The Classics Club is organising a spin! What's this, you say? A nice little challenge, that's what it is! A list of 20 classics to read, all ordered in a nice list, and on Monday, there will be a spin, and whichever number is picked, this book I'll read by April 2013 - Let's go!
My Spin list, by order of feeling:
My dreaded
2. Goethe - Faust (I'll either love it or hate it...)
3. Sueskind - Das Parfum (I've seen parts of the movie, and I was slightly nauseous...)
4. Kafka - Der Prozess (I really don't know what to expect here...)
5. Nietsche - Also sprach Zarathustra (why are 4 of my dreaded ones German???)
My desired
6. Rushdie - The Satanic verses (finally, to read what the whole fuss was about...)
7. Angelou - I know why the caged bird sings (both desired and dreaded, I hope it turns out to be great!)
8. Shakespeare - Taming of the Shrew (ohhh...)
9. Conan Doyle - Sherlock Holmes: Scandal in Bohemia (we all need a little scandal now and then...)
10. Sophocles - Οἰδίπους Τύραννος (Oedipus Rex - a classic masterpiece)
My oh well, whatever...
11. Shelley - Frankenstein (can you believe I haven't read this?)
12. Scott Fitzgerald - This side of Paradise (want to see whether the genius of Gatsby will continue)
13. Camus - La chutte (I have no idea what to expect)
14. Plato - Συμπόσιον (Symposium - let's talk about love)
15. Darwin - On the origin of species (I have to read this at some point...)
My free choices
16. Swift - Gulliver's travels (I've been meaning to read this ever since I was a child)
17. Orwell - Animal Farm (a re-read, one of the books that have left a mark on me)
18. Christie - Murder at the Vickarage (a little whodunnit never hurts)
19. Miller - Death of a Salesman (I've seen the play quite a number of times, I need to read the book..)
20. Wharton - House of Mirth (I didn't like the first book of hers I read, so this is my second try)
I'm really curious to see which book I'll be reading - what fun!
UPDATE: It's lucky number 14! Symposium, by Plato, an elegy on love... Happy reading to all classic clubbers!
UPDATE: It's lucky number 14! Symposium, by Plato, an elegy on love... Happy reading to all classic clubbers!
You are second person I see dreading "Lady Chatterley's Lover". I am through some 60 pages and find it very captivating :)
ReplyDeleteKafka may be a bit depressing but from Süskind I have pleasant memories.
And I haven't read Frankenstein either, but it's in my big list :) Good luck with the draw!
Well, I will definitely read the Lover, but I doubt I'll change my mind... From the dreaded Germans, I don't mind if they're depressing, as long as I can make out the meaning!
DeleteSo it's not only me who thinks Lady Chatterley's Lover boring...
ReplyDeleteI also have Darwin on my list, but I don't know when I will get to it, maybe I'd better read your review first.
No. 17 Animal Farm, isn't it Orwell's book?
thanks Fanda, I was still asleep when writing it this morning... Good luck with the spinning!
DeleteHope you get one you like! I read Why the Caged Bird Sings in high school. I remember liking it, but thinking it was a bit overrated. I'd be curious to see what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteI've read several different comments on this book, which makes me really want to read it !
DeleteI tried reading Lady Chatterley's Lover but also found it boring! I want to re-read it too. Oh and I'll be joining The Classics Club too, just need to do my list!
ReplyDeleteThat's excellent news! Welcome!
DeleteI hope you discover some Wharton love (did you by any chance start with Ethan Frome?) She's not a happy ever after writer, but her characters, their dilemma's and the mood and atmosphere she creates are magic (often in a melancholy kind of way, but magic none-the-less).
ReplyDeleteGood luck
Why yes, that was the first Wharton I read... I'm keeping an open mind, as plenty of readers have told me what you just did - Looking forward to be pleasantly surprised!
DeleteI love Gulliver's Travels, it's so dark in its humour but pretty timeless. Look forward to seeing what you end up with!
ReplyDeletethanks Alex - three more days...
Delete