The Best 100 Novels Challenge

When I first read about the 100 Best Novels Challenge on Nathan Bransford’s blog, I thought this would be a fun challenge.  It was definitely fun at first, but then I reached 50 books and it got hard. Really hard. I’ve read tons of novels, but I got stuck on what makes a book a best novel.

For me, it was something that stuck with me years later, something that left an indelible mark on me, something I’ve reached for and reread, something I can still tell you something about now. Some of these inspired my own work. Some of these made me a better writer. Some had characters that resonated with me. Others had unique plots of world building. Some of these are just reads that I truly loved.

Then came the ranking. I did the best I could. But it’s hard to compare a YA vampire to a classic mystery and decide which is better. Especially since I adore the paranormal. Decisions, decisions.

Here is my list of the 100 best novels:

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
2. Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (I read the French version)
3. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
4. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
5. Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
6. The Witch of Black Bird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
7. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
8. The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
9. Ocean Sea by Alessandro Baricco
10. The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
11. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
12. The Ocean at the End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
13. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
14. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
15. The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
16. House of Spirits by Isabelle Allende
17. 1984 by George Orwell
18. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
19. Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
20. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
21. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
22. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
23. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
24. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
25. No-No Boy by John Okada
26. 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
27. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
28. Animal Farm George Orwell
29. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
30. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
31. The Shadow Behind the Stars by Rebecca Hahn
32. City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
33. Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
34. Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
35. Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
36. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
37. Ensnared by A.G. Howard
38. The Velveteen Rabbit Margery Williams
39. Winnie-the-Pooh by A.L. Milne
40. The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig
41. The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
42. Bones of Fairie by Janni Lee Simner
43. The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
44. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
45. The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
46. Wait For Me An Na
47. The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd
48. The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Sue Meyers
49. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
50. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
51. Invincible by Dawn Metcalf
52. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
53. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
54. The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
55. L’etranger by Albert Camus
56. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
57. The Hound of the Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
58. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
59. Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
60. To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee
61. Franny and Zoey by J.D. Salinger
62. Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
63. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
64. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
65. South of the Border West of the Sun by Haruki Marukami
66. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
67. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
68. The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
69. City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
70. If Onions Could Spring Leeks Paige Shelton
71. Double Up by Gretchen Archer
72. Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay
73. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
74. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
75. Death’s Dream Kingdom by Jessica Penot
76. Deadline by Chris Crutcher
77. The Future of Us by Jay Asher
78. Dead Harvest by Chris F. Holm
79. Nightshade Andrea Cremer
80. Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
81. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
82. The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
83. The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch
84. Unhinged by A.G. Howard
85. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
86. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
87. Divergent by Veronica Roth
88. Mischief Amanda Quick
89. Witch Hill by Marion Zimmer Bradley
90. Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
91. The Call of the Wild by Jack London
92. Caught by Harlen Coben
93. Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
94. Storm Winds by Iris Johansen
95. Fatal Fixer Upper by Jennie Bentley
96. Heist Society Ally Carter
97. Millicent Min Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
98. Sun Blind by Gwen Hansen
99. The Darkwater Liar’s Account by K. Lyn Wurth
100. Slumber Party by Christopher Pike

After spending hours on this, I’m hesitant to tag anyone with this mighty task. So if anyone wants to participate, comment below with a link to your list and I’ll link to your post here in my post. And if you just want to share your top ten or chat about the books on my list, comment below.

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