A Christmas Carol - SPOILER-FREE

[Kaseadillla]

Hello all - starting up discussions for the December 2016 BOTMs. This discussion is for the group's poll selection for the Classics category: A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

This discussion will be SPOILER-FREE. If you have already finished the book and want to discuss with the group, please hop on over to the spoiler-filled discussion HERE .

Happy reading!
Kasey

[aPriL does feral sometimes]

Terrific read!

[Sarah]

Just got this at the library! Finishing up my current book then I'll get started on this months books! :)

[Sarah]

I read this a couple years ago. It was good.
Reading the book after seeing so many variations on the movie was definitely interesting.

[Sarah]

Excited to start reading this once I finish my current book this week. I honestly have never seen the movie all the way through so should be interesting!

[Abby]

I've never actually read this before, so it'll be interesting to see its original form.

[Leesa]

I'm on holiday in Amsterdam and managed to find it in a second hand bookstore for €4, score!

[Sarah]

Starting today!

[Sarah]

Started! Haven't had much time for reading so it's slow going, but I already enjoy it more than the movies! The old style writing is always a little hard for me to follow, I guess I need to read more classics to get used to it!

[Leesa]

I know what you mean Sarah, I struggled with Frankenstein the most and was worried about this one, so far I'm loving it though!

[Sarah]

Leesa, yes!! Frankenstein was much harder to follow for me, but luckily it was so good it held my interest. It's fun that this club makes you branch out and challenge your brain!

[Leesa]

Yes, I love this club for that as I know I would have never attempted the classics on my own otherwise, it's too easy to pick up something new. I enjoy reading other people's viewpoints and also digging through second hand bookstores trying to find a book has been fun too!

[Luella]

Leesa wrote: "Yes, I love this club for that as I know I would have never attempted the classics on my own otherwise, it's too easy to pick up something new. I enjoy reading other people's viewpoints and also di..."

Yea I like that too. I often buy them even though I can find them on Project Gutenberg...

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

I'm in. I'm going to start next week and I'm going to time it so I finish on Christmas Day.

[Renee]

I am curious. How Many are first time readers? I love all the movie adaptations but the book is magical.

[Nico]

Renee wrote: "I am curious. How Many are first time readers? I love all the movie adaptations but the book is magical."

This is my first time reading it. I've read some of Dicken's other works, but never Christmas Carol.

[Karen]

This was my first time as well, but I didn't actually "read" it. I listened to Jim Dale read it. Talk about magical!!!

[Marcos]

I'm planning to read this one. It will be the second time, but the first one was over 50 years ago and in a translation into Portuguese. This time it is going to be the English original.

[Nico]

Karen wrote: "This was my first time as well, but I didn't actually "read" it. I listened to Jim Dale read it. Talk about magical!!!"

That's what I did as well! Jim Dale as the reader, too! It was really fantastic.

[Shaneka]

First time reading :) I'm enjoying it so far!

[Karen]

I love the Patrick Stewart version, saw him perform it in 1991 was fabulous. Listen to it every Christmas.

Like Jim Dale a lot but I just hear Harry/Hagrid when he speaks...he'll always be the Harry Potter narrator for me.

[Lensey]

Renee wrote: "I am curious. How Many are first time readers? I love all the movie adaptations but the book is magical."

My first time reading this as well. However, I also chose the audio version (as recommended by a member on here), and I LOVED it! Such a good book!

[Cheryl]

My library has A Christmas Carol, the edition with illustrations by Quentin Blake of all people! He's the one who has been illustrating all the children's books by Roald Dahl, for example Matilda. So of course I grabbed it. I mean, it's free online but this should be fun.

The cover, if you can't make it out, is the jolly feasting character in the upper left, and grey scrawny Scrooge in the lower right.

[Renee]

ok I know its goofy but I just watched a version with Micky Mouse. LOL

[Catherine]

Renee wrote: "ok I know its goofy but I just watched a version with Micky Mouse. LOL"

That one is so much fun!!

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls]

My favorite version in the 1951 Alastair Sim version although I of course enjoyed Scrooged as well. And for some reason I always associate the song "Carol of the Bells" with this story.

[Renee]

Oh , the Alistair Sim version is classic, But Mickey is down right fun

[LJ]

I am going to start reading this today! I've never seen the film and this is absolutely a book that I should have read when I was in school. I'm very much looking forward to it.

[Nell]

I started reading this the day after Christmas. It's my first time reading the book though I've seen dozens of film versions and 'take-offs' on the story. I've even watched a documentary about how this story changed the way Christmas is celebrated - from a staid religious observation to a family celebration. The tale is so well known that it seemed odd to have a "No Spoiler" thread. I'm enjoying the book version.

[Tr1sha]

For UK members: I have just noticed that the 1984 film version of “A Christmas Carol” starring George C Scott is being televised on Film4 tomorrow, 29 November 2020, at 2:40pm.

[Joanna Loves Reading]

Hi all! Looks like I forgot to put the welcome note in here for the read. This book was selected for the December 2020 group read. This will be the third time we are reading this in this group.

It's a Christmas classic, with many adaptations and retellings, but have you read it before? What do you hope to gain with this read?

[Emily]

Hello there!

I have never read this book, but—as many of you have mentioned here—I am seen different film adaptations and parodies of this story. I am looking forward to reading this because the last time I attempted to read Charles Dickens it didn’t go very well... but I was a lot younger at that time (in high school) and it was required reading at that time (and I was rebellious, so I wasn’t going to do what they told me to do)! Haha!

Anyway, just finishing up “Sapiens” from last month and then I will be embarking on this journey.

Thanks for reading!

— Emily

[Emily]

Correction: *I have seen (not “I am seen”—in text above)

I always have issues when typing in these group messages, so please excuse my typos!

[Emily]

SEE WHAT I MEAN?!?!

Lol!

That is all (for now).

[Cristina]

I've never read this book, but I've seen lots of adaptations, parodies and all this things on TV, so yeah, it's almost a popular story. I want to read the original one now.

See you soon in the spoiler chat!

[Jennifer]

Hello I am reading it does the first time with my seven year old. The only versions I have seen are the Disney, (perhaps the Bill Murray,) and a stage monologue.

Dickens was my grandma’s favourite but I haven’t been able to finish one. This is a short and familiar story so I’m hoping we finish and appreciate the book.

[Woman Reading]

It would be quite an accomplishment for an adult never to have seen at least one adaptation of this book. I've seen several - both on stage and on TV - and I confess that "Mickey's Christmas Carol" is my favorite. The stage versions have always veered into saccharine sentimentality; they've been overdone in my opinion.

I've only read one Dickens' book, which was Great Expectations, for high school. Oh man, two torturous weeks on it - bah, humbug! Here's hoping for better with my second Dickens novel!

[Missy]

I have never read this, but every year I watch every adaptation I can find. I am really excited to get into it!

[Nora]

I honestly have to say I know less about this book than I would like to admit. I've never read it, seen any sort of movie/stage adaption of it or knowingly seen a parody of it. (Tho now thinking about it I think I have seen a few parts of the Barbie adaption, but I can barely remember it xD)
It's probably because I grew up with more German/Austrian Christmas stories instead of English ones and I haven't seen many Christmas movies.
But I do know the basic gist of the story and I am excited to actually finally read it!

[Serena]

Do we need to use a 'real' version? I couldn't make it through last year so I used this one. A Christmas Carol

Is that okay?

[Renata]

This begins a 4th group discussion of our Catch-Up book selection, nominated by Pony.
Here you can comment, without spoilers, on any aspects of the book, either before, during, or after reading it.

[Peggyzbooksnmusic]

I read this every Christmas and now also own the Audible version with multiple voice actors. I even like The Muppet movie adaptation as I love Michael Caine as Scrooge.