Top Ten Books of ALL TIME

List your top ten books and why you believe they are the TOP TEN BOOKS OF ALL TIME!!!

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
--I believe it is one of the most profound romance stories ever written. The way Heathcliff and Cathy are "one" in a sense makes it so wondrous yet so dark considering Heathcliff's attitude to things that happened to him and his past and what happened in the entire relationship.

I'll start there--as I come up with more then I will post them. I've got one down!

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen


The book that spawned a genre and a thousand darcy types


Love this book so much!!

1. The Picture of Dorian Grey
This is a classic that was really well written. I kept a good pace and was just highly intriguing. I loved it and then twisted ending.

2. Little Women
I've read this so many times and still love it. There's not specific reason other than the sincerity of the plot line and the realistic relationships between the characters.

3. Harry Potter series (not sure if I'd keep it a 3, but naming them off the top of my head)
This series got me back into reading. I had been going through a slump and while there are things that annoy me about them, I still do like the series a lot.

4. City of Bones Series (This might actually trump Harry Potter, they are amazing!)
I love this series. I read it after hearing about it on the the Host Index. They are paced well and have twists in them. I also love all the subtle humor in it and the characters. I do hope she writes more.

5. Catcher in the Rye
It was very deep, I enjoyed it.

6. Goodbye Tsugumi by Banana Yoshimoto
It really touched me. The relationships were believable and very touching.


I'll add to this as I come up with more. But I can say Twilight series will be 10, I can't help but want to add a cheesy book series to the list. They also got me into fantasy again.

In the order they came to mind (not listed in order of favs) - my top ten favorite, awe inspiring, gut wrenching, honest, intricate, amazing and lovable books of all time.

-Blue Skies No Candy by Gael Green
-The Trial by Franz Kafka
-The Alchemist by Paul Coelho
-Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
-Ink Exchange by Melissa Marr
-Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathon Safran Foer
-Kissing in Manhattan by David Schickler
-The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
-Stardust by Neil Gaiman
-Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Ten is too small a number. About 500 should be sufficient, but here goes the first ten names to come to mind, in no particular order of preference:


Family Roundabout - Richmal Crompton (and her other books too lol)

Sharpe's Tiger - Bernard Cornwell (and the other Sharpe books too)

The Jewel in the Crown - Paul Scott

All the Biggles books - Capt. W.E. Johns

A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseni

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

Anything written by L.M. Montgomery

Anything written by L.M. Alcott

The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien

The Name of this Book is Secret - Psuedonymous Bosch


Argh! There are a hundred other names I want to mention.

ReNu wrote:

Anything written by L.M. Alcott

Have you read, A Long Fatal Love Chase by her? I adore that book! So short but so intense and crazy.

Okay, I'm going to finish out my list here.


I've already mentioned one:

1. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

2. A Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa May Alcott
--I say this book because it was such a dark story in her day that the publisher wouldn't take it. It was published a lot later on. Plus, at first you think the heroine is a wimp and just wants to get away from her secluded life and be swept away into love's arms but then you watch her grow into a strong woman who goes through a bunch of crap that she has to leave her husband. Then he chases her. I absolutely adore it--especially since it shows a love in a different light.

3. My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
--How could this not be a profound novel in our day? Genetic manipulation to save your own child who has cancer but then you have to realize that this other human you made actually does have feelings and a right to their own life. I could have not asked for a better written, saddening tale of one of the most dysfunctional families ever.

4. Fablehaven series by Brandon Mull
--Some of my favorite fantasy books. A great series complete with dragons and sibling rivalry to almost take the cake of the dragon's breath. I love Brandon's work and can't wait until the final story comes along. It will be magnificent.

5. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

6. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
--I love how she tells her story but it also makes me glad that at least our world isn't like the one she imagined. I would hate to live there.

7. The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
--Gotta do what Blue did and throw in a cheesy book. Although Sophie really shows women in everything I've read by her that we just need to find more of ourselves by not dipping a toe in the edge of the lake but actually diving into the lake and tasting every bit of it. Great pick me ups for a bad day and I have never read a good nervous breakdown before and Sophie Kinsella wrote a magnificent one in this book.

8. Number the Stars (sorry can't remember the author at this moment)
--Great story about a Jewish family escaping the holocaust and going to Sweden.

I'll add more once I remember some.

gobble - yes, I have read it and just love it! I couldn't name just one of LMA's, so I said "anything". It wasn't a regular "read and feel good" romance as I had expected. It's right there, in the top ten romances.

Idea: wish there could be a top ten list for every genre, that could give more room for all the books we like.

And gobble, Number the Stars is a wonderful book, by Lois Lowry. But I wish she hadn't killed off Peter.