Michelle Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 BBC The Big Read Top 100 Books How many of these have you read? Which do you agree / disagree with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I disagree with number one, for a start. Best book ever? Good grief? And all that Potter nonsense in the best 25 books of all time? Oh dear oh dear. Sometimes I despair of the British public. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamacita Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mamacita Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Andy, take a look at the Random House list. Harry Potter isn't even listed, I don't think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Mamacita's list is far more plausible (well, the "Board's List". Clearly the top places on "readers list" were come to by some tactical voting amongst scientologist loonies and others). Even though I find Joyce unreadable, I can see why he's top. Of course, number 7 or 75 on the Board List of Mamacita's should be number one. Probably Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Personally, I think that all these lists are flawed. Most people don't think right back, and really consider. Instead, they take the easy route, and think about things that have been recent. It can also depend on the age groups voting, and what they have read. Hmm.. after the 2005 Book awards are done, I think we should set up a vote for our top 10 or so. Should be interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Well, from the BBC list, I've read: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame Little Women, Louisa May Alcott Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald Animal Farm, George Orwell The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck The Stand, Stephen King The BFG, Roald Dahl Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer Mort, Terry Pratchett The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett Night Watch, Terry Pratchett Matilda, Roald Dahl Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding The Twits, Roald Dahl The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett I've marked in bold the ones that would probably rank in my top 100, but the other ones, I'm not so sure about. I really enjoyed the Harry Potter books, but not so much as I'd put them in my top 100, I don't think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I think One Flew Over the Cucukoo's Nest is the only extra one from teh Random House list that I've read - & it would definitely feature in my personal top 100! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I think my new year's resolution will be to pick one book I haven't read off each of those lists & read it. I'll go for something I wouldn't ordinarily choose & broaden my horizons. I might even compile my own top 100 list... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 OK. Following Kell's example. These are the ones I've read. In bold the ones good enough to go on a top 100 list. 1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien 4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams 6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee 7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne 8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell 11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller 15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger 16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame 19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres 20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy (I only read the first 50-100 pages, though) 25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien 29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck 30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll 32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel Garc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 And the same for the Random House Double List. 2. THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald 4. LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov 4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien 5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley 5. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee 6. 1984 by George Orwell 7. CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller 10. THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck 14. DUNE by Frank Herbert 16. STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert Heinlein 18. SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut 19. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger 20. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell 25. LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding 29. THE STAND by Stephen King 42. ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac 43. HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad 45. THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway 51. THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams 55. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess 59. ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card 65. SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury 73. ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig 74. A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway 75. SCOOP by Evelyn Waugh 76. AT SWIM-TWO-BIRDS by Flann O'Brien 77. FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury 779. WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams 80. NAKED LUNCH by William S. Burroughs 84. IT by Stephen King 90. MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN by Salman Rushdie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Same for me then: BBC: 1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien 3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman 4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams 5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling 6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee 8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell 18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott 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 25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien 30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll 37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute 41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery 46. Animal Farm, George Orwell 48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy 51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett 53. The Stand, Stephen King 65. Mort, Terry Pratchett 66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton 87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley 92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel RandomHouse: 4. THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien 5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley 5. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee 6. 1984 by George Orwell 17. A TOWN LIKE ALICE by Nevil Shute 18. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley 20. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell 29. THE STAND by Stephen King 30. THE GOOD SOLDIER by Ford Madox Ford 31. ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell 51. THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams 56. ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute 84. IT by Stephen King Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 I certainly don't agree with No. 1 - I would have liked to see Jane Eyre a little higher, but it is good to see that the classics are holding their own still. I still have many of these that are mentioned in the BBC ranking on the 'to read shelf'. Have read the following:- 2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen 10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bront Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted December 21, 2005 Author Share Posted December 21, 2005 Btw, in January, we will do our own Top 10 (at least), so stay tuned, and get your thinking caps on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Blimey, Angel. You've read all the really difficult 19th century stuff? I'm impressed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 Thanks Andy! I really love these books - I collected the Great Writers series about 18 yrs ago (anyone remember that fortnightly series?) and they've gone everywhere with me since! I think my altime favourite will always be Jane Eyre and anything by Thomas Hardy. Must confess though Charles Dickens is not my favourite despite his genious! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 The Ones I've read off of BBC 5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling 6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee 10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bront Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah Posted December 21, 2005 Share Posted December 21, 2005 From Randomhouse Reader's List 5. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee 6. 1984 by George Orwell 18. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley 19. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger 29. THE STAND by Stephen King 75. THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London 84. IT by Stephen King 91. A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway From the Board's List 5. BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley 6. THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner 13. 1984 by George Orwell 64. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger 74. A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway 88. THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London I would go through and mark the ones I want to read but I don't really want to read to many so... Love to say some of my favorites are in here but they're not really... I have my own personal preference and most people don't tend to agree with me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 1, 2006 Author Share Posted January 1, 2006 Here's an article about various book reviews. Rounding Up The Round-Ups It links to various ones, including: Barnes & Noble New York Times Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle Posted January 1, 2006 Author Share Posted January 1, 2006 Independent Online Review of the year: Books Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loricat Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 >>>90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac<<< For the love of god, why?????? Please! I hate this book. It sucks. I could write a better novel. I'm serious. Overall, I think the BBC list is okay. I've read a number of the books on it, and some of them even made my top ten list for this forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loricat Posted January 1, 2006 Share Posted January 1, 2006 I can't believe how many of these books I've read. And most of them I read as a teenager; they were gifts from my mother. From both lists combined, I've read: 1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien 6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee 7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne 10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bront Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freewheeling Andy Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 >>>90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac<<< For the love of god, why?????? Please! I hate this book. It sucks. I could write a better novel. I'm serious. Overall, I think the BBC list is okay. I've read a number of the books on it, and some of them even made my top ten list for this forum. Ah... On The Road. It was a brilliant book when I read it as a 20 year old, and an utterly dreadful piece of rubbish when I tried to re-read it as a 30 year old. I think it's, more than anything else I've read, a book for reading as a feckless youth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 I don't think I'll be reading it then, as I'm turning the dreaded 20-10 this year. My feckless youth is a think of the past - LOL! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loricat Posted January 2, 2006 Share Posted January 2, 2006 Ah... On The Road. It was a brilliant book when I read it as a 20 year old, and an utterly dreadful piece of rubbish when I tried to re-read it as a 30 year old. I think it's, more than anything else I've read, a book for reading as a feckless youth. I read it in my late teens or early twenties (can't remember exactly when) and hated it even then. I picked it up a couple of years ago to try to decipher whether or not my hatred of it was justified. I thought maybe I was too young to get it the first time around. But it was equally as ridiculous the second time, and I definitely didn't bother re-reading the whole thing. That said, I think your point is valid and still stands. It's like a time capsule book that captures the mood, spirit and vision of an era that deserved to be recorded. And the sort of rebelliousness expressed in the book is probably something many, many young people can still relate to today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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