Cornflower Book Group - February & March 2014

 

    As you know, the Cornflower Book Group is reading Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce as our January book (we'll talk about it from next Saturday), but today let's look ahead to our February and March titles as a bit of advance notice is helpful. I hope you'll approve of both novels I've chosen and will be as keen to read (or re-read) them as I am.

    In February, a short, dark book for what will still be quite short, dark days (at least up here in the northern hemisphere): Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, first published in 1886, a classic which really needs no introduction.

    For the lighter, brighter March days, I've taken Julie's prompt (see her comment here) and decided to offer Anthony Trollope's The Warden (1855), the first of his Chronicles of Barsetshire, as a group read, and if that goes down well, we might even cover more of the series in future months.

    The chances are you'll have copies of both books already on your shelves, but if not they should be easy to come by. There are numerous paperback editions, audiobooks (for example here and here), Kindle versions are available free (and should you be so inclined you could go the whole hog and get the Complete Works of Anthony Trollope - all 47 novels, stories, notes, biographies, criticism and so on - for £1.39, and the slighter but nonetheless comprehensive Stevenson canon too), and if libraries don't have them to hand then sharp words are in order!

    Let's say we set our discussion dates as from Saturday, 22nd. February for Dr. Jekyll, and Saturday, 29th. March for The Warden.

    I'm looking forward to some good reading with these two, and I hope you'll join in and read them with me.

Comments

[Claire]

I look forward to reading The Warden with CBG. It is, indeed, on our shelf unread.

[Cornflower]

That's two of us, Claire - let's hope for a few more!

[B R Wombat]

Smashing choices which are perfectly attuned to my hope of reading (or re-reading in the case of RLS) more classics this year. I look forward to both of them.

[Cornflower]

So glad you approve!

[Barbara MacLeod]

Excellent! Thanks again for your selection! B.

[Susan in TX]

I finished Dr. Thorne in December, so I'm a few ahead of you in the Baretshire series, but I will look forward to the discussion. The fact that you have picked 3/3 so far this year that I have already read is unheard of for me, but it is really helping me with my reading from home project! :) These are great selections.

[B R Wombat]

Just heard today that the new serial on Radio 4 is The Warden and that all the Chronicles are to be serialised this year.

[Claire]

Just heard The Warden is going to be the Classic Serial on Radio 4!

[Cornflower]

You're welcome.

[Cornflower]

Glad you think so, Susan.

[Cornflower]

Still not sure whether to listen or read first.

[Annie @ knitsofacto]

I'm too late for RLS but I may just join in with The Warden ... it's a book I've been meaning to read again :)

[Cornflower]

Super! Thanks, Annie.