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Dickens in December

What is your favorite memory of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol? Have you ever read it? If not, will you? Why should others read it rather than relying on the film adaptions?

So, I have to be completely honest and make a confession... I have never in my almost 24 years of life and 20ish years of reading ever actually finished a book by Charles Dickens. I own all of his books (whether in hard copy or on my Nook), but I have never actually finished one of his works. I attempted to read Oliver Twist and David Copperfield back when I was in junior high and maybe high school. But I gave up not long after starting them. I have seen the movies, in fact they are two of my favorite movies of all time, but sadly I have failed in reading the books. And honestly, I have no idea why. I think back when I first tried to read them they were just a little too hard for me. The older English grammar. The more detailed and intricate story-lines. They just made it hard for me to get through.

With that said, quite a few of his works are on my list for the Classics Club. Including A Christmas Carol. I am not sure when I will get to it. But it's on my list, so at some point during the next 4.5 years I will read it. I may even read it this month after I finish reading The Lord of the Rings, but then again, I can't commit to deciding what I am going to read next until I am ready to start something new. Anyway, I am not sure yet if I feel nervous or excited about reading it (along with his other works). In my mind I know it's a classic and it's one of the most well-known ones, but yet at the same time I still have a bit of a fear or a hesitation in reading classics by authors that aren't Alcott, Austen, Tolkien, Lewis or Montgomery. But then I remind myself that this is part of why I joined the Classics Club and why I committed to reading 70+ Classics in the course of 5 years. I just have to move outside of my safety zone when it comes to books. And who knows, I will probably end up surprising myself and adding Dickens to the list of my favorites. 

Comments

  1. MabelDecember 8, 2012 at 2:45 PM

    A Christmas Carol is SO GOOD. It was my first book by Dickens. I hope you come to love it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownDecember 8, 2012 at 3:16 PM

    A Christmas Carol is a really easy read! It's only about 100 pages long and it goes by plenty fast. Dickens has plenty of ridiculously long books, but there's definitely nothing to worry about with this one.

    ReplyDelete
  3. RuthDecember 10, 2012 at 11:17 AM

    The cover image you have posted is the copy I have, and it is beautiful. I have read it these last two consecutive seasons with my kids, and they love it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. oDecember 11, 2012 at 3:08 PM

    I'm the exact opposite with Dickens - half a book away from finishing all his novels. I used to hate him, but suddenly I just "got" him. You're in for a treat, especially with A Christmas Carol :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownJanuary 2, 2013 at 4:33 PM

    You really should try reading A Christmas Carol. It's so short and it's a fun book. :)

    My December meme

    ReplyDelete

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