The Classics Club: The Classics Spin #26

Posted on April 16, 2021 by WordsAndPeace

#theclassicsclub
#ccspin

The Classics Club
2020-2025

The Classics Spin #26

Time for a new spin!

At your blog, before Sunday, April 18th, create a post to list your choice of any twenty books that remain “to be read” on your Classics Club list.

On Sunday Aril 18, 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 May 31, 2021.

Here are 20 titles I have selected from my 3rd list of 50 classics (I basically just chose the 20th oldest).
The Japanese titles are gone, because I read them all between January-March.
Six of the following titles are nonfiction.
Seven are mysteries.

1	Laurence Sterne	The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman (1767)
2	Xavier de Maistre	Voyage Autour de Ma Chambre (1794)
3	Edmond Rostand	Cyrano de Bergerac (1897) = reread
4	Machado de Assi	Dom Casmurro (1899)
5	Marcel Proust	Days of Reading (1905)
6	Robert Walser	Jakob von Gunten (1909)
7	A. A. Milne	The Red House Mystery (1922)
8	Edna Ferber*	So Big (1924)
9	Freeman Wills Crofts	Inspector French’s Greatest Case (1924)
10	Dorothy L. Sayers*	Clouds of Witness (1926)
11	Owen Barfield	History in English Words (1926)
12	Stefan Zweig	Confusion (1927)
13	Josephine Tey*	The Man in the Queue (1929)
14	Virginia Woolf*	A Room of One’s Own (1929)
15	Edmund Wilson	Axel’s Castle: A Study of the Imaginative Literature of 1870-1930 (1931)
16	various authors	The Floating Admiral (1931)
17	Hermann Broch	The Sleepwalkers (1932)
18	George Orwell	Down and Out in Paris and London (1933)
19	Ngaio Marsh*	A Man Lay Dead (1934)
20	Antal Szerb	The Pendragon Legend (1934)

COME BACK ON MONDAY 19
TO SEE WHICH BOOK I HAVE TO READ SOON.
HOW MANY HAVE YOU READ?
WHICH ONE IS YOUR FAVORITE?

MY FULL LIST IS HERE

34 thoughts on “The Classics Club: The Classics Spin #26”

Books and livres (@AndLivres) on April 16, 2021 at 5:15 am said:

We don’t have many books in common, even if I want to read some of these authors and have a couple of them on my shelves, but it’s great because it means that reading your reviews, I’ll be discovering them 😀

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 5:06 pm said:
  
  You will also need to discover them by yourself, lol
  
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kaggsysbookishramblings on April 16, 2021 at 5:16 am said:

Interesting list! I’ve read about half of them, and could probably happily read any! Good luck with the spin!

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 5:06 pm said:
  
  Thanks. Are you participating?
  
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  - kaggsysbookishramblings on April 19, 2021 at 5:51 am said:
    
    I don’t, although as a lot of my reading is backlist/classics I really should!
    
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    - WordsAndPeace on April 19, 2021 at 8:53 am said:
      
      Yes, as you make your own list!
      
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jessicabookworm on April 16, 2021 at 12:32 pm said:

I’m afraid I haven’t read any of these, Emma! My own list is made up of much more ‘well-known’ classics, which you have probably read already, if you’re on your 3rd list! Good luck and happy ‘Spinning’! 🤞🙂

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 4:48 pm said:
  
  Thanks. Going to visit your own list in a few minutes. I received a very classic education (in France), so yes, I did a read a lot of classics, though often too early to really appreciate them!
  
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  - jessicabookworm on April 21, 2021 at 1:11 pm said:
    
    Bit like trying to get teenagers to read Shakespeare in high school here in the UK… totally wasted on us! 😅
    
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    - WordsAndPeace on April 23, 2021 at 10:54 pm said:
      
      Oh, I loved these books a lot! But what I meant is that at my age, there was no way I could really understand the whole meaning and levels.
      Too bad for Shakespeare, there are ways to make young students love classical theater
      
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Lexlingua on April 16, 2021 at 12:34 pm said:

Oh, are you participating in this too? This looks like a super interesting challenge. Are the asterisks meant for books you are particularly interested in — because I certainly am! I have seen the movie for So Big, and Dorothy Sayers and Ngaio Marsh are old favorites. Good luck with whatever number comes your way!

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 4:46 pm said:
  
  Yes, I have been in this club for a while, I’m on my 3rd list. The asterisks were only showing the authors are women 😉
  
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Marianne Maurer on April 17, 2021 at 3:58 am said:

Interesting list. I have only read #s 1 and 3 and none of the others is on my TBR pile. Looking forward to seeing what the number will be tomorrow.

Here is my list.

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 4:45 pm said:
  
  Oh, what did you think of #1? Not too many people have read it
  
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  - Marianne Maurer on April 19, 2021 at 2:37 am said:
    
    True. Let me say it like this, it wasn’t my favourite classic. Once you’ve read it, you can read my xxx.
    
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    - WordsAndPeace on April 19, 2021 at 8:55 am said:
      
      Hmm, I am more and more curious. It’s on my list because I listened to a fabulous talk by Salman Rushdie about the books that were most important for him, and it was #1 I think
      
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      - Marianne Maurer on April 20, 2021 at 3:23 am said:
        
        That’s interesting to hear. I’m also very curious now what you’re going to say.
        
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      - WordsAndPeace on April 21, 2021 at 11:26 am said:
        
        Not sure when I’ll get to it though
        
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      - Marianne Maurer on April 22, 2021 at 4:09 am said:
        
        That’s alright, I know how it is.
        
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      - WordsAndPeace on April 23, 2021 at 10:52 pm said:
        
        we’ll see
        
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J.E. Fountain on April 17, 2021 at 10:31 am said:

I’m only familiar with a few of these…hope you get a good one. 🙂

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 4:44 pm said:
  
  I did, thanks!
  
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Davida Chazan on April 17, 2021 at 10:34 am said:

The Red House Mystery is just lovely!

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 4:42 pm said:
  
  I was ready to listen to it, and then I launched into Hercule Poirot! So it will have to wait
  
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Greg on April 17, 2021 at 10:59 pm said:

I just saw Virginia Woolf referenced in a book I read- Good Girls Lie- so now I’m super curious.

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 4:41 pm said:
  
  oh wow, interesting cross reference!
  
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Brona on April 18, 2021 at 5:37 am said:

I really enjoyed So Big, so much! I hope you spin it 🙂

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- WordsAndPeace on April 18, 2021 at 4:39 pm said:
  
  I didn’t, but that’s ok, I’m really thrilled with what I got
  
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thecontentreader on April 19, 2021 at 1:51 pm said:

A lot of authors I am not familiar with, but also a few of my favourites; Virginia Woolf, Edna Ferber, Stefan Zweig and Josephine They. I see you got one I am not familiar with. History in English Words sounds fascinating. I hope it will be a good one.

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- WordsAndPeace on April 21, 2021 at 11:28 am said:
  
  I have a hard time with Woolf, but this one might work for me
  
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  - thecontentreader on April 22, 2021 at 7:30 am said:
    
    Well, I don’t know. I was not overly enthusiastic about it. My favourite is To the Lighthouse which I found wonderful. I also liked Orlando, although it is a strange kind of book. My reviews here:
    https://thecontentreader.blogspot.com/2017/03/to-lighthouse-by-virginia-woolf.html
    https://thecontentreader.blogspot.com/2019/06/orlando-by-virginia-woolf.html
    
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    - WordsAndPeace on April 23, 2021 at 10:49 pm said:
      
      Thanks for the links to your reviews!
      
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Carol on April 19, 2021 at 9:12 pm said:

I haven’t read any of the books here and only two from your longer list: The Sound and Fury (which was excellent) and the Sword in the Stone which I read when I was in grammar school. I recall liking it. Is the book by AA Milne targeted to an adult audience? I love his Pooh stories and The House at Pooh Corner.

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- WordsAndPeace on April 21, 2021 at 11:27 am said:
  
  I loved a lot As I Lay Dying, so hoping this will be the same for this one.
  Yes, this one by Milne is for adults he did some
  
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