100 of the best books ever

As an avid reader I go through a lot of books, I have a large personal collection and I am never not in the middle of a book. Yet it always astounds me at how much I haven't read, the countless books that I haven't even heard of and the ones that I have but just haven't managed to read yet. Due to this I enjoy looking at top 100 lists for books, the difficulty is finding a good one to follow. These lists float around all over the internet and I never seem to be able to find the same one twice. I get sent a new list every year from Dymocks and I always love going through and examining just how many on that list I have actually read. Since I was a bit disappointed with Dymocks list this year I thought I would provide you with one from BBC.

The top 100 books of all time.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher

51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie 

Out of this particular collection I have read a total of 27 books. I would have liked to find a bit more of an advanced list for this post but it proved somewhat difficult, many included such works as '50 Shades of Grey' and while I won't deny anyone wanting to read it you will have a hard time convincing me that it belongs on a list of the best books of all time. 

I do have some books on this list waiting on my shelves but I will have to expand my collection yet again. How many books on this list have you read? And can you recommend me a better list? Until next time,

Catherine

The best of Christmas stories

Since Christmas is only two weeks away (eek!) I thought I would share some of my favourite Christmas stories. Most of these will be the ones you can read with your children on Christmas Eve but some will be novels that anyone, no matter how old, can read and thoroughly enjoy.

An Aussie Night Before Christmas, Yvonne Morrison

Being Australian myself this is a really fun alternative to the original 'Night Before Christmas'. It's absolutely brimming with Australian slang and motifs. Not to mention this one is set in the right season for us. Reading this one on Christmas Eve is a must, it'll put everyone in Christmas cheer. 

The Fir-Tree, Hans Christian Andersen

This is an old one but a good one. It tells the tale of a little Fir-Tree growing up in the woods then being used as a Christmas tree. Not much explanation needed but the story does go beyond him being used as a Christmas tree. All in all it is a sad tale but quite lovely.

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens 

No Christmas list would be complete without a mention of 'A Christmas Carol', there are so many adaptations and rewrites of this novella that it's become a cliché to mention it at Christmas time. But clichés are clichés for a reason and this is a firm favourite of mine. I had to study Charles Dickens for a class last year and I fell in literary love. Dickens was quite fond of writing Christmas stories so you can often find collections of them as opposed to the individual stories.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss

Dr Seuss, need I say more? 

None the less it's a good read but if you're more of a movie buff you may want to check out the film adaptation staring Jim Carrey.

The Shining, Stephen King 

Ok, ok not a Christmas story but it's set around Christmas time so that counts right? Still, no list of mine would be complete without an appearance by the horror king. But this would make a good alternate read for those of you with a darker Christmas cheer.

What are your favourite Christmas stories, let me know! Until next time,

Catherine

A name in blood

So this week I have another book review for you and once again I really enjoyed this one. It's not often I find books that I dislike but when I do I'll let you know. 'A Name in Blood' is written by Matt Rees and is historical fiction based on true events. 

Michelangelo Merisi (also known as Caravaggio after his home town) was one of Italy's most renowned artists in the late 16th century, not long after the original and better known Michelangelo. He was based in Rome and was commissioned by the Pope himself. His paintings, although highly praised, were very controversial and he often painted his works without the usual grandeur of other painters. His 'Death of the Virgin' contained no images of an ascent to heaven as most would and his 'Maddonna' was often dicpicted as a simple peasant woman. For this reason many churches rejected his religious work but many private buyers would seek him out.

However Caravaggio didn't look after his personal image either, he isolated many fellow painters who then tried to sabotage his reputation, then after murdering an adversary he fled to Malta with a price on his head. After another brawl he went from Malta to Naples. However from Naples it wasn't long before he received an offer of pardon from the Pope due to his work. It was during his travels from Naples to Rome that history lost sight of him. He died during his journey and while most sources agree that he seemed to have died from a fever no one really knows. After his death he seemed to pass from Italy's memory and from the rest of the world. Even to this day most would not know his name.

Matt Rees novel attempts to fill in the gaps to Caravaggios story and provide him with a proper, chivalrous ending. Caravaggios is a sad tale but one I'm glad I found, I think that 'A Name in Blood' is well worth the read. Until next time,

Catherine.

Burial Rites

Despite being a constant reader it isn't often that I find a book that keeps me up reading at night. That was until I read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent.

Burial Rites tells the tale of an Icelandic murderess and is based on the true story of murderess Agnes Magnúsdóttir. This is a story that has been written multiple times, sometimes protraying her as innocent and sometimes as guilty. Hannah Kents attempt was to tell a more ambigous tale which I think she managed quite well.

The story is told from Agnes's perspective as she relates her tale and surrounding events to the family forced to host her and her priest. Hannah Kent utilises translations and adaptations of letters and manuscripts in order to bring you out of the story at vital moments. She also portrays Agnes as guilty but gives her innocent reasons for commiting her crime.

This is a brilliantly written book that is well worth the hype. Have you found any addictive  books lately? Until next time,
Catherine.

Best and worst movie adaptations

This week I thought I'd change things up a bit by talking about my best and worst movie adaptations. Interestingly enough these actually come to be the same movie for me. I'm talking about 'Practical Magic' written by Alice Hoffman.

I started off watching the movie, oblivious that there was even a book. Being one of my favourite movies I decided to read the book once I found it. The book itself was one of the most horrible pieces of literature I have ever read. I do know that a lot of people really enjoyed it and that it did get a lot of high reviews but it just wasn't my cup of tea. I found the writing to be very simple and the plot to be jumpy. Years would pass without any warning and leave a lot of the story untold. Important characters were pulled in without any prior warning, even when they should have been mentioned before and the overall book was very dark.

In regards to the movie I think it is one of the few adaptations I have seen that changed the story to make it better. I think that the movie added in more detail to make the plot a bit more understandable and introduced important characters when it was meant to. I don't often see a movie that is better than the book but this was definitely one of them.

On the other hand the movie did not stick to the original plot line at all. It completely changed a lot of the story and a lot of the characters personalities. Even destinations were changed so that when characters were meant to move they stayed intead. This all makes it the worst adaptation I have ever seen as it did not follow the book at all.

It is rare that a movie can change a book's plot completely and end up making it better but this is one instance in which it happened. I highly recommend 'Practical Magic' to anyone who has not seen it as it is a wonderfully terrific movie. Until next time,

Catherine

A bookworms wish list

With Christmas coming up rapidly the time has come to start asking people for their holiday wish lists, and to benefit friends and family and perhaps even some of you looking for ideas I've decided to compile mine. 

My first pick interestingly enough is the 'V for Vendetta' graphic novel. Six months ago I would have never even looked at a graphic novel but over the past couple of months I've really gotten into them. I was reading this online but I enjoyed it so much that I would really love a copy of my own.

'The Princess Bride', William Goldman. I have loved this movie for years, in fact I had to study it when I was in year 7 which was one of the best assignments ever. I keep forgetting that there is a book but it is one that I am very eager to read.

'Heaven', Virginia Andrews. Due to my unfortunte luck I purchased the second novel in this series and I have my heart set on the first in order to correctly begin the series. I am a big Virginia Andrews fan and I do already have several of her novels.

'Time and Chance' and 'When Christ and His Saints Sleep', Sharon Penman. Once again I have the third book in this series and would prefer to begin with the first two. This is my favourite kind of historical fiction, absolutely packed with detail.

'The Mayan Prophecy', Steve Alten. I purchased the sequel to this not to long ago not realising that it wasn't a stand alone novel. I told you all I have bad luck with buying sequels!!

'Tournament', Matthew Reilly. Not only is this the very new Matthew Reilly novel (which makes it a must buy already) but this is set in the year 1546. Matthew Reilly and historical fiction, my dream combination. Naturally I am incredibly excited to see this come out.

Well that's all. Let me know, what is the one book you would love to recieve this Christmas? Until next time,

Catherine

City Adventures

Hello everyone, last week for my day off I headed into the city and I thought that I would share my fabulous day out with you all. I headed in a bit later than expected so my first order of business was lunch. I had been reading about a small cafe hidden away called The Manchester Press. It has brilliant reviews and the menu looked really good. It is located off of little Bourke street and despite being tucked away in an alley it was really busy. I highly recommend turning up early for luch. There is only communal seating available and as such it has a very vibrant atmosphere. The menu is quite small, it has a breakfast section however when it comes to lunch the options are between salads or bagels.

Despite the lack of option the food is really very good, fresh and flavoursome. The coffee that I ordered with my lunch was expertly prepared although for the size it was a little bit pricy. All in all I really enjoyed this cafe and am definitely looking forward to going back. My next stop was Target. Due to the fact that I have sensitive eyes and with summer coming I was in desperate need of new sunglasses which I found in no time. I also wanted to try out a brand called urban ritualle and from them I brought a perfume that smells like summer, fruity and floral at the same time.

Of course I had to visit a bookstore during my visit to the city so I went back to my favourite, The Book Grocer. The store has stopped moving around so much and the books are more consistent but they're all still $10 or under. I picked up 'Mary, Queen of Scots, and the Murder of Lord Darnley' by Alison Weir. I adore reading about Mary, queen of scots and despite this being a non-fiction piece I'm really excited about it. My other purchase was 'A Name in Blood' by Matt Rees, this is a historical romance with a mystery twist, right up my alley.

A quick trip to Lush to purchase some bath and body goodies and then back home. I hope you all enjoyed this post. Until next time,

Catherine