Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Kaleea
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 06:24 AM

My all time fav author is the wonderful P. G. Wodehouse! They would be great for older kids! Alas, his books are difficult to find. I haven't read kids' books just for my sheer pleasure (as opposed to reading them to kids) since about 5th grade.
    Of all the literally thousands of books I have read in all my life, I don't think that I could I could narrow them down to a list of 21 favs. Wodehouse would have to be way up there on the list somewhere in a few places!
             BUT . . .
    In the "desert island" scenario, I would absolutely have to take my copy of "Light From Many Lamps" edited & with commentary by Lillian Eichler Watson. Because a marvelous man, Lewis Meyer (Lawyer turned Bookstore owner, author, speaker, leading citizen, etc.), who had his "Bookshelf" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, told me it was his favorite, & the book he kept on his nightstand & read from each night since 1951 or 52 or so, I bought it. Now it is on my nightstand, & I read from it most nights & sometimes even during the day, sometimes when I am speaking for various functions, sometimes at Bible study or prayer groups.
I was visiting in Tulsa a few years back, & on Sunday morning I happened to catch his weekly Sunday am TV book review show--which he was doing back when I was a kid in Tulsa! He reviewed a couple of books, & then took almost half of the 30 minute program for the next review.
He read several quotes from many writers, philosophers, great thinkers, statesmen (i.e., Abraham Lincoln), various scriptures of various religions. He said it was what he believed to be the most inspiring book he had ever found--other than a book of scriptures from any of the major religions--Mr. Meyer happened to be Jewish. Mr. Meyer passed away during the following week. Tulsans who had watched faithfully over the years could not recall him ever having given a review about "Light From Many Lamps." Some of his loyal customers said he would mention from time to time that "one of these days" he'd have to do a review of it on the show, since he always kept several copies in stock. The following week, his daughter had to order several hundred copies. On some level, he knew it was time.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Hrothgar
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 05:28 AM

And, come to think of it, only one mention in the whole thread of John Steinbeck.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: GUEST,Suzanne
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 04:28 AM

also Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: GUEST,Suzanne
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 04:01 AM

I can only think of a few favorite books, but a ton of
favorite authors -

favorite books, The Sparrow by Mary Russell, and Children of
God by her as well - books that combine music, theology and
science fiction, and wonderfully well written as well.


favorite authors,
Ray Bradbury,
Kurt Vonnegut,
John Brunner(especially for his Stand on Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up)
Robin Hobbs,
Octavia Butler and
Sherri Tepper leap to mind,
and Terry Pratchett, because you cannot leave out an author
whose characters say things like "There is no doubt that being
human is incredibly difficult and cannot be mastered in one
lifetime." Also
Kipling for the Jungle Books and Stalky
and Co. among others, and
P.G. Wodehouse,
Larry McMurtry,
James Thurber,
Gerald Durrell,
Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe mysteries),
Arthur Upfield (Australian Napoleon Bonaparte mysteries),
H. R. F. Keating (Inspector Ghote mysteries),
Janet Evanovich (Stephanie Plum mysteries),

and my new favorite mystery author
Alexander McCall Smith who wrote The Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency, which is set in Botswana

Tim Cahill - travel writing
John McPhee
Anne Tyler
Lindsay Davis
Fay Weldon
Donald Westlake
Anne Proulx
Annie Lamott

As I child I liked Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons,
and E. Nesbit's Five Children and It - anybody remember those?

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 22 Oct 03 - 12:27 AM

Hrothgar, I knew I'd miss thinking of a few favorites. "Hard Times," Stud Terkel's interviews with people who lived through the great depression in the USA.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Hrothgar
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 03:12 AM

Nothing by Studs Terkel?

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 21 Oct 03 - 02:53 AM

Here are my favorite books, fiction and nonfiction. I agree with McGrath that choosing one favorite is pretty fruitless, but I'm a sort of list person (alltime NFL and baseball team fantasy lists, etc.).

Not in any ranking:

Fiction:
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
An American Tragedy, by Theodore Dreiser
The Old Country, by Sholem Aleichem
Puckoon, by Spike Milligan
Our Dumb Century, by the staff of The Onion
most TinTin books
Nineteen Nineteen, by John Dos Passos
Harry Potter books

Nonfiction:
With The Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa, by Eugene Sledge
Low Life, by Luc Sante
Sailortown, by Stan Hugill
as a matter of fact, anything by Stan Hugill
Parting The Waters: America In The King Years: 1954-63, by Taylor Branch
Local People: The Struggle For Civil Rights In Mississippi, by John Dittmer
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, by Peter Biskind
Den Of Thieves, by James B. Stewart
High Times, Hard Times, by Anita O'Day
King Of The World, by David Remnick
Up In The Old Hotel, by Joseph Mitchell
The Glory Of Their Times, by Lawrence S. Ritter
Truman, by David McCullough
Interpreting Our Heritage, by Freeman Tilden
Storm Landings, by Joseph Alexander
Three Lives For Mississippi, by William Bradford Huie
Great Chefs of France, by Anthony Blake and Quentin Crewe
Heaven's Banquet, by Miriam Kasin Hospodar
Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, compiled by Michael Shaw
Walker Evans, by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Walker Evans, by James R. Mellow (biography)

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: AliUK
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 09:59 PM

First of all I think Peter T should burn in the fires of Orodruin for that remark...but my 21 faves of all time
The Lord of the Rings
The Dark is Rising Sequence( which I am about to re-read)
His Dark Materials
Moorcock´s Runestaff books
Wind in the Willows
Buchan´s Hannay Novels ( Greenmantle and Mr. Stand fast are far superior to the 39 steps)
Wilkie Collin´s Moonstone
Ivanhoe ( which I have Just re-read)
Anything by John D. MacDonald
Iain Banks Espedaire Street
Voice of the Fire by Alan Moore
Anything by Alan Garner ( but Esp. Red Shift and The Weirdstone of Brisingamen)
Foucault´s Pendulum by Umberto Eco ( much better than the name of the Rose)
Nostromo ( took me a while to read but well worth it)
Jubiaba by Jorge Amado
House of the Spirits Elizabeth Allende
The Alienist by Caleb CArr
The Oroborous Trilogy by E.R. Eddison
It Stephen King
Puck of Pook´s Hill Rudyard Kipling
and finally...
Lavondyss by Robert Holdstock ( a beautiful piece of writing).

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: LilyFestre
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 07:56 PM

er....make that Red Water by Judith Freeman.

Sorry 'bout that!

Michelle

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: LilyFestre
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 07:55 PM

Two books that currently top my list of favorites are:

Mrs. Mike by The Freedmans
and
Red Water by Judith Freedman

As a child, I think Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time and C.S. Lewis' The Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe are most memorable.

Michelle

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Peter T.
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 03:58 PM

Nah, the films of Lord of the Rings are far superior to the books. You don't have to wade through all that mediocre prose.

yours, Peter T.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: MBSLynne
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 03:24 PM

I don't think the young adult books are on because they were assigned books at school. Several of the ones I put are young adult or children's books and I wasn't assigned any of them at school. I wouldn't put Frankenstein or Dracula on my list, though I read and enjoyed both. You can't put on ALL the books you've enjoyed, it would take up too much space. As for them being superior to the films, aren't all books?

I once went through a phase of reading all the lovely old Gothic romances and "Mysteries of Udolpho" was brilliant.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: GUEST,Kim C no cookie
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 03:05 PM

I have read 10 of those 21 that Peter posted. And I agree about Frankenstein and Dracula.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Menolly
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 03:02 PM

I have read 15 out of the 21. Of those I think my favourite must be Phillip Pullman, Dark Materials.
But my total favourite book, not too high brow The Dragon Singer by Anne MacCaffrey. Surprise! Surprise!

Menolly

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Peter T.
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 10:55 AM

I would have thought Harry Potter would be a solid refutation of a "not being maimed or marred" theory!

The original list is fiction, which I guess I should have said.

I wonder why Frankenstein isn't on the list. Maybe no one reads the book any more -- but it is far superior to any movie. The same is true of Dracula, a wonderful book.

yours,

Peter T.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: GUEST,Kim C no cookie
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 10:10 AM

I'm not a Brit - I hope it's all right for me to add my tuppence worth. I love books too!

The Black Flower
The Year of Jubilo
The Secret Life of Bees
Les Miserables
A Tale of Two Cities
Ivanhoe
A Wrinkle in Time
Misery
The Sackett novels by Louis L'Amour
Lonesome Dove
Gentle Tamers
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Follow the River
Killer Angels
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

I'm sure there are more. Some of these, I haven't read in many years, but remember how much I enjoyed them. For a time I only read non-fiction, but I've got back to reading some fiction again for fun.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 09:38 AM

An interesting expalantion, but I don't agree that this is the case. Still some vert good ya books on the list.Has anyone read Raiders Tide (YA0 bt Maggie Prince... a very good book.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 09:27 AM

GUEST wondered about the high per centage of young adult books here. Perhaps I can answer that. (This thought actually came from a librarian.) If you want to read something that's upbeat, where the s/hero wins without being maimed or marred in the process, then you're pretty much limited to young adult fiction.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Rapparee
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 08:27 AM

Oooooooooookay.... I'm a librarian, and this list is personal and subject to change at any moment. Moreover, it's not in any particular order, but the order MAY be peculiar.

Starship troopers, Heinlein.
Goodbye to all that, Graves.
The Things they carried, O'Brien.
Cowboy Curmudgeon, McRae.
A Brief history of time, Hawking.
The devouring fungus, (can't remember)
Up on the river, Madsen.
Breakup, Stabenow.
Anything with words in print, including (but not limited to) toilet paper wrappers, flour bags, outhouse walls, warning signs, and sewer lids.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 08:26 AM

I read the Lemony Snickett books and did not enjoy them but I did love the Phillip Pullman Books. I always enjoy knowing what other people read and I see lots of Good Suggestions here. I have never read "Kim" but will put it on my list for sure.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Peter T.
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 08:09 AM

Like I said, assigned school books.

I agree about "Kim" -- it is one of the most underrated books ever. I marvel at how Kipling was able to portray the Tibetan lama: easily the best description of a saintly man in literature.   

yours,

Peter T.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: GUEST
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 07:44 AM

Anything by Virginia Woolf, especially To The Lighthouse. Fifth Business-Robertson Davies/ The Once And Future King-T.H. White, Testament of Youth-Vera Brittain, Silas Marner-George Eliot-On The Eve-Turgenev, Return of The Native-Thomas Hardy, The Stone Angel-Margaret Lawrence, A Distant Mirror-Barbara Tuchman, Down and Out In Paris and London-George Orwell.
   An interesting thread. Seems to be a lot of young adult stuff, any particular reason I wonder.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: sian, west wales
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 07:08 AM

This BBC project - The Big Read - is here. If you look at the Top 100 books, you'll see that many of the faves mentioned above are there, just not in the top 21. There was a rule that only one book by any one author could make it to the Top 21 hence, for example, only one Harry Potter.

sian

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: MBSLynne
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 06:35 AM

I agree with McGrath too, but I do love discussing books I like with other people, so I'll join in. I'm very boring though, I'm afraid. I love "Lord of the Rings" and have read it now eight times. After that come most, though not all of Terry Pratchett's discworld books, A quartet of books by Diana Gabaldon, The Wind in the Willows, Both the Winnie the Poohs, all the Anne of Green Gables books and the Lymmond books by Dorothy Dunnett. I also love Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising sequence. Having enjoyed all these, I now enjoy them again by reading them to my children. We read "His Dark Materials" together too and my son loved them. I was less keen. I'm told the books by Lemony Snickett (not a real name surely?) are brilliant. Oh, and of course I forgot...I have to say it...The Harry Potter books. Actually, looking at my list, I think there are more 'children's' books than adult ones! What does that say about me I wonder?

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: alanabit
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 04:30 AM

Maybe I should read Treasure Island again Wilfried. The same is certainly true of Huckleberry Finn. I think it also gets funnier as you grow older.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Wilfried Schaum
Date: 20 Oct 03 - 03:04 AM

1066 and all that by [have to look it up, 2 profs]
Good bye to all that
I Claudius, and Claudius the God
Declarations of War
The Hitchhikers Guide through the Galaxy, and the other four volumes of the trilogy [!]
Evelyn Waugh's trilogy about World War II
All of Tom Sharpe
A Good Man in Africa, and Stars and Bars
Kim
Treasure Island
Scouting for Boys
Starship Troopers
[list not ranked]
A note about Kim and Treasure Island: I think they are wrongly judged as books for young people; the older I get the more poetry and insight I find in them.

Wilfried

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 19 Oct 03 - 10:51 PM

I tend to agree with McGrath but, just to play the game, the few that come to mind straight-away are:

Through The Looking Glass
The Prince gy Macchiavelli
Lives of the Twelve Noble Emperors by Suetonius
anything by CS Lewis, especially The Screwtape Letters
anything by Charles Williams, especially All Hallows Eve
most of Farley Mowat, especially The Dog Who Wouldn't Be
all of Gerrald Durrell's books, especially the autobiographical ones
Forty Days of Musa Dagh by Franz Werfel
Monkey by A Whaley
Dee Goong An by van Gulik
and bunches of others

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 19 Oct 03 - 07:57 PM

I hate the whole idea of competitive lists, where they keep whittling the number down with the idea of coming up with "Britain's Favourite Book"

I don't have "a favourite book" any more than I have "a favourite song". It all depends.

Rather like the question "which is your favourite colour" all depends on whether you are talking about the sky or the grass or a portion of chips.

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Blowzabella
Date: 19 Oct 03 - 07:40 PM

I've always loved Susan Cooper's 'The Dark is Rising' series - first read it when I was about 14 and now read it every winter, on the run up to Christmas - it has become a bit of a ritual

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: pixieofdoom
Date: 19 Oct 03 - 07:01 PM

The Dark Materials trilogy are another set of books aimed at children and read by adults. Well worth reading though, I enjoyed them very much. The first one's called 'Northern Lights'

Subject: RE: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: mg
Date: 19 Oct 03 - 04:12 PM

Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington....contains prescriptions for us all to follow...should be the cornerstone of all educational endeavors. mg

Subject: Brits 21 Favourite Books -- Yours?
From: Peter T.
Date: 19 Oct 03 - 04:09 PM

This is the list from the BBC of the favourite 21 books (they had to push the other Harry Potter books down the list, I am told). The names after the authors are people who I guess are going to be discussing the books in the rampup to the big no.1 finish. Looking at the list, the one obvious thing is that most of them are probably schoolbooks that people read then, and never read anything else! Anyone know anything about "His Dark Materials"? The only one I have never heard of.

yours, Peter T.

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks (William Hague MP)
Captain Correlli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières (Clare Short MP)
Catch-22 by Joseph L Heller (John Sergeant)
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (Ruby Wax)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (Arabella Weir)
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (David Dimbleby)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (Fay Ripley)
His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman (Benedict Allen)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (Sanjeev
                      Bhaskar)
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë (Lorraine Kelly)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis (Ronni Ancona)
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (Sandi Toksvig)
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien (Ray Mears)
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (Jo Brand)
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Meera Syal)
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (Alan Titchmarsh)
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (John Humphrys)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Simon Schama)
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame (Bill Oddie)
Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne (Phill Jupitus)
Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë (Alistair McGowan)