Welcome to Litsy!

My second weekend in a row at HPB ended in a massive book haul… so here goes:

Part 2 of 2. I had to get the tagged book having stayed in Bath at a hotel across from the tavern where he allegedly wrote them

And I‘m getting ready for Christmas. Besides A Christmas Carol, which I always read at Christmas, there are many many Dickens Christmas stories I‘d never heard of in this massive book. It was the expensive one, but I felt worth $9.99.

Very cool here in Bath! I‘ve walked where Dickens walked!

Questions for you guys… Hardcover or paperback? Best things/worst things about your preferred choice of book format? Craziest thing you‘ve used for a book mark? And lastly, your take on Charles Dickens??

In the introduction to this edition there‘s a quote from an ad (?) by the Times from March 1836:
“containing a faithful record of the Perambulations, Perils, Travels, Adventures and Sporting Transactions of the Corresponding Members.” And I don‘t know a better way to describe this novel. But there‘s several delightful characters like Sam and Pickwick and some interesting ones like Jingle.
How does Dickens come up with all these names?

I've tried to read this book multiple times and have never gotten into it, but my trusty chapter-a-day(ish) method once again came to the rescue, and I'm so glad because I really ended up enjoying this one so much. Pickwick is a great character, as are all of his friends. I loved all the plot twists. Sometimes it got a little rambly and some of the random side stories were a little ?!?!?!? but overall this ended up being great fun.

Thanks for picking this book for a #RandomClassics read along! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the misadventures of the Pickwickians! No wonder this rollicking novel has delighted readers for nearly two hundred years; it‘s just plain fun! Sorry that I finished a few days early, but it was impossible to stop. 🥳🤓

(thru ch47) Plot twist! And then another!! 😂

I absolutely LOVED the way Dickens got Pickwick out of prison!!! I just wasn't sure how he was going to pull it off in a way that would keep Pickwick from losing face - but he did and it was fabulous!!

And Winkle! That sly old dog! 😆

The other big highlight this week - Sam and his dad plotting to get Sam IN jail ❤

This book was hard for me to get into at first, but I am honestly loving it!!

Oh man, prison party!!! Apparently EVERYONE is here!

I'm always kind of blown away by the concept of debtors' prison and how the whole system worked. I read The Time Traveler's Guide to Regency England with the #PemberLittens last year, and there was a whole section on how debt was handled at the time - absolutely crazy and also rather fascinating.

Do you think Pickwick is going to break and pay off the debt?? What is going to happen with ⬇

(thru ch37) - Been there, Mr. Winkle, been there 😂 I don't know why, but this chapter was really cracking me up. I do have a soft spot for Mr. Winkle, who always seems to be getting into trouble just because people assume things about him. It was great to run into Bob and Ben again as well - loved their advertising scheme of delivering medicine to the wrong house! 😆
#RandomClassics
@AnneCecilie @TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead @catiewithac

(thru ch33) - I'm still a bit behind on this one because of life, but there has been SO MUCH DRAMA going on!! I lost it over Sam's dad's plot to get the obnoxious, hypocritical temperance leader drunk and turn him loose in the meeting! And of course Pickwick's trial! Definitely felt like the deck was stacked against him. At least the fine is down to £700 instead of £1500! Hopefully he doesn't get sent to debtors' prison over this!!

Any thoughts ⬇

(thru ch 30) - First off, apparently there are TWO chapter 28s in this book! I mean, how is a girl supposed to write an accurate chapter-a-day schedule if the publisher decides chapters should be repeated?! 😂 So that's my excuse for being a chapter behind haha

So much going on!! What do you all think about the random extra stories included, like this wild one about the grumpy sexton and the goblin? ⬇

Okay, I am genuinely loving this book! Some of these adventures are absolutely hilarious, and the characters are finally starting to feel like recognizable individuals 😂 So many fun scenes and stories!!

Here is the updated schedule for August. I'm really looking forward to finding out what happens with a few of these ongoing stories - I'm NOT convinced Pickwick's lawsuit is in good hands! 😆

I should be back to posting once or twice a week!!

Greetings, fellow Pickwickians!! Well, I have obviously fallen behind, as I am only on chapter 15!! My goal is to be caught up by the end of the month (chapter 31 on the 31st) so that we can go into August on schedule and with more regular check-ins!! How are all of you holding up? Are you enjoying the shenanigans?
#RandomClassics
 @AnneCecilie @TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead @catiewithac

Ch9&10 - Oh my, such drama! I felt quite bad for Miss Wardle, and not just because she's referred to as the “spinster aunt“ more than she is by name. That Jingle! What a cad! And poor Mr. Tupman, so taken in! I hope Tupman and Miss Wardle are able to make up, because they seemed pretty adorable together before Jingle got involved.
#RandomClassics
@AnneCecilie @TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead @catiewithac

What is the best time of day to read Charles Dickens? My favorite time is the predawn hours.

Ch7&8 - I am loving some of these chapter headings 😂 The Pickwick crew continues its country sojourn with some shooting gone (mildly) awry. Poor Mr. Winkle seems incapable of admitting he doesn't actually know how to do something 😆 The crew meets back up with the friendly stranger from earlier & we FINALLY get his name!!! No surprise, Mr. Jingle is actually up some nefarious purposes, manipulating Mr. Tupman & Miss Wardle against each other!!

Ch6 - We start with lots of fun and games, and end with another completely random tale of tragedy and redemption 😂 I was intrigued by the game Pope Joan, which I don't remember hearing of before. Despite this Wiki article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Joan_(card_game) - I'm still not sure I quite get how it works, but I love this fancy table!!
#RandomClassics
@AnneCecilie @TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead

Ch4&5 - Yesterday's chapter with the military reenactment seemed rather appropriate for the 4th! 😂 Dickens did a great job capturing the “fun“ of a festive crowd and also the panic of being in the wrong place at the wrong time! I loved today's chapter with the horses. I think of everyone from this time period being good at riding/driving horses because they were so ubiquitous, but I suppose just like many people who live in metropolitan areas ⬇

Ch3 - What a weirdo, random story. And I like how my edition double-downs on the strangeness with its caption for this scene 😂 I was really hoping that the mysterious stranger (who somehow hasn't been named yet!) was going to at least get socked in the nose, but sadly no.

#RandomClassics

@AnneCecilie @TheBookHippie @BarkingMadRead

Ch2 - A bit on the long side, but quite a lot of action!! The Pickwickians pick up a stranger who is full of lively stories but may be a little sketchy. I was quite entertained by the cabby who gave them a bunch of nonsense and then tried to fight all of them at once! However, I can't find out what he thought they were going to “inform“ about?? Thoughts?? Then we have the whole stolen jacket/mistaken identity/almost duel that ends with everyone ⬇

Starting this today (a little late but better than nothing!) with @TheAromaofBooks

I've tried to read this one before and been unsuccessful, despite enjoying other Dickens books. Hopefully this character list helps me a little, because chapter 1 kind of had a big name dump 😂 I marked out what appeared to be spoilery bits!

What inspired you to pick up Pickwick Papers? I've always wanted to read it ever since I read Little Women as a girl - the March sisters seemed to enjoy it so! I looked it up and realized that PP was ⬇

repost @TheAromaofBooks
Okay!! I totally fell apart on my #RandomClassics posts, but I am BACK for July (kind of 😂) and reading The Pickwick Papers a chapter a day until I finish!! I'll be posting a few times a week, depending on life, so if anyone would like to readalong/be tagged/join in the conversation, let her know if you'd like to be tagged!

Okay!! I totally fell apart on my #RandomClassics posts, but I am BACK for July (kind of 😂) and reading The Pickwick Papers a chapter a day until I finish!! I'll be posting a few times a week, depending on life, so if anyone would like to readalong/be tagged/join in the conversation, let me know!!

I'm tagging those who expressed interest a while ago, but no worries if this fell off your radar since July 1 is, you know, tomorrow! 😅

9. This took me months to get through. My least favorite Dickens, probably as it was it episodic, enjoyed some parts. 3/5

This is a book where you can experience the fabulous characters and wonderful word play that will become a Dickens trademark. It reads like a series of very short, connected stories. It is sometimes a bit dry but if you just enjoy for what it is, it can be a fun reading experience. 🎩

Finished Pickwick tonight and am entirely pleased with it. What a satisfying book and what a good egg was Mr. Pickwick. I so enjoyed sharing in his adventures and am already looking forward to my next Dickens. #whatthedickens

October Reads. I did finish the Decorating Club in October as well.

Done! That was fabulous, I just love me some Dickens! #whatthedickens #happilyeverafter it doesn‘t help much with #scarathlon2021 lol but it was a nice long book that earned me lots of reading hours! #teamhendrix @StayCurious @Clwojick @Lcsmcat thanks for reading along with me! Looking forward to the next one!

And they all lived happily ever after - even Job Trotter! I thoroughly enjoyed this early Dickens. His humor shines through and you can see the themes that are to occupy his pen for years. Thanks for the inspiration @Cuilin and all the #whatthedickens readers. Especially @BarkingMadRun for keeping me company through the world of Pickwickians.

#whatthedickens @Cuilin @BarkingMadRun I‘m at 95%. I think I‘ll finish it over the weekend.

Chapter 51, and we‘re back to “blue v. buff” and the rival editors! #whatthedickens @BarkingMadRun @Cuilin

I may be reading ahead, but I‘m desperate to get Mr. Pickwick out of debtors‘ prison! #whatthedickens

I enjoy Dickens generally speaking. Found this novel hard to get engrossed in. Of course the prose & vocabulary are difficult to slog through. The meandering disjointed stories are hard to follow as well.

I‘ve read a lot of Dickens, but this is my first time for Pickwick, and I‘m getting the feeling he was exploring many of the themes he would expound on in later novels. I‘m getting heavy Bleak House vibes in this section, where Pickwick is in the law courts! #whatthedickens @BarkingMadRun @quietjenn

I'm not entirely sure that #whatthedickens is still a going concern - and if so I am pretty belated in starting (September had a lot going on!). But! I have matter a tiny dent into Pickwick this weekend. I still can't keep the companions straight, but am finding it very funny.

This chapter resonates with today‘s politics- substitute blue and red for blue and buff. But I‘m most amused by the thought of a band comprised of trumpets, drums, and bassoons! #whatthedickens @Cuilin @BarkingMadRun

Dickens gets humans. And he‘s making me wish I had an illustrated edition of this one! #whatthedickens @Cuilin

My reading goals for September. Already in progress are the Dickens for #whatthedickens, Wharton for #whartonbuddyread, Shakespeare for #shakespearereadalong and the Smiley for my irl book club. The Allison is my #bookspin and Roth my #doublespin, and the Undset for #kristinl. The Hoffma is for #authoramonth, and also needs to be read. Right before the lockdown in March 2020 it was loaned to me by a woman I sang with in church choir. 👇🏻

So happy to be back with my first favorite author and the #whatthedickens crew! Happy September. 🙂 @Cuilin

#whatthedickens starting this one today!!

“There are very few moments in a man‘s existence when he experiences so much ludicrous distress, or meets with so little charitable commiseration, as when he is in pursuit of his own hat.”

I‘m going to try and record all of my reads this year here since my blog is just not happening at the moment. First finished was THE PICKWICK PAPERS and, past the worst first chapter of any book I have ever read, was an interesting collection of stories within stories with lots of humor, some sadness, and a bit of good old Dickens moralizing about the poor. I‘m glad I finally got to this one!

Just completed The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens first novel. Not my favorite amongst Dickens‘ novels. It is his first though written at the age of 24 in 1836, and Queen Victoria was found laughing off her chair while reading this. Has a English Don Quixote vibe of going on multiple adventures throughout England.

This was an enjoyable, rambling story.

I had to share a sample of the incredible illustrations by Charles Keeping. Such a gorgeous book!

Moray, I would say, “you shouldn‘t have,” but I‘m so grateful you did! What a lovely vintage Folio of a Dickens I‘ve yet to read! Thank you, my friend, for this beautiful, generous gift and for sharing your love of books with me. ♥️♥️♥️