Meghan’s Comments (group member since Nov 07, 2015)

Meghan’s comments from the Classics for Beginners group.

I've been away from GR for a while (life has been busy) and didn't realize this was the group read! I happen to have ordered it from my library because Agatha Christie is a long-time favorite so I hope to join you guys once I pick it up!

Thanks to everyone who has helped moderate this group over the years! I was a moderator on a different website for a few years and it is definitely a huge time commitment. Hope to see you all around!

I've got 7 done so far but keep forgetting to update my post. Doing that now!

Steven wrote: "Meghan wrote: "Hi Steven,

I'm going to second (third?) the recommendation for Mockingbird. It's my all-time favorite book and a very, very fast read.

In terms of the Russians, I agree that the tr..."

At this time, things are really hectic so I can't really plan ahead what I'm reading.

I will say that I prefer Doyle's short stories (though Baskervilles was great) to most of his longer novels. You may want to try those.

My goal is 12:
1. Notes from Underground, White Nights, The Dream of a Ridiculous Man, and Selections from The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky
2. Dubliners by James Joyce
3. Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
4. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy
5. A Handful of Dust by Evelyn Waugh
6. Night by Elie Wiesel
7. The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
8. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
9. The Return of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
10. The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens
11. Dracula by Bram Stoker
12. Testament of Youth by Vera Brittain.

I made it! :)

Hi Steven,

I'm going to second (third?) the recommendation for Mockingbird. It's my all-time favorite book and a very, very fast read.

In terms of the Russians, I agree that the translation does make a huge difference. I found Anna Karenina fairly easy to follow but disliked most of the characters; Ivan Turgenev and Fyodor Dostoyevsky can depend on the translation but I felt were much "better" books in terms of content.

For Dickens, my favorite is A Tale of Two Cities, which is about the French Revolution and not his usual setting. I'll echo what others have said about both Jane Austen and the Brontë sisters (and what has been said about Wuthering Heights). I finished my first Thomas Hardy a couple of weeks ago and while it was a little bit of a downer, I enjoyed it.

There are many good sci-fi classics out there; definitely look into HG Wells if you haven't already. As someone mentioned, Ray Bradbury is very good. You may also like We. And don't forget authors like Arthur Conan Doyle or J.R.R. Tolkien if you haven't made your way there already!

My advice is to try a little bit of everything. I've been bouncing around the classics for about 10 years now, and while I do come back to certain authors (I adore Oscar Wilde for his humor and brilliant use of language), it seems like there is always someone who is new to me. Enjoy!

I'm on book 11 of 12. It's been a mad dash to finish but I think it's going to happen!

I read this one a few years back and loved it. Enjoy, everyone!

I didn't officially join last year but my goal is to get through 12 again. :)

What about a translated work? It could be anything that was not written in your first language.

I generally liked the books I was assigned in school (Watership Down being a major exception) but the ones that I absolutely loved were:

The Diary of a Young Girl
A Tale of Two Cities
To Kill a Mockingbird
1984

Anne Frank and Mockingbird remain my top two favorite books of all-time.

For me, there is the inevitable Bridget Jones's Diary which is of course a re-working of Pride and Prejudice.

I've always felt that North and South, despite being a classic itself, had a lot in common with Pride and Prejudice as well.

I'm waiting for On Beauty to arrive at the library. I've heard it is inspired by Howards End, which I recently finished.

After getting through, I must say that Anne is now my favorite Brontë (I haven't read Emily yet). I adored this book, and sadly life got in the way or I would have finished much, much sooner. I felt it was very mature (I'm glad I didn't read it when I was a teenager) and definitely is still relevant today. So glad this was picked for the group read!

I've just gotten finished with Volume I but am completely loving this book! What are everyone else's thoughts?

I'm on hold for my copy, so hopefully it comes in soon!

I honestly have to agree with the article. I took multiple literature classes in college despite having a degree in the sciences, but I have to admit that I didn't enjoy most of them. They were taught in a similar manner to the way most of my high school (and, if I'm honest, middle school) English classes were taught, following the first example in the article. I remember absolutely hating The Great Gatsby because the teacher constantly rammed down our throats the symbolism in the book. I remember a specific class "discussion" about the green light symbolizing hope and Daisy's white dress symbolizing purity, to which a classmate had a very colorful comment about Daisy's unfaithfulness to her husband. But it wasn't until I re-read the book a few years ago that I felt I really got the point of it, and understood why it has stood the test of time.

While, as a teacher myself (though not English), I understand the need for students to answer questions to make sure they're actually reading the text instead of an online summary, I think it sells both the books and the students short. The important discussions shouldn't be about the symbolism or the main aspects of the plot. It should be about the themes that the reader comes up with, what the kids themselves are getting out of it. That seems to be what the author of the article does well and what our experiences in school seem not to have done. And I can't even blame my English colleagues for it, because it's how they were taught and I don't think they know how to do it any differently.

I think the success of so many YA series like Harry Potter has shown that kids like to read. This isn't the problem. Yes, they could go online and simply look up the Wikipedia entries of their favorite books, but they're not doing that. We as educators need to stop and consider what we're doing wrong. Why is it that a student will devour something like Harry Potter or The Lightning Thief but won't go near Dickens? The answer, I feel, has less to do with the length or vocabulary or content of the story and much more to do with how it's being presented. Letting kids (or adults) simply read a story and get out of it what they do, and be able to discuss their impressions and feelings and debate what they read, is so much more important than knowing why the large billboard in Gatsby had a pair of eyeglasses on it.

Sorry for the long ramble. As a non-English teacher who loves reading (and literature, obviously), it drives me crazy to see my students shy away from any type of assigned reading, because I know what they're missing out on.

Susan wrote: "Finished the story and enjoyed it much more than I thought it would. I liked the way the narration jumped back and forth as it kept me grounded and half-way focused on Noel. Bit of a sad, nostalgic..."

I would have to agree with you 100%!

I've finally gotten around to starting this one and I am finding it to be a real page-turner. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I'm about 100 pages in and completely hooked. I've been skimming the replies so far (I don't want to be spoiled) but it seems like people have enjoyed it.

Nina wrote: "Meghan wrote: "My goal is 12, but I'm really hoping to knock out Anna Karenina because I've been saying I'll read it for years and always manage to skip it."

Anna Karenina is a rea..."

Thanks! Everyone I know who has read it has loved it. I'm about 50 pages in so far and it's much easier reading than I expected.

Mine is still on its way through the library inter-loan system. After it gets here, I'll jump on in!