Our first group question: Without revealing spoilers (obviously), describe how the opening of your current read for this event draws you in. Is it the language? the suspense? the voice? Why are you compelled to keep reading? If you’re interested, you can share in the comments below or at your blog. (We’ll have a little question like this for each check-in.) 🙂
All right, friends! Here’s the first check-in for the 2016 Women’s Classic Literature Event. As promised, it is quite brief. We’d just like to get a tally of who has joined, who intends to participate & how. Do you have a preset list? Are you pulling to any particular authors or titles? Any particular genres or eras? Have you already begun your list, & if so, how much have you read? Any favorite titles? Are you EXCITED? WHAT IS YOUR PLAN?
If you’ve already read some great titles or written some great posts for this event, please feel free to share them below. You can also share your events below, if you’re hosting a group read of a book by a classic female author. Or you can ask if anyone wants to buddy read with you. We’ll check back as a group in April. HAPPY READING!
You can get a live feed for the event on Twitter: #ccwomenclassics.
The Classics Club 
I kicked off this event by reading two translations of Sappho’s poetry. My main post about them is here: http://canonofonesown.com/2016/04/06/starting-with-sappho/
Next up is Classical Women Poets translated by Josephine Balmer. I’m really looking forward to this book since I had never even heard of most of the poets in this collection.
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I just recently completed my first book for this event, Jane Eyre. It’s the third time I’ve read the novel. Three times seems to be the charm with me, and I’m beginning to understand why C.S. Lewis and Susan Bauer say it takes three times to really know a book.
My thoughts this time around with Jane Eyre can be found here:
https://myblissfulsolitude.wordpress.com/2016/03/08/reading-jane-eyre/
I’ve also revised my reading goals for this project and will be posting about that soon.
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I’ve read my first book for #ccwomenclassics: Nellie Bly’s Around the World in 72 Days. I loved it. I have in fact developed a bit of crush on Nellie. Someone up for reading her denounce of asylums?
My review of Aroun the World is here, the last one of the bunch. Sorry to make you scroll!
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I began in December, and I have a page here on my blog to collect the reviews I write for the event. I don’t have a preset list, but I’m participating in a challenge to read all of L.M. Montgomery’s “Anne” books this year, which will count toward this, and I’m also planning to host a read-along of “Jane Eyre” beginning in May, so that will too. Beyond that, it will kind of just depend on what I fell like reading next from my list.
My answer to the group question is here.
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The list of women authors I plan to read are highlighted in my main Classics Challenge list: http://wordsandpeace.com/2016/01/01/the-classics-club-2016-2020/, only 11 out of 50 books… Though last year, in a total of 109 books read, the number of women was a bit higher than the number of men authors.
Anyway, to answer the prompt here ( I hope this is the right place to answer it, though I don’t see the other comments here actually answering it):
I just read The Secret of the Old Clock. The beginning was a bit suspenseful, as Nancy Drew witnesses right away the accident of a van and a little girl. It didn’t really draw me in, as I was shocked to discover that Nancy was already 18 (see my review) and from a well-t0-do family, happy to have her daddy offer her a brand new car, so right away I felt she was not my type of heroine. I kept going anyway, because I really wanted to read at least one book of that series.
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I’m going to be reading some of the books in the link below.
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Impressive portrayal of a woman in crisis.
“Moderato Cantabile’ (M. Duras)
https://ipsofactodotme.wordpress.com/2016/01/11/duras-moderato-cantabile/
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I just signed up. I picked the books from my classic club list. http://classicbookshelf.blogspot.in/2016/01/womens-classic-literature-event.html
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I’m starting on Middlemarch by George Eliot this month. Since I haven’t had a whole lot of luck as far as enjoying Victorian-era social novels thus far, I’ve elected to take Middlemarch one book at a time. It might take me the whole year to read this way, though….
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Looloolooweez, I read “Middlemarch” last year and really enjoyed it, though it took me months. It really helped that I’d seen the BBC version (with Rufus Sewell as Ladislaw) — that enabled me to keep characters straight much more easily. I was impressed by how well-cast the miniseries was, and how closely it adhered to the novel. Good luck with your reading!
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Unexpected reaction to the first installment of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House series, Little House in the Big Woods. It was just a different writing style than I was expecting, for some reason. But very engaging and easy-to-read! http://books-n-music.blogspot.com/2016/01/check-in-1-for-womens-classic.html
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I’m definitely in. I’ve posted some of the books I’ll be reading (and more I’m hoping to include) here: https://readthegamut.wordpress.com/2016/01/04/the-classics-club-womens-classic-literature-event/
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Most recently, I read “Women and Appletrees” by Moa Martinson– fantastic. http://howlingfrog.blogspot.com/2015/12/women-and-appletrees.html
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I’m a little behind schedule but I’m excited to be participating! I will start by blogging through The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck. I have a preset list already and have created a page with a list of the books I will be reading for this event. There isn’t any specific category or genre, just classics written by women that I wanted to read and write about. You can check out my list here: bookalogue.WordPress.com/womens-classic-literature-event/
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The Good Earth was one of the first classics I ever picked up on my own, so I have a soft spot for it. I hope you enjoy!
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Thanks! The Good Earth is so rich with history and culture which is why I plan to read it slowly and blog through the book. I will definitely enjoy reading it again!
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I have no preset list but I started last year with Northanger Abbey but I lay it aside and I am focusing more on the last spin off read.
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Here’s my take on the event; also since I began in Nov, below are the two books that I reviewed fitting very nicely into this category. This month I read Virginia Woolf’s To The Lighthouse!
https://madcaphat.wordpress.com/women-classic-literature-reading-event/
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I just joined over on the introductory page, but to answer the questions: no preset list, no grand plans. Probably a Morrison, maybe an Austen or Gaskell. (Ooooohhhhhh….Gaskell sounds good. Hmmm….) I’ve toyed with the idea of reading some of the minor Austen this year. Or, it’d be nice to find something up translation…. Don’t know yet–that’s half the fun!
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I’m so excited to start this reading challenge. Here is my list: http://anneboydrioux.com/2016/01/01/new-year-new-reading-list/. I’m starting with Little Women.
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Lynn and I kicked off our year long Little House Read-Along today,we’d love people to join us for some or all of the books.we’re using #littlehouseRAL on twitter etc and details are here http://books-n-music.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/little-house-read-along-january-little.html
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I am already starting to read the first book, Little House in the Big Woods and will use it to the first group question above. Don’t forget to register or just follow along with the Little House Read-Along for 2016! 🙂
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I’m joining this event! I just recently discovered this group and joined the club last month so I have a whole list of books by women writers ahead of me. My goal is to read 10 classics per year and would really like to maintain at the very least 50/50 ratio of female and male. More female if possible 🙂
ps: Anyone interested to buddy read Middlemarch in 2016?
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