what books should be added to and taken off the bbc list?

[raggedtrouseredphilanthropist]

Because I thought it was a really strange list, overrepresenting some authors and missing out some really good books.

So, I reckon less austen and dickens and shakespeare (and not the lovely bones or the da vinci code), but what other books should go on there?

can I suggest 1000 splendid suns.

any other suggestions?

[wrinklytum]

Added- Alias Grace-Atwood.

Removed-definitely Da Vinci Code,the most irritating book I have had the misfortune to plough through to the bitter end,ever.

[josette]

Add... Precious Bane by Mary Webb
I agree that there are too many books by certain authors on the list... could have had a better range.

[Longtalljosie]

I agree it was odd - I really think you could get through your literary life without reading the Da Vinci code. Or Life of Pi, come to that. I mean, I enjoyed Life of Pi, but as holiday reading really.

I would add Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, and Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe.

Ooh - and either The End of The Affair or Brighton Rock by Graham Greene

[trixymalixy]

Take off the da vinci code!!!!!!

[theyoungvisiter]

do you have a link to the list?

[saadia]

Yes, remove Da Vinci (can't believe it's there) and agree with Lonhgtalljosie that Wide Sargasso Sea and Things Fall Apart should be added. Also some Toni Morrison perhaps. I think we need to keep all the Austen and Bronte ones. Would also add Homer's Odyssey and Longitude by Dava Sobel.

[Spaceman]

Da Vinci Code was awful and boring. The Book Thief should be on there. Also, wouldn't want to read it now, but The Clockwork Orange was a favourite of mine when I was an angry teenager.

[madlentileater]

remove- da vinci code
lovely bones
the 5 people...
add-
half of a yellow sun
er....not sure what else...

[fluffles]

take off the chronicles of narnia, and da vinci code, and i think the bible and the complete works of shakespeare are both a bit much.

add the poisonwood bible (my fav book ever)

and probably take off captain corelli and put on birds without wings instead

maybe an ahmitav ghosh?

which ian mcewan is on the list? is it atonement? i prefer saturday.

[donnie]

Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard should be on it, as should something by Margaret Atwood.

The Sound and the Fury - Faulkner

The Power and the Glory/Brighton Rock - Greene

East of Eden - Steinbeck

Underworld - Don de Lillo

get rid of Enid Blyton and Dan Browne!

[janeite]

But it was a public vote, so isn't about what should or shouldn't be there, just what enough people phoned in (or however) saying they liked it!

Having said that, if I was making the list, I'd lose all bar one Dickens (he can have The Christmas Books), the Ian McEwan (sp?)(Why? Because it's crap), all of the Ishiguros (because he bores me senseless).

I would add King's "The Stand", some more Bronte stuff, also was "Frankenstein" there? It would also be nice to see some other dramatists than Shakespeare (Ibsen would get my vote) and some poetry (maybe John Donne).

[Tinker]

Oh yes, add Precious Bane (because I've read that so it'll up my number)

[Spaceman]

Wild Swans should go on.

[BarbaraWoodlouse]

Perhaps I missed the point but I didn't think that the list was meant to be "books you must read" rather "have you read...?"

I would therefore only remove the series ones eg "Complete Works of Shakespeare", as it don't make sense to me to have them there. What if you'd read 6/7 HPs? Also as many people pointed out there is duplication eg Hamlet also as a separate play.

[Tinker]

Not read any yet but suspect Doris Lessing should be on a list of books you should read?

[BarbaraWoodlouse]

If we are making judgement calls then I think The Wasp Factory was unmitigated shite and should be off this (and any other) list

[donnie]

oh yes, Frankenstein - what a fantastic novel. Definitely should be in the list!

[noonki]

and I would do away with some of the austen (zzzzz), the bible,the da vinci code, catcher in the rye

and add
a thousand suns
the god of smallthings
the poisonwood bible

[madlentileater]

yes to Doris Lessing and also please can we have Molesworth.
And dd2 says
everything is illuminated.

[SauerKraut]

Green Dolphin Country by Elizabeth Goudge

[SauerKraut]

should be added, I mean

[Jux]

Yeah, what the hell are Blyton and that awful Dan Brown doing on it?! Would also lose the Time Traveller's Wife, Life of Pi, Lolita, Lovely Bones. There are some I haven't read and don't want to, which I think could go too, but as I haven't read them....

Josette, I second Precious Bane, beautiful book.

Also agree to Molesworth and Doris Lessing.

I think one book per author is reasonable unless there's a very good reason for it.

Would like to see Robertson Davies and maybe Jasper Fforde, Diana Wynne Jones and Iain Banks.

[UnquietDad]

I'm baffled as to why both Hamlet and the Complete Shakespeare are on there as two separate entries.

Anyway, I think it's better to have seen good productions of Shakespeare rather than reading the text, especially for youngsters. When I was younger I saw Anthony Sher as Richard III (very good), Nigel Davenport as Lear (OK) and Ben Kingsley as Othello (WTF-awful).

[spokette]

Jonathan Swift - Gulliver's Travels
Mark Twain - Adventures of Huckelberry Finn
Thomas Hardy - Mayor of Casterbridge
Malorie Blackman - Noughts and Crosses Trilogy and Double Cross
James Baldwin - Go tell it on the mountain
Toni Morrison - Beloved
Toni Morrison - The Bluest Eyes
Toni Morrison - Tar baby
Andrea Levy - Small Island
Chinua Achebe - Things fall apart
Chinua Achebe - Broken Arrow
Chimanda Ngozi Adichie - Half of a yellow moon
Ben Okri - The Famished Road
Ian McEwan - On Chesil Beach

Get rid of Harry Potter, da Vinci Code, Lovely Bones, Bridget Jones and the other populist stuff. I enjoyed Bridget Jones but it does not belong on that list. I have no intention of ever reading Harry Potter. The da Vinci Code was laborious as well as unfulfilling and Lovely Bones has been on my bookshelf for nearly 5 years but still can't bring myself to read it.