Victober approaches

Well, October is getting closer and so my reading is about to change from Booker Books to Victober - the month for reading Victorian literature. Quite a contrast, but that’s good.


Victober is a YouTube initiative with a huge following and a group of very enthusiastic organisers. They suggest some challenges, but I largely ignore those and just choose books that I want to read - some new and some read many times.


The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope is the group read - we read a few chapters a day and can talk about what we are reading. I think this is a sensible way to tackle a book which I have long wanted to read, but have been put off by its size. 

The Odd Women by George Gissing and The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde I have just decided I would like to read. I haven't read George Gissing since I was at college - a long time ago.

And of course the two Thomas Hardy books are ones I have read several times. We used to spend holidays in Dorset and I would read through his books in order, visit his houses and search out places used in the books. Very sad . . . but!

Jude the Obscure is well known to be Hardy’s bleakest book, in fact it was his last novel, after it he turned to poetry. My copy cost 35p and has a picture of a very young Robert Powell from the 1971 TV series! I remember it so well.