some completely different, but I think that makes the group diverse in it's group reads and conversations.
Pink wrote: "Loretta, it looks like you've been recruiting ;) The more the merrier! We have a great active group of people here, plenty of whom will answer questions and readily join in discussions. Some of us ..."I've just been telling a few "friends" that this group has nice members and that they read good books and have good discussions.
I agree that there is a whole world of different readers and people out there! Thank God! It makes the discussions of books that much more interesting! Wouldn't you say?!
Hi, I'm Jessica. I'm from Indonesia.
I'm a university student so I don't really have time to read for leisure but I'm trying. I currently read Dickens David Copperfield. Thank you Kathy for the warm invite.
I'm a university student so I don't really have time to read for leisure but I'm trying. I currently read Dickens David Copperfield. Thank you Kathy for the warm invite.
Jessica wrote: "Hi, I'm Jessica. I'm from Indonesia.I'm a university student so I don't really have time to read for leisure but I'm trying. I currently read Dickens David Copperfield. Thank you Kathy for the war..."
Hi and welcome Jessica! Glad you've joined the group! Enjoy and happy reading!
Loretta, I'm glad you enjoy the group enough to share it with other friends, that's good to hear :) Welcome Jessica! I'm severely lacking in my reading of Dickens, but I think David Copperfield was his personal favourite and considered one of his best. Hope you're enjoying it. I'm sure university life keeps you busy, join in with our book discussions whenever you have time, there's no pressure :)
David Copperfield was my favorite Dickens book. I read it several times when I was a kid. I'd like to reread it now and see if I still feel the same.
Pink wrote: "Loretta, I'm glad you enjoy the group enough to share it with other friends, that's good to hear :) Welcome Jessica! I'm severely lacking in my reading of Dickens, but I think David Copperfield w..."
Thank you Pink!
Thanks for the welcomes Loretta, Pink, and Bob. Welcome to all my fellow new members. About Classics I just finished The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, one of my favorite classic authors. I should have The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft, another favorite author, finished tonight. It's so far one of my favorites by Lovecraft. Lots of action happening in it. Very creepy. It's a little slow at first but then gets real creepy. It's the first glimpse of the Old Ones (how can one be plural?)
RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Thanks for the welcomes Loretta, Pink, and Bob. Welcome to all my fellow new members. About Classics I just finished The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, one of my f..."
Thanks for letting me know about The Dunwich Horror. I'll have to check it out!
RachelvlehcaR wrote: "I should have The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft, another favorite author" HP Lovecraft totally freaks me out. I've never read any of his work, but I did a little podcast on him and it disturbed me so much I haven't been able to pick up any of his works. How bad is it really?
Jason wrote: "RachelvlehcaR wrote: "I should have The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft, another favorite author" HP Lovecraft totally freaks me out. I've never read any of his work, but I did a little podcas..."
Jason wrote: "RachelvlehcaR wrote: "I should have The Dunwich Horror by H.P. Lovecraft, another favorite author"
HP Lovecraft totally freaks me out. I've never read any of his work, but I did a little podcas..."
Really? You're creeping me out a little Jason! LOL
Loretta wrote: "Really? You're creeping me out a little Jason! LOL"Boo! :-)
It was a request from a listener. I only did one episode on him, that guy was seriously disturbing!
Lovecraft has had a very rough life. He didn't have much of a chance since both of his parents suffered from mental issues. Both parents died in mental institutions. His rock was his grandfather and when his grandfather passed away life was way worst for him. He suffered from major anxiety. I've always thought that Lovecraft had autism or suffered from bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and possibly a combination of any of them. He had a very difficult time being around people and making friends, however when he made friends he was most loyal (well, with letters to them). His views on life are pretty extreme. His nightmares/night terrors as a child were what paved the way to many of his stories and the birth of the Cthulhu.
We needed minds like his to change the literary world. Very twisted stories and different.
The Dunwich Horror is one of his most action packed stories. It's for sure a creepy one. It is very descriptive and I can for sure tell that he was highly influenced by Poe and I can even see some Mark Twain in there with how he used some of the characters.
In At the Mountains of Madness I can really tell how he used his influences of Poe, from Poe's story The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket and Verne's story An Antarctic Mystery. I read them both this year and totally see the connections. It was interesting to read these to get a picture of how each of them influenced each other. Poe wrote Pym which Jules really liked and wrote an antarctic mystery, which Lovecraft enjoyed both and it really shows in At the Mountains of Madness.
Listen to me go on and on... ;)
I suggest you first read The Beast in the Cave, it's a very short story. I'd like to see what you think of it.
RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Lovecraft has had a very rough life. He didn't have much of a chance since both of his parents suffered from mental issues. Both parents died in mental institutions. His rock was his grandfather..."RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Lovecraft has had a very rough life. He didn't have much of a chance since both of his parents suffered from mental issues. Both parents died in mental institutions. His rock was his grandfather..."
Thanks so much for the information you've provided!
RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Lovecraft has had a very rough life. He didn't have much of a chance since both of his parents suffered from mental issues. Both parents died in mental institutions. His rock was his grandfather..."Thanks RachelvlehcaR! Lots of great stuff there. You really know your authors!
I live in RI where Lovecraft is buried. Every year at his gravesite they have a ceremony. My stepdad is buried in that cemetery, so one of these days I'll have to go find his grave. He's buried in Swan Point cemetery in Providence.
RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Lovecraft has had a very rough life. He didn't have much of a chance since both of his parents suffered from mental issues. Both parents died in mental institutions. His rock was his grandfather..."This is great information! Thank you for posting :) I plan on reading At the Mountains of Madness for our October short story group read, so it's nice to learn a little more about Lovecraft's life. I haven't read anything by him, but now I really want to!
Loretta has been amazing, helping me get started on Jane Eyre and making me feel very welcome, thanks Loretta :)
RachelvlehcaR wrote: "Lovecraft has had a very rough life. He didn't have much of a chance since both of his parents suffered from mental issues. Both parents died in mental institutions. His rock was his grandfather..."Thanks for the info, RachelvlehcaR! I hope you share your insights on At the Mountains of Madness next month when it's one of the group reads. Lovecraft apart from being sick had also a lot of financial problems to deal with, the older he was the poorer he became, it's so sad. I can't wait, I've read some stories by him but too few by far.
Hello everyone!My real name is Marie-Sophie and I'm glad to be a part of this group! I'm a Bachelor student of English language and I'm also studying French and Russian. Apart from being a bookworm, I'm also a cinephile, a novice writer and a Shakespearean. I'm currently reading
and I can't wait to start reading the group's choices for this month!
Augustine wrote: "Hello everyone!My real name is Marie-Sophie and I'm glad to be a part of this group! I'm a Bachelor student of English language and I'm also studying French and Russian. Apart from being a bookwor..."
Hi Marie-Sophie! Welcome to Catching up on the Classics! I'm sure you'll enjoy the book selections and discussions! Enjoy and happy reading!
Darrell-marie wrote: "Loretta has been amazing, helping me get started on Jane Eyre and making me feel very welcome, thanks Loretta :)"Ah, shucks Darrell-marie! It's been my pleasure!
Hi Augustine/ Marie-Sophie, I'm glad you've joined. I'm planning on reading the first Larsson book soon...well one day! Anyway, hope you enjoy our group reads, I'll look forward to hearing your thoughts :)
Pink wrote: "Hi Augustine/ Marie-Sophie, I'm glad you've joined. I'm planning on reading the first Larsson book soon...well one day! Anyway, hope you enjoy our group reads, I'll look forward to hearing your tho..."Loretta wrote: "Augustine wrote: "Hello everyone!
My real name is Marie-Sophie and I'm glad to be a part of this group! I'm a Bachelor student of English language and I'm also studying French and Russian. Apart f..."
Thanks for the warm welcome:) Larsson's first novel needs some patience as the main story kicks in after the first 200 pages or so, but he has created such an amazing heroine that you need to read it mainly for that! Hope to check your thoughts when your read it!
Mod
Hi Abdullah, welcome to the group. I've enjoyed Things Fall Apart but haven't yet tackled Crime and Punishment. I hope you find the inspiration you need to get back on track with classics :)
Abdullah wrote: "Hi there,,I'm Abdullah Ali from Saudi Arabia. It's been long since I've read fiction. These days, I'm trying to revive my passion for literary works especially classics. I've started with "Things ..."
Hi Abdullah and welcome to Catching up on Classics! Wow! What a book to re-start your passion for classics! Crime and Punishment! Excellent choice! Happy reading and enjoy!
Hello, I'm Dawn. I hope to begin sharing in the group reads and discussions next month. I'm currently reading Bleak House, but I hope to finish it within a week or two. I'm also reading The Hobbit with my nephew, but we move slowly.
Welcome Dawn, glad you've joined us. Good luck finishing Bleak House and enjoy The Hobbit with your nephew, that must be fun to read together! Hope you enjoy our group and I'll look forward to discussing books with you soon :)
Dawn wrote: "Hello, I'm Dawn. I hope to begin sharing in the group reads and discussions next month. I'm currently reading Bleak House, but I hope to finish it within a week or two. I'm also readin..."Hi Dawn! Welcome! It's good to have you! I'm sure they'll be a book coming up next month that you can "sink your teeth into"! Enjoy and happy reading!
Hi everyone, I'm Ed from Charlotte, NC. I enjoy reading, running, playing tennis and playing the piano. There are so many great books that I have not read, and I'm pleased to find a group that shares that interest. Currently, I'm reading The Brothers Karamazov.
Ed wrote: "Hi everyone, I'm Ed from Charlotte, NC. I enjoy reading, running, playing tennis and playing the piano. There are so many great books that I have not read, and I'm pleased to find a group that shar..."Hi Ed and welcome to Catching up Classics! We're glad you're here! That's one book I'd love to read The Brothers Karamazov. I'm really impressed! Happy reading and enjoy!!
Welcome Ed, pleased to have you here. Hope you enjoy our group and Brothers Karamazov!
Hi, I'm Caitlin. I got excited as I read the list of your previous books because many of them I have already read and loved. I'm 21 and I joined because I want people to talk to about classic books.
Caitlin wrote: "Hi, I'm Caitlin. I got excited as I read the list of your previous books because many of them I have already read and loved. I'm 21 and I joined because I want people to talk to about classic books."Hi Caitlin and welcome! You picked a really good group for reading classics! The members here all love the classics and love to discuss them and to top it off, everyone is really nice! So happy reading and enjoy!
Hi Caitlin, welcome to the group :) I hope you join us for some more classic reads and discussions, new October books start tomorrow! Can't believe September is gone already!
Hi, I'm Angie. I was a member before and I hit the wrong group when I was clearing out my list.
Hi Angie, I'm glad you've joined/ re-joined! Hope you'll stay with us and join in with some of our group reads. We have a couple of festively creepy books for October, though we finally seem to be experiencing some Autumnal sunshine here in England, so I'm not in the mood for creepy reads yet! Anyway, I hope to chat with you more soon :)
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I'm a real-live grownup from Silicon Valley where I write novel-length... technical manuals. My claim to fame is that I lost on Jeopardy! Really.
I've always liked the classics & have the English degree to prove it. I read mostly big-L Literature, biographies, & hard scifi. If it was written before I was born it gets the side-eye. But those aren't steadfast rules or anything.
I have a whole bookshelf of Chinese lit & biographies, mostly 20th century, and everyone should read Life & Death in Shanghai. My favorite author these days is probably Theodore Dreiser, and the best book I've read lately has been As I Lay Dying.