Britain’s ultimate book bucket list is dominated by J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter series, a new survey on the UK’s reading habits has revealed. The top 10 most popular books also features The Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R Tolkien and The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, which help make up the top three.
Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings isn’t the only book by the author to feature in the list as The Hobbit is also a UK favourite.
Meanwhile, fantasy and mystery aren’t the only genres gripping readers in Britain. Psychological thriller The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is a popular pick featuring in the list, along with historical fiction classic A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens.
The poll by online bookshop Wordery also found that Glasgow is the UK’s bookworm capital, with people reading for an average of four hours and 20 minutes per week, followed by Brighton, where they spend an average of four hours and 16 minutes per week, and Welsh capital Cardiff coming in third with a reading average of three hours and 57 minutes per week.
When it comes to our favourite authors, J.K Rowling takes another top spot, however, the survey showed a gender divide, with Rowling the most popular among women (24%), and men preferring Stephen King (13.1%).
There is also a generational split as over 55s prefer Agatha Christie, compared to 16 to 24 year olds who prefer J.K Rowling.
Barry Magennis, spokesperson for Wordery, said: 'It’s great to see that so many people still love to get lost in a good book and it’s not surprising that for so many of us it’s a really important way to relax and unwind.
'The survey provides a fascinating insight into what the British public think are the best books and authors. There's a few non-surprises; The Harry Potter series as number one for instance, but it’s also great to see some literary classics make the top 10 top book, like A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens'
The UK's top 10 favourite books
1. The Harry Potter series by J.K Rowling
2. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
3. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
4. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L James
5. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S Lewis
6. The Hobbit by J.R.R Tolkien
7. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
8. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
9. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
10. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
