Friday, September 04, 2015

Books

I'm a sucker for those lists. It's hard to say why, but I am. This one was a challenge from the BBC which said that most Americans had read six or fewer books on their list of 100 important books.

I went to the list and began looking for ones I'd read. There were several that I had not read, but when I finished clicking, I'd read 28. I was a little embarrassed that I hadn't read more of them.

For many years, I focused on Self Help books. I could get those free at the library where I worked. Later I migrated to best sellers and they were enjoyable, but few of the best sellers never end up on lists of "important books."

Then after I retire and focused more one writing, I began to read more of the classics. One book on the list from the BBC that was also on my "Reading List" was 100 Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez.

I bought the book this week and began reading it. I'm about 100 pages in and I found that I'm enjoying it more than I thought.

If you're up to the challenge, click on the link below and put a checkmark in the boxes of the books you've read. I expect a full report from each of you :)

Have a great Labor Day weekend.

http://www.listchallenges.com/kaunismina-bbc-6-books-challenge


14 comments:

  1. I would be embarrassed if you knew how few books I've read.

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  2. I read 8, tried to read about 8 more that sucked, saw a bunch of them in movies, and I can't believe they left out Mark Twain, I've read a bunch of his...and James Patterson, Steven King and Dean Koontz...don't they count?

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  3. I was surprised that I had read 41 of the books on the list. My mother and most of the rest of my family loved the Tolkien books but I have never been able to get pat the first couple of chapters. But I love Jane Austen and Charles Dickens so the multiples there helped. Several of the books I read were required reading in high school. I have been an avid reader since I learned to read but I do not limit myself to the classics or top sellers. Right now biographies and Civil War history are what interests me the most. But I recently read The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window And Disappeared. Right now I am re-reading the Xanth series and I am reading a fictional novel by Sharon Osbourne. I intended to re-read The Bible from front to cover but I find that it is easier on my psyche to read it in chunks. Do I get an "A"?

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  4. You're doing better than me, I've only read 26... and some of them I wouldn't read if you paid me

    100 Years of Solitude - right up there near the top of my all-time favourite reads.

    Ms Soup

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  5. 32! I'm v surprised I hadn't read more! I've read quite a few Shakespeare plays but not the complete set. Also, I've been putting off Dickens for years, must read them!!

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  6. I love to read and do a lot of it, but as I've not heard of the book you are reading, I doubt I've read many on the list either. I'll have to check it out.

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  7. I'm ashamed to say I only read 13. I'm not that much a reader and I'm more with physical work I guess. I seen a lot of movies from those books though. I know reading a book is better than watching a movie from the book.

    Thanks for the link. It was nice to see the list of classic.
    Have a great day.
    JB

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  8. I have only read a handful of these, but I own several more and plan to read them in the near future!

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  9. 48 for me. And loved them all.
    Thanks for the fun quiz!

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  10. Anonymous1:42 PM

    My count was 34, but I don't agree that all the books on the list were "important"!!

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  11. I have read 16, I am surprised I had read that many. I counted Bleak House by Charles Dickens, I have been trying to finish that book for TWO YEARS, still lack 27% according to my old Kindle. OUCH.
    I'm with JOeh, IMO They missed some great authors, and my favorite, Jack Higgins. But with the millions of books, there must be a literary reason for the 100.

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  12. OH yeah, and what happened to Your books and mine? That disappointed me I have read all of mine. ;-)

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  13. I know it is hard to read what we really want and how much we want to read. In my case, it is hard to keep a promise I made to myself about reading before having to renew a borrowed library book.

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  14. I read a lot but have no list of must read books I just read what looks interesting at the time and I go through fads reading everything by one author then I change to a different author

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