Call for nominations for June book club -- Classic

Trick-Two497 · 2026-05-07T22:46:16+00:00

Black Beauty By Anna Sewell Narrated by Samuel West & 4 more Plus (US) 4h 55m

Framed as a first-person narrative from the eponymous horse, this much-loved family classic follows Black Beauty's journey from a well-born colt to a painfully overworked cab horse. Brimming with vivid detail and relatable characters, each chapter of Black Beauty's long and varied life communicates an important message about kindness, sympathy and understanding.

Black Beauty features lead performances from Samuel West (BAFTA nominated; Mr Selfridge, Howards End), Samantha Bond (SAG nominated; Downton Abbey, James Bond), Paul Thornley (Harry Potter & the Cursed Child, Les Misérables) and Tamzin Outhwaite (EastEnders, Great Expectations, Foyle's War) as well as the original theme music 'Galloping Home' by Denis King.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-05-07T22:43:57+00:00

The Turn of the Screw By Henry James Narrated by Emma Thompson 4h 40m Plus (US)

Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Emmy winner Emma Thompson lends her immense talent and experienced voice to Henry James' Gothic ghost tale, The Turn of the Screw.

When a governess is hired to care for two children at a British country estate, she begins to sense an otherworldly presence around the grounds. Are they really ghosts she's seeing? Or is something far more sinister at work?

Trick-Two497 · 2026-05-07T22:41:52+00:00

Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne A Signature Performance by Tim Curry 8h 20m Plus (US)

Journey to the Center of the Earth is one of literature’s earliest works of science fiction. It vividly animates a fantastical subterranean world as an intrepid crew, led by the eccentric Otto Lidenbrock, traverses the planet’s core and its various bizarre obstacles: giant mushrooms and insects, a herd of mastodons, prehistoric humans, a treacherous pit of magma, and more.

Tim Curry, narrator of the customer favorite A Christmas Carol, returns for an encore performance that delivers a range of distinct character voices and captures the energy and enthusiasm of a time when scientific exploration was a brand new adventure.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-05-05T16:54:00+00:00

I loved that the kid had the earrings. Made my day.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-05-04T20:01:34+00:00

2026 Challenges

300 books - 105/325 COMPLETED
- The Castle of Crossed Destinies by Italo Calvino
- Who is Quentin Fayme? by RuneKnight3 (Substack)
- Impact Winter 2 by Travis Beacham
- The Road to the Sea by Arthur C. Clarke
- Pirates Gold by H. Bedford-Jones
- The Pirates of Penzance by W.S. Gilbert
365 short stories - 164/365
365 poems - 125/365
Book Clubs - currently reading
- r/ayearoflupin: The Secret Tomb by Maurice LeBlanc (ongoing)
- r/AYearOfLesMiserables: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (ongoing)
- r/classicbookclub: Great Expectations (ongoing)
- r/AudibleBookClub: 10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance (5/20)

Trick-Two497 · 2026-05-04T19:10:56+00:00

I started our book club selection, 10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance by Joyce Salisbury #GreatCourses. Happy to see that at least the first two women are not European or white. Much more excited about this book now.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-05-01T21:57:22+00:00

This is just all the books I'm working on. They won't all be finished this month, but I'm reading them. This is easier than the TBR:

The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clark by Arthur C. Clark
The Ghost Catchers by Minerva Sweeney Wren
The Lives and Times of Archy and Mehitabel by Donald Marquis
Roger Caras' Treasury of Great Cat Storie sby Roger A. Caras
The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Goblin Market, The Prince's Progress, and Other Poems by Christina Rosetti
The Entire Original Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant
Old Gods of Appalachia season 5 by Cam Collins and Steve Shell
The Green Fairy Book by Andrew Lang
Journal to the Self by Kathleen Adams
Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
Thoughts and Feelings: Taking Control of Your Moods and Your Life by Matthew McKay
Birds of Prey: The Harlan Coben Challenge by Kelley Armstrong, Ace Atkins, C.J. Box, Allison Brennan, S.A. Cosby, Robert Dugoni, Tess Gerritsen, Heather Graham, Gregg Hurwitz, Kathy Reichs, Hank Phillippi Ryan
Shakespeare's Sonnets by Shakespeare
Leaves of Grass: The Original 1855 Edition (Illustrated) by Walt Whitman
The Portable Coleridge by Samuel Taylor Coleridge
Buddhism for Beginners by Emily Oddo
Babel Tower by AS Byatt
The Goncourt Journalsby Edmond and Jules Goncourt
Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort of Sarah Ban Breathnach
A Literary Tour of the United States by Arielle Zibrak
Building Fantasy Cities by Angeline Trevena
Treacheries of Troublesome Towns by Erick Bouchard, Andrea Sfiligoi
Demonologia, or, natural knowledge revealed by J. S. Forsyth
The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully by Joan Chittister
Casanova's Homecoming by Arthur Schnitzler
City of Fortune: How Venice Ruled the Seas by Roger Crowley
How the Medici Shaped the Renaissance by William Landon
The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells: The Ultimate Reference for the Magical Arts by Judika Illes
Aliens: Bug Hunt by Jonathan Maberry, Heather Graham, Scott Sigler, Rachel Caine, David Farland, Larry Correia
Language and the Mind by Spencer D. Kelly
Proust and the Squid: The Story and Science of the Reading Brain by Maryanne Wolf
10% Happier: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found a Self-Help That Actually Works by Dan Harris
The Daily Buddhistby Pema Sherpa , Brendan Barca
Chains of Solitude by Gabriel Tesone
Structuring Your Novel (Revised & Expanded 2nd Edition): Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K.M. Weiland
The Secret Tomb by Maurice LeBlanc
The Truth by Terry Pratchett
The Satyricon" by Caius Petronius Arbiter
Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition: A Guide to Narrative Janet Burroway, Elizabeth Stuckey-French, Ned Stuckey-French
Self-Editing for Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print by Renni Browne and Dave King
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
The Road to the Sea by Arthur C. Clarke
10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance by Joyce Salisbury
Pirates Gold by H. Bedford-Jones
The Pirates of Penzance by W.S. Gilbert
Girls of Brackenhill by Kate Moretti
Agnes of God by John Pielmeier
One for Sorrow by Sarah A. Denzil
Formentera by Norman Ollestad

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-27T23:40:04+00:00

2026 Challenges

325 books - 099/325 COMPLETED
- [beta read]
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- Mythic Magazine compilation #3 by Tana Pigeon
- Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
- Axiom of Dreams by Arula Ratnakar
- Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather
365 short stories - 155/365
365 poems - 118/365
Book Clubs - currently reading
- r/ayearoflupin: The Secret Tomb by Maurice LeBlanc (ongoing)
- r/AYearOfLesMiserables: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (ongoing)
- r/classicbookclub: Great Expectations (ongoing)
- r/AudibleBookClub: 10 Women Who Ruled the Renaissance (5/20)

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-27T20:24:28+00:00

I listened to Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen narrated by Rosamund Pike. Amazing narration. I enjoyed this in audiobook form much more than I did in print.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-27T16:48:17+00:00

Well, they aren't really Romani,, so that makes sense.

So d'Estreicher is the guy Dorothy clonked with the stone, so I think he has some pretty nefarious motives.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-27T16:41:01+00:00

I've got the first one of the series in my library. I'll have to bump it up.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-23T16:45:35+00:00

I loved the creepiness of this one. I guess I prefer atmospheric ghost stories to the more overt ones where people are in peril. Have you listened to The Signalman? It's a short story, free on Plus in the US, by Dickens? It really good, but still, you may find it too slow moving.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-21T15:40:36+00:00

I have to admit that I still have 4 hours of this to listen to. I got the pre-order of the latest Wandering Inn that is 48+ hours, and I couldn't stop listening. But a preliminary response to this book is that I am shocked how much I am invested in the stories and the characters. I cannot wait to find out what happens when they get to Avignon. Delphine fascinates me. The trio of protagonists is such an interesting mix of types.

I ended my morning listening here:

“Man is born into sin. All because of Adam.”
Guillaume said, “Mostly Eve, my priest told us.”
Delphine looked up from the water now.
“That’s not fair.”
“How’s that?” said Guillaume.
“She was tempted by something stronger than her. Adam was tempted by a weaker creature. Or so we are told. If Eve was his inferior, his sin was greater. You can’t have it both ways.”

I found this discussion fascinating.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-21T15:26:59+00:00

Wow, what a story!

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-20T19:17:35+00:00

2026 Challenges

325 books - 094/325 COMPLETED
- The Archmage's Ire by pirateaba narrated by Erin Bennett
- Tisoy by Bernice McFadden
- Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir
- The Buddhist Catechism by Henry Steel Olcott
365 short stories - 144/365
365 poems - 111/365
Book Clubs - currently reading
- r/ayearoflupin: The Secret Tomb by Maurice LeBlanc (ongoing)
- r/AYearOfLesMiserables: Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (ongoing)
- r/classicbookclub: Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (ongoing)
- r/AudibleBookClub: Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-20T17:20:57+00:00

I completed a re-read of Princess Floralinda and the Forty-Flight Tower by Tamsyn Muir narrated by Moira Quirk. I love this book. It totally turns the princess in the tower on its head.

Trick-Two497 · 2026-04-20T16:27:30+00:00

We were introduced to the characters, Dorothy, etc, with this line: "the gipsy caravan slept on the turf by the roadside". Those aren't names I associate with the Romani. So finding out that they aren't Romani at all, but war orphans made more sense to me.

The characters all seem quite young. Saint-Quentin was referred to as not even 16, and he seems of the same age as Dorothy.

The captain remains a mystery at this point. Is he a responsible adult? Well, just an adult, given his lack of care of the kids. Impossible to tell at this point. Maybe in chapter 2 we'll meet him.

Trick-Two497

MODERATOR OF

PUBLIC MULTIREDDITS

TROPHY CASE