Hi Clubbers! How’s the reading going? Check in with the group below!
Tell us about your project — or you! Introduce yourself. Chat.
Tell us what you’ve read, how you’re feeling about your progress, how much you love the classics or the community — any struggles, a favorite read so far. Really, whatever you feel like sharing!
Some people prefer writing an update at their own blog and linking it here in the comments. That’s fine, too.
Feel free to respond to one another in the comments below — ask questions, visit each other, tell us you are new to the club, planning to join the club — etc. This is a meet and greet.
If you’re having trouble with your list and need encouragement, say that! That’s understandable. We want new classics readers to join us, so there’s nothing wrong with arriving to this thread with all of the newness showing!
(Please also note the “check-in” feature here is entirely voluntarily, intended for those who like weighing in with others in the group, and having a periodic place to reflect upon goals for the club. For some this feature would feel like an unwanted intrusion. Silent participation in this group is of course welcome!)
Thanks for all of your enthusiasm about this project!
New? Introduce yourself to the group on Twitter using hashtag #ccintroductions @ourclassicsclub. You can also introduce yourself here at the blog. 🙂
Twitter hashtag for reading check-ins: #ccreadingupdate
Note that if you’re on Twitter, you can also tweet your latest classic book reviews to the group using hashtag #ccbookreviews.
The Classics Club 
I haven’t been doing too great and am sorely behind on my reading, but I am slowly but surely getting books “crossed off” and reviewed. Hopefully this year is a bit better but time will only tell.
LikeLike
You can read my “progress report” 😀 here: http://bit.ly/12TEEHO
LikeLike
Here’s my check in: http://half-filledattic.blogspot.com/2013/02/group-check-in-2-february-2013.html
I’ve finished 16 this far out of 55. Hope I’ll be able to make it on time.
LikeLike
here is my check in, a little late. http://crafts4others.blogspot.com/2013/02/classics-club-group-check-in-2.html
LikeLike
Hello! Since joining the Classics Club in mid-January I have read 2 books: jane Eyre and Great Expectations (10 chapters to go!). My first Brontë and first Dickens. Loved the writing of both authors and how observant, witty and smart the main characters have been. I understand why these books have stood the test of time. I hope to finish Great Expectations this week and will have time before I start a Modern March. Does anyone have any suggestions for a quick read before I sink into T.S. Eliot? If you could take a peek at my reading list, I would appreciate any suggestions! Right now, I’m considering Agatha Christie. ebookclassics.wordpresss.com
LikeLike
From your list I think The Secret agent is the shortest book. I read it quite fast on my ereader. It is both short and engaging.
LikeLike
Thank you for the sugggestion. I think I’m going to go for it!
LikeLike
Hi there Classic Clubber 😀
My name Maria from Indonesia, just start this project on May 2012, then I realize something : I love Classics too (my main-genre was fantasy and mystery books). I quite enjoying all the proccess, even all the Reading Challenge, it’s so crazy and this year I’m taking a huge of several RC to help with my progress.
My update on this check-in in this post : http://my-classic-books.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-classic-club-check-in-2-february.html
Since then, now I know a little about reading Plays (Shakespeare’s writing so beautiful, even I don’t understand his words 😀 thanks to spark-notes to help me understand the meaning of its stories)
And I became hugh fan of Dickens too (only start reading it last month for the first time). Can’t wait to do next project on the Classic Spin 😀
LikeLike
I’ve read two out of sixty so far! I only joined last month, so that’s good, right?
http://loniseye.blogspot.ca/p/im-moody-reader.html
LikeLike
Here’s my check-in post http://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-classics-club-check-in-2-february.html 🙂
LikeLike
I was so nervous! 15 on my list is Moby Dick, so I almost had to read that one and I’m dreading that one more than any other classic, lol. Luckily, 14 was Les Miserables. I’m excited! Now, let’s see if I can get it read by April 1.
LikeLike
Oh whoops. I meant to click on the comments for the spin number post. Sorry.
LikeLike
Here is my check-in!
LikeLike
My Classics Club start has been a little slow: it took me darned near two months to finish The Pilgrim’s Progress. But I did it, and I’m a better person for it (presumably). A link to my post about the book: http://wp.me/pZZat-2BT
Not only would I like to get quicker about reading my classics, I’d also love to become more succinct when writing about them. Now to decide what on my list to read next. Shall I go in chronological order, or shall I mix it up a bit and make myself a spin list?
LikeLike
I’m a fan of reading what strikes my fancy, but I see the appeal in reading books close in age together. Good luck, whatever you choose!
LikeLike
Just posted an Update on my blog:
LikeLike
I’m Julia from the Right Broad. I joined in January. I’m nearly finished (only three chapters left!) with Jane Austen’s Persuasion and have been reading Les Liaisons for French February. Not nearly as far along as I’d like with the latter, but hopefully that’ll change.
LikeLike
She actually wrote Agnes Grey before Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre. Agnes Grey was published at the same time as The Professor. It was Anne who wrote the first novel with a plain and ordinary woman as its heroine.
LikeLike
woops, I posted this in the wrong thread of comments 😛
LikeLike
Yes! If you want to read a bio, I recommend the Juliet Barker one. I loved it and really gave me a new perspective on the entire Bronte family. That is probably why Anne is my new favorite. She was the quiet pillar of that family.
LikeLike
That’s great! I want to reread it too now that I have all this information that will probably make enjoy Agnes Grey even more. 🙂
LikeLike
I’m jumping in here! The Barker bio is on my list as well, but Melissa, I highly recommend the Lyndall Gordon biography Mabel’s talking about- called “Charlotte Bronte: A Passionate Life.” It was my first Bronte bio and it opened my eyes to her books in a whole new way. I did a post on it at my blog (http://musingsbookworm.blogspot.com/2013/01/my-weeks-with-charlotte-and-louisa.html). It made me really itch to dive into Villette especially, which I just did, to my great delight!
LikeLike
Hi Jillian! I have read Jane Eyre, that’s the book that introduced me to Charlotte and got me interested in knowing the rest of the Brontes. I’m going to look for the Lyndall Gordon bio, I can’t get enough of the Brontes! 🙂 Thank you for the recommendation!
LikeLike
I’ve *got* to move the Barker book up on my list. It is sitting here staring at me 🙂
LikeLike
Hi there! I’m Melissa from Camino Literario. I joined on January of this year and so far I’ve read 7 books, though 4 of them I consider only 1 item for my list (the four Sherlock Holmes novels). I have enjoyed all the books I’ve read but the one I really loved and feel like it has changed me a little is The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. God, I love her.
I’m really excited about the Classics Spin, I want to know what i’ll be reading though I’m a little afraid. I included Finnegans Wake in the list and I’m sure I’m not ready to read James Joyces just yet.
LikeLike
I loved Agnes Grey too but The Tenant moved me so much. I think Anne has become my favorite Bronte, even though I worship Charlotte and Emily.
LikeLike
I also, for some reason, like Agnes Grey better. I liked how Anne Brontë portrayed the women’s condition at the time… but I just didn’t get along with the main characters.
LikeLike
*So do I (instead of “I also”, sorry >.<)
LikeLike
I have to reread Agnes Grey, I read it a few years ago and in Spanish because I couldn’t find the original English version in the bookstores here. I have a Kindle now so that’s not a problem anymore. There is always something lost in translation so I want to see what I missed 😉
LikeLike
She actually wrote Agnes Grey before Charlotte wrote Jane Eyre. Agnes Grey was published at the same time as The Professor. It was Anne who wrote the first novel with a plain and ordinary woman as its heroine.
LikeLike
I have not! It is in my list, I’m really looking forward to reading it.:)
LikeLike
I just finished it (like yesterday) and loved it! But if we’re talking Charlotte Bronte, I have to recommend Jane Eyre too, if you haven’t read it yet. 🙂
LikeLike
I’m glad to keep reading good things about Tenant, as that one is on my list, and I’ve never been much of a Bronte fan.
LikeLike
The Tenant is quite different from the works of Emily and Charlotte. Anne was more realistic and portrayed much better the conditions and difficulties of the women at the time. She was not afraid to describe the “ugly” of a marriage or of being a governess. She was quite ahead of her time. I love her.
LikeLike
Hi Melissa, I love Sherlock Holmes too, as much I like Dame Agatha Christie’s book. Bronte’s sister I finished reading it was Wuthering Heights – it was awful experient, but I’m looking forward to read Jane Eyre this year 😀
LikeLike
I love Agatha Christie’s books! I spent my teenage years reading them, my grandma had the entire collection and I loved them.
I hope you enjoy Jane Eyre, it is a wonderful book! 🙂
LikeLike
Hi everybody! Here’s the check-in post! http://irrelevant-scribble.blogspot.cz/2013/02/the-classics-club-group-check-in-2.html
LikeLike
Post update link http://classicbookshelf.wordpress.com/2013/02/17/classic-challenge-update/
LikeLike
Check-in post
http://readingduringintermission.blogspot.com/2013/02/a-classics-check-in.html
LikeLike
Hey there! The CC is coming up on its first birthday! Are we going to have a birthday party? I think we should. I have enjoyed this so much and I’m reading a lot of things that I always meant to read but didn’t get around to. Not to mention all the great books that I had not heard about and that are on my list now!
I have about 150 books on my list, and I’ve read 27 of them. I’m pretty pleased with that number. Right now I’m reading “The Souls of Black Folk” by W. E. B. DuBois, and waiting on tenterhooks to find out the results of the Spin. I have some really scary titles on my Spin List.
You can see my list and progress at Howling Frog Books.
LikeLike
Hello everyone! I’m Jill from Musings of a Bookworm. I am fairly new to the Classics Club, but I just finished the second book from my list- Villette- last night. Since Jane Eyre is my favorite novel (I discuss it quite a lot at my blog), I was excited but nervous to dive into another Charlotte Bronte. Now that I have, I am so glad I did, because it was quite an adventure. It is so different than J.E. but fresh and original in its own way- knowing about Charlotte’s biography really helps color this novel as well. I look forward to meeting all of you and continuing on my list- Early Irish Myths and Sagas by Jeffrey Gantz is up next!
LikeLike
Hi Jill, Jane Eyre it’s gonna be my next project, looking forward to read it, even my first experient with Bronte’s was awful (it’s Wuthering Heights)
LikeLike
I’m Christina from A Classic Case of Madness. We’re three friends (and a host of virtual reading buddies) reading through Susan Wise Bauer’s list from “The Well-Educated Mind” and blogging about it http://classiccaseofmadness.wordpress.com/.
We just finished reading James’ “The Portrait of a Lady” and will be finishing up posts about it this coming week, then we’re moving on to Twain’s “Huckleberry Finn.” I’m not going to lie, I am really looking forward to the humor and change of pace from all these unhappy women we’ve been reading on our list lately. Seriously, Eustacia Vie, Anna Karenina, Emma Bovary – it’s time for a preteen boy to shake up our world. Wait, I have a house full of boys shaking up my world on a daily basis, maybe I’m losing my mind.
LikeLike
Hi, I’m Teresa @ Anyway!
I’m quite happy with my progress, I entered the challenge at the end of April and so far I’ve read 43 books, and I have pledged to read 64… and the list has grown soooo much! I’ve discovered plenty of classics and new blogs.
Right now I look forward to finish the Forsyte Saga by Galsworthy (I just discovered there are three volumes, containing three novels each, and I only have the first!) and read my first book by Gaskell, North and South. I have to admit I’m deliberately choosing to keep some classics for the summer, such as Les Misérables. Not because I’m dreading them – well, I never get to buy The Brothers Karamazov because I’m terrified of it, even if I loved Crime and Punishment! – but because long books need steady and constant reading, something that is not 100% likely to happen when I have college duties.
I’ve also had some issues deciding what is a classic and what’s not. For example, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaids Tale is a classic, but I couldn’t label as such more recent works by her. And what about The Golden Gate by VIkram Seth? I just couldn’t decide if it was a classic. Unlike A Suitable Boy – which, I think, enters into this category – this one isn’t quite known, so… ahg, it’s difficult to decide!
LikeLike
Wow 43 in less than I year is quite impressive! I hope you enjoy the rest of the books you choose.
LikeLike
Deciding on what is a classic is pretty difficult. What one person may consider a classic, others might not. For instance, I have some non-fiction books on my list, even though some may not think non-fiction can be considered classic lit. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, though- just like everything else with literature, it’s objective and open to interpretation. 🙂 P.S. The Handmaid’s Tale is on my list too!
LikeLike
I’ve only managed a couple of books from my list so far. I always seem to have other books that I have to read within a set time limit – for instance I’ve got 3 that I’ve got to read within 6 weeks (in order to be sent on to the next people on the list). I’ve also got 3 Early reviewers books from LibraryThing that I need to review sooner rather than later…….at which point I might get back to reading “Beloved” by Toni Morrison to finish for another challenge….after which I might get to a classic! (haven’t decided which one yet, might be Jane Eyre)
LikeLike
Maybe it’s not on your original list, but Toni Morrison’s Beloved is definitely considered a classic 🙂
LikeLike
Jane Eyre is my favorite of all time! I definitely recommend it!
LikeLike
I finished Jane Eyre a few weeks ago and I highly recommend the book. It’s an easy read and gets you thinking. I don’t consider it that romantic, but found the character of Jane Eyre very inspiring.
LikeLike
I’ve been plugging away at Les Mis for six weeks and may never finish it! The worst part is that it isn’t even on my list – well it wasn’t but by god if I finish it, I’m adding it just to be able to cross it off!
LikeLike
Hi everyone — I’m still super-new here and haven’t read any books yet. I’m in the middle of a non-classic, but I’ve set aside The Great Gatsby to start soon as my first club pick. I’m really glad to have joined this community and am looking forward to the challenge!
LikeLike
I finished Mrs. Dalloway and Ethan Frome and am working my way through Walden.
LikeLike
I’m MJ from Wandering in the Stacks. I just was updating my list, and I’ve read 14 books so far, which is more than I thought! I’m also reading another, Richard Wright’s Black Boy. I had started it several months ago, and then sat it down and misplaced it somehow. I’m about a thrid of the way done, and I’m hoping to finish it soon.
I’m struggling a bit more with reviews for some reason. I’ve posted 6 reviews of the 14 books I’ve read. I did sit down the other night and write two more. They will be live soon. That means I have another 6 to write still.
I am participating in the spin and am curious to see what I’ll be reading next!
LikeLike
I love Richard Wright’s Black Boy. I’m interested to hear what you think when you’re done.
I struggle with writing reviews for the classics, too–I feel like there’s so much to say, and I don’t want to end up writing a book about a book. Haha!
Thanks for the heads-up about Bleak House. I’ll have to thumb through it later and come up with a tentative schedule for myself.
–Heather
LikeLike
It is really hard to write a review for a classic. What insight can you give that people don’t already know?? I think it’s one of the toughest things to do (as you can see from many of my rather terrible reviews).
LikeLike
I write “reviews” but they’re really just my personal thoughts and experience with the book. I don’t know how other people define reviews, but I’m no professional, so I use my blog to share how I feel about what I’ve read, whether or not I like a particular book and why. I do try to avoid spoilers, even for classics, because you never know if someone reading my “review” hasn’t read the book it yet. But I rarely feel the need to use spoilers since I’m not doing any kind of in depth analysis — I can write how I feel about a story and the characters without rehashing point by point — Hopefully that makes some kind of sense!
LikeLike
Yes, this has been the approach I’ve been leaning towards. As Patty said, so much has been written about many of these books. Still, adding another set of impressions is valuable. I know I enjoy reading what other people think about the classics. They are a great way to share a bit of human experience.
LikeLike
Hi everyone, I’m Emily from Classics and Beyond! I joined the Club last October, so I’m still fairly new. I’ve read 5 from my list and I’m in the middle of two more (Ivanhoe and Great Expectations). As much as I’m enjoying these two books, I’m realizing that I should probably only tackle one such chunkster at a time… I’ve also been revising my list a lot. Does anybody else do that? I kind of feel like I’m cheating, but I’m not taking off books I’m scared of; I’m just switching out books I originally added on a whim for books to give my list a little more variety. (I added a couple of ancients, because I didn’t have ANY on the list before.)
The Classics Club is such a fun thing to be part of. I love finding other classics blogs and participating in events together! Thanks to everyone for making this such a great Club!
LikeLike
I had to chuckle at your comment Emily about the revisions you are making to your list. I keep doing the same!
LikeLike
I just started and I’ve already changed two of my books. Is that legal? 🙂
LikeLike
Absolutely I edit my list! I’ve added a whole lot, and I have sometimes replaced a book with a different title by the same author when I realized that it would work better for some reason. (I think I originally picked Jude the Obscure for a Hardy title, but then got into a readalong of Return of the Native and won a copy of Far From the Madding Crowd, so Jude gave way to those two.)
I also have a bunch of what I’m calling “bonus material” to keep track of things like Arenel’s list of Russian children’s classics and other fun stuff that are classics I want to read, but don’t quite count for the Master List.
LikeLike
I’m currently reading Great Expectations as well. It feels like I’m taking too long to finish it and I’m only reading the one book! What do you like the most about the book? Pip’s narrative always makes me smile.
LikeLike
I have finished 18 of my 100 books, and will be finishing my 19th book next week (Les Misérables). There has only been one book that I really didn’t like (Vanity Fair), but I’ve enjoyed the rest.
I would love to join the Classics Spin, but I already have a classic picked out for next month, and it’s another chunky one–Bleak House. I’m looking forward to reading it!
LikeLike
Wow! 18 is great. Good luck with Bleak House. It is a chunkster, but at least the chapters are short and sweet, so there are plenty of places to stop when you need a break.
LikeLike
You’ve got a great start, especially considering one of them was Les Mis. I’m hacking away at that one. I alternatively love and hate the thing!
LikeLike
I’m Melissa from Avid Reader’s Musings and today marks the beginning of my Vanity Fair readalong. So that will be taking up most of my reading time for a couple weeks. You’re all welcome to join in the fun if you feel like it! I’ve been happy with my Classics Club list progress. I’ve tackled some big ones and found a few ones that I absolutely love.
LikeLike
Hahaha! I’m laughing at the coincidence of commenting right after you and telling everyone how I didn’t like Vanity Fair. Oops! I swear it wasn’t planned. 😀
LikeLike
Well, I liked Vanity Fair! Is it the first novelistic portrait of a sociopath? I’m thinking so! 🙂
LikeLike
I liked the storyline, but Thackeray is so verbose–I think cutting a bunch of the superfluous stuff out of the novel would have made it so much better. The book literally put me to sleep every time I sat down to read it.
LikeLike
Hi Melissa, you hosting Vanity Fair Read-A-Long ? I really want to join but my reading schedule already so tight. May I just looking-up to have a little-bit sneak-peak before I decide it read the books ?
LikeLike
Hi there, this is Patty @ A Tale of three Cities. I’m already half way through my Classics list, yet I’m dreading the result of the spin this coming Monday to see which of my remaining classics I’m reading!!! Joking aside, I really enjoy this club, and all its activities – just to mention a few: Readathon in January, French February, Modern March, and Zoladdiction in April!
LikeLike
Wow! Congratulations on making it halfway! How long have you been a member? I love the events too; I just can’t seem to stop signing up for them! They’re a great way to keep up with the ol’ list.
LikeLike
February is really stretching me. I am working on 2 great authors, Dickens and Laura Ingalls Wilder. I have read all the books on LIW that I could find at our local library. Currently I am working on Oliver Twist and a biography on Charles Dickens by Claire Tomalin. The only other Dickens I have read was A Christmas Carol which was much shorter in comparison. I must say that Tomalin is a very thorough biographer. She has included detail on I believe every one of his writings thus putting into my head that I should read ALL of his works!~ I also have to get The Scarlet Letter done this month. Not sure it is going to happen but I have at least started it. You can visit me at my blog, http://imaloverofbooks.wordpress.com and keep up with my classics progress. or you can find me at goodreads.com where I am a member of the Classics club group.
LikeLike
I’ve never heard of Laura Ingalls Wilder, what kind of novels does she write? Any recommendations?
LikeLike
She is the author of Little House on the Prairie series. About the American Frontier. They are the story of her life as a child moving around on the prairie with her family. She is an American Icon.
LikeLike
Hi Joy – I love Laura Ingalls Wilder, never quite bored even already reading it many times. It’s also my project since last month on Read-A-Long Children’s Literature. And this february I also joining on Celebrating Dickens 😀 Our favorite authors quite similar then 😀
LikeLike
Hi, I’m M from the We Sat Down blog. We’re loving the Classic Club. We both (Little M and I) started the Classics Club in December 2012. Little M (who’s 13) read a few books that had horses on the covers and that were either considered classic (in some sense) or that I’d read when I was a child. She blogged about that and we’re starting to develop our own sense of what a classic is for us.
I’ve started by reading some Margaret Atwoods that I hadn’t yet read. I’ve finished The Edible Woman and am now reading Moral Disorder. I haven’t blogged about either yet but they’ve both made me fall in love with her as an author all over again.
LikeLike
What a great idea that you’re doing it with your daughter!
LikeLike
I love that you are doing this together. My little ones love books, so I hope some day they will want to read with me like you two.
LikeLike