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:
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
- Le Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (I read the French version)
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll
- Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
- Palimpsest by Catherynne M. Valente
- The Witch of Black Bird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Ocean Sea by Alessandro Baricco
- The Picture of Dorian Gray Oscar Wilde
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- The Ocean at the End of The Lane by Neil Gaiman
- The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
- Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
- The Time Keeper by Mitch Albom
- House of Spirits by Isabelle Allende
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
- Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
- The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
- And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
- No-No Boy by John Okada
- 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
- Animal Farm George Orwell
- New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
- The Shadow Behind the Stars by Rebecca Hahn
- City of Glass by Cassandra Clare
- Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway
- Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler
- Ms. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
- The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
- Ensnared by A.G. Howard
- The Velveteen Rabbit Margery Williams
- Winnie-the-Pooh by A.L. Milne
- The Fire Sermon by Francesca Haig
- The Probable Future by Alice Hoffman
- Bones of Fairie by Janni Lee Simner
- The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
- The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
- The Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry
- Wait For Me An Na
- The Secret Life of Bees Sue Monk Kidd
- The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Sue Meyers
- An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris
- The Woman in Black by Susan Hill
- Invincible by Dawn Metcalf
- Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
- From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil Frankweiler by E. L. Konigsburg
- The Dust of 100 Dogs by A.S. King
- L’etranger by Albert Camus
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
- The Hound of the Baskerville by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie
- Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
- To Kill A Mockingbird Harper Lee
- Franny and Zoey by J.D. Salinger
- Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
- South of the Border West of the Sun by Haruki Marukami
- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
- City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
- If Onions Could Spring Leeks Paige Shelton
- Double Up by Gretchen Archer
- Juliet Immortal by Stacey Jay
- Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor
- The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
- Death’s Dream Kingdom by Jessica Penot
- Deadline by Chris Crutcher
- The Future of Us by Jay Asher
- Dead Harvest by Chris F. Holm
- Nightshade Andrea Cremer
- Blood Promise by Richelle Mead
- Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn
- The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch
- Unhinged by A.G. Howard
- The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Divergent by Veronica Roth
- Mischief Amanda Quick
- Witch Hill by Marion Zimmer Bradley
- Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
- The Call of the Wild by Jack London
- Caught by Harlen Coben
- Please Ignore Vera Dietz by A.S. King
- Storm Winds by Iris Johansen
- Fatal Fixer Upper by Jennie Bentley
- Heist Society Ally Carter
- Millicent Min Girl Genius by Lisa Yee
- Sun Blind by Gwen Hansen
- The Darkwater Liar’s Account by K. Lyn Wurth
- 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.
I’m not only impressed you made this list but that you included links for them all as well. Wow! Great list. I probably won’t put one together, but it’s definitely got me thinking.
The list took me about 6 hours. The links were another hour. I went through my Goodreads reviews, but they only go back to 2010. They I studied my own bookshelves. But I don’t have any books from my childhood. Finally, I resorted to googling best books lists and culled a couple dozen from there. I was tempted to tag you, but I decided I like you too much for that. 😉 I rediscovered so many books I loved too!
Haha, thank you. I’ll make the list in my head. Much quicker.
Much easier that way. 🙂
A really interesting list Kourtney, with some of my own favourites on it, like To Kill a Mockingbird. I’m not sure I’d know where to start to pick a list of 100, that’s a feat in itself!
It’s really, really hard. Coming up with 100 novels was tough, but ranking them–Eek! But I’ve been rediscovering my love of reading this year, so it was the perfect time for a post like this!
Wow, it’s impressive that you were able to put together this list. I’d have a hard time, though you have a few of my childhood faves on here, like “The Witch of Blackbird Pond,” “The Secret Garden,” and “A Wrinkle in Time.” Thanks for a fun list.
It was one of the hardest posts I ever put together. I accidentally had a few memoirs on it too. But I discovered my mistake and fixed it. Those books linger with me even now. I loved Mercy in The Witch of Blackbird Pond and the garden was so cool in The Secret Garden. If I close my eyes I can imagine the transformation again. I’ll never forget it. Glad you liked it.
Wow! This is quite a list, Kourtney Thanks so much for compiling it for us.
I really should have listened to Nathan about how tough this challenge was. But I ended up rediscovering some great reads. 😉 Glad you liked it!
So cool to see that you took up this challenge, Kourtney! I’m sure the ranking was tough. Personally, my tastes have a tendency to change radically over time, so what might have been #1 to 25-year-old me definitely wasn’t #1 to 35-year-old me! It’s comforting, in a way, to see so many familiar classics on your list. I guess what they say about universal truths in some books still holds merit. 🙂
Thanks, Mayumi. It was truly awful and I’m sure many will disagree with my choices later in the list. 😉 That’s another tough component. I haven’t reread my favorite children’s books. But they lingered with me so long–they got ranked higher for it. The classics are pretty cool in their appearing across many readers’ lists. Totally agree there. And I think some books have a universal appeal. Now to write one of those! 🙂
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