It’s time for another Classics Club Spin! I wasn’t sure whether to take part in this one as I didn’t manage to read my book from the previous spin in April; that was Germinal, which I had expected to love and do still want to finish but I had too much else going on in my life at that time and couldn’t give it the concentration it deserved. However, I’m disappointed by how few classics I’ve read so far this year, so I will see what the spin chooses for me this time and have another try.
If you’re not sure what a Classics Spin is, here’s a reminder:
The rules for Spin #27:
* List any twenty books you have left to read from your Classics Club list.
* Number them from 1 to 20.
* On Sunday 18th July the Classics Club will announce a number.
* This is the book you need to read by 22nd August 2021.
And here is my list:
1. Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault
2. The Trumpet-Major by Thomas Hardy
3. Goodbye Mr Chips by James Hilton
4. The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov
5. La Reine Margot by Alexandre Dumas
6. I Will Repay by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
7. Armadale by Wilkie Collins (re-read)
8. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
9. Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner
10. Pied Piper by Nevil Shute
11. The Duke’s Children by Anthony Trollope
12. Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather
13. St Martin’s Summer by Rafael Sabatini
14. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
15. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym
16. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
17. A Laodicean by Thomas Hardy
18. The Turquoise by Anya Seton
19. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
20. The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
~
Are you taking part in the spin this time? Which numbers do you think I should be hoping for?
She Reads Novels 
Nice list! Fingers crossed you get a Russian chunkster!
I would love to get one of the Russians, particularly Bulgakov!
Germinal is a fantastic novel – it’s what got me hooked on Zola. But it does demand concentration so if you had other things going on, it probably was a wise decision to park it up for a time.
I completely agree about Germinal! I’d read a couple of others by Zola but when I read Germinal I understood what all the fuss was about. Also L’Assommoir and La Bete Humaine, which left me gobsmacked.
I definitely still want to read Germinal; it just wasn’t the right time for me. I’m glad to hear you rate it so highly.
So many great novels on your list! I’m very interested in The Trumpet-Major and the Laodicean, I’ve read the major Hardy novels and I do hope to get to the lesser-known works soon. I really enjoyed A Pair of Blue Eyes, don’t know if you’ve read that one yet.
If you get Grapes of Wrath you’ll definitely see some similarities to Germinal!
Yes, A Pair of Blue Eyes is one of my favourites! I think I only have three or four Hardy novels left to read, as well as some of his short stories.
I most familiar with the Hardy, Cather and the Pym books you’ve got on your list. Sadly, I don’t know most of the others. Hope you spin a good one this time! 🙂
Thank you. I would love to get one of the books by Hardy, Cather or Pym!
I had The Brothers Karamazov for the last spin. It would be funny if that’s what you got this time! Good luck on the spin! Which one do you want most?
I would be happy to get The Brothers Karamazov – I’ve wanted to read it for years and never seem to get round to it. Otherwise I would like the Dumas or Sabatini books as I haven’t read any of theirs for a while and they’re usually fun.
TBK will certainly be different from Dumas or Sabatini!
I read The Grapes of Wrath last year and think it’s one of the best books I’ve ever read! I hope you get one to enjoy. . .
I’m glad to hear that! I loved East of Eden so I’m hoping to love The Grapes of Wrath just as much.
I’m also participating and created a list of 20 manageable books as some previous classics seemed not my cup of tea. I forgot to include la reine Margot though 😅
Yes, I think it’s a good idea to only include books that seem manageable and that you’re looking forward to reading. The classics spin is meant to be fun, after all!
I’ve only read Moonfleet from your list, which I did enjoy even though it takes an unexpected direction before the final resolution. And I supposedly ‘did’ The Trumpet Major at school but I retain absolutely zilch in my memory about it, and ditto The Mayor of Casterbridge (though doesn’t that have the wife auction episode?).
I love Thomas Hardy but I only came to his books as an adult and am not sure I would have liked them if I’d been made to read them at school. Moonfleet sounds entertaining, so I’d be very happy to get that one!
This might give you a flavour: https://wp.me/p2oNj1-yH
I’ll pick The Chrysalids for you, since it’s both short and excellent! Hope you get one you enjoy. 😀
It would be nice to get a short one this time! I’ve enjoyed everything else I’ve read by John Wyndham so The Chrysalids would be a good result for me. 🙂
I just recently finished The Betrothed. It’s pretty great, but it is a chunkster. Hope you get something good!
Thanks! I didn’t get The Betrothed, but I’m pleased to hear you thought it was great.
That’s a great list. I’ve read ten of them. I hope you do get around to Germinal sometime, it was what kicked off my Zola reading. I’m also really disappointed by how few classic books I’ve read so far this year. I must rectify that.
I did start to read Germinal and liked what I read, but the time wasn’t right for me. I’ll definitely go back to it later.