Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2012 discussion

I have the following people for a buddy-read of Vanity Fair this month:

Sera, Kate, Jeannette, Dawn, Chris

Everybody still in? Anybody no longer interested? I was thinking mid-month for start-date. Will that work?

I'll be joining in.

It might be just the two of us, but I'm game. Sometime around Nov. 15 sound good for you?

Am I the Kate to whom you are referring? LOL

Sure - sounds good. I am looking forward to it.

Kate wrote: "Am I the Kate to whom you are referring? LOL"

I think you might be. I can search the threads to be sure. Do you want to join us? Would you prefer not to? Pop in if you wish, or not... :)

Kate wrote: "Am I the Kate to whom you are referring? LOL"

Must be, but I can't find the message where you said you were interested. Did I add your name to the wrong list?

Also, Marialyce finished the book in March, so I'll strike her name, and she can stop by if she likes.

Jeannette wrote: "Kate wrote: "Am I the Kate to whom you are referring? LOL"

Must be, but I can't find the message where you said you were interested. Did I add your name to the wrong list?"

I don't remember signing up either, but then these days I forget what I had for lunch. I remember signing up for Jonathan Norell & Mr. Strange, but I also have a vague, niggling feeling I was interested in Vanity Fair. It will depend on if I can get it at my local UBS or not. I'll go look tomorrow.

Jeannette, would you mind if we bumped this to November 23? If not, I understand. I'll just be behind for a bit.

Sera, does November 25 work? I can't guarantee I'll get to VF while I'm visiting family.

How about you, Kate?

Even better. Thanks. Jeannette!

I can't say how fast I'll read this. Is it on your 2012 challenge list? I'd like to read this, and have started it twice, with no success. Hoping a buddy-read will keep me at it. :)

I'm in -- found a copy at my local UBS. When do we start?

Jeanette, my goal is to finish it in 2012. I'm happy to help you to get through it :) If you and Kate want to start early, that's ok with me, too.

Start date of November 25 works for me.

Sounds good. I am making good progress on my other chunksters. I am hopeful to finish one before starting VF. If not, I will be close :)

I'm finally finishing my re-read of North and South. I sort of gave up on my reading buddy. I couldn't hold back any longer.

I understand. As a reader, sometimes you have to keep going. Buddy read be damned.

Once we got to the really good part, and she was actually reading again, I could not stop! I love the book even more on the second read.

I just discovered Gaskell this year and look forward to reading both North and South and Cranford.

I hope to read more by Gaskell. I tried Cranford, but didn't quite get into it. I might read Ruth next.

Jeannette wrote: "Sera, does November 25 work? I can't guarantee I'll get to VF while I'm visiting family.

How about you, Kate?"

Thanksgiving weekend is fine by me -- I'm up to my eyeballs in all kinds of stuff that I could try to whittle down to a reasonable uproar in the meantime!

Good luck with all that, Kate! :) See you both back here after Thanksgiving break.

Yep, enjoy :)

"Miss Rebecca was not, then, in the least kind or placable. All the world used her ill, said this young misanthropist, and we may be pretty certain that persons who all the world treats ill, deserve entirely the treatment they get."

Yay! I started this today. I'm looking forward to reading it with you and Kate.

Let me know how you are pacing the read (e.g., number of pages or chapters a day, etc.) if possible. I have multiple reads going on so I want to be able to make sure that I keep up with you :)

I seem to be getting 2-3 chapters in per day. I don't know if the chapters get longer as it progresses or not. Right now I'm not reading anything else, but I'll try not to shoot ahead too far.

Ok, that's what I will shoot for as well. Also, if you get into a groove and want to keep plugging, I have no issues with that.

Jeannette wrote: ""Miss Rebecca was not, then, in the least kind or placable. All the world used her ill, said this young misanthropist, and we may be pretty certain that persons who all the world treats ill, deserv..."

Ouch.

Thackeray is the omniscient narrator, with asides to the reader, and commentary about all the faults or virtues of his cast of players.

Sera wrote: "Ok, that's what I will shoot for as well. Also, if you get into a groove and want to keep plugging, I have no issues with that."

If I make a comment, I'll post the chapter it's from, and try to keep an eye on your and Kate's progress.

Jeannette wrote: "Thackeray is the omniscient narrator, with asides to the reader, and commentary about all the faults or virtues of his cast of players."

I really like this approach to the telling of the story. I think that I am really going to enjoy this book.

I really enjoyed the chapter about Dobbin.

Thackeray rivals Dickens for padding out his chapters with too many words. Chapters IX and X at Crawley's are prime examples of this.

I'm on Chapter 6.

I also really enjoyed the chapter about Dobbin.

Thackeray is a great narrator. I am enjoying his little asides and his view of things. I think that he raises a good point about how Becky has to fend for herself because she has no parents to guide her. Do you think that that's true? To some extent I do. However, her father was a pretty bad influence on her so I'm not sure that having him still in the picture would have been of help to her in guiding her future. I'm thinking that her mother, if she hadn't passed so early, might have been able to better steer Becky in the right direction. But then we wouldn't have this novel, would we?

My book has illustrations. The picture of Joseph is hilarious. He is quite portly and does indeed dress like a dandy. He also looks much older than Becky in the illustration. They would make a funny looking couple in my opinion.

Jeannette wrote: "Thackeray rivals Dickens for padding out his chapters with too many words. Chapters IX and X at Crawley's are prime examples of this."

Interesting point that I will consider when reading these chapters later this evening. I am also reading Bleak House, and it's funny, because I was thinking last night, how Thackery is a much quicker read than Dickens. Dickens has so many characters in his novels and the story is drawn out sloooooowly. Whereas, so much has happened already in Vanity Fair.

I think that it may be because Dickens wrote in serial form. Gaskell also wrote in serial form and I find her writing to be more similar to Dickens than Thackery's at the moment. I'll need to see if I feel differently as the book progresses.

Sometimes Thackeray's funny asides get to be a bit long-winded, particularly in the way he stretches out the domestic scene at Sir Pitt's estate. I felt like, "Okay, already, I get the point!" But, maybe I was just a bit impatient. Curious to see if you have a similar reaction. This is my first Thackeray, and I've only read Tale of Two Cities, so you have more experience in comparing Thackeray to Dickens. :)

As for the mother, I think Thackeray was referring more to a mother's influence in getting her daughter(s) married off, rather than providing any moral guidance. Again, that little jab at the way society works, mothers helping their daughters nab the right fellow. Becky's smart, and educated, some positive aspects of her father's childrearing techniques, but she doesn't have enough of the "womanly" wiles, due to lack of experience. For all of her sneaky ways, she is maybe just as innocent about the real world as Amelia is.

I love the illustrations, too. I doubt she could have been happy with Jos for very long, and neither would he have been happy with her.

That's a good point about Becky's innocence. She is still young and not very worldly. I will be interested to see into what type of woman she starts to become.

I'm going to really enjoy this one, I think.

I've seen the recent film adaptation, with Reese Witherspoon, so I have a general idea of how things turn out. Still, the book is different, and I have the advantage if knowing all of the characters up front.

Becky was lacking in many social skills that a mother would have helped her to refine. That said, she still learned at an early age how to turn on the feminine charm and to use it to her advantage.

I've know nothing of the book or the movie at all so you are more knowledgeable than me in that regard.

Becky is a player for sure. I kind of like that for now. I am in the mood for a book with a good female villian - ha ha.

She is a good female villain. Thackeray is certainly presenting her that way!

Jeannette wrote: "Sera wrote: "Ok, that's what I will shoot for as well. Also, if you get into a groove and want to keep plugging, I have no issues with that."

If I make a comment, I'll post the chapter it's from,..."

I haven't started yet, but I'm gonna! This afternoon, in fact!

Great! I discovered that I recruited you to this buddy-read on my review, in the comments section. I'm reading everyday while I walk on the treadmill. I hope you enjoy it, Kate. :)

I'm on Chapter 11. I am hoping to be able to make more progress tonight.

I'm at the part where Becky has been able to successfully ingratiate herself with Mr. Pitt. I am really enjoying the story and it moves along quickly. I just need to find a block of time to sit down and read more of it :)

I've just finished Chapter 14, and I won't tell you what just happened...

Oh, I can't wait to find out.

So George is a cad after all - that's too bad. He and Rowan Crawley share many of the same characteristics don't you think? I will be rooting for Amelia to mend her heart with Dobbins now.

I think that I've caught on to Becky's game, too. She's a "sharp" one :)

I think you may have passed me? Which chapter are you on now?

I read some more lunch since my post. I'm on Chapter 18 now. I'm going to read to Chapter 20 tonight and then switch off for a few days.

I can't believe all of the activity that is happening now. (view spoiler)[Do you think that Miss Crawley will forgive Becky and Rowand? (hide spoiler)]