Never too Late to Read Classics discussion
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2022 Buddy Read: Scottish Authors
Tracey wrote: "Penelope wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Penelope wrote: "Finally finished Waverley by Walter Scott. a solid 4 star read and my first Scott. The audible book wonderfully read by ..."I would be happy to buddy read one of your choices with you. No pressure and please don't feel obliged! Because I have read only Waverley I am open to any title. Let me know if you think it would work.
Penelope wrote: "I would to do this. Recently I read Rizzio by Denise Mina and was alerted to Sir Walter Scott novel, The Abbot I have The Complete Novels of Sir Walter Scott:..."</i>I would like to read [author:Sir Walter Scott novels. If you would like to buddy read these please friend me.
Yes I read it several years ago and enjoyed it.
Tracey & Penelope - I think my favourite Scott novels so far have been Rob Roy and IvanhoeI hope to read at least The Monastery this year.
I finished The Empty World by D.E. Stevenson last night. A dystopian sci-fi romance, written in 1936 and set in a future of 1973, it wouldn't have been my normal choice.I've never read any other books by D E Stevenson, so I don't know how this compares - and it was her only sci-fi novel. There were some basic mistakes in the book that an editor should have picked up, but they didn't spoil it for me, and on the whole I enjoyed it. (I won't give any plot or theme details).
The main protagonists got themselves into some tricky situations because of their own dumbness or naivety, but with one bound - they were free!
It was definitely a comfort read - the good guys were wholesomely good and were happy in the end, and the bad guys were wickedly bad, and got their come-uppance without sympathy from the author.
A pleasant book, and I'm glad I read it, but probably the only D E Stevenson book I'll read.
I've just started a book by another Scottish writer who I've only heard of recently as a result of this group - Josephine Tey. I'm reading Miss Pym Disposes - it's early days, but I'm enjoying it so far as it's nicely written.
Annette wrote: "I have the Princess & the Goblin by George MacDonald on my list for this year for another challenge :)"This is one of my favourite books and I like the sequel to it The Princess and the Goblin
John wrote: "I've just started a book by another Scottish writer who I've only heard of recently as a result of this group - Josephine Tey. I'm reading Miss Pym Disposes - it's ea..."Another favourite of mine. I have read most of Tey's books
Penelope wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Penelope wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Penelope wrote: "Finally finished Waverley by Walter Scott. a solid 4 star read and my first Scott. The audible book wonde..."Hi Penelope that would be great. I saw earlier in the thread that you wanted to read the books by Dorothy Dunnett. Do you want to do that first or would be ready to read a Scott novel in March or April?
John wrote: "Tracey & Penelope - I think my favourite Scott novels so far have been Rob Roy and IvanhoeI hope to read at least The Monastery this year."
Yes I like both of those. I have The Monastery on my kindle.
Cosmic wrote: "Penelope wrote: "I would to do this. Recently I read Rizzio by Denise Mina and was alerted to Sir Walter Scott novel, The Abbot I have [book:The Complete Novels of Si..."Would you like to read any of the 4 books by Scott I listed?
Yes that would be good. I would like the Antiquary. Would do you think?
Tracey, Penelope .... please count me in for this buddy read. I have just read Bride of Lammermoor and Ivanhoe, so Antiquary is fine and so is Monastery.
Mod
Rosemarie wrote: "I've just finished the vintage mystery, Murder of a Lady by Anthony Wynne.
It's a good one!"
Rosemarie, I'm really looking forward to reading that one - thanks for the recommendation!
Mod
It's a locked room mystery with a clever solution.
I'm a big fan of the British Library Crime Classics.
Rosemarie wrote: "Anytime! It's a locked room mystery with a clever solution.
I'm a big fan of the British Library Crime Classics."
Me too!
I would like to join in on The Antiquary as well.
I am not participating in this read because I don't read poetry and I won't read THAT many Scottish author tomes, but I did just receive from Amazon the following Scottish author books that I plan to read in 2022:Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson
The Citadel by A.J. Cronin
The Keys of the Kingdom by A.J. Cronin
However, I don't think any of the above actually take place in Scotland. For that, since I like Glaswegian rock bands Del Amitri, Teenage Fanclub and Belle & Sebastian I may later try this non-fiction about growing up in Glasgow:
Made In Scotland: My Grand Adventures in a Wee Country by actor/comedian Billy Connolly. While it is a non-classic recently written book, it does refer to growing up in the 50's and 60's Glasgow.
Speaking of growing up in Glasgow, last year I read and liked the Booker Prize winning Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart about a sensitive young lad growing up in Glasgow. It may not be a classic as defined on here but is a good non-NTLTRC read
Brian wrote: "I am not participating in this read because I don't read poetry and I won't read THAT many Scottish author tomes, but I did just receive from Amazon the following Scottish author books that I plan ..."Brian, we'd all be delighted if you shared your views on any "Scottish" book you read this year - and others on the thread have indicated interest in both D E Stevenson and A J Cronin, both of whom qualify for the read.
Let us know when you are about to read them as its likely that others will be interested in joining you (I'd definitely be interested in either of the Cronin books).
Penelope and Tracey have generated lots of interest in a number of us reading The Antiquary - and that's something I didn't expect to see! I'd expect similar interest in Cronin or Stevenson.
I’d be interested in reading Miss Buncle and The Citadel with the group. The latter book sounds fabulous!
Mod
I can recommend the Miss Buncle books!
I would join a group reading Cronin. Excellent author.
John, you mentioned reading plays. I assume Macbeth would fit the requirement? Are there other Scottish plays or playwrights anybody would recommend?
Sadly, we can't claim Shakespeare as a Scot, Melanie, so Macbeth wouldn't meet the requirement.Scottish playwrights are a bit outside my comfort zone , but a couple of the authors mentioned in this thread - like A.J. Cronin and George Mackay Brown wrote some plays; Jessie Kesson wrote a lot of radio plays; James Bridie, Tom Gallacher and Robert McLellan all wrote plays.
The only major Scottish play I can remember is "The Cheviot, the Stag and the Black, Black Oil by John McGrath.
But other members have come up with Scottish authors I wasn't aware of - so can anyone recommend any plays for Melanie?
John wrote: "Brian wrote: "I am not participating in this read because I don't read poetry and I won't read THAT many Scottish author tomes, but I did just receive from Amazon the following Scottish author book..."I would like to be added to the buddy group for The Antiquary
Penelope and Tracey - it looks like there are now 6 of us who want to join you both in reading The Antiquary. You were originally considering either March or April - which would you prefer?
John wrote: "Sadly, we can't claim Shakespeare as a Scot, Melanie, so Macbeth wouldn't meet the requirement.Okay, staying with the Macbeth theme, how about some good Scottish royal historians?
For those looking to read Walter Scott, here's some interestingly priced sets of his works from Abe Books. The first one has shipping of only $5 for the whole set. https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/Sear...
Brian wrote: "For those looking to read Walter Scott, here's some interestingly priced sets of his works from Abe Books. The first one has shipping of only $5 for the whole set. https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/..."That's good, Brian. I can't afford any more than that after buying the set.
John wrote: "Penelope and Tracey - it looks like there are now 6 of us who want to join you both in reading The Antiquary. You were originally considering either March or April - which would you pre..."I would be ready to start in March but as it was Tracey's original suggestion I am waiting to hear her preference.
In April the general fiction nominations include Kidnapped and Catriona by Robert Louis Stevenson and I'm keen to join in for that read. It will suit both the Scottish and the general fiction.
Kathy wrote: "That's good, Brian. I can't afford any more than that after buying the set."I know, Kathy. When I first saw the prices of those sets, I exclaimed "Great Scott!!"
Brian wrote: "Kathy wrote: "That's good, Brian. I can't afford any more than that after buying the set."I know, Kathy. When I first saw the prices of those sets, I exclaimed "Great Scott!!""
Haha very funny!!!
I appreciate your guidance on picking authors, John. I think for nonfiction I’ll try something by Agnes Mure Mackenzie, and for fiction I’ll read Behold Thy Daughter by Neil Paterson.
Melanie wrote: "I appreciate your guidance on picking authors, John. I think for nonfiction I’ll try something by Agnes Mure Mackenzie, and for fiction I’ll read Behold Thy Daughter by Neil Paterson."Great choices Melanie - let me know when you're reading them and I'll try to read along with you.
Melanie wrote: "John wrote: "Sadly, we can't claim Shakespeare as a Scot, Melanie, so Macbeth wouldn't meet the requirement.Okay, staying with the Macbeth theme, how about some good Scottish royal historians?"
Melanie, on Macbeth there is not a huge amount known about him, so I don't know of any history books devoted to him. A couple of Scottish authors of historical fiction - Dorothy Dunnett and Nigel Tranter - have written books about Macbeth, but these are outside our dates unfortunately.
On Scottish historians, my favourites would be Tom Devine, Jenny Calder, Angus Calder, Callum G. Brown, James Hunter and Christopher A. Whatley. Most of their books will have been written after 1973, but since all are about events well before that, I believe they qualify for this group.
But bear in mind that every historian's books are affected by their personal bias - and my choice of historians will be affected by mine!
John, thanks for the recommendations! Yes, I’ll let you know when I’m reading the Mackenzie and Paterson books.
Melanie wrote: "John wrote: "Sadly, we can't claim Shakespeare as a Scot, Melanie, so Macbeth wouldn't meet the requirement.Okay, staying with the Macbeth theme, how about some good Scottish royal historians?"
It looks like I was wrong about there being no histories of Macbeth, Melanie. There's a 2011 book - Macbeth: A True Story by Fiona Watson, which is described as a scholarly study. However, the author (a historian) states that she's included some fictional passages to flesh out some parts of the story. These are apparently short and rare.
I'm thinking of buying this book myself but - given the inclusion of some fictional passages - can it still be classed as a non-fiction book that meets the criteria of this group? One for the moderators perhaps.
Mod
John, I would be interested in finding out how you like the Macbeth book if you happen to read it.
Two books I ordered from Amazon finally came today and one of them is Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant. I’ve started reading it, and the main character is a hoot!
Melanie wrote: "Two books I ordered from Amazon finally came today and one of them is Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant. I’ve started reading it, and the main character is a hoot!"That's a fairly entertaining one, Melanie. While I rounded a 3.5 star rating down to 3 stars, most of my fellow GR group readers thought it a definite 4 star read. I thought it was a bit like Austen and a bit like Trollope, just not quite up to their level. But not many are, so its still well worth the read.
There was some interest by others in group reading The Citadel. As there may be reads of The Antiquary and Kidnapped and Catriona in March and April, I could wait until May to read that novel.
However, if for some reason The Antiquary buddy read falls through, I may want to suggest reading the Citadel in March.
Since I'm waiting on reading the Citadel, I am going ahead and start reading Miss Buncle's Book now. Melanie, I know you were interested in reading it so maybe you can read it after Miss Marjoribanks. I was just a bit anxious to start reading one of my new Scot authors soon.
Brian wrote: "Melanie wrote: "Two books I ordered from Amazon finally came today and one of them is Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant. I’ve started reading it, and the main character is a hoot!"That's a f..."
I will definitely be reading The The Antiquary in March and yes, there were a few who expressed an interest in reading along. I mentioned the other two because they are in the general fiction choices for April.
I would very much like to join you in your reading of the Citadel so will keep a look out for your updates.
Penelope, since you are definitely reading The Antiquary in March and I don't want to interfere with the Stevenson duo in the NTLTRC general read for April, lets just plan on definitely reading The Citadel in May. It will be like a Russian doll - a buddy read inside a buddy read.
I suggest we aim to read The Antiquary in March, with the thread remaining open for anyone who wants to participate later.In April, some of us will be reading the two novels of Robert Louis Stevenson in the Genre & Novelist thread - and that might be enough Scottish authors for a month (but everyone is very welcome to suggest others for this thread in April - maybe a group read of some of the other names which have come up - like Josephine Tey, Mrs Oliphant (Margaret), D.E. Stevenson or Dorothy Dunnett).
In May I suggest we go with Brian's recommendation of The Citadel by A.J. Cronin.
(And related to A.J. Cronin - am I the only one old enough to remember watching episodes of the TV series "Dr Finlay's Casebook", based on a story of Cronin's and mainly written by him for a couple of years of the show's run)?
Never too Late to Read Classics
Books mentioned in this topic
A Far Cry from Kensington (other topics)The Citadel (other topics)
Sunset Song (other topics)
A Far Cry from Kensington (other topics)
Miss Buncle Married (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Muriel Spark (other topics)A.J. Cronin (other topics)
Muriel Spark (other topics)
George MacDonald (other topics)
Margot Bennett (other topics)
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Love The 39 Steps and the whole series! Have fun! If you are a fan of The Catcher in the Rye you will note his reference in this book (hint: How Holden gets a good goodbye.)