BBC Big Read - Best Loved Novel

last SG · 2004-07-09T09:10:19+00:00

after last night, i'm outta fresh books to read in the house

choco B SG

BBC's Big Read website came up with a list of 100 best loved novels nominated by their readers.

Which of these 100 books have you read? Which do you love /hate ? Smile

Full story here http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml

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 | Listen to interview
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert | Discussion
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams | Discussion
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas | Film review
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh | Listen to interview
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

choco B SG

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 | Listen to interview
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell | Children's fiction
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer | Live chat
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky | Crime and Punishment site
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 | Listen to interview
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman | Discussion
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 | Listen to interview
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding | Film review
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 | Listen to interview
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith | Film review
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake | Gormenghast site
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 | Film interview
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo | Film review
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho | Theatre review
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

MooKu SG

The Magic Faraway Tree!! Very Happy

With what the Land of Dreams, the Land of Treats... @[email protected] I loved that book!

tare SG

x2!!! also the magical flying chair... Laughing

err.. .some of the novels listed i din read, but watch the movies consider? Mr. Green

the Bear SG

these i read..

so few Sad

The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien (hard read.. i must admit)

Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen (read this so long ago.. kinda dated i feel)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams (42!! Very Happy )

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee (heartrending... read this after watching Gregory Peck.. what a performance! )

Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell (is this happening to us without us knowing?)

Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë (not much i can remember about it)

Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë (only remember Heathcliff)

The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger (strangely, i thought the protagonist needed to be smacked)

The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame (one word: enchanting! Very Happy )

Great Expectations, Charles Dickens (kinda tragic...)

Little Women, Louisa May Alcott (strangely, for a guy, i loved this book )

The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien (tolkien is hobbit-forming Razz again, hard going)

The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck (wow...)

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll (still think Carroll was on drugs Razz )

David Copperfield, Charles Dickens (is it here coz it's english? )

Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl (when oh when will Tim Burton give us his look of this? )

Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (go Pip GO!)

A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute (can't remember much about it..)

Persuasion, Jane Austen (sadly, i've forgotten what this is about.. been ages)

Dune, Frank Herbert (a tour-de-force of how to create a new universe)

The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald (i dunno.. i felt kinda down when i read it)

The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas (too long ago Razz )

Animal Farm, George Orwell (everyone should read this! )

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens (and this too! )

Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck (been too long ago)

The Stand, Stephen King (i've forgotten all about King's books that i've read)

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy (too epic-ish...)

Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky (i got lost somewhere in there)

Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden (not too bad... but i think it just scratched the surface?)

A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens (what an ending.. what a sacrifice)

The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough (okay... i'm Catholic Razz )

Lord Of The Flies, William Golding (i do hope we are never going to be like this.. scary book)

Bleak House, Charles Dickens (must read this again coz i can't remember any of it! Shocked )

Brave New World, Aldous Huxley (i think i read this book once every year...)

On The Road, Jack Kerouac (i recommend this to anyone who is intrigued with the Beat Generation)

The Godfather, Mario Puzo (had to read this after the movie!)

Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer (didn't really enjoy this.. dunno why)

FireIce SG

Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
Matilda, Roald Dahl

the above are those tt i truly read cover to cover.....
wat a lousy bookworm i am! hahahaha....

DeadPoet SG

Me also not many. Wink

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
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
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
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
40. Emma, Jane Austen
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas | Film review
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
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell | Children's fiction
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton | Listen to interview
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel

KittynMeow SG

Not many for me either....

these i read...

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
40. Emma, Jane Austen
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas | Film review
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton | Listen to interview
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding | Film review
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist

The rest of the books that I read and like are not listed here.... Wink

choco B SG

I've read all the Rowlings, all the Pratchetts... if not for them, my already-read list would be alot shorter...

A couple of the classics (dismal!) Razz

Children's classics make up a good portion of the list, of which I've read very little. I didn't enjoy The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe much - felt it was kinda dumb :S Not sure if I can stand Winnie the Pooh Razz

I like Montgomery's Anne Of Green Gables series.

Of the later, more modern fiction, I've read the popular novels like Bridget Jones and Memoirs Of A Geisha.

Definitely have lots of reading to catch up on.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
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
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
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
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell | Children's fiction
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton | Listen to interview
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding | Film review
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl | Listen to interview
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett

KittynMeow SG

hehehhee.... i read all the Austens, Feists, all Robin Hobbs, L.E Modesitt, Eddings.....

somehow fantasy writers are not very favored in this list... kekeke

choco B SG

You're right. Only:

89. Magician, Raymond E Feist

and Pratchett's works.

the Bear SG

they aren't?

Hitchhiker's Guide!! Very Happy

that was hilarious! Laughing

no.5 in the trilogy

choco B SG

Oh yeah! How could I forget Very Happy

choco B SG

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - movie's out next year.

the Bear SG

wanna see how dark Tim Burton can turn that into Smile

D13 SG

What! My favourite is only No. 13!

Behind Tolkien! How many actually read LOTR? I tried it as a small boy and I give up after Volume 1, only recently did I finished the entire series and those songs almost sent me to Lord Morpheus's Land. It got to be #1 because finishing it is such an achievement and thus it is being equate to good: like Ulysses.

Behind Austen!???! Oh, give me a blade to slit my wrist. Must be the Orange Prize supporters.

Behind Pullman! His Dark Materials Trilogy is the pit, I read it and curse it till the end...junk. And the more junk me for buying and finishing it! Embarassed

Behind Adams, eh, rather like it, but no way above Faulks.

Behind Rowling, eh, again rather like her series but again no way above Faulks.

Behind Lee, wow, now that's tough, close...very close...but I am nothing if not damn bloody loyal and stubborn, Lee at #2.

Behind Milne, behind Pooh the Bear, absolutely no way...but I love tyger.

Behind Orwell, hey, this is getting tough, I like 1984 but I like Animal Farm better, two Orwell good but one Faulks better.

Behind Lewis, is there a huge children vote here or what? The Faraway Tree is more enchanting.

Behind Bronte, oh brother, Wide Sargasso Sea is better.

Behind Heller, now this is another toughie, I like Catch-22, I like anything that abuses the military, I love Bakunin's quote that "the only virtue of a soldier is blind obedience" but no way is it above Faulks.

The irony is of course, that Faulks at #13 is occupying my favourite number.

the Bear SG

don't take life too seriously Laughing

coz it's only a temporary situation

btw.. it isn't about how good the books are.. these are about "most beloved books" Wink

KittynMeow SG

Actually i did read LOTR and i read it 3 times.... once in Sec school, once in JC and another time in Uni. Frankly I like it... Mr. Green

Austen? Not that bad lah... you want a blade?? how about i lend you a parang?? or if you wish, I'll be glad to do it for you! hehehe
then again... to each his/her own... everyone has his/her own views and interests... keke

D13 SG

Me serious? Wink

I got 4 lists that I relied upon: the best of the 20th Century list that was worked to death before the M like Amazon.com, B&N, Library Journal...etc; the best of the 21st Century which is still ongoing and heavily influenced by Library Journal; recommended list such as Anthony Burgess, Cyril Connolly's The Modern Movement, Queen Quorum and finally the award list with 8 awards.

BBC, nah.

D13 SG

And btw, Faulks' birdsong appeared in only ONE of my preferred lists, The Modern Library Best 202 Novels since 1950, so theoretically I should be rather grateful that it appeared in this BBC list in the first place! Laughing