Classics club Spin#20
Time for another round of the Classics Club Spin.
If this is the first time you’ve heard of this, the idea is to create a list of any twenty books remaining from your Classics Club list, numbering them 1-20. On Monday 22nd April the Classics Club will announce a number. This is the book I will need to read by 31st May.
Since I don’t have 20 titles left unread from my original list I’m having to be creative. Numbers 16-20 are new additions.
- The Black Sheep — Honore Balzac 1842
- Basil— Wilkie Collins 1852
- Framley Parsonage — Anthony Trollope 1861
- New Grub Street— George Gissing 1891
- O pioneers — Willa Cather 1913
- Gone to Earth — Mary Webb 1917
- Age of Innocence — Edith Wharton 1920
- The Last September — Elizabeth Bowen 1929
- All Passion Spent — Vita Sackville West 1932
- Frost in May — Antonia White 1933
- Old Soldiers Never Die— Frank Richards 1933
- Turf or Stone — Margiad Evans 1934
- The Grapes of Wrath — John Steinbeck 1939
- Never No More— Maura Laverty 1942
- The Quiet American — Graham Greene 1955
- Alone in Berlin — Hans Fallada 1947
- To the Lighthouse — Virginia Woolf 1927
- No Name — Wilkie Collins 1862
- Evelina — Frances Burney 1778
- The Lifted Veil — George Eliot 1859
I’m rather hoping for Turf or Stone by the Welsh author Margiad Evans , a dark novel about an abusive marriage. I’ve never read anything by her previously but she features in the Library of Wales collection of Welsh ‘classics.’
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I hope you get Turf or Stone simply because it was recently recommended to me. There again, it’s such a great list that were it mine, I’d be happy with anything that came up!
Well unfortunately I didn’t but I have moved it towards the top of my pile to read so hope to get to it later in the year.
I hope you get your wish but there are plenty of books on your list I’d be happy to get. My list will be up tomorrow.
I do hope you get your wish, especially as it’s a title I’m not familiar with, so one that no doubt deserves to be better known!
I do admire you for going down the classic route, it’s rare I indulge those anymore, apart from the likes of Colette, a woman who defied convention and managed to get her own name reinstated on her works.
I saw the film Colette a few weeks ago – I had no idea about her life story so that part was interesting. Not sure how close it was to her real life but that husband was a piece of work wasn;t he!
The Age of Innocence is fantastic. Fingers crossed you get your choice!
Unfortunately not! Sob, Sob
I know you created the list and therefore control its contents but I’d be hoping for certain of those above others. Fingers crossed you get the Margiad Evans.
although all the books on the list are ones I want to read, I do have my fingers crossed that certain ones don’t get chosen right now because they don’t suit my mood…
I loved The Grapes of Wrath and To the Lighthouse. I read Gone to Earth as a teenager and loved it – and re-read it a while ago and still enjoyed it despite its melodrama and occasional moralising. I liked the descriptions of the Shropshire countryside and its recreation of a rural community in the early years of the 20th century.
Melodrama I can probably cope with – moralising I tend to find more challenging
so many I had never heard of. It’s the 2nd list I see Basil by Collins, I have not read it
It’s probably one of his lesser known titles compared to say The Moonstone
Interesting and mixed list. Personally I love Collins, Trollope, Green and Woolf. I have some by Wharton on my list and am eager to read her books, as well as Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath.
I’m a Trollope fan too – slowly making my way through his Barchester series
Interesting list! Several authors I don’t know at all. I recently read “The Grapes of Wrath” and enjoyed it a lot. Hope you get a book you love!
I’ve only read two – The Grapes of Wrath and No Name, and since I’m not a Wilkie Collins fan, I’ll hope you get the Steinbeck! Although coincidentally I was chatting to someone the other night who was amazed I hadn’t read The Quiet American and was twisting my arm to do so…
I’m a late comer to Steinbeck – as is my husband and he has been raving about Grapes of wrath
I read No Name way back when for CC spin #6 and loved it. I’m now planning to read as many of his books (in chronological order) as I can. Basil is his first book and on my spin this time too.
Some of the lesser known Wilkie Collins books are very disappointing unfortunately – you can get a number of them on Gutenburg by the way
I love Alone in Berlin and No Name, but there are a lot of other books on your list that sound interesting too. I have The Black Sheep on mine but at a different number. Good luck on Monday!
I’m sort of hoping not to get some of the really old ones
So many good books on your list, you really can’t lose no matter what number comes up!
Oh I don’t know – sometimes those 18th century works are challenging
Yours is the 4th Classics Spin post I have read today. Now I am eager to see which book you each get next week!
the one that came up last time wasn’t great so I’m hoping for more luck this time
I read Age of Innocence recently and it was wonderful although my favourite of Wharton’s is still The House of Mirth. I also just loved To The Lighthouse. Have a great spin, and I hope you get a perfect choice!
Thanks Cleo, I’ve read one of the Whartons but can’t remember which it was so decided I would read both again
If I could I would probably choose The Quiet American. We got talking about Greene in one of my book groups last month and I realised how long it was since I had read anything by him and was reminded just what a great writer he was.
It’s a few years since I read him too – I appreciate him more now than I did when he was on my university reading list and had to rattle through them
Hope the odds are in your favor. I’m loving the spins because it forces me to read the books that I have been putting off. 🙂
It does have that advantage though last time around I wasn’t thrilled by what I got….
I’ve read Alone in Berlin out of these, it was pretty good! One of those that stays with you.
That echoes the comments of some other readers so now I’m keen to read it….
If you get Alone In Berlin, I’d be interested to hear what you think. I read it a few years ago and thought it was good.
i haven’t come across anyone yet that hasn’t rated the book highly
Happy ‘Spinning’ 😀
An interesting list! A few chunky ones in there, as well as The Lifted Veil, which really divides opinions amongst Viragoites!
i wasn’t sure about adding The Lifted Veil. I do like George Eliot’s work but also had heard this one garnered mixed reactions