Buddy Read Requests

[Lori]

Ok Little Dorrit buddies, I have decided to join in and am happy to help out in any way with the original thread. I really think I would miss out on another wonderful buddy read if I didn't join you guys!

[Janelle]

Woohoo!

[Sue]

That’s great Lori!

[Bridget]

I'm so glad you can join in Lori!

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

A thumbs up from me too :)

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

I've been asked whether another Victorian novel could be a buddy read, and the answer is YES! It's just that we haven't had any yet :D

You might be able to guess which one, as it is read aloud by Pip, near the end of that great gothic masterpiece, Great Expectations to the character - warning of a huge spoiler - (view spoiler)[ Magwitch (hide spoiler)]. So it definitely counts as relevant to Charles Dickens!

LINK HERE for the "Rules".

Over to you Tim :)

[Tim]

Hello everyone, sorry for posting literally 12 hours after the introduction, but better late than never (work kept me busy pretty much all day).

I would like to propose a read for the month of October, keeping with the spirit of this group and in the spirit of Halloween/Fall: Mary Shelly's Frankenstein.

Now Frankenstein has had a bit of an interesting publication history and there's actually two versions of it. The 1818 original text and the 1931 revision. There are several differences in the text (which I would be happy to discuss a bit in group discussion) but for simplicity sake I would suggest we go with the 1831 revision. It is the most commonly sold version (unless the book says 1818 on it, its going to be the 31 version) and seems to be typically the better regarded with the exception of some scholars.

If anyone is interested, I would be delighted to host it/set up a time table. :)

[Angela]

YES PLEASE. Has been on my TBR list for about a hundred years.

[Connie]

I would love to read Frankenstein, Tim. It's been sitting on my bookshelf for a few years, and it sounds like a good book to read with a group.

[Tim]

I'm in the same situation. I've had it for years but have never gotten around to it. I decided this was going to be the year I finally read both it and Dracula (which I finished a few days ago). I tend to do a horror story marathon throughout October, and thought this would be the perfect group to read Frankenstein with. :)

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Tim wrote: "this would be the perfect group to read Frankenstein with. :) ..."

Definitely! You're on to a winner here Tim, and 3 joining in meets our conditions already! So feel free to plan it here if you like, (finalise dates and collect names together etc.) I'll post you a thread around the beginning of September - is that OK? Then you might find you get others joining in too, as it's closer to the date.

[Sue]

I’ve read both of those books Tim, and I think you’ll enjoy both. I don’t plan to join this read but do enjoy it.

[Angela]

Tim wrote: "I'm in the same situation. I've had it for years but have never gotten around to it. I decided this was going to be the year I finally read both it and Dracula (which I finished a few days ago). I ..."

I love 'Dracula'. Have read several times.

[Lola]

Tim wrote: "I'm in the same situation. I've had it for years but have never gotten around to it. I decided this was going to be the year I finally read both it and Dracula (which I finished a few days ago). I ..."

I've read Frankenstein twice, once in school and once privately, and I loved the book. Am a fan of gothic literature in general, Dracula is one of my favourite books ever.

I'd love to read Frankenstein again.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Looking good :)

[Antoinette]

I would love to join the Little Dorrit buddy read as I missed it before. Would that be Ok?

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

I'm sure you'll be welcome Antoinette :) And another member is almost ready to jump in too ...

[Lori]

That’s awesome Antoinette!!

[Antoinette]

Thanks, Jean. Thanks,Lori.

[Sue]

Oh yes. This will be a fun read! Welcome Antoinette.

[Antoinette]

Thanks, Sue.

[Rod]

Make sure Iam on the LD buddy read list...

[Tim]

Bionic Jean wrote: "So feel free to plan it here if you like, (finalise dates and collect names together etc.) I'll post you a thread around the beginning of September - is that OK? "

That sounds great! Sorry I haven't been on much, trying to meet several deadlines at work which will be over soon (which is another reason why a buddy read works better in a couple of months for me beyond the horror/October theme). I'll go through and figure out a good breakdown for dates and such.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

That's fine Tim - plenty of time! So if you collect names for the Frankenstein: The 1818 Text buddy read please, and Janelle collects for Little Dorrit, that will be great :)

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Janelle - Our member David has messaged me a couple of times about joining in the buddy read of Little Dorrit, so hopefully he will comment here soon.

[Janelle]

This is the list so far for Little Dorrit :

Fiona, Sue, Bridget, Angela, Allie,
Rod, Laura, Lori, Antoinette, and David

Let me know if I've missed anyone, please.


+ Daniela, and Jim

[Angela]

Bionic Jean wrote: "Janelle - Our member David has messaged me a couple of times about joining in the buddy read of Little Dorrit, so hopefully he will comment here soon."

Do we have a date for starting Little Dorrit? I am trying so desperately to stay organized. Thanks!

[Janelle]

September 18 is the date that’s been mentioned so far, Angela. That seems good for me as it’s after the final short read.

[Tim]

Currently for the October Frankenstein read we have:

Angela
Connie
Lola
Tim

If anyone else would like to join up, please feel free. As for a breakdown, my copy has 28 chapters (4 letters starting the book and then 24 official chapters) and 231 pages (obviously page count may change based on editions). Does anyone have a suggestion on how we should break down the reading time? As I have not participated any group reads here except for short story ones, I do not know how fast we generally try to finish the books.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Tim, Connie may help here, as she has led reads before :) But time-wise it's up to you (all). Whatever suits best. After the 18th century read, the next Charles Dickens read will be late November, so you have plenty of time to play with.

[Connie]

Tim, would you want to read two letters or one chapter each day? That would take us 26 days in October with a few days to discuss the whole book, ending around Halloween. You're the leader so it's more important that you're comfortable with the pace. I'm retired so I'm very flexible about the pace.

Are we still reading the 1931 text as you suggested in your original post?

[Tim]

That sounds like a wonderful idea Connie. And yes, I was planning on the 1831 version of the text which is the most commonly available.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Sounds like everything's coming together nicely :)

[Angela]

Janelle wrote: "September 18 is the date that’s been mentioned so far, Angela. That seems good for me as it’s after the final short read."

Putting the 18th on my calendar.....in pencil, just in case.

[Daniela]

Hello, I am new here, I would like to join for Little Dorrit, is it too late?

[Bridget]

Hi Daniela,
It’s not too late at all. We start Little Dorrit on Sept 18. Please join us!

[Jim]

Bridget wrote: "Hi Daniela,
It’s not too late at all. We start Little Dorrit on Sept 18. Please join us!"

Great, Little Dorrit is the next Dickens novel I intend to read, this will give me an added push.

[Janelle]

Daniela and Jim, great to have you with us for the read :)

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Sue wrote: "Jean, thank you for all of your wonderful work. I am one of those who didn’t check in with the original DC thread more than once or twice, I think. Time and concentration have been my bugbears that..."

Sue, I'm so sorry I never seemed to have acknowledged this comment! I do appreciate it a lot, and am really pleased that you are enjoying the group so much :)

[Sue]

No problem Jean. The group continues to be such a great place for me. I wish I had time to read everything but maybe next year I’ll try Tom Jones along with the thread here.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Lovely :) There is quite a lot going on at the moment, isn't there!

[Sue]

There certainly is! Such a vibrant group.

[Bionic Jean, "Dickens Duchess"]

Buddy reads are not planned in this group at the moment.