Last night I watched as Meredith Viera announced the winner in The Great American Read.
Various people read the countdown of the books, while Viera spotlighted the top five books without revealing which one would win. One of the five books was
and it struck me that this book would be the winner.
It was. I'm happy with that choice. This book is so moving. Viera said it was in first place from the beginning and stayed there throughout the five months of voting.
I only wish that Harper Lee and her older sister Alice were here to enjoy this triumph.
My beloved The Great Gatsby was #15. Not bad at all.
I had read everything in the top 20 except the book in second place: Outlander.
Visit this page to see how the voting turned out.
Infinities of love,
Janie Junebug
I thought it might win. So many people love it.
ReplyDeletecheers, parsnip and badger
I thought so, too, but I still hoped for The Great Gatsby.
DeleteIt wasn't till I taught Mockingbird that I fully appreciated it. Like every other kid in middle school or high school, I was too young the first time I read it.
ReplyDeleteJust because a book is written from the POV of a child doesn't mean that should be the audience.
A beautiful, heartrending book.
Yay! Very deserving book. I've read it oftener than any other book. My mother rereads it every year or so, and that's saying something these days - along with some memory decline, she has lost interest in reading books but returns to this one over and over. Thanks for letting us know the winner, Janie.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad your mother continues to read it. That says a lot.
DeleteProbably my all-time favorite book and I have read it at least 3 times. I love to read and I need to visit the site to see all 20 books. I hope you have a wonderful night- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteThank you, Diana.
DeleteHi Janie - honestly I must be a heathen ... I really should take a literature course ... I know the books, but struggled with them or never came across them til relatively recently. I've been watching Outlander on tv - the books I couldn't get into ... but I am an ephemeral reader ... and don't really do novels ... now I think I'll worry I made this comment!! Cheers Hilary
ReplyDeleteNo need to worry, Hilary. You educate us about so many things.
DeleteThanks ... I know the books - but have never got to sit and read ... I guess sport intervened as I played quite regularly ... cheers Hilary
DeleteI love "To Kill A Mockingbird". Guess what, Janie, you will never guess...I once worked with a young woman from Monroeville, Alabama. She gave me the name of a little bookstore in that town and said if I called them, they had a small number of books SIGNED by Harper Lee. I got one for my son and I also told a relative who is married to a lawyer to get a signed copy. I should have bought more and sold them! :-) By the way, I ADORE autographed books, don't you?
ReplyDeleteI DO adore autographed books. I have a select group on my mantle, including my prize: Robert Frost's Collected Poems autographed by the poet in 1936 (I was not there--I purchased the book at an auction). You could have made a fortune selling books autographed by Harper Lee, but it infuriated her when she autographed books and people sold them.
DeleteNot a surprise, and a deserved win. Add me to those who adore autographed books.
ReplyDeleteI wonder what your most special autographed books are.
DeleteI voted for it! Awesome! :)
ReplyDeleteYou were not alone.
DeleteI'm not disappointed either :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to know it.
DeleteI loved To Kill a Mockingbird. Fabulous book that inspires writer envy. I'll have to check out the list.
ReplyDeleteI can't begin to imagine writing a novel that good.
DeleteObviously I need to read more! And maybe I should start with To Kill a Mockingbird.
ReplyDeleteThat would be an excellent place to start.
DeleteI haven’t read them all, but I’ve read a bunch of them. My niece told me to read Outlanders, but I haven’t yet. It’s on my list.
ReplyDeleteI’m currently reading Ready Player One and I’m loving it so far.
I haven't read that.
DeleteI don't know anyone who wouldn't be happy to see To Kill a Mockingbird win. I've read the entire Outlander series and recommend it. A friend introduced me to Gabaldon a little over ten years ago, and I was hooked. My husband has also read the series and really enjoyed it. I've only seen a few episodes of the show (I don't have Starz or any "real" TV channels . . . only Netflix) but it looked like the cast was perfectly chosen.
ReplyDeleteI don't remember reading too many classics when growing up, but have tried my best to catch up on what I've missed, now that I'm an adult.
My TBR pile stretches for miles so I don't know if I'll ever get to Outlander.
DeleteDefinitely one of my favourites!
ReplyDeleteI louve your favourites.
DeleteDefinitely a great book, and they even made a great movie out of it, which is usually not the case.
ReplyDeleteGatsby only got #15? Too bad. I first read it after seeing the then-current film version with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, and naturally fell in love with it.
Several of my own favorites (mostly classical stuff) on that list. But I can understand why some of the older books aren't as popular today.
Fifteen out of 100 is quite good, especially considering that quite a few people see Gatsby as a book they were forced to read in school and hated it.
DeleteYou're right. I didn't "have" to read it, even though I got to see the film in the theater as part of a class trip.
DeleteOf course, I was one of those weird kids who didn't automatically hate whatever we were assigned to read. Did I ever tell you my Great Expectations story?
I can't remember. I forgot the Modern Romance story until you told me again. You can probably start to tell me and I'll say, Oh, yeah, I remember that now . . . .
DeleteDidn't think your readers would be interested in a long story, so I sent you an email!
DeleteI didn't get the email.
DeleteI'll try again.
DeleteHI, Janie,
ReplyDeleteSaw that on Facebook. I personally never read it. BUT, I hope to one day. I love classic literature and this one certainly is a classic, especially now. Thanks for sharing!
When the Modern Library came up with its list of the 100 greatest novels of the last century, they did not include Mockingbird. They included very few books by women.
DeleteA well deserved win!!
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
Delete