Books! Books! Books!

I was at Angus & Robertson today and I picked up a copy of their Top 100 as voted by YOU, the Australian Public.

Now we all know popularity doesn't automatically mean worthwhile since a lot of people are morons. But, it's a useful indicator of what is worth investigating so you can make your own decisions. Also, it's also safe to assume that people who actually read might be a little more trustworthy than average. However, I may be biased because I'm a bibliophile.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that I'm going to try to read all the books on the list. I've said this before about other lists and given it a go. Fortunately the lists have a core that doesn't change so each time I try it, I get closer to my goal.

This is the list as it stands so far. Key: read | partly read | unread

1. Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling
2. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
3. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
4. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. The Power of One - Bryce Courtenay
7. Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
8. My Sister's Keeper - Jodi Picoult
9. Magician - Raymond E. Feist
10. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown
11. Cloudstreet - Tim Winton
12. The Bronze Horseman - Paullina Simons
13. It - Stephen King
14. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
15. April Fool's Day - Bryce Courtenay
16. Mao's Last Dancer - Li Cunxin
17. Eragon - Christopher Paolini
18. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
19. Gone with the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
20. Good News Bible
21. Jessica - Bryce Courtenay
22. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
23. Alchemist - Paulo Coelho
24. The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
25. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
26. Nineteen Eighty-four - George Orwell
27. Ice Station - Matthew Reilly
28. The Time Traveler's Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
29. A Fortunate Life - A. B. Facey & Robert Juniper
30. Cross Stitch - Diana Gabaldon
31. Perfume - Patrick Suskind
32. Life of Pi - Yann Martel
33. The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy
34. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
35. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak
36. Little Women - Louisa M. Alcott
37. Tully - Paullina Simons
38. Shantaram - Roberts Gregory David
39. Wild Swans - Jung Chang
40. The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
41. Angela's Ashes - Frank McCourt
42. Tuesdays with Morrie - Mitch Albom
43. The Pillars of the Earth - Ken Follett
44. The Potato Factory - Bryce Courtenay
45. The Reef - Di Morrissey
46. The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
47. A Child Called It - Dave Pelzer
48. Clan of the Cave Bear - Jean M. Auel
49. The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards
50. Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
51. Emma - Jane Austen
52. The Thorn Birds - Colleen McCullough
53. The Horse Whisperer - Nicholas Evans
54. Marley and Me - John Grogan
55. River God - Wilbur Smith
56. One for the Money - Janet Evanovich
57. The Pact - Jodi Picoult
58. The Five People You Meet in Heaven - Mitch Albom
59. Animal Farm - George Orwell
60. The Godfather - Mario Puzo
61. The Ancient Future - Traci Harding
62. The Great Gatsby - F.Scott Fitzgerald
63. Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks
64. Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
65. Dirt Music - Tim Winton
66. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
67. The Notebook - Nicholas Sparks
68. The Stand - Stephen King
69. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
70. Interview with the Vampire - Anne Rice
71. Scarecrow - Matthew Reilly
72. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
73. A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
74. Across the Nightingale Floor - Lian Hearn
75. Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
76. Assassin's Apprentice - Robin Hobb
77. Dune - Frank Herbert
78. The Bride Stripped Bare - Anonymous
79. Girl With a Pearl Earring - Tracy Chevalier
80. War and Peace - L.N. Tolstoy
81. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
82. Anna Karenina - L.N. Tolstoy
83. The Eyre Affair - Jasper Fforde
84. The Celestine Prophecy - James Redfield
85. The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
86. Flowers in the Attic - Virginia Andrews
87. Plain Truth - Jodi Picoult
88. Kane and Abel - Jeffrey Archer
89. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
90. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
91. Brave New World -Aldous Huxley
92. The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
93. The Secret River - Kate Grenville
94. The Devil Wears Prada - Weisberger Lauren
95. Four Fires - Bryce Courtenay
96. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
97. Rich Dad, Poor Dad - Robert T. Kiyosaki
98. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
99. The Poet - Michael Connelly
100. Desert Flower - Waris Dirie

I can't believe I've only read 24 of these. I'd like to know how many books I've read.