It’s already December and time that we start reading our Dickens novels and watch some movies based on his books. The detailed plan of this month can be found in the Introductory and Sing up Post. I’m co-hosting this event together with Delia (Postcards from Asia). Don’t miss to visit her blog as well.
The most important date to keep in mind is December 21 as that is the date for our A Christmas Carol readalong.
I have already started Great Expectations and really like it so far.
I will re-watch the movie Great Expectations (1998) starring Gwyneth Paltrow as I loved it but I would also like to watch one of the many versions of A Christmas Carol. The one from 1935 can been watched on YouTube.
Do you have a favorite movie version of A Christmas Carol? Let me know. I have a hard time choosing the one I should see.
Beauty is a Sleeping Cat 
seriously, I love the Muppets version
I hadn’t even heard of it, thanks, for letting me know.
it really is good–you wouldn’t think so, but there are some parts that are so funny
I have to see if I can find it.
I totally second the Muppets recommendation!
Thanks. I didn’t expect a Muppet version but Isaw there is even a Barbie one.
I have started Bleak House.like it a lot so far
I think it’s one of the best but too long for me at the moment.
I read Bleak House in my twenties and it’s epic – but you do need to invest a lot of time!
I am a little less then halfway through “A Tale of Two Citiies.”
Lots of “A Chrstmas Carol” movies were great. As bit of a traditioanlist I would have to pick the 1938 version with Reginald Owen and Gene Lockhart.
Thaks, Brian. I know I’ve seen an oder one but I can’t remember which one.
My post on A Tale of Two Cities is up.
Thanks again for organizing this. These really are fun!
http://briansbabblingbooks.blogspot.com/2012/12/a-tale-of-two-cities-by-charles-dickens.html
Wonderful, Brian, thanks a lot.
try the comedy one, starring catherine tate and david tennant…that’s my fav Christmas Carol movie so far. I have seen it and will see it again for this event 🙂
I am going to read tales of two cities, but probably in the end of December bcoz I have just started State of Fear and it’s quite thick.
Another one I hadn’t heard of. Thanks.
Absolutely the Muppets movie. I don’t particularly like the Muppets and hate musicals, and this one has both – the Muppets and songs, and I still LOVE it. It has Michael Caine as Scrooge, I watch that one every year.
And – as I am a fan of Bill Murray – the one with him, It is called “Scrooged”.
Thanks Rikki, I’m a bit like you, not the biggest Muppet fan but if you like it as well, I’ll try to track it down. I like Bill Murray as well.
There’s no substitute for reading the book itself. I’m re-reading ‘A Christmas Carol this year and finding things in it I never noticed before. As G.K. Chesterton said, it isn’t merely its literary value but its moral value that makes it timeless. Maybe that’s why the importance of Scrooge’s ethical change is becoming so clear to me now. It’s a quicker read than most of his fiction. Try it!
I will try it again. I’ve read it a long time ago and knew I wanted to re-read it some day but I’d like to watch a film version as well. I’m sure the book cannot be substituted by a movie.
There’s a new film version of Great Expectations too Caroline. BTW, Bleak House is my favourite Dickens.
I saw that there is a new Great Expectations version. It’s hard to keep the overview.
I won’t get to Bleak House this month but in the future, i would like to read it.
I’ll reread A Christmas Carol with you all on the 21st. But, I’m also hoping to get through Drood by Dan Simmons. Not an official Dickens, I know, but it has been sitting on my shelf calling my name for quite some time. Thanks for hosting with Delia!
Books inspired by Dickens are great as well. I wanted to read Tom-All-Alone’s. Thanks for joining in any case.
It is wonderful that ‘Dickens in December’ has started 🙂 Thanks for hosting! I am planning to read ‘Hard Times’ and re-read ‘A Christmas Carol’. A few days back I browsed through my bookshelf and took out ‘Bleak House’. I loved the description on the back cover that it probably had the first English fictional detective in Detective Inspector Bucket. I am extremely tempted to read it, but it is more than 900 pages and so I don’t know whether I can. I am planning to do a test run for a couple of days soon and see how I progress. If I am happy with the way things go I might give ‘Bleak House’ a serious try. I also discovered that I have the movie version of ‘David Copperfield’. I am hoping to watch that too. I am also thinking of re-watching ‘Hereafter’ in which the main character played by Matt Damon loves reading Dickens and reads deeply resonating passages from Dickens at important points in the story. Can’t wait to get started 🙂
I’m very glad that you are joining us. I know exactyl how you feel about Bleak House. i started reading it and thought i should just go on but after all, it is much too long, I need to be realistic. A Christmas carol will be a quick read.
Hereafter sounds quite interesting. I’m tempted to watch it as well but will wait for your review. I wasn’t aware Dickens’ books playec a role in it.
I’m really looking forward to watch some movies and progress with Great Expectations.
This is a fabulous idea and I will join in when I can. I have several little Christmas collections published by Hesperus and will try to read at least one of these!
Welcome and how nice that you’re joining us. I’m looking foward to hear about the collections.
I wish I had time to read a longer Dickens novel, but I am happy to reread A Christmas Carol. Maybe I’ll look to see what films by library has–I loved Bleak House and it is one I would enjoy watching again (should really get around to reading the book as well). Great Expectations is one that everyone seems to have read–I did read David Copperfield several years back. Anyway, this will be fun–and fun to hear about the books everyone else is reading.
I’m already worried I might not be able to finish Great expectations. I need to stick with it for a few days and not let myself get distracted by other books (to die for or not 🙂 ).
I’ve read part I of David Copperfield as a child but cannot remember it at all.
I’d love to watch Bleak House but I’m afraid it will spoil the book too much.
Yay! I haven’t started Old Curiosity Shop yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I’ll try to watch as many versions of Dickens movies as I can get in my temporarily netflix-free world.
http://rachelreadingnthinking.blogspot.com/
I hope you will enjoy your choices. I’m still chosing a second movie.
I have not seen that version of Scrooge, Caroline. It reminds me of A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sims, my favorite. I’ll be reading the book this week so I can finish it before all the Christmas festivities. Never knew about the Muppets version!
There are so many movie versions of A Christmas Carol, I’ve heard of 6 or seven but there seem to be more. I had a look at the Muppet one and it looks well done.
I think some of the older ones are very similar. I might end up watching the latest by Disney.
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good luck with it everyone ,all the best stu
Thanks, Stu.
Hoping to join in with Our Mutual Friend. It’s long though! But I will persevere…
I’m worried I might not finish Great Expectations. It’s a busy month but it started of great.
I hope I get to read your review of Our Mutual Friend. I don’t know much about it.
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Have fun with this!
Thanks. 🙂
Entirely coincidentally, I’ll be joining you with Dickens in December as I’ve just settled down to yet another reread of ‘The Pickwick Papers’ 🙂
After that though, it’s J-Lit all the way…
Great Tony. Is that your favorite or did you re-read many of his books?
I have to find a choice or two for January. 🙂
I might end up reading something that hasn’t been translated into English. I bought a small pile from amazon France.
No, I’d say ‘Bleak House’ is his best, but ‘The Pickwick Papers’ is a great light read.
I won’t venture into French or German translations yet – plenty in English I haven’t read 🙂
It’s much cheaper to get French copies for me and ususally the translators are good and translate directly from Japanese not like the Germans who translate a lot of Japanese from English. (:
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