Top 25 Books of the Past 25 years

[journeymom]

Waterstone's Top 25 Books

Top 25 Books of the Past 25 years, as voted for by Waterstone's customers:

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2. Time Traveler's Wife
3. Northern Lights [I'm thinking this is Golden Compass in the US]
4. Birdsong
5. The Da Vinci Code
6. The Shadow of the Wind
7. Memoirs of a Geisha
8. The Secret History
9. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog
11. Handmaid's Tale
12. The Kite Runner
13. The Lovely Bones
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany
15. Colour of Magic
16. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
17. Magician
18. Life of Pi
19. Wild Swans
20. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic
21. The Name of the Rose
22. Angela's Ashes
23. A Suitable Boy
24. Notes from a Small Island
25. Labyrinth

I haven't heard of many of them. And they're biased towards the UK, but I suppose that makes sense!

Of these I've read Philosopher's Stone, Northern Lights, Da Vinci Code and Name of the Rose.

"Magician" and "Labyrinth" are rather unspecific titles; does anybody have any idea which books these are?

[box_of_rain]

Interesting - these are the top for the last 25 years? Most of them seem really recent.

I've read #'s:

1
2
5
7
10
11
12
13
14
16
18
22

They were all great books.

[towsonmama]

Box of Rain, those are the exact same books I've read from the list as well. I didn't care that much for Time Traveler's Wife or Lovely Bones but Life of Pi is one of my all-time favorites.

[BookGoddess]

Top 25 lists are always so subjective, aren't they?

Of the books on that list, I've read..

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
3. Northern Lights [I'm thinking this is Golden Compass in the US]
7. Memoirs of a Geisha
11. Handmaid's Tale
13. The Lovely Bones
16. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
23. A Suitable Boy

The title Labyrinth is familiar but I can't recall the name of the author. I think I've only seen the book in the bookstore. Haven't read it. Magician doesn't ring a bell for me at all.

[box_of_rain]

Originally Posted by towsonmama

Box of Rain, those are the exact same books I've read from the list as well. I didn't care that much for Time Traveler's Wife or Lovely Bones but Life of Pi is one of my all-time favorites.

Wow! How funny!

I loved Life of Pi, as well. The Handmaid's Tale was another of my favorites. I just finished Time Traveler's Wife and thought it was alright - not a favorite, though.

[Wilhemina]

What a funny list!
I've read 1,2,5,7, 10, 11, 12, 14, 18, 19, 21, 22

I think I'll take this list to my bookclub Monday for *show and tell.*

Of the ones I have read Kite Runner is my least favorite.

[KaraBoo]

Wild Swans is an incredibly moving book. It is my favorite from that list.

[Traci mom23boys]

I have read:
1. Harry Potter
2. Time Traveler's Wife
5. The Da Vinci Code
7. Memoirs of a Geisha
16. The Five People You Meet
18. The Life of Pi
19. Wild Swans
22. Angela's Ashes

I loved *The Time Traveler's Wife*, go figure??
I enjoyed all the others as well but have a special fondness for Angela's Ashes.

On my bookshelf waiting to be read are#10 The Curious Incident of the Dog & #12 The Kite Runner- my Dh has read and enjoyed them both.


I am really surprised by all the books that seem missing!

Blessings.

[joensally]

From the link above:

Waterstone's has selected an eclectic combination of crime, sci-fi and cookery writers, along with debut novelists and more established names, as its 25 "authors for the future."

The authors were nominated by publishers, editors and agents, who, as part of Waterstone's silver jubilee celebrations, were asked to choose who would go on to produce the most significant works of the next 25 years. A Waterstone's panel then selected the final 25

That's a different twist - the list is about potential!

[Janelovesmax]

Originally Posted by journeymom

Waterstone's Top 25 Books

Top 25 Books of the Past 25 years, as voted for by Waterstone's customers:

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2. Time Traveler's Wife
3. Northern Lights [I'm thinking this is Golden Compass in the US]
4. Birdsong
5. The Da Vinci Code
6. The Shadow of the Wind
7. Memoirs of a Geisha
8. The Secret History
9. Captain Corelli's Mandolin
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog
11. Handmaid's Tale
12. The Kite Runner
13. The Lovely Bones
14. A Prayer for Owen Meany
15. Colour of Magic
16. The Five People You Meet in Heaven
17. Magician
18. Life of Pi
19. Wild Swans
20. The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic
21. The Name of the Rose
22. Angela's Ashes
23. A Suitable Boy
24. Notes from a Small Island
25. Labyrinth

I haven't heard of many of them. And they're biased towards the UK, but I suppose that makes sense!

Of these I've read Philosopher's Stone, Northern Lights, Da Vinci Code and Name of the Rose.

"Magician" and "Labyrinth" are rather unspecific titles; does anybody have any idea which books these are?

I'm so grateful for this post. I'm looking books to read.
I have read:
Five People you meet in Heaven
Lovely Bones
Da Vinci Code (blah)
Memories of Geisha

I still have a long way to go...

[Janelovesmax]

What would you guys recommend I read next from that list:

Life of Pi?
Angela's Ashes?

[kofduke]

Wow, I've read quite a few of them:

Originally Posted by journeymom

[

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2. Time Traveler's Wife
3. Northern Lights [I'm thinking this is Golden Compass in the US]
5. The Da Vinci Code
6. The Shadow of the Wind
7. Memoirs of a Geisha
8. The Secret History
10. The Curious Incident of the Dog
11. Handmaid's Tale
12. The Kite Runner
13. The Lovely Bones
18. Life of Pi
21. The Name of the Rose

Assuming #10 to be Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, right?

And, Lovely Bones and the Kite Runner are on my ever-growing pile of books to be read in the spare bedroom

Color of Magic and Corelli's Mandolin look interesting of those I haven't heard of before. Wild Swans has been on my PBS wishlist for quite a while as well.

[box_of_rain]

Originally Posted by Janelovesmax

What would you guys recommend I read next from that list:

Life of Pi?
Angela's Ashes?

Oh - those are both great books. Life of Pi is notably "lighter" than Angela's Ashes. So, I guess if you're in the mood for a heavier memoir, go for Angela's Ashes. If not, take the alternative!

[fivi2]

Originally Posted by BookGoddess

Top 25 lists are always so subjective, aren't they?

The title Labyrinth is familiar but I can't recall the name of the author. I think I've only seen the book in the bookstore. Haven't read it. Magician doesn't ring a bell for me at all.

Pretty sure Labyrinth is by Kate Mosse. I almost picked it up yesterday and made a note of it to check reviews. Fairly mixed over at Amazon. (If this is the Labyrinth they are talking about - there is probably more than one!