Thursday, March 17, 2022

Classics Club Spin #29


The latest Classics Club Spin has been announced. I have chosen twenty books from my classics list. I have added and deleted a few from my last list because I want to read some books for the Back to the Classics Challenge.

On Sunday 20th March, 2022, the Classics Club will post a number from 1 through 20. The goal is to read whatever book falls under that number on my Spin List by 30th April, 2022.


So, here is my list of 20 books for the spin.


  1. Things Fall Apart (1958) by Chinua Achebe   [209 pages]
  2. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1955) by Patricia Highsmith
  3. Rebecca (1938) by Daphne du Maurier  [410 pages]
  4. The Sign of Four (1890) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle 
  5. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes  (1892) by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
  6. The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald
  7. The Quiet American (1958) by Graham Greene   [180 pages]
  8. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (1940) by Carson McCullers
  9. The Wind in the Willows (1908) by Kenneth Grahame 
  10. A Wrinkle in Time (1962) by Madeleine L'Engle
  11. Beast In View (1955) by Margaret Millar
  12. Anna Karenina (1878) by Leo Tolstoy  [over 800 pages]
  13. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) by Roald Dahl
  14. My Ántonia (1918) by Willa Cather
  15. Goodbye to Berlin (1939) by Christopher Isherwood
  16. Dracula (1897) by Bram Stoker    [420 pages]
  17. Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury
  18. The Postman Always Rings Twice (1934) by James Cain
  19. Sense and Sensibility (1811) by Jane Austen
  20. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962) by Shirley Jackson


34 comments:

Rick Robinson said...

I’ve read 12 of them. Good luck.

TracyK said...

Rick, the only one that I know I read years ago is Fahrenheit 451. A few others I may have read in my twenties. But it has been so long, I want to read them anyway.

Lisa of Hopewell said...

Oh, what a wonderful list! I've read nearly all of them and there's not a bad one in the bunch. Enjoy!

TracyK said...

I agree, Lisa, it is a very good list, and I think I will be happy whatever number comes up.

Cath said...

That's a fantastic list. I've read 6 of them, my favourite being The Wind in the Willows. Hope you get something you really want.

Mary R. said...

You have some great books on this list! Good luck getting a number that makes you happy. Can't wait to see what you think about whichever one you end up with. 3, 6, and 14 are particular favorites of mine.

Kay said...

Nice list, Tracy! I'll hope for #3 or #19 to be drawn. Loved those two.

TracyK said...

Cath, I want to read The Wind in the Willows this year, so it would be fine with me if it is the choice. The biggest challenge in this list would be Anna Karenina.

TracyK said...

Mary, I would be quite happy if #3, Rebecca, is picked. It is long enough I need a push to get it started. And I want to read more Du Maurier after that. The Great Gatsby and My Ántonia are such short novels, I should read them soon regardless and make more progress on my list.

TracyK said...

Kay, either Rebecca or Sense and Sensibility would be fine. I am looking forward to reading both of those. Sense and Sensibility is the last Austin novel that I have not read. Maybe then I will want to reread the others.

Lark said...

So many good books on your list! I don't even know which one to root for because I love so many of them. :)

Margot Kinberg said...

Oh, Tracy, you have such excellent books on your list! Now, personally, I hope you get the Millar or one of the Conan Doyles, or maybe the Graham Greene, or....or...... Seriously, they're all great, and I hope you enjoy the reading!

reese said...

A great list--I've read a bunch of them & they're all pretty fun. I've got a Willa Cather on my list as well, but a different one: A Lost Lady. But I loved My Antonia. Happy spinning!

TracyK said...

Lark, I don't have a favorite that I am hoping for. The longest one (Anna Karenina) would be hardest for me but I am pretty sure I will like it.

TracyK said...

Margot, one of the Conan Doyles would be great but any of the crime fiction would be fun, I think.

TracyK said...

Thanks for commenting, Reese. I am hoping that reading My Antonia will motivate me to read more by Cather. But any of the choices will be good.

Katrina said...

That is a great list, I've read 12 of them and enjoyed all of them. I hadn't even heard of Beast in View - your number 11. I'll have to look it up.

TracyK said...

Katrina, I have enjoyed several of Margaret Millar's mystery novels, but I don't know a lot about Beast in View specifically. It is one of Millar's best known mysteries and it won the Edgar award for best novel in 1954. Her novels are usually psychological suspense, but this one may be more suspenseful than I like. I will find out one day.

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

What a great list! I've read many on there. Dracula is one of my absolute favorites. I've read it at least four times. Hope you get the one you most want.

Rick Robinson said...

Today’s the day! What number came up?

TracyK said...

Rick, I don't know yet. I was checking for the number of the spin just a few minutes ago, and it isn't up on the site yet. It has usually been posted way before I get up on Sunday morning.

TracyK said...

Michelle, I have heard many people say that Dracula is a good read, including my husband. He was interested to hear that you have The Oxford Book of Gothic Tales on your list. He has that book too.

Michelle Stockard Miller said...

Tracy, I love reading horror, from current authors to classic Gothic tales. Many of the classic stories I have read again and again, especially Poe. So cool your husband also has the book. "Great minds," as they say. :)

So strange that the spin result hasn't been posted yet. As you said to Rick earlier, it is usually posted very early in the morning.

TracyK said...

Michelle, my husband likes weird stories, horror stories, ghost stories. He has over 20 books of Victorian ghost stories on the Kindle. (He does lean toward old stuff in that area I think.)

I agree. Very strange that the spin number has not been announced.

Rick Robinson said...

I looked for the number too, no dice. BTW, unlike others, I guess, I thought Dracula was slow and boring.

TracyK said...

Rick, finally the post with the number is out. The number is 11, which means my book will be: Beast In View by Margaret Millar. That is funny because just last night I looked into the book a bit more because Katrina had mentioned it. So that is a good choice for me. A mystery and a classic, and hopefully not too tense and suspenseful.

TracyK said...

Rick, I also meant to say, maybe I will get to Dracula this year and I will see how I like it. Any book over 400 pages is longer than I like but I hope it will be a good reading experience.

Rick Robinson said...

I read Beast In View (1955) by Margaret Millar about three years ago. I'll be interested in your opinion. I'm over half way through the new Scalzi novel and really enjoying it.

TracyK said...

Rick, did you like Beast in View? I am sure I will like it for the most part.

I only recently heard about the new Scalzi novel. Let me know if you like it. I started reading the 3rd Cadfael book last night, Monk's Hood.

Rick Robinson said...

I’ll let you decide about Beast In View without my opinion. I finished the Scalzi last night, it kept me up late. I liked it, light, fun, the only thing that I didn’t like was the non-gender pronounced that the PC crowd are pushing. I expect “they” to be a plural…

TracyK said...

Rick, I am glad to hear you like the Scalzi book. I still have several of his books unread. The last Lock In book, one of the Old Man's War books, some of his earlier books. I will get through some of those first.

Rick Robinson said...

That was before autocorrect, “pronouns “ darn!

Kathy's Corner said...

Great list and I have read The Great Gatsby. I didn't love it but others may. I would say that We Have Always Lived in the Castle is a memorable experience.

TracyK said...

Sorry to take so long to respond, Kathy. I just saw this comment. I am a bit wary of We Have Always Lived in the Castle, but I know that it will be a good reading experience for me, once I dive in.