All's fair in love and war and Best Books list?

It's interesting how USian that list clearly is.

Got any from other English speaking countries to compare?

Here's one version of Australia's favourite books...the various lists appear to be different to greater or lesser extents:


1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

3. The Bible (Various Contributors)

4. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee

5. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton

6. Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling

7. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

8. The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams

9. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

10. A Fortunate Life by A.B. Facey

And the rest of the top 100 are:

11. Dirt Music by Tim Winton

12. 800 Horseman by Col Stringer

13. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

14. Zhaun Falun by Li Hongzhi

15. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling

16. Captain Underpants And The Invasion Of The Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space by Dav Pilkey

17. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

18. The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

19. The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame

20. The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger

21. The Pillars Of The Earth by Ken Follett

22. Magician by Raymond E. Feist

23. Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt

24. Dune (Dune Chronicles) by Frank Herbert

25. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry

26. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

27. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth

28. One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

29. 'Fighting' McKenzie Anzac Chaplain by Col Stringer

30. Deltora Quest Series by Emily Rodda

31. Tomorrow, When The War Began by John Marsden

32. Perfume: The Story Of A Murder by Patrick Suskind

33. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

34. The Ancient Future Trilogy by Traci Harding

35. The God Of Small Things by Arundhati Roy

36. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling and The Power Of One by Bryce Courenay

37. The Shipping News by Annie Proulx

38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres

39. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

40. Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

41. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

42. Cross Stitch by Diana Gabaldon

43. Persuasion by Jane Austen

44. Ice Station by Matthew Reilly

45. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier

46. Life Of Pi by Yann Martel

47. Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky

48. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

49. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

50. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

51. A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

52. Love In The Time Of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

53. Rage by Steve Gerlach

54. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

55. The Mists Of Avalon by Marion Zimmer-Bradley

56. Cafe Scheherazade by Arnold Zable

57. The Bone People by Keri Hulme

58. Jessica by Bryce Courtenay

59. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Book 2) by J. K. Rowling

60. The Fortunes Of Richard Mahony by Henry Handel Richardson

61. My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell

62. War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy

63. Wild Swans by Jung Chang

64. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin

65. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer

66. Eragon by Christopher Paolini

67. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts

68. Memoirs Of A Geisha by Arthur Golden

69. The Riders by Tim Winton

70. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

71. Angela's Ashes by Frank Mccourt

72. The Age Of Reason by Thomas Paine

73. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

74. Middlemarch by George Eliot

75. Emma by Jane Austen

76. Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie

77. The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje

78. Matilda by Roald Dahl

79. Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig

80. On The Road by Jack Kerouac

81. The Bfg by Roald Dahl

82. Animal Farm by George Orwell

83. Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks

84. A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving

85. Boyz Rule by Felice Arena and Phil Kettle

86. Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly

87. The Secret History by Donna Tartt

88. Looking For Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta

89. Watership Down by Richard Adams

90. The Thorn Birds by Colleen Mccullough

91. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand

92. Winnie The Pooh by A. A. Milne

93. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) by J. K. Rowling

94. The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton

95. Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

96. Heart Of Darkness by Conrad

97. High Fidelity by Nick Hornby

98. Goosebumps by R. L Stine

99. The Magic Pudding by Norman Lindsay

100. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Interesting... I've read 12 of the American list against 24 of the Australian list.

I have read 51 of the Oz one....and have a bunch of others in my to read pile.

I have read 25 of the American ones...a higher percentage.

Take out the Rand and Scientology ones and it looks different.

Bunny! Your list is far more tainted then the American list!

1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
Clearly the hobbits have gamed your online voting system and tainted your list!!

28. One Hundred Years Of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Agoraphobics and hermetic shut-ins!

36. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
59. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Book 2) by J. K. Rowling
93. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) by J. K. Rowling
Muggles, the whole lot of them voted for these books!

46. Life Of Pi by Yann Martel
The Math Mafia!

62. War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy
The military industrial complex (Halliburtan and Blackwater!)

65. Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
Daffy and Donald Duck's friends and family!

71. Angela's Ashes by Frank Mccourt
The secret global union of crematoriums!

82. Animal Farm by George Orwell
PETA!

98. Goosebumps by R. L Stine
Zombies, werewolves, and vampires!

100. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and David Copperfield by Charles
Dickens
International Union of Bread Thieves!

Bit of a Rorschach, no?

Indeed. That's why I didn't do that. Mebbe I will tomorrow.

what i've read from tsar's list

1984 by George Orwell
DUNE by Frank Herbert
THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert Heinlein
STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert Heinlein
BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
THE STAND by Stephen King
LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
MOONHEART by Charles de Lint
HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams
THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess
ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute
STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson
THE MAGUS by John Fowles
I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves
FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams
THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert Heinlein
IT by Stephen King
DOUBLE STAR by Robert Heinlein
CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY by Robert Heinlein
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey

what i've read from the aussie list

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkein
Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix (Book 5) by J. K. Rowling
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
The Hitch Hiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown and Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban (Book 3) by J.K. Rowling
The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis
The Wind In The Willows by Kenneth Grahame
The Catcher In The Rye by J.D. Salinger
Dune (Dune Chronicles) by Frank Herbert
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire (Book 4) by J.K. Rowling
Anne Of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
Alice's Adventures In Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets (Book 2) by J. K. Rowling
My Family And Other Animals by Gerald Durrell
Matilda by Roald Dahl
The Bfg by Roald Dahl
Animal Farm by George Orwell
Watership Down by Richard Adams
Winnie The Pooh by A. A. Milne
Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone (Book 1) by J. K. Rowling
The Magic Faraway Tree by Enid Blyton
Heart Of Darkness by Conrad

Ha. Canajun kids did Blyton, eh?

In addition to Rand and Hubbard, the beginning of the list seems weighted toward SF.

I will admit to enjoying Battlefield Earth. The film adaptation was crap, laughably bad, but what would you expect when adapting a 1000-page work? Mission Earth sucks balls, though.

to be honest, i found audio versions about three years ago and listened then

I'm going to look at the Board's List, for fun. Hmm, pretty poor showing..


ULYSSES by James Joyce
THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner (tried...)
CATCH-22 mby Joseph Heller
DARKNESS AT NOON by Arthur Koestler
SONS AND LOVERS by D.H. Lawrence
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
UNDER THE VOLCANO by Malcolm Lowry
THE WAY OF ALL FLESH by Samuel Butler
1984 by George Orwell
I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves
TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf
AN AMERICAN TRAGEDY by Theodore Dreiser
THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers
SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
NATIVE SON by Richard Wright
HENDERSON THE RAIN KING by Saul Bellow (not sure)
APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA by John O'Hara
U.S.A. (trilogy) by John Dos Passos
WINESBURG, OHIO by Sherwood Anderson
A PASSAGE TO INDIA by E.M. Forster
THE WINGS OF THE DOVE by Henry James
THE AMBASSADORS by Henry James
TENDER IS THE NIGHT by F. Scott Fitzgerald
THE STUDS LONIGAN TRILOGY by James T. Farrell (part of it)
THE GOOD SOLDIER by Ford Madox Ford
ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell
THE GOLDEN BOWL by Henry James
SISTER CARRIE by Theodore Dreiser
A HANDFUL OF DUST by Evelyn Waugh
AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
ALL THE KING'S MEN by Robert Penn Warren
THE BRIDGE OF SAN LUIS REY by Thornton Wilder
HOWARDS END by E.M. Forster
GO TELL IT ON THE MOUNTAIN by James Baldwin
THE HEART OF THE MATTER by Graham Greene
LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
DELIVERANCE by James Dickey
A DANCE TO THE MUSIC OF TIME (series) by Anthony Powell
POINT COUNTER POINT by Aldous Huxley
THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway
THE SECRET AGENT by Joseph Conrad
NOSTROMO by Joseph Conrad
THE RAINBOW by D.H. Lawrence
WOMEN IN LOVE by D.H. Lawrence
TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller
THE NAKED AND THE DEAD by Norman Mailer
PORTNOY'S COMPLAINT by Philip Roth
PALE FIRE by Vladimir Nabokov
LIGHT IN AUGUST by William Faulkner
ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac
THE MALTESE FALCON by Dashiell Hammett
PARADE'S END by Ford Madox Ford
THE AGE OF INNOCENCE by Edith Wharton
ZULEIKA DOBSON by Max Beerbohm
THE MOVIEGOER by Walker Percy
DEATH COMES FOR THE ARCHBISHOP by Willa Cather (part of it, might have finished it)
FROM HERE TO ETERNITY by James Jones
THE WAPSHOT CHRONICLES by John Cheever
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess
OF HUMAN BONDAGE by W. Somerset Maugham
HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad
MAIN STREET by Sinclair Lewis
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH by Edith Wharton
THE ALEXANDRIA QUARTET by Lawrence Durell
A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA by Richard Hughes
A HOUSE FOR MR BISWAS by V.S. Naipaul
THE DAY OF THE LOCUST by Nathanael West
A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway
SCOOP by Evelyn Waugh
THE PRIME OF MISS JEAN BRODIE by Muriel Spark
FINNEGANS WAKE by James Joyce
KIM by Rudyard Kipling
A ROOM WITH A VIEW by E.M. Forster
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh
THE ADVENTURES OF AUGIE MARCH by Saul Bellow
ANGLE OF REPOSE by Wallace Stegner - Now this one I do mean to read
A BEND IN THE RIVER by V.S. Naipaul
THE DEATH OF THE HEART by Elizabeth Bowen
LORD JIM by Joseph Conrad
RAGTIME by E.L. Doctorow
THE OLD WIVES' TALE by Arnold Bennett
THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London
LOVING by Henry Green
MIDNIGHT'S CHILDREN by Salman Rushdie
TOBACCO ROAD by Erskine Caldwell
IRONWEED by William Kennedy
THE MAGUS by John Fowles
WIDE SARGASSO SEA by Jean Rhys
UNDER THE NET by Iris Murdoch
SOPHIE'S CHOICE by William Styron
THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles
THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE by James M. Cain
THE GINGER MAN by J.P. Donleavy
THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS by Booth Tarkington

That reminds me, I want to read that Gerald Durrell..

i read the durrell in the 80's, quite enjoyed it

Hah! Me too. I'm wondering if its popularity is related to The Emperor's New Clothes.

certainly an interesting list but then I'm guessing we are looking at a combination of most popular and best written/crafted. Not exactly a "best books" list.

And now for the readers' list -
ATLAS SHRUGGED by Ayn Rand
THE FOUNTAINHEAD by Ayn Rand
BATTLEFIELD EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
THE LORD OF THE RINGS by J.R.R. Tolkien
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
1984 by George Orwell
ANTHEM by Ayn Rand
WE THE LIVING by Ayn Rand
MISSION EARTH by L. Ron Hubbard
FEAR by L. Ron Hubbard
ULYSSES by James Joyce
CATCH-22 by Joseph Heller
THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald
DUNE by Frank Herbert
THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS by Robert Heinlein
STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND by Robert Heinlein
A TOWN LIKE ALICE by Nevil Shute
BRAVE NEW WORLD by Aldous Huxley
THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger
ANIMAL FARM by George Orwell
GRAVITY'S RAINBOW by Thomas Pynchon
THE GRAPES OF WRATH by John Steinbeck
SLAUGHTERHOUSE FIVE by Kurt Vonnegut
GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell
LORD OF THE FLIES by William Golding
SHANE by Jack Schaefer
TRUSTEE FROM THE TOOLROOM by Nevil Shute
A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving
THE STAND by Stephen King
THE FRENCH LIEUTENANT'S WOMAN by John Fowles
BELOVED by Toni Morrison
THE WORM OUROBOROS by E.R. Eddison
THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner
LOLITA by Vladimir Nabokov
MOONHEART by Charles de Lint
ABSALOM, ABSALOM! by William Faulkner
OF HUMAN BONDAGE by W. Somerset Maugham
WISE BLOOD by Flannery O'Connor
UNDER THE VOLCANO by Malcolm Lowry
FIFTH BUSINESS by Robertson Davies
SOMEPLACE TO BE FLYING by Charles de Lint
ON THE ROAD by Jack Kerouac
HEART OF DARKNESS by Joseph Conrad
YARROW by Charles de Lint
AT THE MOUNTAINS OF MADNESS by H.P. Lovecraft
ONE LONELY NIGHT by Mickey Spillane (who knows now.. I read some Spillane)
MEMORY AND DREAM by Charles de Lint
TO THE LIGHTHOUSE by Virginia Woolf
THE MOVIEGOER by Walker Percy
TRADER by Charles de Lint
THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams
THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers
THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood
BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess
ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
GREENMANTLE by Charles de Lint
ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card
THE LITTLE COUNTRY by Charles de Lint
THE RECOGNITIONS by William Gaddis
STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein
THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson
AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller
INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
THE WOOD WIFE by Terri Windling
THE MAGUS by John Fowles
THE DOOR INTO SUMMER by Robert Heinlein
ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig
I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves
THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London
AT SWIM-TWO-BIRDS by Flann O'Brien
FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis
WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams
NAKED LUNCH by William S. Burroughs
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy
GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurell K. Hamilton
THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert Heinlein
IT by Stephen King
V. by Thomas Pynchon
DOUBLE STAR by Robert Heinlein
CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY by Robert Heinlein
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh
LIGHT IN AUGUST by William Faulkner
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey (not sure, think I did)
A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway
THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles
SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION by Ken Kesey
MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather
MULENGRO by Charles de Lint
SUTTREE by Cormac McCarthy
MYTHAGO WOOD by Robert Holdstock
ILLUSIONS by Richard Bach
THE CUNNING MAN by Robertson Davies
THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie




Huh, I think both of them are strange lists.

A delight!!!!

I grew up on it.

THE HEART IS A LONELY HUNTER by Carson McCullers
THE HANDMAID'S TALE by Margaret Atwood
BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy
A CLOCKWORK ORANGE by Anthony Burgess
ON THE BEACH by Nevil Shute
A PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN by James Joyce
GREENMANTLE by Charles de Lint
ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card
THE LITTLE COUNTRY by Charles de Lint
THE RECOGNITIONS by William Gaddis
STARSHIP TROOPERS by Robert Heinlein
THE SUN ALSO RISES by Ernest Hemingway
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP by John Irving
SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by Ray Bradbury
THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson
AS I LAY DYING by William Faulkner
TROPIC OF CANCER by Henry Miller
INVISIBLE MAN by Ralph Ellison
THE WOOD WIFE by Terri Windling
THE MAGUS by John Fowles
THE DOOR INTO SUMMER by Robert Heinlein
ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig
I, CLAUDIUS by Robert Graves
THE CALL OF THE WILD by Jack London
AT SWIM-TWO-BIRDS by Flann O'Brien
FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury
ARROWSMITH by Sinclair Lewis
WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams
One of the very rare books I have ever read3 times in its entirety.
NAKED LUNCH by William S. Burroughs
THE HUNT FOR RED OCTOBER by Tom Clancy
GUILTY PLEASURES by Laurell K. Hamilton
THE PUPPET MASTERS by Robert Heinlein
IT by Stephen King
V. by Thomas Pynchon
DOUBLE STAR by Robert Heinlein
CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY by Robert Heinlein
BRIDESHEAD REVISITED by Evelyn Waugh
LIGHT IN AUGUST by William Faulkner
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST by Ken Kesey
A FAREWELL TO ARMS by Ernest Hemingway
THE SHELTERING SKY by Paul Bowles
SOMETIMES A GREAT NOTION by Ken Kesey
MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather
MULENGRO by Charles de Lint
SUTTREE by Cormac McCarthy
MYTHAGO WOOD by Robert Holdstock
ILLUSIONS by Richard Bach
THE CUNNING MAN by Robertson Davies
THE SATANIC VERSES by Salman Rushdie