Book Loving Kiwis discussion
Book Suggestions
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The Whitcoulls Top 100 Books
You may like to turn this into a personal challenge. Any books that you are not interested in reading substitute for others on your to-read list. e.g. I have no desire to read the Lord of the Rings trilogy, so could substitute it for A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, which is a classic I am keen to read.
I just searched "as the earth turns silver", as I've never heard of it (along with a few others), and it sounds fascinating. As the Earth Turns Silver
It is one that I definitely want to read. It would probably be worth nominating for the Feb/Mar NZ Challenge?
If you go onto the Whitcoulls site, it is easy to find Top 100 information. I'm not sure if they have the voting open all the time, but it is worth a look.
Ok. Thanks do you know who's number one at the moment.
From what I can make out on the website, it is The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Thanks. Just went on to website. I can't find where to vote.
I'm guessing they must have a voting period then. This list has been out for a couple of years, so I wouldn't be surprised if this year is another voting year.
Oh ok. Any more sites you can vote for your fav book.
You can vote on the Goodreads Listopia lists. And in the Book Loving Kiwi polls when they are running!
My count is38 - read
32 - to read (includes 14 books for which I already have a copy waiting to be read)
2 -DNF(Life of Pi, and one of the Dan Brown ones)
7 - would swap ( rest of Dan Brown lol, plus the autobiography, recipe ones etc)
Leaves 22 that I dont know enough about/havent heard of or am not sure about
I've managed 46 so far. There are plenty that I still want to read, but there are definitely some I will never read e.g. Twilight and Lord of the Rings. Also some of the autobiographies.
Jeepers I only managed 22 and there are a lot I won't be reading. Admittedly I'd do better on the top 100 for children :)
We should list the children's list too!
OK. I'll sort that once I get a chance. Hopefully sometime this weekend.
I read the Dragon Tattoo and thought it was quite badly edited and very ponderous in places. But I think what kept me reading was the mesmerising character of Lisbeth Salander. I just had to find out how she fared in the end. Shows how important character is in keeping the reader hooked.But I was quite disappointed at how the possibility of her rebuilding a relationship with Blomquist was just dealt with in one tossed off line. I waded through two whole books for that!
Sweetp-1 wrote: DNF(Life of Pi,I'd be so interested to hear why you DNFed on Life of Pi. It's one of my all-time favourite books. funny how different our tastes can be as readers. Was it because you didn't enjoy it?
Tui wrote: "I read the Dragon Tattoo and thought it was quite badly edited and very ponderous in places. But I think what kept me reading was the mesmerising character of Lisbeth Salander. I just had to find o..."I agree. I think half the time relationships fail in books because the author doesn't know how to manage them. The same thing happened in The Hunger Games where she created this love triangle and then didn't know what to do with it. Even if the outcome isn't what the reader wanted the result should be credible
Tui - LIfe of Pi came highly recommended. I perhaps might try again, but found it hard to get into (style of the narration) and was distracted by other things, then my library loan ran out. I dont know...its now on the one day maybe list rather than my must read thisnyear list. Disappointing because I had heard good things. I suspect my frame of mind at the time might have had something to do with my lack of perseverance.
And OTOH I loved the Millenium trilogy. Dragon Tattoo took me quite a bit to get into but it is definitely part 1 of a 3 part 'whole' so in viewing it that way I think it worked Ok. I read the last book in a little over a day I was so engrossed
The Whitcoulls Top 50 kid's books (though how some come to be here God only knows. Amazing what Publisher's marketing can do, just like the music that gets played on the radio).01.The Wonky Donkey - Craig Smith
02. Diary Of A Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney
03. Shadow Wave - Robert Muchamore
04. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone - J. K. Rowling
05. The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
06. Eragon: Book One - Christopher Paolini
07. The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle
08. Hairy Maclary From Donaldson's Dairy: 25Th Anniversary Edition - Lynley Dodd
09. Willbee The Bumblebee with CD - Maureen Thomson, Craig Smith and others
10. Tomorrow, When The War Began - John Marsden
11. Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan
12. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer
13. The Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson
14. Quaky Cat - Diana Noonan
15. The Twits - Roald Dahl
16. Matilda - Roald Dahl and Roald Dahl
17. Perky The Pukeko - Michelle Osment
18. The Little Yellow Digger - Betty Gilderdale
19. The Adventures Of Captain Underpants - Dav Pilkey
20. Baa Baa Smart Sheep - Mark Sommerset
21. The Fidgety Itch - Lucy Davey
22. The Magician's Nephew - C. S. Lewis
23. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
24. Grey Wolves - Robert Muchamore
25. The Bfg - Roald Dahl
26. City Of Bones - Cassandra Clare
27. Thea Stilton And The Mystery In Paris - Thea Stilton
28. Artemis Fowl - Eoin Colfer
29. Phantom: V. 8 - L. J. Smith
30. Five Run Away Together - Enid Blyton
31. The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket
32. Holes - Louis Sachar
33. Skulduggery Pleasant - Derek Landy
34. Hill & Hole - Kyle Mewburn and others
35. The Cat In The Hat - Dr. Seuss
36. Where The Wild Things Are - Maurice Sendak
37. Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
38. Oh, The Places You'Ll Go! - Dr. Seuss
39. The Wheels On The Bus
40. Northern Lights - Philip Pullman
41. Herbert: The Brave Sea Dog - Robyn Belton
42. Green Eggs And Ham - Dr. Seuss
43. Huhu Koroheke - Mewburn Kyle
44. The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time - Mark Haddon
45. The Volcano Files - H I Larry
46. Scorpia Rising - Anthony Horowitz
47. The Witches - Roald Dahl
48. Danny The Champion Of The World - Roald Dahl
49. My Sister Jodie - Jacqueline Wilson
50. Charlotte's Web - E.B. White
Sweetp-1 wrote: "Tui - LIfe of Pi came highly recommended. (etc)Thanks for explaining Sweetp. But seems like we do have different tastes anyway since your response to the Millenium trilogy was far more positive than my mixed view on it.
We just all respond in different ways to different books I guess.
Where is Finn Family Moomintroll on the list? Are they saying it is less deserving than Wonky Donkey, and Little Yellow Digger? FFM is one of the best kids' books out there. List has no cred without it.
I presume the list I have supplied is actually the top 50 selling kids (term used lightly) books at Whitcoulls. Other book-buyers may have bought elsewhere. So the numbers are clearly going to be skewed by what Whitcoulls is pushing in store.
OK, they probably never heard of FFM. It's quite a well kept secret in this country.
Like much good music and many other great books, tv shows, movies, etc
Tui wrote: "OK, they probably never heard of FFM. It's quite a well kept secret in this country."One of my all time favourites, to the extent I remember which of my relatives gave me my first moomin book. My sister visited Finland last year and brought me back a Moomintroll keyring and a Snork Maiden towel. I was so buzzed that she remembered they were my favorite books from so long ago.
(and love your "God only knows..." comment at the front of the top 50 post, Greg. So true!)
Darkpool, I've read the Moomin books to so many classes of kids through the years and it is a surefire winner every time. Kids love it, but so few schools even know of it. You read them one book and they want to read all the rest. One of my classes even decided to rename their classroom form Room 4 to "Moominroom" and we had Moomins on the windows and the Groke, the Snorks and Snufkin on the wall. As their teacher, I had my Groke days and my "Moominmamma" days. I'm sure you'll understand what that meant.
Given how high Twilight is on the list I think it would be safe to assume the list is by volume of sales and not based on some sort of quality scale ;)#14 has a special place in our library now after our daughters class was given a copy post- Feb.
Overall I think the kids list is Ok. THeres a good mix of classic type books (Dahl, CS Lewis, Charlottes Web etc) and popular newer ones (Harry Potter, Hunger Games). There are a lot of books there that most children now (including mine) would know/have their own copy of like the yellow digger and gruffalo, the suess books etc. There are also a lot of NZ centric books which I would expect to see on a list from a NZ centric book source.
I think the thing with the whitcoulls list is that its based on whats selling now not on what they consider to be the best kids books ever, kwim? I suspect that would look quite different.
Thank you for adding the list for me, Greg. Saved me a job!
There are certainly some great books on it.
No worries, Angie. I had a few minutes and was curious myself.
Greg wrote: "No worries, Angie. I had a few minutes and was curious myself."Yea thanks.
Thank you from me too. I only did a little better on the children's list though - have read 26 (compared to 22 on the adult list). A mix of old and new titles. I guess these are what's selling now so its interesting to see some classic books still make it (famous five anyone?).
http://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/top-100/The 2012/2013 Whitcoulls Top 100 is now available. Any surprises?
I'm impressed to see so many classics. More there than last time I think.
50 Shades at #5. What is the world coming to?!!They really should put some disclaimer on 'top 100' that it is volumes not quality.
I only managed 21 and most of those are the classics. Better get reading I think
I've read 45/100 on the new list. Fifty Shades of Grey was an inevitable inclusion, I guess. I was intending to read it, purely because it has been such a talking point, but the more I hear about it, the less inclined I am to pick it up. Leaving it at this point in time.
Ive read 42 with probably another 10-15 on my serious to-read list. I included 50Shades even though I read it when was free Twilight fanfiction.
I only rack up about 23, plus a handful that I've started but been unable to finish. I guess my taste isn't very mainstream.
Two of my DNF are on there too Darkpool (and I very rarely DNF, like 1 a year)
I've read around 60 of the top 100, but I'm a speed reader so I tend to get through them! I'm really glad to see As The Earth Turns Silver on the list - it's such a beautiful book. Mr Pip too.Thank you Tui for mentioning Finn Family Moomintroll... I remember really loving the books as a child but I'd totally forgotten the name. What a blast from the past!
Just discovered this thread, and delighted to find the Moomins featuring. Interesting to read Tui's comments, as I'm sure so many of us might have remained oblivious to great reads like these had it not been for our teachers.My favourite was Comet in Moominland. Brilliant pics, too. I'll never forget the ocean drying up, and of course the Hattifatteners being the first to know Something was happening.
Copy and paste this list in your own thread to keep track of those you have read.
Or use this list to discover new books.
(Taken from the most recent published list - end of 2010.)
1. The Millenium Trilogy (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo etc)
2. The Twilight Saga
3. The Time Traveler's Wife
4. My Sister's Keeper
5. Cross Stitch (Outlander)
6. The Lord of the Rings
7. Pride and Prejudice
8. Life of Pi
9. To Kill a Mockingbird
10. The Lovely Bones
11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
12. The Bronze Horseman
13. Jamie Does... (Jamie Oliver)
14. The Da Vinci Code
15. The Passage
16. 61 Hours
17. Genesis Plague
18. Open: An Autobiography
19. The Hobbit
20. The Power of One
21. The Kite Runner
22. The Pillars of the Earth
23. The Bible
24. The Book Thief
25. Memoirs of a Geisha
26. The Magician
27. Ordinary Thunderstorms
28. The Clan of the Cave Bear
29. Angels and Demons
30. Little Vampire Women
31. Brethren
32. The Notebook
33. Into the Wilderness
34. Mao's Last Dancer
35. No Logo
36. A Thousand Splendid Suns
37. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
38. The Other Boleyn Girl
39. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
40. Nineteen Minutes
41. Her Fearful Symmetry
42. As the Earth Turns Silver
43. A Short History of Nearly Everything
44. The Poisonwood Bible
45. Moonfleet
46. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
47. Gone with the Wind
48. The Lost Symbol
49. Shantaram
50. The Memory Keeper's Daughter
51. Tour de Lance: The Extraordinary Story of Lance Armstrong
52. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
53. Wuthering Heights
54. The 9th Judgement
55. River God
56. Angela's Ashes
57. Jessica
58. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China
59. The Catcher in the Rye
60. Collaborator
61. Dune
62. Recipe for Life
63. The Tea Rose
64. Tomorrow, When the War Began
65. The Alchemist
66. Rachel's Holiday
67. The Girl in Times Square
68. Birdsong
69. Chocolat
70. The Search
71. A Fine Balance
72. Jane Eyre
73. Mister Pip
74. World Without End
75. Kane and Abel
76. Vampire Academy
77. The Pact
78. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
79. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
80. The Host
81. I Know This Much is True
82. Killing Floor
83. April Fool's Day
84. Bridget Jones Diary
85. Northern Lights
86. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
87. Bohemian Girl
88. Eragon
89. A Love Story Starring My Dead Best Friend
90. Eat, Pray, Love
91. Atonement
92. The Flying Carpet To Baghdad: One Woman's Fight for Two Orphans of War
93. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
94. Stand
95. Tully
96. This Charming Man
97. We Need to Talk about Kevin
98. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
99. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
100. House Rules