Renniemist Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 This is very difficult and may not even be correct. For now my favourites are 1 The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 2 Black Swan Green by David Mitchell 3 The Color Purple by Alice Walker 4 Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon 5 To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee 6 Cross Stitch (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon 7 The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel 8 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 9 Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger 10 Small Island by Andrea Levy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrathofkublakhan Posted April 14, 2007 Share Posted April 14, 2007 Well, I've read two of them. <gushing>Hello Kell! You are my instant good best friend! And I love you for it.</gushing> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiger Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 In no particular order: 1. Frankie Peaches And Me by Karen McCombie 2. Tide Knot by Helen Dunmore 3. Angels, Plays and A Furry Merry Christmas by Karen McCombie 4. Soul Eater by Michelle Paver 5. Lambs In The Lane by Lucy Daniels 6. (what I've read of it) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 7. A Christmas Carole by Charles Dickens 8. Order Of The Phoenix by J.K. Rowling 9. Goblet Of Fire 10. Chamber Of Secrets Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty_kitty Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Here they are in particular order and with a little bit of cheating 1. Pride and Prejudice 2. Time Travellers Wife 3. The Witches Roald Dahl 4. Clan of the Cave Bear 5. Cross Stitch 6. Green Mile 7. Sushi for beginners 8. Jane Eyre 9. Harry Potter - Cheating i know but i like them all 10. Wuthering Heights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontalba Posted April 15, 2007 Share Posted April 15, 2007 Gracious me, I loved those books! By golly, it's been 30 years since I've read those and I still remember them ... great choice, pontalba! That is about the first time I read them too. The one that followed them up...can't recall the name, but it was about Mordred....didn't care for that so much. The Wicked Day. Just found it on the shelf. I should have added in Jane Eyre to my list as well, although I don't know which entry I would take out..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavePatron Posted April 17, 2007 Author Share Posted April 17, 2007 Thanks to everyone who has weighed in to this point. I'm just now starting to get all of this stuff into a database. With only 200 votes entered I already have nearly 600 different books on the list. Its also become a fairly large task to sort through all the really clever answers like "The Cat In The Hat"...fun. Due to the fairly heavy work load and the fact that its tough for people to pick a single #1 book, I have decided to score all top 10 books as 1 point to make it easier on myself and others trying to rate their favorites. Anyway if anyone is still following this thread, I hope to get a list posted later this week sometime. If anyone else wants to post a top ten it would still be appreciated. Thx again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Really interesting to see everyone elses lists. I'm currently composing mine - but it has 11 in it and im sure there'll be more added before I get it down to 10! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishbookworm Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 1. anyone out there marion keyes 2. the sweetest taboo carole matthews 3. pride and preduice Jane austin 4. Bridget Jones' diary helen Fielding 5. Casino royale ian fleming 6 Naming the dead Ian rankin 7. fleshmarket close Ian rankin 8. tricks of the mind Derren brown 9. the interpertation of murder Jed Rubenfield 10 the enemy lee child Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 1 The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 3 The Color Purple by Alice Walker 8 Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 9 Catcher in the Rye by J D Salinger Ah, compatible again Rennie! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 Off the very top of my head, as of right now: * Nervous Conditions by Tsitsi Dangarembga * Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte * Lolita by Vladimir Nabakov * Animal Farm by George Orwell * The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver * Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte * After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell * The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood * Wise Children by Angela Carter * On Beauty by Zadie Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 1. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy (I love everything about this - it's poetic, the descriptions are wonderful and the characters brilliant) 2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (a moving novel which teaches the reader about Afgan culture but also contains universal emotional truths) 3. The Rotter's Club by Jonathan Coe (brilliant characterisation and it captures the social and political climate so well - I think Johnathan Coe is a Dickens of our time) 4. Therese Raquin by Emile Zola (shocking and compelling tale) 5. Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens (love this as it deals with the expansion of the railways and so is a social commentary of that time and also looks at forgiveness) 6. Bleak House by Charles Dickens (wonderful mystery and brilliant set of characters) 7. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (another shocking and compelling tale) 8. What a Carve Up! by Johnathan Coe (set in Thatcher's Britain Coe combines comedy and satire with wonderful characterisation). 9. Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (undoubtedly my favourite Austen - I love the character of Catharine Moreland - and the title alone conjures up wonderful gothic images) 10. Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson (brilliant story) If you asked me another time my list would probably change slightly as it's so hard to pin books down as favourites - I would say though that the top 5 would probably always stand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted April 17, 2007 Share Posted April 17, 2007 In no particular order:- 1.Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen 2.Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte 3.Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy 4.Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy 5.Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier 6.My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult 7.The Virgin's Lover by Philippa Gregory 8.Mill on the Floss by George Eliott 9.An Instance of the Fingerpost by Iain Pears 10.The Borgia Bride by Jeanne Kalogridis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier Oh pants I forgot Rebecca... Can I do a top 15? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitty_kitty Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Oh pants I forgot Rebecca... Can I do a top 15? I did too!!! Maybe a top 20!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted April 18, 2007 Share Posted April 18, 2007 Ok here goes The Beach - Alex garland The Magicians Nephew - C S Lewis The lion the witch and the wardrobe - C S Lewis Watership Down - Richard Adams Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte Animal farm - George Orwell Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C Clarke Who goes here - Bob Shaw The man who was Thursday - G K Chesterton The end of eternity - Isaac Asimov A fairly eclectic mix with a slight leaning towards sci fi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavePatron Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 Thank you to everyone who helped out. My partner has posted the final list(both or our lists combined) on a website. We ended up with just over 5000 votes. That means ~500 people gave us a top 10 list. It was actually more like 600 probably since such votes as The Cat in the Hat had to be thrown out. Some people couldn't come up with 10 books either:irked:. Anyway the list can be found at http://www.best100novels.com. The site is non commercial but if the mods have a problem with linking I apologize. Feel free to delete the link if its against your rules. Thanks again for all your help and you were right Bagpuss, I think I will stick around for a bit. DP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Thanks again for all your help and you were right Bagpuss, I think I will stick around for a bit. DP Great! I will look forward to reading some more of your thoughts. A great top 100 there - I must count how many I've read! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I really like that list. It's interesting that it's a much more, well, "literary" list that most top 100s you see voted by the general public. Perhaps because of the places you're going to get your votes, or perhaps because it asks for a top 10, rather than top 1, you get a more "intellectual" or "literary" selection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavePatron Posted April 20, 2007 Author Share Posted April 20, 2007 A great top 100 there - I must count how many I've read! Bagpuss - I just now saw the final list myself. I don't think I've read more than 15 or so. Guess that means it's time to get to reading. It's interesting that it's a much more, well, "literary" list that most top 100s you see voted by the general public. Andy - My list alone(about half) ended up being over 1000 different titles. I think the "classics" prevailed mostly because of the rather large, IMO, number of votes. I think that per haps newer books just haven't been read by everyone yet. Anyway the guy's name is Tommy who put the list together. I know he's trying to review every book on the list. If anyone wants to review any of the books I'm sure he would be happy to have the help. I'm not sure if he has an address on the site and I don't want to give out his personal email without his permission but I know he plans to have an email address on the site soon. Drop him a line. I told him about the forum and I hope he stops by. Anyway thanks again. DP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Dave,I'm sure we already have reviews for some of those books. I'm quite happy for him to use any of them,as long as both the review author, and the site, are acknowledged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I've read 39 of them, by the way. Actually, 38 and am reading War and Peace now, so will have read 39 of them some time in 2013. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angerball Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 A great list of books! Good variety there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Well, I've read 25 and there are a further 27 I'd like to read, so it's a pretty good list by my estimation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janet Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 Having counted, I've read 13, which is more than I thought at first glance. I fancy quite a few of them on that list though. At the moment, I'm not reading very much, because AS Level English seems to have taken over my entire life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renniemist Posted April 20, 2007 Share Posted April 20, 2007 I have read 25 on the list and there are another 50 either on my shelves or on my wish list. Actually now that I have seen the list the other 25 look quite interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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