Do you pay attention to polls? Wednesday Reuters came out with the Top 10 Favorite Books. It is an interesting list, and made me think and consider both my reading preferences and to ponder the US citizens reading preferences.
Here is the full article:
Tue Apr 08 19:07:12 UTC 2008
NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - When it comes to literary pursuits in the United States most people agree on at least one thing -- the most popular book is the Bible, according to a new survey.
It came in first in a Harris Poll of nearly 2,513 adults but the second choice in the survey was not as clear cut.
"While the Bible is number one among each of the different demographic groups, there is a large difference in the number two favorite book," Harris said in a statement announcing the results.
Men chose J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" and women selected Margaret Mitchell's "Gone With the Wind" as their second-favorite book, according to the online poll.
But the second choice for 18- to 31-year-olds was J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series, while 32- to 43-year-olds named Stephen King's "The Stand" and Dan Brown's "Angels and Demons".
Picks for second-favorite book also varied according to region. "Gone With the Wind" was number two in the southern and midwestern United States while easterners chose "The Lord of the Rings" and westerners opted for "The Stand".
Whites and Hispanics picked "Gone With the Wind" as their second-favorite book after the Bible, while African-Americans preferred "Angels and Demons".
"Finally, they may not agree on candidates, but one thing that brings together partisans is their favorite book. For Republicans, Democrats and Independents, the top two books are the same -- the Bible followed by "Gone With the Wind."
Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code", "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, "Angels and Demons" by Dan Brown, "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand and "Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger rounded out the top 10 favorites.
(Reporting by Julie Mollins; editing by Patricia Reaney)
So to sum up, this article is saying that the Top 10 Favorite books are:
The Bible
Gone With the Wind
Lord of the Rings
Harry Potter series
The Stand
The Davinci Code
To Kill a Mockingbird
Angels and Demons
Atlas Shrugged
Catcher In the Rye
Now I have not read Lord of the Rings or The Stand, so I can’t include them in my comments, although I do have to admit that Stephen King is a great writer. His character development is incredible! And who in their right mind is going to contradict that The Bible is not a great read? But The Davinci Code and Angels and Demons? Come on…they were good but of all the books in the world to choose from? And Gone With the Wind? A nice read, but again, out of all the books there are to choose from?
Now, you all know that I love the Harry Potter books, but I am not sure I would include them in my list of all-time favorite books (although, maybe I would, they are just that good!).
Honestly, I have never sat down to consider what would be my Top 10 Favorite Books, but I can easily list my Top 3 Favorite Books:
To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Have you given any thought to your list of favorite books? Let me know what they are. I would love to know what books other people love…I may find a new favorite book.
To Kill A Mockingbird has been my very favorite book since I first read it when I was 12 years old and that has been oh, so many years ago (ok, 46 to be exact). And trust me, I have read a good number of books in the past 46 years, and none have ever replaced it as my favorite. I re-read it every couple of years, just for the sheer enjoyment! I was even going to name my first child Jeremiah and call him “Jem” after the book. However, my first was a girl and I am sure that she considers herself lucky that we didn’t call her “Scout”! But that is how much I love that book.
So come on, folks, tell us your favorite 3 books (or whatever number you choose to share).
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