VICTOBER 2025 discussion

Greetings all! It's only just over six weeks until Victober begins, and I for one am very excited. Feel free to introduce yourselves here.

I'm Katie (Books and Things on Booktube), one of your hosts and a huge Victorian literature fan.

Greetings from Egypt. I am Norhan. I love victorian literature, and I am very excited for victober. I teach high school english (which is perfect because my students get to talk about books all the time in class)! My all time favorite books are jane eyre, crime and punishment, harry potter, oliver twist, and anything by Hardy! I've recently read the count of monte cristo and ive absolutely fallen in love with it. I think it's the best book EVER written! For some reason, ive been really drawn to classics this year which makes it the perfect time for me to join victober!

Hi, I’m Regina from New Orleans. I’m a frequent Booktube watcher and sometime commenter. I have pretty eclectic reading tastes and have been known to enjoy the most experimental modernist and post-modernist writing, Laurence Sterne (Tristram Shandy is a fav), and everything in between. I’m currently reading and rereading all of the Bronte novels, so I may be reading either Villette or The Tenant of Wildfell Hall in October. I’d also like to read more Hardy this year. I may also do a reread of The Moonstone. I’m looking forward to seeing what everyone else reads and discovering more books to add to my ever expanding tbr.

Hi, I’m Kelsey, I’m from Minnesota, USA, and I’m addicted to Victorian lit. I am a Middle School teacher and am looking for any excuse to add Victorian lit to my teaching, and this will be my 2nd Victober.

I’m mike. Looking forward to victober number two. I read far too much but never enough to disqualify a readathon.

Hi! I’m Rainey from Pennsylvania. This will be my second Victober and I’m absolutely so excited about it! I’m ready to form my TBR. Just waiting for the challenges but there will definitely be an Elizabeth Gaskell in there.

Hello everyone! I'm Deborah, a librarian from Western Mass. I joined in on the Victober fun last year and had a blast. Read some Gaskell, Eliot, and Charlotte and Anne Bronte. This year, I plan on reading Wuthering Heights, any Hardy (my first one and taking suggestions!) and The Odd Women by George Gissing. However, this could all change once the challenges come out. Ahhhh I'm so excited!!

Hi. I'm Amanda from Washington. This will be my first Victober. I'm looking forward to participating in the challenges!

Hi, I'm Becky from England. This will be my second Victober, I really enjoyed taking part last year.

I'm waiting for the challenges to come out before I really decide what to read but I started a little list a while ago. I definitely want to read another Trollope, I started the Barchester series last year with the Warden and haven't yet got round to the second one. I may also reread Jane Eyre, something else I've been thinking about for a while.

Hello,

I'm Gabby from England. I love Victorian literature, particularly Thomas Hardy, and actually wrote my undergrad dissertation on him.

I watch quite a lot of Booktube but have never really participated in any of the challenges/readathons before.

Hmmm! I did most of my master's on 20th' English Literature century stuff, haha. Virginia Woolf. You know how how it is.

But Victorian stuff! Is that what you are you are asking!

The Bronte Sisters! I love the Bronte Sisters! And Dickens! Let's do this! :D

Hi all, I'm Tenille from Australia. I'm a bookseller and currently completing my MA in literature. I'm also a big fan of Victorian literature and really looking forward to finding out what this year's challenges are! Hoping to get to some Trollope this year, as I've been meaning to read him for ages, and would love to read one of George Eliot's other books besides Middlemarch, which is a favourite of mine.

Hi, I'm Bethany. My first (and forever favorite) Victorian author was Dickens, who I discovered in my teens. This is my third year participating in Victober and it just gets better every year. It's the most anticipated readathon of the year. So excited!

Deborah wrote: "Hello everyone! I'm Deborah, a librarian from Western Mass. I joined in on the Victober fun last year and had a blast. Read some Gaskell, Eliot, and Charlotte and Anne Bronte. This year, I plan on ..."

Deborah, I'm so excited for you read some Hardy! I can't stop talking about The Return of the Native so that would be my recommendation. I hope you enjoy reading whichever Hardy you pick.

Amanda wrote: "Hi. I'm Amanda from Washington. This will be my first Victober. I'm looking forward to participating in the challenges!"

Amanda,
I'm so glad that new people keep finding out about Victober! The more the merrier is definitely true for this event.

Gabriele wrote: "Hello,

I'm Gabby from England. I love Victorian literature, particularly Thomas Hardy, and actually wrote my undergrad dissertation on him.

I watch quite a lot of Booktube but have never really p..."


Gabby, I'm so intrigued about your undergrad dissertation topic on Hardy. What did you write about specifically?

Tenille wrote: "Hi all, I'm Tenille from Australia. I'm a bookseller and currently completing my MA in literature. I'm also a big fan of Victorian literature and really looking forward to finding out what this yea..."

Hi Tenille,
If you are interested in reading a book by George Eliot I'm one of the co-hosts of an event called "Knit and Listen" that will be running during Victober. The basic concept is to listen to Adam Bede by George Eliot whilst you knit something. Myself and the other ladies are hosting sweaters but people are welcome to knit anything. I don't know if you are a crafter but I thought I would share in case it interested you.

Hello! I'm Sharon from southwestern Ohio in the US. I love Victober and look forward to it every year! This year, I'm planning to participate in "Knit and Listen", attempting to knit (and not messing up) while listening to Adam Bede by George Eliot. I haven't decided on what else I want to read, although it would be the perfect time to revisit some Thomas Hardy novels!

Hello! I’m Jazmin and am an American currently residing in southern Spain. This will be my first Victober! I am very excited!
I am planning to read a Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens as well as a book by Virginia Woolf. I am new to Virginia Woolf! So if anyone has any recommendations as to which book to start with, that would be much appreciated!

Hello all! I’m Brandy and this will be my second Victober (although I hope to do better this year lol). I read tons of different genres but I really look forward to October so I can catch up on my classics and the Victorian era is my favorite. Looking forward to the challenges, planning my TBR and discussing these books with all of you!!

Hi! I'm Sofia and I'm from Italy. I joined goodreads today to take track of my readings and to find people who want to share this beautiful passion. I study history of art and I speak English, French and of course Italian :) I read a lot of classics, but I have a predilection for the XIX century's books

Hello there everyone, I'm Amanda and I live in Derbyshire in the Uk. This will be my third Victober and I blummin well love it. My first and enduring love is Jane Austen and I don't think she'll ever be topped, but there are some worthy Victorians who's writing I really enjoy and pull me out of the Regency Period. These are Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, Anne Brontë (shall I go on?). I'm always on the look out to discover some lesser known Victorian authors, although it's sometimes a bit like a toss of the dice to see if you've discovered a forgotten gem- or a book that got forgotten for good reason. Hope you all have lots of fun planning on what you're going to read and I look forward to hearing everyone's choices. Just a tad overexcited about this as per usual and rather distraught to learn I'm not going to be able to take any annual leave in October like I did last year so I could just sit and immerse myself. Oh life, why must you get in the way so?? Xxx

Hi everyone I am Theresa and am looking forward to returning to Victober. I am from Illinois, U.S.A. I am a slow reader so am lucky to get through one or two classics but I have so many I want to read.

Hello, I'm Lorna from Liverpool. Most of my favourite writers are Victorian and I am rarely disappointed in a Victorian novel. A few years ago I inherited a set of twenty or so Trollope novels and I have been making my way through them ever since. I enjoy retreating into Trollope's world most of all because the characters are so relatable and justice always comes in the end. I'm always amazed at how relevant his books still are - especially in politics, media and personal relationships.
I've read everything I can find of Tolstoy - someone I admire deeply. Dickens is another favourite, although I much preferred Dombey and Son and David Copperfield to books such as Hard Times. Years ago I read through Turgenev and enjoyed the romantic side of his work. The Brontës and Thomas Hardy I enjoy for their incredible writing and I have read about ten Hardy novels but I dislike a sad ending and I prefer books without pure villains. Still, I return to Hardy because his writing is just so beautiful.
I'd like to read more George Eliot perhaps, Middlemarch was a wonderful read - so something along those lines. I'll probably read another Trollope - I've been meaning to read The Eustace Diamonds. I'd also love to try George Gissing.

Hi, I'm Becky from the USA. This will be my second Victober. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books were my first (and only) Victorian loves as a teen. Because I have a love/hate relationship with Dickens (so far I've enjoyed 2 of his works and wanted to throw 2 at the wall), I avoided most other Victorian literature until I read Wuthering Heights and Dracula as an adult. Now I'm trying to catch up and read all the lovely novels I avoided for years!

Hi, I’m Amy from Wisconsin. I love participating in Victober. Unsure of my TBR but I really like seeing what others will be reading.

Becky wrote: "Hi, I'm Becky from the USA. This will be my second Victober. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books were my first (and only) Victorian loves as a teen. Because I have a love/hate relationsh..."

Isn't it weird how things change with age. Things I read now I wouldn't go near as a teen or even young adult.

Hi All. I’m Kris. I’m from Minnesota. This will be my second attempt at Victober. I’m hoping to do better this time around than I did last year.

My name is Hannah and I am a historian living in the US. Although I have been reading casually from the sidelines for a couple of Victobers now, I am hoping to get a little more serious about it this year. I am even thinking of starting a booktube channel that month.

I am not yet sure what will be on my reading plan for the month. “Knit and Listen” has definitely made the list! Nice to meet you all.

I am Kevin from Reading (England). I have been following Katie's booktube channel for years. I am currently reading the Count of Monte Cristo at a chapter a day, and Bleak House at three or four chapters a month in Katie's read-along. I have Barchester Towers and Doctor Thorne on my bookshelf waiting to be read, plus Confessions of an Opium Eater. I could be persuaded to bump them for Victober, but I may only do one or two of the challenges.

Hi, I'm Amelia from Germany and this might be my second Victober, but I never participated officially. I don't read that much Victorian literature, so I'm looking forward to expand that.

Hi, I'm Maria and I live in the UK. I had no idea what to expect when I got an invitation for this group and now I see there will be challenges which I'm rubbish at so we'll see how it goes! I love classics and Anthony Trollope and Jane Austen are probably my favourites. Also like Gaskell; and Dickens, Eliot and Brontë although I've only read one each of Dickens and C.Brontë. I should like to continue reading more Trollope in October and I've had Silas Marner on my shelf forever.

Kate wrote: "Tenille wrote: "Hi all, I'm Tenille from Australia. I'm a bookseller and currently completing my MA in literature. I'm also a big fan of Victorian literature and really looking forward to finding o..."

Thanks for the heads up Kate! I've never knitted before - I live in northern Australia, where at most we throw a cardigan on in winter - but I've always wanted to learn, so Knit and Listen might be just the time to do it.

I am Sara. I live between Florida and the Bahamas. I am married and have five fur babies. This will be my second full year doing Victober. Two years ago I found it partway through. I will be traveling in Europe for the second two weeks so don't know how it will go.

I have loved books from a very early age and have never stopped. I think my first two interactions with Victorian Literature was in school. I read A Christmas Carol in grade 8 and hated it. I reread it last year during Lucy's mini Classicsathon in December and enjoyed it much more. My second encounter was with Jane Eyre going into grade 11. I was put in the wrong class and Jane Eyre was one of the three selected books. I didn't read the books because I decided to read the books for the class I thought I should be in. While the school was sorting it out I had to listen to people argue what the best and worst book was over the summer and why. My classmate Jasmine got up and made such an amazing case for Jane Eyre that I had to read it. I started it and was loving it. I stopped reading right when Jane is about to head to Thornfield Hall and never finished until last year. I think it is one of my favourite books of all time. I am currently reading Wide Sargasso Sea and then rereading it in September.

This year I am hoping to branch out. Last year I branched out with Kipling (went horribly and put me off reading for almost all of Victober) and George Eliot (which I ended up not getting to.)
This year I am hoping to read some Oscar Wilde, George Sand, George Eliot, Trollope, Dickens, and Hardy. I am also thinking of reading Lady Audley's Secret. I still have Villette and The Professor to read by Charlotte Bronte, I am very much open to recommendations. I just want to see what the challenges are before finalizing.

Besides The Picture of Dorian Gray, what else would you recommend by Wilde?
Where should I start with George Eliot? I have many of her books, but I have not read them.
I am thinking of starting the Barchester Chronicles for Trollope.
Where should I start with Dickens? Great Expectations from what I have heard does not interest me. Bleak House sounds interesting, but I hear the character list is crazy!
I am thinking of reading Far from the Madding Crowd for Hardy. I watched Tess before I realized it was a book and no comment. I was also thinking maybe Return of the Native.

Thanks and cannot wait to see the challenges, the readalong, and what everyone else is reading!!

Hello! I’m Mª Jesús from Spain and it’s going to be my second year participating in Victober.
I’m looking to know this year challenges!!

Kate wrote: "Gabriele wrote: "Hello,

I'm Gabby from England. I love Victorian literature, particularly Thomas Hardy, and actually wrote my undergrad dissertation on him.

I watch quite a lot of Booktube but ha..."

My dissertation was looking at the female body in his novels. The novels I looked at were A Pair of Blue Eyes, The Return of the Native, Tess of the D'urbervilles and Jude the Obscure. Each chapter was based on a different part of the body e.g. hair, hands, eyes etc.

I'm Jess from the UK. This is my second Victober, last year I only managed the group read so I'm hoping to do better this year. I have Shirley by Charlotte Bronte, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens and Daniel Deronda by George Eliot lined up to read this year.

Hi,
I'm also Jess, but sadly, I am not from the UK, I am hailing from Philadelphia. This will be my first ever Victober. (Last year I had no time for anything. I was working as a court researcher transcribing criminal records for hours on end and Booktube was a happy distraction. Thank you, Booktubers !)
Yet I did not know Victober was a thing on Goodreads at all. I am glad that it is.
I am prepping to apply to work on a political campaign here gearing up for 2020. So I cross your fingers that I do not get so swept up that I lose touch. Again, this will be a happy distraction. I'd rather cut out television.
I love Dickens: , , , , and Hardy: , , , and Mark Twain: , , and Wilde: , Virginia Woolf: , George Bernard Shaw: and Zola: , , . Although my all time favorite writer is Edith Wharton who wrote during the Edwardian period: , , , ,
The greatest Victorian playwrights are Chekhov and George Bernard Shaw.
Jumping back to the Regency period for a moment: I am currently ecstatic because last week I finished my first Jane Austen novel ever Persuasion. (I was silly to think Austen wrote chick-lit before).
I made the mistake of trying to read Wuthering Heights too young, at 8 years old, and I was disappointed because 1) I did not understand it at all, and 2) there were no ghosts in it (that I recall). The back of the book said it was a "haunting story" so of course there has got to be ghosts, right? No!
Since then I've avoided anything to do with the Bronte sisters. So I'd like to give them an honest shot.

I also am eager to jump into Anthony Trollope, Wilkie Collins, Elizabeth Gaskell, or George Elliot. Yet, I am really open to anything!

O, and I am currently reading which is Edwardian, written in 1902 so close...:)
& Note: The Victorians didn't really like Zola: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-en...

I am Cynthia aka HistoryGirl. I live in New York City. My period is twentieth century U.S, History so I was lacking in knowledge of Victorian literature. I loved Victober last year. The group read Wives and Daughters was excellent, partly because the book is so funny and fraught with emotional cross currents. My big discovery was Thomas Hardy. I ended up binge reading almost everything he wrote. George Eliot’s Middlemarch is a rich and valuable contribution to women’s lit and world lit. I can’t wait for this year’s discoveries.

Hi, I'm Margaret from Florida.
This is my third Victober and I get more excited about it each year.
I can hardly wait to hear from our hosts what our prompts will be for 2019.

Hello everyone!

I am SO excited for Victober this year -- although I know for sure that my TBR is going to be very ambitious because I can't narrow down my choices!

My name is Lucy and I'm one of the Victober hosts this year. My favourite Victorian novel is Shirley by Charlotte Brontë (and I'm the Brontë Society's Young Ambassador), and I also love the works of Thomas Hardy and Elizabeth Gaskell.

I make YouTube videos at youtube.com/lucythereader - I have lots of Victorian-themed videos planned for Victober!

Hello, I’m Amy at Zoe Beck on Booktube. This will my 3rd year and I’m hoping to get some big books done this time. I’m hoping to tackle Bleak House by Charles Dickens, Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope, Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell and some Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on audio narrated by Stephen Fry. Hopefully I’ll be able to pick up more but these are all books I’ve started but haven’t finished over the last year. My goal is clear out my Currently Reading list. Looking forward to it!

Hi everyone, I’m Sharon and I live in Australia. Unlike most people here I do not have a love of Victorian Literature (yet) because I have never read any before (face with open mouth emoji here). It wasn’t until 2016 when I discovered Booktube that I started to hear about the works of authors like Gaskell, Trollope and Hardy etc. I put it down to growing up in a small town with an even smaller library where classic books like those just weren’t available or required to read for school.

I have been following this readathon for the last two years but never actually joined in. This will be my first time participating and I am so EXCITED to read the books you all love. Stories that include nature, family, friendships, community and the home are what I enjoy, so am hoping to read some books involving that.

Looking forward to this year’s challenges and planning my TBR!

Hi everyone! I'm so excited for Victober, it's been a highlight of the last two Octobers for me. Victorian literature is so much fun, and really has something for everyone! My favorite Victorian author is Wilkie Collins, so I'll be reading something by him this time around for sure.

Hello fellow Victorian literature enthusiasts! I have started my reading this summer after a trip in June to Jane Austen’s house in Chawton. After viewing her writing desk, and other personal articles and walking the country roads which she once walked I was anxious to read her novels when I returned home to the US. I have just finished Sense and Sensibility and was not disappointed! I had previously read Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion and Emma with my book club. I am always impressed with the language, characterizations and commentaries on life and living. She never disappoints! I hope you will read her this Victober

Samantha wrote: "Hi everyone! I'm so excited for Victober, it's been a highlight of the last two Octobers for me. Victorian literature is so much fun, and really has something for everyone! My favorite Victorian au..."

Read The Woman in White. Recommend it highly

Hello everyone, i'm Michelle from Brisbane, Australia. Looking forward to participating again in Victober. I haven't decided what i'll be reading yet, but there will definitely be a Hardy and a Dickens somewhere on the list.

Last year, I only completed two of the five challenges. This year, I’m sweeping the board. I’m looking for recommendations for lesser known Victorian authors if anyone has any in mind. I love the major ones, but it’s always fun to branch out.

Greetings from Texas! My name is Jessica and this'll be my third Victober and am very excited to see what the prompts will be. I really enjoy reading classics and Victober has been the perfect way to discover new favorites. At the moment I'm slowly making my way through Juliet Barker's massive biography on the Bronte family so I'll try to work in at least one of their works into the challenges and maybe a Trollope as well. I'm looking forward to seeing what the prompts will be this year!

Hello! I'm Beatriz from the South of Spain and I have participated (with varying degrees of commitment) in every Victober. My favourite Victorian writers are the Brontes and Gaskell. I haven't been terribly successful with George Eliot but I will be giving her and my slowly improving knitting skills another go during Knit and Listen, other than that I haven't made any plans for my reading yet.