Introduce Yourself [ Edited ]

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Welcome to the Barnes & Noble.com Book Clubs, Abbie! I hope you enjoy the reading group. I have Irish "roots", and I've been to your fair country a couple of times. I always crave going back. I have family in County Mayo. Feel free to ask me any questions about the book clubs. Many readers really enjoy being able to discuss books from the comfort of their homes with readers from all around the world.

I'm also wondering why you have a bias against Dickens. Is it because you "had" to read him in school, or something like that?

~ConnieK

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AbbieHalpin wrote:
Hi, I'm Abbie, from Ireland. Just recently I've got a broadband connection which allows me access to the wonderful world of the internet, and to an online reading group. This is my first time to participate in such a group. I'm looking forward to it - I live, by choice, in a pretty remote place and don't meet too many people with whom to discuss books. I do have one longtime friend... but we're so longtime that our ideas on books have become rather predictable to each other. So I'm looking forward to exposure to a much wider variety of opinions and from people that I'd otherwise never meet.
As for "A Christmas Carol" - I've been reading for over 40 years, but I've never read this book! Nor have I seen it on stage, heard it on radio, or met up with it in any other way! I think I grew up with some kind of prejudice against Dickens. Well, it's time to let go of that... at least to decide as an adult with my own mind whether I like Dickens or not. So tomorrow I'm off to my local library where, according to their online catalogue, the book is in stock in the "children's" section... Ha!
I'll catch up with you later.
Cheers, Abbie

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Message Edited by ConnieK on 12-01-2007 04:08 PM

Message Edited by ConnieK on 12-01-2007 04:09 PM

[perfect_hostess]

Hi!

I'm Michelle. I'm a journalist who loves to read. I think the secret to a good writer lies in being a good reader.

I've read A Christmas Carol at least three times before in my life, and am reading it again for this group and another online book group at goodreads.com.

I absolutely LOVE Dickens, and am looking forward to discussing it with people who actually care about reading instead of a bunch of people sitting in a classroom who were forced to read!

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Welcome, Michelle! I hope you enjoy discussing the book here.

~ConnieK

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perfect_hostess wrote:
Hi!

I'm Michelle. I'm a journalist who loves to read. I think the secret to a good writer lies in being a good reader.

I've read A Christmas Carol at least three times before in my life, and am reading it again for this group and another online book group at goodreads.com.

I absolutely LOVE Dickens, and am looking forward to discussing it with people who actually care about reading instead of a bunch of people sitting in a classroom who were forced to read!

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[LottyAnn]

I read A Christmas Carol for the first time this year, but I wish I hadn't waited so long. I began teaching it this week. My two fourteen-year-old students have never heard the story before or seen any of the film versions.

[kiakar]

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LottyAnn wrote:
I read A Christmas Carol for the first time this year, but I wish I hadn't waited so long. I began teaching it this week. My two fourteen-year-old students have never heard the story before or seen any of the film versions.

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Wow! That seems impossible! Didn't you and your students ever hear of the book? If so, it didn't rouse up your curiousity about the book? It seems I have watched and read about the Christmas Carol a thousand times or more in my lifetime which is long of course.

[BarbaraN]

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kiakar wrote:

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LottyAnn wrote:
I read A Christmas Carol for the first time this year, but I wish I hadn't waited so long. I began teaching it this week. My two fourteen-year-old students have never heard the story before or seen any of the film versions.

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Wow! That seems impossible! Didn't you and your students ever hear of the book? If so, it didn't rouse up your curiousity about the book? It seems I have watched and read about the Christmas Carol a thousand times or more in my lifetime which is long of course.

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This was the first time I read it as well. It is one of those things you never get around to reading even though you aware of it. Like living in an area and never seeing the usual tourist sites. You know they are there and you will get around to them someday. This group gave me the incentive to finally read it.

[kiakar]

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BarbaraN wrote:

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kiakar wrote:

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LottyAnn wrote:
I read A Christmas Carol for the first time this year, but I wish I hadn't waited so long. I began teaching it this week. My two fourteen-year-old students have never heard the story before or seen any of the film versions.

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Wow! That seems impossible! Didn't you and your students ever hear of the book? If so, it didn't rouse up your curiousity about the book? It seems I have watched and read about the Christmas Carol a thousand times or more in my lifetime which is long of course.

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This was the first time I read it as well. It is one of those things you never get around to reading even though you aware of it. Like living in an area and never seeing the usual tourist sites. You know they are there and you will get around to them someday. This group gave me the incentive to finally read it.

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I know you are happy you did. It is a tradional Christmas story everywhere. And so many good lessons at Christmas to learn from it.

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Welcome, LottyAnn! I hope you'll share some of your experience in teaching the novel with us. It's surprising that the story is so new to your 14-year-old students, but how nice for them that they're encountering it in the original form first!

~ConnieK

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LottyAnn wrote:
I read A Christmas Carol for the first time this year, but I wish I hadn't waited so long. I began teaching it this week. My two fourteen-year-old students have never heard the story before or seen any of the film versions.

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[earp30wyatt]

Hello all!

I have read A CHRISTMAS CAROL numerous times. I read the whole story outloud to my sons when they were younger,and now every year I read it all again. I also read a shortened version to my class of 5th graders. They love it!

I also ordered a book by his great grandson, Cedric Dickens,and I used it last year to throw A CHRISTMAS CAROL Christmas party for my bookclub. We listened to Gerald Dickens do a dramatization of the story on a Cd,and listened, to each stave with appetizers, and drinks between for breaks, then a full meal, then drinks, then CHRISTMAS PUDDING,and then before the last stave we did presents, and at the end did a toast to GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE! We used recipes from Cedric's book,and my wife and I provided the turkey,and the stuffing,and everyone else brought a dish to share. It was great!!! Everyone raved on and on about what a nice evening it was, and have asked if we can do a repeat performance someday,and i said yes! I loved doing it, that's for sure.

So, to answer your question, I've read the book many times,and need to again for this annual read this year. I also highly recommend the Alistar Sims movie version from 1951.
It's by far the best movie version ever!

[dulcinea3]

That party sounds like a lot of fun! You must have had a blast!

[ConnieAnnKirk]

Welcome to the book club, earp! The party sounds like a hoot!

~ConnieK

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earp30wyatt wrote:
Hello all!

I have read A CHRISTMAS CAROL numerous times. I read the whole story outloud to my sons when they were younger,and now every year I read it all again. I also read a shortened version to my class of 5th graders. They love it!

I also ordered a book by his great grandson, Cedric Dickens,and I used it last year to throw A CHRISTMAS CAROL Christmas party for my bookclub. We listened to Gerald Dickens do a dramatization of the story on a Cd,and listened, to each stave with appetizers, and drinks between for breaks, then a full meal, then drinks, then CHRISTMAS PUDDING,and then before the last stave we did presents, and at the end did a toast to GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE! We used recipes from Cedric's book,and my wife and I provided the turkey,and the stuffing,and everyone else brought a dish to share. It was great!!! Everyone raved on and on about what a nice evening it was, and have asked if we can do a repeat performance someday,and i said yes! I loved doing it, that's for sure.

So, to answer your question, I've read the book many times,and need to again for this annual read this year. I also highly recommend the Alistar Sims movie version from 1951.
It's by far the best movie version ever!

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[Starlet]

Hi everybody!
I'm Emmy. I just finished reading A Christmas Carol before Christmas for school. We watched the movie too. Before that, I had just seen the Mickey version