My Favorite Books of All-Time
The worst question you can ask a book lover is: what is your favorite book? It’s like picking a favorite child.
I’m doing the unspeakable today and finally deciding on my favorite books. Ever. Full stop. Pulling together this list was less like pulling teeth and more fun than expected.
My face the entire time was cycling through acrobatics:
😐 → 😲 (“how could I forget THIS book?”) → 😐 → 😲 (“And THIS book?”) → 😐
Some ground rules: My list netted out at 20 books. To avoid overwhelming you (like my last post where I listed out 96 books), I’m going to break it up by fiction and non-fiction. Keep an eye out for my non-fiction favorites. I’m also leaving children’s books out of this, because that could be another list in itself.
Here they are in all their glory: My Top Fiction Reads of All Time!
1. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
The perfect novel. It has everything you could want —gorgeous, masterful writing, dramatic twists and turns, interesting characters and dialogue, a dark, strange, insular university setting… I’ve been surprised to hear how many people dislike this novel next to the absolutely glowing reviews. It seems to be one of those “love it or hate it” books, but in my opinion, it’s a “love.”
2. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin
I will never stop thinking about this sci-fi series. I recommend going in completely blind for maximum “wow” effect. The Netflix special also did a pretty darn good job bringing together its complexity.
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Okay it’s technically YA (young adult) fiction, but hear me out. This is the ultimate misfit book. The narrator Charlie will forever be my favorite book character (and Frodo and Ron Weasley).
4. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer
Environmentalism meets sci-fi. His prose is a little strange but I love the way he describes the natural world and the wonderfully weird. The movie adaption is scary and I don’t recommend it.
5. Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
Be still my heart. I’ve read almost all of Murakami’s books. When I finished this one, I cried. Not because it was sad, but because the experience of reading it was over.
Here’s the rest of the fiction list:
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
I Love Dick by Chris Kraus
Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
The Beast You Are by Paul Tremblay (specifically, the novella in the back half)
My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh