Early 20th Century Classics Recommendations | 1900-1950 books [CC]

[@bumblebramblebranch]

As soon as you mentioned Pippi Longstocking I got the tune from the old movies stuck in my head as well. From what I remember the books are really fun as well but maybe a content warning could be of use? I don’t know how it’s translated and if they’ve changed it in newer prints but in the original swedish version the n-word is used in reference to Pippi’s father/where he lives. In Astrid Lindgren’s books about Kati who goes to America from the 1950s it’s mentioned that you shouldn’t use the n-word and from what i can find Lindgren criticized her own use of the word in the Pippi books in an interview in 1970. (Not defending her use of it in the Pippi books but she clearly regeretted it herself) (and i’m not sure if a content warning is needed in general for older books, as one might expect that not everything has aged well but as it’s a children’s book it might be good to be prepared if reading aloud to a child :) ). Anyway sorry for the long comment and thank you for all the amazing recommendations :)

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Thank you for pointing this out! Admittedly I've not read these books in years, and perhaps that language has been removed in the German translations I read as a child (I'd certainly hope so), but it's important to point out nonetheless, so thank you. Pinning this comment so people see it

[@stachan24]

A really cool video idea, I really liked Lovecraft books especially for the time setting

[@ChaoticBibliophile]

I have a bagful of books for this readathon so I definitely don’t need recs... yet here I am watching this video and itching to acquire many more 😂 so many great books! And I love that you organized them by decade. I think I’ll steal that for my wrap up 🤭

[@SpinstersLibrary]

It's going to be a fun reading month! I'm very excited about this readathon

[@BooksandSushi]

Pippi!! I loved the movie when I was young. I can't stop thinking of the scene where she walks up the wall - that stuck in my mind so much 😅😂 this was a great list!! I am so inspired 📖

[@TheRealPots]

I really want to read some of the old textbooks before 1911

[@literarilywendy]

Have you read L.M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables? I grew up with that series and it's very beloved here in Canada. I think you would like it based on the other books you mentioned from this same time period.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I have not read it yet, but I will one day 😊

[@JuanReads]

Great list, Claudia! I love to hear you talk about EM Forster's books.

[@thecaffeinatedbookwyrm3051]

I was so excited to see a new video from you on my subscription list. Great list!

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Thank you! I've finally got broadband in my new apartment, so hopefully there will be regular videos again 😊

[@thecaffeinatedbookwyrm3051]

Yay!!!

[@lynnstewart7034]

Great recommendations. I devoured boarding school books as a child. I’d go so far as to say that my interest in foreign languages came from them, especially from the Chalet School books by Elinor M. Brent-Dyer. You’ve given me a notion to re-read a St Clare’s book.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I used to get second-hand 20th century boarding school books from my mother's friends by the boxful and devoured them all 😆 my favourite ones were the ones set at boarding schools with horses

[@Lotta-sk8bi]

I’ll definitely take part in the readathon, I’ve already made a TBR for it, loved your recommendations 🙊

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Yay! I think it's such a great idea for a readathon

[@mysunnyreadingcorner6777]

Great recommendations! So many of my favourites there. I was addicted to "Hanni und Nanni" growing up but haven't read the books since then. I was amazed to see that they were published this early. Totally agree with you on 1984. I can see why it's a classic of world literature but I have never read such a depressing book and will definitely never re-read. However, I was endlessly fascinated by The Machine Stops. Yes, that's how my mind works. 😉

[@SpinstersLibrary]

The history of the German translation of Hanni und Nanni is so fascinating - I believe they were translated in n the 60s and completely Germanised and modernised, with not just names changed, but the whole setting of the story, and then when they became so popular, more German Hanni und Nanni books were written just for the German market. I only read the original English books a few years ago, when my mother in law lent me her collection and was surprised by just how different they were.

[@mysunnyreadingcorner6777]

@@SpinstersLibrary Now, you've made me really curious. I've got to have a look into the originals.

[@FMTK23]

Such a great curated list! I'm going to get on it asap (never mind the TBR I have sitting on my shelves) 😅

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Ah well TBRs are meant to be ignored 😆

[@spinstercatlady]

Yes, I'm planning to participate, I just haven't quite figured out my entire TBR yet haha! I do know that I want to read Not at Home by Doris Langley Moore (1948) which is part of the Furrowed Middlebrow reprint editions that I've been loving lately (thanks to Lil's Vintage World for the recommendation!). It's about a middle aged spinster, who very much enjoys living alone in her lovely, well kept home, having to take in a boarder who is quite the opposite in terms of domesticity. Hilarity ensues. Sounds good to me!

[@rae_of_sunlight]

I'm so excited for this readathon! Lots of great recommendations here :)

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Thank you! I'm excited about the readathon too, it's such a great idea

[@donaldmartineau8176]

LOVVVVVVVVVed Rebecca!!! I'Ve seen some of the Forster books made into films. Can't wait to read him. I LOVVVVVed I Capture the Castle. Worth a re-read. 1984...Dang! Relevant to today. Looking forward to more of your wonderful videos.

[@katiejlumsden]

This is glorious :)

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Thank you, can't wait for the readathon!

[@jansmith9391]

Pippi was my absolute favorite growing up in the US. I read and reread them. I’ve not seen any movies though, and don’t think I want to. She lives in my mind :)

[@pietroppic]

rebbeca is a copy, the original book is from a Brazilian writer Carolina Nabuco. She was a daughter of a diplomat, a embassador somewhere, she was educated in english and wrote a manuscript for The Successor and sent to some English publishers, the manuscript was rejected by all of them, but a couple of months later Rebecca, a book with striking similarities, was published by one of the publishers that rejected The Succesor. Years later when Hitchcock adapted the book, the studio tried to settle a agreement with Nabuco, but she never accepted

[@SpinstersLibrary]

??? I have not deleted any comments... So I don't know what happened there. And I've just checked the "likely spam" folder and there is no comment from you there either. So if anyone is deleting comments, it's KZbin itself.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

But also... It's not cool to accuse someone of being revisionist of history without even considering the possibility that your comments were deleted automatically.

[@pietroppic]

@@SpinstersLibrary never heard of ytb deleting comments I didn't considered this possibility, but I am sorry if I offended you, I was pissed that I commented twice expecting hearing from you, and later when I checked they were gone

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Yeah unfortunately I can't access deleted comments, I know it often happens with certain words ("queer" I know often gets deleted, also "racism") - if your comment is gone immediately after posting it, it very likely didn't get deleted by the video creator but the algorithm

[@arbicuswoo]

You are a woman after my own heart! EM Forster is my man. A Passage to India was the first I read, and I was in love since. I reread A Room With A View and Howards End this month. You might look into EM Delafield’s Diary of a Provincial Lady. It is hilarious and from the 1930s. The audiobook is wonderful.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I'll check it out, thank you!

[@maramaothecat]

uhm the biggest lack that I find here is that you never mentioned the two world wars that deeply shaped everything that happened after. Especially the 1st, since everything that happened since 1914 for at least the following 2 decades was strictly influenced by it. But I appreciate the video, thanks for sharing! I've Maurice of Forster in my TBR and will probably add one more from the same author since you talked about him with so much passion :)

[@terese_utan_h]

Great recommendations! I've either read them or have them on my TBR. Have you read anything by Hans Fallada? If so, where to start? My library seems to have most of his output so I can easily access them. A colleague's favourite books are Kleiner Mann - was nun? und Jeder stirbt für sich allein. What do you think?

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I'm not familiar with his work, sorry

[@springintoreading7225]

My daughter loved Pippi Longstocking!

[@SpinstersLibrary]

They're such fun books!

[@MargaretPinard]

Depending on when Hound of the Baskervilles was published, it could still be called 'Victorian' because the Queen died in 1901! :P

[@SpinstersLibrary]

It's not Victorian, wasn't released until months after her death

[@MargaretPinard]

@@SpinstersLibrary Ah--thanks for sleuthing that out!

[@literarylion3858]

I really love some of George Orwell's books even though I don't typically read "classics".

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I should read more of his work really.

[@MargaretPinard]

The Machine Stops sounds very interesting!

[@SpinstersLibrary]

It is, it feels so ahead of its time!

[@spreadbookjoy]

My favourite early twentieth century novel is I, Claudius by Robert Graves, but I also love 1984 and most Enid Blyton, despite its problematic nature - very much of its time, particularly in relation to gender portrayal. I’ve recently been revisiting the Famous Five and it’s even more obvious in those, but I’ve enjoyed the nostalgic reading. So all the boarding school content very much welcome 😂 sad to say I’ve never read Pippi Longstocking. Never took off over here but I’ve always loved the sound of her as a character! Looking forward to your tbr. A sister novel video sounds like a great idea. Was also going to say I’m glad to see you back but just noticed I missed your last video! 🤦‍♀️

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Haha yes, I probably wouldn't read Blyton to children today without some serious discussion afterwards, but I absolutely loved those books, and many similar ones, growing up

[@MarilynMayaMendoza]

Hi Claudia, a really great video about a particular time in history. I was born mid 20th century so I am familiar with some of the books, even Pippi Longstocking, as we say in the states. I read 1984 in school but I didn't understand it until the second reading. I need to read more of EM Forester. When I Was preparing for my last video that included my favorite book, a play by DH Lawrence , I read that EM Forrester wrote an obituary of DH Lawrence, who was vilified during his life. Forester praised him as " the greatest imaginative novelist of Our Generation". I want to read Forester. because he recognized that and didn't dismiss Lawrence as being a sex-crazed pornographer. I vote for DH Lawrence for this readathon. In his book women in love he writes: "That she bear children is not a woman significance. But that she bears herself, that is her supreme and risky fate." He was a complicated person for sure but I love his writing. Thank you for sharing your favorite books of that era. I have expanded my piles of possibilities. I hope you have settled into your new home. Aloha

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Hi Marilyn! I'm settling in well enough, though we still don't have everything in place yet but that takes time. I shall definitely check out D.H. Lawrence, which book would you recommend to begin with?

[@regitzexenia]

Pippi 🧡 Really everything by Astrid Lindgren is worth reading.

[@VeronicasShelf]

I do love Astrid Lindgren. But especially Pippi and Karlson (the guy on the roof) I'm not that big a fan of. :)

[@danecobain]

I would have thrown in some Graham Greene but that's because I'm a Greene nerd :D

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I've only read Brighton Rock and didn't really care for it

[@danecobain]

@@SpinstersLibrary Ah yeah that's not one of my favourites either! That was one of his "entertainments" as opposed to his more serious "novels", which I tend to prefer!

[@WhatVictoriaRead]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@elvennthegrey2678]

I was thinking... no Agatha Christie..? XD

[@SpinstersLibrary]

I even mention that lack in the video 😉

[@jolynnwhite7946]

👍👌🏾😍

[@jesuisravi]

This list hurts me. All those Burnetts and Forsters and Kastners and Woolfs and not one Arnold Bennett. Not one D.H. Lawrence....my mind, to the extent I still have one, is boggled.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Wow, your mind is easily boggled.

[@jesuisravi]

@@SpinstersLibrary the books on your list are OK but they seem slanted toward adolescents--except maybe the Forster books-and Woolf, of course. Maybe not.

[@SpinstersLibrary]

Looks to me like you don't understand how a personal recommendations list works and you also seem to think that literature being written for adolescents is somehow a bad thing

[@jesuisravi]

@@SpinstersLibrary well, to each his/her own I guess. You're right from your side and I'm right from mine.