I love reading, and I’m always on the lookout for new books to add to my reading list. I’m curious – what is your all-time favorite book, and why do you love it so much? For me, it’s a tie between “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Both of these books have stunning prose, complex and memorable characters, and thought-provoking themes. I’ve read each of them multiple times, and I always seem to discover something new with each reading.
by andWan
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The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
It’s just so beautifully written and it doesn’t matter how many times I read it I always find something new in it.
I forgot to mention – I also love “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger. I think it’s a brilliant and poignant exploration of adolescence, identity, and the challenges of growing up. It’s a book that has stayed with me long after I finished reading it.
Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut. I lent it to a colleague who had never read vonnegut before and she kept sending me her favorite lines from the book. Long live Unk.
Really most things by Vonnegut. He told it like it was, but in very creative and interesting ways that made anyone who read it really think. Totally unpretentious and accessible. Main message was always to be kind and understand people. His books usually made me tear up and that’s something I don’t normally do. His books are still prescient today, and subversive at the time, because at heart he was a humanist and pointed out the failings of society along with the strength of the human spirit. And he did it through “sci-fi” (a designation he didn’t always agree with) which was not known as a respectable genre for a long time. Long live Kurt.
“A purpose of human life, no matter who is controlling it, is to love whoever is around to be loved.” God dammit, I’m tearing up now.
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. I tackled the audiobook narrated by Frederick Davidson during the pandemic. I expected it to be a slog, because I thought War and Peace was used almost as a portmanteau for an unreadable overly-long book. But I found, instead, especially with the amazing narration by Davidson, that it was a magical experience. The huge cast of characters was vividly drawn, the various plot threads were all interesting, and the drama of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia and Moscow provided a sweeping backdrop. A masterpiece.
Pride and prejudice
Why — The writing, The characters ( even the side characters) , dialogues, insights, emotions .
Learn something new each time I read it.
r/suggestmeabook
A Prayer for Owen Meany. Beautifully written, memorable characters, a simultaneously heart-wrenching and heart-warming story.
Edit: THE most memorable main character I’ve ever read, actually.
I just discovered Ruth Ozeki books- Fav. So far is ‘The Book of Form and Emptiness”
I think I’m the odd man out here but my FOAT is Timeline by Michael Crichton. I love all his books but Timeline is just awesome. It combines my love of hard sci-fi with history and the story is just non-stop action. One of the few actual “couldn’t put it down” books for me.
The Gunslinger– first in the Dark Tower series. On first read, it’s such a powerful introduction to the world. After finishing the series, however, it takes on an entirely new connotation
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchetts. Two of the greatest minds in fantasy got together to write a comedy about the apocalypse. Lots of references to Revelations, hilarious, and the perfect meld of the two authors.
The Stand. I just love the character and story development over the course of the book.I’m not a huge Stephen King fan, but that book stands out to me as one of the best books I’ve ever read. I’ve read it several times over and enjoy it just as much each time.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson. I’ve read it so many times and I always pick up something new. I still feel like there are depths to this book that I haven’t fully grasped.
I recognize it’s not for everyone; for some reason I’ve always felt a strong connection with it, particularly the characters and setting.
So far my absolute favorite book is East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
The writing, the prose, the characters, the setting everything. Some of the themes hit me, especially with Timshel, loosely to “you may overcome” something along the lines. Steinbeck is one of my favorite writers ever
A tie between The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith.
Wharton because she writes so well and the book takes such jabs at Gilded Age NY while also telling you a love story.
Betty Smith because it’s a really sweet coming of age story.
I’ve read both books probably a dozen times each.
The Lord of the Rings – hard to explain why, but it’s how it makes me feel when I finish it. I just want to start it all over again.
A couple close seconds would be Night Train to Rigel by Timothy Zahn and That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis. Both are science fiction, although the former is of the fast paced easy sort of detective story and the latter is much more thought provoking and modern times setting as opposed to futuristic. Also the Zahn book is first in a series and the Lewis book is last in a trilogy (but it can be enjoyed as a stand alone).
Count of Monte Cristo because revenge is best served over decades.