Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion
Archived Chit Chat & All That
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My son is currently reading it for school. He actually read it 4 years ago on his own so it's interesting seeing what he remembers.
Renee wrote: "Thanks Andrea! I just picked it up, and got the Anne of Green Gables free special. ..."If anyone's interested, definitely get it today! It's part of the 20th Anniversary thing and will be back to normal price tomorrow.
https://www.audible.com/pd/Classics/A...
Just watched Murder on the Orient Express, I’ve never read Agatha Christie and I might now. One question:(view spoiler)
I'm in quite a pickle. I just finished The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Its one of the best books I've ever read. I got consumed by it. I neglected sleep, family, exercise, everything for it. I just couldn't stop reading. I hated the characters. Then I loved them. Then I sympathised with them, then I got angry with them. Then I got happy for them. Then I got disappointed.But now it is finished. What do I do?
Whatever I pick up now will disappoint. The next book I read can't possibly measure up.
Oh well. I think I will go a completely different direction. I'll try The Good Soldier by Ford Madox Ford. I've been meaning to read this for a while. 10 years or so.
Lars Martin wrote: "I'm in quite a pickle. I just finished The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen. Its one of the best books I've ever read. I got consumed by it. I neglected sleep, family, exercise, everything for it. I..."I liked The Corrections, too, Lars. Good luck on your reading The Good Soldier. I read Disgrace by JM Coetzee after The Corrections.
Mod
Never came across The Corrections before, Lars. I have added it to the TBR, because who could resist that kind of recommendation!
Hope you like The Good Soldier. I did.
Lena wrote: "Just watched Murder on the Orient Express, I’ve never read Agatha Christie and I might now. One question:[spoilers removed]"
Hi Lena, it's been awhile since I've read the book (and I haven't yet seen this movie version) but (view spoiler) How'd you like the movie? I hope it made you want to pick up the book - it's one of my favorite Christie novels! (Even when one knows how it ends)
Mod
Katy wrote: "I just can't keep up on welcoming everyone on the start of their 2018 challenges. I will read all of your challenges eventually. It is just so cool to see so many people preparing for reading in 20..."While i hope everyone else enjoys their challenges i've decided to skip all challenges including the goodreads one for next year.
Not sure if i’ll finish it this year it’ll be close but either way.
I have a theory that the goodread challenge has become a bit of a distraction for me and while it might be encouraging me to read more it might also be lessening my enjoyment and absorption of material. It also didn't stop me from getting reading block for a month this year.
So i‘ve decided to test this and see how many books i get through and how i feel about my reading experience next year without any pressure on.
Actually i guess seeing how much you read without a challenge is still technically a type of challenge... :P ...whatever... you know what i mean :) .
I do know what you mean. Challenges are addictive, so it will be a challenge not to participate in a challenge. I know I can't quit challenges cold turkey, so my goal is reduce the number of challenges and use books for more than one challenge.
Wreade, I'm doing the same and taking a year off from challenges and numbers in 2018.
Wreade1872 wrote: "Katy wrote: "I just can't keep up on welcoming everyone on the start of their 2018 challenges. I will read all of your challenges eventually. It is just so cool to see so many people preparing for ..."I've never done a challenge, but I did set a goal for books read for the last two years. I've really enjoyed this since I was able to venture in to many different types of reading. I didn't finish a whole bunch of long books this year, so you could say I've short changed the god's of this club. But, I figure if I am really enjoying reading this way why not continue it. I have pledged to only read what really interests me and I do love reading reviews of all kinds of books. I'm open to many new authors this way. Classics are not just the megalength novels. Happy reading and let's see what comes up in the monthly and quarterly reads next year.
The only thing I love more than reading is making lists of books to read. That's the lure of the challenges. Next year I will try to focus my lists more on catching up with group reads and my TBR shelf.
I was going to do what Wreade and Pink are doing for 2018. I think it's a good move, and will look forward to hearing how it changes things for you next year.But I found I feel just like Marilyn, and love making lists of books to read too much not to participate! So I decided to set up the challenges and just see what happens.
And the absolutely funnest thing is seeing how many people in this group obviously love making book lists too! You have to admit, it's kind of an odd obsession for so many of us to share, but I love sharing it with this group!
Making list of books to read is the best.And the challenges makes me look up new books ... books I would not have considered otherwise..so it is good for me.... I don't mind not finishing up the challenges(no pressure).And if you don't enjoy the books you read (even difficult books can be fun,as all of us know) then that is sad ( in my humble opinion).
But if Challenges adds pressure on you ....and decreases your enjoyment then ,I hope a year free of challenges really helps you both,Pink and Wreade.And brings back fun into your reading and challenges.
May the next year be a very good reading year for all of us.
I thought about cutting back on my challenges this year, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m actually pretty excited to read my challenge books, but I’m going to try to finish early next year so I can have some unstructured reading time to read whatever strikes my fancy.
Making lists is why I alway cave and create challenges every year! I love them, but sticking to a schedule does have an impact on my mood reading. I'll still slowly working through my personal challenges and I have several book lists at the back of my mind, but no specific titles that I must get through next year. I'll also probably cut back my reading from 100-150 books to somewhere closer to 50 due to time constraints because of work.
Mod
Yes, I've put off a couple of challenges because I wasn't very successful this year. But, I'm sure I'll start making lists for them soon.
When I read a lot more, I did a ton of challenges. But once I ran out of reading time, I stopped the majority of them since it stopped being fun.
I really only do a couple now, and I don't even pretend to myself that I'll try to finish any other than the main Goodreads challenge - which I set so low I don't even have to try.
siriusedward wrote: "Making list of books to read is the best.And the challenges makes me look up new books ... books I would not have considered otherwise..so it is good for me.... I don't mind not finishing up the c..."
This is what I do. I like to make lists for the challenges, but no pressure on finishing them. It still has to be enjoyable! I didn't finish either of my challenges this year, but don't care because I read more of the group reads, and read a few books I never would have read on my own, or hadn't even heard of before!
I'm also taking a year off from the challenges in groups, but I will set some kind of a goal in Goodreads challenge. That's because I want to track the "adult" books I read during a year and atleast try to reach some minimum amount on them. See explanation below.My job requires me to read a ton of kids and YA stuff, most of which I don't track in here and that sort of distracts my other reading a lot. That actually has happened now, in a way, as "adult" books that I've mostly read towards the end of the year have been non-fiction and all fiction books have been kids/YA (not tracked here). I haven't been able to finish books that have hanged on my currently-reading shelf for months now because of the overdose of kids fiction. But I'm slowly getting there now that my job has eased (bless Independence Day and Christmas which kept/keeps schools busy). But I'm slightly afraid what will happen next year, so not committing to any challenges is a good option. After all freedom of reading what you want is a good thing.
It has been a good year for reading, but not for reading longer books. I have enjoyed my books read immensely and I note that this year I returned to my roots and read more plays and poetry. Keeping track of what books I've read is fun and I wanted to share because, I think about what I've read and hope that in sharing titles others can make better choices about reading matterial themselves. So what are my plans for next year? Well, I'm open to reading from the voted on lists of this group and I plan to read more longer works. Happy Reading everyone! https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Gabriel García Márquez's writing archives were purchased by UT, who've digitized the collection and made about half available to the general public.The collection includes drafts of some of his published novels, notebooks, screenplays, etc. There's an English index, but the works themselves aren't translated. But there's all sorts of stuff in there - from pictures of his family to his passport, to his grade school report cards, so even if someone doesn't speak Spanish, they still might find some thing they like.
News article: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/ar...
Archive: https://hrc.contentdm.oclc.org/digita...
Kathleen wrote: "And the absolutely funnest thing is seeing how many people in this group obviously love making book lists too! You have to admit, it's kind of an odd obsession for so many of us to share, but I love sharing it with this group!,..."
My husband thinks I am nuts when he sees my list made up for the next year!
Someone in this thread mentioned that these challenges make reading less enjoyable at times, and I agree. Iam trying to read too many books this month, and am feeling the pressure of Dec 31. So strange. That being said, the challenges I 've particiated in have broadened my reading horizons so much! I hope to participate in this group more in the new year. I've been reading classics on my own for years as a personal challenge... for 2018 I look forward to paying more attention to the bingo here and maybe even a group read!
MJ wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "And the absolutely funnest thing is seeing how many people in this group obviously love making book lists too! You have to admit, it's kind of an odd obsession for so many of us to..."MJ, I feel exactly the same way! I love this group because everyone is so excited to make lists & share lists -- it's amazing! Also, it makes me not feel quite so weird (I show some of these lists to my husband and say "Look! I'm not the only one!"). I don't personally know anyone else that makes lists and keeps track of books the way we, here on Goodreads, do.
That being said, I do sometimes feel pressure because of my lists (and sometimes guilt because I didn't read everything on my monthly list!). And I usually am trying to finish something by midnight on the last day of the month. And here we are at the end of the year & I'm wanting to finish several more books & get a higher number of pages than last year! Aaaaagh!
However, because of this group and these challenges, I have read more classics than ever, some that have been on my TBR for probably 30 years!!! So, I'm finally reading things that I've put off & group reads are really helpful to me on books that I'm afraid I won't/don't understand very well.
Anyway, thanks for the chat! It's so nice to find reading soulmates here on Goodreads :)
Terris wrote: "MJ wrote: "Kathleen wrote: "And the absolutely funnest thing is seeing how many people in this group obviously love making book lists too! You have to admit, it's kind of an odd obsession for so ma..."Me too.And I am very thankful for this group and my two other groups on goodreads.
Me too! I love making lists! In 2018 I will participate in Around the Year in 52 books challenge, and consequently set my Goodreads goal at 52 books also. In 2016 I read 101 books and this year probably around 120 books, so that should be piece of cake. I also made a list of 12 books I want to reread next year, so that's one book per month. Otherwise I will just focus on having fun with my reading. This has been my goal this year too. I don't want to be too critical with my reading and this year I have given more 5 stars than ever. I have really liked this and definitely want to continue! For me reading is all about the fun so I will try to go with my flow!
But boy am I excited about this group! Like seriously, I can't remember when I was last this excited about something. I have already Ulysses and A Room of One's Own checked out from the library and I have my own copy of Romeo and Juliet. Now it just needs to be January!
I think I'm taking the next year off from the challenges. I didn't finish either one, but enjoyed playing along with them. I'm planning on trying to read some of those door stoppers next year that I haven't gotten around to yet, and will try my best to keep up with the group reads as well as some previous group reads that I have not read. That should keep me busy for the year!
Renee wrote: "I think I'm taking the next year off from the challenges. I didn't finish either one, but enjoyed playing along with them. I'm planning on trying to read some of those door stoppers next year that ..."Sounds like a good idea! I can see how a person could get burned out on the challenges if you try to do too much. I started to get a little overwhelmed last year, so I'm trying to cut it down some. We'll see how it goes! :)
I need to tackle those doorstoppers as well this year. My goal is to slow down on the challenges and do those with no pre-planning required.
Renee wrote: "I think I'm taking the next year off from the challenges. I didn't finish either one, but enjoyed playing along with them. I'm planning on trying to read some of those door stoppers next year that ..."Nothing wrong with that plan Renee! 😊
Rosemarie wrote: "I need to tackle those doorstoppers as well this year. My goal is to slow down on the challenges and do those with no pre-planning required."I have some books chosen for next year, but no plan on when to read them. Pretty much just grab one from the shelf and start reading, depending on my reading mood.
Loretta wrote: "Renee wrote: "I think I'm taking the next year off from the challenges. I didn't finish either one, but enjoyed playing along with them. I'm planning on trying to read some of those door stoppers n..."I missed quite a few group reads this year while reading my challenge books. I hope to be able to get to more of the group reads next year. Of course, I'm already behind this month, but I expected that. December is always so busy!
Merry Christmas to all of you Catching up on Classics readers! It's been a pleasure for me to comment books with you these last months, and I'll be happy to stay with you around good books next year too,May you have books for Christmas!
Mod
Happy Holidays and may all of us thrive in the new year. I for one have had a good year reading wise, but right now I've been suffering from headaches and haven't been able to read for days. This puts a damper on my great climax to an already great year. I think I over did the coffee and sugary break food at work. You know the old joke about Donuts and Librarians, well I work at a Library and I gained ten pounds just this month. Our patrons are generous. Next year will be different. So bring on the new year and when I feel better I'll start in my quest to read even more books.
Good morning!Happy holidays to all.
It has been a good year for me in terms of reading, Though I fell far short of my stated goal of 66 books this year (I've read 56 books so far), I've read more classics, doorstoppers (500 pages or more), and nonfiction than I ever have before. I'm feeling some pressure to finish Les Miserables by December 31, but if I don't, I'll just start it again next year.
Jim
Good morning! We are in the midst of a cold snap here. It is -9 F this morning, so it's the perfect weather for curling up at home with a book! I am finishing off the year with a Sarah Waters book. I have several classics lined up for January to get an early jump on my 2018 challenges. I can't wait!Gary wrote: "I for one have had a good year reading wise, but right now I've been suffering from headaches and haven't been able to read for days."
Oh no, I hope you're feeling better!
Jim wrote: "I'm feeling some pressure to finish Les Miserables by December 31, but if I don't, I'll just start it again next year."
Good luck Jim! I still haven't finished that one.
Feeling the same Renee. I had a slump in the summer and had a hard time meeting my goals. While I have read books that will fit my BINGO challenge, I haven't filled it in in many months. I will try to do that soon, but next year I think I will just read for fun. I may set a goal just to set it, but I want to enjoy my reading.
I'm working hard to finish the books I'm reading by midnight on Sunday night so I can count them for December and 2017!! Can I do it?! ;)
Rosemarie wrote: "You can do it, Terris."Thanks for the encouragement, Rosemarie! :)
I'll be doing the same thing, Terris. We can do it!
Terris wrote: "I'm working hard to finish the books I'm reading by midnight on Sunday night so I can count them for December and 2017!! Can I do it?! ;)"I do the same! I always try to clear out my Currently Reading pile before the end of the year.
Not entirely for challenges, but because otherwise I have this horrible habit of letting half-read books accumulate, and at least an arbitrary rule like finishing everything by the end of the year gives me a bit of a prod to go back and either finish them or make a decision NOT to finish.
I actually put a barely started book back onto my TBR earlier this year, and now I'm sitting here wondering if I would have time to finish my other reads AND finish off that book too?
I have started to long books, one of them Doctor Zhivago and the other a fantasy novel, as well as some short books. I finished one of the short books yesterday and will finish the other one before Monday(Nine Stories by Salinger).If I weren't reading the short books I would be trying to read a 500+ novel in three days.
I guess we're all in the same boat! Glad to have you as my sailing mates ;)@Melanti - I also try to finish up my 2017 monthly lists that I have, for some reason or other, put off. But this year I have several, and I feel guilty! So now I need to decide if they are worthy of being moved to 2018 or if I'm reading them for the wrong reasons & maybe must mark them off the list. They must have been important to me for some reason at the time -- I'll probably still try to get to them in 2018 ;)
@Rosemarie - I'm exactly like you, Rosemarie! I finish the short ones first because I can get them marked off the list. But then the longer books suffer :/
Let me know what you think of Doctor Zhivago. I'm considering reading that one soon but can't quite decide. I have some others I'd like to get to first. I'll watch for your review/comments :)
Happy New Year's Eve Reading!! ;)
Mod
If you need it Terris, Leni and I came up with some justifications for being able to count Jan 1st 2018 reading as 2017. They're in Kathleen's BINGO thread. ; )
Catching up on Classics (and lots more!)
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Thanks Andrea! I just picked it up, and got the Anne of Green Gables free special.