r/ClassicBookClub

I'm about to start reading The Prince by Machiavelli

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‎I decided to read it after finishing 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell. Someone told me that Orwell's books show power from the people's pov , while The Prince shows it from the ruler's pov

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‎So actually really excited to read it. I just hope I'm not hyping it up too much and end up disappointed.

Dose anyone have any idea about it ??

Thanks to all who participated in our nomination thread.

Here are your top six choices, which received the most upvotes. The poll will run for seven days and the winner will be our next read along.

Vote for your favorite and feel free to comment to say why we should read whatever book you prefer. Thanks!

View Poll

Okay, hear me out.

For the past few years, I’ve been so focused on university, work, and trying to figure life out that I realized I’ve been missing something really important…….meeting new people. I’m 24, from Poland, and I’d genuinely love to build a little online community with people who enjoy reading, talking, learning from each other, and just… being curious about the world.

So I’m thinking about starting an online book club, but not the kind where everyone treats it like an assignment. I don’t want this to be stiff or overly academic. I don’t want anyone to feel pressured to have the smartest analysis or finish every single page. I want it to be fun. I want us to read amazing books, talk about them, laugh, overshare a little, exchange ideas, recommend books to each other, and somehow end up talking about life, travel, philosophy, art, relationships, culture, dreams, random shower thoughts… literally anything.

The plan is to make it online (probably on Discord or another platform we all agree on), so it’s easy for everyone to join. We could meet every week or every other week, chat about the book we’re reading. Basically, I want a space where people can read, learn from each other, exchange perspectives, and also just… exist. A place where it’s completely normal to spend 30 minutes discussing the book and then another two hours yapping about everything else. I really miss that feeling of finding “your people.” The kind of conversations where you look at the clock and suddenly it’s been three hours.

As for the books……I love classics, modern classics, and literature from around the world. I’d love for us to read books that make us think, introduce us to new cultures and ideas, and stay with us long after we’ve finished them. But I definitely don’t want this to be my reading list. I want everyone to recommend books, vote on what we read, and shape the club together. More than a book club, I’m hoping this becomes a little community. Somewhere people can make friends, feel comfortable sharing their thoughts, learn something new, and have conversations that leave you feeling inspired instead of drained.

You don’t have to be someone who reads 100 books a year. You don’t need a literature degree. You don’t need to have read all the classics. More than anything  I want this to be about the people. I’d love to create a supportive, welcoming little corner of the internet where people actually look forward to showing up. A place where it’s okay to disagree, where everyone feels heard, where we can be ourselves, make genuine connections, and maybe even make a few really good friends along the way.

A little about me: I’m pretty outgoing, very open-minded, and I genuinely love getting to know people. I love hearing about what excites someone, what they’re passionate about, what books changed their life, or even just what they’ve been thinking about lately. I think everyone has an interesting story, and I’d love to meet people from different backgrounds and different parts of the world.

If this sounds like your kind of thing, send me a DM! Tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from? How old are you? What’s your favorite book, or a book that completely changed the way you think? If enough people are interested, I’ll make a group chat, we’ll figure out the platform together, vote on our first book, and hopefully create something really special.

Discussion Prompts

1. “Dear little thing!” said Herbert. “She was up and down with Gruffandgrim all the evening. He was perpetually pegging at the floor the moment she left his sight. I doubt if he can hold out long, though. What with rum and pepper,—and pepper and rum,—I should think his pegging must be nearly over.” Must avoid asking the group their thoughts on pegging. Please let me get past this. So what are your thoughts on pegging? Dammit!
2. Worst burn you ever had? Can be physical, or when you got absolutely roasted by someone.
3. Thoughts on the developments that occurred in this chapter?
4. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?
5. To my fellow Americans, handle explosives with care. Be safe, be merry and festive, have fun. Happy 4th of July.

Links

Project Gutenberg

Standard eBooks

Librivox Audiobook

Last Lines:

“I know I am quite myself. And the man we have in hiding down the river, is Estella’s Father.”

Discussion Prompts

1. Pip goes to see Miss Havisham. Does see her. Walks around, then sees her again on fire which could’ve been an act of god, spontaneous combustion, or self immolation. Who knows. What say you?
2. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?

Links

Project Gutenberg

Standard eBooks

Librivox Audiobook

Last Lines:

At about six o’clock of the morning, therefore, I leaned over her and touched her lips with mine, just as they said, not stopping for being touched, “Take the pencil and write under my name, ‘I forgive her.’”

Discussion Prompts

1. What did you think of the dinner scene with Pip, Jaggers, and Wemmick?
2. Miss Havisham wants to see Pip. Any guess as to what she may want?
3. Miss Skiffins. What’s your impression of her? Do you think she’s Estella’s mom? Do you think she murdered the other woman?
4. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?

Links

Project Gutenberg

Standard eBooks

Librivox Audiobook

Last Lines:

We exchanged a cordial good-night, and I went home, with new matter for my thoughts, though with no relief from the old.

Discussion Prompts

1. Pip gets his rowing practice in. Do you expect this training to pat off?
2. We once again return to the theatre with Pip. Any thoughts on his musings of the play or actors?
3. Wopsle lets Pip know about one of the convicts that was seated behind him at the theatre. The one who was mauled. Any thoughts to share on this?
4. Is Pip being cautious enough? Is there anything else he can, or should be doing?
5. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?

Links

Project Gutenberg

Standard eBooks

Librivox Audiobook

Last Lines:

if that were possible,—and I for my part never went near Chinks’s Basin, except w

Discussion Prompts

1. You ever have gout?
2. What do you eat for breakfast?
3. Do you ever feel like you’re being watched?
4. On a scale of 1-10, where would you put rowing skills?
5. Talk about the story if you want. Idaf.
6. Is there anything else you’d like to discuss?

Links

Project Gutenberg

Standard eBooks

Librivox Audiobook

Last Lines:

thought with dread that it was flowing towards Magwitch, and that any black mark on its surface might be his pursuers, going swiftly, silently, and surely, to take him.

So , here's the thing , I have a book report on "The Great Gatsby" by F, Scott Fitzgerald. And no , I did not buy the book (it's Saturday night and TMRW on Sunday all shops are closed) and no I do not have it's pdf or anything but the book report on it is due the day after TMRW ,that is , on Monday and I need someone who has read it to just gimme what they got from the book in their own words. Just make it under 200 words. It's handwritten anws so I'll make it really big and make it seem like a thick report.

I know I could just chatgpt it but I refuse to use AI which is why I will rather ask reddit community.

This post is set to contest mode and anyone can nominate a book as long as it meets the criteria listed below. To nominate a book, post a comment in this thread with the book and author you’d like to read. Feel free to add a brief summary of the book and why you’d like to read it as well. If a book you’d like to nominate is already in the comment section, then simply upvote it, and upvote any other book you’d like to read as well, but note that upvotes are hidden from everyone except the mods in contest mode, and the comments (nominees) will appear in random order.

**Please read the rules carefully.**

**Rules:**

1. Nominated books must be in the [public domain](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public\_domain#Public\_domain\_books). Being a classic book club, this gives us a definitive way to determine a books eligibility, while it also allows people to source a free copy of the book if they choose to.

2. No books are allowed from our “year of” family of subs that are dedicated to a specific book. These subs restart on January 1st. The books and where to read them are:

*War and Peace- r/ayearofwarandpeace
*Les Miserables- r/AYearOfLesMiserables
*The Count of Monte Cristo- r/AReadingOfMonteCristo
*Middlemarch- r/ayearofmiddlemarch
*Don Quixote- r/yearofdonquixote
*Anna Karenina- r/yearofannakarenina

3. Must be a different author than our current book. What this means is since we are currently reading Charles Dickens, no books from him will be considered for our next read, but his other works will be allowed once again after this vote.

4. No books from our [Discussion Archive](https://old.reddit.com/r/ClassicBookClub/wiki/index/discussionarchive ) in the sidebar. Please check the link to see the books we’ve already completed.

Here are a few lists from Project Gutenberg if you need ideas.

[Sorted by popularity](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/search/?sort\_order=downloads)

[Frequently viewed or downloaded](https://www.gutenberg.org/browse/scores/top)

Reddit polls allow a maximum of six choices. The top nominations from this thread will go to a Reddit poll in a Finalists Thread where we will vote on only those top books. The winner of the Reddit poll will be read here as our next book.

We want to make sure everyone has a chance to nominate, vote, then find a copy of our next book. We give a week for nominations. A week to vote on the Finalists. And two weeks for readers to find a copy of the winning book.

Our book picking process takes 4 weeks in total. We read 1 chapter each weekday, which makes 5 chapters a week, and 20 chapters in 4 weeks which brings us to our Contingency Rule. Any book that is 20 chapters or less that wins the Finalist Vote means we also read the 2nd place book as well after we read the winning book. We do this so we don’t have to do a shortened version of our book picking process.

We will announce the winning book once the poll closes in the Finalists Thread.

Go nominate a book. But I swear if you start a campaign for The Great Gatsby, I will be most unimpressed. (I studied the book at school, please don’t make me analyse it again.)

And I think it’s actually now in Contest Mode. Sorry about that.

Nomination thread is up. Go for it!

**Discussion Prompts:**

1. Pip passes a terrible night. How do you go sleeping away from home? 

2. Wemmick (sort of) explains the warnings. How much trouble do you think Pip is in?

3. A plan develops. Herbert seems to have stepped up competently. We might be able to slip Tom, Jack or Richard onto a boat without notice?

4. Anything else to discuss?

**Links**

[Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1400)

[Standard eBooks](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/charles-dickens/great-expectations)

[Librivox Audiobook](https://librivox.org/great-expectations-by-charles-dickens/)

**Last Lines:**

> and I inferred from the number of teacups, as well as from his glances at the two little doors in the wall, that Miss Skiffins was expected.

**Discussion Prompts:**

1. Confrontation between Pip and Havisham. What did you think of it? Was Pip fair, does Havisham have a case to make for why she led him on?

2. Pip declares for Estella. It does not go well. Are you sympathetic, or should Pip have actually listened to her words?

3. Miss Havisham might be more taken with Pip’s words. Intervention, perhaps?

4. Wemmick brings the cliffhanger!

5. Anything else to discuss?

**Links**

[Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1400)

[Standard eBooks](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/charles-dickens/great-expectations)

[Librivox Audiobook](https://librivox.org/great-expectations-by-charles-dickens/)

**Last Lines:**

> “DON’T GO HOME.”

Discussion Prompts:

1. Estella seems to have departed Richmond and without Pip’s knowledge. Ominous or is Provid inducing undue paranoia?

2. Drummle reappears and of course Pip can’t stand it. Amusing or rather daft behaviour from the two young men?

3. We finish with Pip rather gloomily regretting ever met Havisham or having gone to Satis House. Momentary regret or some substantial self-reflection?

4. Anything else to discuss?

Links

Project Gutenberg

Standard eBooks

Librivox Audiobook

Last Lines:

> … and went out to the memorable old house that it would have been so much the better for me never to have entered, never to have seen.

**Discussion Prompts:**

1. We get Magwitch’s story (finally able to use the name! Having read Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series, I was pretty sure I knew it). What did you think of his tale? Sympathetic? Horrified?

2. I admit to not quite following the story with him falling in with Compeyson. Can anyone straighten it out?

3. They’re in the dock, I think this experiences beats heavily on Magwitch’s obsession with creating his own dear boy gentleman. 

4. And the two parts of the story come together in the last paragraphs! Were you expecting that?

5. Anything else to discuss?

**Links**

[Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1400)

[Standard eBooks](https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/charles-dickens/great-expectations)

[Librivox Audiobook](https://librivox.org/great-expectations-by-charles-dickens/)

**Last Lines:**

> I shut the book and nodded slightly to Herbert, and put the book by; but we neither of us said anything, and both looked at Provis as he stood smoking by the fire.

Hi all,

Over at r/bookclub, we are going to be reading North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, staring July 3rd, we would love you to join us! Link to the schedule is below!

[Schedule] North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell : r/bookclub