I joined the Classics Club with this list of 50 classic books only this spring, and this will be my second spin. In the last spin (#44), I got Jezebel’s Daughter by Wilkie Collins (#9), but, regrettably, I haven’t read it. Hopefully, this second time, I will be more committed and read the book chosen by the spin. The rules are: go to your blog; pick twenty books that you listed as “to read” for the Classics Club challenge; and post the list, numbered 1-20, on your blog by 16th August 2026. The number will be announced on that day, and the challenge is to read the book that falls under the announced number by 4th October 2026.
My spin list this time:
1. In Dubious Battle by John Steinbeck
2. The Violent Land by Jorge Amado
3. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
4. Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton
5. The Lily of the Valley by Honoré de Balzac
6. The Bridge on the Drina by Ivo Andrić
7. Embers by Sándor Márai
8. Bomarzo by Manuel Mujica Lainez
9. The Awkward Age by Henry James
10. The Wild Ass’s Skin by Honoré de Balzac
11. Redburn by Herman Melville
12. The Illustrious House of Ramires by Eça de Queirós
13. Doña Bárbara by Rómulo Gallegos
14. The Relic by Eça de Queirós
15. The Wayfarer by Natsume Sōseki
16. The Black Prince by Iris Murdoch
17. The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
18. The Village of Stepanchikovo by Fyodor Dostoevsky
19. Home of the Gentry by Ivan Turgenev
20. And Then by Natsume Sōseki
Thoughts on Papyrus 
I did something similar when I took on the huge task of taking on JC Powys’ list of 100 greatest books, I made slips for each one and drew them randomly. It made it much easier.
I’m impressed by your list, but given the relative obscurity of some of these you might want to do a check for any of the better known classics you may have overlooked. I wouldn’t do Dostoyevsky’s Village until you’ve read the four greats, Bros K, Crime & P, Demons and the Idiot, and then Notes and maybe Insulted and Humiliated but I suspect you have…..
P.S. the Turgenev is great. Dostoyevsky did not like Turgenev and treats him harshly in Demons, but Gentry is excellent.
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Ooh, I love your list. I have only read 4 of these.
These two by Balzac are actually my favorites by him.
I love Soseki, but hadnt heard of The Wayfarer, just added it to my TBR!
No Japanese lit on my list: https://wordsandpeace.com/2026/08/12/the-classics-club-the-classics-spin-45/
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I’ve only read the Murdoch from this list, and that only recently, but I wish you luck with whatever you get!
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I hope you have more luck with this spin.
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