Narnia Book Club/Readalong
I am so excited to be hosting a readalong of The Chronicles of Narnia during the first seven months of 2020. I decided on The Chronicles for several reasons. This series introduced me to a magical world that I still love to visit, even as an adult. It can be read by both kids and adults. Parents can include their kids while participating in this readalong! The stories are short and packed with adventure. While I love stories of all lengths, I find shorter books tend to be a little friendlier, especially to beginners. Lastly, many people are afraid to read classics, for several reasons. I love sharing classics with people. They are books that transcend time. I love that I can talk to people of all ages about classics. I love the range of emotions that classics inflict both good and bad. They are a great conversation starter. Most people have read at least a few classics even if just in school. For this reason, the one bookshelf I have in the public part of my house, houses many classics. I enjoy people stopping to look at the shelf and say, “Oh I remember reading this book! I loved it!” Sometimes they remark, “That was one of the worst books I ever read!” I do not tend to get those strong of emotions in other genres. I still talk to my middle and high school teachers about the books I read in their classes or books they recommended to me all those years ago, that I am just getting to.
This readathong is meant to be FUN, EASY, and RELAXED! We will be reading in the ORDER OF PUBLICATION! There are three big reasons I am doing this! First, many people have read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which will be the first book we will be reading together. People can get comfortable in the group. Many people may start late or miss the first month, and so many will have an easier time catching up. Second and third reasons, in the past, I have always read the series in chronological order. Recently, when I reread the series, I realized, there could be spoilers, or things may not make as much sense, not having read some of the other novels. Along with that, I have recommended people to read in both publication order and chronological order over the years. I have yet to have anyone start with The Magicians Nephew and continue with the series. Everyone who has read in publication order has stuck with the series. As much as I enjoy The Magicians Nephew, there is just something about The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe that just grabs and captivates people!
During the readalong, you can participate by being a part of the group chat, commenting on my posts, and of course making your own! Throughout the next few months, I will be sharing why this series is important to me, my thoughts on each of the books, my different editions, some random facts, if I find any interesting ones, and so on. Like I said earlier, I want this to be fun, easy, and relaxed for both you and me. If there is anything you would like to see please let me know, and I will try my best. If this goes well, and if there is interest, I may extend this to read more C.S. Lewis and maybe a book or two about Lewis’s life.
Find me on Instagram @widgetsticks. Use the hastag #NarniaBookClub.
The Order (publication order)
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair
The Horse and His Boy
The Magician’s Nephew
The Last Battle
So excited to have you join us! Happy Reading!
