The Big Read

Did anyone watch this on the BBC the other week?  

http://www.bbc.co.uk/arts/bigread/

Ashamed to say I've only read about fifteen-now if you count if I've seen the movie then I do slightly better.    My kids have read twice as many-childrens lit is well represented.  How did everyone else do?

I was a HORRIBLE reader when I was young and when so many of the classics were offered. I've read six and started two.

Now, ask me how many of them I have seen in movie form? (This is embarassing.)
44

I had read most of the classics on the list. I've always been an avid bookworm. The library was my favourite place in school. (yeah, I was a bit of a nerd.) It got bad when we'd be reading a Shakespeare play in English class and I had already read it.  

I loved seeing the list, especially since the book I nominated was in the list - Tess of the D'Ubervilles. My all time favourite. And all my favourite Jane Austen books. It was really neat to see other people liked them too.

I've read 33 of them, started about a sozen more and never finished, and some are on my wish list...so not too bad, but not as good as I'd expected..what garbage am I reading, anyway?

I was really surprised to see that I had read about 40 of these books, but what surprised me even more is how many I have no desire to read of the remaining 60. Of the ones I read, many were during high school.

Being a radio fiend, I've actually heard a few of these as dramatizations on Radio 4. I don't know if the books didn't translate well to radio or what, but it certainly didn't inspire me to run and read, for instance, Brideshead Revisited, or Anna Karenina!

Of course, there were a number of classics that I was interested in reading, but either never did or forgot if I did. I may use the list for inspiration next time I'm searching for a new book.