Reading the Chunksters discussion
General
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Are you new to Chunksters? Please introduce yourself :)
Hey I’m George and I’m here hoping to find people who have either read the books I’m attempting to read or are also reading them at the same time, so I can be encouraged to finish the chunkier books on my ‘Want to Read’ list
Hey! This is Ujjwal from India. Lately I’ve been reading the Russian classics by Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy. My favourite from last year is The Brothers Karamazov. Apart from these I’ve also been reading contemporary fantasy novels by Robin Hobb and Steven Ericsson.
Hi, I'm Gord, I live in Toronto and I like attacking a chunkster once a year. But realized how annoying it is to bore my family and friends with War and Peace, like I did last year! Ha! Looking forward to some nice discussions. Aside from W and P, I've read Great Expectations (is that a chunkster?), Bleak House, Barnaby Rudge, The Olde Curiosity Shop, The Idiot, Crime and Punishment, and am now on my third (in a row) reading of Demons. (Quarantine focuses the mind...!) I'm a big fan of Pevear and Volonkonsky translations, and am going to go back to C and P soon to read their transl of it. Looking forward to hearing other suggestions!
Thanks for the warm welcome, Lorna. Demons is by Dostoyevsky, previously translated as The Possessed. It's a good one! Very tricky, very mysterious (to me anyway). ;)
Hi all, I’ve just joined because I’ve been reading the Harry Potter series with the goal to end at the end of August, so looking for my next challenge. Looking forward to joining in!
How do I find what's up next? What will be read after the Count of Monte Cristo?
Hi! I’m Frances! I didn’t know that this group existed! I’m currently in a group where we are reading War and Peace. After that, I’ll be reading The Brothers Karamazov in yet another group. I’ve been looking for people to read The Master and Margarita and Anna Karenina -books on my bucket list -with me. This is the perfect group, apparently! I’m too late for The Count of Monte Cristo. Chunkster-readers-united? Btw, I live in the Philippines. I know no one within miles...miles...who enjoys reading...
What group is doing War and peace? I am reading Don Quixote
Hi, I'm Allison and I'm a governess in Arlington, Virginia, USA (a suburb of Washington DC). I found this group because I am currently struggling to get through A Suitable Boy and was looking for a group that might read it. This is my second time starting this book and I'm currently about 320 pages in. I really like the experience of immersing myself in a sweeping panorama that both distracts me from current events and gives me a new perspective on them. As a governess I'm interested in children's chunksters too so if anyone has recommendations I'd love to hear them! I see that it's possible to lead a subgroup on a particular book - thinking about that for A Suitable Boy - is anyone interested in reading it?
Hi! I'm Līna, and I'm from Latvia. I love to read, but chunky books always scare me, so I don't even start them lol, but I joined, because I think it will motivate me to finally pick up a chunkier book!
Hey all :) Dustin. English & history tutor/teacher in southern CA with a small literature blog. Currently on a plan to read (or, for the big ones, reread) all of Dostoevsky's work while going through J. Frank's 5-vol biography on the guy. Aiming to explore Steinbeck's work after/while finishing with Dostoevsky (a piece I wrote on Grapes of Wrath will be published in the UK soon, so I'd better get to know his other work a bit more so I can represent, haha). Have taught classes (middle school up through college) on Don Quixote, Shakespeare, Fitzgerald, and many in-between. Top 5 fav novelists are Hugo, Austen, Dostoevsky, Fitzgerald, and Morrison :D looking forward to being here!
I’m new and had posted a few times before I learned from Dustin that we are asked to introduce ourselves. Makes sense! I am Alexa, and I read whenever I can—always before bed and as many times as I can squeeze into the day, even if for 5 minute snatches.My posts all had to do with deciding on our current book, Vanity Fair. I had been in favor of it. I now confess that I’m bailing. I’ve read about a quarter of it. I know that the point is to portray people realistically, and that’s ok. But I don’t care about any of them. More to the point, I really dislike Thackeray’s intrusions. He is condescending and moralistic. If I was locked in a cell and this was my only book, of course I’d read it, probably over and over. But fortunately I’m not so I’ll wait until we are ready to decide on our next book.
Hello my dear colleagues! :)I signed up for this group since I want to rekindle my reading habits that I neglected for a long time, mainly during uni and my first professional years. Being all the time around books, I didn't have any energy left to keep reading in my leisure time, haha!
I have read some classics but not many chunksters, I think. I read the Quixote when I was very young, 12 or 13, and although I liked the first half a lot, I got bored in the end and left the last chapters, and since I was spoiled in school about the ending, not sure I will finish it. I loved Ana Karenina but got stuck in the first chapters of War and Peace, since the size kind of scared me. Maybe I will give it another chance, since I love Tolstoi's way of writing.
Well, now that I'm back, I tried Moby Dick and The Karamazov brothers, and dropped them. I disliked the writing style, those books are not for me.
What I'm reading now is:
- The Count of Monte Cristo. Loving this one. Full of adventure and surprises, the plot seems to be thought to the smallest detail, same as the revenge of our dear count.
- Journey to the West. I downloaded this on my kindle by mistake, but I'm loving it. Being a Chinese classic, it feels exotic to me and makes me curious about their culture and morals. It is lots of fun too. The Monkey King is a naughty scoundrel who's not getting the punishment he deserves so far, haha! Anyway, with more than 1000 pages, I'm taking it slowly. :)
I'm Todd, and it seems most of the books that I've read recently have been big books.I'm currently reading volume 5 of Proust's IN SEARCH OF LOST TIME, and Melville's MOBY DICK.
Hello all! I'm Noor. I'm from a small city in Canada and just graduated with a BA in Human Justice. Now that I have a little more free time I've decided to get through some classics. Very few of my friends are avid readers so it was great to see that there was a group dedicated to reading lengthy classics! My favourite chunkster thus far is definitely the Count of Monte Cristo! I have just finished Les Meserables and read Gone With the Wind a few months back. I'm currently reading Crime and Punishment. I have Middlemarch, War and Peace, and Anna Karenina on my shelf that I still need to read. Hope to read them on here with you all. Thanks!
Welcome Noor! Those are some great chunksters. We’re currently reading Our Mutual Friend if you feeling like jumping on that buddy read we are only a couple of weeks in. I’m also currently reading War and Peace and am really enjoying it and finding it surprisingly readable.
Hi, I'm Holly from the UK. I'm currently re-reading Ulysses with some friends who I met when I read it for the first time last year. I don't think I have time to jump on with Our Mutual Friend at the moment, but I will keep an eye out for your next big read and make a point to join in. :)
Hi! My name is Zach, and I work at an indie bookstore!I'm new to the group but have always loved the idea of reading really big books but have always felt intimidated!
I found taking your time and having a schedule will be super helpful! I'm excited!
Zachary wrote: "Hi! My name is Zach, and I work at an indie bookstore!I'm new to the group but have always loved the idea of reading really big books but have always felt intimidated!
I found taking your time a..."
Welcome Zach, Sandy and Holly! I hope you can join us for the read starting shortly ofNo Name!
Hi, everyone. I'm Tom. I’ve been on Goodreads for years, but have never participated – in anything! The entire SNS world is a mystery to me. But… I am on the brink of retirement, so – okay – I’m diving in. I live in a Tokyo suburb and still teach at a Japanese university downtown, but I was born and raised near the upper Mississippi.
Short or long, I will read anything. Recently, I have turned to ebooks because my Japan-sized house has no room for the paper versions anymore. Thought I would hate it, but it’s been fine. And the big books match well with an ereader. A thousand pages or only a hundred – it’s all the same on an ebook.
Yoroshiku! That sort of means I am in your hands.
Hugh wrote: "Welcome Tom"Thanks much.
Hi, I’m Sean. I live in Seattle and am new to Good Reads. A few years ago I decided that I should read the “great” novels at least once in my life, so I Googled “world’s greatest novels,” and since then have been working off a list I found online. There were several that I’d read previously, but it was good to set a goal and use a list for guidance. I’m currently over halfway through the last of the “In Search of Lost Time” novels, which feels like a stellar achievement, given how slow I’ve traversed them.
Welcome to the group, Sean. I live in the Seattle area as well. I also embarked on reading all the “great” novels awhile back. I’ve slowed down in that regard, though, and have been leaning into a lot of SciFi and horror lately.
Thanks, Linda! I definitely have been taking breaks here and there from the “greats” by exploring other books. Sometimes it’s nice to read things written for modern humans so that I can finish in days rather than months.
Hi, I am new here. Just started War and Peace as a virtual book club read on Instagram, 1 chapter per day for 2023!
Pocket bio: Retired humanities teacher, residing in Tlaxcala, Mexico, with two dogs and six indoor cats. Passionate about literature, history, philosophy, classical music and opera, jazz, cinema, and similar subjects. Nostalgic guy. Politically centrist. BA in American Studies from Yale; MAs in English and Education from Boston University. Born in northern New Jersey. Have lived and worked in San Francisco, Chicago, northern Nevada, northeast Wisconsin, South Korea. More detail at Goodreads profile.
Mod
Hello Patrick which is your favorite Chunkster ( hefty book) ?
^ Ulysses! But there are many that I like.
I have read Ulysses once, it is indeed a masterpiece but not my favourite. Apart from Dickens' long books I like War and Peace, Gone with the Wind and Les Miserables.
I happen to be reading Les Misérables at the moment (early going). I love all of Dickens.
Hi, I'm Amanda, and I'm from Oklahoma, USA. I'm a musician who plays the piano and organ. I play for a church and a high school, and I also play for the school's musical productions. In addition, I play for Community Theatre and give piano lessons. I occasionally spend time with my daughter and her preschool children, and I have a big dog named Jack. I like to read almost everything, and I really like big books.
Nice to have you here Amanda. l like this group for its glorious history and enjoy surfing through the threads of books which I have yet to read.
By the way, here’s a question: Do novel series and romans-fleuves whose individual volumes are under 500 pages count as chunksters in the eyes of the group? 🤔
Mod
This Group did read the three volumes of the Kristin Lavransdatter series and, even divided the reads into each of the volumes. Kristin Lavransdatter: The Bridal Wreath/The Mistress of Husaby/The CrossThis is the Schedule Thread for the 3 book read:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Greetings, bibliophiles. It's so thrilling that this group exists! To Serve Them All My Days (as the 'Classic' atm) is new to me. I can't wait to learn heaps from you!
Welcome to the group, Cat. We read classics and contemporary chunksters alternately. Tell us about your favourite chunksters.
Nidhi! Thank you! One I've yet to finish - Don Quixote for life. As for big boys at present, The Brothers Karamazov is a revelation and I'm investigating Eugenio Montale's Collected Poems, 1920-1954: Revised Bilingual Edition and Tennyson's The Major Works, as poetic chunksters!
Hello everyone. I'm Kathy Jo. I'm delighted to have stumbled across this group while in search of Joyceans. Like Rosemary, I am working my way through 1001 Books, albeit slowly. I also lead an eclectic book club, sparked by yearnings for discussion and the need to wade through my wild and endless stacks. Chunksters are not on the menu there.I live in Western New York. In my state of semi-retirement, I run a solopreneur business consultancy. I enjoy time with family, my little dog, and various entertainments such as gardening, films, and books in vast genres. I also volunteer as a literacy tutor and work with a magnificent lady who is challenged by dyslexia.
Thank you for the privilege of joining the group.
Mod
Hi, I’m bran-new here. You might say “spick and span new”. My name is Cindy and what brought me here was a Google search on Dickens’ Our Mutual Friend, the chunkster I am currently tackling along with 20 or so friends. I’ll definitely be checking back in the lovely OMF thread here as we go.
I haven’t read many long novels but there are quite a few on my TBR list- Middlemarch, Anna Karenina, Little Dorrit to name a few.
I’m originally from SoCal but recently transplanted to the PNW.
Hey my names fred, I’m from Texas and I’m trying to get into the quote unqoute chunksters
Reading the Chunksters
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Dianne, you write, "You always crack me up and brighten my day even though sometimes you can be quite the sass master..."
Yea, you're right. I admit it. Usually I mean it all in fun, I'm a very kind person, but it just comes out wrong on paper even though I'm laughing at myself while typing. I'm fully aware everyone's opinion should be given equal weight, naturally! And I never mean anything to offend anyone. but I say what I feel, exactly, about books. And if I absolutely hate something, well, I say so. Like most of the new Kenye album. I'll take Snoop Dogg's trashy lyrics any day over fake platitudes.