Classics Without All the Class discussion

Add only traditional classics here, but please check the bookshelf first to see if your suggestion has already been added. At this time we are only accepting adult fiction novels. Thanks!

We have had recommendations for:Great Expectations,The Brothers Karamazov, Around the World in Eighty Days,Tess of the D'Urbervilles, and The Island of Dr. Moreau

So keep them coming. We can't put them all on the polls but we would love to have a good collection of titles to choose from :)

"The Mayor of Casterbridge," "Age of Innocence," or "The Time Machine."

Can't believe I almost forgot "Hound of the Baskervilles."

Thanks so much for the recommendations Sally! We will put them on list as possible choices! :)

what about Middlemarch? regarded by some as the greatest novel written in the English language.

Peter wrote: "what about Middlemarch? regarded by some as the greatest novel written in the English language."

I would definitely be interested in reading that one!

You know what I have always wanted to read is Gulliver's Travels! I have read his short essay/story A Modest Proposal, and I would love to read more of Jonathan Swift's work!

I remember reading Gulliver's Travels in high school and not really enjoying it. However, I would love to reread it. It seems way more enticing to me today. :)

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Ryan wrote: "A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens"

That was a great book. I remember reading it in high school and would love to revisit it from an adult perspective. My only beef with Dickens is he was paid by the word, and man, did he know how to squeeze every last dime out of his publishers. =P

Karena wrote: "My only beef with Dickens is he was paid by the word, and man, did he know how to squeeze every last dime out of his publishers. =P"

Amen! For that reason, I almost hesitated suggesting this book, but, like you, I would like to revisit this classic. It's a great story, but I remember struggling through it a bit when I was younger.

incidents in the life of a slave girl written by herself by Harriet Ann Jacobs

Aesop's Fables; a new translation by Aesop

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Sorry for the influx of suggestions. These are books that I downloaded for free on my Kindle. I haven't read them yet, but I plan to. I might get to them more quickly if they are read in a book club since book club books tend to get the priority on my reading list.

I loved A Tale of Two Cities, which is why I look forward to reading Great Expectations. Plus, my son will be reading it in class this year, so I will be reading it with him. Also, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is amazing.

I would like to suggest The Moonstone. It is considered one of the first detective novels. The Moonstone

North and South and/or Wives and Daughters
by Elizabeth Gaskell

I'm not sure if I'm ready to tackle these books, but I might never make the effort if I don't suggest them:

... hold on, let me summon my courage...

...

...

...

okay, here we go...:

Leo Tolstoy: War and Peace and Anna Karenina...

NOOO, WAIT, I TAKE IT BACK!!!

/sigh... Too late. I suppose it's done now.

I've never actually read these books, but I've been told that 'War and Peace' is considered THE Russian novel. In the same breath, 'Anna Karenina' is almost always mentioned as a must read. They could be really good, and I'm simply intimidated by their size... although, I'm told size doesn't matter... anyway...

Actually, my hesitation comes from translation. Again, I've been told that the translators (especially Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky) have done an excellent job, but books translated into English... well, let's just say that Madame Bovary comes to mind...

Ryan wrote: "I'm not sure if I'm ready to tackle these books, but I might never make the effort if I don't suggest them:

... hold on, let me summon my courage...

...

...

...

okay, here we go...:

Leo Tolst..."

You know Ryan, I have always wanted to read Tolstoy since Elegance of the Hedgehog (or as Jane would say "elegance of the edge og").

Jeane wrote: "You know Ryan, I have always wanted to read Tolstoy since Elegance of the Hedgehog (or as Jane would say "elegance of the edge og")."

I had, somehow, managed to completely wipe ("air quotes") 'Hedgehog' from my memory... and now you have had those memories slam back into my brain like a ton of bricks. I guess I'm going back to rehab...

Amazingly, I've never read Little Women. I'd love to read it as a group. :)

Angie wrote: "Amazingly, I've never read Little Women. I'd love to read it as a group. :)"

I would really like that because I've read it and I have a relly bad opinion about it but I've never had a chance to discuss it with anyone, so finally I would have an opportunity to talk about is with people who actually read it

Angie wrote: "Amazingly, I've never read Little Women. I'd love to read it as a group. :)"

I've never read it either -- not sure how it got passed me but I would like to read it before I get too much older (just turned 45 on Oct. 22nd)...

I just looked to see what was already on my to-read list that I consider "classic" (I may be wrong...), so here's what I'd add:

The Scarlet Pimpernel
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Les Misérables (which I've been avoiding based on size, but the movie is coming out soon)

I'm good for anything, just wanted to help add to the list :).

I put down 2 of your selections, but I think we've decided for our intents and purposes we're not adding children's books. If you look at our to-be-read shelves we already have a ton to cover just in adult literature! This is not a hard and fast rule and we might have some special months that we do something different.

Thanks for all the suggestions! Make sure you check the bookshelves for what we already have!

I'd like to second Middlemarch! And Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Geri wrote: "Angie wrote: "Amazingly, I've never read Little Women. I'd love to read it as a group. :)"

I've never read it either -- not sure how it got passed me but I would like to read it before I get too m..."

We have the same birthday! I turned 40 on the same day. :)

I really want to finish Wuthering Heights someday so please include it. I've grown tired of Jane Austen unless it's with zombies.

I also want to read The Brothers Karamazov. I can tell you where I bought it (18th Street B&N), when (pre-2001) and yet, I never cracked the first chapter. Now it's lost in the ether of multiple moves.

Oliver Twist
Little Women
Treasure Island
Frankenstein
Mark Twain
The Iliad
The Odyssey
The Canterbury Tales (Read it in h.s;would like to revisit)
Pilgrim's Progress
Anything by Edgar Allen Poe
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Alice Through the Looking Glass

just to name a few...

Ellen wrote: "Oliver Twist
Little Women
Treasure Island
Frankenstein
Mark Twain
The Iliad
The Odyssey
The Canterbury Tales (Read it in h.s;would like to revisit)
Pilgrim's Progress
Anything by Edgar Allen Poe
Al..."

Ellen,

Thank you so much for these suggestions! Also, take a look at the bookshelves. A few are already on the shelves, and we just read Edgar Allen Poe in October. Apparently, this book club is a good match for you! I will add the others that aren't already on the shelves tonight. :)

CassieV wrote: "I just looked to see what was already on my to-read list that I consider "classic" (I may be wrong...), so here's what I'd add:
Les Misérables (whi..."

I got through Les Mis because I adore the musical. It was the only way to slog through all 1000+ pages.

Does Utopia count as a classic?

Selena wrote: "CassieV wrote: "I just looked to see what was already on my to-read list that I consider "classic" (I may be wrong...), so here's what I'd add:
Les Misérables (whi..."

I got through Les Mis becaus..."

I would think so. I will add it today. :)

New Grub Street by George Gissing is a must read for anyone who likes Victorian Lit. It's funny, sad, poignant – everything you can possibly want from a book.

It's one of my favourites.

A Snow Baby and A Christmas morning were written by Clifton Bingham in 1890s.

I'd say we need some Rider Haggard on the shelf:

King Solomon's Mines and She

Lysistrata

Karena wrote: "Lysistrata"

Great suggestion! I absolutely love this play.

The Count of Monte Cristo
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

Helen wrote: "A Snow Baby and A Christmas morning were written by Clifton Bingham in 1890s."

Thanks for the selections, Helen. At this time, we aren't taking children's books as selections. However, there is a thread for favorite children's books. You can add these there. Or, maybe even better, you could start your own thread about favorite children's holiday books? Thanks so much!

Adam wrote: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"

Adam, thanks for these selections. Huck Finn is currently on our bookshelf, and for now we are considering Tom Sawyer a children's book. Due to the volume of suggestions, we are trying to refrain from accepting children's books. Have fun checking out the bookshelves to see all the suggestions we have already received! Thanks so much!

Lazy wrote: "I'd say we need some Rider Haggard on the shelf:

King Solomon's Mines and She"

Done! I've never read any Haggard. These books look intriguing! :)

Thanks. I'd think about this :-)

What about Dracula? That's a good read. And Vanity Fair? I've not read Anna Karenina but War and Peace is easier than you think, quite gossipy and worth it for all those descriptions of sleigh rides. Can't bear Les Mis, SO miserable, I gave up when whatshername sold her teeth

Jenn wrote: "What about Dracula? That's a good read. And Vanity Fair? I've not read Anna Karenina but War and Peace is easier than you think, quite gossipy and worth it for all those descriptions of sleigh r..."

Great suggestions! They are already on our bookshelf, so this may very well be a great book club for you! :) Feel free to check out the bookshelves to see what other suggestions members have given. Thanks! :)

What about really old school: Beowulf?

Lazy wrote: "What about really old school: Beowulf?"

Done! :)

Hmmm, along the weighty tomes line, has anyone other than myself read "The Cloister and the Hearth" by Charles Reade? I read it long ago and loved it, wouldn't mind a revisit.

Crime and Punishment, Dostoyevesky; Daniel Deronda, The Importance of Being Earnest, both by George Eliot; Picture of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde; Walden, Henry Thoreau; anything by Shakespeare

Flatland: a Romance of Many Dimensions
Edwin A. Abbott

Another on my To Read list, although I am rather certain I have read this . . . or at least part of it.

It doesn't seem to be quite the same as Dickens and others on the list, but this book does get mentioned in many of the circles I encounter.

I've been reading Russian and Asian literature recently. So how about something French??!! Old Goriot or The Phantom of the Opera perhaps??

Jo wrote: "Hmmm, along the weighty tomes line, has anyone other than myself read "The Cloister and the Hearth" by Charles Reade? I read it long ago and loved it, wouldn't mind a revisit."

I'm adding this today! Thanks!