Classics Club Spin #40

It is time for the 40th edition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my CC TBR, by Sunday, February 16; the mods will then pick a random number, and I have until April 11 to read the corresponding book.

 

My spin list:

 

1. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell

2. The Counterfeiters by Andre Gide

3. Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy by Jon le Carré

4. Rabbit, Run by John Updike

5. The Magus by John Fowles

6. Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

7. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

8. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

9. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

10. The Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullers

11. Grendel by John Gardner

12. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

13. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

14. Cool Hand Luke by Don Pearce

15. The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

16. Tess of d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy

17. Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu

18. Kim by Ian Fleming

19. Post Office by Charles Bukowski

20. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

 

I don’t have strong feelings about any of these. I suppose I’m hoping for Cool Hand Luke or Tinker, Tailor, Soldier Spy. Nothing I know enough about to dread on this list.

The Classics Club Spin #38

It is time for the 38th edition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my CC TBR, by Sunday, July 21, the mods then pick a random number, and I have until September 22 to read the corresponding book.

 

My spin list:

 

1. Hangover Square by Patrick Hamilton

2. Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens

3. Loving by Henry Green

4. Barnaby Rudge by Charles Dickens

5. The Magus by John Fowles

6. Rabbit, Run by John Updike

7. Our Mutual Friend by Charles Dickens

8. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

9. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

10. The Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullers

11. Grendel by John Gardner

12. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

13. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

14. Cool Hand Luke by Don Pearce

15. The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

16. O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

17. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

18. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

19. Post Office by Charles Bukowski

20. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

 

 

I don’t have one I’m especially hoping for; maybe Cool Hand Luke. I’m not in the mood for a long read, so not hoping 2, 4, or 7, even though I usually enjoy Dickens.

 

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The Classics Club Spin #33

It is time for the 33rd edition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my CC TBR, by Sunday, March 19. The mods then pick a random number, and I have until April 30 to finish reading my spin book. Presumably, there’s some penalty if I don’t, but I always do, so no worries.

I like my entire list. It has a couple authors that I really like, but haven’t read in quite some time: McCullers, Cather, Conrad; some new-to-me authors that I’ve been meaning to get to for quite some time: Wilder, Achebe; some other new-to-me that I have no idea what to expect: Beerbohm, Green, Gardner; and then a mix of very familiar to not so familiar authors. I don’t know what to hope for. I’ll just say The Day of the Jackal because the title is intriguing.

 

 

1. The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

2. Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens

3. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain

4. Zuleika Dobson by Max Beerbohm

5. Post Office by Charles Bukowski

6. Loving by Henry Green

7. The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

8. The Magus by John Fowles

9. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

10. Lord Jim by Joseph Conrad

11. The Ballad of the Sad Café by Carson McCullers

12. Grendel by John Gardner

13. Things Fall Apart by China Achebe

14. Scoop by Evelyn Waugh

15. Cool Hand Luke by Don Pearce

16. The Silver Sword by Ian Serraillier

17. O Pioneers! By Willa Cather

18. The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper

19. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

20. The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth

The Classics Club 10 Year Celebration Questionnaire

My responses to The Classics Club 10 Year Celebration Questionnaire.

 

When did you join the Classics Club?

May 2014. I’ve completed Round I and Round II lists and should finish Round III before the year ends.

What is the best classic book you've read for the club so far? Why?

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. I’m a Dickens fan, and this is such a poignant example of sacrificial love. I’ve seen others rank Dickens’ novels, and they usually have either David Copperfield, Bleak House, or Great Expectations as #1. I like each of those, but for me, it is no contest; A Tale of Two Cities is #1.

What is the first classic you ever read?

To be very literal, and how can I be anything but in this venue?; I have to say The Cat in the Hat. But if we said “grown-up” classic, I believe it was The Lord of the Rings.

Which classic book inspired you the most?

Death Comes for the Archbishop

What is the most challenging Classic you've ever read or tried to read?

Ulysses. Close second: In Search of Lost Time. Both ugh!

Favorite movie adaptation of a classic:

The Lord of the Rings.  Close second: To Kill a Mockingbird

Least favorite movie adaptation:

Lord of the Flies, several attempts, all failed.

Which classic character most reminds you of yourself?

Tom Sawyer as a child. Sherlock Holmes as an adult, which sounds very presumptuous, but I am a puzzle solver professionally, just not as good as Sherlock. But who is?

Has there been a classic title you expected to dislike and ended up loving? Respecting? Appreciating?

I didn’t know what to expect and was intimidated by the Russian classics. But I found both The Brothers Karamazov and Anna Karenina accessible and enjoyable.

Classic you are definitely going to make happen next year?

Next year? As in 2023? Martin Chuzzlewit

Favorite memory with a classic and/or your favorite memory with The Classics Club?

Completing Round I and Round II, and anytime a club member comments on my blog.

 

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The Classics Club Spin #29

It is time for the29th edition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my Classics Club TBR, the moderators will pick a random number between 1 - 20, and I then have until April 30, 2022 to read the corresponding book.

 

I only have 16 novels left on my Round III list, including a trilogy that I intend to read as one, so I will list several of these twice.

 

I’m hoping for The Princess Bride or the The Last Unicorn.

 

My spin list

 

1. Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov

2. Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens

3. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

4. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

5. Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens

6. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

7. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan

8. Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock

9. The Blue Castle by Lucy Maud Montgomery

10. Bang the Drum Slowly by Mark Harris

11. Portnoy’s Complaint by Philip Roth

12. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

13. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

14. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

15. Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock

16. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

17. Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino

18. A House for Mr. Biswas by V. S. Naipaul

19. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett

20. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle

 

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The Classics Club Spin #28

It is time for the 28th edition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my Classics Club TBR, the moderators will pick a random number between 1 - 20, and I then have until December 12, 2021 to read the corresponding book. 

 

UPDATE: The SPIN landed on #12 meaning The Haunting of Hill House for me. I'm quite happy about this because I was disappointed with both of my reads for R.I.P XVI, so I'm going to add it to that challenge.(relax...it's allowed). 

It so happens, I have exactly 20 novels left on my Round III list, including the Foundation trilogy by Isaac Asimov – which I intend to read in order, so if I get one of them, I’ll have to read all three. I’m hoping for The Last Unicorn #20, or The Great God Pan #16. I’d rather not get any of the big tomes, but that’s sort of the point of the spin, right? Motivate us to read, what we’re not motivated for. I’m still hoping for #20 or #16 though.

 

 

My spin list

 

1. Foundation and Empire

2. Dombey and Son

3. The Recognitions 

4. Portnoy's Complaint

5. Martin Chuzzlewit

6. The Death of the Heart 

7. Second Foundation

8. Nightmare Abbey 

9. Foundation

10. Little Dorrit

11. Barnaby Rudge

And the winner is...

12. The Haunting of Hill House

13. The Adventures of Oliver Twist

14. The Magus

15. Our Mutual Friend

16. The Great God Pan

17. Loving

18. A House for Mr. Biswas 

19. Lord Jim

20. The Last Unicorn

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The Classics Club Spin #27

It is time for the 27th edition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my Classics Club TBR, the moderators will pick a random number between 1 - 20, and I then have until August 22^nd to read the corresponding book. 

 

You’re probably wondering why August 22^nd ?

 

In honor of National Pecan Torte Day of course.

 

My spin list

 

 

1. At Play in the Fields of the Lord

2. The Recognitions

3. Portnoy’s Complaint

4. The Adventures of Oliver Twist

5. Death of the Heart

6. The Worm Ouroboros

7. The Magus

8. Foundation

9. Martin Chuzzlewit

10. Dombey and Son

11. Little Dorrit

12. Barnaby Rudge

13. Nightmare Abbey

14. Our Mutual Friend

15. Loving

16. A House for Mr. Biswas

17. Lord Jim

18. Scoop

19. The Silver Sword (Escape from Warsaw)

20. The Maltese Falcon

 

 

I guess I’m hoping for #6. Nothing here I’m dreading though.

The Classic Meme 2.0 - Favorite Christmas Classic

The Classic Meme 2.0

 

What is your favorite seasonal/Christmas/holiday classic? Why?

 

Oh well, that’s easy. But to keep you in suspense, I will make honorable mention first to The Gift of the Magi, by O Henry. I like O Henry to start with, and The Gift of the Magi is his masterpiece. 

But in a last word to the wise of these days let it be said that of all who give gifts these two were the wisest. Of all who give and receive gifts, such as they are wisest. Everywhere they are wisest. They are the magi.

 

But apart from THE Christmas Story, according to St. Luke, my favorite Christmas story is easily, The Story of the Other Wise Man by Henry VanDyke, wherein the hero of the tale, Artaban, finds failure that is better than success. It is a luminous gem; READ IT!

May you be blessed with

the spirit of the season, which is Peace,

the gladness of the season, which is Hope, 

and the heart of the season, which is Love

 

 

Fine print disclaimer most will not notice: The original wording of the meme, as taken from The Classics Club site, used the imperial spelling “favourite” but in deference to ME, the new world proprietor of this blog, I have Yankified the spelling to “favorite”. Not sorry. 

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Classics Club Spin #23

Classics Club Spin #23 

It is time for the 23^rd edition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my CC TBR, before April 19, the mods then pick a random number, and I have until June 1, to read the corresponding book.

However, I only have six books left on my CC list #2, and I’m already reading one of them…so I’m only listing five books – each of them four times.

1. The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

2. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

3. Phantastes by George MacDonald

4. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

5. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

6. The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

7. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

8. Phantastes by George MacDonald

9. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

10. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

11. The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

12. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

13. Phantastes by George MacDonald

14. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

15. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

16. The Sign of the Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

17. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Brontë

18. Phantastes by George MacDonald

19. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

20. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole

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Classics Club Spin #22

Classics Club Spin #22

It is time for the 22^nd edition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my CC TBR, by December 22; the mods then pick a random number, and I have until January 31, 2020 to read the corresponding book.

But I’ve only got 13 books left on my Classics Club list so I will list some of them twice. I used a random number generator to rank them, and determine which appear twice. My list:

1. Fahrenheit 451

2. Riders of the Purple Sage

3. If on a Winter’s Night a Traveler

4. Nicholas Nickleby

5. Fahrenheit 451

6. The Tale of Genji

7. Riders of the Purple Sage

8. The Tale of Genji

9. Cry the Beloved Country

10. At Swim Two-Birds

11. Jude the Obscure

12. Cry the Beloved Country

13. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

14. At Swim Two-Birds

15. Where the Red Fern Grows

16. The Sea, the Sea

17. Nicholas Nickleby

18. The Castle of Otranto

19. The Sea, the Sea

20. Greenmantle

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Classics Club Spin #21

Classics Club Spin #21

It is time for the 21^stedition of the Classics Club Spin – List 20 books from my CC TBR, by September 23, the mods then pick a random number, and I have until October 31 to read the corresponding book.

‘cept I’m gonna cheat. That really shouldn’t surprise you. I cheat on most memes, challenges, double dog-dares, and quests. For reasons that I won’t go into (cuz it would be boring and no one cares), I’m only going to list 10 books. I used a random number generator to pick their order. If the chosen spin number is one of my BLANKS, I exempt myself from the Spin, without forfeiting the associated cash prize.

1. BLANK

2. BLANK

3. BLANK

4. BLANK

5. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

6. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys

7. Dracula by Bram Stoker

8. Lost Horizon by James Hilton

9. Under the Net by Iris Murdoch

10. Ragtime by E. L. Doctorow

11. The Greek Interpreter by Arthur Conan Doyle

12. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach

13. BLANK

14. BLANK

15. BLANK

16. BLANK

17. At Swim Two-Birds by Flann O’Brien

18. Coraline by Neil Gaiman

19. BLANK

20. BLANK

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (novel #126)

"Fish" he said, "I love you and respect you very much. But I will kill you dead before this day ends."

The Old Man and the Sea is a novella by Ernest Hemingway. It tells the story of Santiago – the old man – a Cuban fisherman who has not caught a fish for 84 days.

 

Santiago, well past his prime, and impoverished by lack of success, takes to the sea each day in a dilapidated skiff.

The sail was patched with flour sacks and, furled, it looked like the flag of permanent defeat.

 

But in spite of his reduced estate, he is a seasoned fisherman, with a healthy respect for the sea and his prey.

…the old man always thought of her [the sea] as feminine and as something that gave or withheld favors, and if she did wild or wicked things it was because she could not help them. The moon affects her as it does a woman, he thought.

 

His young apprentice, Manolin, just a boy who loves the old man, is prohibited from fishing with Santiago because the old man is considered bad luck.

 

On the 85th day of his draught, Santiago hooks an enormous Blue Marlin that will test his skill, stamina, and resolve. He battles the fish for three days and two nights. Santiago gets little sleep and must eat raw fish to maintain his strength. Although, he is not religious, Santiago prays and adds a little something to the standard Hail Mary…

Blessed Virgin, pray for the death of this fish. Wonderful though he is.

 

He considers the fish a friend or brother, even though he knows he must kill it, and he often talks to it.

“Fish” he said softly, aloud, “I’ll stay with you until I am dead.”

 

Santiago is a fan of the New York Yankees and admirer of Joe DiMaggio. He wonders if the great DiMaggio would be proud of his epic struggle. Being a Tigers fan myself, I smiled when Santiago worried about the Yankee’s chances…

I fear both the Tigers of Detroit and the Indians of Cleveland.

 

I’ll spare the spoiler – though you probably know how it ends. This is my first read of The Old Man and the Sea, though I have read several works by Hemingway. I always admire Hemingway’s writing, but I don’t always love his stories. This one however, was superb; it is now my favorite work by Hemingway. It is a tender, thoughtful story, heartbreaking and heartwarming.

 

Hemingway was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this work in 1953, and it was cited as one of the factors for his award of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1954. Hemingway’s friend Charles Scribner wrote:

It is a curious fact of literary history that a story which describes the loss of a gigantic prize provided the author with the greatest prize of his career.

 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

 

 

I read this for The Classics Club spin #20.

 

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