My Favorite Books of All Time (Revised Version)

[@orangeelliot]

After reading East of Eden, I vowed to read everything Steinbeck has written. It's a lot, and I'm a slow reader. It may take me the rest of my life, but I'm gonna do it. Travels with Charley is my current read, and if you haven't read that one yet, Ana, I think you'd particularly like it!

[@deblawrence8341]

Travels with Charley is definitely a great read! Enjoy your journey through Steinbeck.

[@annatierney6608]

I’m not joking when I say this is EXACTLY me!! I read East of Eden earlier this year despite being terrified about getting through 600 pages but it was the best 600 pages I’ve ever read. And I have to read all his books now.

[@Niniii07]

I am currently reading East of Eden! I have already read Grapes of Wrath and absolutely loved it.

[@giovannispadolini5276]

My first book of hin was of mice and men. If you haven't read it,go for It. It's a short story but it's stunning and very sad

[@redmousie3738]

Steinbeck is the GOAT!!

[@SyMpHOny893]

“the moments that paralyzed the ideas that you previously had” 😩 yes! finishing a new favorite book and shedding the person you were before you read it. UGH

[@SyMpHOny893]

the timing of you putting your hand up during the intro at the same time as past you put your hand up in the same way was GORG

[@dazedconfused4633]

I WAS LOOKING FOR THIS COMMENT

[@BrendaETobar]

No one talks about Wild anymore! ITS SO GOOD! I love the writing. It struck me and took me by my shirt and shook me. It yelled at me “you are redeemable.” I needed that. I will forever love Wild.

[@boholover3]

I absolutely adore Wild as well. 🧡

[@niesub]

never heard of it but this comment made me buy it lol waiting for it to arrive

[@dianagro99]

Ana! Your hair is looking fabulous! Hair routine video please! I’m especially curious how you style your bangs :)

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I’ve got it in a vlog somewhere! But basically I use a Calista (not sponsored lol) brush and style it out. I’ll try to incorporate it into another video again :)) thank you!!!

[@emersongrace4815]

YES PLEASSE

[@deblawrence8341]

You are such a ray of sunshine! 🥰 I've got East of Eden and Wild on my bookshelves and MUST make time for them. I am slowly working my way through Kazuo Ishiguro and am currently reading his debut novel, A Pale View of Hills, which is turning out to be far more mysterious and interesting than I anticipated! One of the things I admire about him as a writer is that every book of his that I've read so far is so different from the next.

[@sarahogborn8024]

Love the rendition of “Under The Hall of The Mountain King” you gave us there 😂🙌🏻 low key that music SLAPS forever

[@fiddleleaffiction]

Absolute banger right there. One of the first songs I ever learned on piano as a kid, will always be a favorite 😂

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Agreed! My mom listens to classical 24/7 in her house and I’m ready to bring back the trend!

[@BulbousBeanBag]

ANGELS! IN! AMERICA! Thank you so much for introducing people who are possibly outside of the theatre world to it. It is The Best Play™️ and also my favorite :) very very very excited to hear what you think when you’re done

[@caseyisbooked6752]

I just found you here, and from one East of Eden lover to another, I'm happy to be here! East of Eden is also my favorite book of all time and I've read it 5 or 6 times, nothing is quite like it. Great Vid!

[@nationalskaren]

If you haven't already, try James Baldwin. I associate his writing style with Steinbeck. Highly highly recommend!! I loved reading if Beal street could talk and seeing the movie afterwards.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I know! I gotta read him. He’s on my list of ‘get to these’ authors. I’m slackin!

[@fiddleleaffiction]

I bought The Shards a few months ago - after this video, I am immediately prioritizing it for July 🎉 Also yessss East of Eden. Just brilliant.

[@tine272]

the shards was amazing i hope you love it too!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I hope you like it!!! It’s campy and fun

[@ProseAndPetticoats]

Hello Ana. I just discovered your channel because you were listed among the BookTubers that my audience watches! You have a lovely channel. Happy reading!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Thank you so much for stopping by!! ❤️

[@LitPicksbySarah]

East of Eden has also become my all time favourite novel. Cried like a baby in the end.

[@folksurvival]

It's very good but I found the end disappointing, anticlimactic. It seems like it's building up to something more the whole time but then it just fades out. There's something poetic about that too but I thought there would be something more.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Absolutely gets the feels rolling.

[@timothyw.h.4526]

i just found an autographed copy of "wild" on the street the other day. also i still need to finish that copy of "what i talk about when i talk about running" you gifted me. hopefully inspire me to get back to running.

[@chargipad]

I’ve been reading what I talk about when I talk about running, it’s great, I’ve been running 3 miles a day since reading it

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Tim!!! You are my icon. Running a marathon with no training is a feat. I think about it all the time. Miss you!

[@MandaPan]

I've gotten so many great books recs from you! Just finished A Little History of the World and moving onto Devil in the White City! Love your channel, you are stellar ❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Two great books! I’m glad you’ve gotten some recs! I always worry that I give bad recs, so I’m happy you found some that work for you :D

[@apos921]

Just recently finished East of Eden for the first time and WOW! It was slow going in the beginning but by the end I couldn’t get enough. I find myself missing the characters and wondering what happened next because after all was said and done it felt like it ended in the middle of the story. Maybe that’s the point

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

ABSOLUTELY! I think about how the land is doing haha. Such great storytelling. Even the deplorable characters are great

[@apos921]

Yes! At more than one point I was like Mr. Steinbeck 🙈 is it ok to write this?

[@harshgogia2715]

My all time fav books include Seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo A little life Song of Achilles Call me by your name Gone girl

[@sqttttt]

Love how the thumbnail makes it seem like you've got a tower of books on the top of your head hehe

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Lmaooooo it’s a weird genetic trait. All my family has it

[@directedbylola]

The aesthetic, the quality, the intelligence. I want to be like you when I grow up!

[@NoelleNorthASMR]

As an unabashed Bret Easton Ellis fan, I ADORED The Shards. It's like Less Than Zero meets American Psycho in the best possible way.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I think about it so often. I loved that novel!!! He’s king

[@divyabanerjee566]

I absolutely love the way you talk!!!!! It’s so beautiful ❤

[@elpa6206]

East of Eden got me into reading (many many moons ago), still one of my favourite books. Favourite book of all time for me "Martin Eden" Jack London. A book you will never get out of your head once you have read it "Perfume" by Patrick Süskind.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oooh, I’ve read Perfume. WILD ride. Makes me want more books like that.

[@realitywinner7582]

Martin Eden is brill..so's 'dead souls' and 'magic mountain' !

[@OliviaNordicGordon]

Love these! Would love to hear more POC authors/Playwrights as well!

[@dhutton77]

I am another Steinbeck lover; have read most of them twice; East of Eden is next on my second read list. My second reading of The Grapes of Wrath was just stunning. Thanks for your other recommendations.

[@ridendurance]

I read Grapes of Wrath for the first time and I am 67 years old. So glad this book was not pushed on me in a high school English class. It was absolutely brilliant and I would never have understood the depth of this novel as a teenager. ❤incredible and brought me to beginning East of Eden right now.

[@josephfortier5450]

You adorable. I loved Herman Hess, Edgar Allen Poe, Somerset Maugham.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I gotta get to hesse!

[@alenemarie1726]

I really should read East of Eden. It comes highly recommended by so many people

[@_samaa]

I love these kinds of videos!❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@muratisik6956]

This makes me want to read, and write. Thanks for inspiring!

[@teneshaanderson4761]

Love the shards

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Baby me too

[@scott9858]

Sooooooo good...and once again my "books to buy" list grows (every time I watch your videos). I have East of Eden in the queue, BUT I just ordered "Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters." I'm thinking it will be interesting to dig into this one first, a sort of Steinbeck behind-the-scenes peak for a nuanced context. Have you read?

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Oooh, haven’t even heard of that. But I love to think of a documentary sort of read. I think it was him that had a dog eat a first draft of a novel? Maybe Of Mice and Men?

[@jjjjj-vs8pw]

13 seconds was a jumpscare. so excited!!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hehehehe we here baby

[@rahulshah3836]

Please please please read Lonesome Dove! I guarantee it will make your favorites list when you re-revise this video

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Ooooh, noted! I love a good guarantee!

[@thenichesampler]

East of Eden is one of my all time favourites too!

[@anaclaudiamaia2911]

You started with Cockroaches by Scholastique Mukasonga and you had me. A suggestion from a Ana to another one: Small Country by Gael Faye, not a autobiography but a novel based in his childhood in Burundi in the 90’s , the son of a French father and Tutsi mother. The books are completely different but I feel a dialogue between them.

[@arksy1987]

First video I'm watching of yours. Your mannerisms are giving Dennis from IASIP lmao. So charming.

[@Wakodahatch]

Interesting and inspiring, from a fellow reader. I’ve read everything, man. Like the Hank Snow of readers.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

HAHA! I sang that as a song in my head.

[@aletachristopherson7847]

I read The Shards because of you. I agree w you. Thank you.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg! YEASSS!

[@justinswag3403]

Hi you speak in such a poetic way love this video!

[@kitcondor]

Lovely! How about a video on Steinbeck’s body of work?

[@CassieRose8]

That stack of books is making me nervous, seems a tad too high to be safe! Unless they are secured somehow.

[@TerryJ950]

It’s a vertical shelf. Saw it empty on another video.

[@thehomelessteddycomics3346]

Interesting book choices. You should look for author Stacy James Meadows. Anyway great video with interesting insights. ❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Will check it out!

[@rafaelhernandez8036]

Beautiful rendition of Doug theme song

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hahaha! Omg, the song came in my head and I couldn’t trace where it was from. You saved me from months of confusion.

[@briannamattis7454]

Literally clicked on this video because of how stunning you are! Plus I like books hehe! Thanks for the list!

[@radiantchristina]

When is your single for In the Hall of the Mountain King being released? My top books change often. The top that never change are "Anna Karenina", "The Elegance of the Hedgehog", "The Painted Veil", and "Oranges are not the only Fruit" for fiction and "The Outermost House " and "Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant" for nonfiction. If I had to come up with a top 10 list, those would always be on there and the remaining 4 spots would change every few years. I go through phases with my reading. For a while (years) I was really into Russian Literature so my all-time favorites would have mostly been Russian Lit. Same with a phase (also years) I had with Japanese literature. I'm in my essays and memoirs era right now and more specifically, my Patti Smith era and I know for certain that at least a couple of her books will end up in my all-time favorites list. I am head over heels in love with her writing.

[@eliasE989]

Great list! I wanna read Zadie Smith now

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

She’s really that great

[@Techtalkpathou]

Currently with ‘A man called Ove’.

[@KDbooks]

I’m so glad Kane is on this list ❤

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

KANE IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART BUT WE HAVE STRONG HEARTS!

[@dahlia8027]

I really like that cover on your bed! 😍.. Can you please share where to get it?

[@JohnSeney]

Bad Ellis is still okay Ellis. He is one of the few American authors I would say is always readable and re-readable if not always perfect!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

AGREED! I know I’m still going to have fun with him. He is a great storyteller

[@susangladstone357]

Thanks for sharing this!

[@ndifsmurida8838]

Lol yes, I recognize the beat of the song you did.

[@Handmedownmac2]

I miss the person I was when reading The Shards…I was so consistent with my fake tan

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

LMAOOOOO omg. Absolutely true. I would workout when listening to it. We are those babes

[@danieljosephleo]

I just noticed that tower of books behind you! You are obviously a kindred soul...😆

[@Tommy-xy1eh]

WoW ! Excellent 👍🏻 Thank you 🙏🏻 We’re new here ! We have same shelves @ wall 🎉 But not as high 😅 How many pieces / shelves are there you used ? ❤

[@stefanyrojo6667]

The coolest person on the internet!

[@HeatherB81]

You’re hilarious and i love you 😂

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

You the best, baby!

[@nathansnook]

sooo happy to see John Waters in the list of favs! have you done Role Models by him? i just revisited it recently and it still holds up tremendously. love the man!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Baby!!! Yes! Omg. I read that when I first came to NYC. There was this amazing bookstore in the village that has since closed. It was one of my first book purchases in nyc. I love that icon. I wanna be him!!

[@cornflourr]

I also love Wild! Does anyone have any similar recommendations? Loved the hiking/outdoors theme

[@raerae2885]

John Krakauer’s Into Thin Air

[@writerchic676]

A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

[@cornflourr]

I’ve read both of those already dang it! And loved them both haha

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Was going to suggest those as well haha. Hmmm. Lemme see. There is called In the Eye of the Wild, about a woman documenting her time before and after a bear attack. Not as funny or laid back, but definitely outdoorsy

[@SuljoAllTheWayTRT]

"You have been reading the wrong fucking books." Will Hunting

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hahah! I gotta watch GWH! Still haven’t

[@IamArakelly]

Loved the video, but where is the top from🤔

[@hakurizweistein7088]

i just stumbled upon your chanel. you seem like such a cool person

[@Wakodahatch]

Thanks!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg! Thank you so much. You make my day :))

[@ipshitajee]

I'll get my Grammy made me crack up lol

[@julyja08]

Would someone write out all the books?

[@jnh12875]

Insanely beautiful.

[@tiffersome]

I just read What I Talk About When I Talk About Running and signed up for my first 5k! I don’t think I’ll ever want to run a marathon as they seem miserable and Murakami just seems like a man who can endure a lot of misery.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

!!! Hey, a 5k is still a huge feat. That’s really impressive. Good on you!

[@samismith8752]

Oof If I could erase one book from the universe it would be Wild. Like or love everything else you mentioned, though.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Lmaooo I can see that. I’m surprised I liked it as much as I did, but if got me goooood

[@eunicekwon7586]

Hi! where did you get your bookshelf in the back? its so nice

[@deniska2055]

i would like to know that as well! :(

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hi! Sorry for the late reply! I think it's from West Elm? We found it on the side of the road in NYC, but if you type in 'floating bookshelf,' something similar should come up!

[@swhitehouse]

CRACKPOT! love Waters...would reco ALL of his books

[@rottenapple9588]

"I wasn't activily really alive for" were you passively alive?

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Lmaooo sometimes stuff comes out of my mouth and I have no idea what I’m saying

[@maro5202]

I mean when you’re really little like toddler/ infant little you’re basically passively living 😆

[@ganeshasr141]

Ana🤗 I read "Cockroaches" in 2023 - you told about it last year. you inspired me to pick that. great book. Felt sad about why Humans kills each other!! Running by Harukami - will not read it since I already crossed over Marathons. You try something Ultra Run, you will not care much on Harukami books on Running much on. You look not so much Happy in this video OR is it me !!?? Anyways Cheer up !!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Cockroaches is so sad! But unfortunately such a timely novel. And not sad in this, promise! Just recovering from a sun burn :))

[@Rogerdoger-bh8sj]

Shards >>>>>>

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

YEASSSS!

[@momsnoteatingbugs1919]

I love that lamp in the right corner. Where did you get it? Have you read The Master and Margherita by Bulgakov? That's my favorite novel of all time.

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

I actually got it in Ukraine from a thrift market called Petrivka. Strangely enough, on that same trip, I visited Bulgakov’s home (and yes, I’ve read TMAM and it’s AMAZING!)

[@brindabanerjea1158]

Not sure why there are interruptions on this video that prevent a smooth running of it! Just subscribed. May need to unsubscribe.

[@kw1ksh0t]

There are no classics?

[@bronwynbradshaw7426]

do you suggest reading the shards as a first ellis read?

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Hmmmm. Actually, you could definitely do it. I’d say it’s one of his easier novels, linear storytelling wise.

[@silveroceanletters]

has anyone ever told you that you look like you could be the lovechild of julie delpy and toni collette?

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Haven’t heard the love child, but I’ve heard Julie delpy! I’ll take that compliment. I love those queens!

[@harshgogia2715]

Hi

[@avagrasso4716]

Ily

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

rbau (right back at u)

[@Souljacker7]

You look like you are the main part in a 70's movie!

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

Omg. Dream compliment. Thank you

[@Souljacker7]

@@AnaWallaceJohnson I still can't put my finger on it, but the vibe is totally there!

[@coconutmilch2351]

Tbh a booklist video needs to be more than “it’s so good” for it to have an effect on me. Like of course you think it’s good and that’s why you’re talking about it…but you gotta explain it assuming I don’t know what it’s about and why it’s good. Otherwise it’s just a playlist of someone’s favorite songs without explanation. Any book can be someone’s favorite book.

[@bluhblahblih3801]

You are breathtakingly beautiful 😍💕

[@valerysanchez]

i knew white teeth was going to be here

[@AnaWallaceJohnson]

she is the moment always. deserves the spot!!

[@A4000]

Re readers are gross.

[@nathaniel6421]

Your trousers are dirty.

[@xxzcfdxc]

I think it's on purpose

[@nathaniel6421]

It was a joke.

[@dreamer5687]

what a observation.