Big Victorian Reads

[@bellathereader1328]

I never in a million years would have thought I could have gotten through big novels, especially Dickens. But thanks to this channel, I have seen that it could be possible, especially with audio books, and now I am about to finish my Dicken's project (all the Charles Dickens novels) started last December. Wow! Thank you Katie!!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks Bella! Dickens is so, so amazing.

[@houseofchapter]

Books and Things Victorian literature was my subject at ‪#Harvard‬. 👌

[@lesliegordon2313]

Your enthusiasm lights up the screen, and your reading matter is positively tenacious. I too am a fervent fan of big Victorian novels - works where one can submerge themselves and get lost in another time. Thank you.

[@buchdrache1409]

Great video! Your enthusiasm makes me want to read all of these books at the same time!!! Got to know two unknowns as well! My favourite big victorian novel would be Our Mutual Friend. I absolutely adore that book, although i haven't reread it in 5+ years!

[@katiejlumsden]

Someone after my own heart! Our Mutual Friend is just the best.

[@PancakeTutu]

I'm thoroughly enjoying the Victober videos, Katie! Your content never disappoints. 🥰

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks so much :)

[@meghanthestorygirl4581]

Thoroughly enjoyed this! My Victorian literature TBR is endless!

[@katiejlumsden]

Mine too!

[@MrYorickJenkins]

So glad that some young folk can approach the literature of the past with such enthusiasm and such genuine empathy.

[@kcsunshine4008]

Love love love your vlogs…. You have informed, enthused and entertained ……big thanks. Talking of size…. The biggest book in my library and TBR list is 18th century…… Clarissa by Samuel Richardson….. can’t wait to read it but still building my arm strength…. 😂 Because of this, Dickens, Dumas and Hugo aren’t quite so scary!

[@loisthiessen5611]

I've had difficulty reading Wilkie Collins. I enjoy your videos and, will try it again to see if I cannot learn to appreciate his works.

[@katiejlumsden]

I find Wilkie Collins very hit and miss, to be honest - love some of his works, but they're not all as good!

[@takingteawithcatherine]

October is just not long enough! Excellent list; I've read half of these and loved them all. I have a feeling I'll love the rest!

[@katiejlumsden]

It really isn't long enough! So many books, so little time.

[@buddhabillybob]

Once again, some of the best content on all of BookTube! Thank you.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks so, so much :)

[@chelsealovingbooks5961]

Watching this makes me want to reread so many of these and move some of the others up on my TBR.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks :)

[@lydiafeliciano2900]

Thank you for so many recommendations. I love large books so I look forward to these treasures. I will be starting on my Dickens collection in December, reading them in order of publication. Thank you for the video!

[@katiejlumsden]

Large books are just so great :)

[@MsTerriB]

Great recommendations! I watched your short Victorian Reads video too and found both videos very helpful. Love your enthusiasm for these books!

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks!

[@RaineyDayReads]

My favorite so far has been Wives and Daughters, for sure! I’m re-reading Oliver Twist now and I’m loving it! It’s making me want to read all of Dickens, so I’ve got A LOT of big books to catch up on.

[@katiejlumsden]

He wrote so many, but they are all so amazing :)

[@karenkoutsoumbaris6308]

You are so fantastic with the Victorian literature....your passion for it sucks me right in, I would like to read all of them and I’m starting with Wives and Daughters! Thankyou so much Katie, I loved Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks Karen! Wives and Daughters is so great - I hope you like it.

[@mariajesustovardedios4064]

Great (and big) recommendations!! The longest victorian books I’ve read are by Dickens and Collins, but the one I love the most is Wive and daugthers which I read last Victober. I adore it!

[@katiejlumsden]

Wives and Daughters is just incredible.

[@angelaluz405]

My favorite is Wives and Daughters, which I read for the first time in Victober last year. I am about a quarter of the way through Lorna Doone now and am really enjoying it. I end up putting off big books for ages, because they are big...and then end up loving them after I finally get through them. Some day I hope to learn my lesson and pick them up more quickly!

[@katiejlumsden]

Wives and Daughters is so, so amazing. I'm glad you're enjoying Lorna Doone too - it's great.

[@snowyskylar8821]

I'm working my way through your list. Currently reading David Copperfield. I absolutely Love this book!

[@katiejlumsden]

It's amazing!

[@taaptee]

loved the point about middlemarch - so often i respect or admire a book, but can't come around to loving it

[@novellenovels]

I am now a massive Elizabeth Gaskell fan so can’t wait to read her longer books. I’ve always been scared by long books but really look forward to trying some long Victorian books. Oh and I have to read David copperfield as Tom raves about it 😊

[@katiejlumsden]

Wives and Daughters doesn't feel long at all! And yes, David Copperfield is amazing - I highly recommend!

[@resa_reads]

Now I can't wait to read The Way We Live Now!! I just added so many books to my TBR!

[@katiejlumsden]

It's absolutely amazing!

[@jenniferbrooks]

Another excellent recommendations video, Katie! I’ve read a few of these and loved them. I hope I love the rest. I’m going to try my first Trollope this month and I hope I get on with him.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks so much! I hope you like Trollope - he's amazing.

[@oliviagittins2995]

Yay Bleak house!! I love your videos

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks :)

[@LuminousLibro]

You literally just listed most of my favorite books! I love those complex long Victorian novels.

[@katiejlumsden]

They're all so great!

[@genresandjournals]

Thanks for another great list! I am getting close to the end of The Woman in White; I have loved reading it this Victober. It is a fantastic book!

[@katiejlumsden]

It's such a great book!

[@deborahmeades4282]

I love love love Dombey and Son. It s so underrated. thank you for the video Katie

[@katiejlumsden]

It's such a great book!

[@CozyReaderKelly]

I haven’t read much Victorian literature since school and I guess I expected to not like it. But I’m reading The Woman in White right now and I am absolutely loving it! It made me want to read more, so that’s how I found your channel. I am checking out all your recommendations to see what I should pick up next.

[@katiejlumsden]

I'm so glad you're enjoying it! There are so many fantastic Victorian books out there. If you like Wilkie Collins, I'd recommend Lady Auderly's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon.

[@CozyReaderKelly]

Books and Things thanks for the recommendation! I just finished The Woman in White and it was so good.

[@RichardFarley1976]

Great video thank you for all the recommendations 😉👍

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks :)

[@marjoriedonnett5467]

I love both the Trollope and the Dickens novels. As for George Eliot - Nope! I have the feeling that if I had ever met Mary Ann Evans, we wouldn't get along at all!

[@katiejlumsden]

We seem to have similar taste! George Eliot and I don't get on super well.

[@cherylclough4309]

I love big. Books! I’m about to begin Jane Eyre today. I read it years ago. It’s time for a reread. Thanks for the tips. I’m making a nice long list for future Victober.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks! :)

[@lisag618]

Love this! I just finished Wives and Daughters today and absolutely loved it! I'm just reading The Picture of Dorian Gray (even though I only read it a couple of months ago) and then I'm going to tackle Bleak House. Really enjoying Victober...thanks for the inspiration :)

[@katiejlumsden]

I hope you like Bleak House - it's amazing!

[@sararoberts3250]

Thanks for this and for your video on short Victorian books. I will have some books to collect over the next year for next Victober! I just read Bleak House and LOVED it. I will be rereading it soon. I am reading Deerbrook right now and enjoying it but not nearly as much as Bleak House. I read Wives and Daughters last year and loved it.

[@katiejlumsden]

So glad you liked Bleak House and Wives and Daughters :) I'm reading Deerbrook at the moment too.

[@BeatrixOnyx]

You've suggested some good books. I want to read them all. I'm planning on reading Middlemarch for the 500 page part of George Eliot. I read Silas Marner for the new female author challenge and loved it.

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks! Enjoy :)

[@apollonia6656]

I love Victorian writers. I am presently absolutely booked with Wilkie Collins. Read all of Dickens novels; all Dostoevsky (yes, Russian novels are all long 😊 anyway,like it or not). Must re-read Elizabeth Gaskell. Kind regards from Cheshire.

[@searchanddiscover]

i am definitely intimidated by the big victorian books. I already struggle with modern chunkers. I have a few big classics from the 19th century and earlier but am so hesitant to read them because I'm worried it'll feel like a slog. Still, if I ever do get around to finishing Don Quixote I'll be proud of the fact it'll be the longest book I've ever read surpassing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. And it being from the 1600s (though the translation is from the 2000s) is just icing on the cake.

[@katiejlumsden]

If you can do Don Quixote, I'm sure you can manage these :D

[@bitsoflit]

something tells me you love Charles Dickens. Can't put my finger on what it is.

[@katiejlumsden]

Just a little :P

[@HannahsBooks]

I am really looking forward to reading Daniel Deronda at some point. Right now I am reading Disraeli's Tancred ( the third in the Young England series and , for me, my 1847 choice for Victober). I'm curious about the similarities and differences in how they approach Judaism.

[@katiejlumsden]

That sounds really interesting! I must read more Disraeli.

[@ziadnadda4740]

Little Dorrit is absolutely my favorite

[@katiejlumsden]

It's a brilliant on!

[@lucagandolfi2281]

By Mrs. Henry Wood, in these days I'm reading Lord Oakburn's daughters and I can't put it down.

[@katiejlumsden]

I'm really excited to read more by her - I've only read one book but I loved East Lynne so much.

[@alicialozano2802]

I practically read all, my favorite Is Bleak house

[@katiejlumsden]

It's a great one!

[@laura_ann1583]

I am reading Wives and Daughters. I'm at p160 (ish) and I'm going to continue but I am finding it a little bit slow ...and dry... Its still ok. This is my first Gaskell. I'll persevere. I wish there was a character list at the start to stop me getting lost lol

[@katiejlumsden]

I hope you manage to get into it more - I love it so much!

[@CuriousReader]

The Woman in White is so good, I read it for Victober last year but I'm already eager to reread it. Particularly interested in The Egoist, not one I'd be getting to immediately but I'm always drawn to classics dealing with gender roles, norms and the like so very intrigued by it.

[@katiejlumsden]

I really need to reread The Woman in White again soon :) I highly recommend The Egoist - it's amazing, but quite tricky.

[@elizabethlussier4423]

thank you for all your recommendation... I listen to your video while knitting and making project to read more, or knitting more??? I have 2 passions in life : reading and knitting, so it's almost stressfull having to choose between the 2... and I can't follow audiobook, I don't know why... But thank you... My order of big victorian books (second hand) will be donne by the end of the week and I'm so excited.... You just gave me back the right to read without feeling like it is a waste of time and it's invaluable. (I'm french canadian, so I'm sorry for all the mistakes that I made) ...

[@katiejlumsden]

Reading is never a waste of time! Absolutely invaluable :)

[@elizabethlussier4423]

@@katiejlumsden I know, I just sometimes wish that more hours can be added in a day for reading... I've found a place to purchase classic books on internet and I'm waiting for my firsts dickens, shelleys, brontës ect to arrive... So excited to reading those for the first time!!! All thanks to you!!!!

[@kevinrussell1144]

As long as you don't also have a fascination with certain machines, Madame, I'll feel safe enough to reply. Betsy Voss' take down of Madame De Farge in a Tale of Two Cities is one of the best "octogon" rumbles of 19th century literature.

[@kevinrussell1144]

KL: I love your videos, but I am amazed (as young as you are) that you've read so many LONG books. It's quite impressive. And from the fact you physically have the books, I'm guessing you (mostly?) read them rather than listen to them. I don't think I am a book snob, but I've never listened to an audio-book. I am old fashioned and actually enjoy engaging with the text. Perhaps you might do a video on the ethics (and snobbery) of reading and whether readers do (or do not) look down upon "listeners"? I suppose it really doesn't matter, as you still have to put in the time. As always, EXCELLENT content, and many good recommendations.

[@katiejlumsden]

I read a lot of very long books as a teenager, strangely enough, and read them physically (didn't get into audiobooks until I was older) but have reread a lot of longer books on audiobook in recent years, and there are some very long books (like The Count of Monte Cristo) I have read more recently and only on audiobook. I love audiobooks and think they definitely count as reading, and audiobooks probably make up a third of my reading these days. I made a video about reading formats ages ago - kzbin.info/www/bejne/d56pimSooL2HntE - thought I can't remember if I talked much about people looking down on audiobook listeners. I think most people I know of my generation definitely think of audiobooks as reading, and I know a lot of people who listen to audiobooks and love them. Audiobook sales are growing hugely at the moment and have been for the last few years, interestingly.

[@kevinrussell1144]

@@katiejlumsden Thanks for the info and insight about audio books, and for sharing more of your personal story. I suspected that audio books were a big growth industry. My brother's young girlfriend listens all the time to them while driving. I'm too easily distracted. My spouse says all men have one-track minds, and that women naturally have to be able to multi-task. When I drive (as bad as I am at it), I need to pay attention to MY DRIVING.

[@MaryAmongStories]

I'm loving these recommendations videos! :D

[@katiejlumsden]

Thanks!

[@apollonia6656]

Katie, you must be a very quick reader. No, I do not mean to sound rude just curious 😊 The average reading speed is 100 pages per hour, I am not average !😂

[@loisthiessen5611]

Are Willoughbys all alike? Jane Austen's John Willoughby in "Sense and Sensibility" and Mr Willoughby in "The Egoist."

[@katiejlumsden]

I do wonder!

[@cathiealdridge2016]

I'm currently reading Vanity Fair, it's 809 pages in my addition, have you read it?, if so did you not think it worth a mention? I'm liking it so far it's pretty fast paced and I'd say quite sensational.

[@katiejlumsden]

Yes, I have read it, but about 12 years ago, and it really hasn't stayed with me, so I didn't feel like I could talk about it, especially as I haven't read anything else by him since, so I don't even remember if I liked his writing style! One day I'll reread it, perhaps.

[@leas4699]

Have you read The Diamond and the Pearl by Catherine Gore?

[@katiejlumsden]

I have not!

[@bobbiesuedavis5406]

North and South vs. Wives and Daughters. Which is better?

[@katiejlumsden]

Oooo a hard question. North and South is my favourite but Wives and Daughters might actually be the more technically brilliant book.

[@harriethuxtable3451]

I'm going through a reading slump at the moment and can't find anything that is grabbing me! I love Jane Austen and North and South, so does anyone have any recommendations of novels (preferably victorian) that could get me out of this slump!! :(

[@katiejlumsden]

If you love North and South, do try some more Gaskell! I'd also recommend The Half Sisters by Geraldine Jewsbury.

[@harriethuxtable3451]

Books and Things thank you!!!

[@humanfirst11]

100. 98 comments didn't look good!

[@humanfirst11]

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