TBR discussion

[Katie]

What are you planning on reading this Victober? This is the place to discuss!

[Bobbie Sue]

I'm reading The Pickwick Papers, Wives and Daughters, Shirley, The Professor, and Villette. Finishing off the Bronte canon is a major plan for me this Victober.

[Becky]

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Trail of the Serpent by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Middlemarch by George Eliot
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackery
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte
The Wooden Box by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell

and a collection of diary entries by Queen Victoria regarding her various visits to Scotland

[Gillian]

I think I'm going with:

The Time Machine / Wheels of Chance or Love & Mr Lewisham by H.G Wells
Kilvert's Diary 1870-1879 by Francis Kilvert
The Cranford Chronicles by Elizabeth Gaskell
Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope
Shirley by Charlotte Bronte

Which covers the challenges and the group read and I'd also like to get to Wonderful Adventures of Mrs Seacole in Many Lands by Mary Seacole

[Kevin]

Becky wrote: "A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Trail of the Serpent by Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Middlemarch by George Eliot
North and South by E..."

A Child's Garden of Verses is the oldest book I have. It was given to me on my 5th birthday. It says it was from my friend Julia Boze, but the handwriting is suspiciously good. I loved that girl. Coca Cola were running some sort of promotion where they put stickers of cartoon characters in the tops of coke bottles. She peeled one off and gave it to me. I thought she was a genius. The poems are not bad, but they're not great. Children would like it. My copy was illustrated by Hilda Boswell. It was a bit old-fashioned even for back then.

[Carla]

I think I’m going to finish “The Moonstone” by Wilkie Collins, “Withering Heights” (a few months ago I finally read Jane Eyre and The Tennant of W.H. and I loved them! So I’m looking forward to reading Emily!). For letters or diary’s I’m thinking of “De Profundis” by Oscar Wilde, since my dissertation goes around prison writing and Wilde is one of my favorite authors, I think it’s quite fitting. Also I’m thinking of reading “The great god Pan and other horror stories” by Arthur Machen, to keep the gothic mood.

[Jess]

Since the read-along is I think I'll read her sisters' works in tandem: & because I'm currently in the middle of . So the let's keep the revenge- themed-plots rolling, shall we?

&

[Jess]

Carla wrote: "I think I’m going to finish “The Moonstone” by Wilkie Collins, “Withering Heights” (a few months ago I finally read Jane Eyre and The Tennant of W.H. and I loved them! So I’m looking forward to rea..."

I'm definitely going to read "De Profundis" too. Warning it will break your heart. I'm furious that it is not more widely known. It should be taught alongside the Importance of Being Ernest because it is an important glimpse into Wilde's life. Prison writing sounds like a fantastic dissertation topic. :)

[Kirk]

Lois the Witch and Mr Harrison's Confessions!
Not sure of other books.

[Juliana]

Hi, folks!

I will narrow down my TBR list later, but, for now, here is my list:
Cassandra
Red Pottage (reread - I love this book so much!)
The Semi-Attached Couple and the Semi-Detached House
Her Father's Name
The Rebel of the Family
The Heavenly Twins
The History of Sir Richard Calmady, Volume I
Miss Miles: Or, a Tale of Yorkshire Life 60 Years Ago
The Romance of a Shop
A Phantom Lover and Other Dark Tales
Ever Yours, Florence Nightingale: Selected Letters
Commonplace, and Other Short Stories
Keynotes and Discords
Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England

I wrote a full list of reading possibilities & recommendations on my blog: https://theblankgarden.com/2020/09/03...

Happy reading! :)

[Steve]

I'm revisiting Victorian fiction, so I thought I'd start with Wuthering Heights and see where it takes me. I bought it last fall, and read up to the part when young Cathy and Heathcliff are caught spying on the Lintons. I'm going to start from the very beginning and work my way through; luckily I bought the Norton Critical Edition.

Currently reading The House of the Seven Gables, and stories by Washington Irving, but hope to find short Gothic pieces from Ireland.

[Josh]

Finishing up Middlemarch, then reading Our Mutual Friend - a long time Victorian TBR and also Shirley with the group!

[Carla]

Jess wrote: "Carla wrote: "I think I’m going to finish “The Moonstone” by Wilkie Collins, “Withering Heights” (a few months ago I finally read Jane Eyre and The Tennant of W.H. and I loved them! So I’m looking ..."

Oh, thank you for the heads up! For better or for worse I'm getting used to reading heartbreaking documents, but never by anyone as gifted as Wilde... so I'm preparing myself for a good deal of sobbing.

[Kevin]

I am going to read The N****r of Narcissus by Joseph Conrad, a seafaring novella about a West Indian sailor for Katie's challenge.

For Lucy's challenge, I will read The Soul of Man and Prison Writings by Oscar Wilde, which includes the long letter De Profundis and two open letters to a newspaper.

For Kate's challenge I will read the short stories not about Mowgli in The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.

For reader's challenge I will read Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. It's not too long. I can complete it in a month with the other challenges.

I am not going to participate in the read-along, because I have read Shirley before (and it's not worth the re-read imho).

[Lorri]

After much musing, here's my heavy TBR:
1. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë and watch an adaptation
2. My Reminiscences vol. 1 by Lord Ronald Gower and Oscar Wilde’s De Profundis
3. Oscar Wilde: play A Woman of No Importance and novella The Picture of Dorian Gray and watch adaptations
4. Dickens: The Cricket on the Hearth: A Tale of Home, Three Ghost Stories, and at least start Dombey and Son
5. I am not planning to participate in wearing something Victorian, but I do plan to participate in the group-read of Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
6. If I have time, I want to read Aurora Floyd Mary Elizabeth Braddon’s sequel to Lady Audley’s Secret

[Gabriel]

The Woman in White, finally.

[Electra]

I am not sure if all my books are Victorian but here is my list :
- The Mill on the floss by E.George (buddy read)
- Roxane by W.Defoe
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

I would also love to start reading A.Trollope but only if I manage to read the first three books.

[Jess]

Correct me if I am wrong: Trollope, and Elliot are considered Victorian authors. Defoe is Neoclassic, and Austin was writing during the Romantic period.

looks so good though!

The Victorian era spans from 1837-1901. (Although some websites say 1832, but Queen Victoria took the thrown in 1837.)

[Kevin]

Jess wrote: "Correct me if I am wrong: Trollope, and Elliot are considered Victorian authors. Defoe is Neoclassic, and Austin was writing during the Romantic period.

looks so good th..."

William IV was on the throne from 1932 to 1937, which seems not to have been long enough to have an era named after him. Not sure what that era would have been called, Williamian? Austen's writing era is often described as the Regency. George IV was prince regent for nine years while his father was too unwell to reign. The years either side tend to be termed the Regency too, maybe to differentiate it from the very long Georgian period in the 18th Century, when we had three King Georges in a row. I would have said Defoe was a Georgian writer.

[Jess]

Yes! Thank you for the clarification. From what you're saying the periods are marked by whomever is sitting on the English throne. Okay. Austen was Regency I've heard this before.
It seems like the Romanticism movement and the Regency period overlap.
Romanticism was a movement spanning 1790–1850 occurring during the Regency period which spanned from 1811 when George IV was named prince regent in place of his insane father, George III. Then 1820 George III died and George IV ruled in his own right.

Study.com clarifies the Regency period's:
"Connection to the Romantics
If you are familiar with the Romantic Movement in prose and poetry (as well as art and music), you are probably now thinking that the Regency Period looks like a small pocket inserted into the longer Romantic Period. This is somewhat true, as Romantic writers like Shelly (both Percy and Mary), Lord Byron, Coleridge, and Scott fall into this span of years. Scholars of literature are usually working with prose novels of the era when discussing Regency literature."
https://study.com/academy/lesson/rege...

[Kevin]

I tend to associate the Romantic movement more with poets than novelists. There was Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth and Percy Shelley and William Blake and Lord Byron and John Clare and John Keats. I think Sir Walter Scott started as a poet before he started writing novels.

[Jess]

You're exactly right. It's important to clarify here, especially for an American like myself when the internet offers up conflicting info.

It makes sense that the periods of lit are cued from whomever occupies on the throne because that would greatly effect the economic and social realities of the characters in the novels. Thank you so much!

[saturn]

Electra wrote: "I am not sure if all my books are Victorian but here is my list :
- The Mill on the floss by E.George (buddy read)
- Roxane by W.Defoe
- Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

I would also love to start ..."
Jane Austen is not victorian.

[Chrisy]

There are so many i want to read as I’m pretty new to classic literature but I’m definitely a mood reader so its hard for me to decide right now. Some on my current tbr though are: jane eyre, great expectations, middlemarch, anything by thomas hardy, my list could go on forever 😂😂

[Alisha]

Thanks for linking "Miss Miles"! I had no idea Charlotte Bronte's friend wrote a book. It sounds like something I might enjoy. I've ordered a copy.
I probably won't be able to participate heavily in Victober, but at least this gives me something new to read, and I might also aim for a re-read of Jane Eyre or Villette depending on how the month goes!


Juliana wrote: "Hi, folks!

I will narrow down my TBR list later, but, for now, here is my list:
Cassandra
Red Pottage (reread - I love this book so much!)
[book:The Semi-Attached Coup..."

[Kelsey]

So excited! I have a bit of an ambitious TBR, but I think I can do it. I will be reading.

Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Letters of Christina Rossetti
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
Dracula by Bram Stoker

[Whitney]

I’m rereading Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell...because I can’t NOT. 😃

I’m also considering Vanity Fair and The Way We Live Now.

[Margaret]

I'll be reading "The Way We Live Now" by Anthony Trollope.

[Andrea]

For the Victober I plan to read:
- Wuthering Heights
- Frankenstein
- and I'm not sure but something from Beatrix Potter, I don't know if
it goes into Victover Peter Rabbit?

[Lulu123]

This is my reading list - all first time read for me. :)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde

[Marta]

This is what my TBR looks like, unless I make some changes.
-Shirley by Charlotte Brontë
-Armadale by Wilkie Collins
-Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell
-Selected letters by Charlotte Brontë (I have a selection of letters that Henry James sent to Mrs Ford, but I realised they are from 1907-1915, so, not Victorian!)

[Whitney]

I discovered a new one and have changed my TBR!

I’m going to read The Old Wives Tale by Arnold Bennett and I’m really excited about this one.

I’m also doing the readalong for Shirley!

[Kevin]

Old Wives Tale is Edwardian, although the period it covers is mostly Victorian. Good book though.

[Whitney]

Yeah I know it’s not technically Victorian but I didn’t realize it at first (since it covers mostly Victorian times) and then I decided I’d read it now instead.

[Kirsty]

I’m not planning on taking part in any of the challenges this year as I don’t have any books that fit in to the right categories and my local library is still closed (I might read Shirley if I have time but I don’t think I’ll get to it). I’m going to try and read some of the short stories I have on my Kindle, as well as reading 3 of my physical books that I already own:


- Jane Eyre - Charlotte Brontë
- The Warden - Anthony Trollope
- Hard Times - Charles Dickens
- The Canterville Ghost - Oscar Wilde
- Cousin Phillis - Elizabeth Gaskell
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
- Through the Looking-Glass - Lewis Carroll
- The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde - Robert Louis Stevenson
- Three Men in a Boat - Jerome K. Jerome
- The Diary of a Nobody - George Grossmith
- Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson
- The Island of Doctor Moreau - H.G. Wells

Probably a bit ambitious but I’ve chosen everything Victorian that’s under 150 pages from my Kindle library and added it to my TBR to try and clear some of my never-ending Classics collection!

[Cathie]

I'm going to keep mine simple with just three I read Shirley recently so won't join in with that but I'll do Villette instead and I was intrigued last year by many reading Deerbrook by Harriet Martineau and lastly I have Hard Times by Dickens all of which I own and are unread so that will be satisfying 😊

[April]

I'm looking for suggestions for something really spooky and gothic. I've read Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I have Carmilla on my TBR, but I'm looking for something else. Any suggestions?

[Kevin]

Wuthering Heights maybe?

[April]

Kevin wrote: "Wuthering Heights maybe?"

Oh, thanks, Kevin, I have read that, though.

[Cate]

I'm hoping to read:

-The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
-Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson
-Middlemarch by George Eliot
-North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
-Shirley by Charlotte Brontë

I'm having trouble finding a book of letters or diaries that I want to read. I have many in my library but none of them are by Victorian authors. I might skip that challenge.

[Kevin]

April wrote: "Kevin wrote: "Wuthering Heights maybe?"

Oh, thanks, Kevin, I have read that, though."

The Woman in White? Possibly the Island of Doctor Moreau. The Picture of Dorian Gray?

[Agresio]

I have compiled this list of Victorian novels I plan on reading during Victober:

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
De Profundis by Oscar Wilde
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Carroll
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
and Shirley by Charlotte Brontë as part of the Readalong.

This is an overambitious list for a university student, but I will do my best. North and South by Mrs Gaskell and Shirley by Charlotte Brontë are two really long books so I might end up not reading North and South this year.

[Theresa]

April wrote: "Kevin wrote: "Wuthering Heights maybe?"

Oh, thanks, Kevin, I have read that, though."

April, I have been thinking of reading The Woman in White so if you decide to read it let me know and we can discuss it as we go.

[Kevin]

North and South, and Shirley are both industrial novels. There's only four so far as I know: those two, Lucy Barton and Hard Times.

[Lorri]

April wrote: "I'm looking for suggestions for something really spooky and gothic. I've read Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I have Carmilla on my TBR, but I'm looking for something else. Any suggestions?"

Here is the link to English Victorian Gothic Fiction https://researchguides.library.tufts....

[April]

Kevin wrote: "April wrote: "Kevin wrote: "Wuthering Heights maybe

Oh, thanks, Kevin, I have read that, though."

The Woman in White? Possibly the Island of Doctor Moreau. The Picture of Dorian Gray?"

Thanks! I'll check out the Island of Doctor Moreau. I didn't think of that one.

[April]

Theresa wrote: "April wrote: "Kevin wrote: "Wuthering Heights maybe?"

Oh, thanks, Kevin, I have read that, though."

April, I have been thinking of reading The Woman in White so if you decide to read it let me k..."

Theresa, I just read The Woman in White last Victober. Sorry! It would have been fun to buddy read it with you.

[April]

Lorri wrote: "April wrote: "I'm looking for suggestions for something really spooky and gothic. I've read Dracula and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I have Carmilla on my TBR, but I'm looking for something else. Any s..."

Lori, thanks, I'm headed over to check it out right now.

[Jennie]

I've been collecting books for Victober all year and now I don't know what to pick! I think I'm going to go with:

Favourite genre: Sci-fi/fantasy - The Island of Dr. Moreau
Letters/Diaries - De Profundis
Something I should have read long ago - Jane Eyre
Lesser Known work by a favourite - don't have a favourite so I'm just going with a list of a few option that appeal to me the most and pick one (or two) as the mood strikes
The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Warden
Treasure Island
The Pickwick Papers

I'm not sure if I'll read Shirley. I sort of feel like I should read Jane Eyre first, if that makes sense? Does it really matter?

[Sasha]

I'm aiming to read:

The Sign of Four by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Letters of Charlotte Brontë
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
The Woodlanders by Thomas Hardy
Framley Parsonage by Anthony Trollope
The Library Window by Mrs. Oliphant
Jill by Amy Dillwyn

Around half of these are in audiobook so I'll hopefully be able to get to most of them!