Middlemarch!! I read this my first semester of college and it helped me reorient my life. My English teacher referred to it as possibly the best English novel ever written. The first 100ish pages are tough, and then it’s phenomenal.
Ohhh, my friend Jeff recently told me I must read that! Okay, I'll try to get to that one soon. It's good to know that it may start slow but it's well worth reading. Thank you, Victoria! :-)
Middlemarch is on my list to read. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. I have read 6 books on this list. To me, as a female, the Brontë Sisters should be on a list of top 30. The same could be said for John Steinbeck. I probably couldn’t choose 30. Nice job doing this as it does take time and thought to produce your heart on paper. Sometimes I get upset when I realize I don’t have a copy of all of the books that came from the library, so a master list of all the books read is on my todo list. And then there are the ones in the kindle. Now in my 60’s, I wish for them all to be in print and on a bookshelf.
I'm a bit of an outlier because I only read physical books, so my house is overflowing with books. haha 🤓 I also don't borrow library books because I take extensive notes in all the books I read. That drives up my reading cost but also makes it nice because I can quickly review my notes or re-read anything whenever I want.
Okay…there are a lot of books on your list that would be on my list. Here are a few you did not mention which would be on mine: “The Shadow of the Wind”- G R Zafon; anything by Frederick Backman (careful; he writes differently than anything you mention); Michael J Sullivan’s “The Legends of the First Empire”- (I loved the Ryria books as well, but First Empire was fantastic)
I read it 20 years ago and it is still the book I tell everybody about. You have probably read it, but if you have not Markus Zusak’s “The Book Thief” is incredible.
I read mostly nonfiction. But I just read The Cafe With No Name by Robert Seethaler. I highly recommend this book. One of the most compassionate books I have read! Amazing author!
I read this fiction and wanted to have lunch with the author. He is amazing! This book touched my heart. The characters are so real! I hope you read this gem! Thank you for your list!
I have many favorite fiction and nonfiction reads, but for time's sake, I'll give you two to begin with. For fiction, I'd go with Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky and for nonfiction, although there are too many to chose from, I'll go with Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.
Awesome, thanks Matt! One of my good friends recently recommended Children of Time. Now that it’s come up twice as such a strong recommendation, I guess I really need to check it out! That’s always a good sign.
And you clearly have great taste. That Leonardo biography is fantastic.
That's great, Bobby! I'm looking forward to seeing your NF favorites list so I can compare notes. I'll let you know how many of them I've read as well. Thank you!
I quite enjoyed your list. I've read nine of the books. Red Riding sounds intriguing and will be my next read. A book I would recommend that I haven't seen on your list is Silverlock by John Myers Myers. I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say that you'll recognize many of the characters.
Nice mix of classic and contemporary titles. I was surprised to see LITTLE WOMEN on the list. For some reason, perhaps the title, I thought of it as a girl book. Eye-roll. Sorry. I am evolving. // I am currently read WATCHMEN and am finding the experience tedious. I keep reading how much everyone loves it, so I persist. // THE PRINCESS BRIDE is shocking well done. I love the way the reader is tricked into the world by the story but also about the book itself. Very clever. // Can't wait to talk books with you this summer.
If you aren't liking "Watchmen" so far, you probably won't turn a corner and like it by the end. That book's style and storytelling are fairly consistent, so I doubt you'll change your mind as you go.
Yes, "The Princess Bride" is great. I really enjoyed that one. I'm looking forward to book chats this summer too! :-)
I had to get on my laptop to respond because I had a lot to say, haha!
First of all, I LOVE to see Red Rising. It is a book I recommend to people who say they used to love to read but don't anymore. If that series doesn't suck you in, nothing will. Also, I almost never see anyone mention Blake Crouch's Pines series--truly unputdownabble.
Great, thanks! I recently picked up a copy of Confederacy of Dunces, and I'm excited to dive into it! Your comment will help me prioritize that one to ensure I get to it soon.
I would argue that Frankenstein is the first modern SF novel. Viktor uses his scientific background and the technology of the day to bring his Creature to life.
If you like taut mysteries/procedurals, try Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. The first one is In The Woods. My book club read it years ago, and I immediately started looking for everything French wrote.
Second the recommendation for McCammon's Boys Life, and anything else by McCammon. He's amazing.
If you like Stephen King you may enjoy 11-22-63 about a man who time travels to prevent the JFK assassination. It's a love story and a history lesson. I would also add The Golem and the Jinni, a tale of two mythical beings but really it's about freedom and captivity.
I have probably read 75% of King's books and if you want a deep dive, my favorite of his are the The Dark Tower series. The first book is a little slow but it's the shortest. Just keep going until you get to the fourth book and then you'll be hooked!
You're way further along than I am! King is my favorite novelist, and I've read 26 of his books, but that means I still have another ~40 or so left! haha
I read The Dark Tower series many years ago and enjoyed it okay, but it wasn't my favorite. I know that series is the pinnacle for many of my fellow King fans, but it didn't hit as hard for me. My favorites from him are Misery, The Green Mile, IT, The Shining, and The Dead Zone.
I haven’t read either of those yet. I just checked out the synopsis for Boy’s Life and it sounds fantastic. Thank you, Thomas! I just added both to my TBR list.
Humm. . . I have actually read five of them. I liked one or two of the Red Rising series, but they bogged down in an avalanche of gratuitous violence as they continued on. I liked the Steven King entries and Blake Couch. Both authors are quite imaginative. I have to admit that most historical novels and books about Dracula and the like do not interest me. I tried books written by Russian authors, like The Gulag Archipelago, but I could not get past Solzhenitsyn’s overwhelming sarcasm. I am sure there are better writers, their prose seems ponderous to me.
I am going to try a couple of the books you mentioned because of your nuanced take on them. Wish me luck.
You read more "popular" fiction than I do; I read more "neglected books," books in translation, and literary fiction. That said, I think you'd like my Substack, David's Lists 2.0. About reading, book lists, the craft of writing and so on. It's free! https://longd.substack.com/
Middlemarch!! I read this my first semester of college and it helped me reorient my life. My English teacher referred to it as possibly the best English novel ever written. The first 100ish pages are tough, and then it’s phenomenal.
Ohhh, my friend Jeff recently told me I must read that! Okay, I'll try to get to that one soon. It's good to know that it may start slow but it's well worth reading. Thank you, Victoria! :-)
Middlemarch is on my list to read. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD. I have read 6 books on this list. To me, as a female, the Brontë Sisters should be on a list of top 30. The same could be said for John Steinbeck. I probably couldn’t choose 30. Nice job doing this as it does take time and thought to produce your heart on paper. Sometimes I get upset when I realize I don’t have a copy of all of the books that came from the library, so a master list of all the books read is on my todo list. And then there are the ones in the kindle. Now in my 60’s, I wish for them all to be in print and on a bookshelf.
Seconding Steinbeck!! East of Eden floored me. And ditto… my TBR is in my notes app and goes on forever
Same here. My TBR list seemingly grows by the hour. ;-)
Great recs, Patty! I loved To Kill a Mockingbird and East of Eden, but I read them more than ten years ago, so I didn't include them here.
The Brontë Sisters are on the Top 200 list I'm working through (https://leaderandlearner.substack.com/p/the-uber-list-of-the-top-200-books), so I'll definitely read them soon.
I'm a bit of an outlier because I only read physical books, so my house is overflowing with books. haha 🤓 I also don't borrow library books because I take extensive notes in all the books I read. That drives up my reading cost but also makes it nice because I can quickly review my notes or re-read anything whenever I want.
Thanks for reading, and have an awesome day!
Okay…there are a lot of books on your list that would be on my list. Here are a few you did not mention which would be on mine: “The Shadow of the Wind”- G R Zafon; anything by Frederick Backman (careful; he writes differently than anything you mention); Michael J Sullivan’s “The Legends of the First Empire”- (I loved the Ryria books as well, but First Empire was fantastic)
Great, thank you, James! I appreciate the recs. I keep seeing The Shadow of the Wind around but haven’t picked it up yet.
I read it 20 years ago and it is still the book I tell everybody about. You have probably read it, but if you have not Markus Zusak’s “The Book Thief” is incredible.
Ohhh, great pick, James! Such a fascinating (and unique) book.
I read mostly nonfiction. But I just read The Cafe With No Name by Robert Seethaler. I highly recommend this book. One of the most compassionate books I have read! Amazing author!
Awesome, thanks for the rec! I just added it to my Goodreads TBR list, thanks to you. :-)
I also read mostly NF and absolutely love it. Stay tuned for my top NF list, which I'll be posting soon.
Thank you for reading, Ann!
I read this fiction and wanted to have lunch with the author. He is amazing! This book touched my heart. The characters are so real! I hope you read this gem! Thank you for your list!
That is high praise indeed! ❤️
This is such a great and inspiring list, even though I have only read two of them. This will give me an excuse to read more fiction.
I too am mostly a nonfiction guy, Matt! I'll be publishing my NF favorites list soon. :-) I'm glad you found this list inspiring.
What are your favorite fiction & nonfiction reads? What should I check out next?
I have many favorite fiction and nonfiction reads, but for time's sake, I'll give you two to begin with. For fiction, I'd go with Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky and for nonfiction, although there are too many to chose from, I'll go with Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson.
Awesome, thanks Matt! One of my good friends recently recommended Children of Time. Now that it’s come up twice as such a strong recommendation, I guess I really need to check it out! That’s always a good sign.
And you clearly have great taste. That Leonardo biography is fantastic.
That's great, Bobby! I'm looking forward to seeing your NF favorites list so I can compare notes. I'll let you know how many of them I've read as well. Thank you!
I quite enjoyed your list. I've read nine of the books. Red Riding sounds intriguing and will be my next read. A book I would recommend that I haven't seen on your list is Silverlock by John Myers Myers. I won't spoil it for you, but let's just say that you'll recognize many of the characters.
Sounds intriguing! I just added it to my list. Thanks Michael!
Nice mix of classic and contemporary titles. I was surprised to see LITTLE WOMEN on the list. For some reason, perhaps the title, I thought of it as a girl book. Eye-roll. Sorry. I am evolving. // I am currently read WATCHMEN and am finding the experience tedious. I keep reading how much everyone loves it, so I persist. // THE PRINCESS BRIDE is shocking well done. I love the way the reader is tricked into the world by the story but also about the book itself. Very clever. // Can't wait to talk books with you this summer.
If you aren't liking "Watchmen" so far, you probably won't turn a corner and like it by the end. That book's style and storytelling are fairly consistent, so I doubt you'll change your mind as you go.
Yes, "The Princess Bride" is great. I really enjoyed that one. I'm looking forward to book chats this summer too! :-)
I had to get on my laptop to respond because I had a lot to say, haha!
First of all, I LOVE to see Red Rising. It is a book I recommend to people who say they used to love to read but don't anymore. If that series doesn't suck you in, nothing will. Also, I almost never see anyone mention Blake Crouch's Pines series--truly unputdownabble.
I actually made my own list earlier this year: https://substack.com/home/post/p-158963774?utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web. curious if you've read any of my favorites!
Yes, "Red Rising" is incredible! I'm glad to hear you love it too.
I just saved your list so I can check it out soon. Thanks Chelsey!
Confederacy of Dunces. Tale of Two Cities. Treasure Island. Catch-22.
Great, thanks! I recently picked up a copy of Confederacy of Dunces, and I'm excited to dive into it! Your comment will help me prioritize that one to ensure I get to it soon.
Give “The Gold Coast” by Nelson DeMille a try. Fantastic story!
He’s a gifted writer and also has a keen sense of humor. Hope you enjoy it.
Thanks for the rec, Jim! I still haven't read any DeMille, so I'll have to check that out. I just added it to my list.
I've read 18!
I would argue that Frankenstein is the first modern SF novel. Viktor uses his scientific background and the technology of the day to bring his Creature to life.
If you like taut mysteries/procedurals, try Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series. The first one is In The Woods. My book club read it years ago, and I immediately started looking for everything French wrote.
Second the recommendation for McCammon's Boys Life, and anything else by McCammon. He's amazing.
Wow, McCammon must be incredible! I always love hearing multiple recs for the same book. That's a great sign.
Thanks so much for the recs, Angela! I really appreciate it. :-)
If you like Stephen King you may enjoy 11-22-63 about a man who time travels to prevent the JFK assassination. It's a love story and a history lesson. I would also add The Golem and the Jinni, a tale of two mythical beings but really it's about freedom and captivity.
Ohhh, I keep wanting to read 11/22/63, but I haven’t gotten to it yet! Thanks for the reminder! I’ll prioritize that one.
And thanks for the other recs too! I appreciate it, Sandi. 😃
11-22-63 is fantastic. I think it’s King’s best story. It’s even now a series on Hulu. Of course the book is better but still.
I checked out the Hulu series a few years ago and really enjoyed it. I'm excited to read the book! King is my fave.
I have probably read 75% of King's books and if you want a deep dive, my favorite of his are the The Dark Tower series. The first book is a little slow but it's the shortest. Just keep going until you get to the fourth book and then you'll be hooked!
You're way further along than I am! King is my favorite novelist, and I've read 26 of his books, but that means I still have another ~40 or so left! haha
I read The Dark Tower series many years ago and enjoyed it okay, but it wasn't my favorite. I know that series is the pinnacle for many of my fellow King fans, but it didn't hit as hard for me. My favorites from him are Misery, The Green Mile, IT, The Shining, and The Dead Zone.
A Boy's Life by Robert McCammon. Excellent read. It has fantasy, adventure, excitement, terror, and a happy ending.
Followed closely by (October Sky) Rocket Boys.
I haven’t read either of those yet. I just checked out the synopsis for Boy’s Life and it sounds fantastic. Thank you, Thomas! I just added both to my TBR list.
Humm. . . I have actually read five of them. I liked one or two of the Red Rising series, but they bogged down in an avalanche of gratuitous violence as they continued on. I liked the Steven King entries and Blake Couch. Both authors are quite imaginative. I have to admit that most historical novels and books about Dracula and the like do not interest me. I tried books written by Russian authors, like The Gulag Archipelago, but I could not get past Solzhenitsyn’s overwhelming sarcasm. I am sure there are better writers, their prose seems ponderous to me.
I am going to try a couple of the books you mentioned because of your nuanced take on them. Wish me luck.
Yeah, that Blake Crouch series really impressed me. Most series start strong and end weak, but I thought he finished that one well.
I didn’t know if I would like Dracula, but the storytelling mechanisms are so unique that it drew me in more than I expected.
I hope you enjoy whatever you check out next!
Thanks! I live to read and read to live.
Same! 🤓
Hi Bobby ,
I read 2 out of 30 books on the list.
Looking forward to the the other 28 , big number.
Thank you for sharing.
Nice, I hope you enjoy any new ones you check out from this list. Thank you so much for reading, Corneliu!
You read more "popular" fiction than I do; I read more "neglected books," books in translation, and literary fiction. That said, I think you'd like my Substack, David's Lists 2.0. About reading, book lists, the craft of writing and so on. It's free! https://longd.substack.com/