BBC Book list

[mothwing]

Nicked from firenightingale. These book lists usually result in embarrassing results for me, and they did this time. And I call myself a literature student? Pshaw.

I have read the ones in bold, the ones in italics are on my reading list for this year, but I doubt I'll get through all of them.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (not yet but I've borrowed it from Carl to read)
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

I nearly bought both Noughts and Crosses and I capture the castle back in Glasgow. I still wish I would have bought Noughts and Crosses, but something about the teenaged gloominess of the opening page of I capture the castle seriously put me off reading it back then. That might have been due to the thoroughly tired state I was in when I saw the book, though.

Which reminds me. I still have to read Midnight's Children. I don't know if I'm quite up to it after Grimus, The Ground Beneath her Feet, East, West and The Satanic Verses, though. I really liked the Satanic Verses, but the other ones... I can' even remember what it was that bothered me, but something did bother me so much I never picked up a book by Rushdie again after 2001. There must be something good about the book, though, if moonystone likes it. I have faith in her taste.

Comments

there was a curious, almost satisfied expression on Snape's face when he answered

[maryh10000.livejournal.com]

Here's my list:
I have 29. I guess my Russian lit class helped.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (not yet but I've borrowed it from Carl to read)
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

Oops!

[maryh10000.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the cut and paste mistake on:

3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman (not yet but I've borrowed it from Carl to read)

No, I haven't borrowed it from Carl, whoever that is.

Re: Oops!

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I copied that one from Night as well! Must have been very late, yesterday.

Did you like "A Town like Alice"? I read Shute's "On the Beach" and loved that one.

Re: Oops!

[maryh10000.livejournal.com]

My husband is a big fan of Nevil Shute, which is how I ended up reading it, but it was so long ago I don't remember much about it. Which means I liked it enough to finish it but not enough to remember it. Sorry.

I also read "On the Beach," and liked it fine, but my favorite "post nuclear holocaust" books are "A Canticle for Leibowitz" and "The Day of the Drones."

Re: Oops!

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

My mother loves Nevil Shute, and she gave me some of his books, but I only remember reading "On the Beach".

"The Day of the Drones" sounds really interesting. Must see if I can find it somewhere.

Re: Oops!

[maryh10000.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, but you'll have to get it second-hand, I think. The title is awful, but it's written from the point of view of a Shakespeare scholar on an archeological expedition to England. Civilization has only survived in Africa, and her culture is based around certain African traditions.

More on the books:
Roald Dahl I don't like much. His characters are too over-the-top in a way that just doesn't strike me as funny. In fact, Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone of Harry living in a cupboard under the stairs made me think of him.

Apparently, I haven't lived since I haven't read a single word by Terry Pratchett - 5 books in the list. I suppose I ought to at least read one to see what the buzz is about.

I also have never read a word by Jane Austen or either of the Bronte sisters, but my daughter has introduced me to Jane Austen via a movie that I actually liked, so that will probably change.

"To Kill a Mockingbird" and "The Catcher in the Rye" have been on my must-read list for years now, and I'm embarrassed to say I haven't read them yet. I have actually acquired a used copy of "On the Road", but haven't read it yet.

"Dune" I really liked, although the sequels seemed pretty derivative to me. It's one of my favorite science fiction novels, mainly because of the beautifully realized cultural details. I go for the "anthropological" science fiction, not the "star wars" kind. Still, Ursula LeGuin's "Left Hand of Darkness" would have to be my favorite for detailed description of an invented "possible" culture, although A.M. Lightner's "Day of the Drones" would be up there, too.

"Black Beauty" was fascinating in what is really a rather realistic and unsentimental look at how people treat animals, in this case, a horse. It's not a romantic "boy/girl and his/her horse" story.

[luckyoldsun.livejournal.com]

I'm at about 37 of those on first count. Of those I've read and you haven't -- Dune, Crime & Punishment, The Secret History, and At Tale of Two Cities -- I suppose I would recommend Crime & Punishment first as it involves murder and depravity and all sorts of other fun things. Not to mention humor and worthwhile and questionable commentary on the "overman" that can't be missed. Actually, The Secret History falls along those lines as well, but it's probably my least favorite of the 4. A Tale of Two Cities... life's circularity... la da da... can definitely be put on the back burner, imho. Dune: Dr. Liet Kines is my hero. But, beyond him I'm not a big fan and it's not my favorite sci-fi. I'd much rather read something like the Martian Chronicles again.

Oh, and why read the Godfather when you've got the movie?? :o)

57

[mariebernadette.livejournal.com]

The Godfather book explained a lot. At least to me. I don't know if it was brilliant enough to be on a top 100 list, but it was infotaining to say the least.

Re: 57

[luckyoldsun.livejournal.com]

Apparently Maria has being using all of her powers and all of her skills when it comes to absorbing ze'literary masterpieces. :o)

Re: 57

[mariebernadette.livejournal.com]

Roald Dahl's books are, like, 200 pages long and there were a bunch required in high school. I probably would've never picked some of those up on my own. Ulysses is hit and miss - either it changes your life or it's the biggest waste of time ever. I'm surprised at the lack of Hemmingway, the macho bastard. And E.M. Forster - my favorite!

I put The Thorn Birds and Gone With The Wind in the high campiness category.

Re: 57

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

I was forced to read most of the Roald Dahl books I have read by Crocky, who loved them as a child.

I guess Il Macho is not on there because it's the BBC list and they were extra picky. Or possibly because of the "Snows of Kilimanjaro".

Re: 57

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

Oh and Ulysses - seconded. Completely wasted week in my case. And I missed Forster as well, strange picks they picked all around.

[mothwing.livejournal.com]

To be honest, I did not even manage to watch the entire movie. Ahem. It was the same with dune - in spite of the pretty glowing eyes and the pretty desert planet, I just did not manage. The books bound to be better, but so far, I couldn't locate it in our library. I hope whoever has taken it out will get a move on and bring it back!

I wanted to read "A Tale of Two Cities" because I'd never read past the beginning pages everyone knows and always wanted to know how it ends. "Crime and Punishment" is on my list of the things I'm always putting off, but I like the sound of it a lot. :)