Classics Club

Classics Club Spin: Round 5

I’ve neglected my Classics Club reading a little in the past few weeks so I’m hoping round five of the Classics Club Spin will be a good nudge in the ribs for me.

For those unfamiliar with the Classics Club Spin, think of it like a bookish version of Russian Roulette. I have to pick twenty books from my Classics Club list that I have yet to read; give them a number 1-20. by Monday, Feb 10. Someone in the club spins the wheel and whatever number the ball lands upon, that’s the book I should read by April 2. 

I was lucky last time around and ended up with Grahame Greene’s The Power and the Glory which I loved.

This time around I’m going to do a slightly modified version of my original list. I know we are supposed to choose some we are desperately keen to read and others that fill us with trepidation. I’ve not done that on the basis if I was really not looking forward to reading a book, then it has no place on my reading list.

Here’s what I’ve chosen

  1. Evelina by Frances Burney
  2. Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens
  3. Vicar of Wakefield by Oliver Goldsmith
  4. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
  5. The Diary of a Nobody by George Grossmith
  6. Cry My Beloved Country by Alan Paton
  7. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
  8. Half a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi  Adichie
  9. The Infinite Plan by Isabel Allende
  10. Mrs Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
  11. Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer
  12. Candide by Voltaire
  13. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe
  14. Old Gariot by Honore Balzac
  15. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
  16. Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
  17. The Pursuit Of Love by Nancy Mitford
  18. Silent Spring by Rachel Carson
  19. The Voyage Out by Virginia Woolf
  20. A Room with a View by E M Forster

BookerTalk

What do you need to know about me? 1. I'm from Wales which is one of the countries in the UK and must never be confused with England. 2. My life has always revolved around the written and spoken word. I worked as a journalist for nine years then in international corporate communications 3. My tastes in books are eclectic. I love realism and hate science fiction and science fantasy. 4. I am trying to broaden my reading horizons geographically by reading more books in translation

13 thoughts on “Classics Club Spin: Round 5

  • I just started reading Old Goriot last week. It’s pretty good!

    Reply
  • ‘Cry the Beloved Country’ is one of the most remarkable novels I have ever read. I do hope, for your sake, that the choice lands on that.

    Reply
    • I can’t remember much about this one though I know I read it in my teens and found very moving.

      Reply
  • It’s so nice to see The Vicar of Wakefield on your list. It’s often neglected on classics lists but Goldsmith crafts the story well. And The Diary of a Nobody is another one of my favourites! It’s hilarious!

    Happy Spinning! 🙂

    Reply
    • It probably doesn’t show up that often on school syllabus lists, maybe one reason why we don’t get to hear of it much

      Reply
  • Oh, I have Half of a Yellow Sun to read, too! Should have put that one on my list. Good luck to you!

    Reply
    • I will get to this one day.mi seem to have had it on the shelf for too long.

      Reply
    • I now know what the result is. It’s an interesting book though maybe not truly a great read.

      Reply

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