All About Books discussion

Here is a place for us to discuss the challenge to read the entire 7 book series Remembrance of Things Past, also known as In Search of Lost Time.

The first book is Swann's Way.

Here is a link to the GR page showing all the books in the series:
https://www.goodreads.com/series/5512...

Do we want to have separate readalong threads for each book in the series? I can see pluses and minuses for the idea...

I'm assuming this starts in January. Are you planning to finish all 7 in 2017?

I'm not sure about whether to have 1 thread for the series, or per book. I can also see plus and minuses for both. If we stick to a set schedule for the series then one thread should be okay, as everyone will be at roughly the same stage of reading.

I'm trying to avoid joining in, because I have so many other books I want to read. I'm tempted though. A similar question to Laurel, really. How long are you spending on Book 1? Maybe I'll join for that one, and see how I get on.

(holding out a cookie to Gill.....)

That works out to 1.7 months/book. If we plan for roughly 6-7 weeks/book (adjust by length?) it will work out pretty well.

I can see pros and cons for having individual threads but feel that the discussion might be more continuous with one thread.
I don't really have a preference though and will go with the majority rule. Both ways will work fine.

Well the cookie may be working, Pink. I've just lashed out and spent 99p to get the same 7 book edition you have, by Scott Moncrieff.

Btw, why not put the link to the Guardian article here?

I think separate threads may be better; that way if you fall behind you will find it easier to dip into the volume you are reading.

Is Petra joining in? That way, we could pretend we are reading Ulysses!

This looks interesting! Maybe this time I can manage the books.

I'm glad you're joining us Gill :)

Gill wrote: "Is Petra joining in? That way, we could pretend we are reading Ulysses!"

Hahahaha! What no Ulysses as well ;)

Here's the link to the guardian article in favour of the Moncrieff translation https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/amp.th...

And here's a similar article by The New Yorker https://www.google.co.uk/amp/www.newy...

Hahaha.....yes, I'll be joining in. It'll be my Ulysses for the year. Hahaha.

I've got this boxed set....which I purchased sometime in my 20s and still haven't read..... Remembrance of Things Past Volumes 1-3 Box Set.

That boxed set looks nice, Petra. Glad you are joining!

Petra that set looks lovely! All 3000+ pages of it!

I'm really looking forward to starting now :)

I too would like to join in. Not sure if I will make it through them all, but I would like to begin. See how it goes.

Hi guys! I just joined because Gill mentioned you all were reading Proust and In search of lost time has been on my list of books I most anxiously want to read for a long time! have the whole set and am looking forward to it :)

Many thanks Gill for inviting me!

Pink wrote: "All 3000+ pages of it!"

Oh boy.........

Glad to see so much enthusiasm. This will be a fun read.
Diane S, I'm glad you're giving this a try and starting with us. You may decide to continue.
Dianne, welcome!

Glad to see people are excited to at least try this challenge!

I like the 6-7 week/book timeframe Petra mentioned - we can always adjust as needed as we proceed. So let's plan on Swann's Way from Jan. 1 - Feb. 15.

What a lovely set Petra! And such a lively group already and I remember how sad I felt when we were planning a read-along with Petra and the response wasn't nearly as good!

Leslie wrote: "I like the 6-7 week/book timeframe Petra mentioned - we can always adjust as needed as we proceed. So let's plan on [book:Swann's Wa..."

Brilliant!

Raul wrote: "What a lovely set Petra! And such a lively group already and I remember how sad I felt when we were planning a read-along with Petra and the response wasn't nearly as good!"

Perhaps it was because you were starting with the second book? In any case, I am glad to have people share this journey of a French classic!

I found the other day that my dad has a hardback edition of this (I don't know what translation it is but guess that the Moncrieff is most likely) -- in any case, I may end up using those rather than the free public domain Kindle editions. I don't even know if the whole series is available in the free ebook edition but assume it is.

Leslie wrote: "Raul wrote: "What a lovely set Petra! And such a lively group already and I remember how sad I felt when we were planning a read-along with Petra and the response wasn't nearly as good!"

Perhaps i..."

I think so too.

I have an Everyman's Library edition of the series, that I got earlier this year.

I would like to join this group read, at least for book #1 Swann's Way. I'll probably borrow Moncrieff's version from the library ~ I liked his translation of The Red and the Black.

I've already read them, but as for other masterpieces you need at least a second reading to fully appreciate them.
Therefore I'm in without doubt!!!
When shall we start?
And shall we procede as for Zola Rougon Maquart series, one every other month?

I'm just reading Swann's Way, but will hopefully finish before Jan 17. Poor Swann.

Leslie wrote: "Glad to see people are excited to at least try this challenge!

I like the 6-7 week/book timeframe Petra mentioned - we can always adjust as needed as we proceed. So let's plan on [book:Swann's Wa..."

Swann's Way January 1st to February 15th sounds good, Leslie.

I'm tempted. I read the whole series in a course as a French major. At the end, the prof said we had done so much work that we didn't have to do a final exam or paper. I think we all got As. And he was a very traditional teacher. Now I think he probably didn't want to make up exam questions or paper topics, which would be a challenge. I still read French and I see the series is available free in French as well as English through the Gutenberg Project. I have an app called Megareader on my iPad which can access books from those free databases. That's what I used for Ulysses. I did keep my original paper set till recently but finally ditched it. It had tiny print and onionskin paper so I won't miss that.

Anyway I'll start on this project but not only is Proust long but dense. Sometimes a sentence goes on for a page, and a paragraph for several pages.

I'd like to join in as well. I'll work on getting a copy for myself. Rather daunting, but what the heck! :)

I have an urge to join your French Proustian pilgrimage.....
Will this venture be a complete and total immersion in the Proust universe?




There is a madeleine cookie right there in the middle!!!!!

Nice illustration, Haaze. Glad you are joining us!

Yay haaze is joining! Very happy to see that :)

Proust is like a flame for the literary moths...... ;-)

Haaze wrote: "Proust is like a flame for the literary moths...... ;-)"

Same as Ulysses, (cue for Pink and Petra to appear!)

Gill!

I guess the candle isn't working! :(

Haaze wrote: "Gill!

I guess the candle isn't working! :("

I guess not, Haaze.

Oh the candle's working! Can't wait!

LOL! The candle does work!
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes" (view spoiler)[Marcel Proust (hide spoiler)]
....today, I got my new eyes and discovered the flame.

!!!!!!!

:)

Petra wrote: "LOL! The candle does work!
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes" [spoilers removed]
....today, I got my new eyes and discovered the flame."

LOL!

Ever since I saw a Monty Python's "Summarize Proust Competition" sketch, I've been curious to read him, so I'll jump in on this, too, at least for the first book (which is the only one available at the library). I may regret it, but it would be fun to say I've "read Proust," if nothing else. ;-)

Well all this lively banter has convinced me to give Proust a go in 2017. Like Gill I splashed out on the £0.99 kindle edition ... But then thought I might need some further encouragement so bought this... How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton... I hope he means change for the better.... I really don't need it getting any worse!

Oh that Alain de Botton book looks good too! Do you plan on reading it first?

Just checked to see if my library has that book in large print; it doesn't, but it does have A Night At The Majestic. So I'll get that out at some stage.

Re the de Botton book that looks good, a book in a similar but unrelated vein is How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer which I thought was excellent.

Oh, goody, goody. I've just seen that James Joyce was at The Night at the Majestic as well!

They both look good Gill, I'm trying to be very restrained and not add them all to my tbr list....though I might just check my library, haha!

Can we please have a definite month we can start reading?

I am still thinking through whether or not I will finally read Proust in 2017. If I do, it's unlikely to be before mid-April.

Raul wrote: "Can we please have a definite month we can start reading?"

Raul, we are starting reading on January 1st and the period for Swann's Way is January 1st to February 15th.

However people can be as flexible as they like with dates, how many of the series they read etc.

I've committed myself to reading Swann's Way, and will decide about the others as the year progresses.