The Big Read

[Varda Oiolosseo]

ok i had absolutely no idea where to put this at all so i appologise if it's in the wrong forum.

The Big Read is basically the top 100 books in Britain, and it has been narrowed down to 21 and on TV there is a programme, each week in which they go into detail about 3 of the books. You also vote for which is your favourite and sometime in December they announce which book is Britains favourite.

Books which have made it into the final 21 are; Birdsong, Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Catch-22, The Catcher in the Rye, Great Expectations, Gone with the Wind, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, His Dark Materials, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Jane Eyre, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Little Women, The Lord of the Rings, Nineteen Eighty-Four, To Kill a Mockingbird, Pride and Prejudice, Rebecca, War and Peace, The Wind in the Willows, Winnie the Pooh, Wuthering Heights.

I was just wondering which book do like best out of them all? which would be your number 1?

[Katt_knome_hobbit]

Damn! I want Brittish television!

Let's look at that list again.

Birdsong
Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Catch-22
The Catcher in the Rye
Great Expectations
Gone with the Wind
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
His Dark Materials
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Jane Eyre
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Little Women
The Lord of the Rings
Nineteen Eighty-Four
To Kill a Mockingbird
Pride and Prejudice
Rebecca
War and Peace
The Wind in the Willows
Winnie the Pooh
Wuthering Heights


Let's see, out of those 21 I've read 8:
Catch-22
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Lord of the Rings
Pride and Prejudice
The Wind in the Willows
Winnie the Pooh

Well that's not too bad. I need to catch up a bit on my cultural literacy.

I think that most people here will favour Lord of the Rings, but here's my order of the ones I've read.

1. Pride and Prejudice
2. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
3. The Lord of the Rings
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
5. Catch-22
6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
7. Winnie the Pooh
8. The Wind in the Willows

And that's by no means to say that the Wind in the Willows is bad, but it is just not as good as the others.

[The Gaffer]

They're all so different, I don't know how to choose. Desert island book would have to be LOTR; most important book would be 1984; best read would be Catch-22,

Not read Birdsong, His Dark Materials, Jane Eyre, Little Women or Wuthering Heights

Did anyone see the LOTR prog last night? Was it any good? They had that Ray (here's how to survive in the wilderness by chewing moss) Mears bloke doing it, which seemed an odd choice.

[zinnite]

That's tough... I've read only slightly over half the books on the list. Like The Gaffer said, they're all so different, I can't easily pick a #1. Honestly, some of the ones I've read would end up in a tie for the top spot.

Catch-22
LOTR
1984
To Kill A Mockingbird
The Catcher in the Rye
Rebecca

I couldn't stand Gone With the Wind. P&P is good, but I didn't really get into it enough to love it. As for the others, which I won't mention, at least I can say I've read them ;)

[Tuor of Gondolin]

Are any of the novels of Charles Williams on the list? I bought a set of all seven when in England and thought they were quite good and original.

As for the 21 listed, my top eight of them (had to read "The Catcher in the Rye" in college [BORING!!!], the book, that is:



1---The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy;)
(I have all five books in the trilogy)
2---LOTR
3---Catch-22
4---War and Peace
5---Great Expectations
6---The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
7---Nineteen Eighty-Four
8---The Wind in the Willows

[Earniel]

Let's see... for the books I have read...

1. The Lord of the Rings
2. His Dark Materials
3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
4. Jane Eyre
5. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
6. Rebecca
7. Wuthering Heights
8. Great Expectations

(I've read 'The Catcher in the Rye' as well but I hated it so that I don't even want to put it in the list.)

[BeardofPants]

The Lord of the Rings
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Nineteen Eighty-Four
Winnie the Pooh
Little Women
The Wind in the Willows
His Dark Materials
To Kill a Mockingbird
Jane Eyre
Wuthering Heights
Great Expectationsp

I *hated* Great Expectations, and Heathcliffe from Wuthering Heights was enough to incite violence.

[Varda Oiolosseo]

Katt_knome_hobbit i should have written them in a list originally lol thanks. :)

i havn't read many of these either but from what i have read...

1. Lord of the Rings,
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire,
3. His Dark Materials,
4. The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe,
5. Great Expectations,
6. Little Women,
7. Winnie the Pooh,
8. Wind in the Willows

[Goldberry1]

the ones i have read...

1. Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy
1. LOTR
(i can't decide between these two so they're a tie for first!)
3. His Dark Material
4. Winnie the Pooh (it's classic!)
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
6. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
7. To Kill A Mockingbird

i really want to read 1984... and based upon what i know about it, it would probably make my list at number 5 or 6.

[sun-star]

Originally posted by The Gaffer
Did anyone see the LOTR prog last night? Was it any good? They had that Ray (here's how to survive in the wilderness by chewing moss) Mears bloke doing it, which seemed an odd choice.

It was all right, could have been worse. Some of the choices for "celebrity advocate" have been terrible. Ruby Wax on Catcher in the Rye is still making me shudder with horror :D

My list:

1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Great Expectations
3. LOTR
4. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
5. Harry Potter
6. 1984
7. The Catcher in the Rye
8. The Wind in the Willows
9. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
10. Winnie the Pooh
11. Little Women
12. Jane Eyre
13. Rebecca
14. Wuthering Heights
15. Birdsong

I expect LOTR is going to win. Just as well they didn't allow more than one book by each author, or Harry Potter would have been top 5 :rolleyes:

Here's the top 100 if anyone's interested (and you can vote too):

The Big Read (http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/top100.shtml)

[hectorberlioz]

oh bother...(winnie the pooh ;))
they're all so good.
Great expectations
lotr
lion,witch and the wardrobe
wind in the willows
winnie the pooh
war and peace...
lotr of course:)
but second fav is hard...
i'll let winnie the pooh and war and peace tie:D

[The Gaffer]

Originally posted by sun-star
I expect LOTR is going to win.
Yeah, by a mile.

I think they did one of these things for the millenium and it came out top by a long way.

Motivated fan base including lots of hackers to script autmated polling bots would be the main reason.

[Mercutio]

I haven't read all the books on your list, but most of them.

In no specific order, I enjoyed Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, the Lion..., Little Women, LoTR, Mockingbird, and Pride and Prejudice. Not on the list, I also liked Anne of Green Gables, Dorothy Sayers (Lord Peter Wimsey), A. Conan Doyle (Sherlock Holmes) and Henry James novels.

Mercutio (Oh, I forgot to mention the obvious, Shakespeare)

[Varda Oiolosseo]

I expect LOTR is going to win.

Well every week they also show the leader board and LOTR has been number 1 each week so far so they are doing well but it could change. :)

[hectorberlioz]

i wouldnt expect it to though.

[Varda Oiolosseo]

Lord of the Rings still number 1

The final results are in 2 weeks! :)

[Attalus]

Well, I voted for The Lord of the Rings, and obviously, so did a lot of other folks.

[sun-star]

Yep, LOTR won, followed by Pride and Prejudice.

[Goldberry1]

as expected. the top five:

1. LOTR
2. Pride and Prejudice
3. His Dark Materials
4. Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

[Mercutio]

I love LoTR (of course) but am so proud that Austen, a English spinister who lived 200 years ago, got #2. She has got to be one of my favorite authors.

Why can't there be Knightleys & Col. Brandons in the 21st century? Or why can't I live in her novels!