#5OnMyTBR is a bookish meme hosted by E. @ Local Bee Hunter’s Nook and you can learn more about it here. It occurs every Monday when we post about 5 books on our TBR.
This is going to be more of a quick one today, due to some time constraints. So I’ll be including blurbs (from Goodreads) instead of my usual ‘why I want to read’.
Classics are interesting as a topic – I don’t tend to have too many on my TBR at any one time, though I’m not ‘against’ Classics by any means. I like reading some classics, and I definitely keep an eye out for interesting ones to pick up, but I don’t tend to get as many classic books as I do more contemporary books.
#5OnMyTBR September 2nd: Classics
No Name in the Street by James Baldwin
Genre: Nonfiction – Memoir
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: April 17th, 1972
From one of the most important American writers of the twentieth century—an extraordinary history of the turbulent sixties and early seventies that powerfully speaks to contemporary conversations around racism.
“It contains truth that cannot be denied.” — The Atlantic Monthly
In this stunningly personal document, James Baldwin remembers in vivid details the Harlem childhood that shaped his early conciousness and the later events that scored his heart with pain—the murders of Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, his sojourns in Europe and in Hollywood, and his retum to the American South to confront a violent America face-to-face.
The Birds and Other Stories by Daphne du Maurier
Genre: Horror – Short Stories
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: January 1st, 1952
A classic of alienation and horror, The Birds was immortalised by Hitchcock in his celebrated film. The five other chilling stories in this collection echo a sense of dislocation and mock man’s dominance over the natural world. The mountain paradise of ‘Monte Verità’ promises immortality, but at a terrible price; a neglected wife haunts her husband in the form of an apple tree; a professional photographer steps out from behind the camera and into his subject’s life; a date with a cinema usherette leads to a walk in the cemetery; and a jealous father finds a remedy when three’s a crowd . . .
The Convenient Marriage by Georgette Heyer
Genre: Regency Romance
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: January 1st, 1934
Horatia Winwood is the youngest and the least attractive of the three Winwood sisters. She also has a stammer. But when the enigmatic and eminently eligible Earl of Rule offers for her oldest sister’s hand – a match that makes financial and social sense, but would break her sister’s heart – it is Horatia who takes matters into her own impetuous hands. Can she save her family’s fortune? Or is she courting disaster? Witty, charming, elegant, and always delightful, Georgette Heyer – the undisputed queen of Regency Romance – brings the whole period to life with deft precision and glorious characters.
Mark Twain’s Tales of the Macabre & Mysterious Edited by R. Rasmussen
Genre: Horror/Mystery
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Expected Publication: September 3rd, 2024
An enduring icon of American culture, Mark Twain is still widely read, carefully studied, and reinterpreted more than a century after his death. He is best known for humor and for his novels about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn, but his writings extend far beyond the humorous and his immortal boy heroes. He wrote in a dizzying variety of genres, and much of his work resists categorization by exploring themes well outside the realms of normal human experience. Indeed, it would not be a stretch to say that some of his stories deal with characters and themes on the “far side” of human experience. His books such as The Prince and thePauper and A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, for example, place protagonists in improbably dimensions of time and space, while tales from lesser-known works address the spooky, grisly, and inexplicable. It is a world in which buffalos climb trees, elephants eat Bibles, dogs bark Morse code messages, and human beings commit terrible crimes, make incredible mistakes, and play fantastic tricks on one another. This is an entertaining collection of both mysteries and marvels by an icon of American culture and literature.
Classic Love Stories Edited by Becky Brown
Genre: Classics
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: February 6th, 2024
A meticulously chosen collection of stories about love in all its guises.
Here is a treasure trove of love stories. O. Henry brings comedy with his tale of a busy broker working too hard to remember that he’s actually married his adored young wife. There’s Anton Chekhov’s famous story about true love and devotion, The Lady with the Dog and Katherine Mansfield writes touchingly about unrequited love in Mr. and Mrs. Dove . With stories spanning first love to enduring love in old age, from infatuation to heartbreak told by some of the best writers, Classic Love Stories makes a perfect gift.
Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, cloth-bound, pocket-sized classics with ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is edited and introduced by Becky Brown.
If you have read any of these, as always I’d love to hear your thoughts. What Classics do you have on your TBR? Do you seek Classics out, or mostly avoid them? And let me know your favourite Classic book, too!
Unwrapping Words 
Definitely classics.
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