So, I finished A Christmas Carol.

It is the first Dickens that I ever read, and I have to comment that the final chapter, where Scrooge is redeemed, is one of the most heart-lifting, joyous things that I have ever read.

Yes, seeing it on film so many times, it always came off as cheezy and stilted. But, reading the original text, where you can actually get inside Scrooge's head as he runs about, wishing everyone Merry Christmas, and making amends... it adds a whole new dimension to that hyper-sentimentality; a human component that is maybe just too hard to, nay, impossible to express without the actual text.

A really, surprisingly wonderful read. I did not expect to enjoy it nearly so much.

On to more Dickens.
Oliver Twist or A Tale of Two Cities?

I recently listened to Great Expectations on audiobook, and it was excellent (longer, but on par with A Christmas Carol). I haven't read the other two you mentioned but they are on my list.

I definitely enjoyed <i>Oliver Twist</i> more than <i>A Tale of Two Cities</i>, but that may be because I had to read the latter for school (and I therefore read it 15+ years earlier than I read Twist).

I hated Great Expectations and Tale of Two Cities when it was required reading in 8th grade. This coming from the kid/guy who while reading the majority of books during his lifetime has begun thinking about other stuff which leads to "reading" an entire page and not remembering a single word or just plain fallen asleep.

I liked Tale of Two Cities. I always identified with the Sidney Carton character.

I am curious... what made you pick up a Christmas Story... 1) at all... and 2) in October?

Oliver Twist is more interesting than a Tale of Two Cities...

I just started Oliver Twist, and am being pulled into this one just the same as with Christmas Carol.

And, to answer your question:
I downloaded it onto my Kindle for my son to read for a book report. He changed his mind, so I decided to pick it up. So glad that I did.

ahhh....free ebooks...that explains it.

i'm slowly reading David Copperfield. Sometimes it flows so well and I can't believe it's so good, and sometimes I don't understand the archaic language and have no idea what they are talking about. I've probably finished 20 other books since starting it, but I'll eventually finish the damn thing.

It's a beautiful thing.

I don't get it.

but suddenly want some honey nut cheerios

it's a boardwalk empire reference