Every Single Classic Book I’ve Ever Read.

[@camilasfv0208]

I can't describe my frustration as a Brazilian when I see people reading Paulo Coelho instead of the real Brazilian classics that are actually AMAZING. Please guys, read anything else from Brazil, Paulo Coelho really does zero justice to our literature 😭 here in Brazilian he is highly taken as pseudoliterature. If you want to get deeper into our literature (especially the classics), read any work by Machado de Assis, Clarice Lispector, Jorge Amado, Guimarães Rosa, Cecília Meireles, Hilda Hilst... basically anyone besides Paulo Coelho PLEASE

[@jendheng]

Thank you for the recommendations ! Really interesting; any specific book from these authors you would recommend? (I read Coelho recently and did not really like it..)

[@AdrianaSantos-yt9rm]

@@jendheng The Posthumous Memoirs of Brás Cubas by Machado de Assis and The Hour of the Star by Clarice Lispector. They are 100% brazilian classics!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

!!!!! Thank you so, so much for this! I've read Lispector and foolishly left her off the list (though I don't think I read one of her more famous novels--loved it, nevertheless). No more Coelho in this house!!!

[@iomk8373]

Clarice Lispector is one of my favourite. Such a poetic and lyrical style.

[@a-yam943]

Would “A Breath of Life” be a good place to start with Claire Lispector? I’m very interested in reading it but I’ve heard that it’s a somewhat difficult read.

[@itsproloy]

Here's my top 5 1. The Picture of Dorian Gray 2. 1984 3. The Book Thief 4. Wuthering Heights 5. One Hundred Years of Solitude.

[@felicjajaneczek8200]

slaaaay 😍🌷

[@samueluddin9931]

I don’t know if the book thief is classic it’s only 20 years old

[@ralucaprepelita8428]

This video is a testament to why you became my favourite on this platform. I can listen to you talk about books endlessly. You made me a better reader (and critic) but you also expanded my reach - I read much more diverse literature now! Thank you for sharing your passion with us all - it shines through, truly! xxx

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Wow, thank YOU! Makin' me smile on a Wednesday afternoon! Books bring together the best of us

[@sophiethepegasus]

oh my God you absolute beauty- be aware that I am STRAPPING IN for 41 minutes of fantastic Ana content, and I have never been more excited.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Strap in, baby!!

[@sausana2501]

My favorite classics: 1. Crime and Punishment 2. Stoner 3. Animal farm 4. The bell jar 5. The brothers Karamazov 6. Anna Karnina 7. Giovannis room 8. Happening by Annie Ernaux 9. A tree grows in brooklyn 10. Children of Gebelawi by Naguib Mahfouz But I also have to mention other 5 star reads for me which are the Overcoat by Gogol, gone with the wind, the stranger by Camus, and the picture of dorian gray

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

THERE ARE ONLY BANGERS ON THAT LIST!! Go baby, GO! ✨✨

[@Nichellebean]

This is a fantastic list

[@yeahitsbri4211]

STONERRRR

[@gpeaches]

East of Eden is a perfect book in my opinion. I wish it never ended. Grapes of Wrath is also fantastic. Recently finished rereading it. Steinbeck writes character profiles so perfectly and concisely. I remember reading Cannery Row when I was 16 and being blown away by the 2 page description of Doc. I immediately fell in love with his character. I know that's not what Steinbeck is known for, but I adore his characters and the way he describes them so concisely and eloquently. They immediately become vivid in my mind even if there is only a paragraph or two devoted to that character. Such a masterful writer.

[@rileylawson9958]

I love your lists because I always find books I’d be interested to read that I’ve never heard of before! Even in a “classics” video where I assumed I would’ve heard of most of them

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I'm constantly finding new classics through these sorts of videos!

[@timelston4260]

When I was reading East of Eden I thought, This is the best writing I have ever read. The only time I came close to having that thought again was when I read Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus in the original. I also agree with what you said about The Master and Margarita; imagery impossible to forget.

[@JenniferL-gg7wt]

So glad to see The Master and Margarita on your list (and quite high). That book is just so unique. 100 Years of Solitude is also one that has stayed with me for a long time. Some of my other favs...Slaughterhouse Five, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Rebecca, Animal Farm, Pride and Prejudice. I also loved East of Eden, but it's been a while so probably time for a re-read. The Secret History has been on my "to read" list for a long time.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I agree! I think about it often and just how wild someone's imagination can be. Such great books in your top as well! The Secret History is such a consumable read!

[@125Cata]

I know I'm late but here are my 10 favourite classics: 1. Hopscotch, Julio Cortázar 2. The Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury 3. War and Peace, León Tolstói 4. The Hound of the Baskervilles, Arthur Conan Doyle 5. Martín Rivas, Alberto Blest Gana 6. The Never Ending Story, Michael Ende 7. Cat among the Pigeons, Agatha Christie 8. Snow Falling in Spring, Moying Li 9. My Sweet Orange Tree, José Mauro de Vasconcelos 10. Marianela, Benito Pérez Galdós Hoping you check out some of these, lots of love from Chile! 💕

[@Mateja93]

One of my newest favorite is All Quiet on the Western Front, beautifully written, I think you would like it, Ana! Also, I love Bonjour Tristesse by Sagan, summer classic ❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Interestingly enough, I just finished reading a war novel and I realize that that is a particular genre I just immediately love. I'm not sure why, but I gravitate toward them all the time! I know I'd love AQOTWF

[@MariaEduarda-rm5ns]

loooooooved this !!!!!! could hear you speaking for hours and NOW i want to be you, drop everything inspirations, dreams, favorites, hair tutorial drop drop drop

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

hahahaha I will do a q&a at somme point, promise!!

[@nathimaus]

The most shocking was seeing The Alchemist not be in the last place 😂

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

lmaoooooo maybe some mistakes were made 🤪

[@AbdulHafeez-my3pd]

Yes

[@kensier4955]

The Alchemist is juvenile but you at least leave the book un-traumatized. Naked Lunch genuinely makes my stomach turn 😅

[@Sans_Sucre_ajouté]

It's not that bad

[@iwishiwasinitaly]

Hahaha ugh the worst "classic" I've ever read. In my humble opinion it doesn't even deserve to be called a classic.

[@capripoa]

My favorite classics: (they’re in no particular order): - “Animal Farm” - George Orwell - ''A Clockwork Orange'' - Anthony Burgess - ''American Psycho'' - Bret Easton Ellis - ''The Collector''-John Fowles - ''I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream'' - Harlan Ellison

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Ooooh, there is a theme here! Something tells me you're a big dystopian, dark themed fan (which we love and appreciate ❤️) Also, "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" is such a great name. Damn!

[@margot_polo]

Cool list! I read East of Eden this year and totally agree… what a treasure. Can’t wait for the re-read down the road sometime.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Right?? I don't know how such a large book moved so quickly. I anticipate the next reading of it!

[@tine272]

as a norwegian it's refreshing to see a Knut Hamsun book included!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

honestly, spoke to me at a time I really needed it. I love Scandinavian literature

[@emilsalomonsen3436]

Probably too late to recommend another norwegian book, but The Birds by Tarjei Vesaas is one of my favourite books of all time!

[@907kat]

This is a fantastic video and I enjoyed every minute. You had me alternately agreeing with you and then being outraged at your rankings! But I had to subscribe when you revealed your #2 book as I totally agree it’s one of the best works of writing ever and so overlooked. Also love that Frankenstein was high on the list. OTOH, a Moveable Feast over the Old Man & the Sea?! Outrageous !! lol great job, keep reading.

[@creative.coderie]

What a treat! Fourty minutes of absolute bliss. You've mentioned a lot of my favorites in this video, but of the top of my head, in no particular order, The Stranger, Of Mice and Men, Lolita, Perfume, and Down and Out in Paris and London. There's more of course but these I think about often, or if they're mentioned, something triggers inside me.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I forgot to put Perfume on here! Woof. And I've heard so much about Down and Out in Paris and London and I feel like I'd love it

[@chy8697]

east of eden by john steinbeck and the mill on the floss by george eliot are the classics that have my whole heart.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

sometimes classics give our heart a hug and that's really all we need

[@rpm8865]

CHY: can you tell me a little of what The Mill on the Floss is about?

[@lucyrutherford]

I was brought up as a British classics girlie, so my top 10 is very skewed that way! 1. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 2. Howard's End - EM Forster 3. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen 4. My Brilliant Career - Miles Franklin 5. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier 6. The Pursuit of Love - Nancy Mitford 7. Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens 8. Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates 9. Perfume - Patrick Suskind 10. A Little Princess - Frances Hodgson Burnett

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

!!!! Omg, I forgot to add Perfume to this list! (tbh, I panicked a little and made up my own definition of 'classics' throughout the list). One of my very good friends says Howard's End is one of the must read books of all time. Such a good list!!!

[@thedustdevil]

yesss jane eyre number one 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@Heronjim]

Jane Eyre, and Rebecca, and Wide Sargasso sea recommended, based on Rochester's unfortunate wife, also brilliant!

[@tiaraulfah8560]

This is what i am talking about. this is why your videos are the coolesttt! My fav classic book of all time is one hundred years of solitude, currently reading love in time of cholera because i cannot get enough of G.G. Marquez

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Love ya! Let me know your thoughts on LITTOC when you finish!

[@samanthabrinton6677]

Yes to Steinbeck being 1st!!! Grapes of Wrath is probably my number one but I'm in the middle of East of Eden rn so we'll see. Then I'd probably go Beloved by Toni Morrison and Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin.

[@mercurywasted4921]

My sanity returns Everytime you upload I swear omg. Live for your videos!!! I feel like we are friends!! Love your content and personality!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you so much!! We are friends! Virtual friends! 🫂🫂

[@mercurywasted4921]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson yesssss girl!

[@AnaMariaBotoser]

Great list! Here’s my top 10😊 (it was too painful to rank them, so they’re in no particular order): - "El Quijote de La Mancha" - Miguel de Cervantes - “1984” - George Orwell - “Crime and Punishment” - Fyodor Dostoyevsky - “Dracula” - Bram Stoker - “One Hundred Years of Solitude” - Gabriel García Márquez - “All Quiet on the Western Front” - Erich Maria Remarque - “Blood Wedding” - Federico García Lorca - “Animal Farm” - George Orwell - “The House of Spirits” - Isabel Allende - “The Cemetery of Forgotten Books” - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Ooooh, baby!! She's back at it again with those iconic recs. Damn, thank you so much. Some I had honestly never heard of 🤫🤫

[@stuckbetweenfandoms5138]

1984❤❤❤

[@pasolero]

Your style cracks me up. LOVE IT!! Instant new subscriber. ❤❤❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

you're amazing! thank you!!!

[@bryanquick2709]

Having grown up in, left, and returned to California, I am biased. I read all of Steinbeck's novels and short novels while in language school at the Presidio in Monterey a long time ago. I read East of Eden every eight years or so, and each time I mine another gem.

[@Martiniization]

Fewer people love The Grapes of Wrath than love East of Eden. The Grapes of Wrath is a solid "monument." Its effect was focused and intense. East of Eden, in a thoroughly expansive way, presented much more for the reader to dwell on. For me, because of being more concentrated, The Grapes of Wrath had more of an effective impact.

[@sophiethepegasus]

A bit over 41 minutes later... (was sidetracked)... Damn, you have DONE IT AGAIN! This was a lovely vid to sit down with on a boiling summer day, and you. And, wow, top 10 Classics! Time to open my Goodreads and try desperately to remember what it is that I have read. 10. Lady Audley's Secret by Mary Elizabeth Braddon. One of the earlier classics that made me understand that classics could be engaging and emotional. I read this around the beginning of Covid, while trying to read more classics. It is so beautifully written, and is remarkably sympathetic to the antagonist of the story. 9. The Bloody Chamber by Angela Carter. A delicious and sensuous book that has permeated the feminist literary canon for many years now, and gives a really good taster of what language can do when given the opportunity. 8. The Stranger by Camus. I would be nowhere if I did not give an honourable mention to a great, great book. I have to admit that part of the language is slightly boring to me when not given the right translation. It is very difficult to capture Camus' language, but I also got a good grade for an essay I did on this, so... Thanks, Mersault! 6. The Secret History by Donna Tartt. You know it and you know exactly why I put this here. As a 17 year old it was so much fun to read this novel in one sitting. I remember going to the librarian when I got back to my hometown and asking for a book that "felt like the Secret History." Unsurprisingly, I was a Tumblr girl. 5. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. This was MY first Shirley Jackson, and I read it in the summer. It was the first horror book that I ever read, and the first to make me truly feel like I was going insane alongside the narrative of the novel. After reading it for the second time together with a watch of the series, I remember feeling so seriously unwell in my psyche that my very perception of vision seemed warped somehow. A terrifying book. 4. The Ice Palace by Tarjei Vesaas. The first Norwegian classic to really grab me and shake me and envelope me. I don't know how the English translation is, but I have heard great things. Truly a wonderful book for reading while the winter falls, as you get lost in that strange and beautiful world of girlhood and grief. 3. Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay. I originally put this at number 7 but have moved it higher, for I have a similar relationship to this book as you do to the Secret History. I grew up climbing on Hanging Rock and have seen the 1975 movie very many times. It is very beautiful, and a really interesting look into the conflict between the "chaos" of Australian nature, and how it is incompatible with the colonial British who had moved into the area. 2. Death and the Dervish by Mesa Selimovic, a Kafkaesque look at the Ottoman justice system in medieval Bosnia. An exploration of religious extremism. A dense, thick, difficult book that was one of the first to show me just how rewarding a more challenging read could be. "Hope is the pimp of death, a murderer more dangerous than hatred. It's deceptive; it knows how to win you over, to calm you and lull you to sleep, whispering whatever you want to hear, leading you to the blade." WHAT a line! 1. I would be lying to myself if I did not put Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery at the top of my list. It was the first classic I read as a girl, and it has had perhaps the most profound impact on me, compared to any other book that I have read since. It has personally influenced my philosophy and my character to such a strong degree that I could never possibly put it any lower. This rating also includes the rest of the series.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oh... my... god. WHAT A LIST! Damn, so we have some strong similarities. Get those great thoughts out, baby! I'd actually never heard of Death and Dervish, but wow, sounds exactly like something I would love. And weirdly enough, I don't think I've ever read Anne of Green Gables, but I've been to the majority of places in Canada that the novel took its inspiration. Thank you so much for the list!!

[@sophiethepegasus]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson Thanks for the response! Death and the Dervish is probably the most Interesting relationship that I have ever had with a book. I went to a boarding type school programme, whose ultimate goal was educating about peace and democracy. The founders of the Peace Center have done a lot of work with the Balkans and have several Balkan students each year. We also had the typical bookshelves where a person leaves a book and you can take it for free. Death and the Dervish was one of the first experiences of feeling like a book was almost physically calling out to me from its place on my bookshelf, even as I tried to put it up because I knew that its 800+ pages would consume me. While I read other books I felt as though that book in particular was watching me and waiting for me. Then I read it, and all my predictions came true. It took many weeks and was incredibly dense, but it was the most interesting relationship I have ever had to a book. Very wild.

[@dalmapinter5637]

ahh I love this video! Here are my top 5 so far (just reading East of Eden so it might get there too): 1. Master and Margarita 2. Seceret History 3. One Hundred Years of Solitude 4. Picture of Dorian Grey 5. Wuthering Heights

[@baileymiller5319]

Top 5 Classics 1. The Road, McCarthy 2. Beloved, Morrison 3. As I Lay Dying, Faulkner 4. Of Mice & Men, Steinbeck 5. The Color Purple, Walker Also, you really made me want to pick up East of Eden for my next read! I’ve been staring at it on my bookshelf for years! 4.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

You're giving The Road the redemption it needs and I'm here for it!!

[@justinecooper9575]

29:50 - The reading of "The Old Man and the Sea" by the late Frank Muller (available on KZbin) is life changing. My kids and I listened to it twice as I drove them to school and various other destinations.

[@abigailbaxter5530]

Bright bold colors look so good on you!! Loving the honesty in book review

[@BrianStClair-kl8xb]

Love this list! East of Eden, amazing and I adore secret history. Hemingway and Zadie Smith in the top 10… brilliant!

[@ThuyTran-ci2et]

Thank you, i was both entertained and informed. Will definitely check out East of Eden.

[@joluna6664]

Babes, you´re so polite! But you can feel free to be a bit more of a hater. You defended a lot of the books that were lower on the list and I went "No, hun, It´s alright, you can just say that was a terrible reading experience. I agree."

[@cecilc-df9hx]

If you have read "In Cold Blood" by Thurman Capote, would like to know your opinion. I'm a big Donna Tartt fan. Puzzled her second book : "The Little Friend" is very underrated and seldom talked about !!!??? - Recommended especially for those readers, who like Poetic, Southern, Swampy, Gothic Novels (...much better written than "Where the Crawdad Sings".) Basically it's a POV story of a little girl, who was born after her little brother was murdered. She is confused by the behaviour of some adults in her family; and inquisitive to know more her little brother's death. Enjoyed reading about her detective investigations. Would make a fascinating film with the right director. Saw the Goldfinch film...it was. a .%$%^ disgrace !!!

[@tuna5379]

i really love how you talk about books, its so entertaining and refreshing compared to the other book youtubers i've seen (no hate to them tho). loved your list and most of your takes lol, one flew over the cuckoos nest totally changed the way i thought about literature as well! and east of eden is genuinely amazing, would also make my top 5... which would probably be: 1. haunting of hill house - shirley jackson 2. persuasion - jane austen 3. east of eden - john steinbeck 4. the dispossessed - ursula k le guin 5. a mercy - toni morrison honorary mention bc i know this is contemporary lit but it qualifies as a modern classic in my eyes: breasts and eggs by mieko kawakami

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

love your username. And thank you! I try to make it exciting. Books are cool! Great list--and I agree on modern classic status. I think it blew up when it was first published. I still gotta read it!

[@coolpiraterapstar]

I’m in Lunenburg County Nova Scotia. Glad you enjoyed your stay. Rockbound is a classic in Canada that takes place not far from Lunenburg My number 1 classic is The remains of the day and number 2 is the apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz

[@ToxicAli3n]

My favorite classics are; The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Tolstoy Twelve Angry Men by Reginald Rose Matilda by Roald Dahl The Wall by Marlen Haushofer Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Wow, Twelve Angry Men! I performed a production of that once (12 Angry Jurors). Need to revisit it

[@michaelrichards669]

16:16 I think I have that book. My brother went along with me to a Library book sale. I probable picked this one up super cheap.

[@scliffbartoni9771]

The way I shouted for joy seeing Steinbeck at number one, yes!!! Instant subscribe

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Yeyeyeey! He’s a favorite and so great!

[@AshtheViking]

Not ranked but favourites must include: Lord of the Rings J.R.R. Tolkien Women of Brewster Place- Gloria Naylor East of Eden- John Steinbeck Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck Gone with the Wind- Margaret Mitchell Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov (must re-read as I know tons went over my head) War and Peace- Leo Tolstoy The Count of Monte Cristo- Alexandre Dumas 1984 George Orwell Jane Eyre Charlotte Bronte Lolita- Vladimir Nabokov I know I would also include works by Oscar Wilde & Ray Bradbury but I can't pick which book.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oh baby, you've got the heavy hitters on here. I'm giving myself the next 5 years to tackle The Count of Monte Cristo--hold me accountable!

[@AshtheViking]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson it's SUPER readable just long.

[@kelly_hunsaker_reads]

I am so happy to see Steinbeck at the top. He is my favorite author, for sure.

[@ButOneThingIsNeedful]

Slightly surprised Flowers for Algernon did not make your list, as it would rank extremely highly on mine. Hardest cry I ever had reading, and yet it did my soul great good.

[@leahwilliamson2111]

top classics 1. the count of monte Cristo 2. pride and prejudice 3. Emma 4. the. picture of dorian gray 5. Jane eyre 6. the stranger 7. the bell jar

[@alanbauch2815]

What a curious group of books...but then I did enjoy the whole presentation, of which I feel, the books were lesser actors on the stage... loved it!

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

Seeing As I Lay Dying so low hurts my soul. One of my favorite novels, but I can totally get how things might've been different had I read it as a teen (yikes!) rather than in my 30s. It's such a brilliantly intense work that just took my breath away continuously. Faulkner is THE author that, every time I read him, makes everything else seems insignificant by comparison. I always recommend people start with Light in August as it's his most traditional while still being a masterpiece. I think people go wrong starting with either Blood Meridian or The Road from McCarthy. Both are excellent for what they are (the bleakest of the bleak), but a novel like All the Pretty Horses is just as good, has all of his gift for beautiful, poetic prose, but also has much more heart and humanism at the center of the novel. I keep hearing how great East of Eden is. I loved Grapes of Wrath (a novel very close to me as my great-grandmother was one of those Oklahomans hit by the economic depression of that period) as a teen. Here are my own Top 10 "classics": 1. War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy (a book you LIVE more than you read) 2. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (in a strange way the most terrifying book I've ever read) 3. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (like a perpetual warm hug) 4. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner (completely changed my view of what literature could do) 5. Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (If you love family sagas you MUST read this one!) 6. Emma by Jane Austen (love the complexity of Austen's most ambiguous heroine) 7. Don Quixote by Miguel Cervantes (a real riot, and the definitive take on the romantic adventurer Vs realistic companion archetype) 8. Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner (had to get another Faulkner on here, and I love how his one feels like it's being written as you're reading it) 9. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy (the ending of this one wrecked me like no other novel ever has) 10. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (hit me at the perfect time in my life where I could totally related to dealing with aging parents)

[@florencethomas8244]

Great presentation. How about adding “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier? The English thought so much of her works, they bestowed a royal title on her.

[@CeeBee781]

I’m reading Rebecca right now! It’s a nice easy read, well written and entertaining… but I have to say, our narrator’s only character trait seems to be insecurity/inferiority, which is getting old.

[@marisamoore8326]

Love this breakdown! Here are my favs: 1. The Road by Cormac McCarthy (favorite of all time probably) 2. The Hobbit 3. Dracula 4. Frankenstein 5. Moby Dick

[@michaelkenney2857]

Amazing! You and I are on the same wavelength on so many of your selections. We may not agree on their placement but, who cares. I want to back up your selection of "The Master and Margareta", an amazing book and I'm so glad you included it. Keep it up, I enjoyed your style and method of presentation.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you so much, Michael! Hopefully I can make more vids like this as the list expands.

[@judithclarissepunzalan294]

I realized how much of a nerd I am when I got wayyy too excited to know each book on this list

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

hahahaha basically the reason I made this list--I love checking off the novels/things I know on other people's lists

[@xtradelite903]

Jack London (American author, early 1900s), “The Iron Heel”, founder of the dystopian genre and raises political consciousness. Hollywood has made a couple of his naturalistic action/adventure books into films, “Call of the Wild” & “White Fang.” Orwell was inspired by him.

[@justinecooper9575]

30:28 - The film, "Slaughterhouse Five", is one of the few movies that I feel is a satisfactory adaptation of the source material.

[@carltaibi3291]

I'm just getting into the classics, great video. You're awesome.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you so much! having fun!

[@carawang8843]

At Uni I had a professor who specialized in Faulkner studies and we read As I Lay Dying. Like you said it is so intelligent and difficult to read, but my professor managed to let that geniosity shine with his interpretations. I was mind-blown by the book at the time. But if I had to reread it by myself I think I still would not be able to appreciate the book. It just takes so much research to be able to appreciate Faulkner!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

He's so brilliant and I'm not sure I'm at that level. And I had a great teacher who taught my chemistry class. If it wasn't for him, I would've failed haha

[@georgianatrutescu]

A bit late here but these are my favorites in no particular order: "Conversation in the Cathedral" - Mario Vargas Llosa "Shogun" - James Clavell (some don't consider it a classic but it's a classic for me, so good!) "One hundred years of solitude" - Márquez “1984” - George Orwell “Frankenstein” - Mary Shelley "Solaris" - Stanislaw Lem "Giovanni's Room" - James Baldwin (and anything written by Baldwin) "Bengal Nights" - Mircea Eliade (Romanian author) "La Medeleni" - Ionel Teodoreanu (Romanian author) "The Cossacks" - Tolstoy (because it reminds me of the Romanian countryside, peasants, and nature - very similar).

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oooh, thank you for the Romanian recs. I'm always looking to read from authors whose countries I would love to visit. Makes me feel closer to the people and the place

[@iconoclastic-fantastic]

My top five that I've read: 1. Jane Eyre (arguably my favorite book of all time) 2. The Picture of Dorian Gray 3. Catcher in the Rye 4. Brave New World 5. The Great Gatsby

[@maxlebow7373]

I found you today and subscribed in 5 minutes. I want to tip my hat to anyone who has the courage to say anything except superlatives about Bill Shakespear. Listening to Honest and creative mind like you is enjoyable.

[@gabriella13568]

Passing is a new favorite! Nella Larsen is spectacular. Another great book to try by Nabokov is Invitation to a Beheading--an absolutely wild ride the whole way through!!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oohhhhh, I believe it! Nabokov is a wild boy! The wildest at the party

[@cornshed]

My fav classics so far: 1. Animal Farm (Orwell) 2. Stoner (John Williams) 3. Metamorphosis (Kafka) 4. Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck) 5. The Stranger (Camus) 6. How Much Land Does a Man Need (Tolstoy) 7. The Overcoat (Gogol) 8. East of Eden (Steinbeck) 9. Siddhartha (Hesse) 10. Notes from Underground (Dostoevsky) 11. The Pearl (Steinbeck) 12. 1984 (Orwell) 13. Crime and Punishment (Dostoevsky) 14. Coming Up for Air (Orwell) 15. Bartleby the Scrivener (Melville) 16. The Trial (Kafka) 17. A Clockwork Orange (Burgess) 18. The Sailor Who Fell from Grace with the Sea (Mishima) Others I've read are Hiroshima, No Longer Human, The Yellow Wallpaper, The Alchemist, The Catcher in the Rye, The Stepford Wives, The Unbearable Lightness of Being, The Lottery and Other Stories by Shirley Jackson, A Gentle Creature and Other Stories by Dostoevsky, a few Chekhov and Gogol short stories, Currently reading Brave New World, am not loving it so far. DNF'd Catch-22

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

SUCH great picks. And I'll definitely reference this list when looking for more classics. I think we have pretty similar tastes

[@orangeelliot]

Couldn't think of a better #1! My top five (that first come to mind): 1. East of Eden, Steinbeck 2. Franny and Zooey, Salinger 3. Raise High the Roofbeams, Salinger (double problematic fave wow) 4. The Crucible, Miller 5. A Streetcar Named Desire, Tennessee Williams/Marlon Brando lol

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Weirdly enough, I've never read A Streetcar Named Desire! Whaaaa. Read another Williams semi-recently and it was great. Can I remember the name? No

[@electraandbooks5925]

JD SALINGER being my favorite author, I'm over the moon reading your top 5 ! the Glass family : I'm obsessed with !

[@orangeelliot]

@@electraandbooks5925 yes! Your excitement makes me want to reread it again right this second!

[@electraandbooks5925]

@@orangeelliot same here !

[@catsprojects4639]

Found your channel today and it was an instant sub 🖤🖤 Top 5: 1. Blood Meridian - McCarthy (I get why it's not on your list lol) 2. Their Eyes Were Watching God - Hurston 3. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Adams 4. The Stranger - Camus 5. Invisible Man - Ellison

[@sylandbooks]

More French classics 😱!? Hugo, Sand, Sartre (as you like plays), Dumas, or "modern classics" like Céline or Duras!

[@allegracardamone2181]

100% agree with your rating but MACBETH AT 54?!?!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

hehehehe I'm a controversy girrrrl

[@mottahead6464]

My top 10, in no particular order : - Voyage au bout de la nuit by Celine - La Quebecoite by Regine Robin - Forets by Wajdi Mouawad - The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi - Traite de l'efficacite by Francois Julien - On the Road (the original Scroll) by Jack Kerouac - Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck - Griftopia (a modern classic... in my humble opinion) by Matt Taibbi - Animal Farm by George Orwell - All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque

[@midorilove07]

Incredible List! Loved every minute of the video 🫶 My top 5: ●Stoner by John Williams ●One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez ●Notes from Underground by Fyodor Dostoevsky ●The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne ●Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

[@sausana2501]

I LOVE stoner! Do u have a goodreads account?

[@midorilove07]

@@sausana2501 I don't have a goodreads account :( is it any good? Glad to know you love Stoner, too! ^^

[@sausana2501]

@@midorilove07 Yes i love it for tracking my reading activities and seeing other peoples reviews on books

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I started Stoner on audiobook, but quickly realized I needed to read a physical copy. Can't wait to sink my teeth into it!

[@sausana2501]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson I’m certain you’ll enjoy it!

[@cathyg.9996]

This was a great video! One of my reading goals this year is to read more classics and you gave me some great ideas. This year I am determined to finally read Rebecca. I read and loved many of the books you mentioned..anything by John Steinbeck (my favorite is The Wayward Bus), loved A Moveable Feast - it’s Paris baby! Lady Chatterly’s Lover is in my TBR pile, Truman Capote is another favorite of mine especially In Cold Blood. The Classic I love and have read the most times is To Kill A Mockingbird. I want to read Anna Karenina but am intimidated by it. Have you read any James Baldwin? I think you would like him.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I vow to get on the Baldwin train soon! I don't feel I can fully talk about books without reading him sooner or later! And Rebecca, too! I think it would be a great summer read

[@sherrykelly]

My favorite classics in no particular order are A Tale of Two cities, ivanhoe, 1984, Little women, little men, Man's Search for meaning, east of eden, The Grapes of wrath, quo vadis, and since you seem to like short books try one called "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption.".

[@china100]

A good list, and I have read the majority of books on it, but I would have put The Grapes of Wrath higher than either of the two Steinbecks you have here, and for me The Naked Lunch would be a lot higher as it is a seminal work and one that had a profound effect on my life. I would recommend the works of W G Sebald, particularly The Rings Of Saturn and Austerlitz, if you haven't read them, as they would both be in my top ten.

[@maxwellmacintyre3889]

1. The waves--virginia woolf 2. Master and margarita--bulgakov (so happy it's on ur list!!!! I love that book) 3. Pale fire (or ada, or despair)--vladimir nabokov 4.the dispossessed (or like literally any other book by)--ursula k. Le guin 5.mason & dixon--thomas pynchon ( a hair above gravity's rainbow--but I have read them all lol yikes) 6. Satanic Verses--salman rushdie 7. Malloy/malone dies/the unnamable--samuel beckett (some really weird stuff) 8.the sea wall--margurite duras (read it recently & it's really grabbed me) 9.metamorphoses--ovid (idk it's funny ig) 10.the star diaries--stanislaw lem Honourable mentions to ulysses & finnegans wake by james joyce--not because i like them particularly, just because of how much of my time & energy they've taken up

[@aliceguimaraes8359]

Great expectations Frankenstein Lord of the rings trio Anna Karenina Wuthering heights - no order and a bit of experience lacking

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

LOTR is a surprising never read for me. I'd love to read it, though. I love the movies

[@Mkayreadsandvlogs]

My favorite classics - flowers for algernon, to kill a mockingbird, the outsiders and catcher in the rye

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hadn't heard of Flowers for Algernon! woah, sounds amazing, though

[@CeeBee781]

After my own taste.. I like contemporary classics that are entertaining and affecting, and not a chore to get through! These are great, easy to enjoy classics!

[@DooDooDaddyTV]

when you said East of Eden as #1 we both said "YES" at the exact same time in the exact same way and it was hilarious to me

[@kensier4955]

I had to take a hiatus from reading after finishing Naked Lunch. Definitely a last place classic for me as well.

[@jwsjourney]

So far in my classic reading, my favorite is The Count of Monte Cristo

[@curatoriallyyours]

I am so surprised that you have managed to get to this point in life and have not read any Jane Austen! This was a great video 🤩

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I agree! For some reason I feel like I missed the stage when all the kiddos were reading her!

[@rubyanddelilahandnani]

I tapped on this video to watch it, but then I was like NO… I need to watch your beautiful self on the big tv screen 😅

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

omg 🥺🥺🥺 highest form of flattery. Thank you so much

[@christinaalvarez332]

Great list and great video! I don't agree with all of your assessments and rankings but I still enjoyed hearing your perspective. I will definitely read some that I haven't had a chance yet to read. 😊 PS Yes, you remembered correctly about Hiroshima. Devastating.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I can't believe my little elementary school brain remembered that correctly! (shows how deeply unsettling it was)

[@johnmooney9403]

Excellent choice of classic novels. I will be addiing some of these to my TBR list Ana. Have you read Catch 22 by Joseph heller?

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

No, not yet! It's definitely one I want to read, though

[@SkewtLilbttm]

Catch-22 sucks, but his second novel "Something Happened" is fantastic.

[@gilidominitz1842]

Love the color of your lipstick! Would you do another one with your favourite non fiction? 🎉❤

[@gilidominitz1842]

I think you really going to like "love letters" by Joan Wyndham. It's honest and artistic and funny. Not at all like the title. Also have you read the second book of the Idiot? It is such a fun one!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Haven't read it yet! Though when it's made its way to a thrift shop, I'll definitely pick it up! And yeah! I'll make a non-fiction round up!

[@alanlohner5645]

My top 5 classics: 5. To Kill a Mockingbird 4. The Grapes of Wrath 3. War and Peace 2. A Tale of Two Cities 1. Les Miserables

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Definitely good ones!

[@nursemain3174]

Anna I’m French and one of my favourite classics ever is les liaisons dangeruese, it got turned into an amazing film called cruel intentions. It’s a really fun fast read

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg! Love Cruel Intentions! Best use of music in a film ever. Will check the book!

[@nursemain3174]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson you will love it

[@eyepatch1157]

Top 10 classics in no particular order: 1. The Stranger by Albert Camus 2. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez 3. 1984 by Orwell 4. The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima 5. Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata 6. The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki 7. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami (this is more of a modern classic) 8. No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai 9. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 10. Dance Dance Dance by Haruki Murakami (another modern classic)

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oooh, such good ones on there and some I didn't even know. thank you so much for the list!!!

[@amansinghrollno-7167]

Murakami is not modern classic

[@nashraansari2964]

Ma'am your voice put me in Trance somehow. i regret that I found you so late in the Booktube community. Consider me a FANN!!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

You're making me blush. Thank you so much for being here! We have fun!

[@DionCardile]

Mishima mentioned!!!

[@claaaaaara]

Ana, your list is insane, and I'm not sure if it's a compliment or not (which is a compliment). Also, I beg you to read another Brazilian classic, The Alchimist is the most hated book by brazilian critics!!! I recommend you The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, by Machado de Assis, I really think it's your vibe! Also, you'll really dig Clarice Lispector when you're feeling up to some brainy stuff! Anyway, here are my top 10 classics: 10. Sleepwalking Land; by Mia Couto 9. The Posthumous Memoirs of Bras Cubas, by Machado de Assis 8. Pride and Prejudice; by Jane Austen 7. The People's Rose; by Carlos Drummond de Andrade 6. Oedipus Rex; by Sophocles 5. Frankenstein; by Mary Shelley 4. Beauty and Sadness; by Yasunari Kawabata 3. The Passion According to G.H.; by Clarice Lispector 2. 100 Years of Solitude; by Gabriel Garcia Márquez 1. Leaves of Grass; by Walt Whitman

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

HAhahah! I knew when I did this list people's heads would spin a bit--which I totally understand! I read my first Lispector this year and, oh my god, what a legend. When I grow up, I want to be her : ) Amazingly beautiful list!!!

[@claaaaaara]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson Yess!! Clarice's insane!! And she's SO funny! I don't think people giver her humour enough credit. You'll like The Passion According to GH, she eats a cockroach and goes nuts. It's great.

[@inthetearoom]

I remember reading Hiroshima in 10th grade as part of the curriculum, and you are not misremembering there were Shadows. also the only person I've ever seen who knows the book Hunger.

[@OrcmanRepugnant]

OMG I think I'm in love! BTW You should read The Road To Los Angeles by John Fante. It makes the teenage angst of The Catcher in the Rye look like a mild heartburn. Others on the list would be Catch 22, Joseph Heller; The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck; The Human Stain, Philip Roth; A Confederacy of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Totally will check it out! Love a good, vintage LA vibe. And A Confederacy of Dunces is VERY high on my to read list

[@LienVNDL]

My number 1 easily is The Color Purple. Animal Farm is definitely up there as well. And my wild card would be Wicked by Gregory McGuire. East of Eden is waiting for me on my tbr but we’ll see when that happens, haha

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Just finished my first Alice Walker and WOAH can she write. Read it in a day. Couldn't put it down

[@r.davidsen]

Can you make a list of the science fiction books you've read?

[@aheok6483]

Stumbled upon your channel and clicked on this video first because I was on the hunt for a new classic to read. OMG!!! East of Eden is my absolute favorite classic, and believe it or not, I was in the mood yesterday to revisit One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I even asked my friend (the one I lent my copy to) if I could borrow it back for a while. The parallels are uncanny!! the youtube algorithm or whoever the frick listening is on my side today 😫🙌 have you given Donna Tartt's other books a shot? I've got the other two, but I haven't quite delved into them yet.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg, we are fully entwined. Haven’t read the other Tartt’s and not sure why. I think TSH is just so good I’m nervous to start her others

[@siouzsie]

I love both 62 and 61.

[@viktorwolfe8333]

Late to the party: Roots, Gone With the Wind, Slaughterhouse Five, A Clockwork Orange, Peyton Place, and The Catcher in the Rye.

[@tonyakostova7228]

Read Anna Karenina…I love Tolstoy's stories and if you really like a beautiful development of characters that's one you'll love :)

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I’ve added it to my 2024 TBR :)))

[@willieluncheonette5843]

" Every philosophy has failed. Every religion has failed. You are carrying the ruins of all the philosophies and all the religions in your mind, and out of those ruins, questions arise. Those questions are meaningless; you should not ask them. They really show your stupidity. But questions arising out of your ignorance -- just like a child asking -- those questions are incomplete, not very great questions, but tremendously important. One day a small child was walking with D.H. Lawrence in a garden, and was continuously asking questions of all kinds. And D.H. Lawrence was one of the most sincere men of this century, condemned by governments, by priests because of his sincerity, because he would say only the truth, because he was not ready to be diplomatic, a hypocrite, because he would not compromise. Even before this small child he showed such authentic sincerity, which even your great saints have not shown. The child asked, "Why are the trees green?" -- a very simple question, but very profound. All the trees are green -- why? What is the matter with the trees? When there are so many colors, when the whole rainbow of colors is available -- some tree can be yellow, some tree can be red, some tree can be blue -- why have all the trees chosen to be green? In D. H. Lawrence's place, any parent, any teacher, any priest, anybody -- x, y, z -- would have told some lie, that "God made them green because green is very soothing to the eyes." But this would have been deceptive, a lie, because D.H. Lawrence does not know anything about God, does not know why the trees are green. In fact, no scientist who has been working with the trees knows, although he can show that it is because of a certain element, chlorophyll, that trees are green. But that is not the answer for the child. He will simply ask, "Why have they chosen chlorophyll -- all the trees?" It is not a satisfactory answer. D.H. Lawrence closed his eyes, waited for a moment in silence... what to say to this child? He did not want to be a deceiving person to an innocent child -- although the question is ordinary, any answer would do. But the question has come from innocence; hence it is very profound. And D. H. Lawrence opened his eyes, looked at the trees and said to the child, "The trees are green because they are green." The child said, "Right. I was also thinking that." But D.H. Lawrence remembered it in his memoirs: "To me it was a great experience -- the love and the trust the child showed towards me because of sheer sincerity. My answer was not an answer; according to logicians, it was a tautology. `The trees are green because they are green' -- is this an answer?" In fact, D.H. Lawrence is accepting that: My child, I am as much ignorant as you are. Just because there is a difference of age does not mean that I know and you do not know. The difference of age is not the difference between ignorance and knowledge. Trees being green is part of the mystery of the whole existence. Things are what they are. A woman is a woman, a man is a man. A rose is a rose; call it by any name, it still remains the rose. That morning, in that small incident, something tremendously beautiful is hidden. Ask questions -- not out of knowledge because all that knowledge is borrowed, unfounded, pure rubbish. Ask out of your ignorance. Remember, the ignorance is yours -- be proud of it. The knowledge is not yours. How can you be proud of it? And the question is not to cover the ignorance. The question is to bring some light, so that the ignorance, the darkness, disappears"

[@melancholiclamb]

1. Lolita 2. The secret history 3. the bell jar

[@stefanipreston9122]

I would LOVE for you to read The Picture of Dorian Gray, I think you and Oscar would soooo hit it off

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

oh I think so tooo!!! The Picture of Dorian Gray is one of my best friend's favorite books!

[@OurRawHeart]

Top 10: 10. War And Peace 9. East of Eden 8. Catch-22 7. Remains Of The Day 6. 1984 5. To Kill A Mockingbird 4. Moby Dick 3. IT (it belongs here!) 2. Frankenstein 1. The Grapes Of Wrath

[@rasberries566]

I too had an existential criSIS after "The Stranger" lol Enjoyed this video 😊

[@eghaeee]

my favs are definitely one hundred years of solitude, song of solomon, and emma! i admittedly haven’t read a lot of classics but want to get to east of eden this summer

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

You'll get to them, baby! If you've read One Hundred Years, you can do anything