Bookworms in Oxfordshire will immerse themselves in 658 books in a lifetime, with the average UK adult engrossed in all things spooky.
The most popular book genres for our region include crime (37 per cent), mystery (4 per cent) and thriller (39 per cent), according to new research from eBay UK.
And many of the best-read books are by Oxford authors - with CS Lewis's The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe in first place and Lewis Carol's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in fourth place.
Scroll down for full list and poll.
Other authors with deep connections with Oxfordshire whomade the list include Kenneth Graham, JRR Tolkien, Graham Greene and The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time author Mark Haddon - who lives in Jericho.
It comes as no surprise that the king of Horror, Stephen King was included in the top three authors voted by the nation (28 per cent), not forgetting the classic and well-loved author, Charles Dickens (18 per cent).
Interestingly, when it comes to battle of the sexes there was a clear divide.
While the top favourite books by women are more of a ‘modern’ classic and include Gone Girl (26 per cent), Girl on the Train (34 per cent), Fifty Shades of Grey (28 per cent), Bridget Jones’ Diary (30 per cent).
And men’s top reads are Nineteen Eighty-Four (28 per cent), Lord of the Flies (23 per cent), Treasure Island (28 per cent) and Hitchhikers’ Guide to the Galaxy (21 per cent).
Every year, the average adult here will lose themselves in 10 books - impressively one fifth (20 per cent) say they read every day.
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Rob Moss, managing director, 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."
The average adult here admits to owning at least 11 books which they have not quite reached the end of.
The study also found 48 per cent don’t get to read as much as they would like to because they are strapped for time, but summer holiday breaks are the optimum time to get your nose into a good book.
Two-thirds (64 per cent) said reading on holiday was a good way to relax, 51 per cent said reading helped them get lost in another world, and 44 per cent enjoyed a good book as part of making time for themselves.
On average, readers in our region treat themselves to two books for a week-long holiday and more than a third (36 per cent) will happily re-read a story on holiday they’ve already enjoyed before.
The average adult in the UK will get lost inside an exciting tale for 1 hour and 27 minutes a day while on a break, twice as long than on an ordinary working day.
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The top three spots to read on holiday include a comfy sofa, cosy bed, and of course, beside a pool.
The research revealed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was the most read book in the UK, according to one third (33 per cent) of Brits, closely tailed by the Da Vinci Code which 30 per cent opted for.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone came in third (29 per cent) despite J.K. Rowling topping the list of preferred authors according to over one quarter of those polled (26 per cent).
Top 50 most read books by Brits:
- The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
- The Da Vinci Code
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- Nineteen-Eighty Four
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Treasure Island
- The Wind in the Willows
- The Hobbit
- The Girl on the Train
- Jane Eyre
- The Lord of the Rings
- Lord of the Flies
- Wuthering Heights
- Bridget Jones' Diary
- The Catcher in the Rye
- A Tale of Two Cities
- Gone Girl
- Fifty Shades of Grey
- The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes
- Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
- The Lovely Bones
- Tales of Huckleberry Finn
- Murder on the Orient Express
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time
- The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
- The Hunger Games
- Anne of Green Gables
- The Time Traveller's Wife
- The Wizard of Oz
- Jamaica Inn
- PS. I Love You
- Twilight
- Brighton Rock
- Life of Pi
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest
- The Kite Runner
- Memoirs of a Geisha
- American Psycho
- The Handmaid's Tale
- My Sister's Keeper
- Me Before You
- One Day
- Jack Reacher Killing Floor
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