Thursday 14 February 2013

The Classics Spin



Theoretically, I'm a pretty good member of The Classics Club. Like, I participate in the monthly meme and comment on other people's lists and reviews and stuff, I just suck at reading stuff that's actually on my list! The Club is doing a spin, whereby you list 20 books that you have yet to read from your list (if you want to see mine, it's in the tabs up top!) and then on Monday they post a random number and you have to read the book on your list which matches up to the number. Easy, right? And I'm a sucker for lists, so I was always going to do this! 

They say you have to list 5 books  you're dreading, 5 you can't wait to read, 5 you feel neutral about and then 5 free reads - in my case 4 rereads and one which is just calling to me. The idea is to challenge yourself, so in the interests of that, my list is thus:

5 Dreaded

  • Dr Zhivago - Boris Pasternak
  • Mrs Dalloway - Virginia Woolf
  • The Well of Loneliness - Radclyffe Hall
  • A Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
  • Les Miserables - Victor Hugo
5 I Can't Wait to Read

  • The Beautiful and Damned - F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Alice Through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll
  • The Hours - Michael Cunningham
  • The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov
  • The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
5 I am Neutral About

  • Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
  • Robin Hood - Henry Gilbert
  • The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark
  • The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • The Professor - Charlotte Bronte
5 Freebies

  • Walden - Henry David Thoreau
  • The Children of the New Forest - Captain Marryat
  • Swallows & Amazons - Arthur Ransome
  • Charlotte's Web - E.B White
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - Mildred D. Taylor
And here's a random list all mixed up and stuff:
  1. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
  2. The Scarlet Letter
  3. Walden
  4. Swallows & Amazons
  5. Doctor Zhivago 
  6. The Professor
  7. A Tale of Two Cities
  8. The Children of the New Forest
  9. Alice Through the Looking Glass
  10. The Master and Margarita
  11. Cold Comfort Farm
  12. The Well of Loneliness
  13. The Hours
  14. Roll of thunder, Hear my Cry
  15. Charlotte's Web
  16. Les Miserables
  17. Mrs Dalloway
  18. Robin Hood
  19. The Phantom Tolbooth
  20. The Beautiful and Damned
There are loads on here that I really wouldn't mind being voluntarily forced (yes, that's a thing!) to read. But please please not Les Mis! I have some kind of mental block when it comes to this book, and I should love it because I seriously have an obsession with the stage show. I have seen it in the West End a grand total of six times, and I'm not done yet, but I just. cannot. take. the book. :-/ So not 16, please!!

7 comments:

  1. Master and Margarita is the awesomeness the cannot be described in words! I really hope you get to read it :) Then again you have it under 10... and I have War and Peace under 10... Ummmmmm. :))

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  2. I might have to search out a copy of Swallows and Amazons at some point, I feel like a little imaginary sailing and camping (with hilariously Carry On names, hehe) might be just what the doctor ordered right now. It's been YEARS since I read Cold Comfort Farm, but I remember that it made me smile a LOT, and giggle a bit, and I loved it! Hope you get a good one... :)

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  3. Ohhh this is such a good idea! I'd definitely take part if my brain wasn't going through some kind of mental mush at the minute. I'm on reading week from Law school at the minute and it can pretty much only handle teen fiction! Still, it's a great idea so good luck!

    I was 'neutral' about Cold Comfort Farm too, but I ended up loving it. It's really funny in places. On the other hand I found Alice through the Looking Glass a bit of a disappointment.

    Les Mis isn't that bad you know! It's long but it flies by :)

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  4. I finally read Mrs Dalloway last year and surprise, surprise, I really like it. I have Dr Zhivago on my list too . Good luck with the draw.

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  5. I need to make my list, not sure exactly which ones I will be putting on it yet. I will be interested in seeing what book everyone has to read came monday.

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  6. I'm about a third of the way thru Les Mis and had to put it down to read some other things. Now I cannot make myself pick it up again! So. Many. Words!

    I loved Cold Comfort Farm - Gibbons has a great sense of humor. I highly recommend the movie as well.

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