Classics Club Spin #23

15 Comments / The Classics Club / By Mary Daniels Brown / April 16, 2020

Page Contents

It’s time for another Classics Club Spin!

Here’s how it works: I post a numbered list of 20 titles from my Classics Club list. On Sunday, April 19 the Classics Club curators will post a number from 1 through 20. I then have to read whatever title has that number on my list by June 1, 2020.

Here’s my list:

Connell, Evan S. Mr. Bridge
Jackson, Shirley. Just an Ordinary Day: Stories
Highsmith, Patricia. The Tremor of Forgery
Cather, Willa. O Pioneers!
Dostoevsky, Fyodor. Crime and Punishment
Faulkner, William. Absalom, Absalom!
McEwan, Ian. Atonement
Nabokov, Vladimir. Pale Fire
Hardy, Thomas. Far From the Madding Crowd
Agee, James. A Death in the Family
Vonnegut, Kurt. Cat’s Cradle
Rendell, Ruth. The Crocodile Bird
Baker, Nicholson. The Mezzanine
Jewett, Sarah Orne. The Country of the Pointed Firs
Howard, Elizabeth Jane. The Long View
Tevis, Walter. The Man Who Fell to Earth
Piercy, Marge. Woman on the Edge of Time
James, Henry. The Beast in the Jungle
Fowles, John. The French Lieutenant’s Woman
Wharton, Edith. Ghost Stories

I’m excited to find out which of these books I’ll be reading.

And the winner is . . .

#6, so I’ll be reading Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner for the June 1 deadline.

To be honest, this is not one I would have chosen on my own. But I’ve been reading indulgently during the COVID-19 shutdown, so maybe it’s time, finally, to stretch a bit.

Update

CC Spin #23: A Change of Plan

About The Author

Mary Daniels Brown

My mother always insisted that, as soon as I was old enough to sit up, she’d find me in my crib after my nap babbling away, with a Little Golden Book on my lap. I’ve had my nose in a book ever since. I grew up in a small town, with the tiny town library literally in my backyard. As an only child in an unhappy home, I found comfort and companionship in books. As an adult I wanted to be Harry Potter, although I admit I’m more Hermione. My life has been a series of research projects. Reading has taught me that human lives are deliciously messy and that “it’s complicated” isn’t a punchline.

15 thoughts on “Classics Club Spin #23”

Brona
April 16, 2020 at 4:11 PM

Ohhh The French Lieutenant’s Woman – one my all time favourites. I must be due for a reread!
1. Mary Daniels Brown
  April 16, 2020 at 5:54 PM
  
  Thanks, Brona! I’ve been wanting to reread it for a long time. (I read it way back when it first came out.)
2. Liz Gauffreau
  April 18, 2020 at 4:02 PM
  
  Yes! That’s one I immediately flagged as a favorite of mine.
Karen K.
April 16, 2020 at 5:43 PM

Great list! I loved O, Pioneers (Willa Cather is a favorite of mine); also The Country of the Pointed Firs is a lovely relaxing read. Far From the Madding Crowd is my favorite Thomas Hardy and the most recent film adaptation with Carey Mulligan is excellent. Good luck with your spin pick!
1. Mary Daniels Brown
  April 16, 2020 at 5:56 PM
  
  Thanks, Karen. My heart swelled a bit when I included Country of Pointed Firs because I thought of what a comforting read it would be in this troubled time.
tracybham
April 17, 2020 at 9:38 AM

Those books look good, any of them would be a good choice. I see other people’s lists and want to add the books to my classics list.
1. Mary Daniels Brown
  April 18, 2020 at 12:50 PM
  
  Thanks for commenting, Tracy. I agree with you about seeing others’ lists and wanting to add their books to my own list. But remember that after we finish our own lists, we can create another!
whatcathyreadnext
April 18, 2020 at 1:34 AM

I’m seeing books by Willa Cather on so many lists but perhaps it’s just I’m noticing them because I recently finished reading her collection of short stories, Youth and the Bright Medusa. I hope you enjoy whatever the spin sends you.
1. Mary Daniels Brown
  April 18, 2020 at 12:51 PM
  
  Thanks, Cathy. I still have several of Cather’s major novels to catch up on before I move on to her stories.
Anonymous
April 18, 2020 at 6:18 AM

Atonement is brilliant and the film would be good to watch subsequently. But I also love Far From the Madding Crowd. Hope you get one of those
1. Mary Daniels Brown
  April 18, 2020 at 12:52 PM
  
  Atonement would be a reread for me, while Far From the Madding Crowd would be a first-time read. I’m up for either one. Thanks for commenting.
J.E. Fountain
April 18, 2020 at 12:18 PM

Pale Fire is a most unusual read. Hope you enjoy whatever you get. Nice choices.
1. Mary Daniels Brown
  April 18, 2020 at 12:53 PM
  
  Thanks. I read quite a lot of Nabokov about 40 years ago, so I’m due for some rereading.
Lory
April 19, 2020 at 10:59 AM

Good luck with your Spin – I confess I find Faulkner totally intimidating and have never thought of even trying him. Looking forward to your thoughts, if you do make it through.
1. Mary Daniels Brown
  April 19, 2020 at 12:00 PM
  
  Thanks, Lory. This book is supposedly a very challenging read. We’ll see what happens.