It’s here again – The Classics Club Spin.
- Pick twenty unread books from your list.
- Number them from one to twenty.
- On Monday a number will be drawn.
- That’s your book, to read in August and September.
But should I do it again?
I wasn’t sure.
The first time it worked beautifully. I read the book for the number that came up – The Leavenworth Case – and I read another that called me as soon as I put it on my spin list – Mariana.
The second time was a complete failure. The wrong book at the wrong time.
I do think I should try again. I just have to make sure that every book on my list is one I really want to read. This isn’t the time for me to read a book that I have to work at, not after the last few weeks. I have to get life back on track first.
And so it’s time for a new, carefully curated list:
Five from the 1850s:
1. Bleak House by Charles Dickens (1851)
2. The Warden by Anthony Trollope (1855)
3. The Daisy Chain by Charlotte M Yonge (1856)
4. Aurora Leigh by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1856)
5. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1857)
*****
Five books from five countries :
6. The Coquette by Hannah W Foster (1797) (USA)
7. The Collegians by Gerard Griffin (1829) (Ireland)
8. The Count of Monte Christo by Alexandre Dumas (1844) (France)
9. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (1877) (Russia)
10. Under The Greenwood Tree by Thomas Hardy (1872) (England)
*****
Five from the Virago Modern Classics list:
11. The Odd Women by George Gissing (1893)
12. Red Pottage by Mary Cholmondeley (1899)
13. The Weather in the Streets by Rosamond Lehmann (1936)
14. Black Narcissus by Rumer Godden (1947)
15 . One Fine Day by Mollie Panter-Downes (1947)
*****
Five from the 1950s:
16. The World My Wilderness by Rose Macaulay (1950)
17. A Game of Hide and Seek by Elizabeth Taylor (1951)
18. Fenny by Lettice Cooper (1953)
19. The Tortoise & the Hare by Elizabeth Jenkins (1954)
20. The Fountain Overflows by Rebecca West (1957)
*****
And now I must wait and see …
Fleur in her World 
I enjoy reading about what books get chosen in this way – it always seems to surprise so many of you taking part. Perhaps I might try this with the amount of books I have to read on my shelves – just get a random number picked out and read that book next!
I love that picture! I shall be intrigued to see what you come up with… but shan’t be doing it myself, as I’m too contrary to read the books I’m told to read 🙂
I was sorry to return home and read about the sudden upheaval in your life. It must have been very stressful and I do hope your mother is settling into her new residence and you are managing to quietly get back to normal.
Good luck with the spin and I hope it gives you a book you will love.
Hmmm. I’ve just had the same track record choosing books for myself! It might be nice to let some other force choose my books to see if my luck improves! 🙂
Sometimes it is good to go easy on yourself, even with reading! I hope you draw something really wonderful. I especially loved The Odd Women, The Tortoise and the Hare and The Warden from your list.
A wonderful list 🙂
Your categories are great, and I see some books I’ve loved on your list – like Red Pottage and Fenny. I look forward to seeing what number comes up, and what all the spinners will be reading.
I hope you have better luck than you had with the last spin and this one turns out to be the right book at the right time! I don’t think I’m going to take part myself this time but I’m enjoying seeing everyone else’s lists.
I thoroughly enjoy reading your book choices but was so sorry to hear of all your troubles. I can’t imagine how difficult it all must have been. You have gems in the book lists! “One Fine Day” is an absolute joy – whether it turns up or not, do give it a go, it is an extraordinary little book.
Excellent choices! Still trying to decide whether I’ll spin or not this time…
The only ones I’ve read are The Weather in the Streets, which is pure Lehmann, that is lovely and heartbreaking and so accurate, Bleak House is the only Dickens I’ve ever enjoyed, Madame Bovary is also great and The Fountain Overflows which I remember enjoying but I can’t recall anything about it now. Wait, i also read Anna Karenina – can’t recall much but Tolstoy frustrates me anyway (the epilogue of War and Peace made me want to smash windows).
I’ll be spinning too, I’m still working on my list – Trollope, Dickens and Hardy are all on it as well.
I’m not sure what happened in your life since I’ve just started reading your blog. I hope it’s a little better now. Take care, Fleur.