Classic Author Focus: Tove Ditlevsen

Tove DitlevsenA writer in many genres, including poetry, Tove Ditlevsen was one of Denmark's most famous authors at the time of her death. Ditlevsen was born in a working class area of Copenhagen. She led a difficult life, and her work often reflects the loneliness of living in the poorer regions of the city. Not …

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The Classic Meme 2.0

  Hello Clubbers! Way back when, in 2012, the Classics Club came into being. A monthly meme was devised to bring clubbers together to chat about classics. A question was posed for you to ponder and discuss. You could write a blog post and leave the link or simply put your thoughts in the comments. …

What is Coming This Fall?

It's a time of a pandemic. There are not a lot of events going on in the world this fall. The usual fall festivals and book fairs are postponed or have been placed online. (Take a look here for a list of online book festivals.) But there are some wonderful online book events that are …

Classic Author Focus: Franz Kafka

Franz KafkaFranz Kafka is identified as a German-speaking Bohemian writer because he was born and lived in Prague, now part of the Czech Republic but then the capital of Bohemia in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He is considered one of the major figures of 20th century literature, writing works that combined realism and fantasy, surrealism and …

Your Lucky Spin Number Is…

If you joined the game last week, find number 18 on your CC Spin #24 List! That's the CLASSIC you are challenged to read by 30th September, 2020.  We know it can be hard to stay on track and enthused about your Spin Book for the whole journey. We plan to provide support and encouragement to …

The Summer Reverse Readathon

Dewey's 24-Hour Readathon was begun in 2007, and it has continued on, twice a year, in the spring and the fall (US seasons) every year since it was first created. Last year a new tradition was started, Dewey's 24-Hour Reverse Readathon. The Reverse Readathon was designed to be a laid-back readathon that would take place …

CC Spin #24

Hello, Clubbers! It's time for another Classics Club Spin!What is the spin? It's easy. At your blog, before next Sunday 9th August 2020, create a post that lists twenty books of your choice that remain "to be read" on your Classics Club list. This is your Spin List. You have to read one of these …

Classic Author Focus: Ida Tarbell

Ida M. TarbellI haven't written many Classic Author Focus posts about nonfiction writers yet, but I thought it would be interesting to write about Ida Tarbell, who was a ground-breaking investigative journalist. She was the author of many muck-raking articles and books and is particularly famous for an exposé about the Standard Oil Company and …

Book Festivals

One of the (many) things I love about being a reader is attending huge book celebrations of one sort or another. Over the years, I've visited the Printers Row Lit Fest in Chicago; BookExpo in Chicago and New York City; the Texas Library Association Conference in Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, and Houston; the American Library …

The Classic Meme 2.0

  Hello Clubbers! Way back when, in 2012, the Classics Club came into being. A monthly meme was devised to bring clubbers together to chat about classics. A question was posed for you to ponder and discuss. You could write a blog post and leave the link or simply put your thoughts in the comments. …

Classic Author Focus: George Sand

I don't think we hear much about George Sand anymore, but she was one of the most popular novelists of her time, more renowned than her peers Victor Hugo or Honoré de Balzac, and her popularity never flagged during her lifetime. She was one of the most notable writers of the Romantic period, which emphasized …

The Classic Meme

  Hello Clubbers! Way back when, in 2012, the Classics Club came into being. A monthly meme was devised to bring clubbers together to chat about classics. A question was posed for you to ponder and discuss. You could write a blog post and leave the link or simply put your thoughts in the comments. …

Summer Reading Challenges: #bookaday and #bigbooksummer and #20booksofsummer20

Having a goal, having a focus centers me, especially during difficult times. You may be different, and that's perfectly okay. But if you'd like some focus for your reading life during this summer, I encourage you to join me in a couple of summer reading challenges. Every summer for over ten years, the Book Whisperer, …

Did You Finish Your Spin?

Today's the Day! On the 19th April, we announced the latest Classic Club Spin, challenging you to read book 6 on your CC Spin #23 list by 1st June 2020. Did you read your book? Did you write about it, or not? What's Next? In the comments below, tell us what book you read, and what you …

Classic Author Focus: Naguib Mafouz

Naguib Mafouz was a prolific Egyptian writer who won the Nobel Prize for Literature. He wrote 34 novels, more than 350 short stories, movie scripts, and hundreds of op-ed newspaper columns. Many of his works have been made into films. Mafouz was the youngest child of a Muslim family in Cairo that was so strict …

Personal Canon of Books

An idea: A personal canon of books. Ruth, at A Great Book Study, writes: Every avid reader has a particular and unique way of composing a personal canon.  The list is characteristic of who you are.  It says, "These are my books." What sorts of books are in one's personal canon? Again, from Ruth: Some of these …