Best books according to readers

Would you choose the same books?

Continuing my talk on the best books ever here’s a new piece of information. After Book Depository had posted their list of best books of all time many readers wrote to the site team accusing them of wrong choices and offering their variants instead. Book Depository reacted by publishing a separate list of best books ever according to the readers.

The list is quite peculiar. As my husband noticed, “they are movies, not books”. It does feel that way. A big part of those books were made into movies. I wonder if the movies made people pay attention to the books or books with a bigger cinematographic potential originally draw more readers.

I’ve read only three books from this list, out of which only one was my personal choice. That book was Anna Karenina, and although I’m not sure it would end up on my best books ever list, it is definitely a very good book with believable well-crafted characters. Two other books, War and Peace and The Picture of Dorian Gray were on the list for required reading at my school and university which means I can’t judge them until the poison of required reading wears off. It’s been decades but this hasn’t happened yet.

Do you see the books that you like in that list?

2 thoughts on “Best books according to readers

  1. Papillon, yes (but then I saw the film before reading the book, which proves your theory!)
    many on this list I think of as quite “boring” 🙁
    I’ve been pondering my favourite book, since you started your investigation, and am choosing “I, Robot” by Isaac Asimov (science fiction and short stories, the best being “Robbie”) I read it 30 years ago (well before the film, which is really nothing like the book) and many times since.
    My other, real & absolute favourite books are not fiction/novels – “An Illustrated Life” and “An Illustrated Journey” by Danny Gregory. Chapters by individual artists/architects/urban sketchers etc, where they discuss their painting/drawing/sketching, where it came from/why they do it, and show their work. I often carry one of these books (quite heavy !) with me, to look at and absorb, wherever I go, especially when I feel low and they always uplift me and “nourish” me.

    1. Hi! I’m sorry to be getting back to you so late. I wish I had many heads and a few more hands so that I could be doing all at once 🙂 That would be quite convenient. Thanks for your list of books! I never read Asimov, I should try! I understand you about the book. I also have a couple of books I always have with me. I don’t carry them with me, but if I move places, they move with me.

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