Use this forum to nominate a classic book for June. Volunteer to lead too, it's easy peazy. All you really have to do is show up and say "let's discuss."

For summer, I recommend focusing on short classic books as a refreshing and faster change of pace. Surely there are good classic books that are under 600 + pages and can be discussed in one dicussion?

Anyone up for a story about a house cursed by an ancestor who was a witch hunt victim?

Nathaniel Hawthorne's The House of Seven Gables (1851) looks tempting, even if it is Hawthorne of the despised red letter fame.

PBS is well stocked with copies.

Two hundred eighty-eight pages of mouldering sanctum fun?

Here is a http://www.amazon.com/House-Gables-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/019953912X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1242857927&sr=1-2 to reviews and other information.

I'll be traveling part of June.  I'll definitely be reading but I'm not sure that I can commit to a classic for that month.

If a book is chosen that I already have on my TBR shelf, I'd love to join in.  I'm out of credits at the moment and can't afford to purchase anything, so I'm limited to what I already have.  I'll look and see if The House of Seven Gables is my stack.

The House of Seven Gables is available to read online for free . . .

I will nominate Candide by Voltaire. Also available to read online for free. Approx. 128 pages

I'd be interested in reading either one of them.

I'm game for June.  I've read Seven Gables before but I'd be more than happy to read it again.

I will nominate Candide by Voltaire. Also available to read online for free. Approx. 128 pages

I had to look that one up. SATIRE!  I ordered myself a copy, winning nominee or no, I am going to give it a whirl.

I hope you like it Laura. I read Candide for a French Lit class, en francais, several years ago. I remember very little of the story but I do remember that I liked reading it and we had some interesting discussions in class.

Wooohooo!!   I just checked and I've got both book sitting on my shelf.....so I'm good for either one.

Ooh, here's a short one that's been on my TBR forever: Kate Chopin's The Awakening, that'll be my nominee for June.

The nominees so far:

• The House of Seven Gables, by N. Hawthorne
• Candide by Voltaire
• The Awakening, by Kate Chopin

Any others?

I vote for Candide...I read it in college but don't remember the story very well.  I've read The Awakening many times.....

The majority so far seems to be voting for Candide.  Since I haven't read any or know what any of them are about  yet, Candide is fine with me.

Any of the three nominated are fine with me.

Laura, I like the idea of picking a shorter book. I'm still making my way through The Mill on the Floss :-)

Candide it is!

This is going to be super, duper simple.

No leader, no scheduled dates, no hairy questions. This is just reading a book for pleasure and sharing your thoughts about it.

Just start reading Candide whenever you're ready.

If you're the first one finished, please start the discussion thread. This forum moves slow enough that the thread will be around for several months.

Feel free to talk about anything in entire book. In other words, don't worry about writing spoilers.

This goes without saying, if you haven't finished reading the book, don't click on the Candide discussion thread as it might contain spoilers.

cool beans.  I know I've got a copy somewhere, I'll have to dig it out.

Ooh, interesting. Never considered reading it. I should.

You should join us Rick . . . it's a short one.

Well, since I'm short on credits, I just downloaded the audio book of Candide from librivox.org - I test-listened to the introduction - and this reader is excellent (and he reads the whole book).

So there's a great free source for the audio version.