This may be spin no. 14 but it will be my first. The way it works is detailed here.
Whichever number is selected tomorrow will determine which book from the list I’ll get to read before December 1st. I had lots of fun deciding on my list of 20 titles. Following CC advice, I chose a mix from my grand list: books I’m really looking forward to; books that I’m rather wary of; books I don’t really know much about, and a few from my prize-winner challenge which are also on the CC list. On the list below they are in chronological order – so suitably mixed up in terms of their reasons for inclusion. I’m slightly wary – but perhaps I’ll get one that I’m really looking forward to!
- White Nights Fyodor Dostoevsky 1848
- Lady Susan Jane Austen 1871
- Black Beauty Anna Sewell 1877
- The Story of my Life Helen Keller 1902
- His Family Ernest Poole 1918
- The Lost Girl D H Lawrence 1920
- The Death of Society Romer Wilson 1921
- Memoirs of a Fox-hunting Man Siegfried Sassoon 1928
- The Good Companions J B Priestly 1929
- The Loving Spirit Daphne du Maurier 1931
- The Red Pony John Steinbeck 1933
- A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith 1943
- The Outsider Albert Camus 1946
- Alone in Berlin Hans Fallada 1947
- Seize the Day Saul Bellow 1956
- On the Road Jack Kerouac 1957
- Things Fall Apart Chinua Achebe 1958
- The Bell Jar Sylvia Plath 1963
- 84 Charing Cross Road Helene Hanff 1970
- Sophie’s Choice William Styron 1979
And the number selected is 1. Which means I shall be reading:
White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky
This is the oldest of the works I included on my selection list, and one of those that I’m not really looking forward to. On the plus side, it’s relatively short and may hopefully get me into the right frame of mind to tackle Crime and Punishment!
A Corner of Cornwall 
Great list! I think my picks would be Lady Susan – I have no idea why I haven’t read it yet since I’m a huge Austen fan – or Sophie’s Choice, which to my shame I hadn’t realised was a book before it was a film. I’d have to avoid Black Beauty and The Red Pony – can put up with any amount of (fictional) human suffering, but can’t deal with animal stories… not sure what that says about me! 😉 Hope you get one you enjoy!
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Thanks, FictionFan. The Red Pony is a small tweak to my original list – just swapped one Steinbeck for another. And Black Beauty – I’ve just never read it and feel that I should. Sophie’s Choice is one that I’m wary of, and Lady Susan is one I’m really hoping to get. Having recently seen the film with Kate Beckinsale, I can’t wait to read the original!
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I really want to read the book before I see the film but I don’t know if I’ll be able to resist… 🙂
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Welcome to your first ever CC spin – I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.
Memoirs of a Fox-Hunting Man is a wonderful wonderful read, but so is Black Beauty (once you get into the old style language.)
We share The Bell Jar at 18 – which, by all accounts, would be a good one to have a reading partner for 🙂
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Brona, I think a reading partner for The Bell Jar may be essential! Your comments re Fox-Hunting Man are really encouraging; it’s a book I’ve been a bit wary of (along with The Bell Jar) so it helps a lot to know I may have real treat in store 🙂
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What an intriguing list! Do you have a list of Pulitzer winners? I read Poole’s “His Family” because of that. “Sophie’s Choice” just ravaged me (which is a recommendation). I think Plath’s poetry is generally better than “The Bell Jar”. Whatever number is chosen, you have a great reading list.
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Natalie, I plan on reading a prize-winning book from each year since literary awards began, drawing initially from the oldest awards which (as far as I’ve discovered) were the Pulitzer (from 1918), the James Tait Black and the Hawthornden (both from 1919). I’m giving myself a few choices each year by selecting from several awards but I do want to enjoy it, as well as get a taste for what was considered prize-worthy at the time. Here’s my list up to 1930: https://acornerofcornwall.com/reading/the-prizewinner-challenge/
Both Sophie’s Choice and The Bell Jar are books that worry me somewhat. I’m wary of them both!
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Good luck with your first spin. I haven’t read many from your list, but I loved Alone in Berlin, so I would be hoping for that one. Black Beauty was a childhood favourite – I’ll have to re-read it one day!
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Helen, you’ve given me confidence: Alone in Berlin is a book I know very little about. I’ll feel more confident now – should I get that one!
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I like how you organized your Spin list, I’ll have to remember that for the future (though I’m getting close to the end of my list, I’ve already started a second list). I’ve never heard of Alone in Berlin but it sounds intriguing. Good luck with your Spin pick!
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Thanks Karen. I’m hoping White Nights may turn out to be a delightful surprise!
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I know nothing about White Nights – hope you enjoy it! And it is short – shorter than my short book 🙂
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This is fun! Good luck with White Nights – I look forward to hearing about it in due course (but no pressure!) 🙂
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