The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

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Book Information > Books You Want to Read (Continuous Nominations)

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message 1: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
This discussion will act as our continuous nomination thread.

When you think about a book that fits our group simply post it in this discussion. The moderators will then add it to our TBR shelf. Each time we vote on a group read five books will be chosen by the moderators from the TBR shelf and a poll developed for the membership to vote on.


message 2: by Phil (new)

Phil | 5 comments Oblamov


message 3: by Rosemarie, Moderator (last edited Mar 01, 2023 12:26PM) (new)

Rosemarie | 3313 comments Mod
Phil wrote: "Oblamov"
Good choice, but we read Oblomov by Ivan Goncharov a couple of years ago, in 2021, and it was a good one.The discussion is still open in our archives.


message 4: by Kayla (new)

Kayla | 2 comments I just read Father and Son by Edmund Gosse and I am curious what others think of it. Not sure if this is the correct thread.


message 5: by Rosemarie, Moderator (new)

Rosemarie | 3313 comments Mod
This is the place to add books to our bookshelf, Kayla.
We have a thread that has been rather quiet lately called What 's on your bedside table? to discuss what we're reading, but everyone seems to have forgotten about it!
I have read the book you mentioned and found it an intense experience. Poor Edmund, with a father like that!


message 6: by Patrick (new)

Patrick I recommend Charles Reade’s It is Never Too Late to Mend, although I’m no good at group reads myself.


message 7: by Ceane (new)

Ceane (zoebelle) | 26 comments What is the group policy re. re-reads? I can’t seem to find that info anywhere.


message 8: by Rosemarie, Moderator (new)

Rosemarie | 3313 comments Mod
We don't have a specific policy, but after a certain number of years we may do rereads.


message 9: by Ceane (new)

Ceane (zoebelle) | 26 comments Books I’d love to read: Vanity Fair, North and South, Jude the Obscure, House of Mirth, and Emma.


message 10: by Sania (new)

Sania The count of monte cristo


message 11: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Ceane wrote: "What is the group policy re. re-reads? I can’t seem to find that info anywhere."

It's 3 years.


message 12: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Ceane wrote: "Books I’d love to read: Vanity Fair, North and South, Jude the Obscure, House of Mirth, and Emma."

Added Emma and Jude the Obscure back to the "to read" bookshelf, the rest where already there.


message 13: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Sania wrote: "The count of monte cristo"

Already on the "to read" bookshelf.


message 14: by Ceane (new)

Ceane (zoebelle) | 26 comments A Country Doctor by Sarah Orne Jewett, published 1884


message 15: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Ceane wrote: "A Country Doctor by Sarah Orne Jewett, published 1884"

added


message 16: by Robin P, Moderator (last edited Jan 19, 2024 06:43PM) (new)

Robin P | 2650 comments Mod
Mr. Hogarth's Will - Catherine Helen Spence - an Australian author - 1865


message 17: by sabagrey (new)

sabagrey | 175 comments Robin P wrote: "Mr. Hogarth's Will - Catherine Helen Spence - an Australian author - 1865"

I admit I am totally ignorant of what is to me antipodal literature, and this sounds really interesting. I'd love to group-read this book - with the hope that we would have Australian group members to join and to fill in some background for the rest of us.


message 18: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Robin P wrote: "Mr. Hogarth's Will - Catherine Helen Spence - an Australian author - 1865"

added


message 19: by Natalie (new)

Natalie Fry | 8 comments North and South


message 20: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Natalie wrote: "North and South"

added


message 21: by Nancy (new)

Nancy | 254 comments David Copperfield, please


message 22: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Nancy wrote: "David Copperfield, please"

added


Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) (captain_sir_roddy) | 1494 comments Mod
I browsed the Archives and it doesn't seem like Henri Guy de Maupassant has made an appearance. Maupassant not only has a boatload of great short stories, but has three novels that are terrific (I think he wrote 5-6?).

I see that Zola was given a shot, but sputtered out, and I can understand why. I think the Rougon-Macquart 20-book series is a commitment, and it took me years to finally bite the bullet and start.

I would love to see if there is any interest in Henry James. With HJ, it would make sense, in my opinion, to look at the two phases, his early works and then the last three novels. I used to think the last three, The Wings of the Dove, The Ambassadors, and The Golden Bowl, were virtually impenetrable. I now think they are--with The Portrait of A Lady--his very best works.

Edith Wharton is another author I'd love to see explored. Her major novels are amazingly good; and she, like Maupassant and James, wrote some terrific novellas and short stories. One cool read that could be done would be to compare/contrast Wharton's novella The Touchstone with James' novella The Aspern Papers.

I know that we have Dostoevsky's TBK coming up in August, and I'm terribly excited for that, but wonder if we couldn't perhaps build a "Russian Project" and include several other Russian authors? Perhaps we could do a "French Project" that could address Balzac, Flaubert, Dumas, Hugo, Sand, de Maupassant, Zola, etc.?

Just some 'food for thought'.


message 24: by Robin P, Moderator (last edited Jul 14, 2024 11:07AM) (new)

Robin P | 2650 comments Mod
Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) wrote: "I browsed the Archives and it doesn't seem like Henri Guy de Maupassant has made an appearance. Maupassant not only has a boatload of great short stories, but has three novels that are terrific (I ..."

All of these are great ideas! You are absolutely welcome to lead any of them, and/or team up with other mods to do so. Personally, I always participate in the French reads since I can read the originals. We have done several Balzac and we did Les Miz a while back.


Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) (captain_sir_roddy) | 1494 comments Mod
Robin P wrote: "Captain Sir Roddy, R.N. (Ret.) wrote: "I browsed the Archives and it doesn't seem like Henri Guy de Maupassant has made an appearance. Maupassant not only has a boatload of great short stories, but..."

Challenge accepted, Robin. When I am back from Italy in late-September, I will 'meet' with the mods and see what can, or should, be developed, and I'd be delighted to lead/co-lead. Thanks heaps!


message 26: by Deborah, Moderator (new)

Deborah (deborahkliegl) | 4617 comments Mod
French authors sounds like fun to me. I’d love to also add some George sand to the French list.


message 27: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
I love the French authors but the Russians are my favorite. Unfortunately, I lack any significant knowledge of the history of Russia which I know has influenced the writers in our time period. I'd love to do a Russian project.


message 28: by Trev (new)


message 29: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Trev wrote: "The Four Feathers by A.E. Mason, published in 1902.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A._E._W..."


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message 30: by Lori, Moderator (new)

Lori Goshert (lori_laleh) | 1802 comments Mod
I'd like to add The Listener and Other Stories by Algernon Blackwood. It was published in 1907, so it just makes it into our range!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...


message 31: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Lori wrote: "I'd like to add The Listener and Other Stories by Algernon Blackwood. It was published in 1907, so it just makes it into our range!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1......"


added


message 32: by Bonnie (last edited Nov 01, 2024 07:00AM) (new)

Bonnie | 311 comments I'd like to nominate these books by Emily Eden:
The Semi-Attached Couple
The Semi-Detached House

I read about them on a blog somewhere. Mid 1800s, author a British woman with a sharp sense of humor. She lived in India for a few years when her brother held a post there, and two of her books are letters written from India.


message 33: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Bonnie wrote: "I'd like to nominate...
The Semi-Attached Couple
The Semi-Detached House"


added


message 34: by Piyangie (new)

Piyangie | 170 comments I'd like to add The Adolescent by Fyodor Dostoevsky


message 35: by Gem , Moderator (new)

Gem  | 1232 comments Mod
Piyangie wrote: "I'd like to add The Adolescent by Fyodor Dostoevsky"

Added!


message 36: by Brian E (new)

Brian E Reynolds | 926 comments This is a comment on the upcoming read of The Vicar of Wakefield. There is no thread for the book or a general thread for upcoming reads so I chose to post it in this thread.

In the poll that "Vicar" won it was mentioned that the discussion week length would vary due to book length. The Vicar of Wakefield is about 197 pages, normally about a 3 week, possibly 4 week discussion. The nominee for Voltaire's Candide added in Diderot's Rameau's Nephew to 'beef' up the amount of that proposed read. That had me thinking that it might be nice to add in an extra week at the end of the "Vivar" read to discuss Goldsmith's play She Stoops to Conquer. We have done something similar before. And, while I'm not a poetry person myself and might not join in, for those interested, there could even be a week to discuss his most famous poem The Deserted Village allowing the reader to read Goldsmith's most famous novel, play and poem in one 5 to 6 week discussion sequence.

As I'm not putting my money where my mouth is and volunteering to moderate any discussion, this is not a request but merely a suggestion for whoever was assigned to moderate the Goldsmith read to consider whether it sounded like something they'd actually like to do.


message 37: by Frances, Moderator (new)

Frances (francesab) | 2286 comments Mod
Brian E wrote: "This is a comment on the upcoming read of The Vicar of Wakefield. There is no thread for the book or a general thread for upcoming reads so I chose to post it in this thread.

In the ..."


OK that sounds like a very fun play! I will certainly consider adding it to the end of the read. As I haven't got my copy yet I wasn't sure how long it would be but 4-5 weeks in total is definitely doable-I might even see if I can get an edition with both in it.


message 38: by Amy (new)

Amy (bobswifeamy) | 47 comments Greetings!
Occasionally I get a little confused re navigation of groups (using the iOS version of GR) so please pardon me:
When will the Vicar of Wakefield group read begin, please?
I did see the placeholder empty page for it, but I was thinking there might be a schedule of dates? TIA


message 39: by Amy (new)

Amy (bobswifeamy) | 47 comments Oops! I just saw May 4 for the start date. Ok I think I’m good now.


message 40: by Trev (new)

Trev | 687 comments I’m not sure if this is the place to post and I may be being premature, but will there be any special group reads in the pipeline to commemorate the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth (16th December 1775)?

Maybe a Jane Austen poll or even a Jane Austen season? Just a suggestion. I was prompted when I came across memorabilia and scheduled JA events when I recently visited the ex Regency Spa in Buxton, Derbyshire.

EXAMPLE - https://buxtonfestival.co.uk/whats-on...


message 41: by Frances, Moderator (new)

Frances (francesab) | 2286 comments Mod
Great idea, Trev-I think P&P, S&S and Emma (and the shorter works/juvenilia) are ones that we haven't read in the last 5 years so I will try to make sure we get to at least one in honour of the 250th!


message 42: by Lori, Moderator (new)

Lori Goshert (lori_laleh) | 1802 comments Mod
I'd like to add a few:

Bram Stoker: The Mystery of the Sea
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...

Sheridan Le Fanu: The House by the Churchyard
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Henry James: The Turn of the Screw and Other Stories (I know the Turn of the Screw as a solo novella is already there)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

Robert W. Chambers: The King in Yellow
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...


message 43: by Deborah, Moderator (new)

Deborah (deborahkliegl) | 4617 comments Mod
I’d like to read Edgar Allen Poe


message 44: by Chris (new)

Chris Hall | 1 comments I look forward to reading Brideshead Revisited, but the next book on my nightstand is Bubblegum, by Adam Levin.


message 45: by Frances, Moderator (new)

Frances (francesab) | 2286 comments Mod
Chris wrote: "I look forward to reading Brideshead Revisited, but the next book on my nightstand is Bubblegum, by Adam Levin."

I'm afraid Waugh is a little out of our time period as we read novels etc published before 1910, however I share your enthusiasm for Waugh/Brideshead. Is there anything from a bit earlier you'd like to add?


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