Have you read… Part the Second

Posted on By adam
misc

Carrying on from yesterday, this is the balance of the 13 books from the BBC’s 100 books list via Facebook. Animal Farm – George Orwell — I think I read this in highschool after helping clean out one of the backstage rooms in our auditorium.  I found a copy of Animal Farm – The Musical.  I wish very hard that I had kept it rather than throwing it away.  I’m pretty sure it was written by my then physics teacher.  I cannot for the life of me imagine how they pulled off such a musical but I read the book pretty soon after.

The DaVinci Code – Dan Brown — We bought the illustrated version of this.  It’s an adequate mystery story (and the ambigrams are really cool) but it’s basically a thinly veiled rant against the Catholic church written at a grade six reading level.  This pretty much puts it on the exact same level as all other Dan Brown books.  I also read Angels and Demons which had the same characters, more or less the same story and was science v. the church rather than art v. the church.  It was also rather better written.

Lord of the Flies – William Golding — special mention — I didn’t actually ever read this.  We studied it in Grade 10 english and I managed never to read beyond the first page (which was assigned in class for some sort of journal).  I passed grade 10 english (including a test specifically on this book) by having watched the Simpsons version of it (in class).  I would like to maintain this record and so I have no plans to read beyond the first page any time soon.

Dune – Frank Herbert — This was one of the few on the list that I had read and Bonnie hadn’t.  This was another one that took me a while to get through but it was well worth the effort.  I read this in grade 10 (probably when I was supposed to be reading LotF) and I remember thinking (and possibly writing in a report on it) that reading it made my mouth feel dry.  I’ve read most of the other Dune books that followed it and they pretty much decline from the high standard set by the first.  The Brian Herbert monstrosities barely merit mention except to be labelled as monstrosities.  Seriously, don’t read them.  Even from the library.  He took a great idea and a neat backstory/universe and basically spat on it and rubbed it into the ground.

The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas — This is one of the best adventure stories ever written.  I wanted to find an unabridged English translation and was informed by my friendly local used bookstore counterman that it wasn’t worth it and I should just read the abridged.  Once again, a period romance but it has all sorts of fighting and shipwrecks and things.  I think I’ve read it twice since I picked it up in 2007.

Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding — I don’t remember much about it but I sure did read it.

As it turns out I read more than thirteen!  Here are the bonus books:

The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett — Once again, not big into remembering but I did read it at some point.
The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas — I’ve read this half a dozen times.  My penguin classics version is getting rather worn out.  I’m about 150 pages into it right now, alongside several other books.  I typically have about 3 books on the go at once from different genres so I can switch between them as I tire of a particular author.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl — There was a time in my childhood that I read all of Roald Dahl’s books within about a 6 month time frame.  C&CF wasn’t my favourite of his but it is the only one that made the list.  I preferred Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator and James and the Giant Peach, but neither of them made the list.