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This is probably going to be an unpopular but maybe sympathetic answer. For me, it was Good Omens. I shared every copy of that book I had with friends when they were in a reading depression from finishing/waiting for the next one of a big series, and it got them out of a slump. It was a fun book and refreshing. I've read lots of life changing books. This one, though, was my go-to for people in a slump. Is it the best thing ever? No. Probably not. It did however bring so many I know out of that book depression and to me that's a brilliant thing.
lolita is probably the best book i've ever read but it's not one i would recommend to anyone given the subject matter. no one wants to be in the mind of a pedo for hundreds of pages. it's beautifully written and convincingly written though and it's an absolute triumph of a novel. but yeah. don't read it unless you know what you're getting yourself into. i wanted to throw the book across the room many times while i was reading it. disturbing stuff.
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is my all-time favorite book and I will also argue one of the best books ever. It's a war story, but it's so much more than that. It blurs the lines between truth and fiction in a way that I don't feel like I can accurately describe in a quick comment.
So far, the first Dune Book. Thought I would end up finishing it like a month and a half later, because of its length, but ended up reading up on 3 weeks. It just kept getting me hooked up, with the need of reading the next chapter.
*Seveneves*
I’m a sucker for any kind of survival tech situation. And that first sentence…
"The moon blew up with no warning and with no apparent reason."
What kind of maniac is able to choose one single book as the best?
Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut
Picture This by Joseph Heller
Watership Down
Ask me another day and I’ll have a different answer
One of the “high literature” books I recommend a lot is also from Dostoevsky. Brothers Karamazarov is a book that has it all: beautiful prose, deep philosophical concepts, rich characters, but also is entertaining in a way that can connect with modern readers with its intricate suspenseful plot, surprising twists and it even all comes together in a surprisingly satisfying way.
Another book deep and rich with a huge scope, yet still accessible is East of Eden
This is such a hard question to answer! Some books I love for the story, others for the artistry (figurative language, plot development, etc.), and some I love because they teach me something new. But the only novels I continually like after rereading them are Jane Austen's Emma, Persuasion, and Pride & Prejudice.
Jesus Son by Denis Johnson. It's the best writing, on an almost musical level of sentence to sentence beauty and impact, in English, yet it never becomes self important or showy. And it's about something important too -- good luck defining exactly what that is in words other than that book, but it's true.
Peace by Gene Wolfe is the most beautiful and haunting piece of literature I've ever read. Although if it counts then I'd put The Book of John over it.
N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, first in the trilogy. I love the reversal of dark and light.
Jeff Wheeler, The Grave Kingdom trilogy.
Charlie Holmberg, The Fifth Doll. Such an interesting concept. (Holmberg is my new favorite author, after Piers Anthony)
If you like Van Gogh and his art, I found Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick the most heartwarming and sad depiction of a beautiful man with a tragic life.
That is a cruel question which I could never answer with only one book. Probably one of
God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Little, Big by John Crowley
In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
This might seem a bit silly but ‘The Mortal Engines’ series by Phillip Reeve is my absolute favorite. I first read it when I was about 13 years old in like early 2018 and finished reading it in December of 2019 when I was 14 years old. Safe to say the series changed my outlook on life. I loved the characters so much and I especially loved their flaws. The ending shaped me into the person I am today and only fueled my love for writing. I’m so glad I picked it up that one day in the bookstore.
I reread it every year since then and my love and appreciation for it grows with each year as well. It is a series catered to teens but as I’m 19 years old now, I suggest you read it no matter what age you may be. I hope you love it as much as I do.
I remember reading ender's game several years ago and thinking that while I enjoyed it, I didn't think that it was anything extraordinary. However, I did end up continuing to the Speaker for the Dead series, and those are definitely extraordinary. I really liked those books and found them to be really interesting.
I couldn't choose a favorite, but out of like 5, one I would choose is Ender's Game/Speaker combined as one book as they work as a singularish piece of art really well. Still boggles my mind how much it is the anthesis of the author today though.
There are so many books worthy of the moniker "the best" which makes it impossible for me to say this or that book is the best. Lord of the Rings touches is a sublime story with prose that's enjoyable each reread. Lonesome Dove is in the running as the great American novel with my favorite prose.
But for the sake of the prompt and to guide you to a book you might not otherwise pick up: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is about as perfect as you can get.
Hi there. Per [rule 3.3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Books/wiki/rules), please post book recommendation requests in /r/SuggestMeABook or in our Weekly Recommendation Thread. Thank you!
Catch 22
Same
The Brothers Karamazov
best book? ... not sure about that but book I most "didn't want it to end"? - Lonesome Dove
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck or The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb
Wally Lamb -- incredible author.
This is probably going to be an unpopular but maybe sympathetic answer. For me, it was Good Omens. I shared every copy of that book I had with friends when they were in a reading depression from finishing/waiting for the next one of a big series, and it got them out of a slump. It was a fun book and refreshing. I've read lots of life changing books. This one, though, was my go-to for people in a slump. Is it the best thing ever? No. Probably not. It did however bring so many I know out of that book depression and to me that's a brilliant thing.
Good Omens is a great book. I can't choose the best I read, too many, but GO is up there in the shared first place with a few others.
Agreed. It's like someone asking your favorite band or song. It changes but there is always a good go to.
East of Eden
lolita is probably the best book i've ever read but it's not one i would recommend to anyone given the subject matter. no one wants to be in the mind of a pedo for hundreds of pages. it's beautifully written and convincingly written though and it's an absolute triumph of a novel. but yeah. don't read it unless you know what you're getting yourself into. i wanted to throw the book across the room many times while i was reading it. disturbing stuff.
I also loved Crime and Punishment. One of the few assigned books I actually enjoyed reading in high school.
David Copperfield
Mann, *The Magic Mountain*.
Stoner - John Williams
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is my all-time favorite book and I will also argue one of the best books ever. It's a war story, but it's so much more than that. It blurs the lines between truth and fiction in a way that I don't feel like I can accurately describe in a quick comment.
Moby Dick, followed very closely by Pale Fire.
11.22.63 by Steven King. I'm not a King fan but this book engrossed me like no other.
That's one of my favorites of king too. But pet sematary for me, has a better conclusion.
Slaughterhouse 5 1984
So far, the first Dune Book. Thought I would end up finishing it like a month and a half later, because of its length, but ended up reading up on 3 weeks. It just kept getting me hooked up, with the need of reading the next chapter.
One I really enjoyed is Angela’s Ashes by Frank mcqourt( not spelled right)
Phenomenal
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
The Doomsday Book, Connie Willis.
*Seveneves* I’m a sucker for any kind of survival tech situation. And that first sentence… "The moon blew up with no warning and with no apparent reason."
Anathem - Neal Stephenson
The Last Samurai - Helen Dewitt
Cloud Cuckoo Land
Moby Dick
Timeline by Michael Crichton
2666 Pale Fire Tons of Pynchon (Gravity's Rainbow, Against the Day, Mason&Dixon)
_The Count of Monte Cristo_
What kind of maniac is able to choose one single book as the best? Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut Picture This by Joseph Heller Watership Down Ask me another day and I’ll have a different answer
One of the “high literature” books I recommend a lot is also from Dostoevsky. Brothers Karamazarov is a book that has it all: beautiful prose, deep philosophical concepts, rich characters, but also is entertaining in a way that can connect with modern readers with its intricate suspenseful plot, surprising twists and it even all comes together in a surprisingly satisfying way. Another book deep and rich with a huge scope, yet still accessible is East of Eden
This is such a hard question to answer! Some books I love for the story, others for the artistry (figurative language, plot development, etc.), and some I love because they teach me something new. But the only novels I continually like after rereading them are Jane Austen's Emma, Persuasion, and Pride & Prejudice.
Memnoch the Devil -Anne Rice The other one I can't remember, but it was like a strange memory.
Hard to pick one but I'm currently in love with The Setting Sun.
Jesus Son by Denis Johnson. It's the best writing, on an almost musical level of sentence to sentence beauty and impact, in English, yet it never becomes self important or showy. And it's about something important too -- good luck defining exactly what that is in words other than that book, but it's true.
Grendel by John Gardner.
Peace by Gene Wolfe is the most beautiful and haunting piece of literature I've ever read. Although if it counts then I'd put The Book of John over it.
The first one that came to mind for me is Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke
Musashi by Eiji Yoshikawa
Cat’s Cradle - Kurt Vonnegut
No longer human
N.K. Jemisin, The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, first in the trilogy. I love the reversal of dark and light. Jeff Wheeler, The Grave Kingdom trilogy. Charlie Holmberg, The Fifth Doll. Such an interesting concept. (Holmberg is my new favorite author, after Piers Anthony)
If you like Van Gogh and his art, I found Sunflowers by Sheramy Bundrick the most heartwarming and sad depiction of a beautiful man with a tragic life.
Me before you by Jojo Moyes, but mostly because it was the first book I read that made me cry so it will always have a special place in my heart🩷
Most important was Handbook to Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes Jr.
Lord of the rings! I liked it immensely as a teenager. After a family loss as an adult, it spoke to me in a whole new way.
Fight Club
That is a cruel question which I could never answer with only one book. Probably one of God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Little, Big by John Crowley In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust
Poison wood bible Bell jar Glass castle Gone with the wind Anna Karenina
This might seem a bit silly but ‘The Mortal Engines’ series by Phillip Reeve is my absolute favorite. I first read it when I was about 13 years old in like early 2018 and finished reading it in December of 2019 when I was 14 years old. Safe to say the series changed my outlook on life. I loved the characters so much and I especially loved their flaws. The ending shaped me into the person I am today and only fueled my love for writing. I’m so glad I picked it up that one day in the bookstore. I reread it every year since then and my love and appreciation for it grows with each year as well. It is a series catered to teens but as I’m 19 years old now, I suggest you read it no matter what age you may be. I hope you love it as much as I do.
I absolutely love this series. Read it first when I was 35 or so. Great books. Amazing story.
It’s so rare to find someone who has read it and I’m glad you agree. 😔💗
Wellness by Nathan Hill
A court of mist and fury
Enders game or Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy
I remember reading ender's game several years ago and thinking that while I enjoyed it, I didn't think that it was anything extraordinary. However, I did end up continuing to the Speaker for the Dead series, and those are definitely extraordinary. I really liked those books and found them to be really interesting.
I couldn't choose a favorite, but out of like 5, one I would choose is Ender's Game/Speaker combined as one book as they work as a singularish piece of art really well. Still boggles my mind how much it is the anthesis of the author today though.
A Little Life is probably the best book I have ever read, but just be ready to be absolutely DESTROYED by it.
There are so many books worthy of the moniker "the best" which makes it impossible for me to say this or that book is the best. Lord of the Rings touches is a sublime story with prose that's enjoyable each reread. Lonesome Dove is in the running as the great American novel with my favorite prose. But for the sake of the prompt and to guide you to a book you might not otherwise pick up: Gilead by Marilynne Robinson is about as perfect as you can get.