Victober 2021 TBR

While I have not been participating in readathons the way I used to, there is one I love more than any other and that is Victober. Every October readers from all over the world dedicate the month to reading Victorian literature.

There are three hosts Katie from Books and Things, Lucy the Reader, and Kate Howe. They each set a challenge, then there is a group challenge, a group read, and a challenge that is related to reading but not a certain book.

I am such a mood reader, and while these are what I am predicting I will read, every year my TBR changes as the month goes on.

Read a book with a female main character. This is the one I am having the hardest time nailing down. Last year I bought The Diaries of Hannah Cullwick: Victorian Maidservant for the non fiction challenge. I did not get to read it, but it is one I think would be interesting. Since it is the diary of a woman, I figured that does make her the main character of her own life. I also have about 4 backup lists for this challenge. The main backups are Women Who Did, Hester, and Olive.

Read a sensation novel. While originally I was going to go with Lady Audley’s Secret, I moved it to the backup list. I have decided to go with The Law and the Lady by Wilkie Collins. I read The Woman in White either last year or the year before, and I thought it was okay. So, I wanted to give Collins a second chance, plus the synopsis as me wanting to read it first. My other backups are A Welsh Witch (if I can find a copy,) Sylvia’s Lovers, East Lynne, and The Doctor’s Wife (although it has some spoilers for another book I really want to read. So. I think I will wait on this one.) Maybe one of these years I will read some Mary Elizabeth Braddon…

Read a book set in the countryside and/or the city. I usually jump headfirst into these challenges that allow you to read two books, but with reading being a little slower for me these days, I made tiers for this one. Plus, I think it will be the challenge I do last. For country side I am going to read Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. My other option for this one is to read the 500 pages in Lorna Doone that I am glacially moving through. For the city part I would like to read The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope. My backups for the city are The Romance of the Shop and New Grub Street. If I get to this challenge, and I just want something easy, I will reread North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, since it is my favourite book of all time. A lot of years I have a few rereads, but this year none of my main books are rereads. This is even the only backup that is a reread. I just find rereads allow my mind to relax a bit.

The group selected challenge was to pick a popular book. How you define popular is up to you. So I am defining it as something that was popular during the Victorian era, and that you don’t hear as much about now. I decided to read London Labour and the London Poor. If I find it terrible, I will read something by Margaret Oliphant as she was very popular, but is not as widely read today. Plus, I have not read anything by her.

The group read is Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell. This book has sat on my shelf for years. I am so excited to read it. I have read a story or two out of it before, but I have never read the whole thing.

The challenge that involves reading, but not a book is to read part of a book aloud or have one read to you. This was popular during the Victorian era. I will read part of one out loud to my pets. I might also listen to one of these in part or whole on audiobook. Will just depend on what I can find.

I also plan to read some Victorian poetry. Some of the authours are new to me and others I have read several times before. I have a ton of Victorian books that I would like to read, so we shall see what ends up getting read during Victober.

Let me know what you are reading for Victober!