The Classics discussion

I'd like to get some suggestions this week so we can get reading during the first week of September.

I don't know how much more discussion "The Metamorphosis" is going to get.

I'm going to put "Candide" back into the mix because it's a nice short book.

Hello, new member here and thought I'd hop in with a suggestion.

The Nun by Denis Diderot

I'm also for Candide.

So it looks like the vote is between:

"The Nun" - Denis Diderot

"Candide" - Voltaire

You guys have until Friday to exercise your democratic right.

I went ahead and made a poll. Hope that's okay.

I vote for The Nun. Sounds intriguing.

I thought it would help to post a link to the poll (I didn't know there were even polls on group reads till now!)

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show_g...

I thought it would help to post a link to the poll (I didn't know there were even polls on group reads till now!)

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show_g...

You have spoken!

Pick up "The Nun" by Diderot guys. On Monday I'll post the break up of chapters.

Argh, can't afford to buy another book and none of the library systems around here seem to carry it. Sounds interesting though.

Well that's maddening. I tried looking online for a version you could read, even a Librivox version because I'm sure the copyright's run out but the best I could do was a Google Books Preview. Most of the pages were omitted.

In the whole Greater Regional District where I live there is one copy.

I know there are some articles online about the book but that's not the same.

The absurd part is that I checked THREE library systems, which would include dozens and dozens of actual libraries. No love for the classics.

I will browse the used bookstores and see if I can scrounge a cheap version. Sometimes I can find older books for mere cents, but it's always a gamble.

I WORK in a library--we belong to a 43 library consortium and can usually get just about any book, but this one was not in any of our libraries. I could ILL it outside the system and prob get it from a university library, but I chose to order it from Amazon so I can put the copy in our library after I read it.

I guess this is one of the more obscure classics, I will admit I never heard of it before these nominations, but I am looking forward to reading it!

I meant to add in my note--check with your library to see if they CAN ILL it for you--most public libraries can do this for no charge--some do charge postage--but it is worth asking. My library would not charge for doing this, but you may need to ask in person if you can get it. Just because it doesn't show up in their catalog doesn't m ean they can't get it.

I could sign up for ILL, but I don't think my local libraries do it in house. I'd have to go through the ILL website and be approved. At least, that's what I remember from my last try a few years ago when I was working there. I'll have to look into it again.

I went up the campus library today, ready to check out the one copy of "The Nun" in the whole district and low and behold, it's nowhere to be found. I double check to see that it's still in the library and not in Special Collections or something and it says it's there.

So for now, I have the library hunting for the book but otherwise I think I'm out of luck. I'll do my best to post sections and questions for those of you who do have the book.

Nevermind, all is well. I received an email today that they'd found the book. It's a beat up, dog-eared copy but it's readable. Yay!

I just notification that my book has finally been shipped, hopefully I will be able to read it quickly and join in on the discussion. I'm looking forward to it.