To find out more about this unique reading challenge, please visit The Classics Club Blog for the rules and link-up post.
I’ve long wanted to join in on this reading challenge, and since about the 25th spin, I’ve slowly but surely worked up a list of 20 classic books that I’ve long wanted to read. In my case, these are all books I already own, either in print, or already have ready and waiting to be read on my Kindle. So, without any further ado…
Here’s my list:
- Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell
- Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
- Demian by Hermann Hesse
- Offshore by Penelope Fitzgerald
- The Lifted Veil by George Eliot
- Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter
- Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
- Casino Royale by Ian Fleming
- The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers
- The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber & Other Stories by Ernest Hemingway
- The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- The Lady in the Lake by Raymond Chandler
- Round the World in Eighty Days by Jules Verne
- The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
- To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
- Tender is the Night by F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Mandala by Pearl S. Buck
- The Man of Property – The Forsyte Saga Vol. 1 by John Galsworthy
- The Birds Fall Down by Rebecca West
- Return of the Native by Thomas Hardy
Quite an eclectic list, right? And just so you know, some of these have been on my shelves for several decades, and some of them are very old editions, which are bound in real leather!
What’s Next?
On Sunday, October 17, they will announce a number from 1 through 20. When they announce it, I will go to my Spin list, find that number, read (and hopefully, review) the book listed for that number by 12th December, 2021.
The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog 
I’m not going to finish in time. Losing my job and taking holiday work in a store has me only able to cope with vapid Christmas books. I’ll still post my review, acknowledging this spin, but it will be weeks late.
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Oh, sorry to hear about the job. I hope you find something permanent soon that makes you happy! Reviews can wait!
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Fingers crossed, please. Interview for a great job, not relocating, today.
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Yes, I’ve got them crossed!
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I see you got Chandler, whom I still need to discover!!
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I’m posting on Friday about how I got my hands on this book.
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Great list! I’ve read #1, #5, #13 and #14 and I enjoyed all of them. Good luck and happy reading!
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Thanks… I’m looking forward to it!
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I only read 14 ages ago, I remember liking it 🙂
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I saw a movie version of it a long time ago, and even though I never read the book, the idea behind the book become so well known, many people refer to it without knowing the book!
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That’s a fun list, Davida! I’ve read a number of those on your list, and have some that have been sitting on my shelf (for many years!). I read The Return of the Native in high school but now have the audiobook to listen to, narrated by Alan Rickman. I’m sure I could listen to him reading to me forever. Enjoy whichever one is chosen for your spin book!
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I’m not taking part this time as I recently completed the 50 books in my Classics Club list and need a little rest from classics… and reading challenges! I hope you enjoy whatever book gets selected although To Kill A Mockingbird would be my pick. The film version starring Gregory Peck is one of my all time favourites. However, I confess I do have Harper Lee’s book Go Set A Watchman still unread on my bookshelf.
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Yes, well… I’ve seen the movie so many times I feel like I’ve read the book. I read Go Set a Watchman as an audiobook, read by Reece Witherspoon. If you read it, you’ll see that she doesn’t make Atticus into a racist (which is the reason many critics panned the book) – there’s one line which proves this – just one little line, but I think most people overlooked it when they criticized the book.
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Great list. I have read #2, 14, 15, 16 and hope you get a great book to read.
My list.
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Great list! I’ve only read Heart of Darkness (which I was not a fan of) and To Kill a Mockingbird (which I was). I have a few of these on my shelves, as well, but didn’t pick them since I’m trying to stick with shorter ones. We both share Member of the Wedding on our list, although at different numbers. 😉 Good luck!
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A very eclectic list! Hope you get a good one!
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The Return of the Native put me off Hardy for life and I read it at school I think which is a long, long time ago! Love Mockingbird. Best of luck with your canonical list.
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Great list – good luck!
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I’ve read seven of those and particularly enjoyed To Kill a Mockingbird and The Return of the Native. I hope the spin picks something good for you!
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Good luck. A lovely list.
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A great list! I’ve read a few… Heart of Darkness, Offshore, The Member of the Wedding, To Kill a Mockingbird and The Picture of Dorian Gray and all were excellent 👍🏻
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Thanks. My copy of Dorian Gray is really old. I bought it in a 2nd hand shop in Oxford England along with a similar copy of the Jules Verne. Leather bound, the both of them!
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So many great books here! I have read 6. I really enjoy Carson McCullers, though my favorite is The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, which I have read three times I think
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It is what I have on my shelf, and I don’t remember when I bought it, I just know I’ve never read it.
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I’m sort of doing my own version of the classics club and started last Spring. I draw a title from a jar and read that title for the next two months. I drew the other day and it was Don Quixote. I tried to start it twice before and lost interest a few chapters in. I will try again–maybe with better luck.
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Good for you. Isn’t that really, Really long?
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Yep!
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What an interesting challenge! Love your list of classics, and I can’t wait to see which one you’ll read and review
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Yes, I’m looking forward to it.
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I am not a big classics reader, but I’ve actually read 2 on your list (Heart of Darkness and To Kill A Mockingbird), both of which were interesting/good. I look forward to seeing which on you get to read.
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Yes, I’m looking forward to it too!
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