The Book Vipers discussion

We will be reading To Kill A Mockingbird next year. I know it's a long way off, but it will soon come round!

that novel is my favorite book , i read it at least once a year. the movie was excellant. i hope everone would it at least one time.

I will have to read this again. It was the first "grown-up novel" I ever read. I must have been 11 or 12 or so, and was an avid reader, but had pretty much been reading youth books. One day my father, an English teacher who guided many of my early reading choices, announced that he thought I was "ready to read a real novel" and that he thought it should be "To Kill A Mockingbird." Oddly I have little recollection of it or how I liked it, and have never read it since -- so this will be a good chance to do a long-overdue reread.

Oh wow, yay! It has been sitting on my shelf for a while now, so I am thrilled to hear there is a Read Along coming up. Will hang onto it until then!

I'm on.

I think I will too - haven't read it since school.

The last time I read it was for my O Level English exam! So a really long time ago!!

I watched the film again, recently, and it made me want to re-read the novel.

I'm going to try and persuade my husband to join in too. He confessed he'd never read it, and hadn't seen the film until we saw it a few weeks ago.

Elizabeth wrote: "The last time I read it was for my O Level English exam! So a really long time ago!!

I watched the film again, recently, and it made me want to re-read the novel.

I'm going to try and persua..."

I didn't do it for O Level - that pleasure went to Great Expectations - but have it listed as being read (for the second or third time I suspect!) in 2003. I think I did first read it at school somewhere along the line.

Oh, Great Expectations! I got that as one of the first big literature books to read when I was 12. First year of secondary school. I remember it only too well :D

The copy I had for the course, with all my pencil notes, is still on my shelf!

I will read it again. one of my favorite books ever!

I will read it again, too. I loved it as a teenager.

I have just read this, I won't re-read but would love to join in the discussions if that's ok!!

I just picked up a copy of the 50th anniversary paperback for £4 so am all set and really looking forward to revisiting this. I have the film recorded too.

I'm definitely going to re-read this too.

I hope to as well, time permitting.

I read it last month and I loved it. I'll love to join the discussion!

Just a refresh on this thread now that the readalong for the quarter is on. If anyone would like a Spoilers thread, just let me know and I will start one.

its been on my reading list for two years. would love to read it along.

I must have read this one a dozen times or more. It is one of my favorites.

I know I have a copy of this somewhere. I think I will re- read it.

Anyone tackling this soon? It's my Classic square so I reckon on starting it in a couple of weeks. Looking forward to Atticus and Scout.

I will reread it this year but probably not before the end of March.

Not in the immediate future unfortunately as much as I'd love to. Perhaps we could push this ahead a quarter, if there is still interest, but no time yet? Just a thought...

Fine by me, I have a massive TBR pile anyway so happy to sit on Mockingbird for now.

You have a massive TBR pile! I am hoping to finish 9 more by the end of the month!

Shall we change this thread to open-ended or at least until the end of the year, so we can all dip into it when we read it?

Paul, I don't know how you do it with all you've got going on!

sounds like a plan. It's a great book.

I've deleted my TBR list. I'll read the 17 books I'm reading and pick up others as they take my fancy.

'Round the world and home again, That's the sailor's way!
― William Allingham

I'd love to read this too - for the first time! - but like others have a huge TBR list so happy to leave it till later in the year.

Can I ask a silly question as I'm new to the Book Vipers? What's the difference between a group read and a read-along?

A group read is one that we do each month. There are three - fiction, non-fiction and classic. We nominate and vote on them and the winners become the next group reads.

A read along book is one which arises out of a chat on here usually and a few people may have mentioned they would like to read or reread a particular book, so it gets scheduled for reading. Or it may be a book which came second in the votes for group read but which enough people have said they want to read.

Thanks Elizabeth! I shall add it to my TBR list and tackle it at some point this year.

I am about to start it, hoping for Something more violent than Pride and Prejudice :)

This read along does seem to be pretty quiet, hopefully I can kick start it again with my nonsense.

I read 'To Kill A Mockingbird' as a school requirement so was interested to re-read it with an adult perspective to see if I can understand it better and to appreciate the language more. I know it's an amazing book for all sorts of reasons so I'm looking forward to it.

@ Jason - Violence in Pride and Prejudice? What nonsense! ;)

I watched the film this week to see what that was like, it is very good. I have only done 10 pages of the book so far but the narration flows along nicely.

Still enjoying this, the film so far is sticking to the book pretty well.

I'm going to start reading it today and hope to finish it over the weekend. I have so many books I want to read now, I better get off of here and get reading! I've ordered a load from the library. I think I'm becoming a horder.

I've just finished chapter 20 (73% on Kindle) and Atticus's closing statements at court is amazing. I am loving this book for so many reasons. It deals with ignorance at so many levels and not just racial. It's satisfying in the language, the way adult life is perceived and the growing up from child to adolescence (which isn't so innocent as we like to believe)and the fight for freedom of equality. I thought this would be a quick read over the weekend and ended up being completely consumed by the characters and the many themes running through it. It makes us question how we live in our world and how different/simular our times are now. The crash of the 30's, the crash of 2008, who is deserving and who isn't etc Maybe that's why it's being taken off the reading list of schools or am I on the wrong track?

Topazriver wrote: "I've just finished chapter 20 (73% on Kindle) and Atticus's closing statements at court is amazing. I am loving this book for so many reasons. It deals with ignorance at so many levels and not ju..."

Good question. And I don't know the answer.

It's snowing slightly in the story and Jem just told Scout to stop eating the snow as it is wasteful and he wants to build a snowman. Hehe. Kids are so funny.

Scout is brilliant, loving all her methods of trying to get out of school.

On part 2 now. The scenes with Mrs Dubose were very moving.

I was thinking that I might read this next year. I have probably seen the movie years ago, I think I watched most of the old classics when I was growing up, so I know something of the story.

So far the movie sticks pretty close to the book.

Can anybody explain this line to me.

Scout says

Miss Maudie Atkinson baked a lane cake so loaded with SKINNY it made me TIGHT.

whats SKINNY and TIGHT mean?

Jason wrote: "Can anybody explain this line to me.

Scout says

Miss Maudie Atkinson baked a lane cake so loaded with SKINNY it made me TIGHT.

whats SKINNY and TIGHT mean?"


Shinny is the bourbon in the cake as I believe lane cakes have alcohol in them. And to be "tight" means to be drunk. :D
Sounds tasty!

Lots of 'tight' in the Hemingway, too... of course his characters spend most of their time hammered.

I love Scout!

Thanks ladies, thought it was something like that.

Drunk kids is good fun.

I've always liked that expression to be tight as opposed to some of the more 'gritty' expressions we use now! Good to know it was used both sides of the pond!

What? There is a pond? I haven't come across that in the book.