A while back, Michele at Scholar's Blog came up with a World Book Day meme. The question was: What ten books can't you live without? You can find my answers here.
Well, today is the the 10th anniversary of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland, and more than 2000 people wrote in to list the ten books they could not live without. Here is their top ten list.
Well, today is the the 10th anniversary of World Book Day in the UK and Ireland, and more than 2000 people wrote in to list the ten books they could not live without. Here is their top ten list.
1. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen 20%I'm happy to say I've read all of these with two (minor) exceptions. First, I have read large portions of the Bible, but I've never read it cover to cover. Second, I loved The Golden Compass, but have not read the rest of the trilogy. Also, I must admit to one glaring prejudice, and that is my love for The Hobbit well above the Lord of the Rings trilogy.
2. Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkein 17%
3. Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte 14%
4. Harry Potter books – J K Rowling 12%
5. To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee 9.5%
6. The Bible 9%
7. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte 8.5%
8. 1984 – George Orwell 6%
8. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman 6%
10. Great Expectations – Charles Dickens .55%
Check out the site. There are many great resources.
that's not a prejudice, Tricia, that's a well-informed judgement! The Hobbit is far superior to the Lord of the Rings trilogy. (Have you tried reading them aloud? I found it almost impossible...and I edited heavily.)
ReplyDeleteI'm fascinated that the only American book on the list is To Kill a Mockingbird.
Hi Libby,
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the results will be the same 10 years from now, when the shadow of the LOTR movies has faded. I can't help but believe these had some influence on the list.
Tricia
Maybe so, Tricia. We can only hope. (I didn't like the movies, either...)
ReplyDeleteoh! you have to finish the trilogy! I'd lend you mine, but they are so marked-up and post-it-ed it's ridiculous.
ReplyDelete