Today is World Book Day, and Britain's Guardian newspaper reports on a poll conducted by the Museum, Libraries, and Archives Council that asked British librarians to recommend the book adults should read before they die. Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird topped the list, followed by the Bible in second place and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings trilogy in third. The rest of the list consisted of classics (Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice) and book club favorites (Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones). Interestingly, Austen and Lee led a second poll that queried British readers on their favorite happy endings. Not surprisingly, P&P came out the winner but Mockingbird oddly came in second. Hmmm. I wouldn't call an ending, in which a major character dies tragically, happy (although reclusive Boo Radley does come to the rescue in the finale). Anyway, inquiring minds want to know. What book would you recommend as a must read before the Grim Reaper comes to collect us all? My picks: Leo Tolstoy's epic War and Peace (it has a much happier ending than Anna Karenina!) and John Fowles's mysterious and compelling The Magus.—Wilda Williams
LJ Reviews Social Club