The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

With the holiday season coming, and as a part of our tradition, we are going to read one of Dickens' Christmas books. This year, it is the turn for The Battle Of Life. It is a novelette with only 83 pages long in my version.

There are three parts in this novelette, and each is roughly 24-28 pages long; thus, after 'a serious set of calculations and complex equations', I have come to a conclusion that we will be reading it in three weekly installments.

My idea is to start either on Monday 17 or Monday 24 and leisurely discuss it with the pace that even children can cope (Guys, I know how we can be busy during the holiday season with shopping, parties, cooking, familial obligations, and etc.).

So this is the schedule.

November 17/ November 24 - Part the First
November 24/ December 01 - Part the Second
December 01/ December 08 - Part the Third

The novelette has an enigmatic subtitle - a love story, so we might be for a special literary treat :-)


P.S. Thank you, guys, for your good wishes and concerns. I am feeling much stronger now, and do not have to take pain medication all the time, but I think I will have to say goodbye to dresses for a month or so, and this is the real problem because I have only a couple of dress pants that I would call socially acceptable :-) or maybe I will buy thick black pantyhose/tights to cover ugly bruises :-)

BTW, I do have a paper copy of Little Dorrit, but I purchased one from Amazon for my e-reader, and as a result I was eligible for a good quality unabridged audio book for only 2.99. It might be not a bad choice financially if you prefer to listen to audio book when you cook, commute, or exercise or you can easily alternate between the e-version and the audio version. The book is big (LD), and sometimes time is the luxury we cannot always afford.

Happy reading in-between:-) Meanwhile, I am going to plunge into the world of Infinite Jest.

Looking forward to the short story!

And I already bought my copy of Little Dorrit on B&N. A little more expensive, but I like the B&N Classics footnotes and explanations.

Thanks, Zulfiya, for planning all this despite your current personal situation.
As I am very busy during the next 2 weeks and have just started Thomas Mann's Buddenbrooks I would prefer starting the 24th, but if you decide for a week earlier I will try it.

BTW, the days for dresses are over here in Sweden. We had the first snow last Thursday even though it melted. For me the days in front of the cozy fire place have started. Good for reading. ;-)

FYI - The Battle of Life is available online via Gutenberg.

Lynnm wrote: "FYI - The Battle of Life is available online via Gutenberg."

Thanks for this. I would like to try and join in for this read, but I've already fallen behind in my other group reads the past couple of weeks. I will try and check it out online and see if I can fit it in.

I've never heard of this one but look forward to trying it.

Hope you continue to improve, Zulfiya.

Guys, thank you for your kind words.

Linda, we will be reading 25-27 pages a week. I am sure you can squeeze them into your bench time:-)

Zulfiya wrote: "Linda, we will be reading 25-27 pages a week. I am sure you can squeeze them into your bench time:-)"

Yes, that's why I'm glad it's available via Gutenberg. Reading Dickens on the computer during my downtime is not as obvious as having a paperback open upon my desk. :)

Zulfiya wrote: "...but I think I will have to say goodbye to dresses for a month or so, and this is the real problem because I have only a couple of dress pants that I would call socially acceptable :-) or maybe I will buy thick black pantyhose/tights to cover ugly bruises :-)
"

Zulfiya-so sorry to hear about your mishap-go for the thick black tights-I live in them all winter here and they cover a multitude of sins comfortably and stylishly!

Zulfiya wrote: "With the holiday season coming, and as a part of our tradition, we are going to read one of Dickens' Christmas books. This year, it is the turn for The Battle Of Life. It is a novele..."

Looking forward to this one-I've also never heard of it but was able to find it in my Dickens Christmas Collection.