Anything Goes discussion

so basically every threee months everyone has tho read a classic of some shape or form.
so lets nominate the first book to start next month.

Great Expectations--I've wanted to re-read that to see if it lived up to my remembrance of it half a century ago...

I'm always up for some Thomas Hardy and Angela has already mentioned my favourite The Return of the Native. I'll second that one.

David Copperfield

Treasure Island- I disliked this intensely when I read it at the age of 11;I'm wondering if a re-read might change my childhood opinion!

poll is now up! so get voting

right our first quarterly classic is Treasure Island. the group will read this book between November til the last day of January. so get reading

There was a copy of Treasure Island in the library when I went this morning. I was only supposed to be returning two books. Since it was there I decided to grab it while I could even though I'm not quite sure when I'll be reading it.

In some ways, I'm glad that Treasure Island's won the vote. I'm really curious to see what it's like 51 years after I read it the first time! Won't be starting yet, though - unusually for me, I've got three on the go at the minute - must finish at least two, before starting another.

Has anyone made a start on Tresure Island? I read 20 or so pages weeks ago and have not touched it since - naughty me! I'm home with my daughter, who's school boiler broke so I might get some pages read later

I did read and finished Treasure Island. I found writing easier to follow if I just kept reading similar to Robinson Crusoe. Also liked the plot and story line. Great Quarterly Read.

Though I don't subscribe, I think Sky is 'doing' Treasure Island around Christmas, with Eddie Izzard as Long John Silver. Looking forward to reading it again, especially as the voyage of the Hispaniola began in Bristol -- where I lived for 45 years!

Incidentally, did you know that Hispaniola ('the Spanish (island)') was the original name for Haiti/The Dominican Republic? This was where Columbus set up a colony, the first I think of the Spanish colonies in the New World.

I found my copy of Treasure Island this afternoon, so shall be starting it soon.

I'm reading The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack at the moment and I'm enjoying it, but at the same time, I want a bit of a break from it. It's written in a way that evokes Victorian literature a bit and so it's a bit intense to read all of the time. I'm wondering whether reading Treasure Island as well will work. I like a lot of R.L. Stevenson's other writing and I think it will complement Spring Heeled Jack.

JackieB wrote: "I'm reading The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack at the moment and I'm enjoying it, but at the same time, I want a bit of a break from it. It's written in a way that evokes Victo..."

Have just added that to my TBR list - as a maybe. Looks interesting!

JackieB wrote: "I'm reading The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack at the moment and I'm enjoying it, but at the same time, I want a bit of a break from it. It's written in a way that evokes Victo..."

If you both like 19th-century true-life murder mysteries you might enjoy The Maul and the Pear Tree. The Ratcliffe Highway Murders 1811, co-authored by T A Critchley and crime-writer P D James. I've nearly finished it but, though it's a little dry in tone and has a large cast, I'm finding the mystery of who brutally killed two households in London's East End fascinating. It also happened exactly 200 years ago (I started reading it on December 7th, exactly when the first murders were taking place). And so I'm also tempted by the Spring-Heeled Jack book. And maybe even the Jack the Ripper theories...

Yet another for the TBR list!

Chris wrote: "JackieB wrote: "I'm reading The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack at the moment and I'm enjoying it, but at the same time, I want a bit of a break from it. It's written in a way t..."

Thanks for that, Chris. As Jackie says, another for the TBR list!

I finished Treasure Island last night and I was a bit disappointed. It was not the adventure I remembered from my younger days. Good, but not thrilling, too familier perhaps?!

Are we having another go at a classic for feb through to end april? I have not read Jane Eyre in a while so I would offer that one up for nomination !?

yes i completely forgot about the quarterly classic challenge. so nominate a book for feb to april!
the first nomination is jane eyre

Villette by Charlotte Brontë

Well, I've just finished Treasure Island this afternoon and have to say, I've revised my opinion of the book. At 11, I hated it; more than 50 years later, I quite enjoyed it! I was particularly intrigued by the character of Long John Silver.

Angela wrote: "Well, I've just finished Treasure Island this afternoon and have to say, I've revised my opinion of the book. At 11, I hated it; more than 50 years later, I quite enjoyed it! I was parti..."

How odd, I had exactly the opposite reaction. Enjoyed as a child but not so much recently. Glad you enjoyed this time though Angela.

any more nominations for the next quarterly challenge??

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is good fun

I like to nominate Fahrenheit 451

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins is a favourite

I'm not going to nominate anything. I'm going to have trouble deciding what to vote for as it is.

poll is now up so get voting!!!!!!

I'll be giving Fahrenheit 451 a miss for this selection; I read it two years ago and I can't say I would be interested to read it again so soon. I might pick up on one of the others nominated though. I hope everyone else enjoys it

Anyone on up for another classic? How about an american classic, mark twain maybe?

sure thing lets nominate!

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

I've only just got Fahrenheit 451 from the library! I need to speed up.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer? I read this as a kid while listening to Rimsky-Korsakov's Sheherazade and suspect I'll never be able to divorce the experience of one from the other. (I may have even mentioned this before on another thread; apologies for repeating myself!)

JackieB wrote: "I've only just got Fahrenheit 451 from the library! I need to speed up."

Lucky its short then!

Another group is reading this and it caught my eye

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

What have people thought about Fahrenheit 451? I'm about half way through and think it's quite interesting.

I read this a couple of years ago and only vaguely recall it, thinking it was unbelievable, pretentious twaddle. But I can be a bit grumpy sometimes!

I finally read this a couple of years ago--I wouldn't go as far as to say it was pretentious, but it definitely feels of its time in 1953, what with the Cold War, McCarthyism etc.

I've just finished Fahrenheit 451 and really don't know how I feel about it. To say I liked it doesn't seem right; I found it compelling and quite frightening, in a strange way. In many ways, I felt I'd read it all before, but had no idea how it would end. Strangely enough, while I was Literacy Co-Ordinator at the Primary school where I worked, I became rather "table-thumpy" at a staff training session, saying how if we didn't actively encourage our children to read and value books, society would become unrecognisable - not only semi-literate, but computer, quick-fix, dominated.

Angela wrote: "I've just finished Fahrenheit 451 and really don't know how I feel about it. To say I liked it doesn't seem right; I found it compelling and quite frightening, in a strange way. In ma..."

Yes, I felt a little confused (is that the right word? Ah well) at the end. But it was worth reading. Agree with your table-thumping sentiments!

nominate the next classic time!!!

My nomination remain at;
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn or anything by John Steinbeck

I'm happy with Chris' choices (except not Of Mice and Men, because I re-read that recently). However, just to provide some variety, how about some Charles Dickens to commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth? How about "Hunted Down: the detective stories of Charles Dickens"? It was published in paperback last year, so should still be in print and there is a Kindle version for e-book fans. I'm intruiged because I didn't even know he wrote any detective fiction.

Speaking of Charles Dickens. I was thinking about picking up Oliver Twist. So I'd like to nominate this for the poll

so the next classic will be anything written by john steinbeck or charles dickens. :)

I'm reading Sweet Thursday by John Steinbeck, a follow on from Cannery Row and so far it is excellent. Well, what else can you expect from John Steinbeck!