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ABC’s My Favourite Book 2004

The ABC announced the results of their nationwide search for Australia’s favourite books on Sunday 5 December, 2004.

http://www.abc.net.au/myfavouritebook/top10/100.htm

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1)

The Fellowship of the Ring (The Lord of the Rings #1)
J.R.R. Tolkien

The first volume in the epic fantasty trilogy

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Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen

Jane Austen's classic novel of manners

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The Bible

The Bible

One of the finest pieces of English prose

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To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee

The great classic of American literature, beloved by adults and children alike

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Cloudstreet

Cloudstreet
Tim Winton

Winton's sprawling, comic epic about luck and love, fortitude and forgiveness, and the magic of the everyday

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
J.K. Rowling

Book 5 in the internationally bestselling, multi-award-winning series

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1984

1984
George Orwell

The dystopian modern classic

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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide #1)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Hitchhiker's Guide #1)
Douglas Adams

The comic masterpiece. Volume one in the trilogy of five!

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The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon #2)

The Da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon #2)
Dan Brown

The bestselling thriller of all time.

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Catch-22

Catch-22
Joseph Heller

Reading Joseph Heller's classic satire is nothing less than a rite of passage

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A Fortunate Life

A Fortunate Life
A.B. Facey

A life lived to the full – the extraordinary journey of an ordinary man

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Dirt Music

Dirt Music
Tim Winton

Winner of the 2002 Miles Franklin Literary Award

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Wuthering Heights

Wuthering Heights
Emily Bronte

The classic novel of the destructive force of jealousy and vengeance

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Harry Potter #3)
J.K. Rowling

The third thrilling Harry Potter adventure

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Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space (Captain Underpants #3)

Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies From Outer Space (Captain Underpants #3)
Dav Pilkey

Winner Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Award

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Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre
Charlotte Bronte

The novel that shocked readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #1)

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (Chronicles of Narnia #1)
C.S. Lewis

The adventures of Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy have enchanted readers for over sixty years

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The Wind in the Willows

The Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame

Join shy Mole, friendly Ratty and bad-tempered Badger on their mission to save reckless, loveable Toad from himself

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The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye
J.D. Salinger

The ultimate novel for disaffected youth

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The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth
Ken Follett

A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England

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Magician (The Riftwar Saga #1)

Magician (The Riftwar Saga #1)
Raymond E. Feist

The first in the epic Riftwar Saga

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Possession: A Romance

Possession: A Romance
A.S. Byatt

Winner of the 1990 Booker Prize

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Dune

Dune
Frank Herbert

Winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards

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A Fine Balance

A Fine Balance
Rohinton Mistry

A Fine Balance is consistently acclaimed as a masterpiece from one of the most gifted writers of our time

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The Hobbit

The Hobbit
J.R.R. Tolkien

Discover where the journey began...

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A Suitable Boy

A Suitable Boy
Vikram Seth

'The book to restore the serious reading public's faith in the contemporary novel ... ' Daniel Johnson, The Times

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One Hundred Years of Solitude

One Hundred Years of Solitude
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

'Should be required reading for the entire human race.' The New York Times

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Deltora Quest Series 1 Bind-Up

Deltora Quest Series 1 Bind-Up
Emily Rodda

Three companions journey across the fictitious land of Deltora, endeavoring to recover the magical Belt of Deltora and defeat allies of the evil Shadow Lord

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Tomorrow, When the War Began (The Tomorrow Series #1)

Tomorrow, When the War Began (The Tomorrow Series #1)
John Marsden

The book that started the series that became the legend...

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Perfume

Perfume
Patrick Suskind

Laced with sense and suspense, Perfume is a beguiling tale of lust, desire and deadly obsession

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The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck

The Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece

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Ancient Future Trilogy

Ancient Future Trilogy
Traci Harding

The best-selling epic adventure trilogy from one of Australia's most loved fantasy authors

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The God of Small Things

The God of Small Things
Arundhati Roy

Winner of the 1997 Booker Prize

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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Harry Potter #4)
J.K. Rowling

The fourth epic Harry Potter adventure

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The Power of One

The Power of One
Bryce Courtenay

A classic story of the triumph of the human spirit.

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The Shipping News

The Shipping News
Annie Proulx

‘As stark and ruggedly beautiful as the storm-battered coast of Newfoundland itself.’ Sunday Telegraph UK

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Captain Corelli's Mandolin

Captain Corelli's Mandolin
Louis de Bernieres

The story of a timeless place that one day wakes up to find itself in the jaws of historyr

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The Poisonwood Bible

The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara Kingsolver

The unforgettable story told by the wife and four daughters of a fierce evangelical Baptist who takes his family and mission to the Belgian Congo in 1959

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Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables #1)

Anne of Green Gables (Anne of Green Gables #1)
L.M. Montgomery

The story of how a bad-tempered, naughty, red-haired orphan charmed a whole town

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Gone with the Wind

Gone with the Wind
Margaret Mitchell

The magnificent epic tale of love and loss

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Outlander (Outlander #1)

Outlander (Outlander #1)
Diana Gabaldon

Claire Randall is leading a double life. She has a husband in one century - and a lover in another

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Persuasion

Persuasion
Jane Austen

Austen's portrayal of the double-edged nature of persuasion and the clash between old and new worlds

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Ice Station (Scarecrow #1)

Ice Station (Scarecrow #1)
Matthew Reilly

The first action-packed Antarctic blockbuster featuring Lieutenant Shane Schofield – call sign: Scarecrow

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Rebecca

Rebecca
Daphne Du Maurier

Not since Jane Eyre has a heroine faced such difficulty with the Other Woman

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Life of Pi

Life of Pi
Yann Martel

Winner of the 2002 Man Booker Prize

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Crime and Punishment

Crime and Punishment
Fyodor Dostoyevsky

The tragic story of a talented former student whose warped philosophical outlook drives him to commit murder

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Little Women

Little Women
Louisa May Alcott

This lively portrait of nineteenth- century family life possesses a lasting vitality that has endeared it to generations of readers

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Great Expectations

Great Expectations
Charles Dickens

Dickens' classic work of Victorian literature

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The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald's magnum opus set on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922

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A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning

A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning
Lemony Snicket

In the tradition of Dickens and Dahl, an exquisitely dark comedy that is both literary and irreverent, hilarious and deftly crafted

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Love in the Time of Cholera

Love in the Time of Cholera
Gabriel Garcia Marquez

A brilliantly crafted, beautifully written story of love and the love-sick

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Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll

Startlingly original and experimental, the Alice books provide readers with a double window on both child and adult worlds

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The Mists of Avalon

The Mists of Avalon
Marion Zimmer Bradley

The magical legend of King Arthur, vividly retold through the eyes and lives of the women who wielded power from behind the throne

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Cafe Scheherazade

Cafe Scheherazade
Arnold Zable

‘An original, deeply felt, beautifully written book.’ Sydney Morning Herald

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The Bone People

The Bone People
Keri Hulme

Winner of the 1995 Booker Prize

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Jessica

Jessica
Bryce Courtenay

A novel based on the inspiring true story of a young girl's fight for justice against tremendous odds

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter #2)
J.K. Rowling

The second Harry Potter adventure

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The Fortunes of Richard Mahony

The Fortunes of Richard Mahony
Henry Handel Richardson

With its wisdom, intelligence and effortless narrative power, The Fortunes of Richard Mahony is a masterpiece

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My Family and Other Animals

My Family and Other Animals
Gerald Durrell

The charming and comic autobiographical novel, the first in the famed The Corfu Trilogy

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War and Peace

War and Peace
Leo Tolstoy

An epic portrait of ordinary life amid extraordinary circumstances

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Wild Swans

Wild Swans
Jung Chang

A true story with all the passion and grandeur of a great novel

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Mao's Last Dancer

Mao's Last Dancer
Li Cunxin

'An inspiring true story of courage and determination' Adeline Yen Mah, author of Falling Leaves

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Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl #1)

Artemis Fowl (Artemis Fowl #1)
Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl, teenage criminal mastermind, in his first epic adventure

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Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle Book #1)

Eragon (The Inheritance Cycle Book #1)
Christopher Paolini

The first exciting book of the Inheritance Cycle

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Shantaram

Shantaram
Gregory David Roberts

'A masterpiece' The Age

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Memoirs Of A Geisha

Memoirs Of A Geisha
Arthur Golden

Seductive, evocative, exquisite - intimate memoirs spanning half a century of Japanese history, revealing a closed world

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The Riders

The Riders
Tim Winton

Written with the pace of a thriller and the human understanding of a master novelist, this is the novel that brought Tim Winton to international attention

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Anna Karenina

Anna Karenina
Leo Tolstoy

The epic story of love and self-destruction

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Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes
Frank McCourt

The unforgettable true story of Frank McCourt's impoverished childhood and early adulthood in Brooklyn, New York, and in Limerick, Ireland

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The Age of Reason

The Age of Reason
Thomas Paine

One of the most influential defences of Deism ever written

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The Alchemist

The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho

“A wise and inspiring fable about the pilgrimage that life should be.” — M. Scott Peck

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Middlemarch

Middlemarch
George Eliot

A moving story of men and women longing to do the right thing, but making bad decisions

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Emma

Emma
Jane Austen

Austen's classic novel about youthful hubris and the perils of misconstrued romance

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Midnight's Children

Midnight's Children
Salman Rushdie

Winner of the 1981 Booker Prize

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The English Patient

The English Patient
Michael Ondaatje

Joint winner of the 1992 Booker Prize

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Matilda

Matilda
Roald Dahl

Roald Dahl at his best

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Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance

Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert Pirsig

A brilliant and original book... Everybody should read it' Guardian

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On the Road

On the Road
Jack Kerouac

Considered the defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations

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The BFG

The BFG
Roald Dahl

The well-loved story of a big friendly giant

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Animal Farm

Animal Farm
George Orwell

One of literature's most electrifying examinations of power and corruption

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Birdsong

Birdsong
Sebastian Faulks

A mesmerising story of love and war...

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A Prayer for Owen Meany

A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving

A masterpiece from one of the great contemporary American writers

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Scarecrow (Scarecrow #3)

Scarecrow (Scarecrow #3)
Matthew Reilly

It is the greatest bounty hunt in history

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The Secret History

The Secret History
Donna Tartt

The Secret History recounts the terrible price we pay for mistakes made on the dark journey to adulthood

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Looking For Alibrandi

Looking For Alibrandi
Melina Marchetta

A moving and revealing book, unusual for its honesty and its insight into the life of a young person on the brink of adulthood

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Watership Down

Watership Down
Richard Adams

Winner of the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize

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The Thorn Birds

The Thorn Birds
Colleen McCullough

A sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic struggles, dark passions and forbidden love in the Australian Outback

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Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged
Ayn Rand

The book that made Ayn Rand one of the most popular novelists of modern times, but also one of its most influential and controversial

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Winnie the Pooh

Winnie the Pooh
A.A. Milne, E.H. Shepard

Heart-warming and funny, Milne's masterpiece reflects the power of a child's imagination like no other story before or since

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1)

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter #1)
J.K. Rowling

An incredible adventure is about to begin!

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The Magic Faraway Tree (Faraway Tree #2)

The Magic Faraway Tree (Faraway Tree #2)
Enid Blyton

A magical journey for children from the acclaimed Enid Blyton

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Brideshead Revisited

Brideshead Revisited
Evelyn Waugh

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Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness
Joseph Conrad

A powerful indictment of the evils of imperialism

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High Fidelity

High Fidelity
Nick Hornby

An instant classic, High Fidelity is a hilarious exploration of love, life, music and the modern male

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Goosebumps Book 1: Welcome to the Dead House

Goosebumps Book 1: Welcome to the Dead House
R.L. Stine

One of the best-selling children's book series of all time!

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The Magic Pudding

The Magic Pudding
Norman Lindsay

Norman Lindsay's best known children's book

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Les Miserables

Les Miserables
Victor Hugo

Victor Hugo's epic take of injustice, heroism and love is a timeless classic, not to be missed

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David Copperfield

David Copperfield
Charles Dickens

The novel Dickens regarded as his 'favourite child' and considered his most autobiographical

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Comments

  1. Peter Kay

    A true classic! Just look around you!

    Reply

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