30 books

Luckily for you, this is not a combined review of 30 books. This is a list from the UK that has been wandering around for a while about the 30 books you should read as ordained by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. As usual, it's mostly populated by modern classics and international releases but I thought I'd have a go at commenting on the ones I've read. I've also put an asterisk next to the ones I haven't read but own and/or want to read. The rest can do as they please. I may touch them if they come across my path but I won't seek them out.

• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee - easy to read but not simplistic, Lee illustrates prejudice in an innocent manner, which belies the power of the novel.
  
• The Bible by The Twelve Apostles - have read parts thereof, mostly New Testament. Not particularly engaging.
  
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy by JRR Tolkien - this vivid adventure is a difficult read, but rewarding if you can appreciate its depth of language or wade past the language and get stuck into the fantastic plot.
  
• 1984 by George Orwell - * long overdue to read this one
  
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens - at turns bleak and enlightening, this Dickens tale paints a grubby picture of London but redeems it with a message of hope for the people.
  
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - * has been sitting on my shelf for years, recommended by friends. Interestingly, I've read 'Wide Sargasso Sea' by Jean Rhys, the 'prequel' but haven't gotten around to reading this classic.
  
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen - the best of Austen. If you're only going to read one, read P&P. I'm not a big Austen fan but her depiction of society is entertaining and insightful.
  
• All Quiet on the Western Front by E M Remarque - * not a priority
  
• His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman - * have heard much about Pullman and will endeavour to hunt these down
  
• Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks - * sorry, never heard of it
  
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - * wouldn't mind having a go at this. Although I don't know what it's about, so many other pieces of literature make references to it so it would be helpful to know what they're saying.
  
• The Lord of the Flies by William Golding - interesting, almost experimental book about how to set your characters free, even if they do run wild. Perhaps a cautionary tale.
  
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon - delightful book populated by a likeable, if incomprehensible main character. Says much about the fine balance between understanding and misunderstanding.
  
• Tess of the D'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy - like Austen, Hardy's depiction of society is insightful but unlike Miss A's novels, not at all entertaining. His view is of a cruel world which comes to bear on poor Tess.
  
• Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne - this was read to me so it's a bit of a stretch remembering what it was like. After reading The Tao of Pooh, however, I wouldn't mind revisiting Milne's best known work.
  
• Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - a hopeless romance set on a backdrop of desolation does not a happy book make. Well-written but not for the faint-hearted.
  
• The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham - I remember more of the TV series than I do of the written work but I did buy a hardback picture book for my (yet to be conceived) children.
  
• Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - * recommended to me almost annually by a friend but I just can't bring myself to tackle the hefty tome knowing that it's about the US civil war and a romance.
  
• Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - * sitting on my shelf waiting for a favourable inclination.
  
• The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - superb book, excellent pace and depth. An unconventional love story, yes, about a time traveller. Niffenegger deals with the time travel extremely competently and the emotional arc carries it through.
  
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - compelling read that deals with the afterlife in an interesting manner; the murder mystery is narrated by the victim. Sebold uses the first person to exploit third person privileges.
  
• The Prophet by Khalil Gibran - * not ready for it yet
  
• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - * I have no real reason to hunt this down
  
• The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho - * I've not heard of it
  
• The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov - * another novel that has been referenced a few times. Curiosity will drive me to read it one day.
  
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel - part adventure, part magical realism. If you want great storytelling, it's worth your while to suspend your disbelief for this journey on the high seas. Its occasionally amusing remarks ride above the tension.
  
• Middlemarch by George Eliot - * have heard much about George's writing and her sojourn in Paris but it's not a book I'd embrace enthusiastically.
  
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - * I believed the accolades about this book to be hype and don't necessarily care to read about missionaries but I might try it if I happen upon it.
  
• A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - tried to read this one but I was juggling uni and work at the time so I might give it another go if I can find it.
  
• A Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Alexander Solzenhitsyn - * first time I've heard of it

I think I did pretty well. Let's see how I fare when I get my hands on '1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die' - a lot more difficult than the movie or music version in the 1001 series but worth a look when I get there.