The reason I stick with the book club is because it makes me read stuff I wouldn't otherwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
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The reason I stick with the book club is because it makes me read stuff I wouldn't otherwise.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
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Very shallow reading of my post. I did not forget to leave a reminder:Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
But then, how can you teach people to be careful before being judgmental:( I'll leave it at that.Quote:
About book clubs. I find them shallow and unpalatable, just my subjective opinions, nobody has to agree with them.
Wow. I've only read 25 out of the top 100. But, some of these I don't really want to read anyway :)
Regarding book clubs, I find that they provide the necessary motivation for me read books outside of my comfort zone. I also like discussing books with different people because you can hear so many different perspectives.
Hard to have an indepth reading of something "shallow", I guess.Quote:
Originally Posted by Kafka's Crow
It cannot be harder than teaching people not to be arrogant. I will leave it at that.Quote:
But then, how can you teach people to be careful before being judgmental:( I'll leave it at that.
This thread, or the discussion that has followed for that matter, is not aimed to make people read the books listed or anything they are not interested in... It was just an attempt to see whether these books were really as widely read as the Big Read results suggested and I think it is safe to say that, looking at the replies of our members, most of them are quite popular and widely read (even though there are puzzling ones as well).
I've heard of pretty much all the books on the list whereas I haven't heard of some of the ones other people have mentioned here.
DM's thread reminded me of this one.
A little update; the books I *still* need to read (top 100):
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
53. The Stand, Stephen King
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Second 100:
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
So, 135 down, 65 to go.
Don't know how I will manage to read so many Terry Pratchett books etc though... I read couple and feels like they are more or less the same...
I found the list had an interesting mix to it. Some of the books sound interesting, and there are a few I intend to read, or have but just haven't gotton to yet. Here are the ones I have read from the list
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
109. The Day Of The Jackal, Frederick Forsyth
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine ( I loved these when I was a kid)
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. LawrenceLife of Lawrence
199. The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (this was one of my favorite childhood books)
And I am currently reading 174. The Name Of The Rose, Umberto Eco
Another update. The books I *still* need to read (top 100):
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
53. The Stand, Stephen King
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Second 100:
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
119. Shogun, James Clavell
120. The Day Of The Triffids, John Wyndham
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
191. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, Milan Kundera
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
So, 144 down, 56 to go.
I'm kind of surprised that Winnie the Pooh made it on the list although Tolkien & Rowling are far from surprising.
scher didnt we read the unbareable lightness of being for the forum book club in may or something?
( I have a copy Im trying to get rid of - need to cull the book before I have to move in june so I can send you mine!! )
And I see an honest to goodness romance on that list...:lol:
Mind quite a few of those books youve got left are brilliant!! :nod:
Scher - do try a Terry Pratchett, only not in public unless you want people to give you funny looks because you are laughing and they don't know why. :D
I am dreading the moment I will have to read LOTR, to be honest. Not my cup of tea at all.Quote:
Originally Posted by semi-fly
And read Winnie last summer and absolutely loved it. It is hillarious and interesting. One of the delightful surprises in the list, in my opinion, because I would never read it if it weren't there.
I read this one ages ago actually and did not join the BC reading either due to timing.Quote:
Originally Posted by Nightshade
There are a few books in the list that I will re-read in English.
I have read about four Pratchett books so far; they are fun but not good enough to read 20 of them in one year, I am thinking. And to be honest, the fantasy genre is not my cup of tea either.Quote:
Originally Posted by kasie
I have nothing against Winnie the Pooh. I read the book as a child, it's just a little odd that someone would place it on a Top 100 book list. I guess it equates to an everlasting impression one has when they read books as a child vs. young adult, etc.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
I'm not looking forward to reading the Lord of the Ring series myself, I just can't see an interest in that type of literature. Then again looking at that list I can't say I've read too many of them myself, but that doesn't mean I won't try at some point.
Oh I loved the list LOL it brought back many happy memories just reading through it! One of my favourite things about reading is the absolute joy I get from sharing it with my kids. Between us we have read quite a lot of the top 200, my 13 yr old has read most of the J.Wilson ones and read the Angus,thongs one just before christmas, my 11 yr old loves Dahl and has read (or had read to her) all the Harry Potters so far. Pooh was a favourite bedtime story for both of them when they were younger and reading it now takes me right back to when they were small. I have also started indoctrinating my 2 yr old nephew and he loves The hungry caterpillar (and The Tiger who came to tea) I read many different genres and found the list represented me and my family quite well :D
Another update. The books I *still* need to read (top 100):
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
53. The Stand, Stephen King
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
Second 100:
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
119. Shogun, James Clavell
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
144. It, Stephen King
145. James And The Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
150. Skeleton Key, Anthony Horowitz
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
165. The World According To Garp, John Irving
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
146 down, 54 to go.
You are a model to us all, Scher, but I feel it is time for you to bite the bullet and give Terry Pratchett a go. If you find you like him, well and good, you have several titles to anticipate with pleasure; if you can't stand him, you can write off several items in one go. Personally, I'd recommend you start with a title on the second part of the list, 135 Weird Sisters and if you like it go straight to 197 Witches Abroad - they just happen to be two of my favourites.
Kasie, I love your sarcasm! ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by kasie
I have already read couple of Pratchett books like Mort and... The first one of the series, I believe... But I will make sure to collect Weird Sisters from the library next time I go there!
And I feel it is the time for me to admit defeat where Pratchett is concerned at least... I don't think I will be able to read all of his books.
Irony, please, Scher, irony! No, not even irony - I really think you are a model - you set yourself targets and actually work to achieve them. You inspire me - I set myself similar targets - then a week later I have forgotten them! Occasionally I remember, (read Tinkers by Paul Harding last week, so that could tick two lists, the Pulitzer prize winners and the 11 new authors for 2011 lists) but otherwise I've just let things slide - story of my life, really. :)
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien - sad, reflects the over-abundance of hobbit toshery in British society.
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen - suggest there are still *some* sensible people left in the UK...
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman - ... and a lot of trendy types chasing the latest fashion and their lost childhoods.
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams - and a lot of aging adolescents trying to remember their student days.
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling - see 3.
...
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens - our greatest author and he only makes it to 17?
...
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy - only 20?
...
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy - good one, Hardy deserves to be high, but higher...
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot - higher...
...
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens - much higher...
...
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson - good choice, but Stevenson should be above the Hobbit tosh mob of children authors (see 1,3,5)
...
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy - I'm surpised it isn't a lot higher, especially given the Oprah effect & all the hoo-ha about the film version...
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden - good choice!
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding - every one remembers it from school, deserves to be here though...
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens - should be much higher (like 1.)
The OP should find a better reading list, I hope never to read several of them again, and intend never to touch many of them.
I used to be into fantasy, but grew out of it. Why do you feel the need to read it? If you don't want to read it then ... er.... don't read it! I've read Lord of the Rings and feel great relief that I don't need to read it again... unless held at gunpoint by an Ork. I've also read about four Pratchett books - kinda fun, but don't intend to read more - just reading new authors at random from the library new shelf I usually find something more fun than Pratchett (or at least something different!)Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
I did not decide to read the books in this list because I thought they were the best the English literature could offer but because I wanted to fill a gap in my reading porfolio. Not having grown up in the UK, I felt that I lacked the background when I talked to people and this list did help me fill that gap to a certain degree... Now, I have a good idea what people read or did read while growing up.Quote:
Originally Posted by mal4mac
Kasie> Without my lists, I often let things slip as well but they keep me "in line" by staring at me with silent disapproval (silence does speak louder than the words!) from the notice board they are hanging from whenever I neglect them.
Another update. The books I *still* need to read (top 100):
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
53. The Stand, Stephen King
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
Second 100:
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
119. Shogun, James Clavell
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
144. It, Stephen King
146. The Green Mile, Stephen King
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
151 down, 49 to go!
Are you really going to read all of these? I'm a Brit. male, watch football, but I'd never read "They Used To Play On Grass." Just watch 'Match of the Day' once to get a feel for the British obsession with football...
Having grown up in the UK, I think I can save you some pain by pointing out ones that are loved by Brits with some literary taste:
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy [Garnett and Maude translations - if you move in Brit. high literary circles these names will be dropped... they're also only £1.99 in Wordsworth Classics - a great British publisher!]
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett [OK you should read one bit of Hobbit toshery - just to get a feel for this particular form of Brit. madness - Pratchett is at least quite amusing - but no need to read the series!]
78. Ulysses, James Joyce [first twenty pages only, even literary Brits will nod amusingly when you admit to giving up after 20 pages, they will admire you for your honesty, and then say (in a whisper) "Me too, but I'm not brave enough to admit it..."]
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy [or watch the TV series]
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling [I haven't read this - which is a serious lapse. Am I really British, I ask myself :) I have read his Indian Tales - not to be missed, will really give you a feel for "Empire"...]
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder [this is how Brits like to read philosophy - very lite, preferably a kids book]
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh [Essential!]
I recommend Seton's Katherine. Good stuff!
And who are those "Brits with some literary taste"? :smilewinkgrin:Quote:
Originally Posted by mal4mac
Thank you very much, Mal. I will keep your recommendations in mind; however, at the risk of repeating myself, I would like to have the reading experience.
I would not give up on fish and chips without trying it for myself simply because someone described its taste to me.
Veho ~ Thank you. It is one of the books I will definitely read from that list.
As an adult - I had a size/ dimension problem with The Wind in the Willows that I didn't have as a kid. Are they big animals that drive animal sized vehicles or are they human sized animals that drive normal vehicles? Toad dresses as a washer woman, but in the original drawings, he's a normal frog perched on top of a horse. It was an odd experience reading it again. Graham doesn't make it clear - probably on purpose.
I've never eaten tripe, and I don't read Terry Venables.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scheherazade
You can't have *every* British experience, shouldn't you at least try to avoid the really awful ones...
Fish & Chips, properly prepared, tastes wonderful...
Trainspotting. A truly excellent book, however I have lived in Scotland for many years now and still I can barely understand the language! Good luck with that one!
Another update. The books I *still* need to read (top 100):
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
53. The Stand, Stephen King
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
Second 100:
102. Small Gods, Terry Pratchett
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
119. Shogun, James Clavell
123. The Forsyte Saga, John Galsworthy
124. House Of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski
126. Reaper Man, Terry Pratchett
135. Wyrd Sisters, Terry Pratchett
144. It, Stephen King
148. Men At Arms, Terry Pratchett
149. Master And Commander, Patrick O'Brian
151. Soul Music, Terry Pratchett
152. Thief Of Time, Terry Pratchett
153. The Fifth Elephant, Terry Pratchett
156. The Silver Sword, Ian Serraillier
159. Kim, Rudyard Kipling
160. Cross Stitch, Diana Gabaldon
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
162. River God, Wilbur Smith
163. Sunset Song, Lewis Grassic Gibbon
168. The Far Pavilions, M. M. Kaye
169. The Witches, Roald Dahl
172. They Used To Play On Grass, Terry Venables and Gordon Williams
175. Sophie's World, Jostein Gaarder
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
182. Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens
185. American Psycho, Bret Easton Ellis
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
188. Goosebumps, R. L. Stine
193. The Truth, Terry Pratchett
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
197. Witches Abroad, Terry Pratchett
152 down, 48 to go!
I'm not taking on this challenge, but thought it would be fun to see how many of these I've already read. Here's my list -
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
40. Emma, Jane Austen
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
101. Three Men In A Boat, Jerome K. Jerome
106. The Pickwick Papers, Charles Dickens
111. Jude The Obscure, Thomas Hardy
112. The Secret Diary Of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾, Sue Townsend
114. Les Misérables, Victor Hugo
118. The Picture Of Dorian Gray, Oscar Wilde
122. Vanity Fair, William Makepeace Thackeray
128. The Hound Of The Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle
129. Possession, A. S. Byatt
131. The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
141. All Quiet On The Western Front, Erich Maria Remarque
147. Papillon, Henri Charriere
161. Moby Dick, Herman Melville
166. Lorna Doone, R. D. Blackmore
171. Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
173. The Old Man And The Sea, Ernest Hemingway
177. Fantastic Mr Fox, Roald Dahl
178. Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
179. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, Richard Bach
180. The Little Prince, Antoine De Saint-Exupery
187. Trainspotting, Irvine Welsh
189. Heidi, Johanna Spyri
190. Sons And Lovers, D. H. LawrenceLife of Lawrence
196. A Fine Balance, Rohinton Mistry
I still "need" to read these:
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
53. The Stand, Stephen King
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Is there something on this list I should definitely read?
Ah there's no end to the making of lists. Richard and Judy? Who? Perhaps teachers got complete classes to submit their choices to this list. If you've only read a handful of the common books then your choices are going to come from that list. Book sales would tell you just as much (More) about what is enjoyed by readers in Englandshire. Are there any poor writers or bad books in that list. Perhaps. But there are a large number of quality books. Lets look quickly at To Kill a Mockingbird. Children as central characters but an adult book. Frequently chosen as a class text by virtue-signalling teachers, it frequently makes a big impression on adolescents who have read little previously but who remember the book forever. When these people are asked for their favourite book later it springs into their minds. What does that tell us? Does it mean it is a great novel? Does it mean the teacher made a good choice? Does it show how impressionable and susceptible is the adolescent mind? Does it show that it is the one book these respondents have read? It is not difficult to show that TKAM is a quality piece of writing. I guess that in common with most of the other texts here the idea of books like these giving pleasure and entertainment is a quality sometimes undervalued by "serious" readers. I doubt if the list would be the same today. It's interesting as a snapshot of what these respondents like. Why would Treasure Island still be there after a century. It must have something going for it.