# LIED about reading a famous book....



## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

This is from a story on CBS Sunday Morning on March 8, 2009. It came up on the "abandonded books" thread, but now I am interested how my fellow Kindleboarders fall in the findings of this study..... *Please reply if any of these books apply for you*:

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Sixty-five percent of participants in a Book Day survey confess to having LIED about reading a famous book. There's even a Top Ten list of never-read books:

10. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins (6%) 
9. "Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama (6%) 
8. "Remembrance of Things Past" by Marcel Proust (9%) 
7. "Midnight's Children" by Salman Rushdie (14%) 
6. "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking (15%) 
5. "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert (16%) 
4. The Bible (24%) 
3. "Ulysses" by James Joyce (25%) 
2. "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy (31%)

... and the Number 1 unread book: "1984," by George Orwell (42%), the novel about a dictatorship that proclaims, among other things, that "Ignorance is strength."

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I'd love to make a poll but don't know how?!?!


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

By the way, I read 1984 in High School and by my recollection, I enjoyed it!


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## pomlover2586 (Feb 14, 2009)

I read 1984 for school........it was horrible- didn't like it at all....


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## Atunah (Nov 20, 2008)

I read 1984 too, in school in Germany, I loved it. But then I got a kick out of the Tin drum too. 

1984 had other meanings for us of course being in Germany. I remember quite the discussions we had in class. Great teacher. I think I was 14 or so. I can't remember exactly. Actually, thinking now, I read 1984 in 1984, that sounds about right  

I admit to not reading any of the other books on the list. I am not counting the bible as I was forced to read that. Blocking it out


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

They made me read *Portrait of the Artist as Young Man*. Oh God, that was torture. And I also was forced to suffer through *The Great Gatsby.*

Actually, when you come down to it, I have a real problem with assigned reading. If I am supposed to read something, I usually hate it. If I pick it up on my own...that's a different story. That's probably why I don't join book clubs.

L


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## Silver (Dec 30, 2008)

Read 1984 in school and thought it was brilliant.  Well, I was at an impressionable age.  BTW, at the same time I read Canticle for Leibowitz which was assigned as a companion piece for 1984, and I even enjoyed that one.  Slogged my way through War and Peace.  Tough going (oh, those names!), but I finished it.  Read Madame Bovary.  I can't remember ever lying about reading a book.  Interesting survey.


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## TM (Nov 25, 2008)

I hadn't even heard of some of those books...


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## ScottBooks (Oct 28, 2008)

10. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins


How many people have even heard of this to lie about having read it? Where does Book Day conduct these surveys? How did "Midnight's Children" get on there instead of "The Satanic Verses"? If they're gonna lie about Rushdie they're gonna lie about that one.

It's a really weird list.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

ScottBooks said:


> 10. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins
> 
> How many people have even heard of this to lie about having read it? Where does Book Day conduct these surveys? How did "Midnight's Children" get on there instead of "The Satanic Verses"? If they're gonna lie about Rushdie they're gonna lie about that one.
> 
> It's a really weird list.


I thought so too....which is why I brought it up


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## David J. Guyton (Jan 6, 2009)

I have read _1984_ and also Hawking's _A Brief History of Time_.

Orwell made brilliant points, although I must admit it's not a FUN read.

Hawking I think is a little overrated in the physics community. He is by no means a stupid person, certainly a genius and he has certainly overcome his share of hardships, but in the two books I have read by him, he didn't present any new ideas, just old ones. I will say though, that for advanced physics, he writes very well in that the average person can understand what he is saying very easily.

For a better book about time (for you physics fans) pick up _About Time_ by Paul Davies. Brilliant, brilliant book.


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## Geemont (Nov 18, 2008)

David J. Guyton said:


> Orwell made brilliant points, although I must admit it's not a FUN read.


I disagree. I've read 1984 once and listened to the unbridged audiobook once. I really enjoyed it both times. Maybe is is all in how you define FUN.

Other than that, I read (or listened to the unabridged audio) to five others,


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## David J. Guyton (Jan 6, 2009)

Geemont said:


> I disagree. I've read 1984 once and listened to the unbridged audiobook once. I really enjoyed it both times. Maybe is is all in how you define FUN.
> 
> Other than that, I read (or listened to the unabridged audio) to five others,


Well yes it's all in how you define fun. For me, the book is set in such a dreary way that it just saps all the energy out of what comes across in the writing. But I know that that's sort of the point of how it's presented.


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## Lotus (Oct 31, 2008)

I've read 1984, too. I haven't read any of the others, but I've never claimed I have. I've read parts of the Bible, but I can't claim that I've read all of it.


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

I bet this number is probably even higher than that.  I admit it, I lied about some book probably too at some point.


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## mom133d (aka Liz) (Nov 25, 2008)

Like others, read 1984 in school. Recall that I didn't think it was that bad, like leslie I had a harder time with Portrait of the Artist as Young Man. Ugh. 
I have read the Bible, in its entirety. 
Didn't even make it through the first chapter of Hawking.
Obama's book(s) are on my to do list - which is so long who knows if it'll ever get read
Hmm, War and Peace. I might have read the Cliffs for it. One of those huge tombs was assigned in my AP English class. We begged our normal English teacher for her Cliff notes. She gladly loaned it to us - but only for this once.


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## Seamonkey (Dec 2, 2008)

I remember when I was pretty young, deciding to read the whole Bible.. but I got bogged down in "begats" .

I DID actually read the entire (including footnotes) Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in HS.  Heaven knows why I felt compelled to read every word.. I mean, I know why, but I could have been equally impacted, probably, without reading every word.


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

> 10. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins


***Disclaimer: I know just enough here to be dangerous without actually contributing to the subject.***

Was this the book that came out in opposition to Darwin's Origin of the Species? B/c I see the name Dawkins associated with Charles Darwin a lot, but not like they agreed. So it may either be an "Origin of the Species" type book, or the complete opposite. Hard to say.

I have not read any of these books. Although I did like Great Gatsby. I had a tendency to not read required reading in high school. What? I was busy reading stuff that was WAY more interesting.


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## bosslady402 (Nov 6, 2008)

robin.goodfellow said:


> Was this the book that came out in opposition to Darwin's Origin of the Species? B/c I see the name Dawkins associated with Charles Darwin a lot, but not like they agreed. So it may either be an "Origin of the Species" type book, or the complete opposite. Hard to say.


It's not in opposition at all; it just takes the concept of 'survival of the fittest' and applies it to the level of the gene rather than the individual or group.

He also coins the new term 'meme', which is sort of a 'cultural' gene as opposed to a biological gene - the mechanism where ideas or religious/cultural beliefs are passed on through generations and how they compete with other ideas/beliefs. He tries to figure out what attributes make one idea spread through a population and stick around relatively unchanged through generations, vs those that come and go.

that's the lesson for the day, gotta go back to work now...


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## horrorauthor (Dec 22, 2008)

I've read 1984 too. Madame Bovary is actually a great read; don't be intimidated. And I did read Proust for a French Lit class in college; I don't know if I still would have the will and patience to read it today. I once attempted ULYSSES, but was too dumb to understand it, although I did enjoy his PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A YOUNG MAN.


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

bosslady said:


> It's not in opposition at all; it just takes the concept of 'survival of the fittest' and applies it to the level of the gene rather than the individual or group.
> 
> He also coins the new term 'meme', which is sort of a 'cultural' gene as opposed to a biological gene - the mechanism where ideas or religious/cultural beliefs are passed on through generations and how they compete with other ideas/beliefs. He tries to figure out what attributes make one idea spread through a population and stick around relatively unchanged through generations, vs those that come and go.
> 
> that's the lesson for the day, gotta go back to work now...


^^^what Bossladysaid. I knew it was something like that. Vaguely.

A little.


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## Robin (Dec 11, 2008)

I actually read War & Peace... because it is long. Too many books finish too soon for me, but not this one. I too have trouble with the Russian names.


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

Liar Liar, Pants on Fire! ...anyways.... Can't say that I have lied about reading a book.


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## Avalon (Oct 28, 2008)

Some of those aren't worth lying about :0

I don't think I've ever lied about reading a book.  I might say I've read something when I've read most of it.  Like I'm reading ''Out of Africa" now, I'm about 80% through, but it's starting to lag.  There are so many other great books I want to read, I may just move on.  But if someone wanted to discuss it someday, yeah, I'd probably say I had read it.  And then follow up by saying I read most of it but never finished it.

I really wanted to like War & Peace, but just couldn't get into it.  From time to time I give it another try.  Still too long-winded and deadly dull for me, alas.  Can you say short attention span?  Although I read Outlander last month, I think that's about 700 pages.

Agree there are some weird choices on this list.

The Bible?  I don't think I'd ever say I had read all of it, although I've probably read most of it.  But at different times, maybe years apart.  I haven't read it all in one year.  It's like reading many different books.  Which, of course, is exactly what it is.


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## marianneg (Nov 4, 2008)

I've read _1984_ and the Bible in its entirety. I even read the Apocrypha once. One of these days I'm going to get around to the Gnostic gospels and such. I would like to read _Madame Bovary_ and at least try _War and Peace_.

I do think some of those are weird choices. I've probably lied about reading Dickens, though. I couldn't get through _A Tale of Two Cities_ in high school, and _Great Expectations_ was a beating, even though I'm pretty sure I did read all of that one.


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## didir1010 (Feb 21, 2009)

marianner said:


> I've read _1984_ and the Bible in its entirety. I even read the Apocrypha once. One of these days I'm going to get around to the Gnostic gospels and such. I would like to read _Madame Bovary_ and at least try _War and Peace_.
> 
> I do think some of those are weird choices. I've probably lied about reading Dickens, though. I couldn't get through _A Tale of Two Cities_ in high school, and _Great Expectations_ was a beating, even though I'm pretty sure I did read all of that one.


I thought it was just me! I never ever ever could get past Chapter 1 in A Tale of Two Cities! I have downloaded War and Peace, but not sure I'll make it through that either!

Didi


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## geko29 (Dec 23, 2008)

ScottBooks said:


> 10. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins
> 
> How many people have even heard of this to lie about having read it? Where does Book Day conduct these surveys? How did "Midnight's Children" get on there instead of "The Satanic Verses"? If they're gonna lie about Rushdie they're gonna lie about that one.
> 
> It's a really weird list.


"The Selfish Gene" is probably the most famous (and best selling) book on Genetics in history. It was required reading for one of my Biology classes in High School. I, however, fall into the group above.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

didir1010 said:


> I thought it was just me! I never ever ever could get past Chapter 1 in A Tale of Two Cities! I have downloaded War and Peace, but not sure I'll make it through that either!
> 
> Didi


I read _A Tale of Two Cities_ all the way through, and I was pretty young; maybe college age. I liked it. I'll probably read it again since I bought Mobi's Kindle edition of Dicken's complete works.

_War and Peace_ is on my bucket list of books to read. Of course, I haven't even downloaded it, yet. What does that tell you.


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## SongbirdVB (Nov 18, 2008)

Seamonkey said:


> I remember when I was pretty young, deciding to read the whole Bible.. but I got bogged down in "begats" .
> 
> I DID actually read the entire (including footnotes) Rise and Fall of the Third Reich in HS. Heaven knows why I felt compelled to read every word.. I mean, I know why, but I could have been equally impacted, probably, without reading every word.


Getting bogged down in "begats" made me laugh.

I also read the entirety of Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Thought I was the only one!  Seriously, I wanted to write the AMA and tell them I had discovered the cure for insomnia. But I forced myself to finish it, and I'm glad I did. Then I gave the book away because I will NEVER read it again! Very dry and emotionless, like reading the encyclopedia.


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## LaraAmber (Feb 24, 2009)

I also read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.  I agree, dry, boring, and a definite homophobic vibe in sections.  

Lara Amber


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## Britt (Feb 8, 2009)

Definitely couldn't make it through the Grapes of Wrath. Talk about torture!! I liked 1984, though, for a required reading book. Probably wouldn't read it of my own free will, though.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

This thred and the poll are so interesting to me!  I am def a Kindleboards addict as when I saw the original story on Sunday Morning, I instantly wondered how those statistics would hold up amounf "real" readers like Kindleboard members....Thanks for your support all!!!


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## Aravis60 (Feb 18, 2009)

I don't think that I've ever lied about reading a book, athough sometimes I do forget whether or not I've read something...the only books on the list that I've read are the Bible and 1984.


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## Gertie Kindle (Nov 6, 2008)

Britt said:


> Definitely couldn't make it through the Grapes of Wrath. Talk about torture!! I liked 1984, though, for a required reading book. Probably wouldn't read it of my own free will, though.


Hated _Grapes of Wrath_. As a matter of fact, I don't like any depression era authors. Their work is so ... depressing.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

gertiekindle said:


> Hated _Grapes of Wrath_. As a matter of fact, I don't like any depression era authors. Their work is so ... depressing.


Actually, I liked the _Grapes of Wrath_. But I could never plow through _East of Eden_. So go figure... maybe I could read it on Hugh, but I have many other things to be distracted by...


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Distraction is good....


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## bkworm8it (Nov 17, 2008)

I've read David Copperfield. Does that count? It took 3 years but I read the whole thing LOL. Still only half way through Moby Dick. I have thought about reading War & Peace, and 1988.

I have read the Bible through 2x's - and Most books more times than I can count. On my way through a 3rd time.

theresam


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## Britt (Feb 8, 2009)

bkworm8it said:


> Still only half way through Moby Dick.


That reminds me, I also hated Billy Budd! But at, what, 88 pages, there's really no excuse not to finish it


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

If I may say...this is part of the problem. "Forcing" people to read books they don't want to read only sours them on reading. I have to say, my children (now in HS and college) seem to have had much less assigned reading than I did. They had more opportunity to select books and design their own reading lists. I realize with this approach they might miss some great stuff they should be reading. But I can honestly say, my life was not enriched by reading *Great Expectations*. In fact, I thought then when I read it, and I still think it now, it's just an early version of *Psycho*. Unfortunately, the teacher didn't buy that thesis and I didn't care about the book enough to pursue it.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Great Expectations did noting for me.

I will not lie and say I read it....but I will be honest and say I was supposed to....


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## SongbirdVB (Nov 18, 2008)

Leslie said:


> Actually, I liked the _Grapes of Wrath_. But I could never plow through _East of Eden_. So go figure... maybe I could read it on Hugh, but I have many other things to be distracted by...


I'm picturing Leslie lying on the floor with her Kindle propped up on Hugh Jackman's chest, reading East of Eden...


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

SongbirdVB said:


> I'm picturing Leslie lying on the floor with her Kindle propped up on Hugh Jackman's chest, reading East of Eden...


Well, GAH. LOL

So I just downloaded *A Canticle for Leibowitz *which is free for the week over at www.kindleformatting.com. This is another one of those books that I have always felt like I am supposed to read but never have. Now I own it. The question is, will I read it?

L


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## ginaf20697 (Jan 31, 2009)

Leslie said:


> If I may say...this is part of the problem. "Forcing" people to read books they don't want to read only sours them on reading.


Amen! I am a crazy reader but anything I was told to read was torture.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

ginaf20697 said:


> Amen! I am a crazy reader but anything I was told to read was torture.


This is why I never took a literature course in college. The thought of being "forced" to read all these books and not only that, read them in a day or two, just gave me the heebie-jeebies. LOL.

L


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## SongbirdVB (Nov 18, 2008)

Leslie said:


> This is why I never took a literature course in college. The thought of being "forced" to read all these books and not only that, read them in a day or two, just gave me the heebie-jeebies. LOL.
> 
> L


Some of the worst books I ever read were from a college lit course. OTOH, I will have to say that one of my favorite books in the world, To Kill a Mockingbird, was one I was forced to read in 7th grade. I probably would never have read it if not for that class and I'm grateful to that teacher to this day. Thanks Miss Kelly!!


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## bkworm8it (Nov 17, 2008)

Britt said:


> That reminds me, I also hated Billy Budd! But at, what, 88 pages, there's really no excuse not to finish it


How about 'In her Name' (finished - really good), 'Gone for a Soldier' (which is really getting good), Distant Calling - should be starting but getting waylaid by GFAS  

theresam


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## Britt (Feb 8, 2009)

bkworm8it said:


> How about 'In her Name' (finished - really good), 'Gone for a Soldier' (which is really getting good), Distant Calling - should be starting but getting waylaid by GFAS
> 
> theresam


In Her Name is one of about a zillion books that I _want_ to read... I was just reflecting on books that I was forced to read in high school.


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## robin.goodfellow (Nov 17, 2008)

SongbirdVB said:


> Some of the worst books I ever read were from a college lit course. OTOH, I will have to say that one of my favorite books in the world, To Kill a Mockingbird, was one I was forced to read in 7th grade. I probably would never have read it if not for that class and I'm grateful to that teacher to this day. Thanks Miss Kelly!!


I read TKAM on my own well before I had to read it in high school. Our teacher made it an extremely unenjoyable experience, and also I got in trouble for having read it before. I REALLY sympathized with Scout that six weeks. And, we had recently moved from Alabama (which is in the South) to Tennessee (which likes to think it is not.), and my teacher said that I was biased, racist, and generalizing when I said that, in fact, most small Southern towns were exactly like Maycomb, and no, mostly attitudes hadn't changed in the forty years since the book was written (not that that's a good thing.). My parents were shocked that I made a C on that project, right up until my English teacher called them to complain about my attitude. I was still grounded (they were, after all, still my parents and apparently there's a law), but they saw that the trouble lay in interpretation of the material, not failing to do my homework.

I am totally going to back up my brother's kids when they don't like to do required reading. Yes, I fully plan to be the crazy aunt. I'm already buying hats.


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## SongbirdVB (Nov 18, 2008)

robin.goodfellow said:


> I read TKAM on my own well before I had to read it in high school. Our teacher made it an extremely unenjoyable experience, and also I got in trouble for having read it before. I REALLY sympathized with Scout that six weeks. And, we had recently moved from Alabama (which is in the South) to Tennessee (which likes to think it is not.), and my teacher said that I was biased, racist, and generalizing when I said that, in fact, most small Southern towns were exactly like Maycomb, and no, mostly attitudes hadn't changed in the forty years since the book was written (not that that's a good thing.). My parents were shocked that I made a C on that project, right up until my English teacher called them to complain about my attitude. I was still grounded (they were, after all, still my parents and apparently there's a law), but they saw that the trouble lay in interpretation of the material, not failing to do my homework.
> 
> I am totally going to back up my brother's kids when they don't like to do required reading. Yes, I fully plan to be the crazy aunt. I'm already buying hats.


LOL on being the crazy aunt! Don't forget, hats and cats. Both are required. Wait a minute... MY crazy aunt had a chihuahua. Kinda like a cat, though, right?

I think I had your teacher in high school! She was INSANE. I also got in trouble for having read the book before, she was so mad she made me take the final IMMEDIATELY. I aced it which did not endear me to her. She then said I was forbidden to re-read it while the rest of the class read, and that I would need to RETAKE the final when they did. THAT would be the grade that would count. WhatEVER. To make sure I didn't read it again (don't remember the book but it wasn't good enough that I would've even if I could have) she assigned me a different book that I would ALSO have to take a final on. Fast forward 6 weeks, I take both finals and ace both of them. Teacher almost had a stroke. She HAD to give me an "A" but she was evil to me for the rest of the time I was at that school. If she saw me in the halls she would go out of her way to say something snotty. I just laughed at her!


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## Neekeebee (Jan 10, 2009)

gertiekindle said:


> Hated _Grapes of Wrath_. As a matter of fact, I don't like any depression era authors. Their work is so ... depressing.


This is funny. _Grapes of Wrath_ is on my TBR list b/c it is the only assigned book that I never finished. I think I was only about 50 pages short, and actually didn't mind it as much as most of the other assigned books. Must have just had a lot going on at the time. I always meant to go back and finish reading it after the exam, b/c of the guilt, but then didn't. Now I'll have to move it farther down on that TBR list.

*Robin* and *SongbirdVB*: I can't believe you got in trouble with an English teacher for already having read an assigned book! My teachers would have been thrilled!

Just had to add this story, as this is the Lied about reading thread: A friend of mine, whose favorite book is _Pride and Prejudice_, was convinced that this guy she was dating was her soulmate b/c he said it was his favorite book too. (None of us friends believed him...) Anyway, later she found out he'd never read it, hadn't even seen the film. Boy, was she mad! They broke up not too long afterwards....

N


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## kevindorsey (Mar 4, 2009)

"Crime and Punishment" is what I need to read.  Don't know if its really a punishment to read this or really worth it.


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## Kind (Jan 28, 2009)

Britt said:


> In Her Name is one of about a zillion books that I _want_ to read... I was just reflecting on books that I was forced to read in high school.


Yeah, I've heard a lot about this book as well.


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## Sunflower42479 (Mar 2, 2009)

Leslie said:


> This is why I never took a literature course in college. The thought of being "forced" to read all these books and not only that, read them in a day or two, just gave me the heebie-jeebies. LOL.
> 
> L


This is funny - I got a Lit degree in college because I wanted to take classes so that I WOULD be forced to read books - my fear being that I would not make sure I found the time to read if I got bogged down with a bunch of classes. The Lit was a second degree but it helped me to keep my sanity in college.


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Sunflower42479 said:


> This is funny - I got a Lit degree in college because I wanted to take classes so that I WOULD be forced to read books - my fear being that I would not make sure I found the time to read if I got bogged down with a bunch of classes. The Lit was a second degree but it helped me to keep my sanity in college.


I read all the time...not just school books but also recreational reading....while in college and also graduate school. It was having kids that finally slowed me down on reading. Which is why I am thrilled with the Kindle...I am reading again they way I did in the old days. I didn't fully realize how much I missed it.

L


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I was a math major in college.  I took a lot of lit courses so I'd have an excuse to read. . . .I was careful about what I picked. . .always picked the best profs as they'd keep it from being dull:  18th century lit, the Epic, Chaucer (in the original), Shakespeare.  It was a good antidote to the math.  I also took piano lessons all through college to give me an excuse to go use yet another part of the brain. . . .I had a friend who was a biology and chem major who took a dance class every semester for the same reason.

Ann


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I'm with Leslie, I have always read like a maniac but the only assigned reading I read my entire school career was Pride and Prejudice (which I enjoyed by the way--you'd think I would have read more).  So yes, I have lied about reading books, but only the assigned ones.  I never read the Scarlet Letter, but I wrote a paper about it that my 11th grade English teacher read to the class as an example of the kind of paper that you can write if you've read the book.  (I regurgitated his ideas).

I can't imagine any teacher getting MAD because a student had already read an assigned book.  Sheesh!

Betsy


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## Robin (Dec 11, 2008)

I recommend reading Crime & Punishment. I tend to have trouble with the Russian names & this one dragged for the 1st few chapters... but once you get to the Crime, the rest of the book is really good.


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

I have a literature degree (and a series of strange minors . I distinctly remember the very first time a read a novel for school that I had not previously read. It was my senior year in HS and the book was Cry the Beloved County. This only worked because, when I was in seventh grade, I noticed that it was on the list for AP senior English and I saved it. I took so much grief from teachers for being too well-read and too, umm argumentative.



robin.goodfellow said:


> I am totally going to back up my brother's kids when they don't like to do required reading. Yes, I fully plan to be the crazy aunt. I'm already buying hats.


I'm that crazy mom. Being unschoolers, there is no required reading at my house. The kids follow their own ideas. Of course, apples tend to fall near trees and my almost seven year old devours books at an alarming rate. Today, she was comparing two different translations of Heidi. I'm kind of scratching my head about that one.


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## frojazz (Feb 10, 2009)

I was also a voracious reader in school, except when it came to assigned reading. I'd do it, but I didn't enjoy it. (_Great Expectations_, uuuuggggh!) I tried hard to convince my friends that reading on your own is fun!! I rarely succeeded, though. Now, I send people copies of books that I enjoy and think they will, too. I figure, this way they'll be more likely to read a free book instead of having to go through all the trouble of picking something out for themselves. It works about 85% of the time...you can lead a horse to water and all that.

I haven't lied about reading a book, but I forget names of books I've read. I'll remember characters and story lines, so someone will ask if I've read something, and I'll say no, but then when they start telling me about the book, I'm all like, "Oh yeah, I remember that one now." I feel so silly sometimes!!


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## Britt (Feb 8, 2009)

KMA said:


> It was my senior year in HS and the book was Cry the Beloved County.


Another one that was torture for me... but I DID finish it.


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## KMA (Mar 11, 2009)

Britt said:


> Another one that was torture for me... but I DID finish it.


Yeah, I'm glad I read it, but I would not say that it was easy or pleasant.


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## srmalloy (Mar 3, 2009)

Robin said:


> I recommend reading Crime & Punishment. I tend to have trouble with the Russian names & this one dragged for the 1st few chapters... but once you get to the Crime, the rest of the book is really good.


I had to force myself to finish both War and Peace and Crime and Punishment; both of them just dragged on and on as if the author was getting paid by the word and determined to get every kopeck he could.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

I am not 100% but I think that there once was a time that authors DID get paid by the word... I think someone said that in regards to Dickens (maybe?)

That would explain a lot with the classics, eh??


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

Dickens definitely did get paid by the word. Many of his books were originally serialized in a a newspaper/magazine, too, and then put together as books after they were finished.

L


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## V (Jan 23, 2009)

KindleKay (aka #1652) said:


> "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking (15%)
> "1984," by George Orwell (42%)


From that list, I've the quoted two. War and Peace is in my kindle backlog.

1984 was my hands-down favorite work until I ran into Dune (and still holds a firm 2nd place). Why in the _world_ would people like about reading 1984? ...check that, I know why: if they said 'no' they'd immediately be told "Go read it! (and Animal Farm too!)" given it's uncomfortable match-up with reality these days.


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## GeorgeGlass (Mar 25, 2009)

Leslie said:


> They made me read *Portrait of the Artist as Young Man*. Oh God, that was torture. And I also was forced to suffer through *The Great Gatsby.*
> 
> Actually, when you come down to it, I have a real problem with assigned reading. If I am supposed to read something, I usually hate it. If I pick it up on my own...that's a different story. That's probably why I don't join book clubs.
> 
> L


Ouch! Two of my favorite novels!


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## Leslie (Apr 7, 2008)

GeorgeGlass said:


> Ouch! Two of my favorite novels!


This is why the world is great. If we all liked the same thing, think how dull it would be!

BTW, welcome, George. Glad to have you here.

L


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## GeorgeGlass (Mar 25, 2009)

Leslie said:


> This is why the world is great. If we all liked the same thing, think how dull it would be!
> 
> BTW, welcome, George. Glad to have you here.
> 
> L


Thank you for the welcome. I learned quickly from Amazon reviews that many books that I have hated have devoted followings, so disagreement never surprises me.


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Agreeing to disagree is what makes life fun and interesting!!  

Welcome, George!  Please join in often!!


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## revgroucho (Mar 18, 2009)

ScottBooks said:


> 10. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins
> 
> How many people have even heard of this to lie about having read it? Where does Book Day conduct these surveys?
> It's a really weird list.


Yeah, I thought the exact same thing when I saw that. I was really surprised to see it on the list.


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## MikeD (Nov 5, 2008)

10. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins (6%)
I've honestly never heard of this book till now, let alone read it.
9. "Dreams From My Father" by Barack Obama (6%)
Unlikely to read this. Just doesn't get my interest.
8. "Remembrance of Things Past" by Marcel Proust (9%)
Have not read it. Unlikely to do so.
7. "Midnight's Children" by Salman Rushdie (14%)
Have not read this yet. On my "to read" list. One day, I'll get around to it. 
6. "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking (15%)
I've read all of Hawkings books. Wife thinks I'm nuts, but I enjoy his theories and the way he presents them. Good stuff.
5. "Madame Bovary" by Gustave Flaubert (16%)
Haven't read it, likely won't.
4. The Bible (24%)
Read it on multiple occasions. Once every 2 or 3 years I go through the "read the bible in a year" process, similar to what others are doing here.
3. "Ulysses" by James Joyce (25%)
Ugh. Can't stand Joyce. I've tried to read him several times, but just can't do it.
2. "War and Peace" by Leo Tolstoy (31%)
Read it and enjoyed it. 
1. "1984" byGeorge Orwell (42%) 
Read it more than once. Loved it.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

KindleKay (aka #1652) said:


> I am not 100% but I think that there once was a time that authors DID get paid by the word... I think someone said that in regards to Dickens (maybe?)
> 
> That would explain a lot with the classics, eh??


If I'm not mistaken, authors still get paid by the word, at least for short stories in magazines, etc. Maybe the best-selling authors don't, but the rest do.

I seem to recall that during the pulp magazine days of the thirties and forties, two cents a word was considered decent pay. Then there was Upton Sinclair, who during this time was turning out seven to eight thousand words a day for the pulps before he became a novelist.

Mike


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## GeorgeGlass (Mar 25, 2009)

jmiked said:


> If I'm not mistaken, authors still get paid by the word, at least for short stories in magazines, etc. Maybe the best-selling authors don't, but the rest do.
> 
> I seem to recall that during the pulp magazine days of the thirties and forties, two cents a word was considered decent pay. Then there was Upton Sinclair, who during this time was turning out seven to eight thousand words a day for the pulps before he became a novelist.
> 
> Mike


Sort of.

(I work in magazines.)

The editors and writer agree to a length beforehand, and that is what is generally paid. A writer can't splash in extra words to bolster the paycheck. They get to use that 5,000 words the best way they see fit.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

GeorgeGlass said:


> Sort of.
> 
> (I work in magazines.)
> 
> The editors and writer agree to a length beforehand, and that is what is generally paid. A writer can't splash in extra words to bolster the paycheck. They get to use that 5,000 words the best way they see fit.


The editors also need to know how long the story is to plan issue layout.

Writer to John W. Campbell: "I know we agreed to 5,000 words, but here's the story in 20,000 words. I just couldn't do it in less."

Campbell to writer: "There's the door."


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## KindleKay (aka #1652) (Jan 20, 2009)

Posts: 26


    Re: LIED about reading a famous book.... 
« Reply #68 on: Yesterday at 10:04:27 PM » Quote  

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote from: ScottBooks on March 08, 2009, 09:46:39 PM
10. "The Selfish Gene" by Richard Dawkins


How many people have even heard of this to lie about having read it? Where does Book Day conduct these surveys? 
It's a really weird list.


Yeah, I thought the exact same thing when I saw that. I was really surprised to see it on the list. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you look at the origianl post on page 1 of the thread, this list was published and a story was done from CBS Sunday Morning.  I didn't make up the list, I was just curious how us admitted book/Kindle lovers would compare to this list from Sunday Morning....


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