Sometimes I think I don’t belong here . . . .
@VeryHappy, everybody belongs here! That’s what makes it fun!
I’ve never read Richard III. I did enjoy (more or less) whatever Shakespeare I was assigned in college, but never picked up another play or sonnet after graduation.
I thought I had every Agatha Christie novel, short stories, and plays, but alas, not And then there were none. (Not a favorite.). But in anticipation that these wonderful female writers would be the winners, I reread Agatha’s Miss Marple Tells a Story, and Dorothy Sayre’s The Man Who Knew How. As these are short stories, I added P d James The Victim. All were delightful, but I put Agatha on the top of the heap. Such different styles. Should be fun.
I’m looking forward to reading and discussing the Christie and Sayer books. Good choices!
@Mary13 - Many thanks once again for leading the discussions. I’m in three other book clubs and none of them come anywhere close to being as good as this one.
Middlemarch: I really liked it and am grateful to have read it and have read it as part of this group. I don’t think I gave it the consideration that I should have. I started it late (thinking it would be easier to read) and am distracted by Covid-19 news. I’d like to read it again at a slower pace and with prior knowledge of characters and plot. But that’s not for now.
Usually, we discuss books we plan to read in the interim between discussions. Like others, I’m in a reading slump. I have no books grabbing my attention at the moment. (Maybe I should pick up Middlemarch again now. It might be like revisiting old friends.) Anyway, if you’re reading or plan to do so, do tell. Maybe you’ll be that spark that starts one of us reading again also.
Lol! I’m here. You belong!!
It took me a long time to join in because I didn’t want to read books that were good for me ;). I started with the science fiction Seveneves in 2016, sat out until Pride and Prejudice in 2018, then I think everything from early 2019 on. It’s been great and I’ve been exposed to some wonderful reads, although I still don’t know it they’re good for me…
If you started with Seveneves, we’re lucky you ever came back!
I personally don’t enjoy reading Shakespeare at all, but watching the plays is another matter.
I’d been meaning to join the book club when it first got started, but got lazy. The first book I read with the group was Possession which is on my top ten of favorite books of all time. So I was happy to reread it. That was a fabulous discussion and made me realize what you can do with an online book club (links, photos etc) that you can’t or don’t with an in-person one. Also if you don’t finish on day one, that’s okay too.
I joined mostly because I wanted to broaden what I read, and read more current literary fiction and old classics. I read a lot of sci fi and fantasy.
@Mary13: It sounds like this would be a good time to list all the CC Book Club books to date (if it isn’t too much trouble). It may inspire someone to revisit a book they own or see the title of a book they meant to read but didn’t pick up at the time, etc.
^^^ Maybe separate from this discussion - a title that attracts notice (i.e. not Middlemarch) - something like CC Book Club Selections and Discussions June 2009 - April 2020. (I’m not sure of the date of the first book.)
It’s impressive and shouldn’t be hidden here. I know I’d like to look through the list again. @Marion’s mention of Seveneves and @mathmom’s mention of Possession reminded of books I really liked (yes - I really liked Seveneves) and have around the house. I bet others would be interested in seeing the whole list - if only to read through a discussion or two of a book they recently read.
I just re-read our Seveneves thread – that was a great discussion, even if my brain did start to melt about halfway through the book. (It was also nice to “hear” NJTheatreMom’s voice again.)
@ignatius, I keep a running list of our selections, so it would be easy to post. That’s a good idea to create another thread as a reference. I’ll do that today. I’ll also post our discussion thread for June.
Done: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/2182898-and-then-there-were-none-and-whose-body-june-cc-book-club-selection.html#latest
and
Done: http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/parent-cafe/2182899-cc-book-club-selections-and-discussions-june-2009-june-2020.html#latest
(Technically, June 2020 is a future discussion and not a prior one, but I figured I’d add the link since we know what we’re reading.)
Mary: Wow. That second link where you linked all the other discussions is quite an undertaking. Awesome. Thank you so much.
@Mary13 is the best!!!
I had gone to @Mary13 ‘s profile and clicked on threads she started. All the book discussions were there so I was able to see all the books listed (in reverse order). That’s how I figured out when I started, came back, and stayed.
I joined in on the CC book club for the first time in February and I really enjoyed it, and I’ll be back in June. I had good intentions to join you all this month, but alas, my copy of Middlemarch still sits by my reading chair with a bookmark on page 87.
Today I saw a headline that made me think of all of you who were impressively able to get this book read. The title was, “20 Long Books That Will Take You All of Quarantine to Read.” Not surprising to me, Middlemarch is one of them.
https://www.bustle.com/p/20-long-books-that-will-take-you-all-of-quarantine-to-read-22760106
Enjoy the rest of your discussion.
And we also read and discussed two others on that list: The Luminaries and Pachinko.
Thanks so much for all your work on those lists, @Mary13! We are preparing recommended reading lists on request for our library patrons, so It’s good to be reminded of some of the books I liked, but not enough to remember the titles! I’m using a lot of them.
I’m still only about 1/3 through Middlemarch–I love it and want to savor it, so thanks to those who chose it. I think I must have seen the miniseries years ago, so I remembered the plot and read everyone’s comments, even though I didn’t participate. They’ll help me enjoy the book as I slowly make my way through. See you next month!
I’m about 1% into the book. Luckily, Middlemarch is the last book in the volume so my bookmark makes me feel like I’ve read a lot.
Hi friends, I just finished my reread last night! Ready to discuss…
Hello? Anyone here? 
So, in all serious, I am so glad I read this again. And i just read through the thread and am so impressed with all your discussion.
A few thoughts:
- I somewhat disagree with the feminist read of Rosamund that was referenced. Of course all women’s choices were limited at the time. But within this, we see folk like Mary Garth and her mother making much better choices, with less means.
At the same time, I think Eliot had a lot of sympathy for her, almost because R is who she is, which is ultimately the reason for a lot of her unhappiness.
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Lydgate–basically a good person with bad judgment about women, and that ultimately defeats him. Again, I think it is E seeing everyone as a whole person
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I know Will gets a lot of difference of opinion. He certainly is no Darcy. And i think that’s on purpose. Will is the antithesis of “toxic masculinity”. (Not that Darcy is toxic, of course.) But I think Eliot was reimagining what a romantic hero should be which was really ahead of his time. He’s very smart, loves wholeheartedly, and like Dorothea, has an idea of what is good and right, and sticks to it.
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personally as I said at the start, I adore D. just do.
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I think that the Mary and Fred story is great. Mary is similar to D if D had no money but had strong parent role models. Both find different patterns to being strong women. Fred is a basic good guy. Who makes the choice to give up sort of being a “bro” (gambling, horses, not wanting to work) because of Mary. Which shows him good at the core.
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Bulstrode is a deeply flawed man in a million ways, but the scene where he and his wife face what he’s done (well, partially, as she doesn’t want to ask for all the truth) actually made me cry.
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Just an aside. It was mentioned that Eliot lived with a married man for many years. But it should be added, he and his wife were separated, and she was living with another man, had several children with them, and George Lewes was responsible for them, because in legal eyes, they were his. Eliot, because of the earnings from her books, partially supported Lewes’s estranged wife’s children.
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Last, thank you all for making me read this again. Last night, reading through the last few scenes with Will, Rosamund, and Dorothea was just tremendous. One tour de force after another. With Eliot’s deep generous wisdom on full display. I know that some people don’t love editorializing, but there are some many great observances by her throughout the book.
Whew! That was fun. I needed that this past month, so, thanks again!