It’s always a nice surprise to see that the Classics Club have announced another Classics Spin! I don’t feel that I’ve made much progress with my Classics Club reading recently, so I’m looking forward to taking part in this, the twenty-third Spin!

If you’re not sure what a Classics Spin is, here’s a reminder:

The rules for Spin #23:

* List any twenty books you have left to read from your Classics Club list.
* Number them from 1 to 20.
* On Sunday 19th April the Classics Club will announce a number.
* This is the book you need to read by 1st June 2020.

And here is my list:

1. Germinal by Émile Zola
2. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym
3. The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov
4. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
5. High Rising by Angela Thirkell
6. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
7. Castle Dor by Daphne du Maurier
8. Claudius the God by Robert Graves
9. The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
10. The Duke’s Children by Anthony Trollope
11. The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson
12. Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner
13. The Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade
14. Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens
15. Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem by Emilio Salgari
16. La Reine Margot by Alexandre Dumas
17. I Will Repay by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
18. Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault
19. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
20. Goodbye Mr Chips by James Hilton

~

Castle Dor would come at the perfect time for Ali’s Daphne du Maurier Reading Week in May, but as I have plenty of time to read at the moment I would be happy to get one of the longer books on my list too.

Which of these do you think I should be hoping for?

The result of the latest Classics Club Spin was revealed yesterday.

The idea of the Spin was to list twenty books from my Classics Club list, number them 1 to 20, and the number announced by the Classics Club represents the book I have to read before 31st January 2020. The number that has been selected is…

13

And this means the book I need to read is…

In a Dark Wood Wandering by Hella S Haasse

This novel exemplifies historical fiction at its best; the author’s meticulous research and polished style bring the medieval world into vibrant focus. Set during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453), the narrative creates believable human beings from the great roll of historical figures. Here are the mad Charles VI, the brilliant Louis d’Orleans, Joan of Arc, Henry V, and, most importantly, Charles d’Orleans, whose loyalty to France brought him decades of captivity in England. A natural poet and scholar, his birth and rank thrust him into the center of intrigue and strife, and through his observant eyes readers enter fully into his colorful, dangerous times. First published in the Netherlands in 1949, this book has never been out of print there and has been reprinted 15 times.

I’m very happy with this result! In a Dark Wood Wandering has been on my TBR for years and I’m not sure why I keep putting off reading it as it definitely sounds like my sort of book. I think it will get 2020 off to a good start!

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

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?

The result of the latest Classics Club Spin has been revealed today!

The idea of the Spin was to list twenty books from my Classics Club list, number them 1 to 20, and the number announced today (Monday) represents the book I have to read before 31st October 2019. The number that has been selected is…

5

And this means the book I need to read is…

Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy

Lady Constantine, breaks all the rules of decorum when she falls in love with beautiful youth Swithin St Cleeve, her social inferior and ten years her junior. Together, in an ancient monument converted into an astronomical observation tower, they create their own private universe – until the pressures of the outside world threaten to destroy it.

This is not one of the books I was particularly hoping for but I’m still quite happy with this result as I love Thomas Hardy and it’s been a while since I last read anything by him.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?

I was just thinking that it had been a long time since the last Classics Club Spin and then one was announced yesterday! I feel that I’ve read very few classics so far this year (apart from classic crime), so I’m hoping that this spin will motivate me to start making some progress with my Classics Club list again.

If you’re not sure what a Classics Spin is, here’s a reminder:

The rules for Spin #21:

* List any twenty books you have left to read from your Classics Club list.
* Number them from 1 to 20.
* On Monday 23rd September the Classics Club will announce a number.
* This is the book you need to read by 31st October.

And here is my list:

1. Daniel Deronda by George Eliot
2. La Reine Margot by Alexandre Dumas
3. Castle Dor by Daphne du Maurier
4. Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner
5. Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy
6. I Will Repay by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
7. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym
8. Fire from Heaven by Mary Renault
9. Sandokan: The Tigers of Mompracem by Emilio Salgari
10. The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
11. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
12. The Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade
13. In a Dark Wood Wandering by Hella S Haasse
14. Claudius the God by Robert Graves
15. The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov
16. Germinal by Emile Zola
17. The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson
18. The Black Sheep by Honoré de Balzac
19. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky
20. Goodbye Mr Chips by James Hilton

Which of these do you think I should be hoping for on Monday?

I shouldn’t really be taking part in the latest Classics Club Spin as I still haven’t managed to finish my book from Spin #19, which was Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens. I did start to read it, but the time just wasn’t right and I got distracted by other books. I will go back to it eventually, but for now I’m going to put it aside and let the Spin choose a different classic for me to read.

If you’re not sure what a Classics Spin is, here’s a reminder:

The rules for Spin #20:

* List any twenty books you have left to read from your Classics Club list.
* Number them from 1 to 20.
* On Monday 22nd April the Classics Club will announce a number.
* This is the book you need to read by 31st May.

And here is my list:

1. Jane and Prudence by Barbara Pym
2. Claudius the God by Robert Graves
3. Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner
4. The Black Sheep by Honoré de Balzac
5. La Reine Margot by Alexandre Dumas
6. Two on a Tower by Thomas Hardy
7. Castle Dor by Daphne du Maurier
8. In a Dark Wood Wandering by Hella S Haasse
9. I Will Repay by Baroness Emmuska Orczy
10. Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault
11. The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson
12. The Chrysalids by John Wyndham
13. The White Guard by Mikhail Bulgakov
14. Goodbye Mr Chips by James Hilton
15. The Cloister and the Hearth by Charles Reade
16. Germinal by Emile Zola
17. The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni
18. The Long Ships by Frans G Bengtsson
19. The Scottish Chiefs by Jane Porter
20. High Rising by Angela Thirkell

Have you read any of the books on my list? Which numbers should I be hoping for on Monday?