Never too Late to Read Classics discussion

Here is the schedule for 2022:



January Solaris by Stanisław Lem 204 pages

February Watership Down by Richard Adams 413 pages

March Dark Entries by Robert Aickman 197 pages

April & May I, Robot and The Robot Novels: The Caves of Steel / The Naked Sun / The Robots of Dawn by Isaac Asimov 908 pages for complete set

May The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier 256 pages

June & July The Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake 1173 pages

July Roadside Picnic by Arkady Strugatsky 145 pages

August One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez 417 pages

September Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke 224 pages

October The Lurker at the Threshold by August Derleth 208 pages and Lair of the White Worm by Bram Stoker 120 pages

November I Am Legend and Other Stories by Richard Matheson 317 pages

December The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart 494 pages

Looks good Lesle - and I like the "re-branding"!

I like the variety.

John wrote: "Looks good Lesle - and I like the "re-branding"!"

Thought we needed a change and a mixture of reads.
I hope the schedule works out with the longer reads.

I literally just read 9 of those in the last year. Perhaps I'll pick up the others I haven't read recently. :)

Don't forget, Jazzy, next year you are welcome to share your thoughts as the group reads the ones you've already read.

An interesting selection, thank you.

I think so too Trisha!
This might be a year that I join in on a couple of reads!

Samantha wrote: "Don't forget, Jazzy, next year you are welcome to share your thoughts as the group reads the ones you've already read."

Looking forward to it :)

I'm a little shy of these genres but would like to make an effort next year. :) I'll mark April, August and September.

I LOVE Childhood's End! I can't wait to talk about it!

Piyangie wrote: "I'm a little shy of these genres but would like to make an effort next year. :) I'll mark April, August and September."

Me too but picking a few for next year!

Alicia wrote: "I LOVE Childhood's End! I can't wait to talk about it!"

That is great Alicia!

An update about our Moderator Patrick who will be on hiatus for a time.
How long? we are not sure but when he can stop in or make it back we will be happy to have him back with us.
Best wishes Patrick!!

Patrick will be missed but we understand and eagerly await his return!

Life has been a rollercoaster for many of us since Covid. I look forward to the time when things are stable, especially for Patrick.
I look forward to the time when he can have time to check in with us again.

This looks great, I’m excited for 2022!
We will miss Patrick and send lots of good wishes his way. Fingers crossed we will see him again in the future.

SF is one of my favorite genres so I’m liking this list! There are 5 I plan to read and 3 I’ve already read. I highly recommend Childhoods End. We have our SF book club meeting at the library this weekend to discuss it. I read it 3 months ago. Fortunately, I took notes! Roadside Picnic is the one book I absolutely plan to read. I read two other Strugatsky brothers books this year but not this one, even though it’s sitting on my bookshelf!

Pam we will be happy for you to share your thoughts and join in on the new reads next year!

This list is brilliant! Thank you for naming it so aptly, Lesle. I plan to read 10 of them (hopefully).

I glad you plan to read with us next year Shaina!
The name took some thinking but I really like it too!

Shaina I know this is a day early but this is your Birthday Week!
Happy Birthday! I hope you have a wonderful day!! 🎈🎈

Thank you, Lesle! I have started receiving gifts today so definitely helps to receive wishes a day early too!

Sounds like a lovely couple of days for you Shaina! Enjoy!

Piyangie wrote: "I'm a little shy of these genres but would like to make an effort next year. :) I'll mark April, August and September."

Lesle wrote: "Me too but picking a few for next year!"

It's funny, I'm always wary of books about regular people living regular lives, though I know there are lots of good ones. No space ships? No magic? Sounds too much like my boring life!

I especially want to read The Crystal Cave. And I've been meaning to read Watership Down since high school.

I have always struggled with the unknown/unbelieveable (for myself) and Horror I just cannot do.

Book Nerd I am glad Watership Down is included too.

I can never do horror either, Lesle, although I'm a bit positive towards the unbelievable than the unknown. :)

I would like to re-read Watership Down. I read it in the 70s and don't remember much, if anything, except it's about rabbits. I have the sequel Tales from Watership Down which I would like to read also. I don't know how it is possible for me to read every book with this group that I'm interested in reading but I'm going to give it my best shot!

Sorry to hear about Patrick being on hiatus. Hope he's ok!

Pam even slimming down the threads still leaves us with many good choices for next year.

Patrick is fine he is taking time out to help with family that needs him right now.

He will appreciate all the kind thoughts his way when he stops back in.

If you haven't read Matheson you're in for a treat. Not only did he write for The Twilight Zone, but he also wrote Somewhere in Time which was a charming time travelling love affair and became a film starring Christopher Reeve.

I plan to read
Dark Entries, The Gormenghast Trilogy, and Roadside Picnic

I finally made it here. I just put a hold on Solaris.

For April & May I am going to draw on my memories since I just read the 4 Robot books in the (mostly) detective series in 2021--it's only three mentioned here which are the detective one--the 4th one is later and is missing him, plus is a bit of a transitional book re: the Foundation series.

I did not like I, Robot when I read that, at least not the second time so won't read that one.

As for The Gormenghast Trilogy--I am very concerned that this wouldn't be wise since I LOVED the first two books when I read them at c. 19 and doubt I'd feel the same way now. It was a good time in my life for those. The third disappointed me.

As for the others, I'm not sure. I am also concerned that I might not love The Crystal Cave now the way I did when I first read it.

It might not be a good idea Karin to reread them if you are that worried. Disappointment could be abound or...

I'm so late to the game, but I actually made a reading plan for the year for my first time.

I did read Solaris and am planning to read The Gormenghast Trilogy, 100 Years of Solitude and The Crystal Cave this year.

I tried to reread Childhood's End some years ago (not sure when, but between 2013 and now) because I really liked it as a teen, but hated it, so won't reread it. However, it made a huge impact on me as a teen so that I remember enough that I may join in the discussion.

I am concerned that I won't love Watership Down the Way I did as a child. I read it when my parents got it because of the rabbits on the cover, so was quite young and may have missed the main points because I'd have been reading it just for the story.

Katin, I was said this the other day, that I read and loved Watership Down as a youth and enjoyed the story and that it was likely I really didn’t understand the greater story/metaphors.