100 best selling books from 1998 to 2010

The Guardian has published a list of the best selling books from 1998 to 2010. So, I thought I'd see how many of the 100 I've read ... It's based on ISBNs which is apparently why there are two versions of some of the books.

1. Da Vinci Code,The Brown, Dan
2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone# Rowling, J. K.
3. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets# Rowling, J. K.
4. Angels and Demons# Brown, Dan
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Rowling, J. K.
6. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince:Children's Edition Rowling, J. K.
7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Rowling, J. K.
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban# Rowling, J. K.
9. Twilight# Meyer, Stephenie
10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Rowling, J. K.
11. Deception Point# Brown, Dan
12. New Moon# Meyer, Stephenie
13. Lovely Bones,The# Sebold, Alice
14. Digital Fortress# Brown, Dan
15. Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time,The# Haddon, Mark
16. Eclipse# Meyer, Stephenie1
17. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,The:Millennium Trilogy# Larsson, Stieg
18. Kite Runner,The# Hosseini, Khaled
19. Time Traveler's Wife,The Niffenegger, Audrey
20. World According to Clarkson,The Clarkson, Jeremy
21. Atonement# McEwan, Ian
22. Lost Symbol,The Brown, Dan
23. Short History of Nearly Everything,A Bryson, Bill
24. Breaking Dawn Meyer, Stephenie
25. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Rowling, J. K.
26. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Rowling, J. K.
27. Girl Who Played With Fire,The:Millennium Trilogy# Larsson, Stieg
28. Child Called It,A Pelzer, Dave
29. No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency,The:No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency S. McCall Smith, Alexander
30. You are What You Eat:The Plan That Will Change Your Life McKeith, Gillian
31. Man and Boy Parsons, Tony
32. Birdsong Faulks, Sebastian
33. Labyrinth Mosse, Kate
34. Island,The Hislop, Victoria
35. Life of Pi Martel, Yann
36. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution:The No-hunger, Luxurious Weight Loss P Atkins, Robert C.
37. Tales of Beedle the Bard,The Rowling, J. K.
38. Captain Corelli's Mandolin De Bernieres, Louis
39. Delia's How to Cook:(Bk.1) Smith, Delia
40. Gruffalo,The# Donaldson, Julia
41. Eats, Shoots and Leaves:The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation Truss, Lynne
42. Northern Lights:His Dark Materials S. Pullman, Philip
43. Interpretation of Murder,The Rubenfeld, Jed
44. Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest,The:Millennium Trilogy Larsson, Stieg
45. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason Fielding, Helen
46. Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian,A Lewycka, Marina
47. Alchemist,The:A Fable About Following Your Dream Coelho, Paulo
48. Notes from a Small Island Bryson, Bill
49. Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,The# Boyne, John
50. Stupid White Men:...and Other Sorry Excuses for the State of the Natio Moore, Michael
51. Jamie's 30-minute Meals Oliver, Jamie
52. Broker,The Grisham, John
53. Bridget Jones's Diary:A Novel Fielding, Helen
54. Very Hungry Caterpillar,The:The Very Hungry Caterpillar Carle, Eric
55. Thousand Splendid Suns,A Hosseini, Khaled
56. Sound of Laughter,The Kay, Peter
57. Jamie's Italy Oliver, Jamie
58. Small Island# Levy, Andrea
59. Memory Keeper's Daughter,The Edwards, Kim
60. Billy Connolly Stephenson, Pamela
61. House at Riverton,The Morton, Kate
62. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix# Rowling, J. K.
63. Nigella Express Lawson, Nigella
64. Memoirs of a Geisha Golden, Arthur
65. Delia's How to Cook:(Bk.2) Smith, Delia
66. Subtle Knife,The:His Dark Materials S. Pullman, Philip
67. Jamie's Ministry of Food:Anyone Can Learn to Cook in 24 Hours Oliver, Jamie
68. Guinness World Records 2009:2009
69. Why Don't Penguins' Feet Freeze?:And 114 Other Questions
70. Jamie at Home:Cook Your Way to the Good Life Oliver, Jamie
71. White Teeth Smith, Zadie
72. Devil Wears Prada,The Weisberger, Lauren
73. At My Mother's Knee ...:and Other Low Joints O'Grady, Paul
74. No Time for Goodbye Barclay, Linwood
75. "Times" Su Doku,The:The Utterly Addictive Number-placing Puzzle:(Bk. 1
76. Chocolat Harris, Joanne
77. Return of the Naked Chef,The Oliver, Jamie
78. Angela's Ashes:A Memoir of a Childhood McCourt, Frank
79. Schott's Original Miscellany Schott, Ben
80. Dreams from My Father:A Story of Race and Inheritance Obama, Barack
81. Dangerous Book for Boys,The Iggulden, Conn & Iggulden, Hal
82. To Kill a Mockingbird# Lee, Harper
83. Harry Potter and the Half-blood Prince Rowling, J. K.
84. Summons,The Grisham, John
85. Lost Symbol,The Brown, Dan
86. Catcher in the Rye,The Salinger, J.D.
87. I Can Make You Thin McKenna, Paul
88. Happy Days with the Naked Chef Oliver, Jamie
89. Brick Lane Ali, Monica
90. Anybody Out There? Keyes, Marian
91. Undomestic Goddess,The Kinsella, Sophie
92. Book Thief,The# Zusak, Markus
93. I Know You Got Soul Clarkson, Jeremy
94. Sharon Osbourne Extreme:My Autobiography Osbourne, Sharon
95. Guinness World Records 2010
96. Amber Spyglass,The:His Dark Materials S. Pullman, Philip
97. Can You Keep a Secret? Kinsella, Sophie
98. Down Under Bryson, Bill
99. Spot of Bother,A Haddon, Mark
100. Dear Fatty French, Dawn

So I make that 46 books. Maybe if I was more into cook books I could have highlighted more ... but I've certainly done my bit to help some of the big sellers to do well. Glad to see To Kill A Mockingbird on there, not many classics that are still selling well, obviously. There are also some "so what?" type books on there, I think as a result of Richard and Judy's Book Club. Right. Think I'll review the books I've read this year.

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman

Well, I've finished it. In about four days I have completed the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, with the final book being read today. And I have enjoyed it. There were a number of strands of the story going on all the time, but I managed to just about follow them. Many people have spoken against this trilogy, because it seems to be against the Church, and the main enemy in the book is an organised religion that has many trappings of the hierarchy of the Catholic Church; however, writers have always used different ideas and institutions as inspiration, and the story of friendship and love triumphing (although over what is never entirely clear) and people from different races working together is a positive and encouraging one. Even if the ideas of the Almighty and the Metatron being overcome are slightly absurd and comical in the telling ... It's been a good journey, and journeying is what this book is all about.

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman

I managed to read this book within the day ... and I have sought out the final book, The Amber Spyglass, from amongst the books on the bookshelf, this morning. Pullman introduces Will, from our own universe, who clambers through a window to another world, where he meets Lyra, also out of her world. In this world, spectres suck the concentration from adults leaving them listless, but they leave children alone. The two children are still interested in Dust, and Lyra meets with Dr Malone in WIll's world, who may be able to help them - in the final book. There are a few incidents which begin in this book but are not mentioned again - many threads to be tied up in the final book. Right, must go - I've a book to read!

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman

I had not really fancied reading this first book in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" trilogy. I think perhaps because of the width of some of the books, which looked quite long, because of the controversy, the comments that it is anti-Christian, because of the fact that it is fantasy, with daemons, witches, and other such creatures.

However, facing a long tube journey, I decided that now was the opportunity. I would have nothing else to do for 20 minutes - perhaps I could make a start.

And start it I did - that was noon yesterday, and by around 10am this morning I had finished it.

I really enjoyed hearing about Lyra and Pan's travels and adventures, with her alethiometer, the gyptians, a bear clad in sky-metal, trying to rescue Roger and the other children that had been kidnapped by the Gobblers, who were facing the horrors of intercision, and trying to escape from her mother while trying to reach her father. A story of betrayals and heroic actions.

I have now started on "The Subtle Knife", in which Lyra is joined, a few days after "Northern Lights" finishes, by Will, from our universe. More later ...