Thursday, 14 February 2013

The Classics Spin

I am totally a member of The Classics Club (in that, I have a list and all) but as of yet I haven't really participated in any of the meme things they do, because... laziness? I don't know. ANYWAY, I've been making ok progress on my list (if you ignore the two books I just added to it... I just, have a lot of books to read, ok?) but as is the case when you have a lot of books to read, I often find it tricky figuring out what to read next (BOOK PARALYSIS) so this Classics Spin seems like a good idea to me!
SO. Basically what I'm to do is to pick 20 books off my classics list, give each of them a number, and then on Monday the Classics Club are going to pick a number and I'm going to read that book by April 1 (maybe). I am TERRIFIED, but I have also picked my books accordingly, which basically means NOT picking War and Peace or Infinite Jest because there's not much chance I'll read them in like a month, and also leaving off, say, Gone With The Wind because I think I want to read that this summer.

There are categories and I'm gonna list the books in those categories and THEN mix them up so that, I don't know, there's more of a chance of getting to read a nice book rather than a scary one? Firstly, the books I'm TERRIFIED of:
Dangerous Liasons- Choderlos De Laclos
The Last of the Mohicans- James Fenimore Cooper
100 Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Great Expectations- Charles Dickens 
Madame Bovary- Gustave Flaubert

 Books I'm excited about:
Alias Grace- Margaret Atwood
The Corrections- Jonathan Franzen
Little Men- Louisa May Alcott
Middlemarch- George Eliot (This is maaaaybe the number one book I'm looking forward to.)
What Maisie Knew- Henry James

 Books I'm neutral about:
The Bell- Iris Murdoch
Evelina- Frances Burney
The Age of Innocence- Edith Wharton
The Plumed Serpent- DH Lawrence
A Passage to India- EM Forster

 And, finally, Re-Reads I'm excited about (see? Two lots of books I'm excited about! HOW CAN I LOSE?!):
Shirley- Charlotte Bronte
The Winter of Our Discontent- John Steinbeck
Catch 22- Joseph Heller
I Capture the Castle- Dodie Smith
Villette- Charlotte Bronte

 And now, through the magic of, I don't know, mixing shit up, a numbered list!

1. Evelina- Frances Burney
2. I Capture The Castle- Dodie Smith
3. What Maisie Knew- Henry James
4. The Last of the Mohicans- James Fenimore Cooper
5. Madame Bovary- Gustave Flaubert
6. Villette- Charlotte Bronte
7. The Plumed Serpent- DH Lawrence
8. Middlemarch- George Eliot
9. Catch 22- Joseph Heller
10. The Corrections- Jonathan Franzen
11. Dangerous Liasons- Choderlos De Laclos
12. A Passage to India- EM Forster
13. Great Expectations- Charles Dickens
14. The Bell- Iris Murdoch
15. Shirley- Charlotte Bronte
16. 100 Years of Solitude- Gabriel Garcia Marquez
17. The Age of Innocence- Edith Wharton
18. The Winter of Our Discontent- John Steinbeck
19. Little Men- Louisa May Alcott
20. Alias Grace- Margaret Atwood

And now I just sit and wait... Just please please not 4 or 13, ok guys?!

Have you read any of these books? Which ones should I really be dreading?

P.S. I'm studiously ignoring the fact that it's Valentine's Day, but just know that I LOVE YOU ALL. I plan to spend my day eating Love Hearts and probably watching something that involves JGL later. Don't tell me that I don't know how to be romantic to myself!
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13 comments:

  1. Riv14 February 2013 at 09:12

    Hms, why is Madame B dread-worthy? I recall it is rather nice read. I've read 100 Years as well (also in your dready list!), and it was. Well. Odd. Which is why I added it to the classics list for re-read. Otherwise, a lot in your list I also can't wait to get to (Middlemarch, Villette, The Winter of Our Discontent). I'm definitely scared of Cooper. Donno why but American native themes and wild west themes are very very scary.

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    1. Laura14 February 2013 at 19:48

      I mean, Madame Bovary is dread-worthy because I dread it? I don't have good reasons for things!

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  2. anarmchairbythesea14 February 2013 at 12:00

    great expectations I actually really enjoyed! 100 years of solitude was a bit crap though! I totally have to get my post up for this!

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    1. Laura14 February 2013 at 19:50

      But it's DICKENS! I am scared of Dickens! Eeeep. I'm pretty scared of 100 Years of Solitude too, especially cause I read Love in the Time of Cholera and it was only ok. But I'm excited to see which one I have to/get to read!

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  3. Ellie14 February 2013 at 13:13

    Madame Bovary's not so bad. It's definitely not my favourite classic, but not because it's BAD - I just wanted to shake Emma and make her see what a totally ridiculous wench she was being. Also, there's LOTS of social history type stuff going on, which was interesting. I'm quite looking forward to Dangerous Liaisons as well, though the fact that it's still on my shelf probably means I find it a bit daunting. I CAPTURE THE CASTLE FOR THE WIIIIIN! :D

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    1. Laura14 February 2013 at 19:51

      I think I basically just think of Madame Bovary AND Dangerous Liasons and go 'OMG FRENCH' and freak out a bit. Like I HAVE to read them in french or something. Which I obviously don't! I CAPTURE THE CASTLE IS SO AWESOOOOOME! <3

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  4. Melissa (Avid Reader)14 February 2013 at 16:00

    Very good list, but I will say I loved Great Expectations, no dread needed!

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    1. Laura14 February 2013 at 19:52

      Eeeep. I hope you're right! I think I'm maaaybe dreading Last of the Mohicans sliiightly more, if I'm honest!

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  5. Ellie14 February 2013 at 17:01

    Dickens Dickens Dickens Dickens DICKENS! Um, so, yes I'd like no.13 to be picked so you can read Great Expectations which literally made me fall in love with Dickens. Apologies if I am too excited about a book you're dreading. But, seriously, it is so good. Otherwise, I'm with Ellie on I Capture the Castle for the win!!

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    1. Laura14 February 2013 at 19:57

      Um, so, you're a fan of Dickens? Is that what I'm getting from this comment? It's so obscure that it's difficult to tell... Hehehehe.

      Oh you Ellies are so correct! I'm a big fan of I Capture the Castle, and since I haven't read it for about 4 years, it's definitely due a re-read :)

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  6. Red14 February 2013 at 18:13

    Don't be terrified of Great Expectations. I mean, not really a favorite of mine (or anything close to that) but not a scary read. You can DO IT!

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    1. Laura14 February 2013 at 19:59

      I AM SCARED OF DICKENS FOR SOME REASON!

      But, as has been pointed out to me, I have read Pamela and therefore I can read anything. So I'm really trying to not be scared of him anymore!

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  7. Donna19 February 2013 at 00:23

    "watching something that involves JGL"... I am such a nerd that the only JGL I know is Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts. Can't think of anything about her that's relevant to Valentine's Day. LOL

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