As you know, this year marked the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens. When I reviewed The Dickens Dictionary this summer Delia (Postcards from Asia) had the wonderful idea to dedicate the last month of the year to Dickens and celebrate him in different ways. We decided we will read and review one or several of his novels in December, host a readalong and a watchalong and at least two giveaways. Because Christmas isn’t far, it seemed a good idea to choose A Christmas Carol as our readalong title. It’s a short novel and online copies are available for free. The readalong will take place on Friday 21 December. We will send out questions one week in advance, you can either use those or just post a review.
The weekend of 14/15 December is dedicated to movies based on Dickens’ novels. You are free to choose whatever you like, just post your review either on Saturday or Sunday.
I hope that many will feel tempted to join us. I’m really looking forward to this. I had a list of authors I wanted to read for the first time this year and Dickens was one of them. I’ve only read A Christmas Carol so far. I decided that I will read Great Expectations and re-watch the movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow.
Here is the detailed program of the event
Book reviews – You can choose any Dickens book you like, even books inspired by his work like Lynn Shepherd’s Tom-All-Alone’s are an option. Non-fiction on Dickens is welcome too. We will collect and add all your reviews on a page dedicated to the event. Date: 1 December – end of month.
Watchalong: You can choose any movie based on a Dickens novel. Date: 9 – 15 December
Giveaway: There will be two giveaways during 16-21 December. One will be on this, the other one on Delia’s blog.
Readalong: We decided to read A Christmas Carol. We will send a couple of questions to those who participate. If you don’t like that approach, just post a review or your impressions and join the discussion. Date: Friday 21 December
Wrap up post: At the end of the month, the event will be wrapped up and a post containing all the links of the participants will be posted on our blogs.
Please consider joining Delia and me.
Anyone who wants to join, please grab a badge and sign up in the comment form. Tell us whether you will also read along, so we can send you the questions. There is no need to tell us which books and movies you will choose but you can do so in an intro post.
I would like to thank Delia for the idea, for co-hosting and for the lovely badge which she has designed. The title of the event is inspired by Roof Beam Reader’s Austen in August.
Here is Delia’s intro post.
Beauty is a Sleeping Cat 
Great idea Caroline! It sounds like a lot of fun! I am planning to participate.
That’s wonderful, Brian.
There’s no dust under your feet.
I meant to join in with Himadri’s Dickens fest earlier this year and the time got away from me. I’d like to join in but I have the feeling that there won’t be time since I have a huge stack of books I want to read before the end of the year.
I thought it was such a great idea, I couldn’t let the opportunity pass and I really want to read Dickens. I think he’s perfect for winter.
Just see how it goes, you might always watch the one or the other movie instead.
Do you have any that you could recommend? Any A Christmas Carol movie you prefer?
That sounds like fun. I’m joining in on the theme read and on the readalong. I’ll probably watch a movie or two, as well. 🙂 Here’s my introductory post.t
Wonderful to have you join, Rachel. I’ll add all the links to the page which I will set up.
Even though I’ll be catching my breath and putting my blogging feet up in December, after the exertions of #germanlitmonth, I’ll join you for a post or two. Like Guy, I failed miserably during Himadri’s event but, if at first you don’t succeed …..
Lovely badge, btw.
That’s so great. I’m really glad you’ll join us. I’ll be taking it very slow as well but the one or the other Dickens will still be possible. Delia did a great job with that badge.
This is wonderful news, Caroline! I will join you for the readalong of ‘A Christmas Carol’ and for the watchalong. I have wanted to read ‘The Pickwick Papers’ for a while, but I am not sure I can do that, because it is a chunkster. I will think of a ‘thinner’ Dickens book to read, though I can’t imagine ‘thin’ being associated with a Dickens book 🙂 The badge is beautiful – love it!
How wonderful that you will join. I’m looking forward to that readalong and hopefully more than only one movie. He really hasn’t written thin books.
It’s a lovely badge, I agree.
I’m in! I’m going to read 3 novels (I’m an optimist, yes:)) and participate in a read-along. Not yet sure about films, we’ll see =) I will make an introductory post a bit later.
Great to have you join. 3 books by Dickens is optimistic. I know I can only make two including the readalong title.
I am in! I am glad and proud my post on Dickens Dictionary has inspired this. I have read all the novels, long ago and have posted since my blog began on retreads of three of them. Oliver Twist, A tale ofvTwo Cities, and Great Expectations. I really want to tackle Bleak House but I will for sure read something and will probably join the Christmas carol read along.
That’s especially great as you were indeed the source for this, that’s very true. I think it’s a geat readalong title.
This sounds like fun! I was planning on reading A Christmas Carol this December, and the read-along seems like the perfect opportunity to do it!
I’m very glad to hear it. Welcome to the event, Leah
I am glad to be in and I am planning to read Great Expectations and David Copperfield and participate in the Christmas carol read along.
That’s great, thanks for joining us.
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I’m not a fan of all the alliteration titles for these things, but I hope you enjoy your event. Just read Bleak House and, to my great surprise, thoroughly enjoyed it. Great fun!
I feel a bit silly now…. I didn’t even pay attention to the alliteration thingy… I’m certianly glad to hear yu liked Bleak House. It’s the novel i would love to read but it’s far too long at the moment.
Nothing silly about alliteration – I love it; it makes things memorable.
Lizzy from Lizzy’s Literary Life 🙂
That’s quite true. I felt silly because I hadn’t even realized it.
I’m a fan of alliteration. 🙂 It adds a certain ring to the title.
Yes, it does but it’s true that there are quite a few events with similar titles being held regularly. I liked this name for our event.
Great idea. December a very Dickens kind of month…
Thanks, Maureen, yes, I think Dickens and December go together very well.
Are you joning us’
I m going have say I won’t join in hoping to do something my self in December ,strangely though did watch David leans Olivier twist last night ,all the best stu
Thanks so much for mentioning thtis, I like David Lean a lot and have never seen his Oliver Twist.
I’m curious to see what you are planning.
This is a lovely idea! I’m keen to read Bleak House, although for some inexplicable reason, Dombey and Son keeps tugging at me too. It would be great to focus my mind with a community blog event. You’re amazing, Caroline, I don’t know how you manage to do so much!
It would be lovely if you could join. I know absolutely nothing about Dombey and Son, I couldn’t say why it wants to be read by you.
I don’t know, I guess when I’m enthusiastic I manage a lot and there is always house work I can skip. 🙂
Count me in! I’ve been slacking on my Dickens lately so I need to get back on track. I’ve been planning to read A Christmas Carol in December so I’ll get at least one review in. I’m hoping for two more, but I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
It’s great that you will join for the raedalong. It’s not too ambitious for all of us as it’s a slim book. I have been in the mood for Great Expectations or Bleak House all year, so one of those it will be.
I really enjoyed Bleak House and I read Great Expectations long ago and still remember it. Next on my list is Tale of Two Cities, then Great Expectations.
I hope you’ll manage the one or the other in December.
Oh yes, Dickens is perfect for December! You’ve inspired me to read A Christmas Carol. Have seen the movie several times, but never read the book. My favorite version is the really old one with Alistair Sims.
I’m glad, you will see it is quite wonderful. I read it once during December and it was great.
I cannot remember which version I saw but I liked it. I would like to see the Disney version as well.
This sounds like fun–you can count me in for A Christmas Carol. I was thinking that I might read something that goes along with the season but hadn’t quite come up with a list, so this works well. I’ve actually even been in a mood for Dickens, though not sure I can manage more than one of his books–I was thinking of something longer, but we’ll see. I’m sure my library has several of the movies that were made from his books, too.
This is really wonderful, I’m very glad you are joining us. I always associate Dickens with winter and Christmas, to some extent probably because of A Christmas Carol.
It’s too bad that most of his books are sooo long.
Count me in! Great Expectations is in my reading schedule for December. And I might re-watch A Christmas Carol movie too…
Great, thanks for joining. I’m already looking forward to reading Dickens.
Very nice event, I wonder how you find time to organize this so shortly after German Lit Month! Wow. Nice pictures.
I have read and reviewed a Christmas Carol, so I’ll follow your post but won’t participate.
Yeah well… To be honest, after you’ve done it once or twice it’s getting far easier.
It will be great if you follow the discussion.
I’m really pleased about this badge.
I have been planning to read The Christmas Books this December, so yes I’m in. And I’m joining the readalong too. Thanks for hosting this event!
Wonderful, thanks for joining us. I’m really looking forward to this even already.
Count me in 🙂
I have A Christmas Carol comedy version on my collection. And I have been meaning to try reading his works for ages, I guess December can be a perfect time to start
Please do count me in. This sounds great.
It has become a bit of a tradition of mine in the weeks before Christmas to find a free afternoon and sit at the fireside of my local pub (which as an open fire) with a warming drink and read A Christmas Carol. Really gets me into a celebratory mood!
This is really wonderful, I’m very glad you’re joining us. Oh I’m jealous. We have no pubs with open firesides here. That would get me in a festive mood as well.
Hi, I’d love to join. I’ve The Old Curiosity Shop on the shelves yet unread.
Hi Claire, I’m very glad you’re joining us and loking forward to the review. Like Richard, I stayed away from Dickems until now.
Delia left word on my blog about this, and I’m so looking forward to signing up. Signed up there, and here, and now I only have to wish that December had a few more days in it in which to accomplish all I want to read. Thanks for co-hosting such a great event!
This is wonderful, Bellezza, thanks so much for joining. I’m still thinking about reading Little Women with you and Tom as well (didn’t say so anywhere because I want to be sure I can manage first). I think I’m turning December into a classics month. It fits the season.
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This sounds like good fun. I used to read Christmas Carol every year but haven’t done so for ages now so it will be fun to pick it up again.
Please sign me up.
Lynn 😀
Welcome, Lynn. Good to have you.
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What a great idea! I will be joining in at least for one book, and maybe for the readalong. And I hope to watch a movie too! http://leeswammes.wordpress.com/2012/11/25/joining-the-dickens-in-december-event/
That’s great Judith. And thatnk’s for mentioning it. I’m already looking forward to the event. And we have giveaways as well. 🙂
I’m game! I’m eager to read what folks have to say.
Cynthia
http://thethingsyoucanread.blogspot.com/
Thanks for joining, Cynthia. It will be an interesting month.
Oooh, this sounds great and I still haven’t read Great Expectations – What a brilliant excuse to pick it up. I’m also wanting to join in with Advent with Atwood though, so this could be a confusing December for me! 🙂
I love A Christmas Carol so will definitely try to join in with the readalong!
Good to have you. A Christmas Carol isn’t that long, so it should be feasible but an Atwood and a Dickens novel could be challenging. They both write such long books.
Unfortunately I didn’t manage to do any of the challenges or readalongs that I had wanted to do! To be honest I’ve hardly read anything at all! Hopefully I’ll be able to join in with something else this year – I’ll keep my eyes open. I am looking forward to reading through everyone’s Dickens blog posts though because I do love his writing. (Just started Great Expectations and really enjoying it so far!)
Don’t worry, that happens to all of us from time to time. It should be something we enjoy and forcing ourselves hardly ever achieves that. 🙂
Just read about this on Judith’s blog. Yes! I am not going to read but watch. John gave me the complete Dickens collection on DVD for Christmas last year and now is the time to start watching, I suppose.
Lucky you. I saw that collection. It’s very tempting. I’m looking foward t your reviews.
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Even though I failed miserably during German Literature Month I will be joining you for Dickens in December. Not sure if it will be Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations.
How wonderful that you will join. Both choices should be great. I’ll read Great expectations and A Christmas Carol, of course.
Count me in, just in time. I have a copy of A Tale of Two Cities on my shelf, just waiting to be read!
Great. I’m glad you will join us.
Oh, and I forgot to add, I’ll join the A Christmas Carol read-along as well!
Ok, that’s great. We will send out the questions next week but you can go free-style and just write a review.
I’m joining at the last minute! I want to read Christmas Carol, Ghost Stories, and also Little Dorrit and Barnaby Rudge – the only two novels I’ve not yet read 🙂
Welcome to the event. Thanks for joining. You’ve got ambitious plans. 🙂
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Last minute join! I’ve started David Copperfeild and I wanted to read A Christmas Carol this December anyway so I’m down for the read along! I’ll probably also aim to finish Great Expectations as well because there are a few movie versions I’d like to watch but I don’t want to watch any movies pre book!
Great and you’ve already got your reading plans. I’ve seen Great Expectations a long time ago, it will not really spoil the book but normally I alos prefer to read first.
What a lovely idea. I’ve been meaning to read “The Pickwick Papers” for quite a while and I’ve downloaded it to my Kindle from the Gutenberg Project, but it’s rather long and I’m already in the middle of 2 other books at present, one in Hebrew and one in English, so maybe I’ll revisit “A Christmas Carol” instead as it’s (a) short and I can hopefully read it in time for the readalong and (b) seasonally apt. I don’t think I’ve read it since high school!
It would be great if you would join. I think it will be wonderful to re-read A Christmas Carol this time of the year and discuss it with others.
A great idea….I generally focus on Austen in December since her birthday is the 16th but I think I can sneak in some Dickens re-reads. “Our Mutual Friend” is actually a favorite of mine and one I find often gets left behind at times. Thanks for the event. I am happy to join!
Courtney
Stiletto Storytime
That’s wonderful, Courtney. We are glad to have you.
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Count me in! I’m already in the middle of reading Bleak House, and I’d love to participate in at least the readathon of A Christmas Carol (with my eight-year-old participating as well). Sounds like a fun event!
Thanks for joining. It will be great to hear what your son (?) will think of it. I could imagine it’s a book that could have an impact on a young reader.
This is great idea I’d like to join in the read-a-long if you could mail me the questions pls that would be great
It’s that that you are joining. We will send out the questions in a week or so.
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I’ll review a short and hopefully join in the read-a-long. I read the Carol every year just because…
That’s great. Looking forward to your thoughts.
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I’ve just finished Great Expectations, here’s my review: http://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2012/12/great-expectations.html
Thanks, Fanda, I’l add you to the page.
A winter read? Not here…
My selection has a very light, summery feel though 🙂
I know, it’s such a eurocentrist thing to say. My co-host is located in Bangkok… I guess she would agree with you. 🙂
Just posted my review of ‘The Pickwick Papers’:
http://tonysreadinglist.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/the-magical-mystery-tour.html
Thnaks, a lot Tony. I’ll visit shortly.
Hi Caroline, I will join you for The Christmas Carol and would like to receive the questions. I am reading Little Dorrit this month and had started before I learned of your event. This is a first event for me.
Welcome Sandra, how nice that you are joining. We will send out the questions shortly (this week).
I hope you like Little Dorrit.
I’m getting Oliver Twist- The movie from the library so I hope to watch that this weekend.
Great. There are also quite a few versions. I watched one with Ben Kingsley and liked it.
I didn’t have any choice in the matter but this one is indeed the one with Ben Kingsley!
I think that’s a good one. I liked it.
After just stating my intentions to read A Christmas Carol in my post yesterday someone (TooFondBeth) directed me here and I think I’ll join you guys!! So if I’m understanding correctly, we should post our thoughts ON the 21st? So much fun. We’re also reading Bleak House for another readalong this month (and last) but I’m honestly not sure I’ll finish by the end of the year. Ha!
Hi Trish, thanks for joining. I sent out the questions yesterday but you can also wrie a reviews. As you like. Yes, we will discuss on Friday 21 2012.
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Darn it, saw this too late to join in! Next year…
It would have been great – next year, yes… You’d be very welcome.
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