My mother (who instilled the love of literature in my heart) passed away in 2020. I struggled with depression and anger. I have,however, found solace and comfort in the pages of some of her favourite books that are now standing on my bookshelf. I intend joining you on this journey next year and pray that everyone who joins in will find what they need on the pages of some of the most spectacular books ever penned. Love and blessings from South Africa 🇿🇦

@PersonallyOptimistic

Жыл бұрын

I am in the same boat alas. 2020 also. Sharing books that she certainly read is a solace you are right. I hope that you find peace with it too.

@valeriemaryman8345

Жыл бұрын

My parents also promoted reading. When we had a field trip it was typically to the library. I love reading

@havefunbesafe

Жыл бұрын

Same, reading the random notes and scribbles is a connection to my mom; grocery lists too!

@akc1739

Жыл бұрын

Same! I have tons of my mom’s books now and all of her personal journals (as she intended). These are my first holidays without her. Finding mom’s annotations, random receipts, and Emory boards in the pages of her books easily brings me to tears. She was an English major. I wish I’d realized my love of lit while she was still here. She is with me as I read, but it’s just not the same.

@destinyforreal9744

Жыл бұрын

You are so loving. I lost my mom too I understand.

War and Peace 8-10 weeks The Brothers karamazov 6-8 weeks Orlando from April through May The stories of Alice Munro - Carried Away The Lord of the rings - spring to summer The count of mounte Cristo. 8-10 weeks The Invisible Man. From August through to September Jane Eyre. 6 weeks Paradise Lost. 8-12 weeks Gravity’s Rainbow. 10-12 weeks Secret Dickens - to be revealed Bonus reading projects: Proust - In Search of Lost Time Plays - Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound. Ibsen’s Hedda Gabbler. Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest (Handbag!). Faust (I’m sorry I didn’t catch the name of the writer). The Shakespeare Project.

@a.t.1397

Жыл бұрын

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is the missing name (Faust) 😊

@cathylindeboo.9598

Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@cassia2049

Жыл бұрын

Thank You

@Ripleycat

Жыл бұрын

Thanks

The Lord of the Rings, The Count of Monte Cristo, Jane Eyre, Paradise Lost, Dickens, In Search of Lost Time, The Importance of Being Earnest and ALL of Shakespeare's plays? Man, I've got a master's degree to finish here, stop tempting meeeeeee! Seriously, I don't think I could fit all that in my schedule, but I really want to try!!!

I haven't read a book since the passing of my father, 11 years ago. That anniversary fell on the same day that this video made its appearance amongst the true crime podcasts on my KZread feed. After listening to it for just a minute I immediately knew iit was a calling to catch up on all I had missed. My Dad took up reading at 87. For his last 3 years, books became his constant companions, never alone or lonely. So grateful. Excited to begin this journey. I've been reading and rereading all the comments throughout the site. Brilliant. Myhla

@HolographicCoaching

Жыл бұрын

What a special message from your Dad ❤️ good luck on this amazing journey!

@arianna4244

Жыл бұрын

Good luck for starting your journey! 💕 We can do it!

As ever, I'm bowled over by your passion and your valuing of things that in today's world are very often derided and laughed at - deep consideration and thought, sincerity, and a finely tuned appreciation of literary art and the artist. And all done without pomposity and elitism. Serious props going out to you for what you're doing.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

That’s so incredibly kind of you, Jack. Thank you. You’re right that these things are derided and undervalued today, but you and I, and everyone here, is thankfully proving that there is a good amount of us who yearn for these deep discussions and value these great books. I’m so grateful for you all 😊

@lesterstone8595

Жыл бұрын

@@BenjaminMcEvoy "I wear the chain I forged in life." Luckily, I'm a jeweler and not Jacob Marley. Have a merry Christmas, Big Ben! I'll keep admiring my homemade bracelet. 🎄

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

@@lesterstone8595 Merry Christmas to you, Lester! :) I hope you've had a lovely festive season, my friend!

Am from Zambia southern Africa never new how sweet reading books can be, I have been in contact with people without reading background but there was this longing for books in my heart but with no one to guide me how to read. Reading in depth with quality has been beyond my reach since adolescent but after stumbling on susan wise Bauer and watching your videos my direction is changing enormously and am improving. And on your video I noticed you spoke of connecting ideas from different authors this is exactly what happens when I read a book nowadays though highlighting in books is a habit I have picked along my search for more. Thank you very much and I have always wanted someone to guide me i think I have found one.

@lustforlife1025

Жыл бұрын

Love this

Winter --War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy Spring 6-8 weeks -The Brothers Karamazov -(Lex Friedman's fav book) Apr- may 3-5 weeks- Orlando - Virginia Woolf Alice Monroe short stories -Carried away. Spring to Summer JRR Tolkien -Lord of the Rings Summer -The Count of Monte Cristo - 8-10 week's Ralph Ellison's invisible man.

@alaska401

Жыл бұрын

Jane Eyre 6 weeks, Paradise Lost 8-12 weeks, Gravity's Rainbow, A secret Dickens work

@WorldCitizen333

Жыл бұрын

@@alaska401 And the whole of Shakespeare over 12 months O_O

Finally, someone on KZread who analyzes and appreciates true and deep literature in a rational, yet emotional and enthusiastic way. Thank you Sir for your immense and intense channel that makes us approach literature in such a simplifying, passionate way. Greetings from the Lebanon in the Middle East.

This very morning, I wrote in my journal that the wintry months of 2023 will be for the Russians. And here you are starting the Book Club with Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky! We must be kindred spirits. Can’t wait to read with you.😊

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

That’s some wonderful serendipity right there! Kindred spirits indeed, my friend! Tolstoy & Dostoyevsky will be great companions for those wintry months. I can’t wait to read with you too :)

I graduated from university last spring with a literature degree and have greatly missed the discussion and deep dives of my classes. So glad I found this!

A delightful listen, as always. In these very dark times you are bringing light and hope, young man. Bless you. ✨️

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Terence. I really appreciate that. Bless you too 🙏😊

Jane Eyre, War and Peace & The Lord of The Rings are absolute masterpieces !!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

They absolutely are! :)

@happybalaga4716

Жыл бұрын

jane eyre is remarkable, it is one of my favourite books!!

Ben your passion is absolutely infectious. You've compelled me to join the bookclub for this intriguing syllabus. Can't wait to dive in

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, my friend. We’re so happy to have you reading with us! I can’t wait to hear what you make of these great books! 😊

What a fantastic selection for 2023! I've always wanted to join in and read with the book club, and the exciting thing is that I may actually be in a position to do so the coming year! So many of these have been books sitting on my to read list for ages, the book club may well be the push I need to get started on them. Cheers Ben!

I’m so committed to this challenge and looking forward to reading these incredible books. Looking forward to being more involved in the discussions as well. Thank you for being my guiding light!

Hi Ben, I'm a recent subscriber and wanted to say thank you for this channel and Hardcore Literature. The content is meaty and is causing me to fill notebook pages, read a new poem each day, change the way I annotate books and look forward to finding out more things I don't know. Also, I'm grateful that you make me feel braver about tackling the books/authors which have daunted me (Melville and Milton). Your material is a great public service.

Sounds fantastic, Benjamin! I have been watching and enjoying your videos for awhile but have never committed to such a year long read. The selections are spectacular and the companion read alongs seem very inviting and illuminating. I've been looking for a community of serious like-minded literature lovers. It seems I've found them. Count me in!

Oh Benjamin….this is wonderful. 🙏🏻❤️. My New Year’s Resolution is to keep up with the reading, understand the reading, and gain insight to the world. Thank you for giving all of us this opportunity. You’re the bomb!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Aw, thank you, Patricia 🙏🏻 That is such a wonderful New Year's Resolution - the best, in my opinion! Thank you so much for being here and reading with me 😊📚

Been following this channel for over a year now. I would really like to be a part of the book club but $25 a month is a little too steep for me. Really sweet picks for this coming year and I'll keep following along on the KZread :)

I do believe you are changing my life in real time. I just discovered your channel a month ago and have been binging your videos while im working. I basically clean toilets for a living at a "prestigious" california university. Its been hard for me to finish books lately (last few years) and your guidance through your vids have really helped. Since discovering your channel ive finished one book (the Silmarillion) and completed two others (Passenger & Stella Maris) and im now on pg 200 of Moby Dick. Ive often bought books, mostly the classics but they end up collecting dust on the book shelf. No longer! You've helped me better manage my reading, my reading patterns and schedule and most importantly my former love of reading that i had lost somewhere along the way. I have so many future plans now to dive into the many works of the books and authors you frequently mention. Just want to say a big thanks to you. Im only at the beginning.

Well rounded schedule Ben! Wishing much growth and nourishment for the next year for all members. For me i shall keep on my own felt journey, you know i'm getting back to a type of literature that is among my interests from of old, the Reformed theology strain which poetically Milton was a part of i believe. You're such a gem you know, just your voice and demeanor exudes a calm and reassurance, of good in this world.

Wow this is so exciting! I would love to join this club. Thinking of the whole year is overwhelming, but if I can even just get through the winter and spring reading I would definitely be very satisfied with my progress.

I read War and Peace during dozens of crossings of the Staten Island Ferry in 1986. Time to pick it up again!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

What a beautiful memory, Kenneth! I'd love to hear how you find the work upon rereading! :)

Great list! There's a few on this list that i picked up recently that I'm thinking of reading next year: Orlando, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Paradise Lost. Although I'm not a member of the book club, I think I'll use this list as a bit of encouragement to get around to those books.

So excited for this! This video was recommended to me and the first two books are the highest on my TBR list. So I'm in! So excited to join the club very soon!

Thank you Benjamin, for the coming year I'm going to re-kindle my love for great stories again via books and audiobooks. I just wish I could share my love for the old school novels and storytelling with people closest to me.

I am so excited to begin this in the New Year! I’ve been watching your other videos and I am so glad I came across your channel.

Will you be letting us know which translation you’ll be using ? (Just for Christmas shopping / lists 😊.. prep 2023 !)

@megancampbell3914

Жыл бұрын

yes please

@missanne2908

Жыл бұрын

I wrote a separate comment about translations, but decided to move it here in case it's of any use to you: ... Do you make recommendations for the translations of your foreign language selections? The quality of the translation will affect the reader's experience of the novel or play. I've read both _War and Peace_ and _The Count of Monte Cristo_ in recent years and did some research into the various translations of those novels. For _War and Peace_ I would recommend the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translation; for _The Count of Monte Cristo_ the Robin Buss translation. I'm looking forward to _The Brothers Karamazov;_ it had been on my next year's read list already. Pevear and Volokhonsky have done a translation of this novel as well.

@allisonschneider7414

Жыл бұрын

I purchased my copies based on the covers that were shown in this video 🙂

It seems the universe has laid this at my feet. That’s how stumbling upon this video feels. Excited for the 2023 reading journey. Thank you!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

I must thank the universe for bringing you here, Fallon 😊🙏 I’m so excited to be reading with you!

Amazing schedule!! Will definitely join this year, such a great opportunity to learn with you! Thanks for your work! (Would be lovely to have at some point some short stories of Machado de Assis, would love to hear your thoughts on him!)

As you read off the list, I broke into hurrahs for each one. One or two are new to me. That will keep my old brain working! Thank you for making the list and for your wonderful enthusiasm for each book.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Hurrah! 🥳 I'm so happy you like the schedule, Mindy! Thank you so much for being here! :)

Benjamin, Hardcore. I watched first, in hesitation (knowing I would Likely change the way I finished the reading year). I quickly succumbed to the excitement of the list. I cheered each selection& now with a furrowed brow anticipate the coming days/weeks/months. Thank You

I joined recently and found myself overwhelmed by all the reading assignments underway and already finished. I am looking forward to starting the new year and staying with the group. As always Professor, you presentation was inspiring.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

We’re so happy you’re reading with us, Eugene :) There’s definitely a lot there, so make sure to embrace your own personal pace. Thank you so much for your kind words, and I can’t wait to hear what you make of these great books! I appreciate you, my friend 🙏

Hi Ben! Loving your videos & your podcast episodes! As a big fan of Dumas' The Three Musketeers, I was thrilled to see Monte Cristo in this incredibly exciting list. Can't wait to embark on this reading journey! Thank you for the great bookish content:)

The Brothers Karamazov is the book that made me fall in love with literature. Can't wait to join you all.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

That's amazing! Truly such a powerful, life-changing book :)

@vrraeel

Жыл бұрын

Have a hard time with this read. I feel irritated and often angry. I’ll read past this and learn. Thanks for letting me vent.

Your excitement is infectious!! I am excited to dive in for my very first year with your book club. I can't tackle all of the books, but I'll start with Tolkein and hope to continue with Monte Cristo and Jane Eyre! I just love hearing you talk about these books. Classics can be really daunting, but your joy and excitement really makes me want to give them a try!! Thank you so much for sharing this life's work with us.

mid night. i m abt to sleep. This channel is what relaxes my mind and helps me sleep peacefully. ❤️ You deserve to know your viewers ❤️ Nepal 🇳🇵

This is such a great list. I will (re)read the French and Russian authors in french (my first langage). But I will read the English authors in their original forms. Will take me more time to get through them, though. Still, should I join the book club? You are so passionate about littérature, it's contagious! Love it!

I read crime and punishment and the brothers Karamazov last year when i was really depressed and guilt ridden. It helped me partly heal and examine myself and situations better. Fyodor is one of my favorite writers. We're in for a fantastic ride this year I see, and I cant wait!!!

@vrraeel

Жыл бұрын

I’m finding The Brothers K a hard read for me. Thank you for encouraging me to be more open.

@ilamilam9154

Жыл бұрын

I would strongly recommend the idiot too, Such a great book.

I stumbled upon your channel last week as I was feeling some indefinable urge to take a deeper dive back into some classics, and I think all the emotional, intellectual, and spiritual reasons you listed for deep reading literature are at the root of that urge.🧐The way you talk about literature is so inspiring! I will definitely be joining the book club in January. See you then!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Rachel. I really appreciate that, and am so happy that you stumbled upon this channel. We’re incredibly excited to be reading with you! 😊

I'm new to this channel and this all sounds amazing! I have read about half of these classic works and am interested in reading the rest.

Unbelievably, I was planning to do Shakespeare’s plays in chronological order next year. One a week via audio readings (half will be re-reads and half a new experience) on the commute to work, followed by reading the article for each play in Harold Bloom’s ‘The Invention of the Human’. The fact that you are planning something similar may be the tipping point for giving the Book Club a crack in 23’. Some really exciting stuff in here that I have yet to read in ‘War and Peace’ and Pynchon.

I love the way you talk about books with so much passion, I love reading memoir books.

What an amazing selection ! How exciting ! The only ones I have not read are Orlando, Gravity's Rainbow, and the Alice Munro stories. I've been long overdue for a reread of all the others you mentioned .

Wow, Ben! There’s so much to look forward to! I’m especially excited to read Orlando, and The Brothers K, as both have been on my personal wish list for some time. I’m also very intrigued by Tolkien, as I’ve never read any of his work. I did have a crack at The Hobbit when I was about 14, but put it aside. 2023 is going to be a year of wonders!

@mendyviola

Жыл бұрын

It is worth it to read the entire series in sequence as they build upon each other.

I've just joined you Benjamin. I don't know whether to be excited or intimidated, the 2023 schedule looks both. How to begin and where to go first? This is a whole new reading world! I have watched some of your videos on KZread before but now joining your Patreon I now have an all new beginning to wade through. I'm thrilled but wracked with self-nervousness.

Wow! You are extraordinary! Thank you Benjamin Mc Evoy Your love for literature is very contagious. Bringing to life,meaning,value and the love that comes from those who write. Thank you for doing what you are doing for the world.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, my friend 🙏 I appreciate you deeply!

Righto. I bought War and Peace over the weekend. I spent the last day and a half getting into it. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that I’d be reading this. Your enthusiasm in this video made me think that I’m obviously missing out on something if I don’t. Looking forward to this. I wasn’t aware that you were running a book club. Ill check it out. Thank you!

Very excited to join all of you on this journey. This is a wonderful idea, thanks so much!

Happy New Year, Ben! Love your content, keep up the great work. When you talk about books it's like music to my ears, your passion is contagious. Wish you lot of likes, views and subs in 2023!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much :) You've completely made my day! Happy New Year to you too. I hope your 2023 is filled with happiness and great books!

Ben, you are a great discovery to me this year! thank you.

Hey! Just wanted to say what a pleasure it is that I’ve discovered both your channel and podcast. I’ve recently rediscovered my love of reading and hearing how passionately you describe some novels adds a new layer of depth to the whole experience. On your first podcast you mentioned that you didn’t want to do it but you pushed yourself out of your comfort zone so you could reach out to others and hopefully make a difference in their lives - you absolutely have with me. Thank you so much. I will join the HLBC one day when it’s more affordable to do so!

Really great stuff! I so appreciate your passion for quality literature and enjoy learning about how to improve my own reading experience. Can’t wait to hear from you in the upcoming year!

Hi! I’m new here. I was pulling the books off my shelves as you mentioned them. My 2023 reading stack- and it’s quite a stack! 😮

Im excited to sign up for this! I haven’t read any of these except Jane Eyre and I remember loving it. I think it’s easier for me to go through classic literature when I’m engaging in discussions and learning from someone.

I was planning to read these books next year anyhow so I’ll defo be joining in on this 🙌🏿

I’m in - I’m LOVING this list - I hope my eyes don’t fail me -this is very exciting - can’t wait for this journey!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Nice one, Rudy! Thank you :) We're so happy to share this journey with you, my friend!

@rudylozano437

Жыл бұрын

You’re welcome ! Should I sign up late December under the Proust membership in order to timely participate ? I’m new to this .

Two books into the list and I’m already in love! ❤ I’ve actually started reading Brothers Karamazov a couple of weeks ago, so I’m a bit ahead of schedule… 😅 I am absolutely in awe of this book and I never want to finish it, that’s how much I love it!

I'll be joining for the first time after a long time watching. I teach a few of these, so getting more insight will be wonderful. I'll be setting up Patreon on Dec. 1.

Thanks for sharing the list! Ive borrowed few titles for my own reading this year - such as “Invisible man” and “Gravity’s Rainbow”, plus I’ve already made prior commitments for a few of my own. Thank you for this passionate review! I wish my school teachers talked me into reading classics the same way back when i was studying 😅 Ill be also committing to read and re-read entire Gogol body of work, he is my favorite writer. ❤

This just popped up for me to watch, and I’m so glad I did. This is what I thought booktube was and was sorely disappointed. I cannot wait to join and get started! I homeschool my kiddos and while I enjoy the conversations we have have about what they are reading, more adult discussions would be appreciated.

I've been waiting for this list for weeks and it exceeded my hopes. I am so excited by this reading list and will definitely be joining the book club in 2023. Can't wait!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much! I’m thrilled you’re excited, and I’m so happy you’ll be reading with us. I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on these great books! 😊

Wow, you did a great job with this schedule and selection. It's thrilling. Thanks for posting.

Excited about next year’s line up - there are a lot of books that I was planning on reading this year (Jane Eyre, War and Peace) Looking forward to the Book Club and mixing in some of the back catalogue for some others on my list (Crime and Punishment, Moby Dick, Don Quixote).

This looks like a great year of reading. I wish that I could join the reading group. But alas, my work load is too high and it leaves me too exhausted to get into deep reading. Also, I read slowly. Maybe one day I will be able to join, to be in a class with you Ben as a leader/mentor/instructor with the greatest books ever written of all time! Hopefully, you will be doing this book club years into the future. sigh......

Happy to see Orlando on the curriculum! It's my favorite of the Woolf novels I've read. There are unchecked books on the Read Woolf list (The Waves, Between the Acts, short fiction). Bringing in Woolf's essays is good idea, also. Orlando was more than a love letter to Vita Sackville West, it's a love song to English literature! For my money, the changes that Orlando experiences are analogous to the changes in British literary history!

This is such a treat! I m excited too and I have been waiting for this. Thank you for all you do. Such a marvellous selection.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you so much, Jane :) I'm so happy you like the selection!

@creationspast.janebowell1903

Жыл бұрын

@@BenjaminMcEvoy I have selected seven for sure and after that I ll see how busy I ll be.

Hello from Canada 🇨🇦 I am so happy to have found you and just in time to join this book club! I have ordered the books as a Christmas gift to myself. Do you have a video on your note taking process? I am a hesitant annotator of books but I do recall in a previous video you mentioned having a notebook per book. I would love to see that process! Thank you!

Sounds like a great selection of literature. For me personally, 2023 will be the year that I finally delve into both Shakespeare and 19th Century English literature, both of which are massive gaps in my personal literary cannon. I'm planning on reading a selection of the bard's plays, as well as some of Austen, the Bronte sisters, Dickens, Eliot, Gaskell and Hardy's best works.

@margaretcantlon9960

Жыл бұрын

You will fall in love with English Literature. The greatest love of my 72 years of reading. 💘 Except for Proust of course!

what a line up! I have not read Gravity's rainbow yet due to fear, ha! So its good to hear its not as bad as all that. You have me completely excited!

Your channel showed up on my “For You” stream. Hope to join for some of the selections-all are fabulous!

I am very excited to join in with the book club! Thanks Benjamin for offering this. I think it should be wonderful :)

What an amazing reading list for next year!

Thanks for your passion of reading. It inspires and encourages me start to my English reading. I started reading Twelfth Night , Wuthering Heights and some others at the end of 2022. Looking forward to 2023.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Joanne :) Your reading is going superbly well! Nice one on starting Twelfth Night, Wuthering Heights, and more. I'd love to know how you're finding them so far! And I can't wait to read these great books with you in 2023 too :)

I greatly enjoy watching your videos I have many similar feelings about books and reading I so enjoy your passion for reading and your philosophy too

I cannot tell you how excited I am. The Count of Monte Cristo is my favorite book. In addition, Paradise Lost and Faust have been on my list for decades. Thank you so much.

I have started reading again after years of living in tv zombie land. War and Peace was a wonderful first read. Thank you very much for your energy and passion.

Hi Ben, loving this channel! Your passion for literature has reminded me what it was that made me read and love classics and feel entirely not satisfied when reading 'bestsellers'. Have you considered setting up a penpal program? I think some of your fans might be interested in connecting with other like minded people :)

I never read the required reading in High School or college. At the age of 57, I am feeling that I have missed out on some great reading. I have tried to read poems, plays and a few of the classics, but I could not understand them. After watching your latest KZread video, I joined your Patreon and have decided to just jump in and go for it. The excitement of reading that you exude during your videos, is truley infectious. Thank you.

Sadly the HLC isn't affordable for me. Times for artists are difficult. But I will folllow the schedule on my own to make theses works my companions for the next year. English is my forth language so I will have to read some works in french, italian or german (even when I'm just working through Ulysses in english, hard stuff). Most of them I will read for the second or even third time. Thanks for working out my booklist for 2023. 😉

@BhashwatiDutta

Жыл бұрын

Can't afford it either. I'm writing down the schedule and will try to follow it tentatively. 😅

Benjamin I have been watching your videos. I love your talks and insights. I am impressed you can hold forth for song long on these topics, meaning you know a lot. I am one of those readers who read a book and then unfortunately forget it. But I’m underlining now, which was your idea. Don’t do a journal yet. I already read War and peace 1.5 times and Anna Karenina. Now I am reading Proust following your suggestion of 10 pages per day. Bought Brothers Karamzov this week. Learned from you that Cormac McCarthy is someone I should read. He would be good as well for the modem reader who wants action, like gun battles, and not so much discussions around a ballroom, for example. Now I will go over to Patreon and sign up for some lower tier. Don’t think I will follow a schedule, higher tier, because I’ve got my own plan in mind but will look for those notes and discussions you mention.

I’ve joined the hard core literature project for 2023. I’m very excited. I’m a few chapters in to War and Peace, purposely reading slowly. I’m intimidated, but I will progress. I hope you hold our hands a little bit. I want to do it in the prescribed reading time because I don’t want to fall behind.

I am really tempted to join this year. I have started to read War and Peace twice and not made it, so maybe this is what I need. I have read The Fellowship of the Ring, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Jane Eyre (all of which I loved and will happily read again), and I’ve read some of Shakespeare’s plays, and seen many performed. I am very intrigued by reading Shakespeare chronologically and ranking the plays. And the rest of the list seems like a very interesting mix. I appreciate the way you crafted it.

I am so happy to find this channel at the beginning of the year. As for 50 books, Middlemarch was much lower than I expected. Women in the literature always fascinating. In the tradition of my country 's literature, Lady Murasaki wrote the Tale of Genji in 11th century. There appear more than a hundred women. If you have time, please try.

This next years reading list speaks to me more than the previously. I have started reading both War and Peace and the Brothers Karamazov this year, but put them on hold. This may be the sign i needed to continue. I will ponder and maybe i will see you in the Book Club later on. :)

This list is incredible! I'm so excited to participate. Thank you for putting this together!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

Жыл бұрын

Thank you, Ashley! And you’re so welcome! I really appreciate you reading with us 😊🙏

So exciting!!!! Two Russian novels that I already read ( two of my favorite books of all time), right out of the gate! I always want to read them again. Hope I do.

Lots of big books. It sounds like a really significant challenge/experience.

Great list! I reread Lord of the Rings, Brothers Karamazov, and Paradise Lost this past year, and of course I'll reread A Christmas Carol soon. I'm impressed at your pacing, though.

So excited for this! When will you be announcing the editions that we will be reading along with? Having the same edition was a Godsend when reading Anna Karenina.

This is exactly what I’ve been searching for! So exciting.

Great schedule with the finest literature! I am looking forward to reading these books! Oh and War and peace has just published with a new translation in Hungary, so the timing is perfect! :)

Thank you for answering my question. Merry Christmas sir and a happy new year. 🎄

As i was getting into our Bookclub first year canon, i was yearning for Orlando, Brothers Karamazov and War and Peace... And here they are ! You even threw in a bit of LoTR in there, which i tried to read and never managed, just like i read this year Wuthering Heights... Hated it, but loved to hate it ! :) Here's to another year or Reading with you guys!

Wow. I just stumbled across your channel a few days ago. And I just now discovered this video. So I'm already behind schedule. Thank you for your hard work in creating this video. Not sure if I will start here, or go back to some of your older videos and work through those. But in any case, there is no way I could read War and Peace in 10 weeks. I look forward to learning from you.

@BenjaminMcEvoy

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Thank you, Colin. I really appreciate that. You're not behind at all, my friend :) I encourage you to embrace your own personal pace when it comes to reading these great books! I can't wait to hear what you make of them. Happy reading! :)

@stephenmyers6190

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Me too. Not a big KZreadr but stumbled upon Benjamin’s videos by accident when looking up stuff about Ulysses. I’ve read many books he talks about and am ready to reread em all!

I feel overwhelmed, having heard of all the titles but have never read them. I am making a goal of reading 3 of them in 2023. Thank you for what you do!

@BenjaminMcEvoy

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That's amazing! What a fantastic goal :) Which three are you going for?

KZread placed this video in my feed. I love your passion and enthusiasm for reading.

So many of my favorites on this list, and some I've been wanting to read. A great line up.

Honestly, joining in on something like this seems DAUNTING as all hell to me haha. I am by no means a quick reader, and I already have one passion that takes up a lot of my time as an artist/illustrator. But I really want to jump in. Good news here is I'm already part way through the Two Towers so I may be done with LOTR by the time you get to it. But I've always wanted to read Count of Monte Cristo and this is giving me every reason in the world to do so. I did however just grabbed myself a copy of Moby Dick as this channel got me interested in giving that story a read. I've never read these massive literary works, and what reading I have done has never been as deep as you and your club seem to go. But I have to admit, watching your videos gives me inspiration to do so. So hopefully I can get in on this. :) Cheers.

This is good. Inspirational. Motivational. The action trigger for my own personal literature appreciation journey. Thank You.