Tuesday 14 May 2013

Classics Club Spin #2


I didn't take part in the Classics Club Spin last time as life was too crazy, but I'm excited to take part this time.  Basically, I'm going to choose 20 books from my Classics Club List and then a number will be selected and posted on Monday.  I'll then read whatever book on my list corresponds to that number.  Without further ado, here are my twenty books:

Five I can't wait to read:
1. Emma by Jane Austen
2. The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
3. Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen
4. Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
5. The Beautiful and the Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Five I am neutral about:
6. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding
8. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
9. Kim by Rudyard Kipling
10. Titus Groan by Mervyn Peake

Five I am dreading:
11. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
12. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
13. Hard Times by Charles Dickens
14. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
15. Moby Dick by Herman Melville

Five using random.org
16. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
17. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
18. Othello by William Shakespeare
19. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte
20. Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

I really hope Moby Dick isn't selected, Les Mis would be OK but it's just so long!
Are you joining in the spin? If so, link me to your list in the comments as I'd love to see everyone's selections :)

17 comments:

  1. How long do you have to read the book? Because LOL trying to read Les Mis in like a month! (I JUST finished it and it took me about 4 months. But I am pretty lazy.)

    Also, Moby Dick is SO GOOD. I mean, I know, I was surprised too! But I had to read it for Uni, and I was like 'Oh my GOD, you are so good, book!' Seriously. Don't fear the whale!

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    1. If I get Les Mis it'll take as long as it takes, never mind the rules!
      I so hope you are right about Moby Dick but it still scares the life out of me - I don't even like the sea!

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    2. I also LOVE Moby Dick! Dreaded it for a long, long time and when I finally got around to it was surprised by what a pleasure it was to read. But isn't that the case with so many classics? That said, it was windy at times. Les Mis is the big, scary book on my spin list (http://wildmoobooks.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-classics-spin-2.html). Good luck! This is my first spin, too.

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  2. You have such a diverse list! I have chosen my books, but I won't post them until Friday, I think. My list is kind of cowardly as I've picked books that I really wouldn't mind reading and that are not too long. I'm too much of a chicken to put something like Moby Dick on the list!

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  3. Don't dread Orlando! It's great, and totally accessible. It's my favorite Virginia Woolf novel, by far.

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  4. I think I'd dread your 'dreading' picks too. An interesting list - hope you will love what the spin chooses for you!

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  5. There's nothing to be dreaded in The Count of Monte Cristo; with Dumas you'd always flow with his wonderful writing! I can't wait also to read another Fitzgerald after re-reading Great Gatsby, but I think my next choice would Tender is The Night, have you read it?

    For this spin I'm going moderate; I choose some light books so I won't be burdened for reading it in a month. Good luck with your spin! ;)

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  6. I have Les Mis on my list as well. I don't know whether to hope that it's picked or hope that it's not ;) I want to read it but I'm dreading it at the same time! Good luck with the spin!

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  7. I have the same problem with Moby Dick - I believe it's an awesome book, but I am intimidated by it and also, the sea environment and all that ain't that much my cup of ... erm... rum? (Yes I have Moby Dick in my spin list too...). I am thinking I would maybe like to read Moby Dick as part of a group read with discussions and everything, it would be easier than tackling it alone.

    Otherwise - great you are joining the spin, there is something unexplainably entertaining in getting to read a rather random book from your list like that :)

    I read Cuckoo's Nest like in high-school (so that's quite some time ago) but it is still one of my favourite books. Especially the ending was just. Whoa. Good luck with the spin :)

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  8. Neutral about Rebecca? Wow!
    I love du Maurier so so much - I hope you're pleasantly surprised!

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  9. The Count of Monte Cristo and P and P are on my original list. Hope your lucky number comes up

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  10. I hope a number between 1 and 5 comes up! Off to make my list now...

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  11. What a great list! Of the books that you're dreading I loved both The Count of Monte Cristo and Les Miserables, and found Orlando easier to read than I'd expected. I think Moby Dick would scare me too, though!

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  12. Excellent list. This will be my second time doing the spin, but I haven't put the books in categories, just a random order list (at http://bibliographicmanifestations.blogspot.com/2013/05/spinning-classics-take-2.html). Moby Dick is daunting, it can be survived though. There was a project recently (from the Library of Congress maybe?) where famous actors read chapters of the book so people could listen to it in installments. The recordings were all free online and that seemed like a good way to experience this book.

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  13. I'm reading Emma this summer for the Austen in August event! Their Eyes Were Watching God is fantastic. I love Fitzgerald but haven't read Beautiful and the Damned, yet. Rebecca has been on all of my lists but I keep ignoring it. Just doesn't seem like my kind of book. Kim's on my list, too.

    I Loved Lord of the Flies and Orlando is BRILLIANT. As are Les Miserables and Moby-Dick (though Moby-Dick is a tough read). Pride and Prejudice is probably one of the best novels ever written.

    And I see a lot of people have One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest on their lists... if the # doesn't pop-up, maybe ya'll can join us for The Beats of Summer next month and read that one!

    Great list! I think you're going to be good-to-go no matter which # we get!

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  14. Some amazing books on your list! I just finished reading Their Eyes Were Watching God and it was brilliant! I also have lots of love for 2, 11 & 20.

    Also, I just realized Emma is my number 1 too!

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  15. Good luck with the Spin. Emma is on my list too but she's # 17 for me. We have a few to read in common, like Their Eyes were Watching God, Rebecca and the Count of Monte Cristo. I dont' know if Moby Dick will ever be on my list, I dread that one that much! Here's my Classics Club Spin list if you'd like to stop by.

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