The Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge discussion

Hello! Since there are new members here and it has been a while since anyone has done a challange, I thought it would be a good idea to start the new year with one. Im proposing reading long classics (I started reading Dickens' "Oliver Twist") & sharing our experience mid books or when we are done with them. I think it is really hard to pick up those 600 pages long classic novels right now in this very busy socialmedia based life because it takes a lot of patience to get through them. At least I find myself thinking.. oh I will read them one day.. but why not now?

This sounds like a great idea!!

I’m trying to make it through pride and prejudice and I want to be finished to start another book, but I’m trying to focus to enjoy reading anything and not be pressure-rushed

Pride and Prejudice is amazing! Definitely worth taking your time to enjoy.

I’m interested as well.. I have a few Jane Austin books on my TBR including Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey.

I like this idea. I just finished David Copperfield and feel as proud as if I’d climbed a mountain. I enjoyed loved it, but man, did it take a long time - 6 months, off & on.

If anyone wants to talk about it with me, I’d love that, especially while it’s still somewhat fresh in my mind.

On Ulysses right now.

I am also reading Dickens this month, I am about halfway through Great Expectations. I had a high school student make me a list of classics I should read this year (2024), one for each month.
Maybe, we can simply encourage each other to persevere as we each read different titles from the list. Last year, it took me 3 months to finish A Bolt from the Blue and Other Essays.

That sounds good to me, too.

Which other books were put on your list?

I'm also curious about that list. I finished Nicolas Nickleby by Dickens at the beginning of this year and just recently finished The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. I've had two books on my list for the last few years that I'm making my way through slowly, but I'd love some encouragement to finish those this year! They are:
1. The letters of Charles Dickens 1833-1856 Vol 1 and
2. The Life and Works of Paul Lawrence Dunbar

Dunbar's book is awesome but it's mostly poetry and hard to read a lot at once if you want to really digest it. But if I make myself read 1-2 poems a day, I should be able to get it done this year.

And I love Great Expectations. My favorite Dickens besides A Christmas Carol.

Forgot this is Rory's list, and those aren't on it. I'll pick something else...but still, determined to finish those 2!

Hi to everyone! Just joined. Have been hovering over Rory’s list for years and hoping to tick a few more off this year. Finished Jane Eyre (eventually!) at the start of January and just finished Pride and Prejudice. Was very young when I read it last and appreciated the humour and characterisation much more at this time of my life! Started first two chapters of A Tale of Two Cities this morning so that should keep me busy for a while. Any suggestions for some short books from the list to use as filler-in reads? I like having a few books going at a time to suit my moods and attention span. Takes me longer to get through books but suits my brain better. Thanks!

Is there going to be a book challenge for the upcoming months? I don’t have a ton of time to read but if we give it a few
Months or quarterly then maybe it will work with everyone’s schedule

Ann wrote: "That sounds good to me, too.

Which other books were put on your list?"
Here are the other books from the list:
February: All Quiet on the Western Front
March: Frankenstein
April: Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
May: Slaughterhouse-Five
June: two books by H.G. Wells
July: Les Miserables
August: 1984 or Animal Farm by George Orwell
September: 5 works of Edgar Allan Poe
October: Murder on the Orient Express
Novermber: Brave New World
December: The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman - unabridged

midnightfaerie wrote: "I'm also curious about that list. ."
Here are the other books from the list:
February: All Quiet on the Western Front
March: Frankenstein
April: Beowulf and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight
May: Slaughterhouse-Five
June: two books by H.G. Wells
July: Les Miserables
August: 1984 or Animal Farm by George Orwell
September: 5 works of Edgar Allan Poe
October: Murder on the Orient Express
Novermber: Brave New World
December: The Nutcracker by E.T.A. Hoffman - unabridged

Very nice! I feel like I've read so many classics, and yet, I haven't even read half of these... And a high school student gave you the list? Nice. Hope you make it through this list. What an accomplishment! Are you liking Great Expectations?

I’m on to the next classic the diary of Anne Frank

midnightfaerie wrote: "Very nice! I feel like I've read so many classics, and yet, I haven't even read half of these... And a high school student gave you the list? Nice. Hope you make it through this list. What an accomplishment!"
Yes, it really was a high school student. There was another one about 10 years ago who would regularly make suggestions of books to add to the collection and most were classics. I gifted her with my deck of Authors cards.

midnightfaerie wrote: "Are you liking Great Expectations."
Yes, I finished it and look forward to rereading it at some point. Maybe a year from now?I have read this, A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol and remember Oliver Twist as the movie musical Oliver. This was my favorite!

Meeve wrote: "I’m on to the next classic the diary of Anne Frank"
I have read that one. Let us know what you think of it.

I've read that one too, but now my 13 yr old twins are reading it. It was funny to see them get the book and complain that it looked boring, but now as they're reading it, they're finding it exciting.