The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion
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BunWat wrote: "I offer this for information only, if any part of it seems useful to the moderators. Feel free to ignore it if it doesn't fit. In another group that I belong to the nominations process works as fo..."What a great idea BunWat! I agree with your thoughts. Just out of curiosity, does anyone know how close the vote was for choosing Hunchback? I was one of those who toughed it out by reading the entire novel. Once you get past the descriptions of architecture and the city of Paris (skimming helps a lot) it is a good book.
Seeuuder wrote: "BunWat wrote: "I offer this for information only, if any part of it seems useful to the moderators. Feel free to ignore it if it doesn't fit. In another group that I belong to the nominations proc..."It was one vote ahead in both the oringal poll and the run off poll and both times the next runner up was The Death of Ivan Ilyich which is why it was agreed to do that one as well.
Alex, where are you on the nomination for James? Would something earlier in his career be likely to be of interest to more readers? Terri (and Lynnm?) -- please tell us more about why you think Little Women would be of interest to a group like this? I am afraid it is a book I associate with my youth and have had no particular interest in returning to read again. But, I probably can be persuaded.
I thought Roughing It had emerged as the nomination for Twain? Although I may have suggested it, I didn't see much interest expressed in Innocents Abroad.
I'm okay with whatever James everyone else wants.Glad we're going with North & South for the Gaskell nom; as someone pointed out, that was a recent read in Victorians and I'm sure there's a ton of crossover with these two groups, so if we want to up participation we should probably veto anything they've read in the last six months or so.
Alex wrote: "I'm okay with whatever James everyone else wants.Glad we're going with North & South for the Gaskell nom; as someone pointed out, that was a recent read in Victorians and I'm sure there's a ton o..."
In the Victorians, North and South was read back in December so it has been a while back since they did that one.
I meant to say Cranford, gah. That was a recent read. Yeah, North & South was ages ago.
There are 121 books listed in the group's "to-read" shelf. Why don't we pull a couple from that list and nominate them? Why have a to-read list if we don't use it? Just wondering...Thanks!
I agree, Lily.What doesn't appeal to me about Little Women is that it was written for young people, not adults. It's a too pat and simplified view of life.
Silver wrote: "In the Victorians, North and South was read back in December... "I don't think we should repeat recent reads from either of the other 2 classics groups. Too much overlap of members.
I like the idea of the 3 choices.
Rochelle wrote: I don't think we should repeat recent reads from either of the other 2 classics groups. Too much overlap of members. ."I think it really depends upon how long ago the book was read in another group.
Though it is true for some members I do not think we should act with the assumption that everyone here does belong to one of the other groups.
In addition a person might have joined the group too late to have read a particular book and thus missed the discussion of it, or wanted to read it but at that moment in time could not.
So I do not think all books should be excluded because they may have been read in another group
Silver wrote: "Rochelle wrote: I don't think we should repeat recent reads from either of the other 2 classics groups. Too much overlap of members. ."I think it really depends upon how long ago the book was r..."
I agree. I just joined this group, so what other groups have read in the past doesn't matter to me.
There's also the fact that we vote to consider. If people have read something recently, it seems unlikely they will vote for it. If the book is the winner of the poll there's a reason.
Emily wrote: "Silver wrote: "Rochelle wrote: I don't think we should repeat recent reads from either of the other 2 classics groups. Too much overlap of members. ."I think it really depends upon how long ago t..."
If there's a long gap, that's fine. But Victorians read The Count of Monte Cristo immediately after us.
Denae wrote: "There's also the fact that we vote to consider. If people have read something recently, it seems unlikely they will vote for it. If the book is the winner of the poll there's a reason."Of course, we always hope that if someone votes for a book AND that book is chosen, then that person will participate in the discussion, especially when the lead time between voting and discussion is relatively short.
How about something chilling and thrilling, a gothic story like Uncle Silas, by le Fanu? Might be fun for those shortening days and shadowy evenings...
I will be closing nominations at the end of the month so I can get the poll up as soon as possible. So the 31st will be your last day.
SusannaW wrote: "How about something chilling and thrilling, a gothic story like Uncle Silas, by le Fanu? Might be fun for those shortening days and shadowy evenings..."I like the idea of Uncle Silas!
wow! i've never seen so much discussion before a vote! lol. i love it.
Mod
I'm with you. I'd rather have a classics lite too.
Mod
OOOh. I love this idea.
Deborah wrote: "SusannaW wrote: "How about something chilling and thrilling, a gothic story like Uncle Silas, by le Fanu? Might be fun for those shortening days and shadowy evenings..."OOOh. I love this idea."
I'm reading it right now with another group and I love it.
Mod
Lily wrote: We are a strong group -- a little like herding cats! We may be strong when it comes to giving opinions on books to read but we are not strong when it comes to reading them. Several books here have been abandoned due to lack of participation:(.
If folks were in their neighbourhood book club, would they stop going to it because the read did not suit them? When I belonged to one, everyone stuck with the reads because it was a 'club' but with online clubs this does not seem to happen:(.
Apart from Ethan Frome, I have previously read all the books formerly chosen here and apart from the Twain, have read all the ones now being suggested. However, the differing points of view which readers here bring to the table every time we read makes me see each book through new eyes and their 'take' on them becomes as important as the story itself for me. The various digressions that take place, which reveal something about the readers and their lives, also makes reading with the 'club' a worthwhile experience for me, whatever is being read. When a book is abandoned I feel a personal sense of loss, as if guests have deserted my dinner table for a better repast:(.
Silver: I have no preferences as to Cranford or North and South. I will happily read either again with the group but would comment that Cranford is the more lighthearted of the two books so might be a better follow-up to HND.
MadgeUK wrote: "We may be strong when it comes to giving opinions on books to read but we are not strong when it comes to reading them. Several bo..."Madge, I plan to read whatever is chosen by the group, unless it is something that I have read very recently (that is, in the last six months or so). In that case, while I probably won't re-read, I still expect to participate in the discussion.
Agnes Gray, Cranford and The Moonstone have all been on my to read list.
Madge -- unfortunately, I am finding that I cannot make the same commitments to on-line discussion groups that I do to my face-to-face group. Maybe that indicates I am spreading myself too thin and should reconsider. In the meantime, my TBR grows yet I am finding groups I enjoy are tending to repeat things I have read within the past year or so. At this stage, I'd rather look around for a group that is tackling something I have been wanting to read so I am more difficult to corral than in the days when any group was continuously bringing me new material. But then, I have never tended to be a re-reader, so delightful as Cranford is, a third time within about a year just does not appeal -- although that is one book for which I could probably participate in a discussion w/o re-reading.On the other hand, if an online group DOES select something that I have voted for, I do feel a definite commitment and obligation to participate. Since the reach of this group is so wide, 10 or more people discussing the same book should be likely to provide a rich and fruitful discussion. So long as the voting doesn't take place too distant from the reading and since the reading extends over a good period of time, it should be rare not to be able to participate. (My f2f book club has had a perennial problem for years that the month a book is discussed, the person who suggested/advocated it has been unable to participate. Irritating and a loss, but we have come to recognize that is the way our lives run. Our one alternative that we haven't resorted to yet is to link recommendations and being hostess.)
And, yes, I am stating where I presently am at on participation in online discussion groups, but I do appreciate hearing from others on theirs, as we all develop appropriate guidelines for these new types of communities and social relationships.
Mod
We may be strong when it comes to giving opinions on books to read but we are not strong when it comes to reading them. Several bo..."
Speaking only for myself who left the dinner table of HND, it was a challenging time for me moving cross country and trying to deal with so many life changes all at once (leaving a job, moving, dealing with a hubby who hasn't decided if this was a good decision, dealing with some family issues, boxes, etc.). HND was just too heavy for me at this time, which made me sad. I had to put two books aside. I hate to do this as I feel that the discussion, etc. is something that makes it all the more interesting. I also feel that books have times in readers' lives - and if the reader had to put it aside, it just wasn't the right time for that reader.
Since I'm a perfectionist, I hate leaving things unfinished and really tried to keep going. I felt very guilty about giving up, but also felt very pressured to keep going. One thing this whole experience taught me (and I needed the lesson) was it's okay for me to put something aside, choose not to read something because I'm just not ready or interested for that topic yet. I appreciate the fact that the online environment allowed me to make that choice.
There's a local book club that I'm thinking of attending. That doesn't mean I will go or read every book. It does mean I will research the book and see if it is something I might want to read. My reading time is small and valuable to me, which means some times I have to make difficult choices even though I do want to READ IT ALL.
Lily wrote: "Terri (and Lynnm?) -- please tell us more about why you think Little Women would be of interest to a group like this? I am afraid it is a book I associate with my youth and have had no particular interest in returning to read again. But, I probably can be persuaded."Just because a novel is written for teens/young adults doesn't mean that it doesn't have meaning and relevancy. ;) The books we read in our younger years help to shape who we are and what we think.
Little Women has many themes: gender, relationships, death, class, society, war, etc.
And I suggested it because people said they wanted "light" and an American book. Again, doesn't matter to me one way or another. :-)
SusannaW wrote: "How about something chilling and thrilling, a gothic story like Uncle Silas, by le Fanu? Might be fun for those shortening days and shadowy evenings..."That does sound good!
Lynnm wrote: "SusannaW wrote: "How about something chilling and thrilling, a gothic story like Uncle Silas, by le Fanu? Might be fun for those shortening days and shadowy evenings..."That does sound good!"
Scary, gothic books are just not to my taste, unfortunately. I'd prefer to stick with something more general in terms of its readership's tastes. I suppose, though, given that Halloween is coming up, some people might like to read one of these. Thanks!
For something light and short, how about Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith (1892). I've read the first few pages of the Kindle sample and it seems like it would be amusing. The book was serialized in Punch. In addition to being humorous, it's a snapshot of a middle-class suburban household in Victorian England and has been cited quite a bit in Inside the Victorian Home, which I'm enjoying very much.
MadgeUK wrote: "the differing points of view which readers here bring to the table every time we read makes me see each book through new eyes and their 'take' on them becomes as important as the story itself for me."Ditto
When a book is abandoned I feel a personal sense of loss, as if guests have deserted my dinner table for a better repast:("
Don't worry. It's not your cooking, it's their taste.
There can be a lot more of us in the online "space" without crowding, and any number of people can "talk" without drowning each other out or running over time limits...Yes, I feel this is one of the advantages, although occasionally when a book is very popular, it becomes difficult to keep track of everyone.
I guess I am unusual here in that, being a lazy retiree, I have a lot more time to devote to reading than most, or I choose to devote a lot more time to it.
Mod
Silver -- a repeat comment: I thought Roughing It had emerged as the nomination for Twain? Although I may have suggested it, I didn't see much interest expressed in Innocents Abroad. While I will vote for Wings of the Dove, given the mood I have seen expressed here, I will be interested in seeing how many may be up for it right now.
If nominations are still possible, I would like to nominate Bel Ami. There has been running interest in it for some time and it does fit the category of a lighter classic. Even though I probably won't personally vote for it (still intend to vote for WoD, so will do so, barring changing vote near the very end as the will/preferences of the group become clearer), I would certainly follow the discussion and perhaps comment where memory would permit, if it is chosen.
Lily wrote: "Silver -- a repeat comment: I thought Roughing It had emerged as the nomination for Twain? Although I may have suggested it, I didn't see much interest expressed in Innocents Abroad. While I wil..."
Madge liked the idea of Innocents Abroad, and there were some concerns expressed about Roughing It being too obscure. And it did not seem as if Innocents really garnered any negative feedback.
I believe the person whom first proposed the nomination did request either Roughing It or Innocents Aboard.
The Poll to vote is now posted. So please vote for the book you would like to read for Oct-Nov.
And please only vote for a book if you do seriously intend in participating in the discussion of that book.
Sept. 10 will be the last day to cast your vote.
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The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910
Books mentioned in this topic
Inside the Victorian Home: A Portrait of Domestic Life in Victorian England (other topics)The Diary of a Nobody (other topics)
The Death of Ivan Ilyich (other topics)
Little Women (other topics)
The Wings of the Dove (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Wilkie Collins (other topics)Jane Austen (other topics)
Anne Brontë (other topics)
Henry James (other topics)
Mark Twain (other topics)
More...
Mostly becasue the other half I have already read, and I have to admit something about Little Women just does not appeal to me. If it wins I might read it but I cannot say I ever felt a real desire or inclination to do so."
I'll read the one that is picked. In grad school I had to read a number of books that didn't float my boat at that particular moment. :-)
I'm actually going to vote for North and South because I've never read it. And since I doubt Little Women will be selected, I've already decided that it will be my holiday book this year...a perfect read for that time of year.