tree_and_leaf (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
tree_and_leaf) wrote2008-04-11 11:38 am
tree_and_leaf) wrote2008-04-11 11:38 am
Curious results from a reading poll
Reuters have a poll which claims to show that the Bible is America's favourite book, followed by The Lord of the Rings. Gone with the Wind does very well too, as does Harry Potter and The Stand.
I'm inclined to put down the high rating of the Bible either to people thinking that's the answer they ought to give, or possibly to polling people who don't actually read all that much. Which is possibly overly cynical of me, and possibly also related to the fact that I don't actually think of the Bible as a single book, and thus picking it strikes me as a bit of a cop-out (I'm not also sure I'd think of picking it; it seems odd to put it in that category. I wouldn't think of picking the BCP or Common Worship, either, even though they, like the Bible, are things I read most days - and really ought to read every day, except I struggle to do so).
The breakdowns of second place are actually more interesting. LotR is the second favourite among men, and also comes out top for Easterners. For women and Southerners, it's Gone With the Wind (actually, that worries me a bit, though it also reminds me of Hermann Kant's Die Aula, where there is a running gag about the protagonist, a thirty-something intellectual Communist who likes to think of himself as a Tough and Manly guy, but who nevertheless is mildly obsessed with GwtW); Westerners like The Stand, the under thirties tended to list Harry Potter
Me? My mind goes blank when asked to pick a favourite book. How can you have one favourite?
Actually, that may also explain why the Bible rates so highly. If put to me in terms of 'you can only read one book for the rest of your life', then I'd probably pick it, too. Though I'm not entirely sure life would be worth living on those terms!
ETA: Aargh! Closes tag.
I'm inclined to put down the high rating of the Bible either to people thinking that's the answer they ought to give, or possibly to polling people who don't actually read all that much. Which is possibly overly cynical of me, and possibly also related to the fact that I don't actually think of the Bible as a single book, and thus picking it strikes me as a bit of a cop-out (I'm not also sure I'd think of picking it; it seems odd to put it in that category. I wouldn't think of picking the BCP or Common Worship, either, even though they, like the Bible, are things I read most days - and really ought to read every day, except I struggle to do so).
The breakdowns of second place are actually more interesting. LotR is the second favourite among men, and also comes out top for Easterners. For women and Southerners, it's Gone With the Wind (actually, that worries me a bit, though it also reminds me of Hermann Kant's Die Aula, where there is a running gag about the protagonist, a thirty-something intellectual Communist who likes to think of himself as a Tough and Manly guy, but who nevertheless is mildly obsessed with GwtW); Westerners like The Stand, the under thirties tended to list Harry Potter
Me? My mind goes blank when asked to pick a favourite book. How can you have one favourite?
Actually, that may also explain why the Bible rates so highly. If put to me in terms of 'you can only read one book for the rest of your life', then I'd probably pick it, too. Though I'm not entirely sure life would be worth living on those terms!
ETA: Aargh! Closes tag.