John’s Comments (group member since Aug 23, 2012)

John’s comments from the Read a Classic Challenge group.

Martha,
The challenge is for the whole year, so feel free to post any that you read that are applicable. Welcome to the group.

Here is the ongoing link for the facebook group page which is replacing the individual event pages:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/60542...

Less than one month to go in this year's challenge. Make sure to log in those books.

December is Holiday and Short Story Month!
Here is Scott's Monthly Update!

"Well, here we are in December already! Time flies. Did you finish your classic yet? I'm bound and determined to finish one more and complete MOBY DICK by January 1st. I encourage each of you to set and accomplish you own goal.

December is Holiday Story and Short Story Collection month in the monthly challenge. If you're looking for some direction, I'd suggest A CHRISTMAS CAROL, TWELFTH NIGHT, or SIR GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT as quality short holiday tales, and there are more great short stories and short story collections out there than I can even begin to mention by name.

I'm working to a grading deadline, trying to get the interim report cards ready by next Friday (60 essays and 60 tests now stand between me and freedom), so I haven't had a chance to log books this weekend, but I'll get right on it next weekend. Keep posting and I'll log them all soon."

I have a bunch of books to catch up from my recent travels.

The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, 1898. ~100 pages (it was abridged and on CD). Audiobook.

Always a good book.

Fuzzy Sapiens by H. Beam Piper, 1964, 240 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

Having read the first book earlier, I had expectations of what this might be and I was pleasantly surprised that the author turned all those expectations, especially those about good and evil, on its head.

The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham, 1957, 220 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

I really enjoyed John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids. This book which is the basis for "the Village of the Damned" is no disappointment. It takes a much more subtle and nuanced approach to the threat of the world. There aren't any strong women characters in this one.

The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham, 1953, 240 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

This book had quite a few interesting ideas, but took a little too long in explaining them. I was however impressed at the character of Phyllis which was much stronger than the women characters in the Midwich Cuckoos.

The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Le Guin, 1971, 176 pages, Ereader/text-to-speech.

This was a book that deals with the question, what can go wrong if you play God. It was a good read.

Hyperion by Dan Simmons, 1989, 482 pages, Ereader/Text-to-speech.

This is a more recent book, but has won quite a few awards and is considered highly as a sci-fi book. It follows the pattern of the Canterbury Tales, with many different stories that reveal more about the world. Unfortunately, I can't say that all the stories really caught my interest.

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I am not sure if the following book is considered a classic. It is a sequel to Little Fuzzy and Fuzzy Sapiens, written in the 80s, but it doesn't the critical acclaim of Hyperion. Feel free to include or not include it as necessary.

Fuzzies and Other People by H. Beam Piper, 1984, 216 pages. Ereader/Text-to-speech.

This wraps up the events of the first two books.

X-posted on facebook.

November is Drama Month.
Here is Scott's Update:

"I finally caught up the logging--it's a busy first quarter at school, so as usual, I'm a bit behind. Also, we've crested 300 members. We're at 490 books and over 130,000 pages! Good work, folks.

I'm a bit behind, but November is Drama Month. Pick up your Shakespeare, Marlowe, Beckett, Wilde, Shaw, Williams, Sophocles, Miller, Stoppard, Chekhov, Ibsen, and Jonson!

If you're looking for suggestions, here's a link with some good ones:"

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

My daughter and I read this book together.

The Borrowers Aloft by Mary Norton, 1961, 193 pages, Hardcover.

We have really enjoyed the Borrowers series and love Arriety. She is a great heroine, and her inventiveness is definitely showcased in this book. This is probably my favorite since the first book in the series, and I particularly liked the interplay between Arriety and Pod, her father in this one. There is definitely a timeless quality to these books and I strongly recommend them to anyone who often reads to children (The KKK hat reference in Borrower's Afield not withstanding). We will definitely be taking a trip to the library tomorrow to get the last book.

X-Posted on Facebook.

The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss, 1812, 352 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

This was the type of story I would have enjoyed as a kid, where it was easy to suspend disbelief. It was still a decent story, but the random animals and plants from various climates around the world made on the island made it seem more like LOST than a realistic island.

X-posted on Facebook

We are excited to be adding another moderator to the group, in response to the growth and success of the Read a classic challenge. As such, I felt that it might be useful to offer little introductions from each of the three moderators. My cousin, Scott, had the idea for the challenge and manages the original Facebook site. To assist him and expand the challenge to more readers, I created the Goodreads group as a mirror site. As a result of the growth of the group in both venue’s (448 books read and 124,000 pages as of October 6th), we are adding a third moderator to assist with the growth. My friend, David, contributed a variety of book ideas to the classical themed month and brings a lot of additional experience as a trained librarian.

Scott
I'm a teacher of British Literature and Advanced Placement English Literature at CD Hylton High School in Woodbridge, VA. My reading interests include mythology, medieval literature, history, historical fiction, and science fiction. I started the Facebook site to try and involve my ex-students in reading quality books, but it's evolved into so much more than that.

John
I am an academic affairs administrator and advisor at Niagara University, NY, with a doctorate in higher education administration and interests in multicultural issues, social media, and e-books. My reading interests include speculative/science fiction, fantasy, YA and dystopian literature, with some historical fiction thrown in on the side. Now that I have completed my dissertation, I have challenged myself to read 100 books this year.

David
I am the library director at St. Patrick's Seminary in Menlo Park, CA. I read mainly in History, Speculative Fiction and Mystery/Thriller, often at the same time. I am also a closet statistics nut and I am looking forward to compiling all the data from our group.

Here is Scott's Update for October.

As of October 6th we were "at 448 books read an 124,000 pages. Good work everyone! We've got three months left--let's make them count.

Speaking of months, this month's optional reading theme is Renaissance Literature. Anything written during or set in the Renaissance is game, so bust out your Shakespeare, Marlowe, Milton, Spenser, Jonson, Donne, or writings of Queen Elizabeth I books, and get cracking! I may finally read and finish the Three Musketeers. I've been meaning to do so for years.

I've been really busy (and still am) with teaching, grading, planning, and coaching my son's soccer team this past month, so I haven't have much time to devote to logging books or to compiling a suggested reading list for this theme. Please feel free to list your favorite Renaissance classics below.

Thanks everyone, and keep reading!"

The Borrowers Afloat by Mary Norton, 1959, 192 pages, Hardcover.

My daughter and I read this third installment of the Borrowers series and enjoyed it. It was good, but the characters were a bit more passive in this book and spent more time waiting and being reactive than proactively moving the story along. Overall a good read.

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, 1959, 192 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

When I was a kid I loved all the illustrations and accounts of how he lived in the wild. I probably tried all but the falconing. As an adult, it seems a bit naive that adults would just let him live on his own. The plot also stumbles around periodic insights into nature and survival, which a a bit far fetched now that I look back on it. Overall it was ok in retrospect.

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare, 1958, 256 pages, Ereader/Text-To-Speech.

This was an enjoyable read. It was accessible to young readers, but still engaging for adults. It chronicles the shift of Kit's life from Barbados, where her grandfather owned a plantation of slaves, to Puritan New England life. Of all the stories from my childhood, that I have been rereading, I would definitely say this one has stood the test of time. I highly recommend this one.

X-Posted on Facebook

Rikki-Tikki-Tavi by Rudyard Kipling, 1894, 24 pages, E-reader / Text-to-Speech.

Cute story with fewer details than I remember. I must have seen the movie too many times as a kid.

The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare, 1983, 135 pages, E-reader / Text-to-Speech.

This was one of my childhood favorites, and it held up well to reading it as an adult. Simple and straight forward, it had some decent lessons about understanding other cultures that are still relevant to today. It may not be as old as some of the other classics, but won a ton of awards when it came out.

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George, 1972, 204 pages, E-reader / Text-to-speech.

This was enjoyable, but I am a bit conflicted as to the message of the book given the last line.

The Romance of Tristan and Iseult by Joseph Bédier, 1900 edition, 224 pages, E-reader / Text-to-speech.

This was a decent rendition of Tristan and Iseult, which explored love, loyalty and adventure. I don't think I posted this before, but if I did, I apoligize.

We Can Remember It for You Wholesale by Philip K. Dick, 1966, 29 pages, E-reader / Text-to-speech.

The basis for Total Recall, this book has interesting ideas, but like many of Philip K. Dick's works, it suffers by his writing style and its short format. He has decent ideas but if people didn't interpret his works into movies, etc... I don't know if they would be as popular.

The Crystal Crypt: A Short Science Fiction Novel by Philip K. Dick, 1966, 31 pages, E-reader / Text-to-speech.

Not my favorite Philip K. Dick story.

X-posted to Facebook.

The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton, 1954, 215 pages, paperback.

My daughter and I read this sequel to The Borrowers. We enjoyed the continuing adventures of Arriety quite a bit. It is well written fantasy which is also quite believable. We watched "the Secret World of Arriety" this evening which was excellent, and my daughter and I are definitely looking forward to the next three books.

Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell, 1960, 184 pages, Ereader/Text-to-Speech.

I enjoyed this book as a kid and wanted to read it again. The simple writing and story are accessible to young readers. It was good, but it unlike the Borrowers, I don't think that it holds up as well for older readers.

X-posted on Facebook

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood by Howard Pyle. 1883, 296 pages, Ebook/Text-to-Speech

As someone who spent much of my childhood with a bow in my hand, these tales were very nostalgic. It has been on my "to read" list for many years. The tales of adventure outlined in this book hearkened back to those shown in The Adventures of Robin Hood with Errol Flynn, still arguably the best movie version to date. I was surprised however, that there was no mention of Maid Marian in this version. The expanded tales of Little John were quite amusing, and the last chapter was quite moving.

x-listed on Facebook

Here are some additional links that I posted in the ebook post.

Audiobooks

Librivox (Classics read by volunteers, Free)
http://librivox.org/

Books Should Be Free (most links to Librivox books, more visual interface).
http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/

Audible (avoid signing up for the subscription service)
www.Audible.com

Audible Daily Deal
There is no good link, but if you are logged into amazon or audible (same account) you can see it on the homepage.

Whispersync Books – (Buy the book, get the audiobook for free/cheaper).

http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=sa_menu_a...

or

http://www.audible.com/mt/wfs/narrow?...

There are a great many places to get classic books, especially if you have an e-reader. Many of the links below provide access to free or discounted e-books, including, but not limited to classics. In addition to dedicated e-readers, many tablets and phones allow you to access multiple formats through different apps. My own experience is slanted toward the Kindle, but the following information may be useful to anyone who uses e-readers or wants to participate in our Read a Classic Challenge.

Please be aware that copyright and public domain laws vary by country and the sources referenced below may not be relevant if you live outside of the US.

Feel free to comment below or contact me if you have any questions, notice any errors, or wish to add resources you have found helpful.

- John


Ebook Readers

The type of e-reader you choose may determine what ecosystem (Amazon, BN, Kobo) you most commonly use. After collecting/purchasing so many ebooks in one ecosystem, you may be reluctant later to switch to another format. I prefer the Amazon ecosystem, as Amazon has one of the largest collections of discounted/free books, and supports multiple third party formats.

Overall there are three types of readers: E-ink (less eyestrain, longer battery), Tablets (more than just a reader), and phone/ipod. The latter two depend on apps for various types of formats and many companies have apps for the more open tablets (ipad, nexus), some of the most common formats are listed below by device.

Kindle (eink): “Kindle Format 8 (AZW3), Kindle (AZW), TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively; HTML, DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion” (Kindle Website)

Kindle (Fire): “Kindle (AZW), KF8, TXT, PDF, unprotected MOBI, PRC natively, Audible Enhanced format (AAX), DOC, DOCX, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP, Dolby Digital (AC-3), Dolby Digital Plus (E-AC-3), non-DRM AAC, MP3, MIDI, PCM/WAVE, OGG, WAV, MP4, AAC LC/LTP, HE-AACv1, HE-AACv2, AMR-NB, AMR-WB, HTML5, CSS3, MP4, 3GP, VP8(.webm)” (Kindle Fire Website).

Nook: “EPUB & PagePerfect™ NOOK Books are the standard format for NOOK Books in the Barnes & Noble online store. NOOK Tablet supports ePub, CBZ and PDF formatted books” (Nook Website)


Ebook Management

Calibre ( http://calibre-ebook.com/ ) is a quick and easy way to manage your e-book files from various sources (think iTunes for ebooks). In many cases you can edit, convert, edit, and upload the files to your device with Calibre. You can also drag the files to your device via USB. Although it is best to download the most preferable file times for your device (AZW or MOBI for Kindle) it is possible to convert non-DRM (Digital Rights Management) files using Calibre.

Calibre Conversion Formats (According to the Calibre Manual):

“Input Formats: CBZ, CBR, CBC, CHM, DJVU, DOCX, EPUB, FB2, HTML, HTMLZ, LIT, LRF, MOBI, ODT, PDF, PRC, PDB, PML, RB, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ

Output Formats: AZW3, EPUB, FB2, OEB, LIT, LRF, MOBI, HTMLZ, PDB, PML, RB, PDF, RTF, SNB, TCR, TXT, TXTZ”

Amazon Conversion Formats (Careful of using the free email to avoid charges):
HTML, DOC, JPEG, GIF, PNG, BMP through conversion. You can send these to Amazon to be converted, they will deliver them to your kindle for a fee, or if you change your email address from @kindle.com to @free.kindle.com they will be delivered for free via wifi. You can figure out your email on the Amazon website.


General / Third Party Sites:

Download non-DRM (Digital Rights Management), out of copyright, public domain, creative commons, or promotional content from various sources such as those listed below.

*MobileRead Wiki (Many sources)
http://wiki.mobileread.com/wiki/Free_...

*Many Books (Easy to use)
http://manybooks.net/

*MobileRead (Good collections of free works)
http://www.mobileread.com/forums/eboo...

*Smashwords (good source of indy free/sale books)
http://www.smashwords.com/
http://www.inkmesh.com/free-ebooks/?s...

*Inkmesh (Search Engine for Promotions (Kindle, Smashwords, Baen)
Overall Site: http://www.inkmesh.com
Kindle: http://www.inkmesh.com/free-ebooks/?s...

Feedbooks
http://www.feedbooks.com/

Bibliotastic
http://www.bibliotastic.com/

Baen Library (Science Fiction free books/series):
http://www.baen.com/library/
http://www.inkmesh.com/free-ebooks/?s...

Open Library
http://openlibrary.org/ (Click only ebooks)

Gutenberg
http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

Archive.org
http://www.archive.org/details/texts (Not the easiest to use site)

Google Books
http://books.google.com (some are downloadable, can be read in a browser

Planet Ebook
http://www.planetebook.com/

Ereader Love
http://ereaderlove.com/

Ebooksearchr
http://tknerr.de/ebooksearchr/home.html

Free Book Sifter
http://www.freebooksifter.com/


Amazon/Kindle Related Websites:

Amazon (Books, newspapers, active content, etc…). These will be stored in the cloud and accessible on all your devices running Kindle. Some of them will have voice or 1 time lending options. They will survive any device crash and can be synced across devices. On the Kindles you can search the stores and sort by price under each genre to find deals or free book.

Kindle Books:
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-eBooks

Kindle Daily Deals:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html...

Kindle Monthly Deals:
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_...

Top 100 Free & Paid by Genre:
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Ki...

Popular Classics (Many Free):
http://www.amazon.com/s/?node=2245146011


Barnes & Noble / Nook Related Websites:

Nook Daily Find
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/ebook...

Nook Books
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/NOOK-...

Nook Books Under $2.99
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/ebook...

Nook Books Under $5
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/u/eBook...

Fiction & Literature Classics (Not Free) http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/?cat=...


Kobo Related Websites:

Kobo Books
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebooks

Kobo Classics (Not Free)
http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/Cate...


Libraries

Using your library card, you can access digital books and audiobooks. You can use the overdrive app (many phones/tablets), the e-pub versions (For Nook or Sony), or the Kindle versions. Note some have a waiting list, some have to be downloaded and loaded via USB.

Buffalo/Erie Library Books:
http://buffalo.lib.overdrive.com/F5F5...

New York, NY Library (Bigger selection for NY State residents): http://ebooks.nypl.org/AF11DA3A-D007-...


Blogs (updated lists of free and discounted ebooks)

If you want to keep up on recent deals, the best way is to subscribe to a daily email or blog posting. An easy way to keep track of these is to use an RSS reader.

*Recommended

**Kebooks.com http://kebooks.com (Former Site *Ireaderreview: http://ireaderreview.com/)

*Kindle World: http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/ (good updates on ereader hardware, trends). I occasionally contribute tips to this blog and have found Andrys Basten who runs the site to be very friendly.
Kindle World Book Links: http://kindleworld.blogspot.com/2009/...

*Pixel of Ink: (just the bigger deals)
http://www.pixelofink.com/

*EreaderIQ (Better coverage of picture books, etc...)
http://www.ereaderiq.com/

Kindle nation Daily:
http://kindlenationdaily.com/

Kindle Forum (Amazon)
http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-...

Kindle Boards: http://www.kindleboards.com/

Booksprung (mix of Kindle and ereader news)
http://booksprung.com/

Ereader Apps: http://ereaderappnews.com/
From the Desk of Mrs. Wizard (Helpful for beginners, but not for experienced users)
http://mrswizard.blogspot.com/

Bookbub (Daily Email of Deals)
http://home.bookbub.com/landers/index...

Hundred Zeros
http://hundredzeros.com/

There are many more but content is really based on your tastes and interests, so find them on the web or explore some of the blogs with recommended links.


Audiobooks

Librivox (Classics read by volunteers, Free)
http://librivox.org/

Books Should Be Free (most links to Librivox books, more visual interface).
http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/

Audible (avoid signing up for the subscription service)
www.Audible.com

Audible Daily Deal
http://www.audible.com/pd/ref=hp_r1_d...

Whispersync Books – (Buy the book, get the audiobook for free/cheaper).

Kindle/Audible
http://www.amazon.com/b/ref=amb_link_...

Whisper Sync (Free add-on once book is purchased)
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_2...

Whisper Sync (99cents add-on once)
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_nr_n_1...

Whisper Sync ($3.95 add-on)
http://www.amazon.com/www.amazon.com/...

September is Medieval Classics Month. The following is Scott's monthly post on FB.

We're at 398 book and over 110,000 pages logged, Good work, folks. Let's keep it going into September.

September is Medieval Classics month. This means that any work written during or set in medieval times is on the agenda.

Here are some great Medieval Classics:

Primary:
Beowulf (anonymous)
The Canterbury Tales (Geoffrey Chaucer)
The Decameron (Giovanni Boccaccio)
Elene (Cynewulf)
Inferno, Purgatorio, or Paradiso (Dante Alighieri)
The Romance of the Rose (Giullame de Lorris)
The Mabinogian (anonymous)
Le Morte d’Arthur (Sir Thomas Malory)
The Prose Edda (Snorri Sturluson)
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (anonymous)
The Song of Roland (anonymous)
The Volsunga Saga (anonymous)

Secondary:
The Adventures of Robin Hood (Howard Pyle)
Idylls of the King (Tennyson)
Ivanhoe (Sir Walter Scott)
The Lord of the Rings (JRR Tolkien)
The Mists of Avalon (Marion Zimmer Bradley)
The Name of the Rose (Umberto Echo)
The Once and Future King (T.H. White)
The Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett)

Shame on me for forgetting the many Shakespeare plays that are applicable here as well. Might I suggest: Henry IV (part 1), Henry V, Richard III, King Lear, and Macbeth (just to name a few).

If you are looking for an interesting tale, I would also suggest Abelard and Heloise.

Liz that is a great story about your mother.

Two more books read with my daughter.

Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne, 1926, 145 pages, Ereader/text-to-speech.

The House at Pooh Corner by A.A. Milne, 1928, 192 pages, Ereader/text-to-speech.

These were the first large books that my daughter read when she was very little. Now that she is older, I think she can appreciate them more. They were an enjoyable collection for our commute together.

X-Posted on Facebook.

Kate wrote: "Hi! I'm new the group, but believe it or not, I'm nerdy enough that, earlier this summer, I started a similar personal challenge..."

Hello Kate. Welcome to the group. You most certainly can add the books you read previously, as long as they were read in 2013. The main goal of the group is to promote reading of classic books and perhaps use the challenge as a way to give people the incentive to read at least one this year. The yearly tally is a way to celebrate the accomplishments of our members (Goodreads & Facebook) as well as see the literary impact that this group has over the course of the year.

My daughter and I just finished the following on our commute.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton, 1952, 196 pages, Text-to-Speech.

I grew up on The Littles cartoon, and am currently reading the Littles books with my daughter. As such, I wanted to explore the earlier version written 15 years earlier. Written in 1952, I would definitely say that I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the character of Arriety. She was strong and courageous. Much better than the weaker women characters depicted in the Littles.

X-Posted of Facebook

My daughter and I also read this together, so this counts for both of us.

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, 1911, 308 pages, Audio Book

We read this on our daily commute this past week. The story was engaging and the growth of the characters from spoiled terrors to healthy and happy children was very well written. The story includes some racism, especially in the beginning of the book when discussing India, but as they develop this language disappears and toward the end the children aspire to be like the Fakirs.

X-posted on Facebook