What We’re Reading In Lockdown

Have you headed to the classics to get your literary fix during lockdown? You’re not alone. Recent research has revealed that 48% of us have rediscovered a love of reading over the past six weeks and almost a quarter of us have used our time to revisit some literary greats.

The two most popular novels to have been read were Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, with 11% saying they have read it for the first time during lockdown, and Dickens’ 1837 classic Oliver Twist, with one in ten getting stuck in to it.

Other popular books being read during lockdown include George Orwell’s 1984 (10%) and the classic GCSE studies novel – Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (9%).

George R.R. Martin’s first Game of Thrones novel, A Song of Ice and Fire (9%) also featured among the books Britons have read, or are still reading during lockdown.

Interestingly, an honest 18 percent admit that they have struggled to keep up with a classic or prize-winning novel, whilst 34% said they are reading something, but very slowly. This could be due to the increased use of mobile phones, as 14% say that they are too easily distracted by social media when they pick up a book.

Of these 18% of honest adults, one in twenty confess to lying about the books they have read, to appear more cultured in front of friends and family.

David Arnold, Head of Research for Perspectus Global, which commissioned the survey, said: “While lockdown has undoubtedly been extremely challenging, it is good to see that some of the classics and literary greats have been enjoyed for the first time.

“It is encouraging to see from the data that as many as 21 percent of the nation have used this time to read, or start reading, some of the greatest and most iconic pieces of literature to have been penned in modern times.”

A rundown of the most popular novels Brits are reading during lockdown:

1. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee – 12%
2. Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens – 11%
3. 1984 by George Orwell – 10%
4. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck – 9%
5. Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) by George R.R. Martin – 9%
6. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien – 9%
7. Lord of the Flies by William Golding – 8%
8. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen – 8%
9. Dracula by Bram Stoker – 8%
10. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott – 7%
11. Emma by Jane Austen – 7%
12. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller – 7%                
13. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë – 7%             
14. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley – 7%
15. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman – 6%
16. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – 6%
17. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë – 6%
18. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood – 4%
19. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – 4%
20. Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess – 4%
21. Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier – 3%
22. The Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde – 3%
23. A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking – 3%
24. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald – 3%
25. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel – 3%