Classics Club Spin #5

Okay, okay, okay. Yes, I have quite a listing of "classics" I wish to read and/or re-read. And, much like Carolyn, Kay, Cecila, and Ariel, other co-hosts of the Literary Wives Club, I feel it would be a good thing to "succumb to peer pressure," as Carolyn so aptly states, and "just do it."  

I will also publish my listing of classics and take my chances on the Classics Club lucky spin this next Monday, February 10 (gosh, that's tomorrow, isn't it?) to see which one I will be tackling first. 

Actually, it was kinda fun putting this list together!

Those books about which I am relatively neutral:
1. The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
     Nobel-prize winning author...
2. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway
     Have yet to read one of his novels.
3. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
     Just keep seeing references to this one all over the place and am definitely curious!
4. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
    Loved An American Tragedy when I read it at the age of 15. 
5. The Light in the Forest by Conrad Richter
     Fascinated by the concept.

Okay, the ones I rather dread, but for whatever reason wish to read:
6. The Hunchback of Notre Dame by Victor Hugo
     I feel as if I really should read this if I haven't yet...
7. The Making of Americans by Gertrude Stein
     I want to read something written by her, but really have no idea what to expect.
8. The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
     I'm sure this is going to gross me out, but I think we all need to read it...
9. Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
     So many references that I feel I need to have at least read it.
10. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
     Loved The Grapes of Wrath, but have never been attracted to this one, though I feel I 
     should read it.

Those I cannot wait to read:
11. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
     Feel I should read it so I can understand the references made to it.
12. The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham
     Loved the movie and would like to read the book, which is virtually always better, 
     in my opinion!
13. The Ways of White Folks by Langston Hughes
     Love Hughes, and want to read what he had to say...
14. This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald
     Love his short stories and this will be the first full-length novel of his for me to have 
     read. (The Last Tycoon doesn't count, since it was unfinished.)
15. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
     Yeah, I know. Unbelievable that some English/literature teacher in my past never 
     got to this one, but I am very curious.

Free Choice:
16. A Separate Peace by John Knowles
     Read this at age 15, loved it, and am anxious to see how I feel about it now, some 
     42 years later! :)
17. The Ship of Fools by Katherine Anne Porter
     First read when I was 13. I loved it then and am anxious to see how it resonates 
     for me now.
18. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
     I like his writing; so intense and emotional...heartfelt!
19. The Philadelphia Negro: A Social Study by W.E.B. Du Bois
     Have always said I wanted to read something he'd written. I admire his 
     accomplishments with regard to the NAACP, etc.
20. The Stranger by Albert Camus
     Very curious to see what I think of this one! Have wondered about it for many years!

What classics are on your TBR list? Are you participating in any similar challenges?

Let me know...maybe we can be "reading buddies"! 

Have a great week, everyone! I've been sick and am looking forward to hopefully 
re-establishing my regular routine this week!