On facebook today, a girlfriend had one of those "paste this into your notes" type surveys. The premise was that out of the listed hundred books, the BBC believed that most people would have read only 6. (some were book series counted as one)
I was quite delighted to realise that I had read 26 of them, but saddened to acknowledge that it had been many, many years since I had. Of late, I've found it difficult to focus on a book long enough to read it through, which is quite a distinct difference from a few years ago, where I could get through a book in a day. (I read Deathly Hallows in under 8 hours. I did time it too... but I still think Gwyn read it faster). Some of them, I'd either heard of, or even had on my bookshelf at one time, but never got around to, and others, I've seen the movie, but not actually read the book. There were also some they I've started, but not fonished for some reason or other.
So, I'm going to make it my endeavour to read the entire list in the coming year. I'm going to post it over to the side and cross them off as I read them. I'll pop in bold the ones I already have. I'll italic them if I want to read it again, to refresh.
Which ones should I make my priority?
I used to be the biggest book bug you could ever find. I read "Circle of Friends" (Maeve Binchy) in under 12 hours. When I last moved house, I think I had at least 2 boxes of books for every 1 of anything else.
But now, I seem to be collecting books and not reading them. I've had 5 on my bedside table for the past 4 months, and I've only finished ONE of them. (Charlie Pickering's "Impractical Jokes"). Just yesterday I bought 2 more books - one is a sequel to one I own, but haven't read yet. Yeah.
However, without even looking at the BBC list (or the NYT top 100 which came out today too), I always recommend these two books to everyone. I read them as part of a study in Yr 12 and they changed the way I think.
Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451" (this is SHORT)
Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World"
And then follow them up with Bridget Jones 1 & 2 :D
(the BOOKS, not the movies. Although, feel free to watch them too! A bit of Firth never hurts)
I just wanted to leave another comment.
I'm a bit shocked at how many of these I haven't read! I've been "collecting" the Jane Austen books, and we read "Lord of the Rings" in year 6 at school.
I am pleased that Bridget makes the cut :)
I've obviously read the 'wrong' Austin books ;)
I recently read The Memory Keeper's Daughter. It's a interesting book. Kinda slow but I was enthralled enough to finish it.
I'm a huge mystery reader, but am trying to read more of the classics. I just started today East of Eden. And bought while we were out of town Jane Eyre, Count of Monte Cristo, Persuasion & (I think) Northanger Abby by Jane Austen.
I'm shocked - SHOCKED, I tell you - that you haven't read Lord of the Rings. Please rectify that immediately or we may no longer be able to be friends. Half the meaningful analogies I make about my life come from Tolkien.
After that, I really enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger, and then you might enjoy her second book, Her Fearful Symmetry. It's a bit of an odd story (it's a ghost story), but I think you and Adam will enjoy the Dutch character Marijke as much as I did. I listened to it on CD (ooh, I'll send you the set if you want to listen to it!) on a long car trip, and a couple quotes from that book made me burst out laughing just so I wouldn't cry.
I just couldn't get into it when I tried to read them in 8th grade, and haven't tried since. At further risk of our friendship... I've never seen the movies either. I got halfway (I think) throughout the first (extended) one and I was all like "us if nearly over??" When Adam said no, I think I went off and did something else.
i really hate iphone auto correct sometimes... ;)