Every Single Classic Book I’ve Ever Read.

Some hot takes, and some lukewarm takes. Let me know your thoughts!
Longest video yet. My hand is officially cramped.
JOIN MY EXCLUSIVE PATREON:
/ anawallacejohnson
Time Stamps:
Intro: 00:00-2:21
The LIST 2:22-39:52
Outro (bye, bye) 39:53-41:06
My Bookshop.org store where you can buy my favorite books:
bookshop.org/shop/AWJ
Email: [e-mail]
Goodreads: / ana-wj
Wanna buy my clothes?
Depop: www.depop.com/oanda/
Wanna use my music?
Music: Epidemic Sound (www.epidemicsound.com/referra...) *editing with music is a real lifesaver.
Skillshare promo: skl.sh/anawallacejohnson10231
Thanks for being here!

[@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.

[@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 😅

[@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! ✨✨

[@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!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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 😍🌷

[@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

[@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

[@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!

[@pasolero]

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

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

you're amazing! thank you!!!

[@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!!

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@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

[@lidia6372]

Order of these could change but here it goes: 5) *The Awakening, Kate Chopin* - A very recent read for me. I adored the writing, the characterization, the descriptive language, all the sea imagery, the themes. A woman and an affair so you might like this! 4) *A Month in the Country, J.L. Carr* (I have read it both in 2021 and 2022; there's also a gorgeous film with young Colin Firth, Kenneth Branagh, Natasha Richardson, Patrick Malahide, directed by Pat O'Connor). Follows a WW1 veteran who travels to a fictional UK village to uncover a mural in the village church. It's a short but very special & unique read. 3) *Narcissus and Goldmund, Hermann Hesse* - read it in high school and I remember adoring it (also Siddharta and Steppenwolf by Hesse are pretty high ranked for me). I think you might enjoy this one because you mentioned you appreciate the classic - romantic mind discussion. 2) *Giovanni's Room, James Baldwin* - I read this nearing the end of high school and then later read all of Baldwin's work when moving to a city with a larger library. James Baldwin is such an amazing writer but I picked this one because I remember it impacted me the most and there are some banger quotes in there. Because I read a lot of his books in bulk, I have a similar thing with them that you have with Didion's books. They are hard to differentiate in my mind and I don't know by title what each one is about but I'll probably reread them at some point in the future because literally all of his books are perfection. 1) *Sinuhe The Egyptian, Mika Waltari* - I read it and then immediately reread it when I was about 13 (and it's almost 800 pages; I also had a reading diary for it...). My favorite book ever and it really shaped me. A historical fiction following the entire life of a man in ancient Egypt. I lent out my book to my best friends because I just needed them to read it! Ofc it is now lost to me. :( I also made my partner read it. Everyone, just read this book!!! hahaha Honorable mentions: The Metamorphosis, Franz Kafka - I read it in high school and interpreted it through the lens of depression. Also love his letters to his father, letters to milena. Catcher in The Rye, J.D. Salinger - Look, I was a very angsty teen. The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte. - Anne Bronte is underrated! (I also love Elizabeth Gaskell, Jane Austen). I need to reread 1984 and Animal Farm, I was too young when I read those but Orwell and his essays are top tier.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

UMMM great list. Woah. So perceptive. I have actually never heard of Sinuhe the Egyptian. Thank you so much for that rec. I NEED to get on my Baldwin game, I know that I'll love him when I get my hands on a copy of at least one of his works. This list is a banger. Thank you for sharing!

[@chy8697]

Anne Bronte is absolutely underrated. I love Anges Grey by her and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is on my tbr!

[@lidia6372]

@@chy8697 ooh, you're in for a treat! i really liked agnes grey but the tenant of wildfell hall is *chef's kiss*

[@lidia6372]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson ☺ I'm looking forward to your reviews!! Thanks for answering 🤩

[@bullrun2772]

Catching in the rye is the best classic

[@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! 💕

[@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.

[@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?

[@carltaibi3291]

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

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you so much! having fun!

[@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

[@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!

[@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❤❤❤

[@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

[@zadira777]

Such a fun idea for a video!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

It was so fun to make!

[@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!!

[@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!

[@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

[@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!

[@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

[@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!

[@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.

[@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.

[@scliffbartoni9771]

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

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Yeyeyeey! He’s a favorite and so great!

[@BrianStClair-kl8xb]

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

[@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)

[@blue---monday]

great list ana!! i love "how much land does a man need" just as much! however i think you should give pynchon another try lol. v is notoriously his hardest 😅 he is probably my favorite author and even i havent tried reading v (and one other book of his that is called mason and dixon)! out of fear! lol. here's mine (granted i dont think ive read 60 classics): 1. slaughterhouse 5 - kurt vonnegut 2. vineland - thomas pynchon 3. gravity's rainbow - thomas pynchon 4. pale fire - vladimir nabokov 5. keep the aspidistra flying - george orwell 6. east of eden - john steinbeck 7. anna karenina - leo tolstoy 8. wuthering heights - emily brontë 9. of love and other demons - gabriel garcia marquez 10. the bell jar - sylvia plath

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Noted on the Pynchon! A teacher actually gave that to me to read and Pynchon is his favorite author. I trust you both! You've got some icons on this list! How long did Gravity's Rainbow take you??

[@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

[@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 🗣️🗣️🗣️

[@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

[@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)

[@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

[@rasberries566]

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

[@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

[@danira3943]

I absolutely agree with East of Eden 🙌🏼

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

It's the best of the best!

[@redouane-is9qk]

Looking forward for a bookshelf tour.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Yes! I'll do it about once a year!

[@bignatesbookreviews]

hella new books to check out, excellent taste. mah shallah 🙏🙏

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

king sh!t only!

[@kellyhunsaker3775]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@AlyoshaKaramazov.]

I adore MacBeth! It's a genius depiction of the deepest, darkest recesses of humanity at its most self-indulgent and ultimately inhumane. But OK, kudos to you for liking King Lear. But we're on opposite wavelengths with Slaughterhouse Five, which I read this year and despised it. I also read Gtasby this year, at last, and I thought it was just OK. I simply didn't care for any of the characters; they all came across like losers to me. Finally, I have East of Eden on my reading list, and I'm looking forward to it. Thanks for your list!!!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I've been watching so many Shakespeare pieces lately and I feel like it's the universe telling me to pick them all back up! I hope you love EOE!

[@siouzsie]

I love both 62 and 61.

[@Lsb412]

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 !

[@Lsb412]

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

[@electraandbooks5925]

@@Lsb412 same here !

[@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

[@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

[@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!

[@Lsb412]

I couldn't get through the first 20 pages of Naked Lunch, so I feel you.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

OOOF, petition to GIVE US THAT TIME BACK!

[@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

[@HighWeirdness]

You are the most entertaining of all theatre booktubing KZbinrs. Great list, your accents and commentaries are life itself. Do your thing baby. 😉

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

hahah! thank youuu! Going all in, always!!

[@Booksformonika]

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

[@ninakenda]

This is my first video that i saw of you and everything about you (book taste, your vibe etc.) made me subscribe. Totally loved it! I really need to get into reading classics more. Thank you for the video Love from Austria!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank YOU for being here! I would love to get to Austria sometime soon!

[@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!

[@patsalas5170]

Im a bit older 😏 but love your list...grew up without a tv in the house and read so many of these in my grade school years...I would simply add on JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis ❤...so refreshing to find a channel that is NOT just influenced by Tiktok 😂❤❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I grew up without cable! But had lots of movies. I think the absence made my reading stronger. I agree with the additions of the list--I need to get to those authors!

[@dramaqueen2061]

My favorites are.. Frankenstein Wuthering heights The interview with the vampire Steppenwolf Love your videos (:

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Would LOVE to read Interview with a Vampire. Started the movie, but I think the novel will be best.

[@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 :)))

[@Zephirss007]

I love your personnality

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

thank you!

[@hairylittlewombat]

Hello Ana, Wow, an epic video (sort of like Doctor Zhivago) at forty-one minutes. I had to take an intermission and grab some popcorn and an ice cream. You're far better read on the classics than me, so I can't offer much in conflict or agreement. I have many of the books on your list on my shelf ready to read and I've read a bunch of the titles but not a lot. Major coincidence, I'm currently half way through reading One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest. Loving it. So different from the film adaption, which I also love. Can I request you attempt an Aussie accent in your next vid. I think you'll nail it, where so many have failed miserably.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

So wild that you're reading Cuckoo's! Get a box of tissues ready for the last couple of pages. You're gonna be going through the emotions! And oh, I'll go in very hard on the Aussie. I'll watch a lot of Bondi Rescue and brush up on my slang :))

[@hairylittlewombat]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson Haha. Ok, the pressure's on.

[@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.

[@nissasbookcorner]

what is your fave palahniuk?? i’m always intimidated but intrigued by them whenever i see them at the bookstore

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I used to think Invisible Monsters (still a fun read), but I think Survivor is my favorite now!

[@camillodimaria3288]

I haven’t finished your video yet but two of my favorite novels are The Town & The City by Kerouac & Play it as it Lays by Didion

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I gotta get into more Kerouac!

[@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

[@_cansado]

First time watching one of your videos haha and I’m glad I did, can’t wait to watch more. That being said, my top 10 is: 1. The Secret History 🥇I read it every year. Ultimate favorite book. 2. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky (just wow!) (and in my mind Raskolnikov was so handsome, such a bad boy, a little spoiled boy-man, but also incredibly smart. If he existed nowadays he would be like and unemployed teacher that plays PlayStation all the time, but we would have so many great conversations **plus the sex would be so good, because bad guys are usually great at it :( ** aaaaa I just have a major crush on him - that’s it for the oversharing, bye) 3. Divina Comedia - Dante (Inferno being my favorite book out of the 3) 4. Romeo and Juliet (idc what people say, I love it. Deal with it) 5. the odyssey/ The Iliad (I just love these books so much. They’re so much fun, there’s so much history and mythology. It’s just crazy, I love it) 6. Twilight - Stephenie Meyer (sue me) *tongue pop* 7. A Room of one’s own - Virginia Woolf (this one is so goood! I was not in a very nice place when I read it, and I know she wrote about women and women’s place. But I feel that, even though we’re not the same, there can be lots of similarities when talking about the relationship between gay men/ women with heterosexual men in society. So I did relate to it a lot. She’s such a great writer) 8. War of the Worlds - HG Wells (Amazing!! Love me some fiction. AND the fact that when this books was being read on the radio people actually believed the earth was being attacked by martians and it generated chaos…. Just amazes me even more! This book’s great!) 9. La Peste - Albert Camus (amazing !! Amazing !! Amazing !!) 10. Utopia - Thomas More AND 1984 (For me Orwell’s inspiration was C L E A R, I feel like Ingsoc was 100% inspired in the country of Utopia. Both books were good for me, none of them were great though. I was a little disappointed specially with 1984 🤷🏻‍♂️BUT I do love them for they were my first contact with the genre and they changed my life completely

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

HAhahahahaha omg, I'm screaming. I love this list. I think the controversial Twilight take is fave. Stephanie Meyer is an icon for the vampire community. LOVE this comment, baby!!!

[@canigohome2896]

18:04 Haven’t read Hiroshima so I could be wrong but is it possible you’re thinking of the Ray Bradbury short story “There Will Come Soft Rains”?

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hmmm... haven't read the Bradbury short. If it's not in Hiroshima, I might have just condensed many stories into one memory.

[@electraandbooks5925]

Hello ! Sorry for being AWOL for the past .. 8 months ? no almost 10.. See, I got into that reading slump who turned into : NO READING AT ALL. I felt totally paralyzed and couldn't read one line. So I stopped reading blogs, articles or watching your videos - anything with books involved. It took me all this time and finally holidays in Switzerland with an American friend to get back into reading (thanks HAN Kang!). In one week I've read 5 books and I'm feeling unstoppable. I've been binge watching your videos for the past two days, and still not done... I thought I might leave only one comment but I will eventually forget what I wanted to say : congrats for becoming a superstar, you deserve it 🙂Still remember your first videos. You know I love absolutely everything about them, and I still love your reading taste. As so many people here, your reading choices are the ones we like and don't find elsewhere on YT. Anyway, I'm a huge fan of JD Salinger and Kent HARUF, I saw that you have read Kent - I haven't seen the video yet where you talk about his book. He unfortunately died too soon. I have read and loved his 9 novels. Do you know that he wrote a follow up to Plainsong ? It's beautiful, and so worth it (even though it's sad). I love classics and I laughed when you added The Secret History to the list ! This is my least favorite book of her actually but I'm a huge fan of the author and I've been watching over and over again (even yesterday) her interviews. She's so brilliant. I also love Joan Didion and would definitely have her on my modern classics list. I love Steinbeck as well. I love British classics and hope to participate again this year to the Victober reading challenge (in October you read Victorian novels). I'm right now reading South Korean authors (the past 5 books) because I've been learning Korean for 6 months and plan to read more Balkan authors (my next pick). Okay, I have less pressure now to watch your other videos. Of course, I had a lot more to say on each of them but didn't want to scare you ! One last thing your pronunciation of the sound "on" is perfect ! Love it. Annie Erneaux also and you nailed it with Jean-Baptiste ! And Lolita Pille. Slava Ukraïni !

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

SHE'S BACK! I thought about you often and hoped that you were doing well--wherever you might have been. So happy to hear you're back to read. I totally understand the slumps--it's hard to get out of and even harder to pick up a novel when it feels your main passion has fallen off! I found out Plainsong had a sequel and I am so tempted to read it, though I loved Plainsong the way it ended (I cried like a a little baby). So happy to have you back!

[@electraandbooks5925]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson thank you ! I'm so glad to be back here and see how books are still important in your life. It was indeed pretty scary - but I'm on my 8th read now, like my mind was craving it - I'm reading Olivia Sudjic's essay (Exposure), I still have Road to Asylum to read which I'm pretty sure you have. I have to get back to Korean - it's like my brain is only made for one activity at a time LOL The sequel to Plainsong is sad but so beautiful, but you can read another of his work. No pressure at all !

[@vanessalaughtland4417]

My favourite classics at this point in time would probably be (in no particular order other than the first two): 1. To Kill a Mockingbird 2. The Great Gatsby 3. Jane Eyre 4. Frankenstein 5. Lolita 6. Rebecca 7. Gone With the Wind 8. Anna Karenina 9. Revolutionary Road 10. The Bell Jar

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Such goodies! I need to read Rebecca!! I want to feel something!!

[@kensier4955]

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

[@zlur]

East of Eden goes so hard knew it be #1 babyyyy

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

she knows what is GOOD!

[@kvom01]

These KZbin lists never seem to include some of my favorites. I'll just mention: 'Vanity Fair' by Thackery and "The Forsyte Saga' by Galsworthy. I have read about half the books on this list, although probably ranking in a different order. But 'Naked Lunch' is likely at the bottom for me too.

[@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!

[@richarddelanet]

Have to say something about John Hersey's _Hiroshima_ compared to Weinberg's _A World At Arms_ and the relevant chapter. And additionally Andrew Roberts _The Storm of War_ etc. It all ties in with the movie with Richard Gere _Rhapsody in August_

[@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

[@allegracardamone2181]

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

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

hehehehe I'm a controversy girrrrl

[@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!

[@marcusaureo]

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

[@rushikeshjagtap233]

I was waiting for Walden

[@camillodimaria3288]

Check out Down & Out in London & Paris by Orwell… I’m eager to read Secret History…Going to read East of Eden next…check out Travels with Charlie… My top 3 not ranked in order without thinking too much about it In Cold Blood Nausea by Sartre Play it as it Lays So many books so little time ha

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Love the list! I agree--sometimes I get overwhelmed because I realize there's not enough time for all the great reads!

[@user-fe1mj7bb6v]

If you loved “cuckoo’s nest” you must read “sometimes a great notion” by Kesey. It is a much better book Then you can dip into “electric Kool-aid acid test” by Tom wolfe which covers Kesey’s road-trip across country with his merry pranksters. The driver of the bus is Neal Cassidy-dean moriarity of “on the road”

[@CB-ys5gk]

My 6 Favorite Classics: 6. Anna Karenina 5. Beloved 4. Invisible Man 3. East of Eden 2. Jane Eyre 1. One Hundred Years of Solitude

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Such goodies! I want to read Invisible Man soon

[@jwsjourney]

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

[@javaguy5783]

Ana , I think it's important to tell people to read the book before seeing the movie. This way, you let your brain create the imagery for you. I watched Lolita before reading the book. This was a mistake because I kept seeing James Mason in my head while reading the novel. BTW, Mason was incredible in that movie.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Yeah, I agree! I haven't seen the Lolita film, though I'm not sure the adaptation would do the wonders the book does! Some adaptations are so good, others so flat.

[@carola_]

100 years of solitude is a great book. As a colombian the writing in spanish is amazing however he has other books where it is completely transformative and there are a lot of other colombian authors who do it better than gabo 👀💀. Also ANIMAL FARM AND 1984 SLAPPPPP. Showstopping. East of eden is probably not that high but still an amazing book

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

OH baby! I believe it! I need to read more of his books/colombian authors in general. I was talking to a Colombian friend and the way he describes the country is so captivating. Would love to go.

[@David-sg1yi]

I also didn't get as much as I could have from many of the classics that I read when I was in high school or college. I think it's a shame that many of these classics are assigned to us to read while we are in high school, because (my opinion only) a lot of the themes in classics seem to make more sense when we read them as older adults. Older adults have more life experience and a more varied life experience to bring to the reading experience of the story. I think I might be re-reading some classics to see what I missed. Also I've been noticing that as an older adult, I want to read certain classics that I blew off as a high schooler or college age young adult.

[@matthewmelao5477]

Ana, my favorite by Toni Morrison is Song of Solomon. Check it out if you haven’t. Sula is also good.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I know! I have to get on reading more Toni's. She's the best

[@averyforeman5208]

Ohh I love a top 10 1) war and peace 2) the outsiders 3) middlemarch 4) to kill a mockingbird 5) in cold blood 6) pride and prejudice 7) Macbeth 8) the secret garden 9) Anna Karenina 10) two years before the mast Damn I need to get back into classics

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

me too. I love a good list. love your top 10