Top 100 Books

[Michelle]

BBC The Big Read Top 100 Books (http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml)

How many of these have you read? Which do you agree / disagree with?

[Freewheeling Andy]

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.

[Mamacita]

http://www.randomhouse.com/modernlibrary/100bestnovels.html

[Mamacita]

Andy, take a look at the Random House list. Harry Potter isn't even listed, I don't think...

[Freewheeling Andy]

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

[Michelle]

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. :)

[Kell]

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...

[Kell]

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!

[Kell]

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...

[Freewheeling Andy]

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 García Márquez
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac I tried re-reading it, and it was rubbish to read as a 30 year old. Brilliant as a 20 year old, though, so it deserves its place
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie

[Freewheeling Andy]

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

[Michelle]

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

[Angel]

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 Brontë
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
40. Emma, Jane Austen
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens

[Michelle]

Btw, in January, we will do our own Top 10 (at least), so stay tuned, and get your thinking caps on! :D

[Freewheeling Andy]

Blimey, Angel. You've read all the really difficult 19th century stuff? I'm impressed.

[Angel]

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!

[Leah]

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 Brontë
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
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
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell

The ones I want to read off of BBC

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
40. Emma, Jane Austen
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot

[Leah]

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.

[Michelle]

Here's an article about various book reviews.

Rounding Up The Round-Ups (http://www.bookclubforum.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=37)

It links to various ones, including:
Barnes & Noble (http://www.barnesandnoble.com/bestsellers/warnew_rnav.asp?PID=6878&userid=c54z17XBWm)
New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/04/books/review/notable-books2005.html?ex=1136264400&en=bd70868e0e5a8ba4&ei=5070)

[Michelle]

Independent Online
Review of the year: Books (http://bookclubforum.co.uk/news/index.php?itemid=39)

[Loricat]

>>>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.

[Loricat]

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 Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence
WOMEN IN LOVE by D.H. Lawrence
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess
OF HUMAN BONDAGE by W. Somerset Maugham
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving
THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand
THE STAND by Stephen King
INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway

[Freewheeling Andy]

>>>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.

[Kell]

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!

[Loricat]

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.

[buster1976]

Is there really a person out there that ranks any Harry Potter book above The Count of Monte Cristo? Crikey.

[Michelle]

Well, we all have different tastes in books, so why not.