My Top 10 Favourite Classics

This list contains both old classics and modern classics. Enjoy! :)
My Top 10 Favourite Literary Fiction Books:
• My Top 10 Favourite Li...
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Twitter: @HeleneJeppesen
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[@michaelramirez4162]

"The Picture of Dorian Gray" is a really interesting novel.

[@divinedia]

Yes I’m currently reading it.

[@holistic7980]

I've been reading classics since I was a kid and I find classics to be very cosy reads. Obviousl,y we need to understand the time they were set in order to understand why they are form in such ways.

[@clown561210]

1984 remains one of the most profound novels that i have ever read.

[@martinkingston1498]

Animal Farm is absolutely amazing too, and just like 1984 it has a timeless and very powerful message. It should be required reading.

[@locutusdborg126]

@@martinkingston1498 Under Trump it will be banned.

[@sausana2501]

Locutus D'Borg not really because it bashes communism

[@Frenposter]

@@locutusdborg126 has the POTUS even banned any books? From what I've heard, he hasn't. So no, I don't think he will.

[@Nace369]

@@locutusdborg126 You're actually delusional.

[@BaileeWalsh]

The Picture of Dorian Gray, Anna Karenina, East of Eden, and The Catcher In The Rye are a few of my favorite classics, too!

[@catreadsabunch]

It's like you can read my mind! I'm trying to get into classics and I keep thinking, "I need Helene's advice." 😂😂😂 Thank you for the video! I am currently reading The Catcher in the Rye so I think I'm going to work your list from top to bottom! So excited 😊

[@kathybolton2240]

This was great, Helene!! Love your picks! Classics have become a new passion of mine. Still have so many to read.

[@nilulal545]

Just came across this video while looking for classic novels n I'm glad I found this,it just fulfilled not only selections of choice but came to learn so many more good classics I'm waiting to get now get too!! Thank you as awesome as always!!❤

[@LuminousLibro]

Jane Austen is always a favorite! My fave out of all her books is Emma. Jane Eyre is also another favorite, and I've read it several times too! Happy Reading!

[@tamrynedwards4896]

I LOVE Emma

[@Hannahk00]

Jane Austen also has a collection of letters that she wrote to her sister that you can read. Very interesting!

[@musicalphoenix23]

I also love The Catcher in the Rye and 1984 - two of my favourite books! I just started reading East of Eden last night, and I already love it. It's so well written, it was hard to put it down. I'm already looking forward to reading more of John Steinbeck's books ☺️

[@SuhailiMalik]

1. The catcher in the rye 2. East of eden 3. The grapes of wrath 4. Jane Eyre 5. Anna Karenina 6. 1984 - George Orwell 7. I capture the castle 8. The portrait of Dorian Gray 9. Northanger Abbey - Jane Austen 10. Mariana - Monica Dickens

[@bookhunterrr3973]

I make me want to read ALL the classics! So happy to have discovered your channel 💛💛💛

[@misselder1]

Northanger Abbey is so funny! Austen is totally making fun throughout of the bloody, gothic novels that were popular at the time. That scene in which Catherine is challenged by Edward about her reading habits is key. 1984 - a masterpiece of a cautionary tale Anna Karenina - Poor Karenin. Poor little boy. I have a hard time sympathizing with Anna and Volkonsky. Grapes of Wrath - definitely on my tbr list. Thanks! I loved East of Eden and Travels with Charlie. You have some really good reads there!

[@snowy9555]

You have some beautiful books 📚 I absolutely love East of Eden too. So interesting how we all pronounce ‘macabre’

[@DUFMAN123]

I haven't thought about The Grapes of Wraith in years, you've reminded me of how much it effected me at the time I read it. Wonderfully written and realised characters and a great ending indeed!

[@shiv26196]

You have a beautiful way of speaking that makes me want to hear you all day long. It's so child-like and sounds kinda not so mature, but the juxtaposition of what you say and your ideas just make it such a contrasting experience for all of us. Love You Helene.

[@andrewbrendan1579]

Loved seeing our top 10, Helene. I remember that I started reading "Catcher in the Rye" while in the car with my family and I was laughing out loud at what Holden said at the very beginning.--I can't remember why but many years ago I was reading "Jane Eyre", enjoying it as I recall, but for some reason got diverted and never finished reading it. Something needs to be done about THAT!---I read "War and Peace" and got to the point I was reading it just to say I'd read it but "Anna Karenina" was a great story. Nicola Padgett (sp?) starred in an excellent British television production of the novel.--I read a number of classics when I was too young to appreciate them as much as I would now but I suspect that's a common scenario among book lovers!

[@climatedeniersbelonginasyl4191]

War and Peace is great, you should give it another chance.

[@3536sbir]

OMG The Catcher in the Rye is my favorite too

[@almirlol]

a

[@crbranca06]

I have read Picture of Dorian Gray, 1984, Anna Karenina, The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden (Agree with you on Cathy, what a psicopath!), Catcher in the Rye, and liked them all. Will follow your advice on Jane Eyre. I´ve been hearing a lot of good things about that novel lately and i have it for years but never start it. Great video.

[@melrose718]

I'm with you on Catcher in the rye....out of the thousands of books I've read, over many years, it remains my favorite. There is just something about Holden, and the way Salinger has portrayed him and given him that honest voice, that is quite sublime and melancholy...and yet haunting in some strange way. I love the way he always refers to his characters as "old"...it's an endearing quality coming from the mouth of a pessimistic boy. Each time I read it, I love it the more...perhaps I understand old Holden and his duality, his hope and his despondency living together as one. loved all your picks...classics are like going home again. :)

[@ejfisc]

What do you mean by "honest voice?" Holden is notorious for being an unreliable narrator, he's very rarely honest to the reader, others and even himself.

[@lindajohnson4204]

@@ejfisc When he is an unreliable narrator, it is presented as a common human foible: contradictory, as we all are. He recognizes so much about himself, then is totally blind to himself. Salinger allows him this contradiction of himself, rather indulgently, and tenderly; because he is a young man, an especially sensitive and caring one, and in this extreme turmoil that we're learning about, he looks kindly on him, and people who love this book, agree with that. It has the effect of saying, "I contradict myself like the rest of the world, but you can't say that you don't do it, too", although he doesn't do it in as hostile a voice as that might sound, I guess.

[@Phillybookfairy]

I've loved this video!! I am going to theme my December as "classics for Christmas" month!!! I have many of the books you've mentioned. I'm reading Jane Eyre this month (for Jane Eyre July - many retellings read this month as well) but I've never read Villette nor Shirley by Charlotte Bronte, so I want to read those. John Steinbeck I've been meaning to read so I'll have to pick those up, and I have Anna K - I'm pretty sure I've seen a movie based on the book many years ago but I've never read it. I have a lovely edition of it although I find I'm coveting yours !! So thanks for the inspiration of Classics Christmas! And I never knew A Catcher in the Rye was set in NYC, I'll add that one in as well. Rebellious characters are my favs so I'm sure I will enjoy it!!!

[@HeyPaulaCooper]

I capture the castle is one of my favorites books ever !!

[@drjuhia8925]

"Books do recommend people"Catcher in the rye is my most favourite book too:)Finding someone who shares your taste of books is like finding a friend

[@staffanlindstrom576]

I believe you have to be at an age to identify with Holden Caulfield to put The Catcher in the Rye at the top. When you leave your teens behind you The Catcher goes with it.

[@marinatz6395]

@@staffanlindstrom576 I disagree because I read the book when I was either 12 or 13. Not sure. I read it not in English but in Slovak for school and my classmates loved it as well! I’m 15 now and it still is one of my favorites.

[@staffanlindstrom576]

@@marinatz6395 Well, you get more critical as you grow older. When I was your age I liked many books, including The Catcher in the Rye, which I now feel I have outgrown. But it is natural that you and your classmates love it. Btw I read it in Swedish.

[@marinatz6395]

@@staffanlindstrom576 that’s great my point is that you don’t have to be mature to identify with Holden caulfield to put the book at the top

[@karenkoutsoumbaris6308]

Thankyou so much Helene many I want to read ! I have 1984 on my kindle but haven't read yet.

[@amusicalbookworm]

I read Anna Karenina and 1984 both last summer! Enjoyed them both so much! And yes, Jane Eyre is one of the best, hands down. I need to reread Grapes of Wrath, because I read it in high school and don’t really remember it. Right now I’m reading David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, which I am enjoying mostly, but finding it very slow at times 😖 I find Dickens to be kind of difficult to get through.

[@Tinahgirl83]

That is a gorgeous edition of I Capture the Castle. I’ve never read it but it’s on my radar.

[@MaryAmongStories]

loved this video so much! just added so many books to my tbr ^^

[@kevinrosero9723]

Great choices, and Northanger Abbey might be my favorite Austen too

[@phoenixjones660]

Always gasp at the beauty of your editions, I have well-read Penguins, mostly. Favourite classics? Brideshead Revisited, Don Quixote, Hound of the Baskervilles - least fave, Far From the Madding Crowd ( sorry, a school read again ! ). There is a BBC radio 4 comedy called Bleak Expectations ( Mark Evans ) which is a parody of Dickens and common plots and tropes, very funny

[@doowopshopgal]

I knew you would choose the catcher for your number one ☝️. You described you books carefully not to give any thing away. Thank you for the video!!!!

[@TheTasneemali]

I like your energy and vibes :) Currently reading "Picture of dorian gray" & " Love in the time of Cholera"

[@roxanaalecu3741]

Loved them both!

[@tamistone2632]

Great list .... thank you

[@NicoleFoti]

Ohhh! I've always wanted to read I Capture the Castle!!! I think I'll save that for Christmas time like you suggested!

[@jasonfrost2487]

Good video, Helene. Earlier this week I watched "The Grapes of Wrath" starring Henry Fonda. It was released in 1940 and is black & white but it's a wonderful film. It deviates from the novel a bit toward the end by having a more optimistic outlook than the novel. All-in-all it is a great film. If you are a fan of good movies, you might enjoy as well. :)

[@pnutbutrncrackers]

I feel "East of Eden" is also James Dean's best movie, and a very good one.

[@ant7936]

Beautiful. Watched again recently. Very touching.

[@JoyForney]

You have made an amazing list!!!!!!!!

[@jillhbaudhaan]

1. J. D. Salinger 2. John Steinbeck 3. John Steinbeck again (btw this is in my top five books, I love rereading it) 4. Charlotte Bronte (btw have you ever read Wide Sargasso Sea??) 5. Leo Tolstoy 6. George Orwell 7. Dodie Smith 8. Oscar Wilde 9. Jane Austen 10. Monica Dickens

[@angim6750]

Your book picks are so good... 👯

[@helenejeppesen2133]

Thanks :D

[@eshita_arora]

Part of the reason why I love Catcher in the Rye so much is because I relate to Holden on a spiritual level. 🥺🥺

[@SkullKnight1]

Same

[@Glock_4717]

Really enjoyed this one☺️

[@loren0531]

I read The Catcher in the Rye a few years ago and disliked it for the exact same reason you said people don't like it! I just could not stand the pessimistic point of view and his repetitive phrases/words. But I'm glad you, and so many other people, enjoyed it! This list opened me up to some other classics

[@dy9605]

I'm a classics reader as well. But only one or two per year. The only Charles dickens novel I've managed to finish is David Copperfield but it was really enjoyable (although I found myself yelling at one of the characters). I recently read "the woman in white" by Wilkie Collins which was a bit of a slog but a good, moody, gothic novel. I decluttered "east of eden" several years ago because I thought I'd never read it. I may have to pick it back up now 😁 to kill a mockingbird is high on my personal list of favorites,so is the good Earth.

[@Embarazzing]

Dorian Gray blew me away, absolutely loved it :) And couldn't read anything for a while after 1984. Catcher in the rye depressed the crap out of me

[@marinatz6395]

I must say I relate on so many levels haha

[@kayehyams]

Nice video! Slight slip up though...Northanger Abbey isn't Victorian. Published 1817; 20 years before Victoria came to the throne.

[@OldBluesChapterandVerse]

Always fascinating to see a person’s favorite classics. You should really consider doing the Booktube Top Tens Tag that I created. I’m entering the data into a spreadsheet to come up with a collective take on the Booktube community’s predilections.

[@UncleMonk23]

Just a small correction…Monica Dickens was the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens not his niece…but a very nice cozy little book that will have appeal to modern readers…

[@mariazapata5064]

WOW! What a great 👍 review you’ve done ✅ on this video! I am so but so grateful of this video you’ve made. Thank you 🙏 so much! 😄😄📖📚📚📚🤓

[@juliensorel7056]

You are such a beautiful person, I'm glad that I meet with your videos😊

[@elizabethgardner6832]

Lovely list. Just a very small aside: While Jane Austen died in 1817, Queen Victoria was born in 1819. She became Queen in 1837 and lived until 1901. So, Jane Austen is considered to be part of the English Regency period and not considered Victorian. Just a good thing to know.

[@duaneparker5070]

Great list Helene. I have read 7 of the 10. Jane Eyre is my all time favorite. I have Middlemarch in my top 5; I don’t know if you have read it , but it comes highly regarded. Thanks for the tip on Monica Dickens.

[@helenejeppesen2133]

Thanks! I have read "Middlemarch" and really liked it! It just didn't quite make it to my top 10 ;)

[@hyacinthh6900]

My first time of even hearing of a Monica Dickens. Interesting.

[@QuirkyGirl10]

Wow, you had 6 books on my TBR list! I love your taste :)

[@Liz86000]

Thank you Helene. I would have put "Pride & Prejudice" first and taken "1984" out (because it scares me frankly) but otherwise, this is a pretty good collection. :)

[@farahbell1236]

I love "The Catcher in the Rye" as well. Its really a beautiful book for the teenagers.

[@kismetau]

Enjoyed hearing your opinions. (Btw Monica is actually the great - granddaughter of Charles Dickens)

[@barbjessen9927]

The only book of your picks that I have read about is 1984 back in1964 in high school I was very much wondering how something like that could happen I think I should read some of other books you have enjoyed

[@lindajohnson4204]

Things like that were already happening, in the Soviet Union and China; in the fascist dictatorships. So yes, they can and do happen.

[@madalenac.9440]

Lovely list! I've been really craving a good classic lately -- might pick one of your recommendations! :) By the way, that's a beautiful edition of the Steinbeck novel! What is it? (I've tried to look for it on Bookdepository but no luck).

[@GreenDani18]

Love your channel Helene. i just wanted to say that Monica Dickens is the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickins not his niece.

[@jcbbe]

very much enjoyed

[@thugnomics123]

As a huge Steinbeck fan myself, I loved this list!

[@Scottlp2]

He has the most amazing way with words. Beginning of Cannery Row still blows me away “cannery row is poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia...”

[@thugnomics123]

@@Scottlp2 Oh yes. And what about the "There is a crime here that goes beyond denunciation, a sorrow that crying cannot symbolize..." paragraph from the "Grapes of wrath"? Almost makes me cry every time i read it.

[@sandrawilliams4874]

I miss your videos Helene!

[@SuperDeut4]

Dombey and Sons by Charles Dickens and Northanger Abby hands down!

[@bigboy6191]

Omg love your accent.

[@highflyingdisc5734]

How do you choose the best translators? Thank you! Great video❤️

[@peggywilliams8229]

Helene what are the 6 pretty books on the shelf with nikson

[@helenejeppesen2133]

Peggy Williams I think you might be referring to the Russian Vintage Classics. Right?

[@cynthibook]

Great video ! Only 10 days to go and I find all your videos interesting. :)

[@helenejeppesen2133]

Thank you! I kind of can't wait till those 10 days are over. Filming is super great, but also exhausting :P

[@cynthibook]

It must be ! I hope it doesn't make you too sick of filming and editing. ;)

[@danielhumphrey3836]

Animal Farm and Heart of Darkness never get any love in these lists. White Fang is another fantastic book

[@therealignotus7549]

People hate HoD, it is apparenly "racist" when on the opposite it shows the horrors and hypocracy of colonialism

[@kevinrussell1144]

I like your choices and reasons....an interesting list of favorites, and TWO from Steinbeck?! I didn't hate Of Mice and Men, but much of JS's writing is theme driven and "biblical" (East of Eden and The Pearl, too), which makes your choice of Grapes worth commenting. That book is very much "human condition" rather than biblical, and a true reflection of the times. My spouse and I read it together (we're both Californians) when we first were married, and it was a bonding experience. I was a central Valley dirt kid who grew around lots of Okie descendants, whereas she was a Bay Area kid familiar with Steinbeck's haunts. And a minor correction.......Jane Austin was Regency era rather than Victorian although yes, 19th century in her working period.

[@may7955]

I finally got Jane Eyre

[@karenkoutsoumbaris6308]

I am missing you and I hope all is well with you, happy reading

[@vilearninglife4723]

Hi Helene, I love your videos. Have you read Crime and Punishments? If yes, do you like it?

[@nikkivenable3700]

Oh Helene! Your content is so fantastic!! We have a very similar taste in books. I've read all of Steinbeck. He's in my top 3 favorite authors. Jane Eyre is gorgeous and I've not heard much about Northanger Abby....so I'm going to read it during this upcoming Autumn. I have yet to read Catcher as well as I Capture the Castle although I have both....oh as well as Monica Dickens. I have her books as well, but are unread. I need to get busy. Most of these books have come from your recommendations. 😊

[@testingpro6723]

I also love the catcher in the rye. The judgements made by the rebellion kid in this were legit when you think about it.

[@ant7936]

Nice review. I've read 8 of these and it's whetted my appetite for second readings. I read Grapes of Wrath again recently and plan the same for Eden. A fine writer. Have you seen the films with Fonda and Dean? Both very good. Disliking a key character or theme makes a novel difficult. I found this with Lolita, Great Expectations and curiously, with House of Mirth. Some characters do not enamour themselves to us, but we can learn a lot by examining them, so I'll eventually return to those, with Catcher. I should also recommend my favourites; Hardy, Hugo, Zola.

[@tamistone2632]

Is there a list of books and their authors

[@Herbaceously]

Ugh how can you hate Dickens?! Love me some Our Mutual Friend

[@SuperDeut4]

Минкус Dickens is awesome. Just plain awesome! ☕️💐👍

[@adaleerose6370]

Marianna, Monica Dickens Northanger abbey, Jane Austin The picture of Dorian grey, Oscar Wilde I capture the castle, doodie Smith 1984, George Orwell Anna Karenna, Lee Telitoy Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte The grapes of wrath, John Steinbeck East of Eden, John Steinbeck The catcher in the rye j.d. Salinger

[@SatineXth]

Northanger Abbey is not victorian, it's regency. Good list, though.

[@helenejeppesen2133]

Maghiar Manuela Patricia I knoooow 🙊 At this point, I guess my head is all bewildered from doing all of these videos 🤣

[@madamedellaporte4214]

It is also a book that mocks the Gothic genre, something that went right over this lady's head. It actually mocks the Castle of Udolpho by Ann Radclife.

[@jeremiahpapa7868]

@@madamedellaporte4214 the Young Frankenstein of Gothic literature came out the same year as Frankenstein! 1818

[@tamistone2632]

I found this novel creepy .... must re-read

[@tocatafugue]

@@madamedellaporte4214 To be fair, it's not always obvious if you don't have the background knowledge, e.g. not everyone knows Castle of Udolpho or Austen's thoughts on the gothic genre :)

[@doowopshopgal]

I love a tree grows in Brooklyn have you read it???

[@helenejeppesen2133]

doowopshopgal Yes! And i liked it, but it wasn’t a fave 🙂

[@gabrielgodwi3352]

I have it and really wanna read it but I'm on slaughterhouse five rn

[@feezlfuzzl564]

Northanger Abbey is not about the abbey, and people describing it as such ruined it for me. She only goes to the abbey towards the end, and spends almost all of the book in Bath, a resort town. If you expect macabre stuff, you're going to be disappointed at how little there is.

[@kristindeacey3700]

The Catcher in the Rye. 💙 Man, I love that book too! Everyone hates it because Holden is an angry brat and I agree, he is an angry brat. But come on people, can nobody look back and relate to that teen angst? Just me?

[@andyiswonderful]

wow, I've read 7 of you favs.

[@neonoires]

Super late but as someone who is into classics now, am I wrong in judging John Steinbeck from Of Mice and Men? I hated that book so much, I thought it was extremely boring but his other books sound really interesting. I just can't get over how much I hated that book.

[@locutusdborg126]

Macabre is pronounced Ma Cob I believe.

[@JojoJojo-bd6dz]

So weird, i dislike classics but i am at a slump and was thinking about reading one and here is your video lol

[@helenejeppesen2133]

Jojo Jojo Excellent! I’ve got you covered, then 😉

[@JojoJojo-bd6dz]

I get 80% of my books after your recommendations hehe

[@stellastar8888]

You have chosen a couple of great classics and also some of my favorites. But did you just say that Northanger Abbey is victorian? Victoria wasn`t even born when Jane Austen died. You probably meant "gothic";-)

[@helenejeppesen2133]

Stella Star That’s exactly what I meant! Gosh, you can hear that all of these videos are getting to me, the further we come along 🤣

[@stellastar8888]

Oh, sorry, that wasn`t meant to be rude at all (and I actually don`t think it was). And yes, I know it is satirizing the gothic genre. I just thought "gothic" was probably the word Helene wanted to use instead of "victorian".

[@Sabreena19]

U r also looks classy like 🤴 Diana

[@alibhg3063]

I loved I Capture the Castle! I remember it being shorter though and not in a big book lol. Sorry I really hated Catcher in the Rye. I know I haven't read it since high school but I saw it at the library and flipped through it and still didn't like it lol. I get that teens have angst but does it need to be through the whole story? One of my favorite classics is Watership Down. I love reading from an animal's point of view. So you can guess I loved Animal Farm by George Orwell, but haven't read 1984 yet. Also love Little Women and Anne of Green Gables.

[@musicalphoenix23]

1984 is great! If you liked Animal Farm then you will definitely enjoy it ☺️

[@lindajohnson4204]

@@musicalphoenix23 1984? I get it that believers in freedom have angst, but does it have to be all through the book?

[@Nanu2105]

OMG we have the same last name 😹

[@comarsavar1497]

I loved your accent to much. I am from turkey and its first time I understand anyones english in youtube.

[@karinabarbee8049]

In East of Eden is Kathy worse than Heathcliffe in Wuthering Heights? Not sure that's possible but....

[@jorgelopez-pr6dr]

You forgot Quo Vadis.

[@marthacanady9441]

As you age, it will be interesting to see if that book stays up there in your estimation. My feeling is that it will not.

[@joellaz9836]

Northinger abbey isn’t Victorian.

[@jorgelopez-pr6dr]

What? No Dracula? Moby Dick? The Island of Dr.Moreau? Fahrenheit 451 (by the way, the Thought Police is alive and well in UK)?.

[@SunriseFireberry]

What are your least favourite classics? Incidentally, Catcher in the Rye is on my bottom 10.

[@helenejeppesen2133]

TimeAndChance Haha 😃 One of my least favourites is actually “Great Expectations” by Charles Dickens 🙃

[@SunriseFireberry]

I'm not keen on GE either, but it doesn't make my low '10'. No one has made a vid on top 10 pets of booktubers. Zeus is on my top 10 list. :-)

[@bhumika3216]

You look like molly Hooper from Sherlock holmes

[@drissalaoui2650]

Hello helina , can send me classic books

[@tamistone2632]

??

[@myrarucker7953]

Are you no longer blogging?

[@eshita_arora]

I think I'm the only one who didn't like Jane Eyre that much. Jane could forgive Rochester for lying too much I on the other hand am not so forgiving. My good opinion once lost is lost forever 😹😹

[@baliksupper6043]

Who decides what is a “classic “?I mean Jane Austin bores me shitless.

[@marinatz6395]

Austen is very well liked by many people. I’m no expert but I believe it’s because many generations enjoy it and the story overall is just very lovable/enjoyable for people all around. I like Austen but at first I too found her boring, I was reading northanger abbey. I came back to it half a year later and it read it within a few days.