The Rory Gilmore Book Club discussion
Nominations & Voting
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The Summer reader is.......
Sweet - I think you all will love it! And it will give me a chance to catch up on the other group selections I've missed. ;) I last read Monte Cristo in early 2007, so I think I'll be able to remember it well enough. Enjoy!
Yay! I will finally read the Count! So by summer reading, we mean that it is to be read in a lounger in the yard or by the pool with something cold and delicious to drink?
Yay! I'm pleased that a book that I am nterested in won. The book has been getting 5 star reviews on this site so I'm looking forward to reading it. I'm also looking forward to getting to know Dumas and his style of writing.
YAY! I'm so excited to have this as our summer read!=).
Heh. I saw the book at the book store. I'm not sure what I was thinking. That book IS long. But I know I read it in less than a week. But that just shows you how good this book is! I really hope you all enjoy it.
What?! The Count of Monte Cristo? Really? Am I dreaming? Is it my illusion? Whew,Nice choice ladies! I really really want to read this book. I always thought that Anna Karenina would be the book for summer (which definitely I will skip it) :)Yay! The Count of Monte Cristo! Yay!
Uh.. sorry if I sound a little bit crazy :)
Well, Erie. You did read Jane Eyre, so we'll gift you a boy book this time! ha ha
ha-ha-ha, Meghan-you read my mind. A "testosteron" book for summer reading is awesome :)The thing is, I still can't find the book in my town. Well, I do have a month to find it. I guess it's time to ransacking the bookstore again.
Btw, how's the weather in Michigan? oops! sorry! I take it back! I take it back the question again!
Yippie! The Count! The Count! yay!
I just noticed that my copy (The B&N version) is an abridged version. Does anyone know what the difference is?
Sarah, an abridged version is an edited version, which means that your book is a shorter version of the original story. I need to check mine, which I bought from B&N, too. Hmmm, I'm not sure whether I should return it if it is the shorter version. I'll take a look at it tonight, and thank you for bringing this up.
Mod
Erie, you got your book, you'd better be BRINGING IT on the discussion (hahaha--just kidding). But not really.
Sera, yeah, I know abridged means shorter, I just was wondering if anyone knew what was taken out. Like, will it effect (affect?) the story much? Will I be able to discuss and speak with authority on the book if I read the abridged version? I kind of have this fear that if I read the abridged version, I'll miss something important or cool. So I'm thinking about taking it back and getting a different version.
Ugh, I'm glad you guys are excited because I don't have any interest in this book. That's why I love this group though! It's getting me to read thing I otherwise wouldn't read. Thanks for the heads up about the abridged v. unabridged comments - I'm not sure I would have noticed. Wow, 1400+ pages! I haven't read a book this long since Les Miserables. I'm excited though since all of you are so excited!
Weird - I just made a post and it didn't come up.Anyway, I just checked my version and it is not an abridged one. Sarah, I doubt that you would miss anything important or cool (think most DVD deleted movie scenes), but it's about the getting the full experience - no?
Sara, glad to see you ready to take on this challenge ;)
Sarah: it's affect. Effect is a noun. Affect is a verb. Unless you're talking about an expression of emotion. Then affect is a noun. But that may be psychological jargon.Anyway, is this book anything like the sandwich? Because I love Monte Cristo sandwiches!
I'm getting a new job, so I might actually be able to finish more than one book a month and might even be brave enough to tackle this one. But only if it's as good as the sandwich ;)
Okay, because I thought it was affect, but then it didn't look right, so I changed it, and then it still didn't look right. So thanks.Robbie, you're a doctor, right?
I wasn't trying to be a smarty-pants. I struggle with that one, too. Yup, a doctor. I've been working my hiney off for several years and will finally get a job that's more humane. Mostly teaching, and I think that will be a lot of fun.
No, I knew you weren't being a smarty-pants. I appreciated it.What kind of doctor are you? I'm glad you're getting a "funner" job!! ;)
This book is good so I would think, yes, as good as the sandwich, which I also love. This should be fun to eavesdrop even if I can't find time for a reread. I'd really love to read it again but just don't think I can manage it -- we shall see.And remember when Luke changed the menu and the Monte Cristo sandwich was no longer on it and Rory and Lane and -- even Lorelai (?) complained about it? That was a funny scene that struck a chord with me because I love both this book and the sandwich.
I never understood the sandwich. Powdered sugar on a ham and cheese? Weird.Although the dipped in batter and deep fried part sounds fantastic.
Turkey, ham and Swiss. And JAM, don't forget the jam!the cousins are good, too. Croque Monsieur (ham and cheese with or without Mornay sauce). Add a fried egg on top ( again, with or without sauce) and it's a Croque Madame. Ate a lot of these in Europe here and there in our travels.
Yes, the jam is the best!Family practice. The current job would be okay if it weren't so busy. Or, if I didn't insist on actually listening to and talking to my patients.
Dottie, I like your new photo.
Robbie and Sarah -- I wrote a casenote in law school applying a "substantial effect" test, and then had language such as whether sale of the coffee cups affected commerce. Ach! The hours spent entangling affect from effect have left me ready to sign up for "newspeak" and pick one while forever destroying the other. Robbie -- what a rebel you are! Clearly the modern medical practice neither involves talking or listening to patients. You need to prioritize your golf time!
And while I cannot eat very much (the sweetness) of a monte cristo, I order one whenever I can in honor of my Nana and Aunt Jo who were both fully obsessed.
I am ready for the vengeance! As soon as I finish Fahrenheit and EMP, I am pulling out the lawn chair and diving in to this book that makes Middlemarch look short!
Hey, is that why this is on Rory's list? Because the sandwich was made of fun of at Lukes? heh
So what do you guys think? Should I read my abridged version or try and find a full version??
Sarah, I will check which version I have tonight. I would go for the full version :)
Okay, so it'll be interesting to see if there are a lot of differences in translations. I think rather than returning my abridged one I'll keep it to compare to the full. Does anyone have the Penguin version? I'm thinking that looks like the best one, but it's a "revision" copy. So I'm wondering if it's just the translation that's a "revision" or what?The abridged one is HALF the length of the full version! Meghan, maybe that is why you were able to read it so quickly? Were you reading an abridged version?
I'm actually really glad this was chosen. I didn't want to vote for it because I didn't think it was long enough for a 3-month read, but that's clearly because I had the abridged version! Now that I see there are 117 chapters, I think this was a good choice for a long read!
I do want to read Anna Karenina though so I hope we'll do this again. Maybe over the winter, holiday months? Nov.-Jan. maybe?
I'm going to have to hunt up my copy but that's probably the case (although I try to stay away from abridged versions, so that is curious if I do indeed have one). I think it's just my memory is shoddy and I just didn't realize it was that long. But I wouldn't consider Gone with the Wind a "long" book either. So it's probably just my weird sense of longishness.
OH and considering you have 3 months to read this, I would go for the full text. It's worth it.
Mod
When I was in high school, my girlfriends & I would get Monte Cristo's from Bennigan's and think we were getting something very gourmet (Bennigan's is a big old chain restaraunt here...not sure if it's everywhere). Yes, it was a triple treat...the jam, the sugar, and the deep-frying.
Good call, Dottie on remembering that GG reference.
Yep, Alison, Bennigan's is where I got my firt Monte Cristo, too! That was in Michigan. I know they're in Florida, too. Not sure about here in Pittsburgh.
Benningan's has the BEST Monte Cristo!!! Mmmmmm I want one for dinner! I'm in MA, they're here and I've been to one in NY too.
Mod
It's odd though, that I don't like this combo when I love sweet & tart things or sour-sweet or even other versions of sweet & salty (like chocolate covered pretzles - YUMMMM).
I'm psyched about the book! It's enormous, so having you motivate me to pick it up is perfect... but for all of you worried about it, I've heard many times that it is such a great read - having intrigue and action and romance - that it just flows and you don't mind the length. Here's hoping!
Sarah, I think you made the right choice in reading the unabridged. You might have felt cheated... and you don't want to feel you've missed out... you might feel you need to read the whole version after the other then! LOL
And with our to-read list, who can afford to read books twice?! ha
Mod
Um, except Harry Potter. :P
Which I read EVERY YEAR. Hee. Soon I will have all seven memorized.Now I'm wondering about all my other B&N classics. Are they or aren't they (abridged)? Hrmph. I have the B&N Classics version of The Three Musketeers too.
Looks like Big Bad B&N is wreaking havoc again.Oh, by the way, my BB B&N had a stabbing - who gets stabbed in Princeton, NJ? It was a couple driving through the area. The driver, a man, stabbed the passenger, a woman, outside of BB B&N. She jumped out of the car as he stabbed her again and then ran into the bookstore. Someone inside called the police, and when they got there, the driver had killed himself. They were both taken to the hospital. The woman lived (thank God), but isn't that crazy?
I went there the other day at lunch and everything seemed back to normal - thank goodness. You just never know what can happen at any given time though, which is why we should always count our blessings.
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For those of you that are new, Dee is a completely amazing woman - the most active and vivacious you'll encounter - and she facing cancer. She is also made of awesome (and who we got that phase from)!
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I haven't re-read 7 yet. I'm just saying it won't be long before I have all of them memorized.I will probably start rereading them around Halloween!
Bought the book yesterday-yikes, it's HUGE!!!
haha you guys weren't kidding this one is...pretty big.
Mod
I think I would have to find other book to read during summer or reread The Count of Monte Christo
Okay, I just checked my copy. It's the small version of the paperback. What made me think this wasn't so big was it's only 509 pages (Harry Potter is longer!) The reason why mine's so much shorter is it doesn't have anything other than a very brief intro. It is NOT an abridged version either. So while it IS long, it's not as long as I thought when I saw it in the bookstore.
Anna - That's why we separated the long read from the monthly picks, just in case some members didn't want to (or had already) read the long summer pick.
Meghan, that's really weird. Because my Penguin copy, the unabridged one, is over 1230 pages WITHOUT the introduction. The final chapter begins on page 1230. You should bring your copy with you when we come visit and we'll compare.
The Rory Gilmore Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
The Pillars of the Earth (other topics)Gone with the Wind (other topics)
The Count of Monte Cristo
I hope you all are as excited as I am! The discussions will begin at the beginning of June, but it is meant to be read through July and August. Happy reading!