2015 Reading Challenge [Closed] discussion

For classic romance, I plan to read Pride and Prejudice! This is my mom's favorite book and movie and she has always begged me to read it. I'm sure many of you have already read it.. Thoughts?

I have NOT read it. I'll probably end up changing "classic romance" to just "romance". Saying that, however, I'll still probably read a classic. May have to pick this one up.

Oooh I read that this past year. It was hands-down the BEST romance book I have ever read.

Bailey, I may join you for this one. It's a book that has been sitting in my library for awhile but I just haven't had the motivation to read it.

I've read it a few years ago and I really enjoyed it! I think what I liked the best wasn't even the main characters and their storyline, it was all the other characters (some of them hilarious) and how they all interact with each other!

Great! I'm looking forward to it.

I picked this book up yesterday at Barnes and Noble, so I'll have to read it during week 2! Looking forward to reading with y'all.

I feel the need to say this...when I read it I had a hard time in the beginning and had to force myself to continue. IT WAS WORTH IT! I have a quote that describes perfectly how I felt about it, but well it is from the book and I'd hate to ruin things lol

Lora, I'm so thankful you posted that because I'm about 10% of the way in and honestly I was dreading the rest.

Don't give up! It gets so much better! I griped a lot reading it and then I just couldn't put it down. Again, I have a great quote to describe it but it comes up near the end of the book lol

Lora- Thanks for the heads up!

Taylor and Little Miss- Looking forward to discussing with you after we finish!

Hi guys.
I'll probably join you for this week challenge! :)
I have this book in that beautiful edition from Barnes & Noble Classics Leatherbound and i can't wait to read and discuss with you guys :)

Ill be reading this one with you!!

Wow! Lots of people lined up to read this one. Can't wait for the discussion :)

I've had this book on my shelf for a couple of years now. Finally going to read it.

After reading "Pride and Prejudice", I suggest reading "Longbourn" by Jo Baker. It is "Pride and Prejudice" from the housemaids point of view. It is more serious reading but still enjoyable. :)

I'm starting the year with a bit of a Jane Austen theme; first week is Emma, then second week will be Pride and Prejudice. I don't think there is a more 'classic romance' than Pride and Prejudice. I've never actually read it before and I've been intending to remedy it for a while.

It's funny that you mention Longbourn, Ireene, my Mum read it recently and I thought that if I read Pride and Prejudice it would set me up for Longbourn for Week 21. ;-)

I plan on reading Pride and Prejudice for the second week as well. I have been meaning to read this book for ages and kept putting it on the back burner. Can't wait to hear everyone's thoughts!

I will join you in reading this one. As many of you said, this book has been "staring" at me for many years from my shelf, and finally I will take it down in the second week of the challenge. I can't wait.

I'll be reading this one also. :) It's my 19-year-old daughter's favorite book. She thinks I've already read it, but I haven't. {shhh, don't tell on me} -- Since I've seen the movie I can more-or-less discuss it with her, but I really need to read the book! I have it on my Kindle so she won't see me reading it. lol

I'm reading this, too. Rereading, actually. I read it way back in high school which was years ago. Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory said this book was perfect; he wanted to criticize it but couldn't find anything wrong. So, I'm excited to read it again.

switching up my plan and going to read this next. Going to take your advice and work through the beginning.

I will join you guys and read this one also. It is already on my list of books to be read, so now is the time!

I really want to read this book. I'm nervous to see if I'm going to be able to get through it. I don't know about classics but I'm willing to give it a try.

Third time I read it, and everytime I read I found out new things. JA is one of my favorites writers.

This is a good one! I taught it to a bunch of high schoolers

looking for a good choice for this coming second week I came across this book again and I'm glad some time has passed between the last time I read it and now for it will, mostly, feel like the first time.
Really looking forward to this second week of the challenge!

I just started this this morning. I've seen the adaptations so I know what's coming but I'm enjoying it so far.

Looks like a lot of rereaders for this book, and I'm one of them. I'm starting this tomorrow morning. I'm encouraged by Alisacupcake's comment about finding something new. I hope I'll experience that too.

Edit (Jan 9): I changed my mind. I feel weird rereading for this challenge, so I'll go for something new instead. I'm going with Persuasion, still by Jane Austen. I wish you all luck with P&P!

How's everyone getting on?

I had an 11 hour power cut yesterday so had to ration my reading as I've got this one on my Kindle and didn't want to run out of battery, hehe.

I like that, like Emma, this has fairly short chapters so you can read it in little bitesize chunks.

I've to admit, that I'm struggling a bit with this book. I'm halfway through, and it just feels like nothing really happens.
I don't know... I find some of the characters quite entertaining but I'm missing a plot of some kind. Romance novels are not what I usually reads, so maybe they're just not for me to understand :-)

Marina, I'm totally with you! But I'm also not a romance reader as a rule, plus it's such a well-loved classic, so I've always just assumed I'm missing something!

Maria wrote: "Marina, I'm totally with you! But I'm also not a romance reader as a rule, plus it's such a well-loved classic, so I've always just assumed I'm missing something!"

I'm glad to hear that it's not just me. I'm missing the last quarter of the book, and it's okay and there are some funny passages, but that's about it for me.

I'm finding this one a slower read than Emma. I think that part of it is because I'm away from home at the moment and although I had a long car journey yesterday, it wasn't easy to read during it.

I think another problem I'm having is that there are so many different versions of it (the more recent film, the mini series, Bride & Prejudice, and even Bridget Jones's Diary) that I'm familiar with so I know what's going to happen. I want to just skip to the bits that I know are going to happen.

I'm struggling along with this one, not very far in yet. Will I finish by Thursday? oy....

I love Pride and Prejudice. I'm trying to read Sense and Sensibility for Week 2 and am crawling through. I probably shouldn't have watched the movie first. I have an idea of what is going to happen so I find it not to be as interesting.

I LOVE Pride and Prejudice though. I could read that book over and over and over again and never get enough of it.

This was my choice for romance, too. Just beginning it.

I would love to hear from some of you who really loves this book, what is it you love and enjoy so much? I kind of feel like I must be missing something, when I read it, since it's so highly treasured by so many.

I'm struggling with this one too. I'll not be able to finish it until thursday, will take a little longer. I am enjoying this reading, but sometimes it is too slow and i can't keep on reading...

I have to say, that Lydia and Mrs. Bennet are really annoying me! I almost have to put the book down just because I can't stand them... So stupid, conceited and snobbish.

Marina, I agree, Lydia and Mrs Bennet need a good talking to. Mr Bennet on the other hand is lovely. :-)

I just finished Pride and Prejudice and must say that I'm suprised how much I liked it, for I'm normally not into classic romantic novels at all. In the beginning it was hard to get used to the language (I'm not a native english speaker) though and the plot was rather slow. Furthermore I really liked the characters for most of them were really funny. (:

Jessica wrote: "I have NOT read it. I'll probably end up changing "classic romance" to just "romance". Saying that, however, I'll still probably read a classic. May have to pick this one up."

You really should give Pride and Prejudice a shot. I'm reading it right now :) Its absolutely fantastic and Jane Austen's a genius.

Cait wrote: "I'm starting the year with a bit of a Jane Austen theme; first week is Emma, then second week will be Pride and Prejudice. I don't think there is a more 'classic romance' than Pride and Prejudice. ..."

Couldn't agree more - I really don't think there is a more classic romance than P&P. Jane Austen ensnares you with her 'full' characters and her potrayal of their thoughts. What is best is that the protagonist, Elizabeth, is not one for whismy and it is refreshing to have a female protagonist in a romance novel not going overboard just because she's in love. Good, good read.

I finished the book yesterday. I just don't think these classic romance novels are my cup of tea! As Jana mentioned the plot was really slow, and too slow for my liking.
I have these mixed feelings about some of the characters. On one hand I found them amusing because they were just so over the top. On the other hand they really irritated me.
My conclusion is, that now I've read the book, it was okay but not a book I'll be re-reading.

I'm still working my way through it. This is my 19-year-old's absolute favorite book -- she owns two different paper copies of it and has it on her Kindle. lol. Me? Not sure. I can't say I'll ever re-read it, I'm just not liking it that much.

It's interesting to have a look into life in that era -- the whole ball thing, and visiting each other, and luncheons, etc. But...I don't know, it's just not grabbing me. Not sure I'll finish it by tonight (since the new week starts tomorrow), but I'll keep going even when I start the new week's book.

Just don't tell my daughter that I'm not loving it! :p

I think we felt about the same way about this one, Marina and Lorraine. :-) I enjoyed it and after wavering about my feelings for it in the middle, I enjoyed it more the closer to the end I got.

I did really like Elizabeth as a character (and Jane as well) though I didn't like Darcy as much as I felt like I should. Lydia and Mrs Bennet just drove me mad.

I'm pleased that I read it and I'll maybe reread it in the future at some point, but for now I'm satisfied that I've read it once. ;-)

I didn't like Darcy that much either, Cait. I actually found him kind of boring. I had expected something else when it came to Darcy and Elizabeth and their lovestory. I think, I was a disappointed by how little the book was about their relationship.

Thank goodness this book didn't completely derail my challenge, just put me a little off track. No worries. Observations.

I hate Mrs. Bennet with a passion. Lydia, not so much (apart from her extreme selfishness and obtuseness). But I guess my worldview is two hundred years further ahead.

Elizabeth was a breath of fresh air. I feel a combination of Messrs Bingley and Darcy would be a pretty good shot at being the übermensch. I was a little partial toward Mr. Darcy as I've had my social awkwardness being mistaken for aloofness and pride before.

Funny thing, I misplaced the book's timeline by a hundred years, and was wondering "Where's the trains at?" Surprisingly, the morality wasn't too much out of place in late Victorian society.

Romance continues to not be my forte. On to better things!

This is what I'm reading for classic romance. I actually am enjoying it more than I thought I would. I generally don't like classic books, but this one was good.