Bits o' Drabble

We Interrupt this Busy Week for this Important Message...

2009-10-09T02:05:43Z

HOW 'BOUT DEM DODJAHS?

That is all, we return you to your normal, busy lives.

Dan Brown is Like Me!

2009-09-18T20:47:41Z

Here's a funny article from the Telegraph where Dan Brown's books are, apparently, beta'd. Says an Edinburgh professor of linguistic: "Brown's writing is not just bad; it is staggeringly, clumsily, thoughtlessly, almost ingeniously bad." I don't know if Dan Brown is that terrible, judging by how well received he is by the public.

My personal favorites (in other words, much like things I have written before):

"The Knights Templar were warriors," Teabing reminded, the sound of his aluminum crutches echoing in this reverberant space.
As a boy, Langdon had fallen down an abandoned well shaft and almost died treading water in the narrow space for hours before being rescued. Since then, he'd suffered a haunting phobia of enclosed spaces - elevators, subways, squash courts.

So inspired, I shall write! How shall I begin? Ah. "It was a dark and stormy night..."

My visit to Bahston.

2009-01-02T18:19:01Z

DSC_2806,
originally uploaded by kawfeadikt.

Well, I did say I was going to post some photos of my trip to Fenway Park and here's the view from my seat in the right field grandstands. That big black blotch on the right is the pole I was sitting behind. Yes, obstructed view, but it wasn't nearly a tenth as bad as I thought it was going to be; in fact, it was nice to have the pole there because there was more leg room to stretch out. Fenway sure is "intimate" (aka tight).

The weather was beautiful, I didn't even need the sweatshirt I brought and it was a pleasant walk to and from to the subway, despite getting lost on the way back--my coworker and I ended up getting back on the train at Prudential after a "scenic" walk through the fens.

The rest of the trip? A comic book store, a quick walk past BU, and then some souvie shopping at Barnes & Noble. I also bought the obligatory Sox cap (more on that in a later post).

Click the pic to get to the original and a set of the rest of the photos.

20 YEARS

2008-10-05T05:12:08Z

FINALLY.

SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEPPPPPPP

*airplanes around the room*

Poked...

2008-09-30T05:38:44Z

...like a side of pork on a BBQ spit.

Yeah, I'm still alive. Yeah, I'm still employed. Yeah, I've been busy.

I'm way behind, I owe rls the Boston Fenway Post. Let me just say that they don't do baseball in Boston like we do in Cali. Like, whoa.

Off to DC in the morning for business and I will either come back with a million dollar project in hand for the company, or I will be looking for another job (j/k: I'll probably be shuffled to another task within the company--plenty of work to go around). Still, anybody know what the health benefits are for Coffee Bean barristas?

Peace unto you, flist.

Fenway?

2008-09-09T05:00:20Z

Sweet Caroline? Does somebody want to explain this to me?

Doofus

2008-08-23T18:41:36Z

That's Cuba's Angel Matos, an Olympic Taekwondo athlete, kicked a referee in the head after being DQ'd. Nice. Said ref required stitches in his lip. The World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) is recommending a lifetime ban for Matos and his coach.

"We didn't expect anything like what you have witnessed to occur," said WTF secretary general Yang Jin-suk. "I am at a loss for words."

You got that right. I, too, would be at a loss for words right now if I was the secretary general of WTF.

This is a shameful act, disgracing yourself, your team, your country.

Greg Maddux!

2008-08-19T18:02:07Z

Okay, he might not be the Professor of Yore and Lore, but he is better than the rookies and a veteran presence is sorely needed.

Dang.

ETA: "It's GREG Maddux you lummox."

Olympic Burnout

2008-08-19T07:18:48Z

Burnt out today. No commentary. Will be back tomorrow.

By the way, Nastia was robbed. ROBBED. Is there any more random way of breaking a tie than that? I could swear I was in Las Vegas at the Circus Circus coffee shop drinking a cup of Joe, sawing at the wafer-thin 1.99 Porterhouse and eggs special watching the keno numbers light up on the board with a grease pencil in hand.

"Oh, 8...15...32...there's 20...and 9.1! 9.0! 9.1! I win!"

It was like they just threw each athlete's scores into a hat, mixed them up, and let each athlete pick one at random. Better would have been rock-paper-scissors--at least that's a contest. Soccer has a shootout so maybe they could have done something gymnastic-y for 30 seconds to impress the judges. Heck, let them compete in one of the ancient Olympic competitions--Greco-Roman wrestling. Clinch, hold, lock, and pin their way to a gold.

But, no, they do what is in its essentials, the gymnatic equivalent of high spade in the hole splits the pot. No, thank you. The scoring in this Olympics has been confusing and almost counter-intuitive. How can you LAND ON YOUR KNEES AND STILL WIN SILVER?

And I still think the Chinese girls look like they belong in a Beverly Cleary novel.

So I guess I'm not so burned out that I'm still good for a bit of rantage.

Peace, out.

What Did You Expect?

2008-08-18T17:14:08Z

Amid all the cheering for the athletes and the enjoyment of the games, we should never lose site of the reality that China is as driven home by an article on China's purported plan to allow protesters.

The applicants? 77 of them for various causes, not the obvious ones we might think of (Tibet, religious oppression), but things such as development projects displacing residents, homeless, welfare.

How many of these protests have been approved? Zero.

Rights groups and relatives have said some applicants were immediately taken away by security agents after applying to hold a rally...

Now that's sort of chilling with a I-can't-believe-this-happens-in-the-21st-Century sort of way. The Chinese government response? As Wang Wei, VP of China's Olympic organizing committee said,

"We think that you do not really understand China's reality. China has its own version and way of exercising our democracy."

Their own version apparently involves rubber hoses, black cars, and state run media. Democracy, freedom, or rights in China?

Not bloody likely in my lifetime.

PHELPS

2008-08-16T05:15:00Z

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???

*AIRPLANES AROUND ROOM*

*KERMIT THE FROG SCREAMING*

Ranting and Raving...

2008-08-15T08:28:56Z

...I watched the women's all-around this evening. At every turn, it seemed the world and its evil-minion-proxies were against Shawn and Nastia. Logic (and the announcers) could not explain the inexplicable scores even in the face of the Chinese mistakes and American triumphs.

"IT'S FIXED!" Shaking my yellow fist at the glowing blue screen, I uttered all manner of plots and conspiracies involving Nellie Kim, the Chinese, the Illumanati, an alien with velcro, and the grassy knoll.

Even remembrances of Michael Phelps' domination in the 200 IM, a race I judged to be his toughest remaining, and Lochte/Piersol going 1-2 in the 200 backstroke could not quell the seething anger I held within.

It wouldn't be. Hard work would not triumph over petty and parochial politics. We would be robbed yet again by jealous would-be superpowers. And I hadn't even thought about the IOC's yanking of softball and baseball from the 2012 games.

Having worked myself into a good froth, I was ready for the last two events.

And then...Nastia absolutely kills the beam and floor. She owns it. Dominates. She kicks sand in their 90-pound-weakling faces, steals their girls, and rips the back cover ad from their comic books. Charlie Atlas wouldn't be able to save them now.

And so, breathing a sigh of relief, I turned my attentions back to determining and proving China's gymnasts are not eligible to drive.

How was your night?

Potter Pilfering Pockets

2008-08-14T22:43:46Z

First, Warner Brothers is going to push Harry Potter and the Half Blood Price to July 2009 rather than release it this November. Sorry folks, we're all going to have to wait eight more months before we can get our Potter!crack. Why is WB doing this? The almighty dollar and the prospect of increased box office take, of course.

Next year's summer lineup is expected to be sparse because that's when most of the films that would have been made during the writers' strike would be released. Without a strong summer lineup, "Potter" has a better chance of raking in more money, studio officials said.

Does it get worse? Fear not, dear readers, of course it does! Now I find out Deathly Hallows will be in TWO installments.

Warner plans to unfold its adaptation of the seventh Potter film, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," in two parts, to be released in November 2010 and May 2011.

Why? Not because it's huge. If it were so jam-packed, how come they didn't do Order of the Phoenix or Goblet of Fire as a two-parter? The deep, dark suspicious me believes They (or their closely related co-conspirators, Them) wish to keep the franchise and associated revenue and merchandising going. Pure and simple. Money, money, money. Sho' me th' money.

Having MORE Harry Potter could be enjoyable--depending on how DH turns out. My deepest fear is DH becomes the Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions of the next decade. Blah.

I also wish They/Them weren't so blatant in taking my money.

Makes You Go, "Hmmm"

2008-08-14T19:28:26Z

Apparently, there is a case to be made for under-aged Chinese gymnasts, as ESPN is reporting the Chinese organ, Xinhua, itself reported He Kexin was 13. Thus, ESPN concludes, she would have been "ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal".

Interestingly enough and predictably, mums-the-word:

The Associated Press found the Xinhua report on the site Thursday morning and saved a copy of the page. Later that afternoon, the Web site was still working but the page was no longer accessible.

The paper reported He's age to be 14 this past May, although that was quickly corrected. In a statement, He herself backs the party line,

"my real age is 16. I don't pay any attention to what everyone says."

Because, of course, her word and her Chinese-government-issued passport is proof enough (end sarcasm here). Granted, she won and won going away, even at whatever-age-she-is. There is no question about that.

The question is not just, "Are the Chinese playing by the same rules for age?" You should be able to guess what my answer is to that. The question really is, "Are the Chinese abiding by ALL the rules?"

How else might they be cheating? Frankly, without an open society or viable third-party verification, we will never know He's age as it has been lost in the misty and redacted past of state revisionism.

Ergh

2008-08-13T07:14:40Z

Is it me or does the Chinese "women's" gymnastics team look like a slumber party of 10 year olds? There is no way they can be older than 12...13, maybe.

Mrs FF tells me they do things in China where the girls are taken from their families at 3 and subjected to hormone treatments to delay their periods and things like that.

And this is the spirit of amateur sport?

Men's Gymnastics

2008-08-12T22:21:55Z

Filed under the Olympic Patriotism Department.

We watched the men's gymnastics team went through the high bar last night (aside: why only one for them and not two like the women? Did somebody say, "No sissy two bars for us! Just one solitary, manly rod of steel to hang like an ape from."). I was on the edge of my seat as Spring was flying through the air, seriously, it just looked like the guy was borderline crazy and out-of-control. Then when Horton stuck his landing, I basically Kermit-the-Frogged-screamed.

Of course, for those of you scoring at home, it was disappointing to watch the team fold like napkins in the floor and horse. Still, they did well enough to secure a medal and even appeared for a moment to be in contention to pull off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history for the silver.

Congrats.

Miracle on (Melted) Ice

2008-08-11T16:12:30Z

4x100 swim relay team.

Excuse me, that should be the world-recording holding, Gold-medal winning, French-smacking, wave-drafting, chest-pounding American 4x100 swim relay team.

HOLY FREAKIN' COW.

How is it possible to out-swim the freestyle world-record holder over the last 25 meters? That was impressive, improbable, impossible, impressive, unforgettable, unreal, unbelievable, unimaginable. I cannot imagine how Lezak pulled it off because I thought at the turn he was a goner.

Oi.

That it was against the smack-talking French...yeah, well that's just extra icing (butter?) on the croissant. Prenez que vous claquez les Français parlants! (tanks Babblefish for the most-likely hacked up and mutilated translation)

This will rank #2 in my Olympic moments behind, of course, the Miracle on Ice.

Upsidedown is World My

2008-08-11T15:51:43Z

So, I've been reading some X-Men the last couple of weeks after last reading issue 239 (They just issued 500).

All I have to say is, "WHEN THE HECK DID EMMA FROST BECOME CYCLOP'S MAIN SQUEEZE?" Yeesh. I don't know if I should be pleased or not--the story arcs I remember all involved Jean Grey and Scott Summers, and it seems this the whole "bad girl" sub-plot panders a bit. After all, she tends to run about in lingerie.

Now I know why all those Emma Frost sculptures were big at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Beedle the Bard Collections Edition

2008-08-01T17:43:21Z

Thumbs up. That is all, return to your normally scheduled surfing.

(Who's getting it?)

ETA: Um, BeeDle...not BeeTle. Either that or I should also order a copy of the collected comics of Beedle Bailey.

Manram!

2008-08-01T03:20:22Z

Now I'm so going to have to get out to Dodger Stadium so I can bang on the outfield wall from the bleachers while yelling at Manny. Dude, how cool is THAT? I get to watch him pee on the warning track!

Watchmen

2008-07-28T23:53:52Z

I just read the Watchmen for the first time, since I didn't read it the first came out, I guess I just wasn't interested back then. I just finished reading it to see what all the hubbub was about and since my professor-friend from church was kind enough to loan it to me.

First thoughts: Dated. Paranoid. Leftist. Fantasy. (not necessarily in that order)

Second thoughts: *Excellent* characterizations. Excellent depth of back-story and a well-thought out plot, although dated--as I said, the plot of the story comes across as a paranoid fantasy, which is kind of fun. Interesting symbolism, the foreshadowing worked will. The whole idea of Mr. Manhattan and squid creatures I thought to be Moore’s nod to the marrow of comic books: supermen and weird aliens. It was executed well without being overdone. I also enjoyed the interweaving of the "historical" pulp comic within the storyline and the various epistolatory interludes--a great device to download large amounts of backstory with a minimum of storyline interruption or silly flashbacks. It really was a book that I had to think through as opposed to the story lines of other comics.

In all, I can understand why many consider this so great. On the other hand, I’m glad I read it now rather than twenty years ago—my tastes have changed and I enjoyed it much more today than I would have then.

eBay

2008-07-16T21:12:01Z

EBay profit rises but shares fall 5 percent: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

EBay listings surged 19 percent from a year ago, after suffering declining growth much of last year. But growth in active users eluded the company, rising a mere 1 percent.

I'm not terribly surprised by the apparently plateau of eBay's userbase at all. It almost mirrors my own experience as a buyer and seller of used goods and trinkets through the auction site. I used to buy a lot and sell a little over the years since 1994 (I think). I've bought and sold Hot Wheels, electronics, software, games, ephemera, printer suppliers, and camera equipment.

But, I've decided to avoid buying anything there. Frankly, I've grown tired of:

Auction Fees--too many fees for this service: listing fees; final value fees; fees to bold your auction; fees to use templates; fees to use an automated listing client; etc etc etc. There is no end to fee-age.

PayPal Fees--as an eBay buyer/seller, you are virtually locked into their payment system, PayPal, which charges you an extra few percent for allowing others to pay you through the system. This on top of the auction fees.

Fraudulent sellers--I bought a new cell phone on eBay and that was a BAD MISTAKE. The phone was marked by Sprint as stolen and the seller disappeared. "No matter", I thought, "there is the Buyer protection guarantee." HA! Little did I know what a farce that is. It took a month of going through all of eBay's steps to resolve the matter with the seller (no response) and filing the proper paperwork, to only have eBay deny my $200 claim. Luckily, I had used a credit card through PayPal and I filed a claim in 15 minutes over the phone with my credit card company and received a credit without a hitch. PayPal sucks and this incident was the beginning of the end for me on eBay. I no longer feel safe in ordering from any seller there.

Pricing -- You have to know your prices on eBay, even for commodity goods. Just because it's on eBay, it's not always a good deal.

Counterfeit or Misrepresented Goods -- It's well known that eBay is a thieve's den of counterfeit goods. How do you know what you're getting? I've ordered used stuff on eBay and they showed up as not quite the same thing as listed. And the seller? Nowhere to be found. Jerks. And if you want it resolved? Heaven forbid you'd want...

Customer Service -- Since you're ordering from any number of people on eBay, you're beholden to varying levels of customer service. Some are good, some are great, but some are just lousy. It's difficult to gauge and frustrating to resolve if you need to return or resolve anything.

So, it is no surprise that I have relegated eBay to the back burner of my Internet shopping, unless I'm looking for something truly odd or weird. I am of the opinion any money I might have saved shopping on eBay is better spent on piece of mind and customer service from more reputable online dealers. "You get what you pay for," is not always the case at eBay--sometimes you get less.

Dang.

2008-07-14T16:48:17Z

The bees hath returned.

More More Meme!

2008-07-08T19:08:06Z

Oooo, excellent, more meme-age! This time, courtesy of Ashur.

Noteable MIAs:

Platoon
Beauty and the Beast (nom. for Best Picture)
Lion King

So, somehow, South Park makes the list but these three don't. Go figure.

======

Below is Entertainment Weekly's 100 Best Films from 1983 to 2008
[or the last 25 years -- published in issue #999-1000 Jun 27, 2008]

Bold the ones you have seen
-- Put an asterisk after the movie title* if you really liked it.
-- Cross it out if you saw a film and really disliked it
-- Underline the ones you own

1. Pulp Fiction (1994)
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-03)*
~~3. Titanic (1997)~~
4. Blue Velvet (1986)
5. Toy Story (1995)*
6. Saving Private Ryan (1998)*
7. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
8. The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
9. Die Hard (1988)*
10. Moulin Rouge (2001)
11. This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
12. The Matrix (1999)
13. GoodFellas (1990)*
14. Crumb (1995)
15. Edward Scissorhands (1990)
16. Boogie Nights (1997)
17. Jerry Maguire (1996)*
18. Do the Right Thing (1989)
19. Casino Royale (2006)
21. Schindler's List (1993)
22. Rushmore (1998)
23. Memento (2001)
24. A Room With a View (1986)
25. Shrek (2001)
26. Hoop Dreams (1994)
27. Aliens (1986)*
28. Wings of Desire (1988)
29. The Bourne Supremacy (2004)
30. When Harry Met Sally... (1989)*
31. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
32. Fight Club (1999)
33. The Breakfast Club (1985)
34. Fargo (1996)
35. The Incredibles (2004)
36. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
37. Pretty Woman (1990)
38. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
39. The Sixth Sense (1999)
40. Speed (1994)
41. Dazed and Confused (1993)
42. Clueless (1995)
43. Gladiator (2000)*
44. The Player (1992)
45. Rain Man (1988)*
47. Men in Black (1997)
48. Scarface (1983)
49. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)*
50. The Piano (1993)
51. There Will Be Blood (2007)
52. The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad (1988)
53. The Truman Show (1998)
54. Fatal Attraction (1987)
55. Risky Business (1983)
56. The Lives of Others (2006)
57. There’s Something About Mary (1998)
58. Ghostbusters (1984)
59. L.A. Confidential (1997)
60. Scream (1996)
61. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
62. sex, lies and videotape (1989)
63. Big (1988)
64. No Country For Old Men (2007)
65. Dirty Dancing (1987)
66. Natural Born Killers (1994)
67. Donnie Brasco (1997)
68. Witness (1985)
69. All About My Mother (1999)
70. Broadcast News (1987)
71. Unforgiven (1992)*
72. Thelma & Louise (1991)
73. Office Space (1999)
74. Drugstore Cowboy (1989)
75. Out of Africa (1985)
76. The Departed (2006)
77. Sid and Nancy (1986)
78. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
79. Waiting for Guffman (1996)
80. Michael Clayton (2007)
81. Moonstruck (1987)
82. Lost in Translation (2003)
83. Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn (1987)
84. Sideways (2004)
85. The 40 Year-Old Virgin (2005)
86. Y Tu Mamá También (2002)
87. Swingers (1996)
88. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997)
89. Breaking the Waves (1996)
90. Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
91. Back to the Future (1985)
92. Menace II Society (1993)
93. Ed Wood (1994)
94. Full Metal Jacket (1987)
95. In the Mood for Love (2001)
96. Far From Heaven (2002)
97. Glory (1989)*
98. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
99. The Blair Witch Project (1999)
100. South Park: Bigger Longer & Uncut (1999)

Of Memes and Ego

2008-07-08T18:38:38Z

No post in a few days, so I leave you with geeky self-congratulatory meme-age! (Thanks, Ivy!)

I wonder about the list, though, it does seem weird, as I posted to Ivy's comments, I thought it read like a high-school/college-freshman reading list augmented by Pratchett, Rowling, a taste of A.A. Milne, and a touch of Stephen King (what the--?).

I doubt that a comprehensive survey was done...or perhaps this came from a news article? Who knows?

Anyway, I went ahead and italicized the books I thought I ought to read before I die, but it's really just a sense of obligation or guilt of some sort. Feh. We'll see if there's any follow through (except for The Godfather, which I really do need to read).

I wanted to strike through the books that I'm pretty sure I'll never read
at all, but I suspect I would be offending somebody out there who
actually read my posts. Ach.

ETA: Anne of Green Gables because of excessive moral outrage via comment. One would hope the US Army wouldn't cave this easily.

ETA2: Because you should not try to offended somebody. This is why I'm an engineer and not an English teacher.

============

1. Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2. Italicize those you intend to read.
3. Underline the books you love.
4. Strike through the books you hated.

1. The Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkien
2. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams
5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, JK Rowling
6. To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
7. Winnie the Pooh, AA Milne
8. Nineteen Eighty-Four, George Orwell
9.The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, CS Lewis
10. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë
11. Catch-22, Joseph Heller
12. Wuthering Heights, Emily Brontë
13. Birdsong, Sebastian Faulks
14. Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
15. The Catcher in the Rye, JD Salinger
16. The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Grahame
17. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens
18. Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
19. Captain Corelli's Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
20. War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy
21. Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
22. Harry Potter And The Philosopher's Stone, JK Rowling
23. Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, JK Rowling
24. Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban, JK Rowling
25. The Hobbit, JRR Tolkien
26. Tess Of The D'Urbervilles, Thomas Hardy
27. Middlemarch, George Eliot
28. A Prayer For Owen Meany, John Irving
29. The Grapes Of Wrath, John Steinbeck
30. Alice's Adventures In Wonderland, Lewis Carroll
31. The Story Of Tracy Beaker, Jacqueline Wilson
32. One Hundred Years Of Solitude, Gabriel García Márquez
33. The Pillars Of The Earth, Ken Follett
34. David Copperfield, Charles Dickens
35. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl
36. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson
37. A Town Like Alice, Nevil Shute
38. Persuasion, Jane Austen
39. Dune, Frank Herbert
40. Emma, Jane Austen
41. Anne Of Green Gables, LM Montgomery
42. Watership Down, Richard Adams
43. The Great Gatsby, F Scott Fitzgerald
44. The Count Of Monte Cristo, Alexandre Dumas
45. Brideshead Revisited, Evelyn Waugh
46. Animal Farm, George Orwell
47. A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens
48. Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy
49. Goodnight Mister Tom, Michelle Magorian
50. The Shell Seekers, Rosamunde Pilcher
51. The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
52. Of Mice And Men, John Steinbeck
53. The Stand, Stephen King
54. Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy
55. A Suitable Boy, Vikram Seth
56. The BFG, Roald Dahl
57. Swallows And Amazons, Arthur Ransome
58. Black Beauty, Anna Sewell
59. Artemis Fowl, Eoin Colfer
60. Crime And Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
61. Noughts And Crosses, Malorie Blackman
62. Memoirs Of A Geisha, Arthur Golden
63. A Tale Of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
64. The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCollough
65. Mort, Terry Pratchett
66. The Magic Faraway Tree, Enid Blyton
67. The Magus, John Fowles
68. Good Omens, Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
69. Guards! Guards!, Terry Pratchett
70. Lord Of The Flies, William Golding
71. Perfume, Patrick Süskind
72. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, Robert Tressell
73. Night Watch, Terry Pratchett
74. Matilda, Roald Dahl
75. Bridget Jones's Diary, Helen Fielding
76. The Secret History, Donna Tartt
77. The Woman In White, Wilkie Collins
78. Ulysses, James Joyce
79. Bleak House, Charles Dickens
80. Double Act, Jacqueline Wilson
81. The Twits, Roald Dahl
82. I Capture The Castle, Dodie Smith
83. Holes, Louis Sachar
84. Gormenghast, Mervyn Peake
85. The God Of Small Things, Arundhati Roy
86. Vicky Angel, Jacqueline Wilson
87. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
88. Cold Comfort Farm, Stella Gibbons
89. Magician, Raymond E Feist
90. On The Road, Jack Kerouac
91. The Godfather, Mario Puzo
92. The Clan Of The Cave Bear, Jean M Auel
93. The Colour Of Magic, Terry Pratchett
94. The Alchemist, Paulo Coelho
95. Katherine, Anya Seton
96. Kane And Abel, Jeffrey Archer
97. Love In The Time Of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez
98. Girls In Love, Jacqueline Wilson
99. The Princess Diaries, Meg Cabot
100. Midnight's Children, Salman Rushdie