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If you don't fancy either of the two Classic books chosen for this month, feel free to discuss your alternative book here!

Please remember to use spoiler tags where necessary. Let us know what you think of the book, not just that you have read it :) Feel free to link your review of the book if you'd like.

Oh goody, because I started The Mysteries of Udolpho with another group and it will fit in here.

After one chapter I can say that this book is very heavy on atmosphere and words. Many, many descriptive words. If you by chance ever thought of what a gothic romance would be like and that included it having 10 times too many words, then you would be right.

I have had this one on my TBR for a long, long time too. I think the victorian ladies didn't mind so many words as long as it was a racy story, hun?

I'm not sure I'll be able to tell if it's racy. :)

I attempted to read The Mysteries of Udolpho a couple of months ago, but I gave up after about 100 pages. It was written in 1794, earlier than most of what we think of as gothic romance. I found it moved very slowly, and was vaguely depressing without being very interesting. I was very annoyed by the heroine's tendency to faint at any critical moment. I much prefer reading about someone like Marian in The Woman in White, who was made of sterner stuff. Marian still could not completely control her destiny, but at least she made a decent stab at it.

I haven't got to the fainting parts yet but I have heard that this book has the most fainting ever!

A friend of mine read Udolpho a couple months ago and he found and posted this great article

It even has a graph to show which book has the most fainting.

Dawn, thanks for posting that link. It's brilliant!

I love pretty much the whole article but after starting this book I particularly like picture 10: People Talk Funny because that is exactly what it's like, 30 or 40 words to express a 6 word sentiment.

Dawn wrote: "I love pretty much the whole article but after starting this book I particularly like picture 10: People Talk Funny because that is exactly what it's like, 30 or 40 words to express a 6 word sentim..."

Yes! I think part of my problem with the book was that it seemed to move so very slowly, and that was partly because it took the characters at least a paragraph to say pretty much anything.

I just finished reading Peter Pan, and I have to say that I didn't enjoy it all that much. I did find several points that would make for good discussions with a book club.

The most significant is the burning need Peter and the Lost Boys had for a mother.

I was shocked at the violence in the book. Scalping, stabbing, poisoning, attempted drowning and lots of other stuff going on.

I could still appreciate the value of this classic story though. It was fascinating to read about the thoughts of that time.

Dawn wrote: "I'm not sure I'll be able to tell if it's racy. :)"

I don't know if racy is the correct term. I think I was reading a George Sand novel (I cannot remember) but Udolpho was mentioned. Maybe forbidden for "nice girls" would have been better.

Lanelle wrote: "I just finished reading Peter Pan, and I have to say that I didn't enjoy it all that much. I did find several points that would make for good discussions with a book club.

The most si..."

The book is certainly not the lovable Disney version.

Travis of NNY wrote: "Lanelle wrote: "I just finished reading Peter Pan, and I have to say that I didn't enjoy it all that much. I did find several points that would make for good discussions with a book cl..."

I thought the character with the biggest difference between the movie and the book was Princess Tiger Lily.

I did find since Peter Pan is a favorite of my son and the movie is on all the time, that the book had more in common with the movie than I thought. After reading then watching there were things in the movie I hadn't noticed before reading. Still think Disney is way more enjoyable though

I'll have to pay closer attention next time I watch the movie. Thanks, Travis.

Well for me just at the start I never paid attention to how the father was kind of a miserable old chap. Or how the dog was the nanny. I probably never paid attention to the movie until I was an adult. That darn book took me 13 months to get through I had planned for 2 days when I picked it up

Lanelle wrote: "I was shocked at the violence in the book. Scalping, stabbing, poisoning, attempted drowning and lots of other stuff going on. "

I'm surprised to read that in connection with Peter Pan! It's a shame you didn't enjoy it but at least you were still able to appreciate it's value (not the violence - the story as a whole).

About half done with Animal Farm this is such a great book I can hardly believe this is the same guy who wrote the most dismal book of all time 1984

Is this your first read of animal farm Travis? It's a quick read. I loved it.

Yup first time

Travis of NNY wrote: "About half done with Animal Farm this is such a great book I can hardly believe this is the same guy who wrote the most dismal book of all time 1984"

That's bad news about 1984. I was getting ready to read it for a reading challenge with a different group here on goodreads.

Do you have any suggestions for a cyberpunk book?

Most evryone including myself give 1984 a 4-5 star rating. I understood the concept and enjoy knowing the pop culture references from it. The story itself is so dark and unpleasant though. Cyberpunk sounds more like a job for Rusalka to recommend something

I really liked the cyberpunk book The Stars My Destination and I have many books by William Gibson on my TBR but haven't quite gotten around to them yet. They do look really good though.

Cherie wrote: "I don't know if racy is the correct term. I think I was reading a George Sand novel (I cannot remember) but Udolpho was mentioned. Maybe forbidden for "nice girls" would have been better....."

I'm reading it because the heroine in Northanger Abbey did and I wanted to know what the fuss was about.

Dawn wrote: "I really liked the cyberpunk book The Stars My Destination and I have many books by William Gibson on my TBR but haven't quite gotten around to them yet. They do look re..."

The Stars My Destination looks very interesting. Thanks, Dawn.

My book should be available soon for me at the library. Can't wait to start it... The Locusts Have No King by Dawn Powell.

Dawn wrote: "Cherie wrote: "I don't know if racy is the correct term. I think I was reading a George Sand novel (I cannot remember) but Udolpho was mentioned. Maybe forbidden for "nice girls" would have been be..."

Maybe it was NA. I don't have it marked as read, but I bought a volume with all of Jane Austin's works and waded my way through them several tears years ago before I joined GR. Unfortunately, that is not the way for me and I have no clear details of some of the stories, especially if I didn't care for the story much. I have to read her books more than once to appreciate them. I Ä‘on't think it is a bad thing, so I will tackle it again in the future.

Travis of NNY wrote: "Most evryone including myself give 1984 a 4-5 star rating. I understood the concept and enjoy knowing the pop culture references from it. The story itself is so dark and unpleasant though. Cyberp..."

Sounds like Dawn got there first. And I am adding that to my TBR too. Neuromancer is the most famous cyberpunk book. It it's the book that invented the word cyberspace. Lexx says Snow Crash is in the same vein but he didn't love it, and he usually loves Neal Stephenson.

Neuromancer looks familiar, but I don't think I've seen Snow Crash around. Thanks, Rusalka (and Lexx).

I have both those on my TBR.

I read Neuromancer last year and really liked it. In addition to him coining some terms we now use, it was also the basis of the film The Matrix. His writing style is interesting and a lot of more recent authors have copied it in some ways. He uses a lot of local terms, so in Neuromancer, they are Japanese as that is where it is set. I had to look a lot of words up and I wasn't always sure what was going on exactly but it is well worth the read. I've added the one Dawn mentioned - looks interesting.

I read Lost Horizon. I know I must have read this many, many years ago and had seen the movie. It has held up well over time. Slightly dated, but so wonderful and prophetic. There were times I wish I could be transported to Shangri-La. But what would I do without my wonderful fiction reads? I don't think I'd make a good monk.

Sarah wrote: "I read Neuromancer last year and really liked it. In addition to him coining some terms we now use, it was also the basis of the film The Matrix. His writing style is interesting and a..."



I laughed when I read "I wasn't always sure what was going on exactly but it is well worth the read". The movie was the same way.

I've had this on my TBR for a couple of years. The Matrix is one of my favorite films. Maybe it's time to dust it off and read it.

Sarah wrote: "I read Neuromancer last year and really liked it. In addition to him coining some terms we now use, it was also the basis of the film The Matrix. His writing style is interesting and a..."

After Ready Player One, I decided I need/want to read Neuromancer. Depending on how that goes, I'll read the other 2 books in The Sprawl trilogy, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive.

I just finished The Midwich Cuckoos, a classic SciFi, which is also a 1960 classic film: Village of the Damned. It is just creepy (view spoiler)[to think of every woman/girl of child-bearing age being impregnated at the same time. I don't want to consider how this was done! (hide spoiler)] There is nothing more fierce than a mother's protection!

In honor of P.D. James' passing, I am starting the classic, An Unsuitable Job for a Woman.

I've started The Secret Garden. I'm only a few chapters in, but I like it so far. I find it interesting that Mary, the main character, is repeatedly described in a very negative way (ugly, thin, spoilt, arrogant, etc.). I don't think I've ever seen that in a book before. Usually if someone's not very likeable, you figure it out for yourself by reading about how they behave, not by having it explicitly told many times.

Peggy wrote: "I've started The Secret Garden. I'm only a few chapters in, but I like it so far. I find it interesting that Mary, the main character, is repeatedly described in a very negative way (ug..."

It has been so long since I read that one, Peggy, but if I remember, they kind of resented her being there and they didn't know what to do with her. It seems to me that this is how most adults (the people who were forced to care for her) would react to a child like this. The servants were mean to her because they "could be". Also, this is how they talked about someone who was not pretty and pert and outgoing, which Mary wasn't. I always felt sorry for her.

I loved both the movie and the book.

I now have my library copy of The Locusts Have No King. I think I can fit it in, but my top priority is finishing The Thirteenth Tale so I can wrap up Taz Trouncers.

Started it today, and it seems like a real page turner. When that's completed, I can probably fit in the Dawn Powell book for the classics challenge.

I feel sorry for her too Cherie. And indeed, I think she turned out like that because nobody ever cared about her or what she did.

Hi Janet - yes, I thought The Thirteenth Tale was a real page turner too. I have it to a friend at work and she said the same thing. She is currently reading it. Check out our buddy read.

I will, Cherie. Thanks.

Cherie wrote: "Hi Janet - yes, I thought The Thirteenth Tale was a real page turner too. I have it to a friend at work and she said the same thing. She is currently reading it. Check out our buddy read."

I can't locate : ( Did you have a thread under Buddy Reads?

Uh, didn't we Lisa? Or were we just reading it at the same time? I'm sorry, Janet. I remember discussing it somewhere! Maybe it was in the group read with a number in the title. The friend that I loaded TTT to loaned me Six...something.

No, we didn't do a buddy read of The Thirteenth Tale Cherie. I read it for the group read with a number in the title and we talked about it a little bit in that thread. I think we are hoping to do a buddy read of Bellman and Black: A Ghost Story in 2015 though :)

Yes, still up for that, Lisa.
Sorry I lead you on, Janet, but it really is a good story!

No worries, Cherie. Sadly, no time to read today. I deep cleaned our upstairs carpet. So needed it. Yay! Plus, finished up Christmas cards to special friends in time to send out in tomorrow's mail. Double yay!!
Got several other icky to do items checked off as well. Triple yay!!!

Sunday I have all day to read and can't wait to get back to this Diane Sutterfield book. I'll try to join your 2015 buddy read of Bellman and Black.

I'm over halfway through The Secret Garden and I really like it. It's such a sweet and magical story, and I feel happy reading it . I read several children's books in the past year or so and I'm actually surprised at how much I like them and how suitable for adults they are.

I agree Peggy. I read The Secret Garden last year for the first time and loved it.