VICTOBER 2026 discussion

A place to introduce yourself for Victober 2025!

Hello, I have watched the activity since the beginning but didn't start reading till the second or third year. I can't believe it has been 10 years. I have been planning since last Victober.

Katie wrote: "A place to introduce yourself for Victober 2025!"

Congratulations Katie on 10 years. You have introduced me to many new books that I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. 🎉

Theresa wrote: "I have been planning since last Victober."
🤣 Yep, me too! Is it October yet?????
I am in, have my books lined up and can't wait. Thanks for setting up these threads, Katie.

I look forward to trying to tackle at least 1 of these challenges! I'm a mood reader, so hopefully, at least some of the prompts will have some mysteries, horror, and suspense options beyond Sherlock Holmes and Picture of Dorian Grey.

Rebecca wrote: "I look forward to trying to tackle at least 1 of these challenges! I'm a mood reader, so hopefully, at least some of the prompts will have some mysteries, horror, and suspense options beyond Sherlo..."

Have you read any Wilkie Collins?

Not yet.

Rebecca wrote: "Not yet."

I enjoyed The Moonstone, it's a mystery. Not boring at all.

Victober is one of my reading highlights of the year. I am always looking forward to it and keeping my fingers crossed that the books I have lined up will fit the challenges 😇 I will not manage all 10 (!), but will commemorate my fourth year participating by aiming to complete four of the prompts.

Thank you, Katie, for thinking of us fans here at Goodreads!

Hi, I got caught up in reading other things the last couple of years, but this year I want to get back into Victober. I have a lot of books I’m thinking of reading, and I want to do as many of the challenges I can. Just as long as I can find them on my own shelves.

I’ve participated in Victober to some degree since the beginning and I’m happy to celebrate this ten year anniversary with everyone.

looking forward to Victober 2025

I've never participated in Victober before and I'm pretty excited to see how many prompts I can fulfill! I hope to do all the prompts, with some doubling up. I've been loving all the YouTube videos with people's TBRs

Just saying hello. This is my first Victober. Currently doing the Group Read Hester and I am also planning on reading Dracula. If time permits I may also try to re-read North and South. Just wondering if I can still count a book if I go over a few days into November.

Sue Reads Books wrote: "Just saying hello. This is my first Victober. Currently doing the Group Read Hester and I am also planning on reading Dracula. If time permits I may also try to re-read North and South. Just wonder..."

Yes, most of us do it. 😊I try not to worry about that and just have fun reading Victorian.

Hi! I am Maria from Spain, this is not my first Victober, but the first one I start so late :S So far I have only watched videos, thank you to all the posters!

This is my first Victober. It is great fun. I've read Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens and some Jungle Book stories by Rudyard Kipling for this event.

Hello everyone I was hoping they would update the Goodreads group but I can't wait. Is anyone else really excited for Victober?

Theresa wrote: "Hello everyone I was hoping they would update the Goodreads group but I can't wait. Is anyone else really excited for Victober?"

I am--I've got a tentative pile all ready. I do hope 2026 discussion threads get set up here, even though I know most people will be on discord.

Kathy wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Hello everyone I was hoping they would update the Goodreads group but I can't wait. Is anyone else really excited for Victober?"

I am--I've got a tentative pile all ready. I do hop..."

I like here better. I don't always feel a part of it there. If they don't set it up soon we can just manage here.

I am debating which of three books to read for Victober:
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
or
Villette by Charlotte Bronte

Jim wrote: "I am debating which of three books to read for Victober:
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Warden by Anthony Trollope
or
Villette by Charlotte Bronte"

I'm sure you will enjoy whatever you pick. I enjoyed Cranford on audio.

I haven't decided on my books yet.

I'm excited! My tentative choices so far are The Warden by Anthony Trollope, Lilith by George McDonald, and hopefully the group read. But none of those authors check my birth month, June

Lucy wrote: "I'm excited! My tentative choices so far are The Warden by Anthony Trollope, Lilith by George McDonald, and hopefully the group read. But none of those authors check my birth month, June"

Definitely read the group read. I read Uncle Silas last year and it is now an all time favorite. I guess if you don't like sensation novels you might not like it.

Theresa wrote: "Hello everyone I was hoping they would update the Goodreads group but I can't wait. Is anyone else really excited for Victober?"

I was hoping they'd set it up here. I am not really interested in Discord. I guess we can all just keep this thread going. I am looking through books now to try to pick something ot read for Victober.

Hello everybody, another nondiscordian here!
I am still trying to choose what to read, but probably it will be either Barchester Towers or The Woman in White.

Meriyou wrote: "Hello everybody, another nondiscordian here!
"
Ha! I love that--"nondiscordian"🤣

I've made a tentative list of possibilities for the prompts:
--Adventure/Travel (Ros): American Notes, by Charles Dickens
--Irish, Welsh or Scots author (Katie): The Master of Ballantrae, Robert Louis Stevenson
--Social criticism (Marissa): Marion Fay by Anthony Trollope OR a re-read of Mary Barton by Elizabeth Gaskell (I've forgotten most of this, so a re-read is overdue.)
--Birth month author (Kate): I'll be listening on audio to some Sherlock Holmes, as I have the same birth month & day (May 22) as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
--A Secret (bonus prompt): either Aurora Floyd by Mary Elizabeth Braddon OR No Name by Wilkie Collins

Plus I have 3 possible optional reads from my TBR:
-Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow by Jerome K. Jerome OR
-Marcella by Mrs. Humphrey Ward OR
-The Half-Sisters by Geraldine Jewsbury

Kathy wrote: "Meriyou wrote: "Hello everybody, another nondiscordian here!
"
Ha! I love that--"nondiscordian"🤣

I've made a tentative list of possibilities for the prompts:
--Adventure/Travel (Ros): American Not..."
Looks good Kathy! I usually pick the books I want to read and try to fit them in.

Theresa wrote: "Looks good Kathy! I usually pick the books I want to read and try to fit them in."

Most of these I do actually want to read. Most of these I've saved specifically to read in Victober anyway. And I've been trying to fit in a re-read of Mary Barton for months, so I'm determined the time is here! The only one I'm less enthusiastic about is the Group Read, Uncle Silas. I plan to read it, but forgot to mention it in my list. Thriller/horror, etc. is just not my thing.

Kathy wrote: "Theresa wrote: "Looks good Kathy! I usually pick the books I want to read and try to fit them in."

Most of these I do actually want to read. Most of these I've saved specifically to read in Victob..."

I loved every minute of Uncle Silas but the ending is kind of intense. If you don't like thriller or suspense, you may want to skip it.

Theresa wrote: "I loved every minute of Uncle Silas but the ending is kind of intense."

Thanks for the heads-up--when I get near the end I may do a lot of "skimming." We'll see. For sure I think I'll follow it up with Trollope's Marion Fay, for a comforting read and which I know I'll love. 😉

Hello everyone!

I never read Dracula before and I was wondering if it can actually fit Marissa's challenge? I read somewhere online that it was considered as a criticism of the victorian society.

Thanks deeply for your reply!

Hi everyone! The only book I'm really locked in on is "The Phantom Ship" by Frederick Marryat. He shares my birth month--July--and it sounds like it'll work for the adventure prompt, since their on a boat. I'm also thinking of picking up "Under That Calamity: A Narrative of the Treatment Experienced by a Gentleman during a State of Mental Derangement" by John Thomas Perceval, which sounds like it would work for Marissa's. For Irish/Welsh/Scotch writer and secret prompts I think I'll read some ghost stories--they always have secrets in them and a lot of those authors are non-English authors from Great Brittan.

Naomi wrote: "I never read Dracula before and I was wondering if it can actually fit Marissa's challenge?.."

Sorry I can't help you there, Naomi. I haven't read Dracula, either.

Alice wrote: "Hi everyone! The only book I'm really locked in on is "The Phantom Ship" by Frederick Marryat. He shares my birth month--July--and it sounds like it'll work for the adventure prompt, since their on..."

The only Marryat I've read is The Children of the New Forest. It was a good adventure tale for the most part, as it was about 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls, who must fend for themselves in the forest. And it does involve a secret--specifically, a secret identity. Perceval is a new name to me. The only ghost story by a non-English Victorian that I've read is Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost, and that's more humorous than scary😉

Katie has graciously set up threads for Victober 2026--an Uncle Silas thread, a TBR thread and a Currently Reading thread. Come share what you'll be reading!

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...

Kathy wrote: "Katie has graciously set up threads for Victober 2026--an Uncle Silas thread, a TBR thread and a Currently Reading thread. Come share what you'll be reading!

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/7..."

There will also be threads for each challenge, but Goodreads very annoyingly only lets you set up 3 threads a day or something like that, so they'll come in drips and drabs!