VICTOBER 2025 discussion

Hi everyone! Just setting up a place to discuss your 2025 Victober TBRs – the chat is mostly happening on Discord these days, but I'm setting up a few threads on Goodreads for those who prefer it here.

Katie wrote: "Hi everyone! Just setting up a place to discuss your 2025 Victober TBRs – the chat is mostly happening on Discord these days, but I'm setting up a few threads on Goodreads for those who prefer it h..."

Thank you Katie, Some of us prefer the old ways. 😊

Thanks, Katie! I do prefer this method!

I can't get to everything I want to read, but here are some of my possibilities this year. I will for sure get to the first two because I am buddy reading them.

Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell
Uncle Silas by J. Sheridan Le Fanu

Dr. Wortle's School by Anthony Trollope
The Wrong Box by Robert Louis Stevenson
Hester by Mrs. Oliphant
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Selected Poems by Thomas Hardy - This would only be reading a
few of the poems.

I wish I could get to them all but I will decide when the time comes.

I'll be re-reading Jane Eyre on audio, and it will meet several of the challenges.

Challenges with Tentative TBR:
-Friendship: Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
-Not a novel: Pictures from Italy, Charles Dickens
-Class: Rags to riches: The Hand of Ethelberta, Thomas Hardy (and for Jen's Hardy readalong)
-Empire spotting: Jane Eyre
-Underrated woman writers:
1) Red Pottage, Mary Cholmondeley
2) Jessie Phillips, Mrs Fanny Trollope
3) The Trail of the Serpent, Mary E. Braddon
4) The Library Window, Margaret Oliphant
-Education: Dr. Wortle's School, Anthony Trollope
-Back in Time: The Children of the New Forest, Captain Marryat
-Cover color: Black: Jane Eyre and Dr. Wortle's School (Penguin classics)
-Fantasy: I'm including "ghosts" here: The Canterville Ghost, Oscar Wilde, and The Library Window, Margaret Oliphant
-JA connection: A Memoir of Jane Austen and Other Family Recollections, James Austen-Leigh

I won't be reading Hester, as I read it a couple of years ago.

This year I aim at all 10 prompts. I hope that these 4 books will do the job:

Hester by Mrs. Oliphant (group read)
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
Granny's Wonderful Chair by Frances Browne
A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh




1. Kate’s challenge: Read a Victorian book where friendship is featured.
Hester by Mrs. Oliphant (group read)
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
2. Katie’s challenge: Read a work of Victorian literature that is not a novel (i.e. a play, short story, poem or work of non-fiction).
A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh (non-fiction)
3. Marissa’s challenge: Read a work of Victorian literature where a character experiences a change in class status (social mobility, rags to riches, fallen women, etc.).
Hester by Mrs. Oliphant (group read)
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
4. Ros’s challenge: Empire spotting: see how many times you can spot signs of the Empire in your Victober reading.
A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh
I bet there will be allusions to the Empire in my other Victober reading, too.
5. Elizabeth’s challenge: Read a work by an underrated Victorian woman writer.
Granny's Wonderful Chair by Frances Browne
Hester by Mrs. Oliphant (group read)
6. Hannah’s challenge: Read a Victorian work that discusses education.
Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë
7. Jess’s challenge: Step back in time – read a Victorian work set in a different era.
A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh (Victorian → Georgian, Regency Times)
8. Milena’s challenge: Spin a (digital) colourwheel and pick a Victorian book with a cover that primarily features that colour. You can pick any edition. My colour: RED
Granny's Wonderful Chair by Frances Browne

9. Roy’s challenge: Read a Victorian work of fantasy.
Granny's Wonderful Chair by Frances Browne
10. Catherine’s challenge: Read a Victorian book that has a connection to Jane Austen.
A Memoir of Jane Austen by James Edward Austen-Leigh

Completed 1–3 challenges = Mr Micawber level
Completed 4–6 challenges = Jane Eyre level
Completed 7–9 challenges = Sherlock Holmes level
Completed 10 challenges = Dracula level

My Victober TBR includes:

1) Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens. Current group read in the Victorians! group, which has just commenced in September. Friendship, true and false, is definitely one of its themes, education might be another. (Kate's, Hannah's)

2) Goblin Market and Other Poems by Christina Rossetti. 'Goblin Market' meets both Katie's (poetry) and Roy's (fantasy) challenge.

3) Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell. Buddy read with Theresa and Jassmine, and more, in the Victorians! group. I thought the book might count for Marissa's challenge, but now I am not sure. There is a fallen woman, but her fall might not be part of the story. To be confirmed. The book might possibly discuss education (e.g. of the lower classes), too. (Hannah's)

4) The Diary of a Nobody by George & Wheedon Grossmith. Doesn't seem to fit any of the challenges, but maybe I'll spot signs of the Empire (Ros')...

5) The Yellow Wall-Paper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Would have been my choice for 'underrated Victorian woman writer' (Elizabeth's), alas, the author is American.

Let's see if these are sufficient to complete four challenges.

Edit:
6) If needed, I might squeeze in Lois the Witch by Elizabeth Gaskell, which is set in the 1690s and would complete Jess' challenge.

Tentative tbr: don't know what challenges these are for yet and subject to change because I am a mood reader.

Anne Bronte: The Tennant of Wildfell Hall
Charles Dickens: American Notes for General Circulation
H. Rider Haggard: King Solomon's Mines
Wilkie Collins: The Moonstone or The Law and the Lady
George MacDonald: Phantastes
May throw in some of the Brownings, Rosetti, Trollope, Wilde, or Ainsworth as time allows.
I am open to recommendations. I've read some Victorian literature, but this is one of my weaker eras of study.

As of now there are only two books on my official TBR. “Felix Holt” by George Eliot is technically historical fiction and has a plot that focuses on a friendship between people from different social classes and education. Also, George Eliot was apparently a Jane Austen fan. “Trail of the Serpent” by Mary Elizabeth Braddon is an underrated woman author and I’m not sure what the plot is. I also have a lot of short stories with fantasy elements to choose from. I’m also looking forward to “Hester.”

I’m reading Shirley and Lady Anna. It was a recent decision, but premises sounded good.

I have held off signing up for YET ANOTHER social media app, so I'm excited to find a thread here on "good old-fashioned" Goodreads. 🙂

I've read The Semi Attached Couple by Emily Eden.
Prompts it fits into: Friendship, Connection to Jane Austen, Underrated Woman Author
Currently reading: The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
Fits prompts for friendship and empire spotting, so far.
Also reading Hester by Margaret Oliphant, prompts for friendship, change in class status? if Mrs John counts, whose husband ran away when the bank threatened to collapse
TBR currently consists of The Time Machine by H. G. Wells for a fantasy, and a Victorian periodical for not a novel.
I would love to read something by Charlotte Mary Young and also Anthony Trollope. Any recommendations for a good starting place for those authors?

Lucy wrote: "I would love to read something by Charlotte Mary Young and also Anthony Trollope. Any recommendations for a good starting place for those authors?"

Welcome, Lucy. Agreed about signing up for more media--that's why I'm here, too.

Re: Charlotte Mary Yonge--I've only read The Heir of Redclyffe, which was good, although a bit long. Some really interesting sibling relationships are featured.

Re: Anthony Trollope--I've read most of his novels. I'm not sure of the best starting place, but I'll tell you where I started: The Warden, which is the first book in the Barsetshire books. It is short, a bit clerical and a bit slow, but Mr Harding is a wonderful character. If you like Trollope's style here, you'll enjoy the rest of the series. In fact, it's best to go straight from The Warden into Book 2: Barchester Towers, as it continues the story from Book 1 and has more plot and characters.

Enjoy!

Lucy wrote: "I would love to read something by Charlotte Mary Young and also Anthony Trollope. Any recommendations for a good starting place for those authors?"

Kate just posted a "Tips for Reading Charlotte Mary Yonge" video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_98N...

My 2025 Victober TBR:

Novels:
• Hester: A Story of Contemporary Life Margaret Oliphant 1886 Group Read, Cover color Gold, and all the challenges except Not a novel, Historical, and Fantasy
• Cranford Oxford ed. Elizabeth Gaskell 1853 (and Watch Cranford Seasons 1 & 2) Challenges: Friendship, Change in status, Empire spotting, Historical Regency Era flashbacks, Jane Austen-like in subject and setting, To Be Determined: Education
• Framley Parsonage Oxford ed. Anthony Trollope 1860 Challenges: Friendship, Empire spotting, Austen-like style, TBD: Change in status and Education
• Phantastes - A Faerie Romance for Men and Women George MacDonald 1858 Challenges: Fantasy others TBD
• The Black Arrow: A Tale of the Two Roses RLS 1888 Challenges: Friendship, Change in status, Empire spotting, Historical 1400s War of the Roses, Cover is Gold TBD: Education

Essays:
• “The Last Generation in England” 1849 Gaskell Challenges: Not a novel- nonfiction, Historical Regency Era, other TBD
• Margaret Oliphant review of Jane Austen’s Persuasion Challenges: Not a novel, Underrated female author, direct review of a Jane Austen novel
• “To Jane Austen,” “To WM Thackeray,” and “To Charles Dickens” From Letters to Dead Authors Andrew Lang 1886 Challenges: Not a novel, Jane Austen direct parody and criticism

Short Stories:
• “The Cage at Cranford” 1863 Gaskell Challenges: Not a novel, others TBD
• “Lizzy Leigh” Gaskell, 1850 Challenges: Not a novel, Change in status, others TBD
• “My French Master” Gaskell 1853 Challenges: Not a novel, Change in status, Empire spotting, Education, others TBD
• The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain Dickens 1848 Challenges: Not a novel, Cover is Gold, Fantasy, others TBD

Lorri wrote: "My 2025 Victober TBR:"

I really enjoyed Framley Parsonage. Trollope shows us a strong and (mostly) successful marriage, which seems all too rare these days, even in fiction.

Oooh...love all your essay selections....where did you find them?

Kathy wrote: "Lorri wrote: "My 2025 Victober TBR:"

Oooh.....love all your essay selections....where did you find them?"

“The Last Generation in England” is in an appendix in the Oxford World edition of Cranford I'm reading.

The Oliphant review of Jane Austen’s Persuasion is in the Norton Third Critical Edition of Persuasion.

And Letters to Dead Authors is available through Amazon Kindle and on Project Gutenberg.

Lorri wrote: "The Oliphant review of Jane Austen’s Persuasion"

Lorri, are you sure it was a review of Persuasion and not a part of another essay, article or maybe an excerpt from another book (e.g., "The literary history of England in the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century")?

Thanks, Lorri, I'll have to hunt those down. I have the Norton first edition of Persuasion, and it doesn't include that essay.

Zuzana wrote: "Lorri wrote: "The Oliphant review of Jane Austen’s Persuasion"

Lorri, are you sure it was a review of Persuasion and not a part of another essay, article or maybe an excerpt from another book (e.g..."

You're right. I didn't want to read it through when I found it and jumped to some conclusions. It should read:

Two segments concerning Jane Austen written by Margaret Oliphant From The Literary History of England in the End of the Eighteenth and Beginning of the Nineteenth Century as found in Persuasion 3rd Norton Critical ed. by Jane Austen and edited by Rae Greiner

thank you for the recs, Kathy!

Lucy wrote: "thank you for the recs, Kathy!"
You're welcome! I picked up a few CM Yonge titles from Kate's video--now it's just hunting them down.

Hi! As I am still trying to read the books I already own, I won't even think about the challenges but instead will concentrate on Our Mutual Friend. I think I am going to love it, so I don't want to read it too fast.

Reading
The Tenant of Wildfield Hall- finished
David Copperfield -10% read

My Late-Victober update:

• Since my last update, I finished watching Cranford & Return to Cranford and finished reading Hester, Phantastes, and “My French Master” (see below)
• I’ve fully completed all 10 challenges, placing me at Dracula status!
• I just started reading Framley Parsonage Trollope 1860
• I moved Dickens’ The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain and Gaskell’s “Lizzy Leigh” to another year
• Finally, I switched my RLS War of the Roses set novel for The Master of Ballantrae RLS 1889 because the 1745 Jacobite uprising in Scotland suits my November reading, Challenges: Jess: Historical, Milena: Book Cover Color: Gold, & Others: TBD

Newly Completed:
 Hester: A Novel of Contemporary Life by Mrs Oliphant 1886 psychological realism
o Kate: Friendship: Hester makes friends with Captain and Mrs Morgan
o Marissa: Change in Status: The indignities suffered by persons who shift down in financial status is a major theme with glimpses of before and after for one character
o Ros: Empire Spotting: the Chrystal Palace Exhibition of 1851, Chinese lanterns, tea, and textiles
o Elizabeth: Underrated Female Author: Mrs Margaret Oliphant
o Milena: Color of Book Cover: Gold
o Catherine: Jane Austen Connection: Roland has “fine eyes,” characters are individuals who behave according to their own psychological truths
o Group Read

 Phantastes - A Faerie Romance for Men and Women George MacDonald Illustrated by Arthur Hughes 1858 Greville MacDonald Preface September 1905 episodic
o Roy: Fantasy: Probably the first fantasy novel, a combination of romance legend, and fairy tale with some lovely writing and a coming of age theme

 “My French Master” Gaskell 1853 (Only 20 pages!)
o Kate: Friendship: faithful friendship between the title character and the narrator’s family
o Katie: Not a Novel: a short story
o Marissa: Change in Status: from French nobleman in Normandy to refugee/émigré in England, from soldier to gentleman-farmer, and from soldier to tutor to teacher
o Ros: Empire spotting: French wars, 1814 French restoration, 1815 Waterloo, Malta
o Hannah: Education: Textbooks named, schedule and lessons with the French Tutor described
o Jess: Historical: Set from circa 1789 to circa 1853
o Catherine: Connection to Jane Austen: two of Austen’s brothers were Navy men during the French and Napoleonic wars

Come share your 2025 Victober highlights on the Wrap-Up thread:
https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...