Just Talking Showing 2,201-2,250 of 3,141

[siriusedward]

Congrats, Joseph!

[Joseph]

siriusedward wrote: "Congrats, Joseph!"

Thanks...also to Melanti, Pink, and Laurie

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Congrats Joseph.

[Wreade1872]

So this is a long shot but any australians around who might do me a favour?
I've been looking for a very old out of copyright book Broad Arrow Jack by E.Harcourt Burrage and i finally found an electronic version, unfortunately despite it being VERY public domain the only places to get it require library cards, Princeton University or National Library of Australia.

So if anyone has access to this https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/6... and can see if its a grabbable version i can send you my mail address.

As i said the book is public domain nothing untoward going on. I've just run out of other options :) .

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Joseph wrote: "Hello Everyone...many of you know I've been working on reading the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time for several years now. Well, I completed that personal "quest" a few weeks ago. Here is the link t..."

I have read a bunch of your reviews and view your Blog as a resource when I am unsure about a book you have read but I have not, your review can make the difference.

Congratulations on an excellent accomplishment.

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

Joseph wrote: "Hello Everyone...many of you know I've been working on reading the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time for several years now. Well, I completed that personal "quest" a few weeks ago. Here is the link t..."

I just finished reading your blog post. All I can say is, "Wow!" First of all, congratulations on accomplishing such a long-term, amazing feat! I must say, I'm green with envy; but you have inspired me to read more of the books I have passed over in the past. I was amazed at how closely your likes/dislikes match mine; so I will definitely bookmark your post and refer to it again when choosing my next book(s) to read. Thank you for such a thoughtful analysis of the books you read for this challenge.

Just out of curiosity, is there any other reading challenge you're contemplating or are you ready to rest from them a while? Again, congratulations!!!

[Joseph]

Thanks Katy

[Joseph]

Bob wrote: Congratulations on an excellent accomplishment.

Thanks Bob

[Joseph]

Shirley (stampartiste) wrote: Just out of curiosity, is there any other reading challenge you're contemplating or are you ready to rest from them a while? Again, congratulations!!!

Thanks Shirley. Yep always working on some challenge. I have a half dozen books left on the Back to the Classics 2018 challenge...and then I plan to start another years long personal challenge to read a bio for every American President

[Shirley (stampartiste)]

Joseph wrote: "Thanks Shirley. Yep always working on some challenge. I have a half dozen books left on the Back to the Classics 2018 challenge...and then I plan to start another years long personal challenge to read a bio for every American President"

I like your American President biography challenge idea. I have quite of few of those biographies on my own TBR shelf. I'll have to keep that challenge in mind for later.

Like you, I also participate in Books and Chocolate's annual challenge. I only have two to go for 2018: I'm wrapping up The Count of Monte Cristo (I think my favorite book of all time) and will tackle Don Quixote starting next month.

[Melanti]

Wreade1872 wrote: "So this is a long shot but any australians around who might do me a favour?
I've been looking for a very old out of copyright book Broad Arrow Jack by E.Harcourt Burrage and i finally found an ele..."

I highly approve of your reading project. I just did a bit of poking myself and didn't find anything concrete either, which is odd.

Hopefully one of the Australians in the group would be able to help you out.

I took a look at my local college's library for you and they claim that they have it in ebook format. The only catch is, I'd have to go there in person to see it and I don't know if it's something I could download or if I'd have to read the whole thing there.

It's an even longer shot than the Australian library, though, but I'd be willing to do some more research if needed. I don't drive through that area of town often (it's an hour-ish away) but if it's something I could get for you, could try the next time I'm close to there. It'd probably have to be in the fall though. The library isn't open very late in the summer time.

[Wreade1872]

Melanti wrote: "I highly approve of your reading project. I just did a bit of poking myself and didn't find anything concret..."

Thanks for the support, i half suspect every version of this thing is going to be non-transferable but we live in hope.

On the upside my continued searchs have found another collection of dime novels, https://dimenovels.lib.niu.edu/ , no Broad Arrow Jack but i did get a Spring-Heel Jack and some Jack Wright so another two down :) (theres a lot of Jacks in victorian fiction :lol).
__

[Wreade1872]

I wanted to read one of the Worrals books (female biggles) but it was impossible to borrow and i didn't really want to own one.

So i came up with a cunning scheme. I bought one on ebay with a 30 day return policy, scanned it and planned to send the original back. Sneaky yes but i had to pay the return post so the seller would be little the worse for wear.

Anyway it turns out while sending it to me cost them little, sending it back is going to cost more than i spent on buying the thing in the first place... sigh.
And it starting raining on the way to the postoffice so i put the package inside my jacket and all this green colouring came off and ruined my t-shirt :| .

Life is never easy is it.

[Vicki]

It's a shame the cutoff for new classics is 1999. Death with Interruptions by José Saramago is so amazing, but it was written in 2005. Maybe when the cutoff is moved some years from now it can be nominated.

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

Vicki wrote: "It's a shame the cutoff for new classics is 1999. Death with Interruptions by José Saramago is so amazing, but it was written in 2005. Maybe when the cutoff is moved..."

Or a buddy read!

[Wreade1872]

This is kinda cool, my edition of 20000 Leagues is from about 1923, 'Never before published at sixpence'. It looks like this but way grimier :P
It never occur to me that it might have had a dust cover originally but it turns out it did and quite a bright one . It really makes a different impression. All these years and i never would have associated it with anything colourful, if that makes sense :lol .

[Laurie]

That is an awesome cover! Too bad it wasn't part of your package.

[Cynda]

Wow Wreade. More color on that dust cover than there were on many book covers in the 1960s when I was born and first started noticing dust covers.

[Wreade1872]

Cynda wrote: "Wow Wreade. More color on that dust cover than there were on many book covers in the 1960s when I was born a d first started noticing dust covers."

Yeah i was considering printing a version if i could work out the measurements but the only decent sized scan is a bit more faded and damaged (also i can't measure to save my life :P) .

[Cynda]

For those interested in novels-turned-into-movies.
The Woman in White will be broadcast on PBS Masterpiece on October 21.
I will be watching it online the week after. I have not read the long novel, so I will be glad to get an idea of the novel in this shortened form.

[Nente]

I haven't been very active in the group for the last months or even perhaps a year, and now that I read the current discussions with more attention I can see that some absolutely new and unknown to me books start cropping up, thanks to those of you who look at various best-of and must-read lists and select the stuff worthy of notice. Since joining the group I have found many new authors on your recommendation.

Thank you all for these new discoveries!

[Pink]

Nente wrote: "I haven't been very active in the group for the last months or even perhaps a year, and now that I read the current discussions with more attention I can see that some absolutely new and unknown to..."

I’m glad to see you’re finding inspiration from other members. I love discovering new books in this way.

[Felicia]

Hi! I am just getting into reading classics, which is very exiting! Although - there are so many books that seem great, and it's hard to know where to start! So I was wondering, which 5 classic books would you recommend to someone who has barely read classics before? Which classics do you believe are the standard must-read ones?

[Katy, Quarterly Long Reads]

This one is my favorite still.

The Count of Monte Cristo Alexandre Dumas

[siriusedward]

Anne of Green Gables.sweet
Jane Austen
North and South
Our Mutual Friend,I just read and loved it.
Of Mice and Men short.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
The Member of the Wedding


Les Misérables,It is very lengthy but I adore it and will feel a traitor if I did not mention the book.
The count of Monte Cristo is awesome too.

[Luke]

Felicia wrote: "Hi! I am just getting into reading classics, which is very exiting! Although - there are so many books that seem great, and it's hard to know where to start! So I was wondering, which 5 classic boo..."

The Epic of Gilgamesh - Anonymous
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Unknown
The Art of War - Sun Tzu
Persuasion - Jane Austen
The Awakening - Kate Chopin

None of these are very long (all are under 300 pages, and TEoG and TA are under 200), and together they give you a good spread of the centuries from which classics are selected (the Bronze Age, 14th c., late 16th/early 17th c., early 19th c., late 19th/early 20th c.), as well as a decent spread of demographics.

[Wreade1872]

Aubrey wrote: "The Epic of Gilgamesh - Anonymous
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - Unknown
The Art of W..."

My favourite storyteller Dael Kingsmill does a rendition of the Green Knight, its pretty good :) .

[Aprilleigh]

Pride and Prejudice
Rebecca
Anna Karenina
The Count of Monte Cristo
To Kill a Mockingbird

[Brina]

To Kill a Mockingbird
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Anna Karenina
Gone With the Wind

[Pillsonista]

Felicia wrote: "Hi! I am just getting into reading classics, which is very exiting! Although - there are so many books that seem great, and it's hard to know where to start! So I was wondering, which 5 classic boo..."

Shakespeare. All of him. There's no such thing as too much Shakespeare.

[Kathleen]

Felicia wrote: "Hi! I am just getting into reading classics, which is very exiting! Although - there are so many books that seem great, and it's hard to know where to start! So I was wondering, which 5 classic boo..."

This is such a fun question, Felicia. I think it's a good idea to read a variety so you can start to find out what you like. I think you shouldn't miss trying William Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, the Bronte sisters, and Leo Tolstoy.

But most importantly, try to find one out there that speaks to some interest you have. Here's a few that worked for me:
The Haunting of Hill House
Dandelion Wine
Their Eyes Were Watching God

[Felicia]

Thank you so much everyone! My classics-TBR-list is now much longer!

[Loretta]

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë, all the way!!!

[Jim]

My TBR is over 5500, but who's counting? I am. ;)

[Darren]

ooh what a good question!
to start I'd go with some shortish, not too heavy, "mega" well known titles, and a range of genres
so how about:
A Christmas Carol
Pride and Prejudice
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Hobbit
Brave New World

[Darren]

and then you could move on to
5 that are really not as scary as you might think:
Crime and Punishment
The Picture of Dorian Gray
The Metamorphosis
All Quiet on the Western Front
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

[Tanvi]

Hey Guys
One random Question
Which Jane Austen book you feel is best?

[siriusedward]

Persuasion/P&P
NA/Emma
S&S
MP

In that order.

[Kirsten]

Tanvi wrote: "Hey Guys
One random Question
Which Jane Austen book you feel is best?"

Persuasion
Northanger Abbey
Pride & Prejudice

[Christopher]

Top tier: Mansfield Park and Persuasion

Second tier: P/P and Emma

Third tier: S/S and Northanger Abbey

But they're all good.

[Rachel]

Tanvi wrote: "Hey Guys
One random Question
Which Jane Austen book you feel is best?"

Mansfield Park and Persuasion, are my favourites.

Pride and Prejudice would be in third place.

[Loretta]

Pride and Prejudice number one! 🤗

[Kathleen]

Tanvi, people never get tired of this question!

I finished Mansfield Park a few months ago, and it took the lead for me. In fact, I am in complete agreement Christopher's tiers.

[Darren]

Kathleen wrote: "Tanvi, people never get tired of this question!"

to the extent that there's even a separate thread:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Pillsonista]

Tanvi wrote: "Hey Guys
One random Question
Which Jane Austen book you feel is best?"

The first with the most: Persuasion. It's easily her best as far as I'm concerned. Pride and Prejudice and Mansfield Park come in a close second (I usually can't choose between the two). After those three, I prefer Sense and Sensibility and then Northanger Abbey.

Emma comes in last for me. It's my least favorite, and I have never felt a connection with it like I did with the rest of her work.

[Darren]

This group has read all 6
and they are rated in our group bookshelf Listopia list thusly:

Pride and Prejudice - 4228
Persuasion - 2203
Emma - 1796
Northanger Abbey - 1683
Sense and Sensibility - 1432
Mansfield Park - 1107

full list here:
https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/9...

[Bob, Short Story Classics]

Darren, only 106 of our members have voted on our Listopia list. I wish we could get more members to vote. If we could have 10% (738) of our members vote their favorites we would have a much better idea of true group favorites. That said, any member wanting to vote for their favorite group books just click the link in message 2255 above, and cast your vote, I swear it won’t hurt.

[Tanvi]

I agree
Persuasion is more underrated yet the best, definitely better than Emma.

[Luke]

Tanvi wrote: "Hey Guys
One random Question
Which Jane Austen book you feel is best?"

Ranked:
Pride & Prejudice
Persuasion
Emma
Mansfield Park
Northanger Abbey
Sense & Sensibility

[Patty]

I’ve seen the list, which has been given on a couple of the posts. However, the ability to vote is not on that link.