Book review: House rules

Title: House Rules
Author: Jodi Picoult
Genre: Contemporary fiction

First sentence reads: Everywhere I look, there are signs of struggle.



Rating: 3/5

This is my first attempt at reading Jodi Picoult's book. I have heard a lot about it, mostly of her My sister's keeper. So the next time I was in a bookstore I made a beeline for her books. This story is about a teenager who has Aspergers Syndrome which is in the Autistic spectrum. Jacob Hunt is brilliant and loves forensic sciences which nearly always puts him in trouble with the cops as he frequents crime scenes. Jacob is perturbed easily with any small changes in routine. So, Emma his mom, and Theo, his brother do not have normal household like other people. The plot focuses on each character as it flits from one to another as they narrate their story from their point of view. Jacob is a difficult character to live with as he is exceedingly brilliant but emotionally distant as he can't understand feelings. Theo on the other hand longs for normal household but has to contend with rigid routines to accommodate his brothers mood swings. The Hunt family has rules, and Jacob and his younger brother Theo are forced to follow these rule.

Rule 1: Clean up your own messes.

Rule 2: Tell the truth.

Rule 3: Brush your teeth twice a day.

Rule 4: Don't be late for school.

Rule 5: Take care of your brother; he's the only one you've got.

Things in the Hunt household gets heated up when Jacob's social skills tutor is found dead and this puts the Hunt household into chaos. Jacob is suspected and faces charges. Emma is torn between trusting her son's innocence and doubting him. I enjoyed the first 3/4 of the book which thereafter just dribbled slowly by with much repetition. I enjoyed this book just because of Jacob. While reading the book, I couldn't help but compare it with Grisham's writing style. Jodi Picoult does go into certain discussion of law but its not as powerfully written like Grisham. However, this book would not stop me from reading other Jodi Picoult's books as  she writes heart warming, genuine, thought provoking stories.

2010 In Review

I'ts nearly the end of 2010. It's been a good year despite the many disappointing incidents that dotted it. Here comes another year and I hope there is a bend in the road as Anne of Green Gables would say which brings wonderful surprises along. This post is for summing up the current year with the best of everything and the books read throughout the year. I've managed to read about 12 books and many were new authors for me. Some of the books have been absolute gems and I've discovered that I'm particularly fond of multicultural and historical fiction. Though I have yet to dig deep into many books in theses categories , I've done a little bit of dabbling into multicultural books set in India, China, Japan and also the Middle East. It has been fun. 

Books read in 2010: 

• Midnight's children by Salman Rushdie
• The last empress by Anchee Min
• Cleopatra's daughter by Michelle Moran (a must read!!! )
• Mirage by Soheir Khashoggi (exotic read !)
• Dead head by Allen Wyler
• Chasing eden by S.L.Linnea
• First darling of the morning by Thrity Umrigar (a must read !!!)
• Opposite of love by Julie Buxbaum
• Midori by moonlight by Wendy Tokunaga (a must read !!!)
• Love in Translation by Wendy Tokunaga (great story !)
• Memoirs of a geisha by Arthur Golden
• House rules by Jodi Picoult

Favourite Bookshop: Bookxcess. I started my blog with a grumbling that books are not cheap here and its frustrating for a bool lover like me to read more.Then came Bookxcess (Amcorp mall, KL), selling books at a great bargain which saved all book lovers here. Cheers to Bookxcess!

To my fellow bloggers, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !

South Asian Author Challenge 2011

Hi there everyone!

Its been a while since I last posted in my blog. Actually it feels like ages. I've got lots to update and reviews to post. Before that I would like to log my participation in the upcoming South Asian Author Challenge hosted by S.Krishna of S.Krishna's books. This would be my first reading challenge and I'm looking forward to it.  I have yet to decide on the books that I'm going to take up in the challenge as I need to scour the local bookstores for the available titles of interest. Till then take care and do drop by my blog. Cheers.

Musings: Happiness

The world is full of hypocrites and dignified grey haired people talking nonsense. But if you have enlightened soul, you wouldn't be burdened by these short sighted souls. Happiness is the seed of enlightenment. If you are not happy its hard to find peace in the harsh world full of sorrow, sadness, disappointment, disillusionment and malice. Where do we find happiness? Some find it in their hard earned money, some in the soul mates and some in their solitude. When you are happy, the world is always a better place to live.When you are happy the lines in your face always rearrange in the form of a smile. 

My personal quote: Happiness is like M&Ms, don't melt in your hands but melts in your mouth. 

PS: Reviews are coming up soon ( First darlings of the morning, Thrity Umrigar and The opposite of love, Julie Buxbaum)

Book blogger hop

Whoa!!! Its Friday. Hopping time! 

This week's question is from Suko who blogs at Suko's Notebook.

What's your favorite beverage while reading or blogging, if any? Is it tea, coffee, water, a glass of wine, or something else?

My answer: Hmm  it depends I guess. Most often I don't take any drinks while reading or blogging. If I do it would be fizzy drinks. What about you guys?

Top Ten Tuesday (1)

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created here at The Broke and the Bookish. This meme was created because we are particularly fond of lists here at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!


Each week we will post a new Top Ten list complete with one of our bloggers answers. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND sign Mister Linky at the bottom to share with us and all those who are participating. If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Don't worry if you can't come up with ten every time...just post what you can!

This weeks top ten list:  TOP TEN FAVORITE AUTHORS

1. John Grisham- for the 'Rainmaker'

2. Khaled Hosseini- for the beautiful story 'The Kite Runner'

3. Wendy Nelson Tokunaga (* New favourite author) - for 'Love in translation' and 'Midori at  moonlight'

4. Michelle Moran (* New favourite author)

5. J.K. Rowling- for the joy of reading 'Harry Potter' series

6. Garth Stein for the heart warming 'The art of racing in the rain'

7. Antoine de Saint-Exupery - for the amazing The little Prince

8. Danielle Steele - for 'Echoes'

9. Jostein Gaarder (*New favourite author) - for 'Sophie's World'

10. Mohammad Hanif- for the wonderful story of 'A case of exploding mangoes'

Sunday post

Hi there. Its another Sunday and oh Im so very happy this week for so many reasons. Happy is too generalized, I'm upbeat, optimistic, exuberant and positively beaming. Ok, so I haven't finished with my thesis, but Im pushing myself to do my best. I've nearly made up my five year plan, figuring out my 10 year plan and did the groundwork for job application. So far so good. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

As far as blogging goes, I'm happy that I'm slowly garnering more followers but my aim is to read good books and give reviews on them. Blogging is such fun and I'm never tired of tweaking here and there to make my blog look good and neat. Yes, Im all for neatness over clutter. I made my own blog button after so many tries, my oh my i loved the look of it. Blogging has really given me lots of experience and energy. Positive comments from other bloggers also cheers me up. Keep the comments coming.

My aim is to join reading challenges next year , as its too late to enter for this year and I'm too busy with my labwork to commit to reading 100 books and so on. I have to forcibly remind myself that its 100 scientific journals that I have to read. =)

Another thing im happy about is I'm going shopping today, shopping books. Yippeee. I hope to get 2 books from my wishlist. So long, happy Sunday everyone and have a great weekend.

A picture speaks a thousand words

This is a  sunrise captured from my hotel room in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia. Peaceful beyond words. Missing those moments.

Sophie's world - An introduction

Title: Sophie's World
Author: Jostein Gaarder
Genre: Philosophy



Status: Stil reading

Ok, so Im breaking my own rule of posting a review after reading. Since this is a book which can be read part by part, I'm allowing myself to share interesting anecdotes that i found while reading.

Sophie's world was a random choice when I was browsing for book in local bookstore. I wanted a change so I took the plunge into what i though a serious affair of reading philosophy. I'm loving it. Who knew it could be so fun. Jostein Gaarder  is popular Norwegian author who wrote books which inspire people to think. Sophie's world is one of his most popular work.

So he introduces to us a teenage girl, Sophie who is 15 and receives an anonymous letter with two questions, 'who are you' and 'where does the world come from'. There is a story within a story here. Let me not spoil the fun for you. Since I haven't finished the book yet, here are some anecdotes which might tempt you to read it.

• The only thing we require to be good philosophers is the faculty of wonder. Pg 14

• We who live here are microscopic insects existing deep down in the rabbit's fur. But philosophers are always trying to climb up the fine hairs of the fur in order to stare right into the magician's eyes. Pg 13

• A philosopher is one who love wisdom~Plato  Pg 77

• Sophie decided that lego really could be the most ingenious toy in the world. Pg 37

• Nature is really built up of different atoms that join and separate again. A hydrogen atom in a cell at the end of my nose was once part of an elephant's trunk. A carbon atom in my cardiac muscle was once in the tail of a dinosaur. Pg 39

• We do not live in our own time alone;we carry our history within us. Pg 163

Book blogger hop - October

Book blogger hop is hosted by Jennifer at crazy-for-books. This week's question is:

How do you spread the word about your blog?

(e.g. Social Networking sites, Book Blog Directories, comments on other blogs...)"

My answer: I started blogging in August, 2009. It was by trial and error that i managed to create a nice looking page with a little detail on what i'm about to post. I was clueless on networking and blog accessories. When I googled book blogs there were just hundreds of entries and I  was astounded. Well I do know that lots of  people read but i didnt know they blog what they read. 

I joined book blogs and found some blogs that I follow till today. I also use facebook to promote my blog and I do visit other blogs to read their post and drop a comment or two. Book blogger hop too has helped to spread the word and I'm glad to find other cool book blogs out there.

Book review: Midori by Moonlight

Title: Midori by moonlight
Author: Wendy Nelson Tokunaga
Genre: Multicultural fiction

First sentence reads: Midori Saito received the following warning from her mother right before she left Japan: " Running off with a foreigner will bring you nothing but trouble," she said.

Rating: 5/5

I just finished reading this book today and this is my second time reading Wendy Nelson Tokunaga's work. It's absolutely delightful. The author has a wicked sense of humor, delightful word play and smooth story telling. Just the right combination to create a delightful story.

Midori Saito doesn't fit in with the typical Japanese norm. She rebels and wants things which are frowned upon and considered not mainstream. Midori is passionate about 3 things; learning English, marrying a gaijin (foreigner) and pastries. She meets Kevin, an American guy who proposes to her and off she goes to America under her fiancée' s visa.   There she is jilted by him  and is stranded without much money and no job but she refused to be deported. Her poor English is of no help either. Lucky for her, she meets her ex-fiancées friend Shinji who is also a Japanese who like her did not fit in in Japan. Shinji proves to be of great help he has a  room for rent but its up to Midori to find a job. Without a green card the going gets tough but the tough Midori proves she is up to the challenge and takes a 'under the table' job at a Japanese lounge as a bar waitress. She survives and indulges in her passion of baking, making desserts and improving her  English ingeniously through television drama. Her determination to get a green card is intense and utterly funny. In this light and fun story we see Midori's progress as she gains friendship and falls in love with non-other than her moon gazing housemate Shinji. Delightful read.

favourite quote: 

She closes her eyes. She is truly a chicken with its head cut off. No, that isn't it. No, she is pure chicken feed. No, not that either. Wait. She has chickened out. Yes that's it.

Book blogger hop

Its Friday and it's time to find other great blogs out there courtesy of Jennifer from Crazy-for-Books. This weeks question comes from Elizabeth who blogs at Silver's Reviews.

When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

My answer: I prefer to write the review after reading the book as I can give a much better picture of the content and the writing style. I do not jot down or make notes while I'm reading though but I can see a lot bloggers do that. I might try it so i could easily remembers quotes from the books and add it to my review.

Book review: Mirage

Title       : Mirage
Author   : Soheir khashoggi
Genre    : Multicultural fiction

First sentence reads: The studio in which Barry Manning taped his radio show-a show that Jenna Sorrel disliked on principle but on which she was to be the guest in an hour-was in a renovated warehouse on commercial street overlooking the Boston harbor.

Rating: 4/5

Don't let the very long first sentence from stopping you reading this book. I'm pretty averse to long, twister sentences which don't hold my attention. I picked up this book as I've been wanting to read more on middle eastern fiction and have seen this book on several occasion. Recently, when I saw this book again I decided to just buy it and I'm not disappointed with it. Its a moderately fast paced story set in exotic Al-Remal, Egypt. Amira, the protagonist is utterly lovable, brave and loves her brother dearly and she carries out a dangerous mission on behalf of her brother, Malik. It's heartbreaking to read the way women are treated, punished and denied education. Amira is lucky as she managed to convince her traditional dad to hire a tutor for her. As a eager student she learns and learns and gains a diploma. Her life takes a sharp turnround when she is betrothed to the crown prince. Amira will never be the same again. However, the brave girl befriends french physician Philippe, which is the best decision she has ever made and saves her life later on. Her husband, the crown prince is not what he seems to be and Amira will be forced to flee to america where she starts a brand new life, with a brand new identity. Family ties are broken, history is erased and future is taken one day at a time. I felt the story dragged on with some unnecessary details towards the end and I would have liked the book to have much shorter ending. All in all its a good book. the author's writing style is pleasant and the character development is very good. i would catch other books by this author again.

A picture speaks a thousand words

Brown lizard said to me telepathically: Can you see me? I'm basking under the sun beneath the pretty yellow hibiscus. I'm too lazy to pose for a picture though. Catch me if you can. 

Sunday post

This is the second time I'm gathering my thoughts on a calm Sunday evening. I can't say the same for my mind though, it seems there are non-stop buzzing, alarm bells going on in my head. The reason is simple enough, time is running out, thesis is not ready yet. Welcome to a MSc student's life, where chaos rule and calmness goes out of window. Its long holiday here for eid mubarak. What did i do? I went shopping books and came back with 2 new books, Sophie's World by  Jostein Gaarder and Mirage by Soheir Khashoggi. Both are new authors for me since I have never read their work before. 

A gentle warning if my post today is a tad disjointed, its all due to random thoughts racing around looking for empty ports.

Firstly, this morning I happened to notice a new miniature pinscher at the front neighbour's porch. He's got two dogs already and here I am, still trying to get one for myself. The poor pinscher has been going crazy, barking at every single thing that moved beyond his cage. This seemed to irritate the housebound shih tzu  cutie who barked in annoyance. The next door german shepherd joined in and a very off-key band went on barking and howling in an unsynchronized orchestra. It amused me so very much. What a Sunday morning.

Later in the  evening, I received a dear compliment and encouragement from my closest friend on my blog posts. It warmed me to my toes and made my day better. Talk about healing therapy of best friends. Music, too made my day.Yes I've been listening to a whole lot of soothing music by my latest favourite Indian singer, Madhu Balakrishnan. He has got a heavenly voice. 

It's been as usual  up and down week, a very down, tumbling down more than uplifting week. But posting review and reading other blogs has kept me happy. As for the reading part, I've just started reading Mirage  and Sophie's world . I'm enjoying them and will post the reviews soon. 

Cheers and Happy Sunday to you too.

Book blogger hop

Its friday and time to hop again. This is such a fun way to connect with other bloggers and check out cool blogs and become followers. This weeks topic comes from Anne @ My Head Is Full of Books.

Post a link to a favorite post or book review that you have written in the past three months.

I've read several books for the past three months including Memoirs of a geisha, Dead head, Chasing eden, and Cleopatra's daughter.However my favourite review is definitely Cleopatra's daughter by Michelle Moran. A historical delectable dessert for the readers mind with travel back in time to Alexandria and Rome. A must read for all historical fiction fans and those who want to curl up with a book and travel back in time.

Book review: Cleopatra's daughter

Title    : Cleopatra's daughter
Author: Michelle Moran
Genre : Historical fiction

First sentence reads: While we waited for the news to arrive, we played dice.

Rating: 5/5

This is my first time reading Michelle Moran's work, i'm impressed and I've found my new favourite author! This novel goes back to the era of egypt's great queen Cleopatra and the roman conquest of her Kingdom. I must admit the front cover did wonders to attract me to this book. When I first started reading i was quite intimidated by the sheer number of names and the relationship between them. But the story went flawlessly and beautifully. I absolutely loved the main character, Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Queen Cleopatra. When the roman consul, Octavian arrives in Alexandria, Egypt , Queen Cleopatra and her partner Marc Anthony commit suicide. This leaves their 3 children, Alexander Helios, Cleopatra Selene and Ptolemy to be brought back to Rome for the Roman Triumph. This story expands with how these children cope in their new surrounding and the cunningness of Octavian to maintain peace in Rome. I loved each and every character in this book. They were well developed and provided enough emotion for the reader to love them or hate them. Its marvelous to be able to imagine and bring to life what hapened way way back in the time of pyramids and roman empire.

A must read!!!

A picture speaks a thousand words

This picture is one of the reason I love sunrise and sunsets. I caught this image with my phone camera. I was working overnight in my lab and when i looked out at about dawn i saw this beautiful sight. Streaks of fire across the cloudy sky. It reminds me of dragons and ancient greek myths. Nature at its best.

Book blogger hop

 It friday and its time to hop courtesy of Jennifer at Crazy-for-books.
This week's question comes from Sarah @ SarahReadsTooMuch

Do you judge a book by its cover?

I do. A great covers nudges me to read the synopsis and if its good, to  read it. A not so well done cover doesn,t arouse my interest as much but i would still give it a shot if the story's good. I believe a book cover acts sort of like a promoter for the book. To state a few, i absolutely loved the cover of the book I'm currently reading, 'Cleopatra's daughter' when I saw it in another blogger's best book lists. Another example would be the book' The art of racing in the rain by Garth Stein really stole my heart with a very soulful looking doggy dog eyes on the cover. 

Sunday post

Its Sunday again. I've decided to sum up my last week's activities and upcoming events. Its been an uneventful week. Lab results were not encouraging  but ive realised that i can bear disappointments much better lately. Thats what research is all about i guess, trial and error till you find something significant.  But my books help me get through it. I've finished two thrillers and I'm pretty happy about them and i would give the ratings soon. I'm panicking as August is nearly over. Here comes September, bringing more datelines that i have to achieve. Thesis to finish typing, scientific paper to be drafted and  powerpoint presentation to get ready. However i look forward to September. I hope there's a new chapter with new subplot, twists and turns waiting for me.  The upcoming week is a busy week for me with lots of labwork to be done and not forgetting  the coming tuesday is a holiday to commemorate independence day of my country, Malaysia.

     

Happy Independence Day Malaysia,
Selamat Hari Merdeka!!

Happy Sunday everyone and have a good week ahead!

Book blogger hop

Hi welcome to my blog. I give reviews for the books that i read (multicultural, historical, thriller, contemporary and non-fiction) and spice up the blog with some interesting thoughts and snippets.

This weeks question is from : Books Are A Girl's Best Friend

Do you use a rating system for your reviews and if so, what is it and why?

Generally i try to rate the books that i own as a guide for those who would like to get a summary before getting the book themselves or as a comparison to what they thought about the book. I rate books over 5. I do not have any fancy rating system, just a simple one for now. But i love to check out how other bloggers glam up their ratings with cool buttons ans so on. It's really a great way to find new and wonderful books in other bookshelves. 

Hope you can check out my site here and give me some useful comments. I would love to have my very own blog button but i cant seem to get around doing it. =) Anyway thanks to Jennifer for hosting this blog hop.

cheers to all bloggers.

Book review: Dead head

Title    : Dead Head
Author: Allen Wyler

First sentence reads: The Motorola cell phone/walkie talkie rang a   second before a voice came from the tiny speaker.

Rating: 4/5





Russell Lawton, a neurosurgeon is kidnapped  by terrorists who demand the most extraordinary thing from him. As i dont go for thriller these days, I started reading this book as i wanted to find out what was the demand all about. In a well planned kidnapping strategy, the terorists also kidnapped and hid Russell's daughter Angela as a motive for getting Russell's expertise for their own benefit. The stunned Russell will be asked to conduct a near impossible task of removing the head of  a severely injured Muhammad the colleague of  group leader, Ahmad and keep it alive to complete their mission. The explosive beginning seems to fizzle in the middle of story as FBI gets involved as Russell's ex-wife files kidnapping charges against Russell as their daughter goes missing. I was eagerly waiting for the gory details of severing head from body without leaving the brain dead and connecting it to computer to produce an interface that can interpret speech pattern and the author doesn't disappoint us and  really creates an intense medical/ research environment for readers to savor with explanation on connecting neuron signals to computer. It is also rather chilling to read the surgical procedures. Overall, it was something different from most other thrillers and I quite enjoyed it.

WWW Wednesdays

To play along, just answer the following three (3) questions!…

What are you currently reading? 
Chasing Eden by S.L.Linnea

What did you recently finish reading? 
Just finished 'dead head' by Allen Wyler. The last thriller that i read was Da Vinci code, so it was refreshing to read a thriller again with a unique plot.

What do you think you’ll read next? 
I've got Cleopatra's daughter lined up in my TBR list.

PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own WWW Wednesdays post, or share your answers in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks! :)

Evening musings : Peace

Im reading 'chasing eden' a book by S.L.Linnea. There is a part which mentions dog tag. Dog tag? For humans that is.The thought of soldiers who die in battlefield being identified by dog tag is saddening.

Is peace really elusive? Like paradise, heaven on earth? Is peace,for both  mind and  humans is attainable? When? Don't everybody deserve a chance to live without fearing bullets, bombs, daylight robberies, murder, abuse?

I wonder, will there be a day where there are no soldiers to protect each nation? Only children bearing flowers welcoming you everywhere you go.

When will people of Afghanistan, Iraq, Sri Lanka and all other places on this beautiful earth live without fear?

Will I see that day?

Even people who have it all don't have peace of mind. What an irony.Will they be freed of discrimantion, no divide over race, religion?

Im here on a comfortable couch in my house without any fear or worry at this moment. I wish the same for every single person in this world.

Yes, i want peace. I also do want bombs, no not the kind that you think and know of. I want bombs made of every kind of balloon, crayons, coloured pencils, candies falling down surprising people and making them laugh.

Yes, you peace I hope will be discovered.

100 must read books

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 Pilcherride 
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