Books... You Are What You [Read]

So I was looking at the Book List Challenges app on Facebook tonight and I was looking through some of the lists and one thought kept repeating. Seriously? Those book are really favourites or a must reads for that many people?

It's not the first time I have had thoughts like this either. I love to read, but whenever I look at these lists of top 100 books I have to wonder how many people actually have read the books they say they have read and how many just say they have read the books because they are ashamed that they haven't read said book. Or maybe a better question is how many people say they have read a book when they read three chapters and put it down never to even dream of touching the book again?

Last year I did a list in two parts of books I think people should read. I will probably post it here at some stage, but I just had a look at it now and I think I may even revise, the list and expand it to add more books onto it.

But I guess a big part of this post is the fact that I absolutely love to read. If I get free time then a good portion of that free time is spent reading. I am a member of about 6 different libraries across two countries and I don't think I am a snobby reader either as I will read most genres. What I resent though is people who sneer or stare at me in disbelief when I say I haven't some novel that some people say is one of the greatest novels of all time. It annoys me. Do I look at you and sneer when you tell me you haven't read any Star Wars novels or John Marsden? What gives them the right to think they are better than me because of their apparent reading choices.

Another part is that I really wish I could find a list on one of these book list challenges or some such that is full of books that people like me read and not just books that fall onto some top 100 list, because I'm pretty sure that even if I had read all of the books on the BBC top 100 list that I probably wouldn't list even half of them in my favourites and as books that I think others should read.

Does anyone else feel this way? Or am I just some strange anomaly in the realm of book lovers and readers?

~~ Random Logic ~~