close up shot of a roulette

The Classics Club: Spin#35

it’s time for another round of the classic club spin and this time I’m hoping to get either a 19th or 20th century classic.

BookerTalk
1–2 minutes
, , ,

I failed with the last spin and never got around to reading In the Castle of My Skin by George Lamming because I was in the midst of 20booksof summer and had failed to include space for a spin title. Let’s see if I can do better this time around.

For those unfamiliar with the “spin” the idea is to make a “Spin List” of 20 books from our classics club reading list before Sunday, 15 October when random number will be selected. The challenge will be to read whatever book falls under that number on my Spin List by 3 December 2023.

I’ve made a few tweaks in the list I used last time around, mainly in the section I’ve called international classics. If the classic club spin fairies are reading this, I’m hoping they’ll grant my wish for either New Grub Street by George Gissing or Tender Is The Night  by F Scott Fitzgerald.

If this list was yours, which titles would you be hoping to see come up in the spin??

Here’s my spin list.
19th Century Classics

  1. No Name by Wilkie Collins (1862)
  2. Armadale by Wilkie Collins (1864)
  3. New Grub Street by George Gissing (1891)
  4. What Maisie Knew by Henry James (1897)

20th Century Classics
  1. Ethan Frome  by Edith Wharton:  (1911)
  2. O Pioneers by Willa Cather (1913)
  3. Decline and Fall by Evelyn Waugh (1928)
  4. Quartet by Jean Rhys (1929)
  5. Tender Is The Night by F Scott Fitzgerald (1934)

International Classics
  1. The Nose  by Nikolay Gogol (1836) — Ukraine/Russia
  2. Cousin Bette by Honoré De Balzac (1846) — France
  3. Skylark, by Dezső Kosztolányi (1924) — Hungary
  4. Thousand Cranes by Yasunari Kawabata (1952) — Japan
  5. The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas (1957) — Norway
  6. To Sir, With Love – E. R. Braithwaite (1959) — Guyana

Celtic Classics
  1. Stranger Within The Gates by Bertha Thomas (1912) — Wales
  2. Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan (1915) — Scotland
  3. The Informer by Liam O’Flaherty (1925) — Ireland
  4. Black Parade, Jack Jones (1935) — Wales
  5. Fame Is The Spur by Howard Spring (1940) — Wales

I’m hoping I get something that is not too long because I am also trying to work through my #20booksofsummer reading list. Maybe this time I’ll be lucky and get The Nose which I think is just a short story.

28 responses to “The Classics Club: Spin#35”

  1. The Classics Club Spin Lands on Wilkie Collins : BookerTalk

    […] spin number in The Classics Club Spin is number […]

    Reply
  2. Cleo @ Classical Carouel Avatar
    Cleo @ Classical Carouel

    Oooo, you got Armadale! I just finished reading The Moonstone, so I’m very excited about another Collins novel. I hope that you enjoy it!

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      Yep I’m happy about the book I will be reading. A good choice for dark winter nights I think

      Reply
  3. Chris Wolak Avatar
    Chris Wolak

    I feel obligated to say I’d want to read the Cather if this was my list because she’s my favorite, but I’d actually like to read more Wilkie Collins. So far I’ve only read The Woman in White and Moonstone. This spin is making me want to revisit my Classics Club List. I dropped out a few years ago but have an itch to re-read some favorites and dig into a few classics I haven’t yet gotten to.

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      I’m not surprised you went for the Cather – I know how much you love her work Chris. The two Collins titles you’ve read are 2 of what are considered his best novels, the other 2 being No Name and Armadale. I did read another, I think it was called The Haunted House which was really poor and it seems he churned out a lot of works just to earn money so the quality is a bit iffy

      Reply
  4. Helen Avatar
    Helen

    That’s an interesting list. I loved both of the Wilkie Collins books, particularly Armadale, but I also enjoyed Cousin Bette and The Thirty-Nine Steps. I know nothing about some of the titles in your International and Celtic sections, so I’ll be interested to hear more if you get one of those.

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      Some of those “international ” titles are the result of my efforts to read from a wider range of countries

      Reply
  5. Davida Chazan Avatar
    Davida Chazan

    Very nice list – and I love how you classify them. Good luck!

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      I thought that having them in categories would help me pick which to read next

      Reply
  6. kaggsysbookishramblings Avatar
    kaggsysbookishramblings

    Interesting list and good luck with the spin. The Nose is indeed short so I hope it comes up for you!

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      It would be ideal if the Nose was picked because then I could use it for novellas in November….

      Reply
  7. margaret21 Avatar
    margaret21

    Well, I’m quite ashamed not to have read any Wilkie Collins yet, so maybe one of those. And I’ve never read a Norwegian author, so maybe the Vesaas?

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      A good place to start with Collins is The Woman in White (a gothic tale). His most famous is The Moonstone which is said to be the first novel in which a detective makes an appearance

      Reply
      1. margaret21 Avatar
        margaret21

        And I think I have both at home!

        Reply
  8. Margaret Avatar
    Margaret

    I’ve read Ethan Frome and Thirty Nine Steps, both good, but I referred Ethan Frome. If it were my list I’d like I get Fame is the Spur, which I hadn’t come across before. It sounds very interesting, but so long! Good luck with the Spin.

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      I hadn’t even looked at the length of these books; maybe I should have done before putting them onto my list since I am a very slow reader these days

      Reply
  9. tracybham Avatar
    tracybham

    I like your list. I want of read more by Wilkie Collins. I have only read The Woman in White. I want to read anything by Willa Cather. I look forward to your review on what ever you get because except for Thirty Nine Steps, it will be new to me.

    And thanks for checking out my list.

    TracyK at Bitter Tea and Mystery.

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      Woman in White is a good yarn – I love the character of Count Fosco. I’ve seen film version of 39 steps so many times I thought it was about time I actually read the book

      Reply
  10. WordsAndPeace Avatar
    WordsAndPeace

    Fun list, I have only read 5.
    Here is mine: https://wordsandpeace.com/2023/10/12/the-classics-club-the-classics-spin-35/

    Reply
  11. Lisa Hill Avatar
    Lisa Hill

    *chuckle* yes, The Nose is short.
    But it involves some complicated thinking too!

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      Well if the Nose does come my way I will make sure not to attempt it late at night when the brain can’t cope with anything complicated

      Reply
      1. Lisa Hill Avatar
        Lisa Hill

        The funny thing is, it’s not really complicated. It’s just as that it is absurdist, and the brain keeps trying to make something sensible out of it.
        These days, people just say WTF and move on because we have got used to the way people in power do absurd things and it’s a waste of time saying ‘What does that even mean?’
        I loved it

        Reply
  12. Fanda Classiclit Avatar
    Fanda Classiclit

    You have some interesting titles here. I wish you’ll get no. 14 – I’ve never heard of The Birds, and looking up at Goodreads, I think I might love it. Can’t wait to read your thoughts on that.
    O, Pioneers is awesome – one of my favorites from Cather.
    Have a good spinning! My spin list: https://klasikfanda.blogspot.com/2023/10/the-classics-club-spin-cc-spin-35.html

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      Thanks for the recommendation of the Cather. I’ve read only one book by her previously.

      Reply
  13. janakay Avatar
    janakay

    I’ve only read a few on your list; the Henry James (my recollection is from years ago) is dense, although well worth reading. Skylark, on the other hand, is a very quick read and (bonus!) a wonderful story! As for myself, like Carol I’d make the list and then most likely read something else!

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      I find James can be so wordy that by the time I’ve got to one of his sentences I’ve forgotten how it started

      Reply
  14. Carol Avatar
    Carol

    Knowing me, I’d make a list and then read what I want anyway! I hope you get your wish!

    Reply
    1. BookerTalk Avatar
      BookerTalk

      I usually do that with any reading list I make too. That;s why for the classics club I didn’t stick to just the 50 books we sign up to read. I think I have 100 so I have plenty of choice

      Reply

We're all friends here. Come and join the conversation

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Trending

Discover more from

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading