So far, my Classics Club vol. 2 plans haven’t really gotten much momentum behind them. I started back on December 18. 2018. I had all of 2019, all of 2020 and all of 2021 and in that time, I finished a meagre 9 books from my list of 50. I miscalculated when I initially posted and calculated that I would have until December, 2024 to finish reading, but five years is actually December 17, 2023. 41 classics in just under 2 years sounds overwhelming at this point, so I may end up needing additional time.
This year, my goal is to read at least 10 books from the list. Some of them coincide with other plans that I have for the year, so that’s a nice bit of doubling up. In addition, there is a possibility that I may end up with substitutions for some of the books:
- In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden (I am almost done with this book – woot)
- Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (on the TBR cart)
- The Semi-Detached House by Emily Eden (on the TBR cart)
- Invitation to the Waltz by Rosamund Lehmann
- Towers of Trebizond by Rose Macauley (I have this planned as a buddy read)
- The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch
- The Edwardians by Vita Sackville-West (next up)
- Cluny Brown by Margery Sharp (I may sub in a different Margery Sharp book for Cluny Brown)
- At Mrs. Lippincotes by Elizabeth Taylor (I may sub in a different Elizabeth Taylor for At Mrs. Lippincotes)
- Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton (this is one of my last major Whartons, and it’s a small book)
Would it astound you to know I’ve read eight from your list?! Ha! Enjoy!
Eight out of ten – that’s very impressive! Which are the two you haven’t read?
House of Brede and Ethan Frome, not bad going! Some of them absolutely years ago, pre-blog or even – gasp – pre-reading journal.
I know that some people keep booklists their whole lives, and I am so jealous of them.
I managed to never read Ethan Frome in high school, although I think that used to be the Edith Wharton that was most frequently assigned. I’m a huge Wharton fan, and this is among my last of her novels to read, and the last major novel for sure.
My reading journal goes back to 1997 and I have 1997-2006 on a spreadsheet so I can see what I read when. Then the blog started 2007. It’s something, but not everything. I have read a lot of EW but just happen not to have read that one!
I wish mine went back that far – I’m jealous! I’m coming up on 10 years, but I’m 54, so I’ve lost many decades worth of reading tracking that can never be re-created.
Great list! I’ve read seven of them and loved Cluny Brown, The Semi-Detached House and Ethan Frome, one of my personal favorites. Also very much enjoyed Cranford though I was surprised how much it different from the TV adaptation. Cluny Brown is particularly delightful and a quick read, and there’s also a film adaptation from 1946 that’s kind of fun.
It’s funny that you stopped by, because I just decided yesterday to rejoin Back to the Classics for the year.
I’ve been wanting to read more Margery Sharp, since DSP/Furrowed Middlebrow reissued a bunch of titles last year. There’s just not enough time in my day to read everything I want to read!