A List - Dymocks Booklovers' Best

I'm not reading books just because they're popular. I like reading obscure stories, and I love finding an old novel at the weekend markets. But, sometimes, books make book-seller shortlists because they are good. The book-seller shortlists are a good starting point to reading more widely, and if you find an author you like then you can read their other novels.

Here are the books I have read off the Dymocks Booklovers' Best/Top 101:

1. The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer (this is popular for ease of reading and for the use of classic act structuring - very satisfying, but very simple)
2. Harry Potter by JK Rowling (but I've only read books 1-5 and got sick of them!)
3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Lizzie is one of my all-time favourite characters)
4. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (don't bother with the movie)
5. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien (I was brought up having these read to me as a child, and probably read them one every 2 or 3 years)
6. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (an Australian author)
7. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
8. The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson (another series of books that seemed to be popular for popular's sake. The main character was unique but the story constantly bogged down)
14. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (very unique)
17. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
18. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
19. Cloudstreet by Tim Winton (another Aussie)
20. The Host by Stephenie Meyer (I preferred this to the Twilight saga)
21. Mao's Last Dancer by Li Cunxin
22. Atonement by Ian McEwan (don't bother with this movie either)
23. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
28. The Slap by Christos Tsiolkas (an Aussie novel)
30. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
31. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
32. Tomorrow when the War Began by John Marsden (I read this when it first came out - I was in my teens, a bit younger than the main characters, and I was so in awe of this story. It probably helped that John Marsden came and spoke at our school)
37. Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer (the most refreshing story I've read in a long time)
42. The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (another Aussie novel in the Top 101)
44. Tully by Paullina Simons (this is a disappointment, compared with some of her other masterpieces)
46. Breath by Tim Winton (I found this confronting, but my husband is an adrenaline junky, like these boys)
48. Life of Pi by Yann Martel (thrilling with a twist)
52. The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (loved it!)
58. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (I read this in primary school, along with the other 4 or 5 books in the series, and I think I should revisit them. I have fond memories)
64. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (the real vampires)
71. The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom (charming)
73. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (American sap)
85. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (horrifying)
87. The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis

I'd love your comments on any of these books.

I'd also love your suggestions. Maybe I should compile my own 100 favourite books. Watch this space ...