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Most Read Book in the UK

Most Read Book in the UK

by | Nov 20, 2025 | Books, Emerald Book Club, Reading, UK

The "most read book" in the UK can be interpreted in different ways, but based on popularity, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is cited as the most read as of a 2024 YouGov poll. However, based on all-time sales and other polls, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien is often considered the favorite, with the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling being the best-selling book series overall. 

By popularity (2024 poll)
  • A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens was the most popular fiction book, with 68% of adults saying they have read it
By all-time sales and fan favorite
  • The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling is the best-selling book series, with titles like Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone frequently topping sales charts. 
Other popular and important books
  • Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell is a classic and a frequent contender for top spots in both popularity and sales lists.
  • To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee remains highly read, partly due to its inclusion in school curriculums. 

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas, commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. In the process, Scrooge is transformed into a kinder, gentler man.

Read More on wikipedia

A Christmas Carol is consistently one of the most-read books in the UK, having been popular since its first publication in 1843. It is considered a classic and beloved Christmas tale, and the story's enduring popularity is evident in its many adaptations and continued presence in literature lists and popular culture, note Amazon UK, Penguin Books, and The British Library

  • Immediate success: The novella was an instant success upon its release, with the first print run of 6,000 copies selling out within days.
  • Enduring popularity: A Christmas Carol remains a favorite with families and is frequently re-read during the festive season.
  • Cultural impact: The story is so influential that it is often cited as the most famous Christmas story ever written and has been adapted countless times for stage, screen, and radio.
  • Constant presence: It is a constant feature in lists of classic and festive books, such as those compiled by the BBC and Penguin Books
What A Rose Can Say Poem by Margie Driver

What A Rose Can Say Poem by Margie Driver

by | Nov 19, 2025 | Female Poets, Love Poems, Nature Poems

A rose can say I love you and want you to be mine,
A rose can say I thank you for being so very kind,
A rose can say congratulations, whatever the occasion may be,
A rose can say I miss you and wish you were here with me,
A rose can say I'm sorry if I've hurt you in any way,
A rose can say get well soon, May God bless you today,
A rose can say I wish you happiness, and the best for you each day.
A rose can say farewel when someone goes away,
A rose can say hello, I'm thinking of you today,
There's just so many wonderful things that a rose can say,
A rose can say goodbye when a love one is laid to rest,
No matter what there is to say, a rose can say it best.

Cross Poem by Langston Hughes

Cross Poem by Langston Hughes

by | Nov 19, 2025 | Emerald Book Club

My old man's a white old man
And my old mother's black.
If ever I cursed my white old man
I take my curses back.
If ever I cursed my black old mother
And wished she were in hell,
I'm sorry for that evil wish
And now I wish her well
My old man died in a fine big house.
My ma died in a shack.
I wonder where I'm going to die,
Being neither white nor black?

I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You Poem by Pablo Neruda

I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You Poem by Pablo Neruda

by | Nov 19, 2025 | Life Poems, Love Poems, Male Poets, Poems, Poetry

I do not love you except because I love you;
I go from loving to not loving you,
From waiting to not waiting for you
My heart moves from cold to fire.

I love you only because it's you the one I love;
I hate you deeply, and hating you
Bend to you, and the measure of my changing love for you
Is that I do not see you but love you blindly.

Maybe January light will consume
My heart with its cruel
Ray, stealing my key to true calm.

In this part of the story I am the one who
Dies, the only one, and I will die of love because I love you,
Because I love you, Love, in fire and blood.

Phenomenal Woman Poem by Maya Angelou

Phenomenal Woman Poem by Maya Angelou

by | Nov 19, 2025 | Female Poets, Maya Angelou, Women Poems

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman

Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

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