Victober 2017 TBR

Hello, beautiful people!

This year, I've decided to join #Victober, a read-a-thon focused on reading Victorian literature during the month of October and hosted by Katie (Books and Things), Ange (Beyond the Pages), Kate (Kate Howe) and Lucy (Lucythereader). While you don't have to read a certain number of books for this readathon (read one book? You did it!), there are challenges for those interested and that's what I based my TBR off (I'm very competitive with myself when it comes to readathons). Oh, and as October means Halloween, my TBR also is inspired by that because I want to get in the mood.

The challenges are:

• Read a Victorian book by a Scottish, Irish or Welsh author
• Read a lesser-known Victorian book (less than 12.000 ratings on Goodreads)
• Read a supernatural Victorian book
• Read a Victorian book that someone recommended to you
• Read a Victorian book by a female author

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde // Read a Victorian book by a Scottish, Irish or Welsh author

If you didn't know, Oscar Wilde is an Irish writer and while I have yet to read what he wrote, I've been admiring him for such a long time and went to an exhibition about him in Paris last year. October is the month I will finally read The Picture of Dorian Gray, and I couldn't be more excited, because I know I'm going to love it and it's a short read, which is perfect for a readathon!

2. Gothic Tales by Elizabeth Gaskell // Read a lesser-known Victorian book

Elizabeth Gaskell's Gothic Tales is, without a doubt, the book I'm most excited to read for Victober. I discovered Elizabeth Gaskell last year with North and South, which I absolutely loved, and read Wives and Daughters this September. When I discovered she had written gothic short stories (and that they aren't that known), I was over the moon. When I read the description of the contents of this edition, it made me so curious, take for example: The Poor Clare, which is about "an evil doppelganger is formed by a woman's bitter curse", or Lois the Witch is "a novella based on an account of the Salem witch hunts, shows how sexual desire and jealousy lead to hysteria". It seems like a perfect read for Halloween time and I can read one of the novella whenever I want, which is also perfect for readathons.

3. Dracula by Bram Stoker // Read a supernatural Victorian book

I've been saving up Dracula for October, because I think it'll be the best month to finally read it. I've been meaning to get to it for such a long time and I hope I won't be too terrified (we never know with me). I'm very curious to finally read it, as I've only read about vampires in young adult novels (*cough* Twilight *cough*), but I want to know the real deal with vampires. My friend Clara loves this book and said it changed her opinions on vampires, so I trust her.

4. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins// Read a book that someone recommended to you

I first heard about The Woman in White on my favourite blog (which is in French, sorry), and it intrigued me so much. Victoria (mangoandsalt) absolutely loved it and I've wanted to read it ever since. Andreea (Infinite Text) also said we could count this one as her recommendation, so it definitely fits in this category. Anyhow, once again, I thought it was a perfect read for October, as it's a mystery novel and it is said to be "the first and most influential of the Victorian genre that combined Gothic horror with psychological realism". Moreover, if you want to read The Woman in White for Victober, there is a Goodreads group, because it's a popular choice for this year's Victober and it's way less intimidating to read a big book (around 700 pages) with other people.

5. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon // Read a book by a female author

Lady Audley's Secret is a very famous Scandal novel and I have to say that the title intrigues me. From what I gathered, it's about an anti-heroine, morality and madness in the Victorian age. Besides, this novel apparently established Mary Elizabeth Braddon established her as the main rival of the master of the sensational novel, Wilkie Collins. I'll be reading Wilkie Collins for the first time in October, so I thought it would be interesting to be able to compare the two.

Are you taking part in Victober? What are your favourite Victorian novels?

Lots of love,

Lucie