Joining the Classics Club: 50 Classics over 5 Years

I’ve been quite ‘picky’ about which memes and clubs I join on my blog. I really want to commit to each of them and I know if I join too many, I run the risk of stretching myself too thin. Then I might give up!

So, after a few days of research I’ve decided on the third and final meme/club I will be joining on my blog: the Classics Club! Here’s a little insight into what that is:

“The Classics Club is a club created to inspire people to read and blog about classic books. There’s no time limit to join and you’re most welcome, as long as you’re willing to sign up to read and write on your blog about 50+ classic books in at most five years. The perk is that, not only will you have read 50+ incredible (or at the very least thought-provoking) works in five years, you’ll get to do it along with all of these people.“

I’ve not read nearly as many classics as I would like, and I’ve wanted to start working through some for a very long time. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is one of my favourite books of all time, but I’ve always found approaching other classics quite intimidating. For this purpose I’m going to stick mostly with the modern classics.

My pledge

I will read the following 50 classics books over the next 5 years, finishing on 24th April 2030. And not only will I read them, but I will review each one on my blog!

I won’t necessarily be reading these in this exact order, but I will update this post every time I tick one off with a link to my review (tagged in each title and highlighted in blue). So check back here every now and then to cheer me on!

1. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier – One of my favourite books of all time. I’ve just started rereading it today and I’m already glad to be back (reread) ✅ 1.05.2025
   
2. The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende – Isabel Allende is a legend, and I can’t believe I haven’t read any of her books yet. Oh, how I’d love to be able to read her writing in the original Spanish!
   
3. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald – I studied it during my A-Levels and didn’t enjoy it, but then I read it again a few years later purely for pleasure and it was like a completely different book (reread).
   
4. Madonna in a Fur Coat by Sabahattin Ali – It’s been on my TBR for a very long time!
   
5. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov – I’ve always been too scared to try it, as I know it will make me uncomfortable. But I guess it’s a classic for a reason, and I’ve heard Nabokov’s prose is astonishingly beautiful. ✅ 21.05.2025
   
6. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro – Almost everyone I know has read this book. I’ve never even tried after reading Remains of the Day, which I liked but didn’t love. So I’m looking forward to seeing what this book is all about!
   
7. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde – I studied Oscar Wilde’s poetry and I adored it, but I’ve never read any of his books. Looking forward to reading this one!
   
8. The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath – Ready to have my heart broken in the best way.
   
9. The Secret History by Donna Tartt – Possibly the most famous dark academia book of all time! Looking forward to this one. ✅ 10.09.2025
   
10. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys – I studied Jane Eyre, and I’m looking forward to reading about Rochester from the perspective of Antoinette Cosway.
    
11. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – Honestly, I can’t really believe I haven’t read this one yet. I have also refused to watch the TV show until I read it!
    
12. Vera by Elizabeth Von Arnim – It reportedly served as inspiration for Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. Sign me up!
    
13. We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson – I love gothic suspense novels, so I’m excited to try this one.
    
14. The Gilda Stories by Jewelle Gomez – It’s described as an “immortal cult classic” on Amazon and an “instant queer classic” by Gay’s the Word, and features vampires (I love fantasy!!).
    
15. My Cousin Rachel by Daphne Du Maurier – Although Rebecca is one of my favourite books, I’ve never read anything else by Daphne Du Maurier. Let’s change that!
    
16. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway – I haven’t read anything by Hemingway, as terrible as that is to admit. So I definitely had to include him on this list!
    
17. Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh – I’m fascinated by the Roaring Twenties, so I’m really looking forward to picking this one up.
    
18. The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton – It’s a Pulitzer Prize winner! And I love a satire.
    
19. Save Me The Waltz by Zelda Fitzgerald – It’s the only novel written by Zelda Fitzgerald (although whether that is true or not remains up for debate). So it definitely is on my TBR!
    
20. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – All I can say is that I’m ashamed I haven’t read this yet!
    
21. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez – I adore magical realism, and I read only a sample of this book but the first line has stuck with me for years.
    
22. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – I might regret putting this one on the list. It’s widely seen as one of the greatest books of all time, but I’ve heard it’s a beast to read. Let’s see!
    
23. The Death of the Heart by Elizabeth Bowen – Described as “one of the most moving and desperate flights of the heart in modern literature”, this one sounds right up my street.
    
24. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey – This sounds different to the other classics I’ve picked, so it will be nice to break things up a bit.
    
25. 1984 by George Orwell – Probably the most quoted first line of a fictional book in history! Just as relevant today, if not more, as it was 75+ years ago.
    
26. Another Country by James Baldwin – Massively ahead of its time, I’m really looking forward to reading this one.
    
27. Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence – This book was so scandalous that Penguin were prosecuted when publishing it? Incredible. Give me ten more.
    
28. East of Eden by John Steinbeck – An exploration of the murderous consequences of love’s absence sounds intriguing indeed.
    
29. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller – I was sold at “Shocking, banned, and the subject of obscenity trials” .
    
30. Staying On by Paul Scott – Had to triple check it wasn’t a celebration or romanticisation of British colonialism, but it doesn’t seem to be (if it is please let me know!). This one comes highly recommended by other classics lovers.
    
31. Perfume by Patrick Suskind – The premise is so unique and interesting that I can’t even imagine how this book will play out.
    
32. The Sea, The Sea by Iris Murdoch – This sounds like a story of a man who f*cks around and finds out after obsessively seeking vengeance against his ex sweetheart. Love it.
    
33. The Castle by Franz Kafka – I’ve heard the term “Kafkaesque” so many times that I’m dying to know what it’s all about.
    
34. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Dr Maya Angelou – I bought my daughter the ‘Maya Angelou: Little People, Big Dreams’ for her birthday and I love it almost as much as she does. Really looking forward to reading this one.
    
35. Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – I’ve heard so much about this classic dystopian tale that I couldn’t write a classics list without it!
    
36. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess – Apparently a damning satire of society and packed with uncomfortable humour. Can’t believe I haven’t read this one yet.
    
37. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini – This book is currently sat on my shelf as we speak, as I found it a few days ago in a charity shop. Probably the most modern of all the books on this list so far, but you can’t deny it is classic.
    
38. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson – Now, usually I can’t read a book after I’ve already seen the TV show, but I loved the show so much I’m going to try my very hardest.
    
39. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – Excited to read about New London, a place where society has achieved peace and stability through scandalous means.
    
40. The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers – Often cited as one of the great novels of the twentieth century, I definitely had to add this one to the list.
    
41. The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy – a forbidden love story, a political drama, and a powerful family saga all wrapped up into one.
    
42. Oranges are Not the Only Fruit by Jeanette Winterson – I love the sound of this novel, and I couldn’t not add it to my list. Especially once I learned Winterson was born and raised in Manchester!
    
43. Atonement by Ian McEwan – A 13 year old commits a crime and spends the remainder of her life trying to atone? Couldn’t imagine what that might be, but I love an exploration of guilt and a quest for redemption.
    
44. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara – One of my old flatmates said this is the most devastating yet incredible books she’d ever read, and her favourite of all time. 5 years later I’m finally committing to reading it!
    
45. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler – Referred to as a generation-defining science fiction novel and a true masterpiece, I can’t wait to read this.
    
46. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin – I love fantasy and sci-fi, but I haven’t read many of the classics. Excited for this one.
    
47. All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – It’s recent, yes, but according to HarperCollins it’s a modern classic! This is another friends favourite book and I’m finally going to read it.
    
48. By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept by Paulo Coelho- I read The Alchemist 6 years ago and loved it. Looking forward to trying another by this author.
    
49. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak – Here’s another I can’t actually believe I’ve never read. Let’s change that!
    
50. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – I’ve actually never read an Agatha Christie mystery. It’s widely agreed that this is some of her best work, so let’s start off strong!

Wrap up

I’ve loved reading since I was a young girl, and have wanted to read more classics for such a long time. Now I feel motivated and inspired to do so!

Plus, I had so much fun writing this post! It combined some of my favourite things: writing, searching for new books, and making organised lists. So thank you to the Classics Club, I’m really pleased I found you! I’m excited to get started (though I could’ve read War and Peace front to back in the time it took me to complete this).

If you read this far, I’d love to hear from you. Please let me know if you’ve read any of these classics and what you thought of them!