My top ten favourite novels
See Getting personal: A few top ten lists for the background on this series of top ten posts (this is the third post in the series).
Believe it or not, I really like getting away from the computer. I am not the kind of person who likes to spend every waking hour in front of the computer screen. I read a lot of Web related non-fiction books as you can tell by the book reviews I post here, but to really relax I read fiction. Mostly science fiction, horror, fantasy, that sort of thing.
So here is a list of my current favourite novels/novel series. The list is ordered alphabetically, which means I have not ranked these books. Picking only ten is hard enough as it is.
- A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
- The Dark Tower series: The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Waste Lands, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower by Stephen King
- The Dice Man by Luke Rhinehart
- Eon by Greg Bear
- The Foundation Trilogy: Foundation, Foundation and Empire, and Second Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- It by Stephen King
- The Night’s Dawn Trilogy: The Reality Dysfunction Part I: Emergence, The Reality Dysfunction Part 2: Expansion, The Neutronium Alchemist Part I: Consolidation, The Neutronium Alchemist Part II: Conflict, and The Naked God by Peter F. Hamilton
- Pandora’s Star and Judas Unchained by Peter F. Hamilton
- The Rama series: Rendezvous with Rama, Rama II, The Garden of Rama, and Rama Revealed by Arthur C Clarke
- The Stand by Stephen King
Like the other lists in this series, what’s on this list is always changing, though not as frequently as the music related lists.
Now it’s your turn – which are your ten favourite novels or novel series? If you want to share, do so either by posting a comment with your list or by posting a link to your own blog.
- Previous post: My top ten favourite music artists
- Next post: My top ten favourite computer games
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Comments
I’m reading “A Short History of Nearly Everything” right now and loving every word. Definitely top 10 material so far.
A good book I read in 2007.
In the bubble Designing in a complex world by John Tackara (MIT Press)
1984 by George Orwell; my favorite book of all times.
Anything by Douglas Coupland. Also Ben Okri and Annie Dillard.
I used to read a lot of Sci-fi when I was younger, pretty much any Frank Herbert stuff, the Dune series but also his other books.
I got really excited by your first two pics: I’m a huge Bryson fan, having read most of his books. I actually listened to “Nearly Everything” on CD while driving cross-country. A huge “Gunslinger” fan too, with all the books and the compendiums.
I read “Rama II” when younger out of a pile of books. And most of the entire Stephen King catalog.
I got “A Short History of Everything” as a gift a couple of months back and it really is an amazing read!
Another favourite of mine is “How to be Idle” by Tom Hodgkinson.
Right now my main course it criminal fiction and I have discovered a lot of really good authors thanks to “Låna och läs” from Bokia.
As most of the books are in some sorts of series I will only list the authors:
Åsa Larsson (about Rebecka Martinsson)
Jeffrey Deaver (about Lincoln Rhyme and Amelia Sachs)
Arne Dahl (about the “A-group”)
Arnaldur Indridason
Camilla Läckberg (still looking for the time to start reading the latest book “Tyskungen”)
Jo Nesbø (about Harry Hole)
Dan Brown
I also read the triology about Alexander the Great by Valerio Massimo Manfredi … very good!
Have you read Peter Hamilton’s “Fallen Angel”? Just as brilliant as Night’s Dawn and The Commonwealth Saga.
A fellow King and Asimov fan! I’d have to put “Needful Things” near the top of my list:
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand The Fountainhead, Ayn Rand Needful Things, Stephen King The Foundation Trilogy, Isaac Asimov Any collection of short stories by Philip K. Dick 1984, George Orwell It, Stephen King A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
excellent post. The Dice Man is a great book. I read a lot too, it’s a great way to wind down after a busy day. A few of my mates also have a book group which gives us an extra excuse!
some recent excellent reads, and old faves..
Some all time favourites:
No particular order on the books. Some of the books are old and maybe I would not place them on the list if I would read them now. But they have a place on my list according to how I appreciated them att the time. I’m also a SF reader, I used to read fantasy, but got a bit tired of that genre.
You want only 10? 10 authors would be easier… But will try anyway!
I enjoyed Eon by Greg Bear. Have you read Hyperion by Dan Simmons?
Memoirs of a geisha - Arthur Golden
De Metsiers - Hugo Claus
De Journalist - David Ignatius
Pride And Prejudice - Jane Austen
Inca Gold - Clive Cussler
Character - Ferdinand Bordewijk
Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
I like everything of Colin Dexter (you know: Inspector Morse series on TV were done on his stories). Now i’m looking for something just a good. May be anybody have some suggestions asap? Go away for a week to the comptuterless world you know:D
JRR Tolkien: Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, Silmarillion
AC Doyle: Sherlock Holmes (56 short stories plus 4 novels)
A lot of Stephen King’s books
Maurice Leblanc: the “Arsene Lupin” series (all of them)
Jules Verne: most of his books
G Rodari: There was two times a baron Lamberto
And many, many, many, many, many more :)
That’s nice to see, I’ve just received “A short History of Nearly Everything” to read while I’m on vacation, now I’m sure it’s a great book!
So.. my favourites, I’m not exactly sure but I enjoyed Lord of the Rings, most novels by Dan Brown and also a series of books about Ceasar and the Roman empire, don’t know the titles anymore.
In no particular order:
Hmm mine changes a lot too so here are some Authors:
Neil Gaimen: Anasi Boys, American Gods, Good Omens with;
Terry Pratchett:Thud, Guards Guards!, Wee Free Men, Truckers trilogy (I was a kid when I discovered this stuff)
Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash, Zodiac, Big U
William Gibson:Burning Chrome(short stories collection), Pattern Recognition, All Tomorrow’s Parties
Chuck Palahniuk: Fight Club, Choke
Walter Jon Williams:Angel Station, Metropolis+City on Fire, Aristoi, Ten Points for Style(collection of 3 novels)
Charles De Lint:pretty much anything I’ve gotten my hands on
Melissa Scott: Trouble and Her Friends, Dreaming Metal
Charles Stross: Atrocity Archives, Accelerondo, Singularity Sky
Lois McMaster Bujold:Vorkosigan Series
theres more but I can’t think of any atm
Cool list. Love Greg Bear. But I’m wondering how you define “novel,” as the first item on your list is non-fiction.
In no order of preference (except the first two all-time favourites):
The Go-Between by L.P. Hartley, The Magus by John Fowles, The Crying Game by John Braine, Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell, Memento Mori by Muriel Spark, The Possession by A.S. Byatt, Felicia’s Journey by William Trevor, The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P. Lovecraft
It looks like you are a great fan of stephen king. I was searching for some CSS tables and found this post of yours by chance.
In real I am also very much interested in literature and novels.
I mostly read thrillers but don’t get much time nowadays due to web development work.
Thanks buddy for making me reminding me that I still love my novel reading days and I miss that cozy bed a lot.
I love the book IT, but I think they have really cocked up the film it is not at all good.
Great list!!! To my opinion I can add: 11. The Shining by Stephen King 12. Lord of the Rings by Tolkien
What do you think?
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