British bookworms will immerse themselves in 696 books over a lifetime

This arrived in my inbox and I found it quite interesting.

British bookworms will immerse themselves in 696 books over a lifetime - with crime and thrillers the most popular, a study has found. (I'm at 393 aged 37, not including a few schoolbooks, and I'm hoping to live long enough to read more than 696. We'll see.)

Each year, the average adult will get through 11 books, with almost one in five saying they read every day.

Crime is the most popular genre (42%) along with thrillers (38%) and drama (35%).

But the study, by eBay UK, found 42% are too busy to read as much as they would like with the average adult owning at least 10 books they are yet to get to the end of.

Rob Johnson, Co-Founder of Wordery, eBay UK’s online bookstore, said: ‘”There’s no doubt that we’re a nation of readers, but it’s really heartwarming to see that reading books and getting lost in fiction is still a hobby Brits love to take part in, especially in the days of box sets and instant viewing.

“At Wordery we have an incredible selection of all the latest books, as well as recommendations for when our customers are wanting to try something new but not sure where to start.

“It’s great for us to see people fall in love with new genres and authors, and discover them for the first time.”

The study of 2,000 adults found summer holidays are the optimum time to get your nose into a good book, with 65% saying that reading on holiday as a good way to relax.

In fact, the average adult will get through two books during a week-long break, getting lost inside an exciting tale for one hour and 20 minutes a day while on a break - twice as long as they do when they are at home.

And 36% happily re-read a story on holiday that they’ve already enjoyed before.

It also emerged 51% said reading helps them get lost in another world, and 44% enjoy a good book as part of making time for themselves.

The top three spots to read on holiday include a comfy sofa, a cosy bed and beside a pool.

The study also named The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as the most read book, with 33% of adults enjoying the tale, closely followed by The Da Vinci Code (30%).

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone came in third (29%), despite J.K. Rowling topping the list of preferred authors with 26% of the vote.

King of horror, Stephen King is considered one of the top authors by 24% while Charles Dickens was chosen by 18 per cent of respondents.

Interestingly, when it comes to the battle of the sexes there’s a clear divide, according to the research carried out via OnePoll.

Women's favourite books are more ‘modern’ classics and include:

Gone Girl (26%), Girl on the Train (34%), Fifty Shades of Grey (28%), Bridget Jones’ Diary (30%).

But men’s top reads are Nineteen Eighty-Four (28%), Lord of the Flies (23%), Treasure Island (28%) and Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy (21%).

Based on Wordery’s sales, the top best sellers for the summer are The Salt Path by Raynor Winn and Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott’s Can You See Me?

Also in the top 10 are Three Women by Lisa Taddeo and John Grisham’s The Reckoning.

Tilda Molho, trading director of media and entertainment at eBay, said: “Our online book stores are always incredibly popular, but the roaring trade definitely comes during the run up to the summer months, when we as Brits generally make more time for reading and spending time offline.”

Top 50 most read books by Brits:

1. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

2. The Da Vinci Code (terrible, and lifted from The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail)

3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

4. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

7. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

9. Nineteen-Eighty Four (masterpiece)

10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

12. Treasure Island

13. The Wind in the Willows

14. The Hobbit (couldn't get into it)

15. The Girl on the Train

16. Jane Eyre

17. The Lord of the Rings

18. Lord of the Flies

19. Wuthering Heights

20. Bridget Jones' Diary

21. The Catcher in the Rye

22. A Tale of Two Cities

23. Gone Girl

24. Fifty Shades of Grey (read small passages of this, utterly cringe-worthy)

25. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

26. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

27. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (superb)

28. The Lovely Bones

29. Tales of Huckleberry Finn

30. Murder on the Orient Express

31. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time (fascinating book, although characterizations were thin)

32. The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

33. The Hunger Games

34. Anne of Green Gables

35. The Time Traveller's Wife

36. The Wizard of Oz

37. Jamaica Inn

38. PS. I Love You

39. Twilight

40. Brighton Rock

41. Life of Pi

42. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

43. The Kite Runner

44. Memoirs of a Geisha

45. American Psycho (incredible, but if you don't have a strong stomach don't bother)

46. The Handmaid's Tale

47. My Sister's Keeper

48. Me Before You

49. One Day

50. Jack Reacher: Killing Floor