Classics Club – book list
16 March 2013 
As of January 2016 – I’ve updated my list – (1) because I’m not doing as well as I’d hoped! and (2) I’m taking part in a Vintage sci fi event so I’m hoping to help achieve both goals.
I’ve decided to take part in the Classics Club reading challenge. I’ve chosen my 50 books and have decided to set myself the challenge to read these in a five year period. My books are as follows (in no particular order and subject to change – because I might see something I like better!)(BTW do you have any idea how difficult it was coming up with 50 books for this – much more difficult than I anticipated?): (I’m currently reviewing this list and have removed some of the books on here with a view to replacing them with others.
- Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K Jerome (currently reading)
- The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark (currently reading)
- The BFG by Roald Dahl
- David Copperfield by Charles Dickens
- Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
White Fang by Jack London – read and reviewed- Waverley by Sir Walter Scott
- The Importance of Being Ernest by Oscar Wilde – read and reviewed
- Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
- War of the Worlds by H G Wells – read and reviewed
Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradburyreview here- The Never Ending Story by Michael Ende
- The Once and Future King by T H White
- Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
- The Talented Mr Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
- One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey
- The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyesreview here- Whiskey Galore by Compton MacKenzie
- The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
- The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
- A Room with a View by E M Forster
- Legend by David Gemmell
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jacksonreview here- Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
- Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh
- Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
- The Quiet American by Graham Greene
- Perfume by Patrick Suskind
The Ghosts of Sleath by James Herbertreview here- Let the Right one in by John Ajvide Lindqvist
- Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespearereview hereBeauty by Robin McKinleyHowl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jonesreview here- The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
Details of the challenge can be found here.
Total 1/50
Books and travelling with Lynn 
You’ve got a lot of great books on this list – both that I have read and mean to read. Beauty by McKinley I read when I was too young to understand some of the main themes, but I would probably fully appreciate as an adult. The Neverending Story is awesome. And I have been meaning to read Howl’s Moving Castle forever.
You can just watch the Ghibli version of Howl’s Moving Castle 😉 The only bad bit was the rushed ending.
I’ve read a few of these and I can say you’ll enjoy them. Cloud Atlas, The Turn of the Screw, The Island of Dr. Moreau and The Talented Mr Ripley were all good. I had to read The Bell Jar in school and I can’t remember enjoying that too much but I was too young to appreciate it.
I saw the animated version – it was fun and occasionally creepy – good stuff. Hence, I think I would like the book.
I’m definitely looking forward to some of these more than others! Quite looking forward to Cloud Atlas – did you watch the film yet?
Lynn 😀
Not yet. I haven’t been to a cinema since February. I’m focussing more on Japanese films this year so I have been watching my DVD collection instead.
Yes, I wanted to have a mixture of books – some that are hopefully going to be fairly easy to read, others that I really want to read and then the ones that are more challenging. Plus 5 years – it’s less than a book a month.
Lynn 😀
Yay I’m so glad you’ve joined The Classics Club too 🙂 You’ve got a really interesting and eclectic list here. I look forward to seeing how you get on with this list. Happy reading 🙂
I had no idea how difficult it would be to come up with 50 books! Hopefully reading them will be easier – just need to pace myself!
Lynn 😀
Yay! Welcome to the Classics Club! I had a heck of a time coming up with my list of books as well. I ended up with 60 because I just couldn’t leave some out 😉 Good luck!
Thank you. It was difficult to put this list together but hopefully the reading of it will be much easier.
Lynn 😀
Very nice list you’ve made, great things to look forward to:) Seeing some books I’d very much like to read myself
Anyway have fun reading them and I’m curious what you’ll think of them!
Yeah, I’m sort of looking forward to this – make me read a few of those books that you feel you should have read!
Lynn 😀
Some of those books I’m wishing to read because of the movie versions I’ve seen.. For example the Never Ending Story, it’s quite personal, but as a small child it was the movie I was most afraid of, it makes me very curious how I would react to the book.
Then Fight Club, I’ve seen that movie too (yaiks I feel like one of those persons rather watching movies than reading books!), but it was so intriging. There’s a really interesting story line, it’s very psychological, bringing forward what our minds can do to us.
I’m also curious of the Island of Doctor Moreau, I believe it’s quite an interesting storyline, the mutations and all and in this one too, the psychological and moral questions that are raised interest me.
I have already read A Clockwork Orange and I must say, I did not like that one so much. The meaning of the book and underlying thoughts were interesting, but the writing style annoyed me a bit, mostly because of the use of Russian street language, which was confusing for me. There are many people who think it’s a brilliant book though, and I wonder what you’ll think of it:)
Yeah, Never Ending Story I recently got out from the library but due to bad planning didn’t get the chance to read and had to return it because somebody else was waiting – but I really want to read it. I’ve also seen the film so it will be interesting to compare the two. I’ve also seen Fight Club and enjoyed the film so again will be interesting to make the comparison. Dr Moreau – I think I saw a film based on this book very many years ago that was not particularly well executed so I’m expecting better things from the book. Clockwork Orange I’ve had a real aversion to for a long time but I think this is probably based on the film. It will be interesting to see how I feel about the book – I hope I can finish it! I’m sort of looking forward to the challenge and there are certainly a lot of books on the list that I want to tackle. I’ve already read loads of classics which is why you don’t see any Bronte/Elliot/Austen/Doyle/Hardy, etc. on this list. I think once you’ve read all the popular classics – which I have – you move into the realm of reading the ones that are more like Marmite. I know you said you fancy reading some of these yourself. If you want to pick a few and readalong at the same time and compare thoughts then just let me know. It’s always nice to have a companion and a different opinion/point of view.
Lynn 😀
I’ve only read four from you list: Bell Jar, Roger Ackroyd, Fight Club, and Midsummer Night’s Dream. Seems like I need to use your list as a guide. Have fun!
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Holy moly! what a list! Consider Phelbas is one of my absolute all time top faves. It rocked my world. Nice that it’s considered a classic now.
I’m working through House of Leaves. It’s a … journey.
I hope it’s a good journey as it’s on my list! Eek!!
I think I used a bit of artistic license with some of my ‘classics’ choices so whether everyone else would agree with my list remains open to debate *gulps*.
Lynn 😀
Well, I’ll back you up in a fight. 😉 Personally, I’m of the opinion that Iain M Banks defined Space Opera, so that’s why I would throw it on the pile of “classics”.
House of Leaves is wicked different than anything I’ve ever encountered. Kathleen got me reading this book, and we’re working through it together. It’s a “study” book, as in I can’t read it half asleep in bed, but have to read it over breakfast, take notes, flip back and forth and all over the place.
Let me know if you have trouble finding a copy. You will want the “full color second edition”. I don’t know if it was published in GB? I’m happy to mail you a copy.
My library has The House of Leaves – it says it’s the second edition so hopefully it will be the right one. I’ve just reserved it – the current copy is out so should give me a few weeks to catch up with all my other books before it arrived.
Lynn 😀
Cloud Atlas was fascinating! Looks like you have a great list.
I’m looking forward to Cloud Atlas very much – I’ve already seen the film so looking forward to comparing the two.
Lynn 😀
[…] I read this as part of my RIP and also my Classics list. […]
Oh I love your list! I just stumbled across the Classic Club today and I started coming up with a list of my own — and I’m taking a lot of suggestions from your list. I love a lot of these. Clockwork Orange is one of my favorites. Cloud Atlas is better as a book than it was as a movie. I just recently read Turn of the Screw and loved its ambiguity. Talented Mr. Ripley I think I might have actually liked better as a movie, but good nonetheless. I just struggled my way through Don Quixote recently (and since I’ve seen Man of La Mancha I found myself incessantly humming show tunes the whole time). As far as Kazuo Ishiguro, I liked Never Let Me Go much better than Remains of the Day. And I love Palahniuk — I think I’ve read everything of his. Have you read 1Q84 by Murakami? I feel like that’s sort of in the same vein as some of the books you’re listing here, so you might like it. Good luck!
Hi Kerry, thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. Im a real sucker for feedback. Im on holiday at the moment with limited wifi but will definitely stop by yours when I return to check out if youve completed your list.
Lynn 😀
I haven’t read any Ishiguro – now I want to change my title to your suggestion! Perhaps I will do. These lists are very fluid and you can change them as you go along. I realise my list isn’t ‘classical’ in the traditional sense of the word (apart from a few of the novels) but I wanted to include a few books that are considered to be classics in their genre even if they’re not two hundred years old.
Have you chosen your list yet?
Lynn 😀
I just finished making my list today, although I probably won’t get around to posting it till tomorrow.
It’s quite hard work coming up with 50 books to commit yourself to isn’t it? Well, I found it tough anyway! Not that I won’t read that amount of books (especially as it’s fairly generous in terms of timescales) but you kind of feel like you’re hemming yourself in somehow and yet I do like the challenge. The problem is that I’m always looking for my next book/most anticipated read and so they tend to take precedence.
Lynn 😀
I finally posted my list today. http://keriblakinger.wordpress.com/classics-club-challenge/
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