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Your Top 10 books!


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A list more drafted by what I haven't read than by any personal taste.

 

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky

To the Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf

The Sorrows of Young Werther - Johann von Goethe
Dear Life - Alice Munro

The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
Wuthering Heights - Emily Brontë

The Personal History of David Copperfield - Charles Dickens

Metamorphosis - Franz Kafka
Dubliners - James Joyce
If This Is a Man - Primo Levi

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This is so difficult so I'm just going to post off the top of my head. If I did it again tomorrow it would probably be a bit different.   :)

 

Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (sorry, Sari!  :giggle: )

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

On the Beach by Nevil Shute

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Cider with Rosie by Laurie Lee

The War of the Worlds by H G Wells

Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Othello by William Shakespeare

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As others have already said: oh so difficult!  The first five were easy, but choosing the next five was so much harder.  I can't believe, for instance, that there's no room for Middlemarch, The Canterbury Tales, Far From The Madding Crowd or War and Peace (I like my books chunky!). But here goes: the list is restricted to fiction (I've promised myself a separate non-fiction top 10), and I've left out childhood books.

 

A Month in the Country - JL Carr  (my number one book)

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

Bleak House - Charles Dickens

To The Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf

Aubrey-Maturin series - Patrick O'Brian

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

This Thing of Darkness - Harry Thompson

A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

The Sea Road - Margaret Elphinstone

 

Later edit:  I really can't see how I can leave out Middlemarch, so it will have to come in and replace A Suitable Boy.

Edited by willoyd
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wow you don't realize how many books are your favourite until you have to choose...

 

Ain't that the truth! :D

 

 

This is so difficult so I'm just going to post off the top of my head. If I did it again tomorrow it would probably be a bit different.   :)

 

Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (sorry, Sari!  :giggle: )

*huffing and a-puffing*... :lol: :lol:   :hug:

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Having done a fiction top 10, I thought (hope it's OK) I'd add a non-fiction list.  In most book groups, non-fiction doesn't really get the exposure I reckon it deserves, especially given the huge range it covers.  Having chosen my top ten, it seems to pretty closely reflect those genres I tend to focus on, although I'm surprised there's no science in there (there were some very near misses).  Anyway, these are my top 10, in no particular order, other than that the first book has been my favourite for a while now:

 

A History of the Countryside - Oliver Rackham

Crow Country - Mark Cocker

Virginia Woolf - Hermione Lee

Touching the Void - Joe Simpson

Chasing the Monsoon - Alexander Frater

Wellington, the Years of the Sword - Elizabeth Longford

The Pursuit of Glory - Tim Blanning

A Voyage for Madmen - Peter Bourne

Everest - Walt Unsworth

Letters to Alice on First Reading Jane Austen - Fay Weldon

Edited by willoyd
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As others have already said: oh so difficult!  The first five were easy, but choosing the next five was so much harder.  I can't believe, for instance, that there's no room for Middlemarch, The Canterbury Tales, Far From The Madding Crowd or War and Peace (I like my books chunky!). But here goes: the list is restricted to fiction (I've promised myself a separate non-fiction top 10), and I've left out childhood books.

 

A Month in the Country - JL Carr  (my number one book)

Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen

Bleak House - Charles Dickens

To The Lighthouse - Virginia Woolf

Aubrey-Maturin series - Patrick O'Brian

To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

This Thing of Darkness - Harry Thompson

A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

The Sea Road - Margaret Elphinstone

 

How could I have forgotten A Suitable Boy?  Maybe I need to revise my list :lol:  I like the idea of a second list for non-fiction - I could move my non-fiction off to a separate list and fit it in. :)

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I might make a non-fiction top 10 too, I haven't got one, but I do have a list of favourite non-fiction works that I'd pick from. It's a good idea, Willoyd. It's true non-fiction usually doesn't get as much attention as fictional works.

 

EDIT: Well, here's a quick one, but now I have to go for an appointment.:

 

Gunilla Gerland - Een Echt Mens (A Real Person in English, I'm not sure of the original Swedish? title)

John Grogan - Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog

Dave Nasser and Lynne Barrett-Lee - Giant George: Life with the World's Biggest Dog

Anne Frank - Het Achterhuis

Martine Delfos - Een Vreemde Wereld

Thea Beckman and Others - Het Schrijversboek

Paul Arnoldussen - Die Van Hiernaast En Van De Overkant: Over Engelse Drop, Straf En Beesten In Europa

Various Authors - Waanzinnig om te Weten series (Horrible Histories, Horrible Science...)

Ian Ford - A Field Guide to Earthlings: An Autistic/Asperger View of Neurotypical Behavior

Stan Spencer - The Diet Dropout’s Guide to Natural Weight Loss: Find Your Easiest Path to Naturally Thin

Edited by Athena
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Great lists everyone :) 

 

Here is my list (in no particular order) ~

 

1.  The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater (I have still to read 'Sinner')

2.  To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3.  The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima

4.  Let the Let Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

5.  Sunshine by Robin McKinley

6.  The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

7.  The Stand by Stephen King

8.  The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

9.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

10.  The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood

 

:readingtwo:

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Great lists everyone :) 

 

Here is my list (in no particular order) ~

 

1.  The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater (I have still to read 'Sinner')

2.  To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3.  The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima

4.  Let the Let Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

5.  Sunshine by Robin McKinley

6.  The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

7.  The Stand by Stephen King

8.  The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

9.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

10.  The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood

 

:readingtwo:

Wow, I see that you have The Graveyard Book on your list. That is my favorite book by Neil Gaiman.

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Great lists everyone :) 

 

Here is my list (in no particular order) ~

 

1.  The Wolves of Mercy Falls series by Maggie Stiefvater (I have still to read 'Sinner')

2.  To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3.  The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima

4.  Let the Let Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist

5.  Sunshine by Robin McKinley

6.  The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami

7.  The Stand by Stephen King

8.  The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

9.  The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

10.  The MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood

 

:readingtwo:

Great list!  I'm glad you liked the 100 Year Old Man!

Edited by Anna Begins
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Wow, I see that you have The Graveyard Book on your list. That is my favorite book by Neil Gaiman.

 

Thanks muggle, I have read it so many times, its just a great story, keep meaning to invest in the graphic novel. :)

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Great list!  I'm glad you liked the 100 Year Old Man!

 

I did, its a great story, I will no doubt read it again and again :)

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I've cheated a bit and slipped a couple of series in. If that's not allowed I'll restrict it to the first book in each series, which I've written in, and book 3 of HP below)

Most of these are subject to change, so ask me again in 6 months time!

 

Lord of the Rings -  JRR Tolkien

Different Seasons - Stephen King

Life of Pi - Yann Martel

The Kite Runner  - Khaled Hosseini

Saga of the exiles (Book 1: The Many-coloured Land)  - Julian May

Pride & Predjudice  - Jane Austen

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

It - Stephen King

The Wind in the willows - Kenneth Graham

Harry potter series - (...and the Prisoner of Azkaban) JK Rowling

I love your eclectic list.  It spans time and genres!

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I love looking at all the lists and seeing what books have inspired and engrossed this group of diverse readers.  For me, for now, it is these:

 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Bloodroot by by Amy Greene

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery

 

 

I would also add: The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the first two books of the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver,  Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Edited by nursenblack
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I love looking at all the lists and seeing what books have inspired and engrossed this group of diverse readers.  For me, for now, it is these:

 

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

The Member of the Wedding by Carson McCullers

Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Bloodroot by by Amy Greene

A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb

Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery

 

 

I would also add: The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the first two books of the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver,  Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

 

Great list nursenblack, I have a copy of 'Dandelion Wine' which I have still to read, I am going to dig it out :)

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I have so many favorites, I'd have a difficult time narrowing it down to a hundred. Here's some, English language only, in no particular order....

 

Portrait of a Lady - Henry James
The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles
We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson
Endless Love - Scott Spencer
Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov
The Sheltering Sky - Paul Bowles
Fortunes of War - Olivia Manning
Pierre; or, The Ambiguities - Herman Melville
The Little Friend - Donna Tartt
The Girls of Slender Means - Muriel Spark

 

.

Edited by ethan
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I have so many favorites, I'd have a difficult time narrowing it down to a hundred. Here's some, English language only, in no particular order....

 

Portrait of a Lady - Henry James

The French Lieutenant's Woman - John Fowles

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson

Endless Love - Scott Spencer

Pale Fire - Vladimir Nabokov

The Sheltering Sky - Paul Bowles

Fortunes of War - Olivia Manning

Pierre; or, The Ambiguities - Herman Melville

The Little Friend - Donna Tartt

The Girls of Slender Means - Muriel Spark

 

.

Oh, I forgot about We Have Always Lived in the Castle.  I loved it.  I need to reread that this summer.

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I would also add: The Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder, the first two books of the Delirium trilogy by Lauren Oliver,  Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, and Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

I'm not sure if we can allow this … it's a top 10, not top 14! :lol: Only kidding, it's so difficult to narrow it down, isn't it?!

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This was very tough, but here is my stab at it:

 

Pride And Prejudice - Jane Austen

The Blue World - Jack Vance

The Lyonesse Trilogy - Jack Vance

Girl Meets Boy - Ali Smith

A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth

Jonathon Strange And Mr Norrell - Suzanna Clarke

The Odd Women - George Gissing

The Nether World - George Gissing

The Millenium Trilogy - Steg Larsson

The Crimson Petal And The White - Michel Faber

 

I couldn't do it without slipping two trilogies in there....

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Ok....I will attempt, in no particular order of preference....and these are but a few that I felt were worthy of putting on my list. No doubt there are a good few more titles and authors not listed here...eg Jodi Picoult, Maggie O'Farrell, Maeve Binchy, Kate Atkinson. The books listed are probably there because after reading they stayed in my mind/heart for a good while for one reason or another.

 

  • To Kill A Mockingbird  ~  Harper Lee
  • Chocolate  ~  Joanne Harris
  • The Red Tent  ~  Anita Diamant
  • Still Alice  ~  Lisa Genova
  • Harry Potter series ~ J K Rowling
  • The Midwife's Confession  ~  Diane Chamberlain
  • Tuesdays with Morrie  ~  Mitch Albom
  • Birdsong  ~  Sebastian Faulks
  • Emotional Geology  ~  Linda Gillard
  • The Shell Seekers  ~  Rosamunde Pilcher
Edited by Inver
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  • 1 month later...

This will be difficult, but I'll try to give my list, in no particular order except for the first one.

 

Little, Big - John Crowley

Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier

Possession - A.S. Byatt

Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin

Peace - Gene Wolfe

The Brothers Karamazov - Fyodor Dostoevsky

Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov

E Pluribus Unicorn - Theodore Sturgeon (these are short stories, do they count?)

The Last Unicorn - Peter S. Beagle

The Forgotten Beasts of Eld - Patricia McKillip

The Thomas Covenant Series - Stephen R. Donaldson (this is a 10 book series, I'm counting it as one book)

 

Uh, oh. That's 11 and I could still name more, but I'll stop here. :D

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Oh, heck - this is worse than the 10 favourite authors.  In no particular order, then:

 

Beloved - Toni Morrison

 

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez (although Love in the Time of Cholera runs it a close second)

 

The Trial - Franz Kafka

 

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen

 

Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy

 

Silas Marner - George Eliot

 

The Persian Boy - Mary Renault

 

The Narrow Road to the Deep North - Richard Flanagan

 

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (and Bring Up the Bodies, but I'll count it as one, as they are the first two of a trilogy)

 

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky

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