I was definitely more than a little pleased when I saw that the Classics Club were running another spin. Last time I ended up reading The Mystery of Edwin Drood which I really enjoyed but had been putting off reading for a long time. This time I am going to pick books that I really have been putting off or avoiding just to give me that kick up the backside I need.The Spin:
At your blog, by next Monday, May 20, list your choice of any twenty books you’ve left to read from your Classics Club list – in a separate post.
This is your Spin List. You have to read one of these twenty books in May & June. (Details follow.) So, try to challenge yourself. For example, you could list five Classics Club books you are dreading/hesitant to read, five you can’t WAIT to read, five you are neutral about, and five free choice (favorite author, rereads, ancients — whatever you choose.)
Next Monday, we’ll post a number from 1 through 20. The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List, by July 1. (WHICH JUST SO HAPPENS TO BE MY BIRTHDAY AND MOVING DAY) We’ll have a check in post for July, to see who made it the whole way and finished the spin book.
My List
5 books I am dying to read:
1. No Name by Wilkie Collins
2. The Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham
3. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
4. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
5. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
5 books I am NOT dying to read:
6. Anna Karenina by Leo Tostoy
7. Jacob's Room by Virginia Woolf
8. The Awakening by Kate Chopin
9. The Stranger by Albert Camus
10. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
5 'meh' books:
11. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
12. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje
13. Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
14. Animal Farm by George Orwell
15. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West
5 books I have put off for way too long:
16. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
17. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
18. Parade's End by Ford Madox Ford
19. The Story of an African Farm by Olive Schreiner
20. Sophie's Choice by William Styron
I can't wait to see which number we get.
I've read ... 9?? books from your list and all were at least decent... But yea, some of them of course more than decent (The Handmaid, Anna K, Lolita, Fahrenheit, The English Patient). And The Day of the Triffids is such an old school sci-fi, though I can hardly ever think about it anymore without envisioning the horrible rubber plants that I saw in that 1961 film version. (shudder!) But it's a good book, honest! And the film was so odd it was almost awesome.
ReplyDeleteYou have such a good selection so I'm sure whatever number comes it'll be a good read :)
You've read 9?! You put me to shame. There was a BBC mini series of The Day of the Triffids a few years ago and I remember it being very good. I've wanted to read it since then actually but never got round to it. I am in the mood for some old school sci-fi though. I can only imagine what a 1961 Triffid would look like...
DeleteI agree, I'm looking forward to finding out. Not long!
It's not like I wasn't surprised - usually in those lists there are only 1-4 books I've read. But it just shows that this is a Truly Awesome List.
DeleteI like to think of it as the List of Champions.
DeleteI ended up reading Dangerous Liaisons last time and I really liked it! I hope we get a good number. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteIt worked out well for both of us then! I hope it does again. Good luck to you too :)
DeleteI loved some of your choices - Handmaid's Tale, Anna Karenina, English Patient, Secret Garden, Day of the Triffids, Animal Farm, Sophie's Choice.
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of the Wilkie book before - I'll have to look out for it :-)
Good luck
I'm actually spoilt for choice. Every book on there I want to read. Some are quite intimidating but I think I would still be happy to read them.
DeleteI'm determined to get through Wilkie's novels. I love him.
Good luck to you too!
I have the same Wilkie Collins & Ernest Hemingway on my list. Good luck with the spin and I hope you will get a book you'll love.
ReplyDeleteI'm actually really hoping for the Wilkie, I'm in the mood for him I think. I hope we both get books we love. Good luck :)
DeleteA Farewell to Arms is my favorite Hemingway (although The Garden of Eden comes very close). The Awakening is really good, but Lolita is BRILLIANT. Why the dread!? Animal Farm is the only of your "meh" books that I've read, but I loved it. And The Handmaid's Tale is really good, entertaining and thought-provoking. Good luck - hope you end up with a # you're secretly wishing for!
ReplyDeleteI'm secretly wishing Hemingway will come up because I've been dying to read it for a while but need that push I think. I actually think I will be happy with any number, I did choose my CC list after all! Good luck to you too :)
DeleteWhat does it mean that I've never heard of The Day of the Triffids? I'll have to look into it.
ReplyDeleteI loved Anna Karenina and The Awakening. I hope if either of those get picked you'll enjoy them even if you're not dying to read them.
The Handmaid's Tale completely sucked me in and I am a Margaret Atwood fan as a result.
Have fun with the spin!
It's kind of an obscure old school sci-fi. The BBC did an adaptation which brought it to my attention. I really need to check out some Margaret Atwood. I feel like I'm missing out on some excellent books.
DeleteHave fun!
I've read three books from your list: The Secret Garden, The Awakening (pretty good read), and Fahrenheit 451. The Handmaid's Tale is on my list too. I hope you get a book that you end up enjoying.
ReplyDeleteI'm intrigued by The Awakening. I read The Yellow Wallpaper at uni and those two were compared constantly. I hope you get a book you enjoy too!
DeleteIf #7 comes up we can cheer each other on. I've started "Jacob's Room" but petered out about halfway through. And it's so short, there's really no excuse to not finish it!
ReplyDeleteExcellent plan! It is pretty short but it's Woolf so you can guarantee she makes up for the brevity with rich and intricate prose. You know, luring us into a false sense of security and all!
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