ROGET’S THESAURUS – What a great read
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Have you ever lied about reading a book to impress someone? Apparently two out three people did in a survey conducted by the World Book Day website in the UK .
March 5, 2009 was World Book Day, to mark the event, 1,342 visitors to their website responded to a request to say if they had read any book on a list of ten or if they had ever lied about reading any of them. Nineteen-Eighty Four (1984) was the most lied about book. A book about liars and lying is the most lied about book. Imagine that.
The top 10 most lied about books were:
- 1984 – George Orwell (42%)
- War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy (31%)
- Ulysses – James Joyce (35%)
- The Bible – (24%)
- Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert (16%)
- A Brief History of Time – Stephen Hawking (15%)
- Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie (14%)
- In Remembrance of Things Past – Marcel Proust (9%)
- Dreams from My Father – Barack Obama (6%)
- The Selfish Gene – Richard Dawkins (6%)
Many also admitted to lying about reading the classics by Jane Austen, Charles Dickens and Herman Melville. When asked what authors they did read: 61% chose JK Rowling; 32% John Grisham and 22% Sophie Kinsella. Further questioning concluded that: 41% turned to the back of the book before they had finished the story and 48% read a book before giving it as a present.
What a dishonest bunch us readers are, but not me. I have read every book on the list at least sixty or seventy times, my favorite being Ulysses, especially the part where a dog walks into a bar and orders a pint of Guinness.
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Lazer – I think 1984 when written, was a work of great vision and courage, the rise of the Fascists and Totalitarians was making Orwell’s nightmare more non-fiction than fiction. Like you I find little time for reading for entertainment these days, everything I read is for a purpose, or for the cause.
Holte, I have read 1984 several times. Every time I get less paranoid I read it again. I have most of the Bible to defend myself against my born again son who practically has it and all of its’ commentaries memorized. I also enjoy Stephen King, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, and a number of other lesser known authors. Honestly though I read so much in my work I rarely just pick something up to read for fun, except for MadmikesAmerca.
I can’t wait to get an e-reader. I spend all my time lugging around thousand page history books. As far as the list goes, I think I read 1984, but it was so long ago, I might be mistaken. I got Ulysses as a gift about 10 years ago and I’ve been threatening to read it for years, but I just haven’t gotten around to it.
Mike, I have a Kindle too. It goes everywhere with me.
Before I forget:
Anonymous I have removed your Right Wing Jesus Jumping ass and marked you as SPAM. No one insults my writers……..
I read Under the Dome on my Kindle. I loved it and read it in a week. I would love to say I read it in a day but it was really, really long 🙂 I haven’t read The Stand in years. I think it is time.
Like you and Gwen I also love Dan Brown, but can’t abide Patricia Cornwell. Her novels are the most sexist I have ever read.
Jack Ryan…Used to but not so much lately…
Gwen, I re-read The Stand every few years, too. That and Caleb Carr’s The Alienist. I like Dan Brown – his novels have fun plots, interesting stories. The writing is weak as hell, but the story is what makes a good novel, IMHO.
Bradley – I loved Mists of Avalon. I couldn’t get into any of the others.
Have you read Stephen King’s Under the Dome yet? It was good – reminded me of some of his older stuff. From a Buick 8 is one of my King favorites.
Then, of course, there’s Laurie King, who unwittingly and indirectly gave me my online handle (which has been bleeding into real life lately, with friends referring to me IRL as Bee, haha)
Love the Stand! Just read that Caleb Carr Alienist this year- I like historical novels. Loved Mists of Avalon (High school fave) Off of the big list I only ever read 1984, the Selfish Gene and a Brief History of Time (not that I understood the whole thing), but I think Richard Feynman is a better physics writer.
I have studied the Bible, but not read it cover to cover. The books of Leviticus and Job tend to piss me off.
Pride and Prejudice and zombies is the closest to Austen I can stomach.
And Conan Doyle and H.P.Lovecraft and Poe, oh my!
Well, Bee! I love ya! Austen pisses me off! LOL Rushdie, the Satan tome, that one no. Orewell, yes. Joyce, o yes. Tolstoy, had to. The bible: I’ve indexed, cross indexed, researched – looked up so often I feel totally guiltless saying yes to. However; thank the Goddess I can’t quote it well. I’m bad, no Proust. Obama- both and I adored and it inspired me to work for him: Audacity of Hope. I read all Dawkins! People should.
Everyone should also read Stephen Hawking… Brief History & the Nutshell!
Honestly, my mind candy is listening to books as I work making at the bench…fav’s include;
Alex Cross novels
Dan Brown, sure.
Stephen King fer sure! The Stand I reread every couple of years.
Marion Zimmer Bradley
Jim Butcher
Liz Williams (British novelist / goth & occult)
Patricia Cornwell…yeah, I like Scarpetta.
I still read Jack Ryan stories too.
Lately a lot of my reading time is spent catching up on blogs! 🙂 like today…
I’ve read #1, 4, 6 and part of #9 and 10. Truth be told, the traditional list of classics such as in the list above bore the daylights out of me. Sherlock Holmes by Conan Doyle – hell yes, I re-read those every few years. Not all classics bore me – To Kill a Mockingbird, for one. Animal Farm. But Dickens, Melville, yawn. Austen makes me physically ill.
I read the bible twice. That’s why I’m an atheist.
Hawking’s Brief History was wonderful.
BEE – I love Dickens, a greater namer of characters never lived and the TV productions of his books were always fabulous. Read Hawking’s Brief History several times. I would hate to see the Classics become fossils.
TOM – Absolutely Nuthin’ Say It Again . . .
I’ve read and reread War and Peace so many times, I’ve lost count. I’ve even read Tolstoy’s original manuscript, before he changed the title. As you know, his first title was “War. What is it good for?”
I’ve read 1-6, but not 7-10.
I tried Hawking’s book also but it was like reading a foreign language.
I’ll bet the Bible is actually the most lied-about. Jesus fans love to say they’ve read it. Even the Jesus fans who seem wholly incapable of reading large books say they’ve read it.
Of that list, 1984 is the only one I’ve read. I tried to read A Brief History, but couldn’t follow that brainiac Hawking’s logic and gave up after 10 or 20 pages.
I’ve never even considered any of the others except Bovary and Selfish.
STIMPSON – After 12 years of Catholic school, I can safely say I had a heavy dose of Bible. The Christians I speak to occasionally on Biblical subjects, I find they are deep into the Old Testament, the God of vengeance books, more in line with the Torah and Quran, more than any God of love and peace. Explains a lot to me about the Fundamentalist attitude.
LOL Holte. I actually did read it twice. ONce in HS as a required read (Catholic school) and once for “entertainment” when I was stationed overseas and had absolutely nothing else to do.
Hmmmm….Well, I have read 1,2,3,5, and 9, but it was at least a hundred years ago! Since I bought my Kindle DX about six months ago I average at least a book a week. None really worth mention, as I thoroughly enjoy good fiction, e.g. science fiction, thrillers, horror, and etc. From time to time I will actually read something intellectually stimulating, as opposed to just entertaining.
MIKE – Since I took a speed reading course, I read War And Peace at least once a week. It’s about Russia. (Thank you Woody Allen.)
Holty old chap, Oh yes of course! I was thinking more of Britain specifically though….we are getting closer. You can’t say this and you can’t say that and you can’t do this or that anymore and if you do we’ll have on cctv!!!!
Perhaps David Cameron will set all the Proles free when the Conservatives win the election?
I cannot tell a lie. I’ve only read 1984 of all of those. It was after I saw the film with Peter Cushing in it.
Actually Orwell was only wrong about one thing. The date.
Mr. DINNERS – He was slightly off with the date, but not by much. It was set in Britain, but Big Brother was the USSR, almost to a tee.
Bro, you are a better man than I….alas I confess, on that list, I have read but none…
TEE – We all have different lists, different books.