Classics for Beginners discussion

What classics are you currently reading?

I am currently reading Wide Sargasso Seafor college and it is interesting. I love the creole and pigdins language which is used. I want to know more about obeah and will probably research abit soon.

I am also reading Lady Chatterley's Lover which is wonderful so far.

I'm reading Wuthering Heights. It's hard for me understand what's going on sometimes, but other than that it's fine.

I'm reading The Chronicles of Narnia series. I love it so far.

I've heard Wuthering Heights is an amazing book by lots of people and some people I know hate it...think I will have to make up my own mind.

60% of the way through The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
I may have to read a classic next, maybe just a short one. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland maybe?

Nicolle wrote: "I've heard Wuthering Heights is an amazing book by lots of people and some people I know hate it...think I will have to make up my own mind."

I quit halfway through it. It was getting annoying and I now understand why some people don't like it.

Oh...I will try it soon though. What is it that made you get annoyed enough to quit?

Nicolle wrote: "Oh...I will try it soon though. What is it that made you get annoyed enough to quit?"

The characters. Catherine was really whiny and Heathcliff was horrible. I might go back and finish it someday just to see what happens though.

I finished A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly last night and really liked it. Today I started The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux.

I've just finished reading Saving CeeCee Honeycutt and i'm stuck on what to read next!

OOohhh The Phantom of the Opera I ALWAYS wanted to read that. I have seldom been to a theatre..it is so sad.

Just started reading Little Women and it's pretty good so far!

Love that book! Read it a couple of months ago and couldn't put it down.

I'm not reading any classics just yet but I am reading Oryx and Crake and House Rules

I forget where were talking a few weeks ago about Winston Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples, but I ran across this review of it which may be of interest.

http://deadwhiteguyslit.blogspot.com/

It's the entry for Thursday, February 17, so if there are later posts after that scroll down to that entry.

Not reading a classic right now, but I'm in the middle of Seeing Redd.

I reallyreallyreally dislike it. >_<

Everyman wrote: "I forget where were talking a few weeks ago about Winston Churchill's History of the English Speaking Peoples, but I ran across this review of it which may be of interest.

http://deadwhiteguyslit...."

Thanks for this Everyman!

I am still reading Oliver Twist...

I'm reading 1984 right now. It's taking me a while to read....

I've heard that is a spectacula book and have been wanting to read it for ages.

I just read Jane Eyre. Now I'm reading The Eyre Affair.

Barnes and Nobel has exclusive classic books that are nicely bound and with gold or silver lined pages. I love them to death, and collect them because they are classics that have been on high school reading list for as far back as I can look up. They just came out with Jane Eyre, and To Kill a Mockingbird. So if anyone read Jane Eyre and wanted to add a nice copy to their collection, I recommend looking at B&N's Exclusive classics.

I am wading my way threw Great Expectations

I'm currently working on This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books. This one, not so much.

I'm about 1/4 of the way through The Count of Monte Cristo.
And also reading Elaine and Bill: Portrait of a Marriage : The Lives of Willem and Elaine De Kooning (a shorter read.)

I have also just started The Count of Monte Cristo, not too far in but it's looking good.

I'm reading Pandora Gets Angry (not a classic though).

I'm reading The Red and the Black (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) for my European Romanticism class. It's not exactly boring, but I'm having a hard time getting through it. This may be because it's over 500 pages, and I just don't want to read it for class!

I'm reading Sense and Sensibility right now. I like Austen alright, but the Brontes really have my heart when it comes to this time period.

I agree, though I need to read more of both.

I'm reading Lorna Doone now. Have read Pride & Prejudice and Jane Eyre this year. I tried Little Dorrit, but had to set it aside. May get back to it this summer.

I am reading Night and Day by Virginia Woolf right now. Just finished the first chapter, looking good so far. It's my first of Woolf's books, I have heard she's a great author.

I've always wanted to read that! You will have to post whether it is any good when you finish it.

Now that I am finished with Sense and Sensibility, I have moved on to Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters. LOL

Haha, is it good or just a dire version of S&S?

I'm currently reading The Whirlpool by George Gissing. I only discovered him last year, but have gone through three of his other books since then. Strongly recommended!

I'm currently listening to an audio version of Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.
The narrator's voice has made me fall asleep at least 5 times so far, and I'm only about 10% in! I probably should have found a different version of it.

Mez wrote: "I'm currently listening to an audio version of Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.
The narrator's voice has made me fall asleep at least 5 times so far, and I'm on..."

I know what you mean. The narrator's voice can make or break an audiobook.

Robert wrote: "Mez wrote: "I'm currently listening to an audio version of Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.
The narrator's voice has made me fall asleep at least 5 times so far..."

I hate audiobooks. I'm such a visual person that just listening to the book really takes away from the story, for me. I remember books much better if I read it myself because I have my own voices and vision of how the characters are.

I have "Vanity Fair" in my ereader and haven't gotten to it yet. I am interested in what its about.

Nicolle wrote: "Haha, is it good or just a dire version of S&S?"

It's pretty hilarious. Colonel Brandon is a half man, half squid mutant. :)

Robert wrote: "I'm currently reading The Whirlpool by George Gissing. I only discovered him last year, but have gone through three of his other books since then. Strongly recommended!"

Thanks for the recommendation!! I will add it to my ever growing to-read list.

Kaitlyn wrote: "Robert wrote: "Mez wrote: "I'm currently listening to an audio version of Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.
The narrator's voice has made me fall asleep at least..."

I totally 100% agree. Me and audio books just don't go together.

I'm currently reading 'Around the World in Eighty Days' as it was to hand when I finsihed my last book so it sort of jumped the queue of books to be read. Enjoying it more than I expected so far

I've heard good things about that book. Though I haven't read it, I have seen the movie (though not sure if it is completely the same).

Did you watch the original with David Niven or the remake with Steve Coogan?

Remake I think, it cam out a few years ago, no more than 5 years I don't think. Why is the origional better?

Certainly! The original has David Niven in it (he is also a published author Go Slowly, Come Back Quickly ) and won five Oscars.

Wow, I will definatly have to watch that one.

It is good. I love David Niven.

He was also Ian Fleming's first choice actor to play the role of James Bond...

You know alot about films!

i'm currently reading "the Tale of Genji" by murasaki shikibu; apparently it's the world's first novel. and the book i am reading it from is about 80 years old. :]