Here we go!
It's time for another CC Spin over @The Classics Club.
I suspect that I may be the last man standing in the group of clubbers who have participated in ALL 17 spins
(except for The Classics Club itself, of course).
Correct me if I'm wrong :-)
(except for The Classics Club itself, of course).
Correct me if I'm wrong :-)
For details on how to join in a #CCSpin, click on the link here.
The main thing you need to know though, is to compile your list of 20 books by Friday - the 9th March.
On that day a number will be randomly selected.
That's the book you read.
You have until the 30th of April to finish your book and review it.
Join in the fun by visiting the other players and commenting on their lists.
It's a great way to meet like-minded bloggers and explode your TBR classics wishlist!
My previous spins have been mostly successful and/or enjoyable.
I've also made my own fun by trying to read my books with other Classic Clubbers during many of the spins.
CC Spin #1 (2013 #14) The Magnificent Ambersons with Cat @Tell Me A Story.
CC Spin #2 (2013 #6) Tess of the D'Urbervilles with JoAnn @Lakeside Musings & Several Four Many.
CC Spin #3 (2013 #4) My Cousin Rachel - hope to watch the movie soon.
CC Spin #4 (2014 #10) The Brothers Karamazov - I floundered about halfway through this chunkster, then I lost the book when we moved two years ago...serendipity, I say!
CC Spin #5 (2014 #20) The Odyssey with Plethora of Books - This one was a bit of a cheat as I had started it for another readalong, but struggled to finish. I added it to my cc list to motivate me to finish it. When no. 20 spun up it seemed like the gods had decreed it so!
CC Spin #6 (2014 #1) No Name by Wilkie Collins with Melbourne on My Mind.
CC Spin #7 (2014 #17) Silent Spring by Rachel Carson with Karen @Booker Talk - my first classic non-fiction spin.
CC Spin #8 (2015 #13) Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh - my one and only dud Spin read so far.
CC Spin #9 (2015 #2) The Great World by David Malouf - my first Australian classic spin.
CC Spin #10 (2015 #5) A Far Cry From Kensington by Muriel Spark.
CC Spin #11 (2016 #19) So Big by Edna Ferber with Christy - we both experienced the joy of rediscovering a forgotten award winning classic.
CC Spin #12 (2016 #8) Dubliners by James Joyce - too depressing and hopeless for my state of mind at the time.
CC Spin #13 (2016 #15) The Catherine Wheel by Catherine Harrower - my second Aussie #ccspin classic.
CC Spin #14 (2016 #1) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnet - it's weird how books remind you not only of the time or place within the book but also the time and place where you read them. This spin book was read one weekend whilst visiting my father-in-law. Seeing this cover on my list today made me tear up straight away and took me back to the lovely weekend we all enjoyed together last year.
CC Spin #15 (2017 #12) Out of Africa by Karen Blixen - a disappointment in the end. The movie was better.
CC Spin #16 (2017 #4) The Diary of a Provincial Lady by E M Delafield - a book that grew better with reflection & time.
CC Spin #17 (2018 #3) Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy reading with Tasheena @Dear Reader
Now that my Classics Club List is finally getting smaller, it is also getting harder for me to match all 20 books with another reader.
If you spot a match with your list, please let me know before the magic number is selected on Friday, I can then tweek my list to suit.
1.
The Kill by Emile Zola
2.
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
3.
Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy reading with Tasheena @Dear Reader
4.
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath reading with Michelle@True Book Addict
5.
Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins
6.
A Lost Lady by Willa Cather reading with Jessie @Dwell in Possibility
7.
Day of the Triffids by John Wyndham reading with Kristilyn @Reading in Winter
8.
Pere Goriot by Honore de Balzac reading with @Lit and Life
9.
How Green Was My Valley by Richard Llewellyn reading with Kristilyn @Reading in Winter
10.
Narrow Road to the Interior by Basho
11.
The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
12.
War of the Worlds by H G Wells
13.
A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor
A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor
14.
The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
15.
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde reading with Allison @Mount To Be Read & Amanda @Simpler Pastimes
16.
The Black Tulip by Alexandre Dumas reading with @A Darn Good Read
17.
Love in a Cold Climate by Nancy Mitford reading with Jessie @Dwell in Possibility & Cares Books & Pies
18.
Villette by Charlotte Bronte
19.
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell reading with Kristilyn @Reading in Winter
20.
Alice Adams by Booth Tarkington
FYI: Over the 17 spins we have had 2 numbers spun twice (1 & 4) and 6 numbers have yet to be spun at all (3, 7, 9, 11, 16 & 18). What will next Friday bring?
FRIDAY
The winner is.......#3 Far From The Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy reading with Tasheena @Dear Reader
In Thomas Hardy’s first major literary success, independent and spirited Bathsheba Everdene has come to Weatherbury to take up her position as a farmer on the largest estate in the area. Her bold presence draws three very different suitors: the gentleman-farmer Boldwood, the soldier-seducer Sergeant Troy, and the devoted shepherd Gabriel Oak. Each, in contrasting ways, unsettles her decisions and complicates her life, and tragedy ensues, threatening the stability of the whole community.
One of his first works set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex, Hardy’s novel of swift passion and slow courtship is imbued with his evocative descriptions of rural life and landscapes, and with unflinching honesty about sexual relationships.
I hope you get A Far Cry From Kensington or Diary of a Provincial Lady, they're both wonderful. I also really liked My Cousin Rachel and No Name. I'm terrified of James Joyce and leery of Dostoevsky, but my daughter claims he is wonderful. I should really give him a chance.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your spin pick!
I think that Joyce & Dostoevsky would work best for me as a #slowreading readalong. I might suggest one of them for next year...:-)
DeleteCongrats on completing all 16 spins so far!! Your list this time around looks great. I especially love Villette, Far From the Madding Crowd, Cranford, and The Bell Jar. I'll be very happy to see either A Lost Lady or Love in a Cold Climate get picked too! And the film adaptation of My Cousin Rachel is definitely worth a watch.
ReplyDeleteI really must get around to watching that....
DeleteLove in the Cold Climate will be a re-read, but since I remember nothing about it at all, it will be like reading it for the first time :-)
Since I recently re-read and thoroughly enjoyed The War of the Worlds, I'll hope for that one for you. Or The Day of the Triffids, which is on my CC list but not my spin list. Whatever you get, I hope you get a good one!
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping for a sci-fi twist to this year's spin too.
DeleteThey also have the benefit of being shorter books (& Triffids would be a re-read).
Great list! I love How Green was my Valley and Cranford! Moll Flanders....hmm...I will let you figure that one out! I must get to the Magnificent Ambersons's soon....I think its the oldest TBR in my list! Here's hoping you get a great book in the Spin!
ReplyDeleteGiven it was the Welsh National Day on Thurs - Dydd Gŵyl Dewi! - I had to put How Green Was My Valley on this spin list.
DeleteThe Magnificent Amberson's was truly magnificent - I hope you get to it soon.
I hope you get A Lost Lady, or Love in a Cold Climate, or Cranford -- all favorites that you would get to read with someone else, how fun!
ReplyDeleteI read The Good Earth a couple of months ago which is a shame as we could have buddied up for that one. I'm really impressed you've taken part in all the spins. War of the Worlds, The Talented Mr Ripley or A Lost Lady (as I love Willa Cather) would be my choices from your list. However, hope you enjoy whatever you get.
ReplyDeleteHere's my list: https://whatcathyreadnext.wordpress.com/2018/03/03/the-classics-club-spin-17/
That's a great list. I've read a few of those books and particularly enjoyed Far From the Madding Crowd, Man and Wife and The Picture of Dorian Grey. I will be taking part in the spin too but haven't posted my list yet.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed The War of the Worlds. Most people don't read it because they think they know what it is by having heard the radio show or seen a film adaptation. But the actual book is nothing like that.
ReplyDeleteAnd hey, I have Cranford on my list, too, so unless you take on another reader, I'll unofficially read it with you and Kristilyn!
ME!! I too have participated in all the Spins!! We can be partners in adversity...or something...though if I don't get my list together soon, you WILL be the last one!
ReplyDeleteWahoo! Congratulations twin spin buddy!
DeleteCant wait to see your list - you can do it!
Ooo! I've not participated in all of them as I started my list in 2017. But I do have Picture of Dorian Gray on my list: https://mounttoberead.blogspot.com/2018/03/classic-club-spin-17.html
ReplyDeleteGreat list! How cool that we share The Bell Jar in the same spot. Looking forward to finding out the number. I'm not really dreading any on my list this time. Is that cheating? lol
ReplyDeleteCan't believe you've done all 17. Good on you!
It would be nice to have a reading buddy for my first ever spin. So I'm hoping Friday's number will be 16 (The Black Tulip). Thanks, Brona.
ReplyDeleteyour 2, 3, 4, 14 are so good! And congrats on doing all the spins. I came late to the game, so I think it;s only my 3rd or 4th. My list: https://wordsandpeace.com/2018/03/06/the-classics-club-the-classics-spin-17/
ReplyDeleteOK, you and I now share the same title at spot 17!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great way to spin! Reading classics with a friend is a wonderful idea. You have lots of marvelous books on your list. I finished Villette last week myself. Hope you get the number you want!
ReplyDelete