The latest Classics Club Spin has been announced. To join in, I have chosen twenty books from my classics list. On Sunday, 21st July, 2024, the Classics Club will post a number from 1 through 20. The goal is to read whatever book falls under that number on this Spin List by Sunday, 22nd September, 2024.
So, here is my list of 20 books for the spin...
- Edna Ferber – Show Boat (1926)
- Patricia Highsmith – The Talented Mr.Ripley (1955)
- Shirley Jackson – We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962)
- Madeleine L'Engle – A Wrinkle in Time (1962)
- William Shakespeare – Much Ado About Nothing (1598)
- Mary Shelley – Frankenstein (1818)
- John Steinbeck – Cannery Row (1945)
- William Thackeray – Vanity Fair (1848)
- Oscar Wilde – The Picture of Dorian Gray (1890)
- Virginia Woolf – Flush (1933)
- Chinua Achebe – Things Fall Apart (1958)
- Roald Dahl – Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964)
- Charlotte Brontë – Jane Eyre (1847)
- Anne Brontë – Agnes Grey (1847)
- Albert Camus – The Stranger (1942)
- Lewis Carroll – Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1865)
- Willa Cather – My Ántonia (1918)
- Kenneth Grahame – The Wind in the Willows (1908)
- Graham Greene – Our Man in Havana (1958)
- Ray Bradbury – Fahrenheit 451 (1953)
This is almost exactly the same list as I used last time, so no surprises here. Are there any of these you especially liked... or disliked?
28 comments:
I've actually only read seven of those. Is there any one you particularly fancy, Tracy?
Cath, I think any of these would be fine. The Wind in the Willows is already on my 20 Books of Summer list so it would be convenient if it were picked, but I will be reading it either way.
Because I am doing the 20 Books list, something shorter would be best. I was concerned about being able to read something by Shakespeare but I took a look at my copy today and I now think I can handle it.
Hi Tracy, thanks for reminding us about this list. I would like to join the spin challenge but I am still mired in the Medieval Book Challenge and am determined maybe not to read 15 medieval historical novels which at this point is not possible but maybe at least 10 by the end of the year? On your list many exceptional novels. My favorites Jane Eyre, Frankenstein and Things Fall Apart. All are 5 stars in my book.
Kathy, reading 10 - 15 medieval historical novels is a worthy goal. I would like to continue reading more in the Brother Cadfael series and I will read a Shardlake book by C.J. Sansom in the next month.
The three books you recommend above would be fine reads for this spin.
Shirley Jackson's book is a strange winner. And that's my favorite Cather book ... I hope you pick a good number ... maybe some Willy Wonka?
Some great choices here Tracy - glad you can join in again.
I also have Dorian Gray on my list, so I moved it to no. 9, so if it spins up we can share the reading experience :-)
I am doubtful that SHOWBOAT will hold up but the rest seem like great choices.
I like your choices, Tracy. Several of them (the Bradbury, the Achebe, the Thackeray, the Jackson, etc.) made a really strong impression on me. I still think about them. I'll be interested in knowing which one you get; whichever it is, I hope you enjoy it.
Your list has a lot of good books on it. I got the Cather book in one of my first spins and really enjoyed it, but I think the Bradbury book is one everyone should read. I have liked everything of his I've read.
Flush was cute...it's a short and sweet novel. And I just read The Wind in the Willows this year and totally loved it. And, of course, A Wrinkle in Time. My 5th grade teacher read it to my class and I've loved it ever since. The first two books on your list and two on my own TBR list. Happy spinning! :D
Lark, I would be happy with either Flush or A Wrinkle in Time. I need to go through this list and figure out which are real books and which are on my Kindle. My son has a copy of A Wrinkle in Time.
Susan, I have a lovely copy of We Have Always Lived in the Castle but I keep avoiding it because I know it has the kind of tension that I don't enjoy. I have never read Cather so that would be a good choice. And I do want to read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I have a Kindle edition of that one.
Brona, the Dorian Gray would definitely be a fine pick. Any of them will be a good reading experience, although both Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr.Ripley and Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle will be challenging for me.
Patti, I was mainly interested in Show Boat by Ferber because we have watched the film version with Irene Dunne and Allan Jones so many times. I don't know that much about the book. I do like this list overall.
I have A Wrinkle in Time on my list, as well! It is a long beloved book of mine, read many times, but it can never be enough for me. Some of my biggest life lessons were learned the first time I read this, at the age of 12.
Margot, I will have to admit that Thackeray's Vanity Fair is a bit daunting. I think it is 800-900 pages long. I have read Fahrenheit 451 but so long ago that it will seem new to me. I have heard that the book by Achebe is very good.
Kelly, I have never read Cather so that will be a new experience. I did read the Bradbury book long ago, but I felt the need to read it again. Unfortunately, even though I have several copies all of them have tiny print.
Bellezza, I am glad to hear that you like A Wrinkle in Time so much. I don't know why I never read it when I was younger. I was reading mostly mysteries then I guess.
I'm always a fan of kids' books, and one of my favorites is A Wrinkle in Time. I read that aloud to my fifth graders every year, back in the day.
A fun list! A Wind in the Willows and Cannery Row are both short and a lot of fun I thought. Hope you get something good!
Deb, it is good to see more praise of A Wrinkle in Time. I enjoy time travel books, it should be fun to read.
Reese, I will be reading A Wind in the Willows in the next month or so, regardless, so that would be the perfect pick. It has been a long time since I read anything by Steinbeck. I am hoping that reading Cannery Row might motivate me to read more of his books or stories.
Hi Tracy,
You can't possibly go wrong with almost all the books on this list, hands down!
Many are absolute all-time favorites of mine.
Jane Eyre is the penultimate favorite and one of the best books ever written, in my opinion.
I LOVED Agnes Grey, considered the "lesser novel" by the "lesser sister Bronte." Too bad--it's a great book and a great statement about the position of women governesses in that era.
The Stranger by Camus!
A Wrinkle in Time!
I have read most of the books on this list, although not the Steinbeck, nor the Graham Greene, though I've read lots of wonderful books by these authors.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory--can't vouch for that one.
ENJOY!
And if Jane Eyre is not the pick, I would urge you to read it before anymore time goes by!
Judith
You are right, Judith, I should read Jane Eyre soon. I only hold back because of the length and that is really silly.
I am glad to hear you loved Agnes Grey, I had been unsure of that one.
Sometime tomorrow I will know which one it is. Finally.
I loved Cannery Row. Reread it two or thee times!
Nicola, I am glad to hear that you enjoyed Cannery Row. The ebook copy I have has 6 short novels by Steinbeck, so if I like Cannery Row when I get to it I can try the others too. I have read Of Mice and Men, but it has been a long long time.
They announced the number today, and it was 17, so I will be reading My Ántonia by Cather sometime in August.
Oh.. I would have wished you get no. 7 or 14 (my favorites), but I see that you get My Antonia instead. Which is very nice! I love it too. I think it's my favorite from the trilogy. So, have fun! ;)
Fanda, I am glad so many people enjoy both #7 (Cannery Row) and #14 (Agnes Grey) because I will be reading them someday. But I am also happy with My Antonia, and I hope to read the others in the trilogy too.
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