I don’t seem to have read as many classics as usual this year, so I was pleased to see the Classics Club announce another of their Spins today. I really enjoyed my last Spin book (Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy) so I’m hoping for another good result this time.
If you’re not sure what a Classics Spin is, here’s a reminder:
The rules for Spin #22:
* List any twenty books you have left to read from your Classics Club list.
* Number them from 1 to 20.
* On Sunday 22nd December the Classics Club will announce a number.
* This is the book you need to read by 31st January 2020.
And here is my list:
1. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
2. Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner
3. Castle Dor by Daphne du Maurier
4. The Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade
5. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
6. Claudius the God by Robert Graves
7. Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault
8. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym
9. A Passage to India by E.M. Forster
10. I Will Repay by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
11. Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem by Emilio Salgari
12. The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
13. In a Dark Wood Wandering by Hella S Haasse
14. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
15. La Reine Margot by Alexandre Dumas
16. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
17. Germinal by Emile Zola
18. High Rising by Angela Thirkell
19. The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov
20. The Duke’s Children by Anthony Trollope
Which of these do you think I should be hoping for?
She Reads Novels 
High Rising or Jane & Prudence! I’ve been meaning to re-read The Duke’s Children myself, I remember so little of the story.
I would like to get The Duke’s Children as I’ve enjoyed the other Palliser books and really need to finish the series so I can move on to Trollope’s standalones. I’ll be happy with either High Rising or Jane and Prudence too.
Jane and Prudence is one of my favorite B.Pym novels, so I’m rooting for that one. 🙂
I’m pleased to hear that, Lark! I’ve enjoyed everything else I’ve read by Pym so I’m sure I’ll like that one too.
A number of personal favourites tucked away in your list – Passage to India, Germinal, The Chrysalids – good luck with your spin!
Thank you! Of those three, I would particularly like to get The Chryalids, but I would be happy with any of them.
Oh, I hope you get A Passage to India and we can compare our reactions! I saw the movie last week and it was a good adaptation of the novel, I thought.
It will be interesting to see if I agree with your thoughts on it! I haven’t seen the adaptation but maybe I’ll try to watch it after I’ve read the book.
Hmm, you have some good ones there. It depends on your mood. For lightness, the Thirkell would be good. For something more substantial, A Passage to India or Fire from Heaven. For adventure, La Reine Margot.
I would be happy to get any of those four, but I’m particularly hoping for La Reine Margot as it’s been a few years since I last read anything by Dumas.
The CC spin seems to have come round again quite quickly. I hope you get the Chrysalids, as it stuck in my mind when I read it years ago, and I would be interested to know what you thought. A Passage to India is not my favorite Forster, but a lot of other people love it, and I think you probably would too.
I would love to get The Chrysalids as I’ve enjoyed everything else I’ve read by John Wyndham so far.
I loved The White Guard, so I’m hoping you might get it, although I’m most intrigued by The Cloister and the Hearth because I’ve never heard of it, nor of the author as far as I can recall. Good luck!
The White Guard sounds great – I would love to get that one! I don’t know much about The Cloister and the Hearth myself, but Charles Reade was apparently very popular in the 19th century, so I’m curious to see what it’s like.
I hope you will spin Grapes of Wrath.
I’ve had mixed feelings about Steinbeck in the past – I loved East of Eden but didn’t like The Pearl – so I’m looking forward to trying another of his books.
I hope you get Jane and Prudence, a lovely way to start the new year I think! Good Luck.
Yes, I think Barbara Pym would get the year off to a great start!
That is a great list. I’ve read 13 of them and I liked them all, especially Germinal although it is a bit depressing. High Rising would be a lovely light read for this time of the year.
I still haven’t read anything by Angela Thirkell but High Rising does sound perfect for the time of year. I’m not sure if I’m really in the mood for Zola but I’ve been meaning to read Germinal for ages so I won’t be too unhappy if it does come up.
If I could pick for you, I’d choose Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault. But I’m sure you’ll enjoy whichever one you draw. Happy reading!
Thank you! I enjoyed Mary Renault’s Theseus books, so I’m looking forward to reading Fire from Heaven.
Fun list. I loved The Cloister and the Hearth. I have The Black Arrow on my list as well, so I stuck it in the same slot.
I’m glad to hear you loved The Cloister and the Hearth – it does sound appealing! It will be interesting to compare thoughts on The Black Arrow if that one comes up.
Helen, I thought Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem by Emilio Salgari was jolly good fun, so I hope you get that one. 🙂
I would love to get that one. I know you’ve been enjoying Emilio Salgari’s books, so I’m looking forward to trying them myself. 🙂