Mount TBR 2021 discussion

Sunshine and I are reading Dracula in January. Let us know if you'll be joining us by commenting below. If you've read it and want to join in some of the discussion (mark spoilers, please), you are welcome as well!

I'd like to join with reading Dracula in January! I'm not sure how buddy reads work though.

CinCO wrote: "I'd like to join with reading Dracula in January! I'm not sure how buddy reads work though."

Happy to have you join, CinCO! Basically, we will start reading in January and post comments on our progress / thoughts here :)

I would like to challenge this one!
I attempted reading this ages ago again and again, but got scared senseless again and again. Let's hope I am brave enough to pull it through, this time!

glad to have you join us, Alexandra! I don't usually read this genre so I'm planning on reading it during the daytime only!!!!

I might join in, depends what books I get for christmas/birthday and how keen I am to start them :D

Although, technically, the copy of Dracula in my house belongs to my other half so does it even count towards my TBR?

Rai, we would love to have you join. I count all household books for the challenge, but you can always message Bev on the rules board to confirm!

I'm up for reading Dracula in January! It was one of the books in my advent calendar this year.

Welcome, Rokkan! I'm looking forward to get started in a matter of days!

Weee!!!!! Only a few more sleeps before officially starting Dracula (again!)‍.

I might also join in as I bought Dracula pretty recently :)

Can I do the buddy reading of Dracula if it won't actually count towards my Mount TBR but my virtual Mount TBR instead? I went on Amazon with the intent of purchasing it so I could join and found out I could just borrow it with Prime Reading instead. Wasn't sure what buddy reading rules you have going.

Kathryn V. Cheek wrote: "Can I do the buddy reading of Dracula if it won't actually count towards my Mount TBR but my virtual Mount TBR instead? I went on Amazon with the intent of purchasing it so I could join and found o..."

That would be just fine! Looking forward to getting started tomorrow—Happy New Year!

I just finished the first chapter--so moody and gothic! Some of the local descriptions are definitely a little dated / stereotyped, but of course, in that day and age, this culture and setting would have been very exotic. (Reminds me of how the Arctic is considered so fantastic/exotic in Frankenstein). I have a number of friends who are from / have lived in this region (Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Ukraine), so I would be interested to hear their thoughts.

(view spoiler)[I find it interesting how the countryfolk try to prevent Jonathan from going to Castle Dracula in so many ways. Also, the strange driver is so creepy! (hide spoiler)]

I read Dracula back in High School and remember loving it. It's on my TBR list this year since I'm now 45 and don't remember anything about it other than that I liked it. lol I still own my copy from when I was 17. I'm not sure if I can fit it into my January reads, but I will try. :)

superawesomekt wrote: "I just finished the first chapter--so moody and gothic! Some of the local descriptions are definitely a little dated / stereotyped, but of course, in that day and age, this culture and setting woul..."

I get creeped out whenever Harker realized a “new” strangeness of the castle, and how things got more and more peculiar for comfort.... and how fear crept up upon him. *shivers*

Alexandra wrote: "I get creeped out whenever Harker realized...

Yes! I am into the third chapter and it's delightfully creepy! Get out of there, Harker! Use your good English sense and get out! Also, definitely sticking to reading this during the daytime.

How's everyone else doing? There are 27 chapters, but the reading goes pretty quickly, I think, in spite of the older language.

Bethea wrote: "I read Dracula back in High School and remember loving it. It's on my TBR list this year since I'm now 45 and don't remember anything about it other than that I liked it. lol I still own my copy fr..."

Bethea, welcome!

I haven't started it yet, but will after I finish Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes. I'm getting close to finishing it.

Bethea wrote: "I haven't started it yet, but will after I finish Stephen King's Nightmares and Dreamscapes. I'm getting close to finishing it."

I love Stephen King!

I started chapter 7 this afternoon but will be waiting until daylight to read anymore.

I've read the first two chapters. I seem to vaguely remember reading this when I was younger, but this version seems to read easier to me. Maybe I was too immature to appreciate the eeriness of it as a younger teen.

Was concentrating more on The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman but I finished that now, so can concentrate on other books.

I'm on chapter 2 and finding it so funny that everyone warns Harker not to go to the castle, but he goes anyways.

I finally finished Chapter 4..... It is not getting easier to try to slip in a few pages before bed..... *shivers*

Started last night and read the first 2 chapters. It is definitely spooky. I agree with Gabriella, just like in a scary movie, I'm always telling them "Don't go in there!"

Just wanted to chime in and say that if you would prefer to experience the book on audio, there is a podcast called Phoebe Reads a Mystery, wherein Phoebe Judge (who has a great voice) reads a chapter per episode. She read Dracula in a previous season, so it’s all there.

I have nothing to gain by this recommendation; I just happen to enjoy podcasts and stumbled on this one. Happy reading!

glad everyone is enjoying it! I will probably get some good progress in over the weekend (since there are more daytime reading options haha)

I'm reading the edition in my native language, but I might look into that, Graceann. Might make things more thrilling.

On another note, I didn't find this scary at all. It's creepy sometimes, but I'm reading it mostly during the night and using it to lull me to sleep.

I think I'm around chapter 10, so (view spoiler)[Van Helsing is already here and starting to suspect what's going on with Lucy (hide spoiler)]. This book would probably never be this long if it was only about Jonathan and Dracula. The rest of it feels much like a filler, although the book is very well-written, but I don't see a point yet for the plot of John Seward, (view spoiler)[besides the Van Helsing connection (hide spoiler)].

Gabriella, (thanks for marking spoilers!) I am a total wimp when it comes to scary stuff. I wouldn't say I'm scared yet, but more like the gothic / creepy vibe. Have any of you seen the Northanger Abbey film with JJ Feild and Felicity Jones (based on the book by Jane Austen)? I feel like the main character's little fantasy scenes line up with the mood for Dracula very nicely :) (If you haven't seen the movie, I highly recommend it! It's a fun little period film)

superawesomekt wrote: "Gabriella, (thanks for marking spoilers!) I am a total wimp when it comes to scary stuff. I wouldn't say I'm scared yet, but more like the gothic / creepy vibe. Have any of you seen the Northanger ..."

I haven't seen that movie yet, but I haven't seen a lot of movies based on the works of Jane Austen. Only Pride and Prejudice (that I'm planning to read this year) and Emma, I think. Something like that. I might look into it too.

But about Dracula, yeah, it has a nice gothic vibe. I usually don't like scary stuff, but I felt that I had to read this one and most 19th century stuff don't scare me anymore. Psychological thrillers or psychological horror, though, are another deal entirely.

I have finished chapter 17. I am enjoying the book. I have a bit of a hard time following the dialogue when the "working men" are speaking. It is like reading Shakespeare, where you know it is a language you know, but it has a bunch of words that you don't recognize.

I just finished the part that Gabriella mentioned that seems to be a side story that might not be completely necessary. Still interesting though.

I know something of the side story Gabriella mentioned. (view spoiler)[Renfield is in thrall to Dracula iirc, but I've just finished chapter 10 and can't remember exactly how it goes (hide spoiler)]

I'm not sure if the English in Van Helsing's bits is a bit archaic because he's foreign and the oddness of it comes from that? Some bits of it read as errors in translation but it is a bit off putting.

I just started and read 2 chapters. He just had the realization that he's a prisoner.

Just got to the bit in chapter 17 where Mina and Arthur meet and >.< toxic masculinity might not have been a buzz term in 1897 but (view spoiler)[

I suppose there is something in women's nature that makes a man free to break before her and express his feelings on the tender or emotional side without feeling it derogatory to his manhood

(hide spoiler)]

If only this were allowed to be true still!

Also: Van Helsing is a drama queen i stg

Just finished! I was a bit surprised at the ending (no, I've never seen the movie).

Just after my last post, I had another bout of the desire to warn them "Don't do that!" And I would have been right...

CinCO wrote: "Just finished! I was a bit surprised at the ending (no, I've never seen the movie).

Just after my last post, I had another bout of the desire to warn them "Don't do that!" And I would have been r..."

I had to laugh when I read this. I am constantly scolding the characters, "Don't do that!" "Don't ignore that warning!" GAHHHH

Bethea wrote: "I just started and read 2 chapters. He just had the realization that he's a prisoner."

Bethea, I felt sorry for him, but also, I mean, the locals warned him....

I just finished. I felt the ending was somewhat rushed somehow, and the epilogue felt a little forced? Iunno. Not bad for a classic (I tend to have issues with them), but the consistent tense inaccuracies to show van Helsing is foreign irked me a bit towards the end.

Y'all who have finished, is there something to look forward to? I'm still on chapter 13, but everytime I try to read I end up sleeping because there is no action and nothing happens.

Gabriella wrote: "Y'all who have finished, is there something to look forward to? I'm still on chapter 13, but everytime I try to read I end up sleeping because there is no action and nothing happens."

I would say yes, the action picks up around chapter 17 or 18.

CinCO wrote: "Gabriella wrote: "Y'all who have finished, is there something to look forward to? I'm still on chapter 13, but everytime I try to read I end up sleeping because there is no action and nothing happe..."

Hmm, I'll keep reading then. Thanks!

I am progressing really slowly because I keep scaring myself! And I am only at Chapter 10...

I feel so bad for what is happening to Lucy...

I just finished Chapter 16.... and goodness, I feel so terrible for Arthur Goldalming! I cannot imagine the horror and the anguish he had to go through doing what he decided to do….

I was majorly distracted by a book club book I was racing to finish, so I'm back in the saddle and still hoping to finish this week (still have a few library books distracting me, too. this is why I need this TBR challenge obviously...)! How's everyone else doing?

I still have a ways to go. I'm hoping that I can finish it this weekend. It's a busy time at work and I also have other books I needed to read first, so this one got set aside. I read it almost 30 years ago, so I don't remember anything other than I really liked it. I'm anxious to see if 45 year old me agrees with 17 year old me.

superawesomekt wrote: "Sunshine and I are reading Dracula in January. Let us know if you'll be joining us by commenting below. If you've read it and want to join in some of the discussion (mark spoilers, ple..."

I am so glad you started this, which I otherwise wouldn’t have been able to motivate myself to challenge and finished it! This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for 25 years!

I look forward to the February buddy read :)

Bethea wrote: "I still have a ways to go. I'm hoping that I can finish it this weekend. It's a busy time at work and I also have other books I needed to read first, so this one got set aside. I read it almost 30 ..."

Did you enjoy it before? :)
This is my first time finishing the book (I was too spooked out to continue), and I really enjoyed it.

I'll try to finish it this month, but I'm having a hard time reading because there's no action, so I always fall asleep after a few pages. And I also prioritized other readings because of challenges.

I'm back to reading it without sleeping because things got more interesting now that (view spoiler)[Van Helsing told everyone Lucy is a vampire and killed her for good. (hide spoiler)] Just got to chapter 17 and will try to finish it today, if I can.

I finished it! Finally! With barely any time to spare.
Anyways, I stopped falling asleep once (view spoiler)[the Lucy plot was over for good (hide spoiler)]. I can't believe it took 300 pages (my edition has 368 pages) for it to get finally exciting. Won't be reading this again, but I'm glad I can finally say I read Dracula.