Our Favourite Book
Sunday night TV was a little different than usual. Commercial networks were doing the usual movie repeats and crime shows. Bleh! I don't know how I missed it in my disection of the TV guide, but ABC were airing the results of their national 'My Favourite Book' survey in a panel-discussion format show. The panel were of varying personalities; a TV/radio presenter, a young 'intellectual' comedian, a writer, an actor, and a priest/writer; and I openly argued with them through the TV when I disagreed.
The evening started with the tenth most popular book and run up the list to number one. I enjoyed the format of making a big deal of the next number trying to build my suspense at what the top book will be. Just a bit of fun.
I thoroughly enjoyed the individual way each book's plot was surmised from Sandra Sulley's newsflash report to the Umbilical Brother's Lord of the Rings, and Banana's in Pajama's Pride and Prejudice (Are you thinking what I'm thinking B2?).
A popularity poll of books, the Top 10 list had some surprises and some not.
Books not surprised about were The Lord of the Rings, To Kill a Mockingbird, Cloudstreet, and Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Surprisers were Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix, The Da Vinci Code (well, that it was in the top 10), Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice and The Bible. I was mostly surprised by The Bible because, well, I've not read it and so would never have crossed my mind. Which is stupid, I know, and it makes total sense because it's one popular book!
The show got me interested in reading Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Tim Winton's Cloudstreet. It also reminded me of a few books that are on my 'to read' list, like Life of Pi by Yann Martel, Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and George Orwell's Animal Farm.
Of the Top 10 I've read three books (LOTR, HP5 and Da Vinci Code). Of the Top 100 a pitiful 16 books! There are many that I would like to read in the 100 list, and I'm sure I'll get to them eventually. But, for now, I'm happy that such an old and outdated thing as reading has had such a public boost. Thank you ABC for a thought provoking, amusing and informative evening.
posted by Casyn the librarian
12/07/2004 10:33:00 pm
3 viewers interjected with:
I've read Animal Farm, and I quite liked it. I recall wanting to yell at the good (but stupid) characters, and always getting really upset when opportunities arose that weren't taken.
It did make me thankful for the society that I live in.
Kinda.
8/12/04 1:51 am
I've actually read 5 books in the top 10 and about 18 in the top 100.
I wonder how similar a South African list would be, but I think that after the recent '100 Greatest South Africans of All Time' fiasco (the program was discontinued because it became too controversial), it will be a while before they try compiling another top 100 list publically, even if it is something as reasonably uncontroversial as books.
Anyway, I hope you manage to read The Life of Pi sometime soon. It is truly one of my all time favourite books.
8/12/04 3:40 pm
I don't know if I've ever talked to a book before. I talk to the TV, my computer, the car, and many other things, but never at a book. Odd.
I've seen parts of the film of Animal Farm. It kinda creeped me out.
I think a Top 100 booklist should be relatively safe to do. I think it's a terribly risky thing to compile a top 100 greatest people list. I certainly haven't agreed with previous 'person of the year' choices, so there'd be little doubt that dissent would occur.
12/12/04 11:56 pm
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