The BBC had readers nominate their favorite books and listed the top 100.
How many have you read?
What is your favorite?
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
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
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
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
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
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
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
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
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
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
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
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie
Rob
100 Best Loved Novels
Discussion in 'Books & Publications Forum' started by Deacon, Nov 25, 2010.
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6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
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
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
These are the ones I have read, but I have seen more my movie. -
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
I think, some may have been forgotten. Most a while back, I read the ones by Dostoyevsky fairly recently. -
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
51. The Secret Garden
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
Some I read many years ago. Difficult to choose a favourite, but I think it would be "Great Expectations". -
Crabtownboy Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
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
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
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
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
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
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
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
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
The book that turned me on to reading was "The Wizard of Oz." .... long time ago.
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My mother read "The Wizard of Oz" to me as a kid; it turned me oun to reading too!
My list of reading for the coming year will come from this list:
3 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
4 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
66 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
100 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
Some day I’m going to have to read a Jane Austin book…but not this year.
I've read:
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
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
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
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
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
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
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
Rob -
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
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
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
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
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
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
I deleted Holes by accident here.
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
There are several of the others that I started and didn't finish - Like Anna Karina and War and Peace.
Books are the only reason I made it to adulthood sane. -
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
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
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
All these I have either seen in movie fashion or in the theatre or both. A bit different than what I have read. -
The BBC had readers nominate their favorite books and listed the top 100.
How many have you read?
See below
What is your favorite?
I keep returning to the Brontës, Dickens, and Hardy.
To get away, I always reach for The Hobbit or Treasure Island.
1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
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
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
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
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
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
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
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
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
...Bob -
Reformed1689 Well-Known Member
1,5, 7, 9, 15, 17, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 35, 36, 41, 47, 56, 63, 70, 74, 81,
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they missed at least one - Robinson Crusoe Daniel DeFoe
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alexander284 Well-Known Member
My favorite: Huckleberry Finn
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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
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
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
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
So...31. I've read other novels from some of the authors listed. The Enchantress of Florence by Salman Rushdie comes to mind.
And I don't believe anyone when they tell me they've read Joyce's Ulysses. :Tongue
Rob[/QUOTE] -
alexander284 Well-Known Member
Guess Huckleberry Finn isn't politically correct.
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And where is John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress ???
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OnlyaSinner Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
Not surprising that a BBC survey would be Euro-centric, and I was surprised to see no Verne, Wells, Conrad, Conan-Doyle. For this side of the Pond, where's Moby Dick? Scarlet Letter? Hemingway, Fitzgerald?
And I'll second (third, fourth) the unsuccessful attempts at War and Peace. My multiple tries would get 40-50 pages in, at which point I'd be hopelessly confused as to the different relationships and their significance, while nothing was really happening - like a soap opera written by a Russian Seinfeld, only without any humor. -
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InTheLight Well-Known MemberSite Supporter
I wonder about the "best loved" tag that was put on these novels. I submit that whomever the BBC polled tried to remember novels they've read that other people would recognize. You ask a couple thousand people to name some novels they've read and I would guess, sadly, that perhaps half of these people haven't read 50 novels in their entire life and the ones they read were probably part of a curriculum somewhere. That's why there are so many books on this list that I recognize as required reading from high school.
I've read about 25 of the books on the list and I would probably only read a handful of them again. Most of them are as boring as watching grass grow. And I'm an avid reader and read more than 60 novels per year. -
OnlyaSinner Well-Known MemberSite SupporterJerome said: ↑In the OP!Click to expand...
Though I read lots of books, fiction and nonfiction, I only got to 21 and only 2 of the bottom 30. Only ones I've read more than once are Tolkien's, Orwell's, CS Lewis and Watership Down. Read all of them to the kids, in addition to other trips thru them. -
RighteousnessTemperance& Well-Known Member
OK, all the comments drove me deeper into this matter. According to Wikipedia, the 2003 BBC poll was for the UK. They narrowed it down to 200 books, and the top 21 (or 25) places were limited to one per author.
They also note a much smaller 2018 poll by PBS for the US, which lists 100 books and may be more believable, although War and Peace still made the cut.
My best guess on that phenomenon is people were basing it on a movie version, or it’s just an easy title to remember (and good for a joke). Actually, PBS seems to have controlled the list quite a bit (perhaps the BBC did as well). But if you haven’t read it yet, by all means do. :Wink
The Big Read - Wikipedia
Results | The Great American Read | PBS
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