1. Comment #31469 by MIND_REBEL on April 12, 2007 at 8:40 pm

The God Delusion changed my life. It's a book i'll read every year of my life to remind myself of my postive role in this meme infested nightmare called modern life.

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2. Comment #31473 by Fishpeddler on April 12, 2007 at 9:04 pm

That is a VERY impressive list. Another feather in RD's cap. Nice going.

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3. Comment #31486 by GBile on April 12, 2007 at 11:51 pm

I would have liked 'The Ancestors Tale' on top of the list. That book tells what everyone should know, the amazing journey of life.
Books about religion are basically a waste of time and effort. But alas, where so many still cherish their delusions and don't hesitate to try to force their inability or unwillingness to accept their 'natural' life upon their children and their fellow men, books like 'The God Delusion' are very necessary.

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4. Comment #31494 by Corylus on April 13, 2007 at 1:23 am

Nice to see TGD in there. A brilliant contrast to that dreadful "Alchemist" book that turns up in just about every "best books" list I've seen.

BTW: For those who haven't read Coelho's masterpiece it is a thinly veiled religious tract. It also contains the dubious conclusion that only spiritual journeys are worth taking and that you can find happiness in your own back yard. In other words: be grateful for what you have... nevermind if your a poor peasant.(Don't bother! Self-indulgent drivel.)

My recommendations from this list:

Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Suzanna Clark. Impossible to clasify: elements of fantasy, social commentary, amazing erudition. (Nearly 800 pages, now that's a tome!) A world in itself, quite astonishing.

A Short History of Nearly Everything - Bill Bryson. Amazingly informative and funny at the same time.

Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer. Nice childish, escapist fun.

All in all, an amazing list. Well done RD for getting on it!

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5. Comment #31508 by mmurray on April 13, 2007 at 3:34 am

Funny how there are lots of firsts of series: First Rebus book, first Harry Potter, first His Dark Materials. Each person only got to pick five so maybe if there were a couple of series they like dthey would pick the first one as representative.

Michael

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6. Comment #31509 by mmurray on April 13, 2007 at 3:35 am

I would have liked 'The Ancestors Tale' on top of the list.

I think the ordering is chronological.

Michael

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7. Comment #31524 by jomo87 on April 13, 2007 at 5:29 am

I misread the title of this article as "The Great British Literacy Census". Which is quite ironic, really...

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8. Comment #31533 by WoodyGumDrops on April 13, 2007 at 7:23 am

TGD is a cracker, good to see it there. I liked Alchemist, spiritual or not it was still a good little book. Best books there though, have to be Magician (best fantasy ever), Trainspotting and Wasp factory. Love all of them.

That is all

Your Pal

WoodyGoodyGumDrops

(Inventor of the spoon and writer of 'The Bible 2: RoboJesus')

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9. Comment #31538 by ghostbuster on April 13, 2007 at 7:38 am

I think this is the same as the Great British Literature Jehovah Witness Censor List.

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10. Comment #31540 by Philip1978 on April 13, 2007 at 7:49 am

WoodyGumDrops, inventor of the spoon? Explain yourself man! Are you really that old, I'm sure they were invented aaaggges ago! Hang on, you haven't specified which spoon, this could be interesting, I await your answer sir!

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11. Comment #31543 by Jef on April 13, 2007 at 7:54 am

This serves to humble me through the contemplation of how few of these I have actually read. Of those that I have read, I must agree that they are some remarkable books.

My only complaint would be that only one Pratchett book made the list, and even then, I think he has written far better than CoM in the intervening years.

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12. Comment #31547 by He'sAVeryNaughtyBoy on April 13, 2007 at 8:00 am

I've only read 5 of those - I think I want to cry.

Gibson's Neuromancer? Not read that one, but I've read other stuff by him, and if it's anything like that then there's much better SF out there than his overblown rubbish.

Oh and Small Gods is the best Pratchett book. Closely followed by Pyramids.

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13. Comment #31558 by Fishpeddler on April 13, 2007 at 8:48 am

I just started a race with someone in my office. Last one to read all 100 is a rotten egg. She's finished 15, and I'm at 14 but partway through Cloud Atlas. This should be a good battle.

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