Around the Year in 52 Books discussion
Progress Posts 2017
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23: A book from the BBC "The Big Read" list
What are you reading this week?The Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
About half of them
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
The Book Thief by Marcus Zuzak should definitely be there
What are you reading this week?I'm re-reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I've read 79/200.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Everything that's on there deserves to be on there, as it's a best-loved, not best book list. Except The Alchemist.
I am reading Emma by Jane Austen.I believe I have read 30 others on list.
This week I am reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane AustenThis book was on BBC's The Big Read list which has 100 books. out of the 100 books on this list, I have read 15 of them and a couple of books on TBR just also happens to be on my reading list for this year.
I believe that The Book Thief by Markus Zusak deserves a spot on the list. I wish there were more YA books on TBR because there are so many YA books out there that everybody recognizes for it's amazing story (The Hunger Games, The Outsiders, etc.) and I believe the YA genre deserves more recognition outside the crowd it was created for.
What are you reading this week?Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
Not many; maybe less than 50 of the top 200.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
This seems like such a random and far-reaching list. And I am not a native of GB so I can not really say.
- What are you reading this week?The BFG by Roald Dahl
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I have read 48 of the top 200, but I have some of them in my plan for this year :)
- Are there any books that you think should have been included? I don't know the requirements to be in that list, so it's difficult to say, especially when you find books in the list so different between them, like, for example, East of Eden and George's Marvellous Medicine.
What are you reading this week?Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I have read a lot of classic literature, so I have.
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
There are certainly books I wish more Brits liked, but not being British myself it is hardly my place to say which book they should like best.
- What are you reading this week?Kim by Rudyard Kipling
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
Roughly 50 so far..
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
As I'm Australian, I can't comment on which books I think the Brits should love.. although there seem to be an overwhelming number of British authors..
Mod
- Have you already read many of the books on the list? Quite a few
- Are there any books that you think should have been included? It's very much a popular list heavy on the books that were popular when it came out. It's heavy on those books and not so heavy on others that might deserve to be included.
What are you reading this week?I read Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett.
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
35 or so from the top 100.
I forgot to post when I started, but I just finished my book from this category, so better late that never!What are you reading this week?
The Stand by Stephen King
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
Only a few here and there
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
I have read so many amazing WWII Historical Fiction books that desevr to be on this list. The Book Thief and The Nightingale to name a few. Also The Help deserves to be on that list!
What are you reading this week? 
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I've read 62/200 which is way more than I was expecting.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
There's so many other books that could have been on there but then the list would be ridiculously long.
- What are you reading this week?
- Have you already read many of the books on the list? Not as many as I would like.
- Are there any books that you think should have been included? Books are so subjective but there are definitely lots of book that I love that were not included.
- What are you reading this week?The 39 Steps by John Buchan
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
61
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Not sure, probably should be more Wodehouse.
- What are you reading this week?The Witches by Roald Dahl
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I have read 54 so far, with this and seven more on my list for 2017.
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Could have used some Dame Agatha Christie.
- What are you reading this week?A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I have read 53 books included in the list.
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
I have a few favourites that are not there, but I acknowledge they may not be for everyone and there are some books on the list that I don't intend to read either. Book choices are personal.
What are you reading this week?Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
Only 25 from the top 100 so far
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Probably, but the list is from 2003 so I think you should let it be as it is
-What are you reading this week?The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
Yes, but many were so long ago that I'd like to reread them to see if my understanding has changed with a different perspective. So many books, so little time! :)
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Yes, but what which would be removed to make room?
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What are you reading this week?Middlemarch
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I've read 41 out of the 200 book list.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Maybe My Name Is Asher Lev? I really think more people should read it!
- What are you reading this week? Lord of the Flies by William Golding- Have you already read many of the books on the list? 46 of them
- Are there any books that you think should have been included? When I channel my 2003 British self most of what I would have voted for is on the list. The only book I can think of would be Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi but not sure how popular this was in Britain.
What are you reading this week?Silas Marner by George Eliot
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
This will make 69 out of 200.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
I think it's an interesting document of what people thought in 2003, so no. I do think new surveys should be done periodically and compared, though!
Memoirs of a GeishaI've read about half of the top 100. I've got them all on my TBR list but realistically I won't read them all. Unlikely to read the Jacqueline Wilson books as my daughter has out grown them, and tried and failed to read the last book in the Lord of the rings trilogy ( which by the way I think is a bit of a cheat to include trilogies as one entry but the Harry Potter series are listed seperately )
I think it would be interesting if the list was updated every year or two
- What are you reading this week? The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde- Have you already read many of the books on the list? No, I've read less than 20/200, but have around 50 on my tbr.
- Are there any books that you think should have been included? Probably, there's been a lot of great books since the list was compiled.
What are you reading this week?Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
Yes
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
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What are you reading this week? The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar WildeHave you already read many of the books on the list?
So far, I've read 31/200, but there are quite a few books on the list that're on my to-read list, so I'm sure that number will rise by the end of the year.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
As others have mentioned, I think The Book Thief deserves to be on there. I'm sure there are others as well. It would be interesting to see what an updated version of the list would look like, since it was made back in 2003 and so many amazing books have come out since then.
What are you reading this week?Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I've recently set myself the very long term goal of reading all the books on this list, and I'm only going to count books I've read from the start of 2017 towards this goal. I've read 18 of the top 50 books at some time, and so far this year I've read four of the top 200.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Not really. I think as it's a "best loved" books list chosen by the public, it doesn't make sense to me to say something is missing. If it were claiming to list the 200 greatest books in the world I'd say there are plenty of good books missing, but that's not really the point of the list. It is quite typically British though - lots of Victorian classics and very few books originally written in a language other than English.
What are you reading this week?1984
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
18 of 'em
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Green Eggs and Ham
What are you reading this week?Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
43/100
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Not really. All lists are made up of people's opinions and these vary from list to list.
Laura wrote: "The BBC The Big Read is an attempt at listing the nation's best-loved novel. So surely we can all find something great on that list! For those reading in order: June 5-June 11
Suggestions for thi..."
The link for the BBC list is not working? How do you find it?
Mom2triplets04 wrote: "Laura wrote: "The BBC The Big Read is an attempt at listing the nation's best-loved novel. So surely we can all find something great on that list! For those reading in order: June 5-June 11
Sugge..."
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_B...
What are you reading this week?catch-22
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
6
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
The Help
- What are you reading this week?
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
10
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Anne Frank
What are you reading this week?The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
It doesn't seem like it.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
To be honest, I'm not sure. I didn't really delve deep into the list or why it exists. I'm not a list person in that way. For this challenge, I looked through the list to see if a book on my TBR list was included. I found one, so I read it and that was that :)
What are you reading this week?The Woman in White
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
30
Are there any books that you think should have been included? I have not thought about it.
- What are you reading this week?A Prayer for Owen Meany
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
30 of the top 100
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption,
by Laura Hillenbrand
The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak
Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese
Angle of Repose, by Wallace Stegner
- What are you reading this week?Noughts & Crosses by Malorie Blackman
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
Yes, I have
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
I think it's a pretty good list.
- What are you reading this week?I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
37/200 - more than I expected, but not that many overall, though I have quite a few on my TBR for this year.
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
Hmm, the list definitely seems to be more of a cultural survey, so I hesitate to change it, especially since I don't know what's "in" in the UK. If this were a US list, I would expect either Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys to be on it.
What are you reading this week? Rebecca by Daphne du MaurierHave you already read many of the books on the list? About 30
Are there any books that you think should have been included? Like others, I hesitate to add books to a favorites list from the UK. I would take one off though, and that is the dreadful The Alchemist.
- What are you reading this week?Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
31/200
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
No, there are books on the list I have never heard of and books I like a lot that are not on the list, but since I'm not from the UK that is not strange and it was voted for a few years ago so it probably would be different today.
- What are you reading this week?Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
About a dozen of the top 100
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
I agree with past comments, as it's something that's voted on in a country I do not live in I can't really say what should and should not be there.
- What are you reading this week?Great Expectations by Charles Dickens- Have you already read many of the books on the list? About 22 or so
- Are there any books that you think should have been included? Well, it's based on a poll of the UK's favorite books, so I don't think I can't really say.
What are you reading this week?Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
I've read 44 of the top 200, 31 of which were in the top 100. Most of the ones I've read are classics, as opposed to well-loved contemporary books.
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
No, but I'm kind of surprised so many Thomas Hardy books are on the list. I have a hard time getting through his novels.
- What are you reading this week? American Psycho
- Have you already read many of the books on the list? I've read 39/200
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?
I think this is a pretty comprehensive list.
What are you reading this week?Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Have you already read many of the books on the list?
54 of the 200
Are there any books that you think should have been included?
No, because it was created by a voting process. If it was done again now I'm sure I wouldn't vote exactly as I did back then, but that just means it's time to do it again, rather than there being anything missing from the original list. I'm surprised at how strongly I feel about this! Maybe it's because I took part in the voting and watched on TV.
That's really cool that you took part, Marie! I wonder if they'll do another one, maybe next year, or maybe in 2023. I'd love to see it.
I'm British, I love books and voting in surveys - it was kind of a perfect storm for me :) Books don't get much TV coverage, so it was great. I'm really surprised they haven't done it again.
How many books did you get to vote on? Just the one? What did you vote for?
I can barely remember what I voted for last week in the poll for our categories next year, 2003 is a bit of a stretch :) Definitely Terry Pratchett though, he was my favourite back then, just as he is now. I had a look last night and loads of the shows are on YouTube, I may have to try and watch some, I've read a lot more of the books on the list now, so it'll be interesting to hear them discussed.
I've read 85/200 now, and am slowly working my way through them. I've little interest in reading the 15 or so Jacqueline Wilson books, unless my daughter has an interest in them. It's funny that she's obviously so incredibly popular in the UK, but I'd never heard of her until I came across this list (I'm Australian, so we get a fair amount of exposure to British stuff).
Around the Year in 52 Books
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (other topics)The BFG (other topics)
Ulysses (other topics)
The Book Thief (other topics)
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
C.S. Lewis (other topics)Kenneth Grahame (other topics)
Barbara Kingsolver (other topics)
Lewis Carroll (other topics)
Jean M. Auel (other topics)
More...
For those reading in order: June 5-June 11
Suggestions for this category: my link text
To discuss the book, don't forget to add it in the A-Z folders or join the existing discussion. Please, don't discuss the book here.
Progress Post:
- What are you reading this week?
- Have you already read many of the books on the list?
- Are there any books that you think should have been included?