Oz's Favourite Book

The top 10 favourite books of Australians, as surveyed by the ABC.

No. 10 - A fortunate life N (i haven't read it)
A old man spends 20 years writing his memoirs and sends the manuscript to a small publishing company to print 30 copies for his family. The press notices its true value and offers to publish it. The author thinks this is scam, but is persuaded to publish.
A mans harsh life becomes Australian classic.

No. 9 - Da Vinci Code N
It's a novel, stupid. Read "Focults Pendulum". Why arn't there any novels based around stupidity theories? Its a conscpiracy.

No. 9 (tied) - Catch 22 Y
A humanist novel disguised as a stand up routine.

No. 8 - Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy Y
Life, don't talk to me about life.
A very British book. The amazing thing about this book is that the universe is so amazing and unknown, that parts of the trilogy could actually be true. It is entirely possible that there are beings that are merely a particular intelligent shade of blue, or that there is a planet full of sploging matresses.

No. 7 - 1984 Y
Double plus good. I'm guessing there is a comouter language based on newspeak?
Room 101 - The place with no darkness....
The TV panel seem to miss the point that there proably wasn't rats.

No. 6 - Harry Potter & Order of the Phoenix N (have read the first couple...)
Re-ignited reading for the current youth, and for that we have much to be thankful for. Books are awfully powerful, especially loooong books. People shouldn't be scared of

No. 5 - Cloudstreet N
I have read about 5 pages of this book, and my opinion is that as a book, it makes a great paperweight. I mean, the play based on it went for 5 hours! (here is were someone points out that LOTR movies went for 12 hours...)

No. 4 - To Kill a Mockingbird Y
Children discover the inherent evil and horror of racism.
Harper Lee never wrote another book. I didn't realise Dill is based on Truman Capote, a childhood friend of Lee's. Lee and Capote apparently stumbled on a Ku Klux Klan ritual.

The next 3 arnt announced in order. The ranking will be released at the end to aid suspense.

Top 3 - The Lord of the Rings Y
Apparently Tolkien was a two finger typer! Wrote all his manuscripts (1000s of pages...) with 2 index fingers.

Top 3 - Holy Bible N (well parts have been read to me...)
I read about someone who used to move the Bible in book stores into the fiction section. The nearest I've done is hide books about Pauline Hanson.
My objection to it being on this list is that its a collection of books, rather than one book in and of itself. But even only as literature, the Bible deserves its dues.

Top 3 - Pride and Prejudice Y
Boring, boring, boring, bit of groping, boring, boring, happily ever after.

The final results are... drum roll-

3. The Bible
2. Pride & Prejudice
1. Lord of the Rings

LOTR is a predictable winner. To lit critics - note how Proust or Joyce are nowhere to be seen?

But looking at the list, A Fortunate Life stands out. Its not a flavour of the month, its not a recently released film, its not on every school ciriculum. Granted, those things generally only happen to books that are already brilliant, but they do help skew popularity contests.

My personal fave? Well, if i use as a guide the books i've read the most (taking into account length etc.), it's a three way race between Catch 22, Fight Club and Hitchhikers. I'd give my gong to Catch 22.