My Favourite Book- A readership survey conducted by the ABC.

[Aurora Ariel]

The results of My Favourite Book:

*Recently voted The Top 100 favourite books, which included the choices of many Australians. Has anyone read all of the books below? Do you have a personal favourite from the list? Where you surprised, disappointed, pleasantly elated or thrilled with the result? What do you think about the final Top 10, specifically?

The nation's 100 favourite books:

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. The Bible (Various Contributors)

4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

5. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

6. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling

7. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

8. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

9. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

10. A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey


And the rest of the top 100 are:

11. Dirt Music by Tim Winton

12. 800 Horseman by Col Stringer

13. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

14. Zhaun Falun by Li Hongzhi

15. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling

16. Captain Underpants And The Invasion Of The Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space by Dav Pilkey

17. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

18. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

19. The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame

20. The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

21. The Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett

22. Magician by Raymond E. Feist

23. Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt

24. Dune (Dune Chronicles) by Frank Herbert

25. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

26. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

27. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

28. One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

29. 'Fighting' McKenzie Anzac Chaplain by Col Stringer

30. Deltora Quest Series by Emily Rodda

31. Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden

32. Perfume: The Story Of A Murder by Patrick Suskind

33. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

34. The Ancient Future Trilogy by Traci Harding

35. The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

36. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling and The Power Of One by Bryce Courenay

37. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres

39. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

40. Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

41. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

42. Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon

43. Persuasion by Jane Austen

44. Ice Station by Matthew Reilly

45. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

46. Life Of Pi by Yann Martel

47. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

48. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

49. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

50. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

51. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

52. Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

53. Rage by Steve Gerlach

54. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

55. The Mists Of Avalon by Marion Zimmer-Bradley

56. Cafe Scheherazade by Arnold Zable

57. The Bone People by Keri Hulme

58. Jessica by Bryce Courtenay

59. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Book 2) by J. K. Rowling

60. The Fortunes Of Richard Mahony by Henry Handel Richardson

61. My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

62. War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy

63. Wild Swans by Jung Chang

64. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

65. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

66. Eragon by Christopher Paolini

67. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

68. Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden

69. The Riders by Tim Winton

70. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

71. Angela's Ashes by Frank Mccourt

72. The Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine

73. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

74. Middlemarch by George Eliot

75. Emma by Jane Austen

76. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

77. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

78. Matilda by Roald Dahl

79. Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

80. On The Road by Jack Kerouac

81. The BfG by Roald Dahl

82. Animal Farm by George Orwell

83. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

84. A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

85. Boyz Rule by Felice Arena and Phil Kettle

86. Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly

87. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

88. Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

89. Watership Down by Richard Adams

90. The Thorn Birds by Colleen Mccullough

91. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

92. Winnie The Pooh by A. A. Milne

93. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) by J. K. Rowling

94. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

95. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

96. Heart Of Darkness by Conrad

97. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

98. Goosebumps by R. L Stine

99. The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay

100. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

*Note: The last one appears to have been a tie between Hugo and Dickens.

[EAP]

Do you have a personal favourite from the list?

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, a deserving topper.


Has anyone read all of the books below?

Nope. I have read 39 and abandoned 10.


Where you surprised, disappointed, pleasantly elated or thrilled with the result?

Overall, it's a pretty decent, if generic, list, with some notable exceptions.

The inclusion of Eragon by Christopher Paolini is an absolute disgrace. But then again almost every popularity contest is liable to contain a few complete stinkers.

I have read seven of the top ten and have no desire to read the rest. Lord of the Rings coming in front of Bible is very amusing as well. The absence of any non-fiction from the first ten certainly wasn't unexpected but is still a tad disappointing.

[beer good]

I've read 25 of those, the majority of which I've liked, so... I guess it's a good list, with the obvious (and inevitable) exception of crap like "The da Vinci Code".

But am I the only one who's surprised by the high number of children's books on that list? Don't get me wrong, children's literature is important, and great books you read when you're young should make an impact, but... I don't know, maybe this list included a lot of votes from the under-15 crowd, but if someone is 40 and the best book the've read is still "The Wind In The Willows", I have to wonder how much they've read in the last 30 years.

Then as with any survey, you have to wonder if people are really being honest. Look at the high number of "classics" - Austen, Brontë, Dostevsky etc, which are books people know that they're supposed to mention when asked about the greatest book ever, even if they themselves only ever saw the BBC adaptation.

Then again, maybe I'm just paranoid. Any list like this is an aggregate, so everyone's more unusual personal favourites are bound to end up outside the top 100. Glad to see Rushdie on there, though.

[EAP]

Personally, I am just happy Tolkien got the nod in Oz as well. :)

[hemial]

As for the most books listed there, I have to admit that I only know the movies (and I am feeling ashamed about that!).

I read
Animal Farm
Emma
The Alchemist
The Mists of Avalon
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Anne of Green Gables
Perfume (my absolute favourite!)
Dune
The Pillars of the Earth
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Hights

- most of these books I read in English since I sometimes don't like what German translators make of it ...

... and Zen and the art of playing the guitar ...

Greetings.

[Xamonas Chegwe]

Australia includes 11 books in a top 10 and ranks the Da Vinci Code as highly as Catch 22. No accounting for taste I suppose.

But you should be able to count down there! Or are you building up to sneaking a 12th man into your cricket team so you've got a hope against us Brits in December?

[Whifflingpin]

I'm surprised that, in Australia, Colleen McCullough only scraped in at 90, and with "Thornbirds," which is not her best.

[PeterL]

Like all lists of that sort there are some real surprises, but most of the books listed were extremely popular at some point. I haven't read many on the list, and there aren't many listed that I have any great desire to read, except for Captain Underpants And The Invasion Of The Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space by Dav Pilkey. How could anyone resist a book with a title like that?

[Sami]

I see two books on this list that I really didn’t enjoy. One is “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” – I already know that not liking this one seems to be a minority opinion. The other one is “The Alchemist” which I thought was pretty schmaltzy and fairly forgettable. My view obviously goes against the grain here as well though, because other people I know really liked it, and the ABC list places it at number 73!


There are quite a few that I have not heard of before, including “Captain Underpants And The Invasion Of The Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space” – sounds fantastic! Can anyone tell us more about this book?

[Pensive]

I have read 20 of these and I am quite satisfied with the list but there should have been Mill On The Floss, A Tree Grows In Brooklyn and Bridge To Terabithia in the list.

Ah, but it is not my list...so how can I expect every book I like into it...

[kmwmn]

There are quite a few that I have not heard of before, including “Captain Underpants And The Invasion Of The Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space” – sounds fantastic! Can anyone tell us more about this book?

It's a childern's book, my son read it in grade school. It is full of sick bathroom humour. Someone must of been trying to be funny by putting it on the list.

[kmwmn]

I'm always facinated with book lists. Where did this list come from? How was it created?

I have read:
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. The Bible (Various Contributors)
4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
6. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling
7. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
8. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
9. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
15. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling
17. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
20. The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
26. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
33. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
35. The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
36. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
41. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
43. Persuasion by Jane Austen
47. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
48. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
50. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
51. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
59. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Book 2) by J. K. Rowling
68. Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden
75. Emma by Jane Austen
79. Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig
80. On The Road by Jack Kerouac
82. Animal Farm by George Orwell
91. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
92. Winnie The Pooh by A. A. Milne
93. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) by J. K. Rowling
95. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
96. Heart Of Darkness by Conrad


My favourite from this list is Catch-22. I also liked Memoirs of a Geisha.
My least favourite is Atlas Shrugged, I had hear so many things about it and was very disappointed.
Of the top ten I would say most are good, some are just there for looks

[Aurora Ariel]

It was a result compiled by choices of Australian readers, spread across the whole country. The ABC is well known station available, and is Australia's public broadcaster. It produces national and local television, and also features online services. There are ABC shops in Australia, which sell many books, music, and DVDs of documentaries, and a lot of programs already seen on channel 2 (the ABC) here. Radio stations are also included in various frequencies. I quite like listening to the ABC classical FM music station.

Xamonous,
I think Australia is quite well distinguished in Mathematics, etc. And I also had previously noticed that there was more than one draw. I have not even read The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, and I can't help you with the cricket. ;). I don't watch sport; and basically don't watch TV, unless it's an interesting documentary or Catalyst (the science program), which is actually on the ABC.

[EAP]

What need Aussies have of a twelveth man when the Poms support the likes of Shaun Udal and Ashley Giles in their ranks? :p

[Nightshade]

Ive read and finished 27 books on that list but may I say it a bit like a list of all the things I started to read but nevr finished- 11 whole books:eek2:

[Scheherazade]

It seems like there is some kind of consensus at least: There are many books which are both on BBC's and ABC's lists.

BBC's List (http://www.online-literature.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3711&highlight=read)

[Dilettante]

I've read 45 of them ... the others look interesting, except for the children's books. Since the posted book quiz told me I was "The Poisonwood Bible", I have got to read that now.

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx is my favourite of hers. Sometimes you only like one by an author. And then you read one with quotes from another author and discover a whole other series, which is great, and entertains the local librarians & booksellers as you try to track it down.

The best book-search experience I had was in Waterstones.
All I could remember was that it was four syllables long (the title), and that my sister's ex had lent it to me a few years back. It was like a game of charades in the shop.

I could remember bits of the plot, which was about a king who wanted to live forever, a perfume, bees, and a genius waitress who kept getting deliveries of beets to her doorstep.

Straight away, two of them said "Jitterbug Perfume!" and went right to the shelf where they had a copy. Now that's a well-read bunch!

My sister & I both wanted to get "Jack The Bodiless" the minute it came out, and the looks we got from staff who'd never heard of it! This was before Amazon & online searches. You had to ask for the book you were after.

Even harder was my mother's search for Bob Geldof's autobiography, called
"Is That It?".

Imagine a customer who keeps saying "I'm looking for a book; is that it?"

"What, where? What is it?" were the puzzled replies she got for the most part.

<g>

- Dil

[bootyqueen]

Captain Underpants And The Invasion Of The Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space outranks Anna Karenina?
What a world......

[higley]

23 of those, about. I see several that are on my extensive "to read" list :)

[Matilda]

About thirty of them... The ABC was kind of lighter than the BBC list, don't you think?

I'm surprised that To Kill A Mockingbird made it so high. It's got a great theme, but I don't really think it is such an outstanding piece of literature.

[pearl]

Am not surprised the bible made it up on the chart.It's the only book I read everyday from childhood.
I've read 10 on the list-not a great record if you ask me.
Among my favourites are War and Peace,Crime and Punshment,Wuthering Height etc.
The ones I aspire to read would include;Anna Karenina,100 years of solitude,The Grapes of Wrath etc.

[sanjukasula]

hello
i am sanjukasula.you have a very good list of favorite books.

[sanjukasula]

hello
i am sanjukasula.you have a very good list of favorite books.
its great to login here and my best hobbie is to read books.:yawnb: :yawnb:

[malwethien]

I read 34....I can't say I agree with some of the titles I've read that was included in the list...particularly...


9. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown- it's a good book, but i won't go so far as to call it GREAT....

23. Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt - Kinda boring

37. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx - same as #23

52. Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez - boring too

73. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

95. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh - ...zzzzzz.....

[Annamariah]

26 books that I've read from the list:

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
3. The Bible (Various Contributors)
6. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling
8. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
9. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
13. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
15. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling
17. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
18. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
20. The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
26. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
32. Perfume: The Story Of A Murder by Patrick Suskind
36. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
40. Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
43. Persuasion by Jane Austen
48. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
59. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Book 2) by J. K. Rowling
65. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
68. Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden
70. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
75. Emma by Jane Austen
78. Matilda by Roald Dahl
87. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
89. Watership Down by Richard Adams
93. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) by J. K. Rowling
98. Goosebumps by R. L Stine

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, Watership Down, Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Anne of Green Gables, Little Women, The Bible, Matilda, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Harry Potter-series would have probably been on my personal list, too.

Anna Karenina, The Secret History, Wuthering Heights, The Da Vinci Code, Goosebumps, Emma and The Catcher in the Rye wouldn't have made it to my list.

David Copperfield is the book I've never finished reading, though I've started it at least three times, and Alice's Adventures in the Wonderland is a book I'm currently reading :D

[Niamh]

I've read about 30 of those. Good to see Artemis Fowl is doing well down under!