So it should be no surprise, that I jumped on this when I saw that Hannah from Gator Tales (she rules!) posted the BBC Top 100 Books List yesterday. Umm, I suppose it's also implied that I love all things PBS/Masterpiece Classic/BBC, etc right? Hubs calls anything along those lines my "Most Good" shows. In case you don't get the Family Guy reference...
(sorry for the crappy video but it's the only one I could find)
Ok, enough about my Revenge of the Nerds adolescence. Here's the list with the ones I've read in bold. 43 out of 100 (well, 40 read & 6 I only gave myself 1/2 credit for) - not bad. Some of these I really should read though.1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Def. a school assignment & I've seen like 5 film versions of it.
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
My brother had leukemia when I was really little & my Mom used to read these out loud to us. The Hobbit too.
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
Another one we had to read in school. Have you seen the one where Ciaran Hinds is Mr. Rochester? It's my fave.
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
Actually, I was really late to read these because I hate paying full price for books. Also, they were mostly hardcovers & I used to do a lot of reading during my commute (ya know, when I wasn't unemployed??) so I wanted paperbacks. One of my girlfriends from HS is a HP mega-fan so she sent me the series in paperback as a bridal shower gift. The card said "Cuz you'll prob use these a hell of a lot more than some stupid toaster". Hah! Thanks Meg.
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Didn't everyone have to read this in school? I mean, unless you were in school like 60yrs ago when they were burning it.
6 The Bible
You'll notice this is bolded but a different color. I'm ashamed to admit I don't think I've ever actually sat down & read ANY part of the bible on my own. I dunno if readings & the gospel in church count, so I only get 1/2 credit for this one.
7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Oh hello English Lit 101
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
Big Brother is watching!!
9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
Umm, in like 10th grade, right?
11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
When I was 10. Sorry to say I hated it.
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
Ugh, this & Tom Jones totally reminds me of Prof. Lewis' class when I was a Jr. in college. I f'ing hated that man, maybe as much as I hate Sandra Lee & her vomitus cooking.
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
Again, 1/2 credit. I can't remember if I've actually read the book or not, but I know my Dad owns the movie cuz he's a huge Mike Nichols fan.
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
I voluntarily took 7 courses in college that focused on Ye ol' Bill's work. Yep 7. Hamlet's probably my favorite story of all time (frillz it's better than Christmas Vacation). They were easy classes too cuz basically however you interpret it - you can't be wrong. Also, the Prof. looked like Ken Branagh & was really hot. You might be able to argue that I haven't actually read EVERYTHING, but I'm gonna say it's enough to count, ok?
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
I have a vague memory of my mom making me read this & me hating it. I think it's Jane Austin wanna-be-ish.
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
See #2 - whoops. I can't wait for the movie to come out next year - and not just because it also has one of my fave BBC hotties in it. ;)
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
Pretty sure this is a NYS HS requirement.
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
I hate to admit I only read it after I saw the movie.
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
Ummm, this is a long-ass book. Like Anna Karenina long & I'm not in love with the story (sorry Hannah I know it's your fave), so I didn't finish it. 1/2 credit again.
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
Again, loved by school teachers the world round.
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
(no, but I really should)
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
(HAH! Hail no! Has anyone actually ever read this? I mean, under the age of 87?)
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
again, after I saw the movie.
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
(no, but I really should)
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
Zzzzzzzzzz
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
My Nana bought me a copy when I was little
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
I loved the Disney cartoon so much when I was little that my Mom bought me the book.
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
Russia, cold, snow, courtesans & high society, forbidden love... meh, read Onegin instead, it's a lot better & about 800 pages shorter.
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
Love, love, love!! I also discovered & fell in love with Hugh Dancy in the TV version (which I own on VHS - shaddup).
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
YESS! Okay, maybe Christmas Vacation is the 3rd best story..
34 Emma – Jane Austen
Aaaand we're back in Prof. Lewis' class again. If the only reason you know this story is because of Gwen Paltrow, don't tell that me mmkay??
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
Isn't this covered in #33? I remember being allowed to stay up late, sitting on the end of my parents bed to watch this on PBS in the late 80's because we were reading it. Random fact: the first time I did that face recognition thing that tells you what celeb you look like? Yeah, my #1 result was the kid who plays Peter in the new movies. Whatevs.
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
(so embarrassed to say I've never read this)
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
(ditto for this one)
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
(and this one)
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
Dude, when I was 5 the world revolved around Pooh, Piglet, Eeyore, Christopher Robin, Ernie from Sesame St., and Wonder Woman.
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
(hangs head in shame. No)
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
My husband has maybe read 4 books since he left college & this is one of them - not me.
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
On a shelf in my old bedroom is the whole series.
47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
Are they allowed NOT to teach this in HS? Random Fact: Hubster's softball team is named The Lost Boys.
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan
Gandolf wrote a book??! Kiiiiiiidding... I know who he is but I've never read any of his stuff.
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
I've never read the book but damn Kyle MacLachlan was hot in that movie.
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
What made Prof. Lewis' class bearable? He used to touch his chest/torso & cross his arms a lot when he lectured - so he'd be covered in chalk dust in about 3 minutes.
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
Awesome, awesome story. I love anything that has to do with the French Revolution... except Les Mis... okay, Les Mis too.
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
Aldus Snow?? "Inside of yoooou, Insiiiiide of yooou"... no? nobody?
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
It's really bad that I haven't read this right??
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
Another high school read. Maybe middle school? I don't remember.
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac
We read this my Jr. year of HS then had to write something similar to one of Kerouac's poems. I don't remember the poem the assignment was based on, but I will say that what I handed in was probably the best writing I've ever done. I peaked at 18, FML.
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
This should NOT be on this list but it is a great chick-lit read. I also read The Edge of Reason and Cause Celeb.
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
My Dad has a linen covered copy from the 30's, it's a cool book. It would look really great in a coffee table vignette. I'm a dork, moving on...
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
We did the play when I went to catholic elementary school & they made us read it too. I was just an orphan in the background.
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
No. There's so many different versions but I've always wanted to read this one.
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
Hated it. That Colin kid needs a kick in the rear.
74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
I love me some Irish literature & I want to like Joyce, really I do but zzzzzzzz.
76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
No, but I saw the 80's movie w/ Tom Hanks.
80 Possession – AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
Duh. Awesomeness. I can't wait for Christmas this year.
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchel
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
No, but it's a great movie!
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White
More Children's Lit.
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Oh! Doyle Rules!! Heh. Sorry. There are literally dozens of stories. I've read The Hound of The Baskervilles series but that's it.
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
P: What do you read my lord?
H: Words, words, words.
Didn't we cover this already?
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
Yay!! Although everytime I think of it now it reminds me of the Family Guy spoof.
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo
I own the book, but I've never gotten through the whole thing. I've never seen any of the film adaptations. I loved the musical when I was younger. My parents bought me a copy of the Albert Hall concert on VHS. Shaddup.
So ends the longest post I've ever written...
...and I made it waaay longer than it needed to be.
Seriously people, I need to find a f'ing J-O-B.
* - I'm thinking maybe my parents should've focused less on books & more at math. Cuz I SUCK at math.
um.... yeah I'm not sure there are many books there I could highlight to be honest :(. Sad I know. When I was a kid I HATED reading. I only picked up liking it at about 20 :)... I have a lot of catching up to do :)
ReplyDeleteSo stealing this to go up this weekend. I'll email you soon to catch up.
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed me saying hi yesterday :)
If you're planning to make some progress against the list, Five People you Meet in Heaven and The Lovely Bones are quick reads and are pretty good. I'd definitely recommend Da Vinci Code and Kite Runner though, list or not. And I've really liked the two Ian McEwan books I've read. Atonement and Enduring Love.
ReplyDeleteI had to open a new window so I could give this post the credit it deserves.
ReplyDelete#16 I have tried to read this book FIVE times. Every time I have never gotten past the hobbits little party at his house. I am very sure this is chapter one. I can't figure out why I can't get pas this chapter because I know I'm a total book nerd and should LOVE Tolken.
#21 - HOW DO YOU NOT LOVE THIS BOOK? Do you want to come to my house? I own the movie! A little Clark Gable telling Scarlet that she needs to be kissed badly... and he doesn't give a damn?! I love the book, too - it goes so deep. Maybe you just have to have roots in the south to love it? No, no - Pete's mom is straight up Jersey and she loves it too! (Its how we bonded, actually.)
#33 Thank you for loving CS Lewis. I'm not religious but I love it all, his imagery, the story, the characters. Love.
#37 I will send you the Kite Runner for Christmas, but honestly his book 1,000 splendid suns is better. (And the Kite Runner is AHMAZING)
#38 Love this book, I read it after the movie and I fell in love.
#41 Pick it up at a used book store, it will take you all of an hour. I had a lot of Russians in school with me so it was an important book that we covered young. Russian Rev anyone?
#42 Bring it with you on a trip, its a fast read that is a bit exciting.
#58 I LOVE Brave New World its like 1984 without all the pages of big brother shit a much easier read in my book.
#60 I've started this book multiple time. Sorry love, but cholera doesn't get me interested I guess
#65 You should read the Count of Monte Cristo it includes a lot of the French Rev and is pretty exciting
#89 I thought I had read them all and then in HS I had a neighbor who had like ALL of them so I systematically stole and read them for months until he realized I was the one making htem go missing.
#92 Read this book, its simple and it is very uplifting. It will take you 15 minutes. Little Prince is awesome.
#98 Frailty, Thy Name is Woman. For some reason, that is one of my favorites from that play.
*Books like Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, Catcher in the Rye, Rebecca, Grapes of Wrath, Emma, Anne of Green Gables, Lord of the Flies, Secret Garden - I know the stories very well and I know I've picked up the books but I have no memory of reading them from start to finish so I couldn't count them. They're on that "Read one day so you can finally count them" list for me.
Okay, ends the longest comment. EVER.