The Pickwick Club discussion

Mary Lou wrote: "Hilary wrote: "I do wonder though, were one of us to shuffle off this mortal coil, how would the rest know?"

I had an internet "pen pal" (showing my age here) with whom I became very close. We had..."

As I will value you as well.

Everyman wrote: "Hilary wrote: "I truly hope that I can keep up with you in this group as it is like a group of friends and that ought not to be sniffed at. Thank you all. "

We really are a quite remarkably good s..."

You are always welcome. With the US dollar so high, you could have a grand and inexpensive time here.

In case you don't remember, you were all supposed to come here at Christmas every year since I've known you all - even grumpy 1 & 2 - I'm still waiting for you to show up. As for being disappointed in any of you when I met you in person, that would be impossible. :-)

As for knowing how we would know if something happened to one of us, I've often wondered that. A long, long, long time ago, ok not that long, one of us seemed to disappear to me. At first I wasn't alarmed, I just figured he was working on new exams to torture his students with, then I became a little concerned, then I moved on to very worried, and about the time I was considering a trip across the Atlantic I got a message from him, he had been in the hospital. Now if it would have turned out that our "senior" moderator hadn't left that hospital, how would we would know what happened?

Oh, Tristram, if I were to have made that trip I would have expected you to pay me back for the plane ticket to get there in the first place. :-)

Hilary wrote: "I do wonder though, were one of us to shuffle off this mortal coil, how would the rest know?"

I have left instructions in my "on my death" folder (which contains a miscellany of items such as the location of my will, the passwords to my online banking accounts, my membership in a memorial society, that sort of stuff) on how to access my primary group on Goodreads to make a post about my death. I assume that from there it will spread to those on GR who need to know even if not in my primary group (Classics and the Western Canon, for those who don't know).

Everyman wrote: "Hilary wrote: "I do wonder though, were one of us to shuffle off this mortal coil, how would the rest know?"

I have left instructions in my "on my death" folder (which contains a miscellany of ite..."

I'm glad to know that, I also had to go on a search for you once when you seemed to disappear for awhile, I found where you were when I looked around your primary group although I can't remember anymore where it was you were.

I wonder how a Western Canon is different from an Eastern Canon. :-)

Everyman wrote: "I have left instructions in my "on my death" folder ... on how to access my primary group on Goodreads to make a post about my death. "

An excellent idea, and very thoughtful.

While we're on this morbid subject, I joined this group because my father had died, and I decided one of the ways I would remember him, would be to read his entire collection of Dickens, his favourite author. Which, since I had only read one of his novels and a couple of Christmas stories, I figured would take the rest of my life. I'm not sure I'll always be able to keep up with this group, but hope that I can catch up on the second loop round. It's certainly much more fun, than reading solo :)

I'll be joining you on our second read-around since I didn't join until Old Curiosity Shop. Hopefully we'll all just press the reset button and start again.

Kim wrote: "I wonder how a Western Canon is different from an Eastern Canon. :-) "

As different as Kim is from Everyman!

Peter wrote: "I'll be joining you on our second read-around since I didn't join until Old Curiosity Shop. Hopefully we'll all just press the reset button and start again."

There has been some thought of cycling through another author first; Hardy and Trollope both being mentioned as both having a number of works well worth reading. But we've got awhile to go on Dickens. Though I'm not sure I'm ready to restart the cycle right away after Drood. I think five years is about the minimum time I want between readings.

Everyman wrote: "Though I'm not sure I'm ready to restart the cycle right away after Drood. I think five years is about the minimum time I want between readings."

I can't see any reason why you would need five years between readings, a person your age should forget what we've read long before the five years is up.

Vanessa wrote: "While we're on this morbid subject, I joined this group because my father had died, and I decided one of the ways I would remember him, would be to read his entire collection of Dickens, his favour..."

I hope you are all along for our second read through. I had to go through NN putting up with Everyman and Tristram all by myself without any of you here to help me. :-)

Hilary wrote: "Everyman, (21 hours ago), you are fast becoming my hero! There's a compliment and 'tis true. Thank you for your kindness. It really means so much.

I must say that I do love you all - Tristram, Kim..."
Hilary

Here's a virtual hug all the way from beautiful Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

;-))) Dickens, too, is joining in.

Hilary,

I can definitely say the same about myself: This group is really a wonderful place to be; even if we may never meet in real life, sharing the same interests and not having to talk about the latest whatever for want of anything more meaningful to say bridges the miles or kilometres - yes, it should be kilometres, actually.

When I had to spend all that time in hospital last year, as Kim said, I was actually thinking of how I could let anyone from here know that I was temporarily unfit to moderate but my wife had so much to do with the kids and with the insolence of office (in that case, my workplace) that I did not want to ask her to post a message here. It has as yet never occurred to me to prepare a folder with instructions in the case of my death, but maybe it is not such a bad idea after all.

The virtual hug, Peter, is a very good idea - and with Dickens in it, it not only bridges space but also time :-)

Kim wrote: "As for being disappointed in any of you when I met you in person, that would be impossible. :-)"

I'm still figuring out whether this is meant in a nice way or whether there is something between the lines ...

Kim wrote: "Oh, Tristram, if I were to have made that trip I would have expected you to pay me back for the plane ticket to get there in the first place. :-) "

Plane ticket? I would have expected you to worry so much about me that you would have swum all the way through the Atlantic!

Kim wrote: "I can't see any reason why you would need five years between readings, a person your age should forget what we've read long before the five years is up. "

Again, I'm still figuring out whether this is meant in a nice way or whether there is something between the lines ... This one is less hard to figure out, though.

Kim wrote: "I hope you are all along for our second read through. I had to go through NN putting up with Everyman and Tristram all by myself without any of you here to help me. :-) "

Was it really just the three of us reading through NN? How long ago all this is now.

By the way, there are still lots of Dickens short stories and some non-fictional texts as well.

A virtual hug to you too, Peter! Tristram, I'm sorry that I did not know that you were unwell. So sorry. Virtual hugs to all of you from a not so sunny Ireland! X

As Kim has said, nor could I be disappointed in any one of you. Thank you for being here for me.

Vanessa, I hope that my talking about this didn't bring up distressing memories! The same with you, Mary Lou. I have had that happen on the Internet. Well I don't know that she died, but we had messages one another about everything and then she disappeared. Very unnerving ...

*messaged*

Tristram wrote: "Was it really just the three of us reading through NN? How long ago all this is now...."

No, Jonathan was with us then, and a few others would pop in every now and then but it was you three grumps and me most of the time, and I had to spend every single day defending poor Nick from you and his poor sister come to think of it. But none of our current members were with us then. I don't think so anyway.
Thinking of Jonathan, I wonder what happened to him?

As for the nice or between the lines, you know me so you should have it figured out by now. :-)

I'm pretty sure I was here for just one or two comments from Jonathan. (Not NN though). Oh dear, what does that say about me? I do hope that he's OK.

Kim wrote: "Everyman wrote: "Though I'm not sure I'm ready to restart the cycle right away after Drood. I think five years is about the minimum time I want between readings."

I can't see any reason why you wo..."

Now that was just plain mean. When I remember a few good insults, they're coming your way.

Hilary wrote: "As Kim has said, nor could I be disappointed in any one of you. Thank you for being here for me.

Vanessa, I hope that my talking about this didn't bring up distressing memories! The same with you,..."

No worries, Hilary. It's good to remember, and to share Dickens with other enthusiasts :)

Everyman wrote: "Now that was just plain mean. When I remember a few good insults, they're coming your way."

I'll be waiting. Oh, I thought of you when I saw this today.

Hilary wrote: "A virtual hug to you too, Peter! Tristram, I'm sorry that I did not know that you were unwell. So sorry. Virtual hugs to all of you from a not so sunny Ireland! X"

Don't worry, Hilary, that's nearly already one year ago, and it all went well in the end.

Everyman wrote: "When I remember a few good insults, ..."

Remember? I always make them up myself. Not that it took me a lot of trouble ... seems to come natural with me.

Kim wrote: "Tristram wrote: "Was it really just the three of us reading through NN? How long ago all this is now...."

No, Jonathan was with us then, and a few others would pop in every now and then but it was..."

We were definitely a lot grumpier back then, Kim. Maybe your influence brought us round a little bit. Or maybe this is because the later Dickens works are incontestably better than his earlier ones?

As to Jonathan, I still have the hope of his re-joining us one of these days. After all, we have this group to thank him for!

Oh, it's definitely my influence.