Category Archives: The Classics Club Spin

Classics Club Spin #25: Heidi

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Although I didn’t post my list earlier for the Classics Club Spin #25, I did read the book that corresponded to the number chosen. That book was Heidi, by Johanna Spyri. It was another book I had missed reading when I was growing up. Of course, I loved the movie starring Shirley Temple, but for some reason, I never read the book. I do love going back and reading the books I missed over the years!  And this book was a sweet one.

Summary from the publisher:

When Heidi, a cheerful 5-year-old orphan, comes to live with her grandfather in the Swiss Alps, she brings a bright ray of sunshine into the lives of the people around her. Young Peter, a goatherd, shares her love of nature, and his blind grandmother delights in the little girl’s bubbling personality. Even Heidi’s surly and hermit-like grandfather, the old Alm-Uncle, finds his long-lost grandchild a source of immense pleasure.

A few years later, when she is forced go to Frankfurt to serve as a companion for Klara, a well-to-do but sickly girl, Heidi must leave her beloved mountains and friends behind—an experience that proves highly traumatic to the innocent and sensitive little girl. But her return home and a visit from Klara result in magical moments that will leave young readers thoroughly captivated by this heartwarming tale of an unforgettable child and her effect on the people around her.

Some favorite quotes from the book:

    • “Let’s enjoy the beautiful things we can see, my dear, and not think about those we cannot.”
    • “The fire in the evening was the best of all. Peter said is wasn’t fire, but he couldn’t tell me what it really was.  You can though, Grandfather, can’t you?’  ‘It’s the sun’s way of saying goodnight to the mountains’ he explained. ‘He spreads that beautiful light over them so that they won’t forget him till he comes back in the morning.”

And some teacher humor that caught my eye:

“My tutor is very kind, and never cross, and he will explain everything to you. But mind, when he explains anything to you, you won’t be able to understand; but don’t ask any questions, or else he will go on explaining and you will understand less than ever. Later when you have learnt more and know about things yourself, then you will begin to understand what he meant.”

As I said before, it was a sweet book. Heidi was one of those wonderfully strong, free-spirited, deeply caring girls that I loved to read about in stories like  Anne of Green Gables and Pollyanna. I’m glad I finally got around to reading it…and now I’d like to find the Shirley Temple movie and watch it again!

 

Heidi was one of my choices for my 50-books-in-5-years for The Classics Club.

 

 

I chose this book to read for my personal challenge, “Wanderlust: Reading the World,” an effort to read books that are from or take place in each country of the world. This was a book based in Switzerland.

Classics Club Spin, #24: The House on Mango Street

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“She thinks stories are about beauty. Beauty that is there to be admired by anyone, like a herd of clouds grazing overhead. She thinks people who are busy working for a living deserve beautiful little stories, because they don’t have much time and are often tired.”

The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros, is a beautifully written series of vignettes, very poetic and poignant, about a young Hispanic girl growing up in Chicago. These short little narratives of so many episodes in her life, create a clear view of the culture she grows up in and the struggles she faces in coming of age. It’s not an easy life, but she is one who observes closely and learns from her experiences. She is often lonely on her road to self-discovery, but is also surrounded by family and friends. She seeks beauty and a life beyond where she is growing up. And she describes it all as a poet would.

“Someday I will have a best friend all my own. One I can tell my secrets to. One who will understand my jokes without my having to explain them. Until then I am a red balloon, a balloon tied to an anchor.”

The House on Mango Street was one of my choices for my 50-books-in-5-years for The Classics Club.

 

 

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 I also chose this book to read for my personal challenge, “WANDERLUST: Reading the States,” an effort to read books that are from or take place in each of the 50 United States. This book took place in Illinois.

Classics Club Spin #24

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It’s time for another Classics Club “Spin!”  Here’s how it works:

At your blog, by August 9th, 2020,, create a post that lists twenty books of your choice that remain “to be read” on your Classics Club list.

This is your “Spin List.”

You have to read one of these twenty books by the end of the spin period.

Try to challenge yourself. For example, you could list five Classics Club books you have been putting off, five you can’t WAIT to read, five you are neutral about, and five free choice (favourite author, re-reads, ancients, non-fiction, books in translation — whatever you choose.)

The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List by 30th September, 2020.

During this time of continued quarantine for Covid-19, I am enjoying a lot of reading. So here I go again with a list of  books from my 50 books to read before March, 2022.
Please check back here soon to see which of these books I will be reading for the new Spin!

  1. Rose in Bloom, Louisa May Alcott
  2. Barchester Towers, Anthony Trollope
  3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
  4. A River Runs Through It, Norman McClean
  5. Night, Elie Wiesel
  6. The Book of Tea, Kazuko Okakura
  7. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
  8. A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf
  9. Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell
  10. The Story of an African Farm, Olive Schreiner
  11. A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
  12. Kokoro, Natsume Soseki
  13. Letters to a Young Poet, Rainer Maria Rilke
  14. The Ramayana, Bulbul Sharma
  15. The Lost Prince, Frances Hodgson Burnett
  16. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, Mildred D. Taylor
  17. The Gaucho Martin Fierro, José Hernández

  18. The House on Mango Street, Sandra Cisneros

  19. Sons, Pearl S. Buck
  20. Barracoon, Zora Neale Hurston

Classics Club Spin #23: Excellent Women

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I read Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym, many years ago. It was the first book I read by her and I remember liking it very much. Since then, I have read many of her other books, but it had been so long since I read this one that I decided to include it on my list of 50 books to read in 5 years for The Classics Club. Last month, it came up as my “Classics Club Spin” book for May. I’m glad I reread it, and I’m happy to spend time reading anything written by Barbara Pym.

“Excellent Women” is a term referring to unmarried women who are considered spinsters. In this story, which takes place in the 1950s, the main character, Mildred Lathbury, is just over 30, and well established in the community as a spinster. As the daughter of a clergyman, she devotes much of her time to helping at her church, and just helping people in general. She is capable and independent, and quite satisfied with her life as a single person. But new neighbors, a married couple, complicate her predictable daily existence, and she gets drawn in to the drama of their lives. She is good friends with the pastor of her church and his sister, (who has always taken good care of him), but when he gets engaged to the widow of another clergyman, that further complicates Mildred’s ordered life.

Throughout this story, I felt that Mildred was the only “adult in the room.” Everyone else was needy in one way or another, or selfish and unable to really care about others. I felt sorry for Mildred because of the demands placed on her, and when others took advantage of her I wanted her to stand up to them and just say “No.”  It took her quite awhile to be able to do that, but she weathers all the demands and drama, and in the end appreciates her single life, her solitude, and her independence even more than before.

I suppose an unmarried woman just over thirty, who lives alone and has no apparent ties, must expect to find herself involved or interested in other people’s business, and if she is also a clergyman’s daughter then one might really say that there is no hope for her.

There is always a lot of subtle humor in Barbara Pym’s novels, which is very entertaining. I liked the main character, Mildred Lathbury, more and more as the book progressed and appreciated her intelligence and her insightfulness into the humans around her. This was a novel well worth re-reading.

 

Excellent Women was one of my choices for my 50-books-in-5-years for The Classics Club.

Classics Club Spin #23

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It’s time for another Classics Club “Spin!”  Here’s how it works:

At your blog, by April 19, 2020,, create a post that lists twenty books of your choice that remain “to be read” on your Classics Club list.

This is your “Spin List.”

You have to read one of these twenty books by the end of the spin period.

Try to challenge yourself. For example, you could list five Classics Club books you have been putting off, five you can’t WAIT to read, five you are neutral about, and five free choice (favourite author, re-reads, ancients, non-fiction, books in translation — whatever you choose.)

The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List by 1st June, 2020.

My record for finishing my Spin books for the Classics Club isn’t great, but I always like to give the book a try! This time, being in the middle of our period of self-isolation for Covid-19, I am in need of comfort reading. I’ve picked a few from my list that fit that description and am listing them numerous times so that one will be chosen for sure.

So here I go again with a list of  books from my 50 books to read before March, 2022. Please check back here to see which of these books I will be reading for the new Spin!

UPDATE:  The spin number chosen was 6 !

  1. Rose in Bloom, by Louisa May Alcott
  2. Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
  3. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim
  4. Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
  5. The Story of an African Farm, Olive Schreiner

  6. Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym

  7. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim
  8. Rose in Bloom, by Louisa May Alcott
  9. Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
  10. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim
  11. Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
  12. The Story of an African Farm, Olive Schreiner
  13. Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym
  14. The Gaucho Martin Fierro, by Jose Fernandez
  15. Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren
  16. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim
  17. Heidi, by Johanna Spyri
  18. The Story of an African Farm, Olive Schreiner
  19. Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym
  20. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim

Classics Club Spin #22

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It’s time for another Classics Club “Spin!”  Here’s how it works:

At your blog, before next Sunday 22nd December 2019, create a post that lists twenty books of your choice that remain “to be read” on your Classics Club list.

This is your Spin List.

You have to read one of these twenty books by the end of the spin period.

Try to challenge yourself. For example, you could list five Classics Club books you have been putting off, five you can’t WAIT to read, five you are neutral about, and five free choice (favourite author, re-reads, ancients, non-fiction, books in translation — whatever you choose.)

On Sunday 22nd December, we’ll post a number from 1 through 20. The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List by 31st January, 2020.

My record for finishing my Spin books for the Classics Club isn’t great, but I always like to give the book a try! So here I go again with a list of  books from my 50 books to read before March, 2022. (I’m weighting a couple of them a little heavier this time!)

My List for Spin #22:

  1. Letters to a Young Poet, by Rainer Maria Rilke
  2. The Gaucho Martin Fierro, by Jose Fernandez
  3. The Sussex Downs Murder, by John Bude
  4. Kokoro, by Natsume Soseki
  5. Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym
  6. The Story of an African Farm, by Olive Schreiner
  7. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim
  8. Rose in Bloom, by Louisa May Alcott
  9. Sons, by Pearl S. Buck
  10. A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf
  11. Night, by Elie Wiesel
  12. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim

  13. Marcovaldo, or The Seasons of the City, by Italo Calvino

  14. A Room With a View, by E.M. Forster
  15. The Ramayana, by Bulbul Sharma
  16. The Lost Prince, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  17. The Measure of My Days, by Florida Scott-Maxwell
  18. Sons, by Pearl S. Buck
  19. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim
  20. A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf

Classics Club Spin #21

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Hooray!  It’s time for another Classics Club Spin!

How it works:

  • Before next Monday 23rd September 2019, create a post that lists twenty books of your choice that remain “to be read” on your Classics Club list.  This is your “Spin List.”
  • You have to read one of these twenty books by the end of the spin period.
  • On Monday 23 September, we’ll post a number from 1 through 20. The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List, by 31st October 2019.

My Spin #21 List:
(stop back here after September 23rd to see which book I will be reading for this CC Spin!  I’ll highlight it in red.)

  1. Death Be Not Proud, by John Gunther
  2. Letters to a Young Poet, by Rainer Maria Rilke
  3. The Gaucho Martin Fierro, by Jose Fernandez
  4. The Sussex Downs Murder, by John Bude

  5. The Secret Agent, by Joseph Conrad (Did not finish.)

  6. Kokoro, by Natsume Soseki
  7. Excellent Women, by Barbara Pym
  8. The Story of an African Farm, by Olive Schreiner
  9. The Sea Runners, by Ivan Doig
  10. Rose in Bloom, by Louisa May Alcott
  11. Sons, by Pearl S. Buck
  12. A Room of One’s Own, by Virginia Woolf
  13. Night, by Elie Wiesel
  14. The Solitary Summer, by Elizabeth von Arnim
  15. Marcovaldo, or The Seasons of the City, by Italo Calvino
  16. A Room With a View, by E.M. Forster
  17. The Ramayana, by Bulbul Sharma
  18. The Lost Prince, by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  19. The Measure of My Days, by Florida Scott-Maxwell
  20. Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden, by Eleanor Perenyi

This challenge is a fun recurring event of The Classics Club. Click here to see my list of 50 books to read in 5 years.

Classics Club Spin #19

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Hooray! It’s time for another Classics Club Spin!  This Spin will be a little different from previous spins. To add more fun to the challenge, this list should include some of the “chunksters” we have on our lists. We will have until January 31, 2019 to finish our spin book! The spin number will be announced on November 27, and at that time I will return to this post and highlight in red the book I will be reading for this fun November-through-January spin. Here is my list of 20 books selected from my master list of 50 books to read in 5 years.

Happy reading to all the spinners!

  1. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche (did not finish)

  2. Death Comes for the Archbishop, Willa Cather
  3. The Sea Runners, Ivan Doig
  4. Travels With my Aunt, Graham Greene
  5. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
  6. Excellent Women, Barbara Pym
  7. Middlemarch, George Eliot
  8. The Story of an African Farm, Olive Schreiner
  9. Neuromancer, William Gibson
  10. Kristin Lavransdatter, Sigrid Undset
  11. A Room With a View, E.M. Forster
  12. Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
  13. Dust Tracks on a Road, Zora Neale Hurston
  14. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
  15. The Solitary Summer, Elizabeth von Arnim
  16. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
  17. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
  18. A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
  19. The Outermost House, Henry Beston
  20. This Star Shall Abide, Sylvia Engdahl

…painting by Peter Ilsted (1861-1933)

Classics Club Spin #18: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm

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Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Wiggin, was a book I somehow missed reading as a child. I don’t know how that could have happened, but I’m glad that I finally read it and am happy that this was the book on my list chosen at random for my Classics Club “spin” book this month!

Rebecca Rowena Randall was one of seven children who lived at Sunnybrook Farm. Since her father’s death, it was very hard for the family to make ends meet. Rebecca was sent to Riverboro to live with two maiden aunts who could give her some of the advantages, including an education, that otherwise would not be available to her. Aunt Miranda was a grumpy, strict, rather hard-hearted person. Aunt Jane was just the opposite, but rarely spoke up to her more domineering sister. Rebecca, with her optimism, imagination, and zest for life, was a breath of fresh air for the community and for both her aunts. Her adventures were endless.

I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as Anne of Green Gables. Both characters, Rebecca and Anne, were strong, independent, intelligent and joyful young women. The stories about their adventures are timeless, and they are both wonderful role models.

This was a fun choice to read for the Classics Club Spin #18!

 

Classics Club Spin #18, August 2018

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It’s time for another Classics Club Spin! Here’s how it works:

On Wednesday 1st August, we’ll post a number from 1 through 20. The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List, by 31st August, 2018. We’ll check in here then to see who made it the whole way and finished their spin book!

What’s Next?

  • Go to your blog.
  • Pick twenty books that you’ve got left to read from your Classics Club List.
  • Post that list, numbered 1-20, on your blog before Wednesday 1st August.
  • We’ll announce a number from 1-20.
  • Read that book by 31st August.

This will be the third “Spin” I’ve done since I joined the Classics Club. The last spin was a fail for me. The book chosen just wasn’t the right one for me at the time, so I still haven’t finished it (I will, eventually). I’m hoping the book chosen for this Spin will be one in which I can get completely and delightfully lost. Here is my list of 20 books for Spin #18. The chosen book will be highlighted in red.

  1. Kokoro, Natsume Soseki
  2. Kinfolk, Pearl S. Buck
  3. Ask Me, William Stafford
  4. A Raisin in the Sun, Lorraine Hansberry
  5. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche
  6. One Hundred Years of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
  7. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte
  8. Travels With My Aunt, Graham Greene

  9. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Kate Douglas Wiggin

  10. The Measure of My Days, Florida Scott-Maxwell
  11. The Sussex Downs Murder, John Bude
  12. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
  13. Neuromancer, William Gibson
  14. Dust Tracks on a Road, Zora Neale Hurston
  15. Excellent Women, Barbara Pym
  16. The Gaucho Martin Fierro, José Hernández
  17. Green Thoughts: A Writer in the Garden, Eleanor Perenyi
  18. The Lost Prince, Frances Hodgson Burnett
  19. Green Hills of Africa, Ernest Hemingway
  20. The Sea Runners, Ivan Doig

Classics Club Spin #17

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It’s time for another “Spin” with The Classics Club! I am enjoying my reading of the classics I chose for my 5-year reading plan even though I’m running behind on writing my reviews. It’s a very enjoyable, non-pressured challenge, so if you are wanting to read more classics, you should join up!

Here’s how the “Spin” works:

Choose 20 books from your list of classics TBR and post that list on your blog before March 9th. On Friday, March 9th, we’ll post a number from 1 through 20. The challenge is to read whatever book falls under that number on your Spin List, by April 30, 2018. 

So here is my Spin List.  It will be fun to see which number (and which book) is chosen in the “spin” on Friday, and I’ll return to this post then to highlight the book chosen.

Classic Spin #17:

  1. Rose in Bloom, Louisa May Alcott
  2. A River Runs Through It, Norman McClean

  3. Arabian Nights and Days, Naguib Mahfouz (did not finish)

  4. The Chosen, Chaim Potok
  5. The Haunted Bookshop, Christopher Morley
  6. A Room With a View, E.M. Forster
  7. Death Be Not Proud, John Gunther
  8. Tender is the Night, F. Scott Fitzgerald
  9. Travels With My Aunt, Graham Greene
  10. The Ramayana, Bulbul Sharma
  11. The Gaucho Martin Fierro, José Hernández
  12. The Measure of My Days, Florida Scott-Maxwell
  13. Excellent Women, Barbara Pym
  14. The Lost Prince,  Frances Hodgson Burnett
  15. The Story of an African Farm, Olive Schreiner
  16. A Room of One’s Own, Virginia Woolf
  17. The Solitary Summer, Elizabeth von Arnim
  18. Silent Spring, Rachel Carson
  19. The Book of Tea, Kazuko Okakura
  20. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith