Rien ne va plus…
The Classics Club is holding its 32nd Spin, and my 14th. The idea is to list 20 of the books on your Classics Club list before next Sunday, 11th December, 2022. On that day, the Classics Club will post the winning number. The challenge is to read and review whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List by 29th January, 2023.
My enthusiasm for my new-ish CC list is still strong, so any of these will be a good choice, even if it’s one of the monsters! Mind you, I still need to fit in my Christmas Dickens over that period… but I can do this! Do your worst, Spin Gods – bring it on! Here’s my list…
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The Scottish Section
1) The Adventures of Roderick Random by Tobias Smollett
2) The Journal of a Tour to the Hebrides/A Journey to the Western Isles
…… by James Boswell/Samuel Johnson
3) Hester by Margaret Oliphant
4) Gillespie by John MacDougall Hay
5) Open the Door! by Catherine Carswell
The English Section
6) Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
7) The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope
8) She by H. Rider Haggard
9) The Third Man and The Fallen Idol by Graham Greene
10) The Day of the Scorpion by Paul Scott
The Foreign Section
11) A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
12) Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
13) Fifth Business by Robertson Davies
14) Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
15) Germinal by Émile Zola
The Genre Section
16) Looking Backward by Edward Bellamy
17) Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler
18) Death Comes as the End by Agatha Christie
19) A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin
20) The Doorbell Rang by Rex Stout
* * * * * * *
FictionFan's Book Reviews 
Some wonderful books there, FF, esp in The Genre section.
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Sadly the Spin Gods hardly ever pick me a nice genre one – they usually find the longest book on the list! 😉
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I’m tempted to go for Open the Door! just because of the title but The Way We Live Now would make a good winter read.
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I quite fancy Open the Door! – I’ve seen a couple of intriguing reviews of it. The Way We Live Now would be a re-read of a pre-loved book, which is always good! Turns out it’s Far from the Madding Crowd though, which is also a re-read… 😀
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I think you’ll be happy with any of the books on your new list 🙂
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Yes, no real horrors that I’m dreading! Turns out it’s Far from the Madding Crowd, which suits me fine! 😀
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Well, my vote is The Way We Live Now, which is I think the best Trollope I’ve read so far, but I have a soft spot for Death Comes As The End too. Lots of great choices here!
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I’d have been happy with either of those, but I’m happy with the result too – Far from the Madding Crowd. I read The Way We Live Now some years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it although I don’t remember much but the broad outline now. Hopefully I’ll get to it in the not too distant – I’m in a Trollope mood at the moment!
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My vote is for Death Comes at the End
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An excellent choice, but the Spin Gods have spoken and the chosen book is Far from the Madding Crowd. Oh well, it’s only about four times the length of Death Comes as the End… 😉
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Haha…good luck!
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😂 Thank you!
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This is a great list, FictionFan. There are several there that I wouldn’t mind reading myself. I always meant to read Cry, the Beloved Country, and I still haven’t! And I wonder what you’ll think of the Chandler if that’s the one you get. And just those two examples show what a variety you’ve got in your list! I’m impressed!
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I love when the list is new and the books all still look appealing! I’ll be sick of the sight of some of these titles four years from now… 😉 I’ve meant to read Cry, the Beloved Country for years took – some books just seem to stay on the radar but never make it onto the reading list, don’t they? The Chandler should be fun, though I don’t always love the hard-boiled style.
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Wow! Some heavy hitters here. Dostoevsky, Hemingway, Greene, Trollope, Christie. Good grief! Even Rex Stout!!! So hard to choose.
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Haha, and you can be sure the Spin Gods will also pick one of the chunky ones! Happily, they didn’t pick Dostoevsky… 😉
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There aren’t many of those that I’ve read! I enjoyed Far from the Madding Crowd, but I think I would be hoping for Death Comes as the End as it’s a Christie I haven’t read yet. Good luck!
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Well, they chose Far from the Madding Crowd and I’m happy about that! I read it in school but since that was half a century ago my memory if it is non-existent, so it’ll be like reading it for the first time. 😀
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I hope you get the Christie. That will give you plenty of time for your holiday Dickens. Have you said what that will be this year?
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Nvm. I just saw your post from yesterday!
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I’d have been pleased to get the Christie, but the Spin Gods have chosen Far from the Madding Crowd, which I’m also happy about – I do like Hardy! Yes, indeed – I see you saw my Dickens pick after this comment. Hard Times is one of the shorter ones so at least I should have time for both it and Hardy!
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Oooh, make it Fifth Business, please! I’d love to read what you thought of it.
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Ha, sadly the Spin Gods denied your wishes and gave me Far from the Madding Crowd instead! But Fifth Business will gradually make it’s way to the top of the heap… 😀
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Far from the Madding Crowd and A Kiss Before Dying are unbelievably good books!
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The Spin Gods must have been listening to you – I got Far from the Madding Crowd! It is a re-read but from when I was at school half a century ago, so my memory of it is non-existent. I do love Hardy though! 😀
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You’ve got a shiny new list to choose from! I loved The Way We Live Now so would choose that, but I hope you get something you enjoy. . .
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I love having a new-ish list – haven’t had time to go off the idea of any of these books yet! I’d have been happy with The Way We Live Now since I’m in a Trollope mood at the moment, but the Spin Gods have chosen Far from the Madding Crowd, which I’m happy about too – I do love Hardy!
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It’s tough to pick one. I really enjoyed Hester when I read it. I also have read Far From the Madding Crowd several times. It’s a favorite. I haven’t read it for years and years, but I remember thinking Cry the Beloved Country was one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I don’t know how it will stand up to current times, though.
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As you’ve seen, it’s Far from the Madding Crowd! I’m happy about that – I read it in school but that was half a century ago so I think it’s overdue a re-read! I would like to read both Hester and Cry, the Beloved Country though – I wish I could read faster! Still, they’re on my list so at least I’m guaranteed to get to them in the next few years… 😀
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Nice selection!
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Yes, I’m looking forward to it!
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Well, I’ve always wanted to read Crime and Punishment…..and Far From the Madding Crowd has been on my shelf for years…..there is just too little time!!
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Well, it turns out it’s Far from the Madding Crowd, and that suits me fine – I do love Hardy! I’m secretly quite happy it’s not Crime and Punishment – it’s one of those books I feel I *should* read, rather than actually wanting to.
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It’s always interesting to see the different ways everyone puts their list together. I’m tempted to choose the Dostoevsky, but will go with something a little lighter for a winter read – so Fifth Business!
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The Spin Gods ignored your wishes and gave me Far from the Madding Crowd instead! I’m quite happy with that – it’s a re-read but from when I was at school half a century ago, so I remember nothing about it! Looking forward to both Dostoevsky and Fifth Business when they finally come up – I’m still enthusiastic about all the books on my list! No doubt I’ll be sick of the sight of some of them before I get to the end… 😉
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Looking Backward is such an odd book. Interesting, and I enjoyed it. I thought the sci/fi aspects were ahead of its time.
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It’s one of those books that get referenced all the time in anthologies and histories of the genre, so I feel it’s a real gap in my reading. The Spin Gods picked me Far from the Madding Crowd, so not this time but I’ll get to Looking Backward one day!
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Number 18, Agatha Christie!!!! I always love to revisit her books with you because it piques my interest for particular titles of hers that I’d like to get to first
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Haha, that’s what happens to me whenever someone else reviews a Christie! The Spin Gods picked Thomas Hardy though, which should be good, but longer!
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