Old Books, New Readers discussion

2016 Catch-up Challenge
Duration: 05/10/16 - 12/31/16

✔️1. Brave New World (Completed 01/09/16)
2. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
✔️3. Of Mice and Men (Completed 17/10/16)
✔️4. Fahrenheit 451 (Completed 22/10/16)
5. At the Mountains of Madness
6. Animal Farm
✔️7. The Cask of Amontillado (Completed 21/09/16)
✔️8. Pride and Prejudice (Completed 01/10/16)
✔️9. A Christmas Carol (Completed 30/12/16)
10. Jane Eyre
11. Common Sense

Since I have made it through Moby Dick on time, I am going to give the catch up challenge a try. I don't think it is likely that I will read 10 of these by the end of the year, so all I am really doing at this point is documenting my failure. But who knows, maybe I will get incarcerated for the kind of crime that gets you sent to a prison with a really nice library. I wonder what I would have to do for that - insider trading? One can only dream...

I will be starting with Brave New World - I have been wanting to read this for a long time.

Ian wrote: "Since I have made it through Moby Dick on time, I am going to give the catch up challenge a try. I don't think it is likely that I will read 10 of these by the end of the year, so all I am really d..."

Lol, good luck Ian. :) I'm glad you decided to join us.

Looks as though you picked a couple of books that have different but similar ideas of dystopian futures: Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. Maybe a third one, if you consider Animal Farm a kind of projection into the future too.

One of my selections is A Clockwork Orange, and that is also a kind of projection into the future too. It is interesting that so many classics have cast such seemingly dark projections. They of course are didactic, for their ability to warn of future events well before they occur.

Hi Jon,

Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451 have been on my "to read" list for many years, but were BOTM selections before I joined the group, so I am happy to finally read these.

I last read Animal Farm prior to the dissolution of the USSR, so it would be interesting to read it again now with a modern and older :-) perspective.

I agree there seems to be man classics that describe dystopian futures - I think this is a also useful technique for writers to critique current society without seeming too preachy.

The Cask of Amontillado was fun - I didn't realize that is was a short story, so I was surprised when I go to then end of it so quickly on my Kindle. Now it is on to Pride and Prejudice - I am the only person who hasn't ever read it.

Ian wrote: "The Cask of Amontillado was fun - I didn't realize that is was a short story, so I was surprised when I go to then end of it so quickly on my Kindle. Now it is on to Pride and Prejudice - I am the ..."

Lol not true I still haven't read it either. :)

Make that person #2 in the universe who has not read Pride and Prejudice.

On to Of Mice and Men - I thought I had read this book before, but on further reflection, I actually read The Pearl and watched this movie (the Gary Sinise/John Malkovich version).

Ha that's kind of funny. I had to read both books in school and it was that version of the movie that they showed us.

Of Mice and Men was a fun, quick book to read - a nice break after Moby Dick and before we start Anna Karenina.

On to Fahrenheit 451 - another book that has been on my "to read" list for a few decades...

Of Mice and Men was a fun, quick book to read??? It was definitely a quick read, yes. But for me it was as much fun as several root canals in a row. The stark picture of post-depression people looking for homes they would never find was very sad, at least for me.

Yes - I stand by my assertion that reading is fun. :-)

In the beginning of the book, when George tells Lennie to hide under a specific bush in case things go wrong, like they did at the previous town, you know a train wreck is coming and all you can do is sit back and watch while eating popcorn.

Ian wrote: "Yes - I stand by my assertion that reading is fun. :-)

In the beginning of the book, when George tells Lennie to hide under a specific bush in case things go wrong, like they did at the previous t..."

Interesting analogy. You may be right to apply a near movie-going experience when reading some books. That may indeed work with Of Mice and Men because the plot plays out quickly. Not much character development. With other books, I am not so sure that works. Great Expectations, probably not.

I finished A Christmas Carol today as my 6th book book of the catch up challenge. I don't think I will read 4 more books tomorrow, so it looks like this is as far as I will make it with the 2016 Catch Up Challenge.

I enjoyed getting a bunch of books of my to read list and will join up again for the 2017 Challenge.

Congrats to everyone who completed their challenges!