The Good Books Thread/ATARnotes Book Club!

[Yertle the Turtle]

Why did I just find out about this post just now?! I am the (self-proclaimed) queen of Classics (only because I have a strong dislike towards YA fiction).

Here are the books that I've read:
Jane Austen- Persuasion, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park
Elizabeth Gaskell- North and South
Victor Hugo- Les Miserables
George Orwell- 1984, Animal Farm
Harper Lee- To Kill A Mockingbird (set text for Year 10 English but I loved it!)
F. Scott. Fitzgerald- The Great Gatsby
Mary Wollstonecraft- Frankenstein
Emily Bronte- Wuthering Heights
Anne Bronte- The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
Charlotte Bronte- Jane Eyre
Thomas Hardy- Far From the Madding Crowd
Leo Tolstoy- War and Peace

And this is just a small portion of Classic books that I've read so anyone who wants to chat with me about them or suggest some more books to read (reading four books simultaneously at the moment), I'm up for a discussion!

Have you read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas? It's a great book and I really love it having read it twice. Also suggest Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens.

[owidjaja]

Have you read The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas? It's a great book and I really love it having read it twice. Also suggest Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens.

No I've been meaning to read The Count of Monte Cristo! Without giving any spoilers, could you give a quick overview on what it's about?

[sweetiepi]

What do y'all think of audiobooks?
I'm still weary of them, but I'd love to hear someone else's opinion!

[Coffee]

What do y'all think of audiobooks?
I'm still weary of them, but I'd love to hear someone else's opinion!

Never tried them but I would like to. I know a lot of people listen to them while getting ready in the morning, which I’d like to do too. There’s also times when I want to read but I’m so exhausted I can’t focus. At times like these, I think audiobooks can be rather handy.

I’m good at tuning things out though, and my mind often wanders, so I’d be a bit worried I wouldn’t be fully focused on the story.

I’m not against them though. Audiobooks are an incredible resource, especially for people with dyslexia. Anything that makes reading a little less daunting for those who don’t generally enjoy it, or struggle with it, is, surely, a good thing.

[owidjaja]

What do y'all think of audiobooks?
I'm still weary of them, but I'd love to hear someone else's opinion!

I don't usually listen to audiobooks because Audible wants me to include credit card information even though there's a free trial (I don't have a credit card or anything like that lol). I do sometimes use Cast Box to listen to some books but I rarely use it for audiobooks. I usually tune out whenever I listen to any form of audio on my phone so it would be pointless for me to listen to an audiobook when I'm not paying attention. However, I do think that audiobooks are great for people who don't have time to pick up a physical copy- my Modern History teacher promotes podcasts and audiobooks because she connects her phone to her car stereo (idk if that's the right term lol) and listens to it when she drives to school.

[Yertle the Turtle]

No I've been meaning to read The Count of Monte Cristo! Without giving any spoilers, could you give a quick overview on what it's about?

Spoiler Alert :P

The Count of Monte Cristo is a story about a sailor who is framed by some people jealous about his position and is sent to a prison island. He then escapes with the aid of a prisoner called the Abbe Faria, and on getting out he finds a magnificent treasure, and with its aid he sets out to avenge himself on those who framed him...

What do y'all think of audiobooks?
I'm still weary of them, but I'd love to hear someone else's opinion!

I personally love audiobooks, since I have a very sound-focussed memory, and once I've listened to an audiobook a couple of times I can recite most of it without too much trouble. This was great doing A Christmas Carol last year in English because I'd listened to the audiobook often before, and didn't even need a quotes sheet in the exam.

I don't usually listen to audiobooks because Audible wants me to include credit card information even though there's a free trial (I don't have a credit card or anything like that lol). I do sometimes use Cast Box to listen to some books but I rarely use it for audiobooks. I usually tune out whenever I listen to any form of audio on my phone so it would be pointless for me to listen to an audiobook when I'm not paying attention. However, I do think that audiobooks are great for people who don't have time to pick up a physical copy- my Modern History teacher promotes podcasts and audiobooks because she connects her phone to her car stereo (idk if that's the right term lol) and listens to it when she drives to school.

If you like Classics, maybe try Librivox, since they are totally free, and mostly Classics, and some of the readers are very good.

[Yertle the Turtle]

Been reading and loving The Warden and sequel Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. I would definitely recommend them if you don't mind obscure classical references and 1850s language!

[peterpiper]

Been reading and loving The Warden and sequel Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. I would definitely recommend them if you don't mind obscure classical references and 1850s language!

Admittedly have never read any Trollope. Glad you're enjoying him! He's my cousin's favourite too.

[K888]

Been re-reading Harry Potter because it's been so long since I last read it! It's like being a kid again.

The series is still so special and I'm absolutely loving it even though I read it so much as a kid that some of the books started falling apart haha

[appleandbee]

That feeling when someone from your community (an Irish debater thst was top speaker and was in the finals at the European Uni Debating Championships less than 5 years ago) wrote a book that has 20 reservations at the library you go to. Conversation with Friends by Sally Rooney is receiving rave reviews, I have it on by reserves.

[tashhhaaa]

Started reading Dante's Inferno & Homer's The Odyssey and I'm enjoying the contrast (ie. Hell vs divinity/gods/the like)

However, an issue I have with older texts like this is that I sometimes tune out since it takes more effort for me to understand and interpret the language. Does anyone else have this problem? O.o

[owidjaja]

Started reading Dante's Inferno & Homer's The Odyssey and I'm enjoying the contrast (ie. Hell vs divinity/gods/the like)

However, an issue I have with older texts like this is that I sometimes tune out since it takes more effort for me to understand and interpret the language. Does anyone else have this problem? O.o

I have the same problem with older texts and understanding them! That's why they're really good at enhancing your vocabulary. Sure, the syntax of most of these sentences are difficult to understand but the more you read, the better it is to understand them. The best part about this is that you will get used to the formalities of the novels and can be applied into everyday use, such as sending emails to academics. Obviously, it is almost impossible to fully understand a text and know the definition of every single word so I would absorb as much of the plot as best as possible and discuss with other bibliophiles about their interpretation of the novel.

Remember, literature is a form of art so if there are gaps in your understanding, your interpretation of the novel may be different to others. The great thing about art is that it provokes discussion.

Good luck with those two books!

[sweetiepi]

Currently reading Agnes Grey by Anne Brontë. Really enjoying it so far! Give this one a try 😍

[elysepopplewell]

Can't believe I didn't update the fam, but I read Alain de Botton's Course of Love. This is a NOVEL, not the essay series I previously read (and the preceded to rave about on ATAR Notes for years to come). It was emotional and intense and really illustrated to me how complicated relationships and intimacy can be.

I want to tell you that now I'm reading Holy Cow! as inspired by my trip to India. But in reality, I have not read it in two weeks because I have LOST it. But the first 50 pages were grand.

So I've now started reading an essay series called Why Women Will Save the Planet. It's dense and honestly, three essays in, repetitive and inaccessible. But I'll see how we go.

[dcesaona]

Anyone here read Dracula by Bram Stoker? 

I expected it to be the scariest thing I would ever read but I guess what was scary in the late 1800's isn't so scary in today's modern society (especially with the many renderings of vampires we have available to us now).