As though I don’t have enough books to read between my summer for-fun reads and my genre-exploring reads to find comparable books for my work in progress, I’m going to take a stab at participating in this spin. At the very least, it will keep me motivated to knock another one off the list.
Logic is as follows–all non-novel entries left go on the list (poetry, plays, novellas, short stories, essays), which covers fourteen. From the novels I selected the ones that were dystopian/sci-fi plus Steppenwolf, which brought it to six for the full twenty.
- The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood
- Beowulf, Unknown
- Pygmalion (1913) by George Bernard Shaw
- Steppenwolf (1929) by Herman Hesse
- The Waste Land (1922) by T.S. Eliot
- The Iliad by Homer
- The Metamorphosis (1915) by Franz Kafka
- The Canterbury Tales (c. 1400) by Chaucer
- Dune (1965) by Frank Herbert
- Paradise Lost (1667) by John Milton
- The Gambler (1887) by Fyodor Dostoevsky
- The Aeneid by Virgil
- The Dubliners (1914) by James Joyce
- The Communist Manifesto (1848) by Friederich Engels and Karl Marx
- The Art of War by Sun Tzu
- Leaves of Grass (1855) by Walt Whitman
- The War of the Worlds (1898) by H.G. Wells
- Ethan Frome (1911) by Edith Wharton)
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1864) by Jules Verne
- The Left Hand of Darkness (1969) by Ursula K. Le Guin
This could go many ways, so I’m excited about all the possibilities for the spin this Sunday!
This has been my fifth Classics Club Spin! Check out my whole list here.
Fictitiously Yours 
You have several here that I’ve either read or want to read, including one on my spin list.
I read The Handmaid’s Tale when it first came out and loved it. That might be the one I hope you get. I’m looking forward to Sunday!
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Yes! Jules Verne, right? I guess we can’t both get it this spin, though. 🙂
I’m definitely curious about The Handmaid’s Tale! It would be awesome to finally get to it.
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Love the poetry and sci-fi leanings on your list – good luck 🙂
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Thank you! Finally getting some of my poetry entries would be a welcome change of pace for sure.
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Great titles! I have decided to read The Art of War again no doubt! So many great books I have read but wouldn’t mind reading again!
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A great list! I’ve read many of them. I wasn’t a fan of Dubliners but my son read it in his flight to Ireland and liked it.
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I’ve read the last story in Dubliners “The Dead” for a literature class and can’t say it was my favorite! But I’ve read more Joyce since, so I want to come back to read the full collection and see what I think. Who knows but I might like it as much as your son!
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First of all, thanks for visiting my post. It was nice seeing a comment to Hesse.
I read ten of your posts # 1, 4, 7, 10-14, 18 and 20. Chances are, we can talk about the book you get. I wish you good luck with the spin.
My link:
https://momobookblog.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-classics-club-classics-spin-38.html
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Interesting list–we read very different types of books. I’ve read/studied The Communist Manifesto way back in the dark ages as an undergraduate–well worth it. And Journey to the Center of the Earth was one that surprised me—I didn’t expect to enjoy it–I’m not science or sci fi minded but I read it to my kids year ago and we all liked it. I hope you enjoy the book you get.
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I feel like this list is very different from my usual type of books, too. 🙂 I somehow managed to get out of a politcal science class and a critical theory class discussing marxist theory without reading The Communist Manifesto so maybe I’ll get it this time! And I also have been seeing a lot of attention for Journey to the Center of the Earth, so I’m almost decided I’ll read it soon even if it’s not picked. Thanks for the comment!
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Steppenwolf is on my longlist, but I didn’t throw it into the spin mix this time—not really sure why.
Good luck!
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Thanks! I’m sure we’ll both get to it at the right time. Maybe next spin!
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I reread Dune just before the movie came out. I thought the book held up pretty well. Pygmalion and Handmaid’s Tale were on my Classics Club, but I’ve read them both already (and they were great!) Hope you get something good.
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Thanks for commenting! I’m wondering if I will get to the book before the last of the new Dune movies comes out. We’ll see!
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I was considering Dune, too, as I won it in a library prize last year. I’ve managed to see the film, the first one when it came out, but not yet read the book. Best to you!
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Thanks for stopping by! I’ve seen the recent Dune films, but apparently there is still one more to go before it completes the story of the first book. Maybe I’ll get to the book before the third one comes out, who knows?
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Nice list! I have only read 7 of them, 10 being my favorite here
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Woah, somehow missed replying to this! Thank you for reading and leaving a comment. Paradise Lost is an impressive favourite! I took a class where I wrote an essay on one of the books (maybe 9?), but always wanted to read the entire thing one day! I’m looking forward to it whenever I get to it.
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And the winner is #17: The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells! Couldn’t be more excited to finally get to this one.
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