100 British Books

These days it isn’t difficult to go far before you can find a recommended read, from award winners, book club promotions, online reviews to sites like goodreads which let you scour other’s reading shelves. Yet all this can sometimes become a bit overwhelming.

I was inspired at the beginning of this year by a Lady who is challenging to an astonishing, 1001 novels to read before you die. A reading list which would faze most book enthusiasts.

Leaving the 1001 book list to the professionals I decided to do a search for a more reserved 100 reads and there doesn’t seem to be too many of them. The Guardian and Telegraph both have similar lists which although provide variety are quite high brow ranging from the first novel ever published to the Bible. Not exactly the list I’d been enthused to work through. Interestingly, when the BBC put together a list based on the nation’s favourite reads many of them were children’s books in addition to the classic and cult favourites. Compiled nearly 10 years ago, I wonder how different this list would look today. Just think of the fantastic books that we have been reading over the past decade.

As this is a site dedicated to British writing, I propose a new list pulled from some of my own personal choices, award winners, world book night choices and book club favourites. Not to mention your suggestions which have been flooding in on twitter. If you have a firm British favourite you want to see on this list then please leave your top picks below or get in touch via Facebook or Twitter .

Check back soon for the full list.