Top 10 Books of All Time - Journey Through my Greatest Literary Fiction Reads

[@Johanna_reads]

Loved this list! There are several I need to read, and I have plans to pick up Lonesome Dove this year. So happy you loved Stoner! I like the art you showed. The window one brings to mind one of my favorite passages in the book. Thank you for the shoutout and for this wonderful video, Bart!

[@bartsbookspace]

Thank You Johanna. I hope you will find Lonesome Dove as captivating as I did. Yes, the window passage and the Art nicely captures the melancholy mood of much of the novel. If you have not yet read Beloved, that’s another one to consider adding to the long Tbr list. 😀

[@BooksWithBenghisKahn]

Loved this vid! I also loved Confederacy of Dunces and Killer Angels!!

[@bartsbookspace]

Yea. Those two are such great, yet completely different, reading experiences. Thank You!

[@vintagesf]

‘Lonesome Dove’ is waiting on my shelf for me with the other three books in the series. Loved the movie ‘Name of the Rose’. Need to read the book.

[@bartsbookspace]

I think you will love Lonesome Dove! The problem is how to find time for books like it with all the SF out there! 😂

[@Kim_Miller]

One of my most fond memories from a book comes from Name of the Rose. The narrator is talking to the abbot in the mountain monastery and the abbot says that the monastery has a special religious relic, the skull of John the Baptist as a twelve year old. The narrator says 'But john the Baptist wasn't beheaded until he was an adult'. And the abbot says, 'And that skull is held by that monastery over there on the next mountain.' I read this in the early 1980s soon after it was published so my memory has probably hashed up the quotes, but the idea of two skulls of John the Baptist at two different ages has lived in my head ever since. Also Kafka's The Trial, which I read in high school back in the 1960s. The madness of it stuck with me. It was not until many years later that I read that Kafka wanted to write a book that could be read in any chapter order and still carry the story. I never did get to cut a copy up into chapters, spread them on the floor in some random order, and read it as I picked them up.

[@bartsbookspace]

It’s been quite a while since I read The Name of the Rose so unfortunately, I don’t recall that passage, but it does seem to fit with the character and atmosphere of the book. And as for the Trial the idea of being able to read the book from any point is fascinating. I wonder if it works just conceptually, or if the actual reading flow/experience would be preserved? 🤔 Thank you for this intriguing comment!

[@mordaeu1411]

I have some of these on my TBR, definitely adding a few more!

[@bartsbookspace]

My tbr has also exploded since I discovered book-tube! 😂 it’s a double-edged sword

[@TomOrange]

So many books I need to read from this list. Great to see it

[@bartsbookspace]

Thanks Tom! Again, I think that Lonesome Dove would be one that you’d enjoy a great deal. Pillars of the Earth as well.

[@chrisantal2442]

Totally agree with Beloved! Once it grabs you it doesn't let go. Exceptional book!

[@bartsbookspace]

Yes. That is the perfect way to describe how I felt while reading Beloved. Took me a minute to get into it, but once grab me it did not let go. 🙌

[@KevinsNovelAdvice]

Great list! I need to read several of these, especially A Thousand Splendid Suns since I enjoyed The Kite Runner so much. 🪁 Maybe next time I need a good tear-jerker. Lonesome Dove is probably a top 10 for me as well. 🤠 Amazing characters and dialogue. Yeehaw!

[@bartsbookspace]

O ya, Lonesome Dove is great! And I think you’ll enjoy A 1000 Splendid Suns. It’s a sad story, but not without hope. Thanks

[@joannaolszewska7948]

You definitely encouraged me to read few books from your list : “ Stoner”, “Lonesome Dove”. I agree “ American Dirt”and “Thousand Splendid Suns” are heartbreaking but so good and eye opening. I also loved “Trial” and remember the uncomfortable feeling I had while reading it! I enjoyed your list very much!

[@bartsbookspace]

Thank You for watching! I think you’ll be swept away by LD! I’m not sure how you’ll feel about Stoner, it’s not to everyone’s taste, but if it is a hit for You, it will be a big ONE. ❤️

[@Dylan13Collins]

1. Children of Dune Frank Herbert 2. Blindsight by Peter Watts 3. It by Stephen King 4. The Folding knife by KJ Parker 5. Golden Son by Puerce Brown 6. Ice by Anna Kavon 7. Lies of Locke Lamora by Scot Lynch 8. Ocean at the end of the lane by Neil Gaiman 9. We by Yevgeny Zamyatin 10. A Scanner Darkly by Phillip K Dick

[@bartsbookspace]

What a great list. 👍 I recently read Ice and it blow my mind. I never read a book like it. Interestingly, many feel that with Ice Ana Kavan has out done Kafka. “It” is also an all time favorite, Gaiman’s Ocean is great and I’m still thinking about Blindsight (it’s been a couple of years)… Blindsight is one of those books that I found challenging, and the read was not particularly fun, but I can’t stop thinking about it. It’s at the top of the list of books I want to reread. Thanks!

[@Dylan13Collins]

@bartsbookspace9798 the more stories and books I read, the more I realize that I love New Wave scifi and "The Weird" (ex: Ice, Kurt Vonnegut, Algebon Blackwood, etc.). I love the approach of using something weird or unexpected in a Bleak world to have a dialog about some aspect of humanity or a philosophical idea or something like that. It's always so fascinating for me! I finished Ice about 2 weeks ago and with each day goes by, I think about moving it higher on my list lol.

[@bartsbookspace]

@@Dylan13Collins I agree. PKD is another one from new age that I love to read. Maze of Death was the last one and I really enjoyed it.

[@Dylan13Collins]

@bartsbookspace9798 I have read 4 or 5 PKD books now and they were wonderful! He's my favorite scifi author I think. Although, I need to read more Leguin first. I've only read 1 of hers but she's a contender for sure!

[@bartsbookspace]

@@Dylan13Collins LeGuin is great as well. The Left Hand, Lathe of Heaven and amazing. I also read the Dispossessed, but it was many years ago, and I need to revisit it. Rocannon’s World is the only one that I did not love. It was ok

[@dqan7372]

Dogs! Came for the books but would happily stay for the dogs. I really enjoyed Name of the Rose. Need to revisit that one. I have everything but American Dirt. I'm about 60% of the way through Beloved--another book I already feel the need to revisit; I've felt a bit lost the whole way through.

[@bartsbookspace]

😂 I guess I should feature my 3 dogs more often in the videos! Beloved is a challenging read, but in my opinion, so worth the effort. It took me a bit for the book to “click” but when it did… I was reading and re-reading passages, highlighting sections, reading dialogues to my wife, in a word - I was spellbound. I hope it “clicks” for you. Thanks!

[@daxxh]

Lonesome Dove is one of my top 2 favorite books (Dune is also in my top 2). I read The Trial in college and don't remember a lot about it other than it was kind of scary. Pillars of the Earth was fantastic. The Name of the Rose, American Dirt and A Thousand Splendid Suns are on my TBR. I am definitely adding Killer Angels to my TBR. Excellent list!

[@bartsbookspace]

Thanks! I think you will really enjoy Killer Angels as well as the books already on your TBR. Happy Reading 😀

[@hdcbpxsytahdcbpx]

love stoner, will add A Thousand Splendid Suns to my tbr!

[@bartsbookspace]

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 👍

[@aniaolszewska748]

The Name of the Rose sounds like a super fun book

[@bartsbookspace]

Thanks for watching Ania! Not sure if I would call it fun, it gets dark, but it is an amazing book.

[@ayidas]

I love Khaled Hosseini, and A Thousand Splendid Sons is his best!! Glad to see that one on the list.

[@bartsbookspace]

Thank You for watching and for the comment! What I like about Hosseini (other than his storytelling) is the fact that his books have deep meaning. He is not using his fame to just “pump out” a novel every year for monetary reasons.

[@ayidas]

@@bartsbookspace He is not, although I would be more than thrilled if he released a new book soon! 😆

[@bartsbookspace]

@@ayidas I agree. It’s been years…

[@pickyourpopculturepoison]

Pillars of the Earth was so much better than I expected!

[@bartsbookspace]

I could not agree more. I expected it to be more superficial than it turned out to be. It’s well researched; just a great historical novel.

[@jobuckley2999]

Lonesome Dove, Killer Angels, The Kite Runner, Pillars of the Earth and Stoner were all superb. I would recommend John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden. These are pillars of Americana. The Brothers Karamazov and Crime and Punishment are brilliant Russian classics. Easy to read too. I enjoyed your picks and recommendations. Great video.

[@bartsbookspace]

Thank you! I recently read Of Mice and Men and thought about including it on this list. In the end, I decided it was too short a book for a list like this. Need to read more Steinbeck. Many Russian classics are on my tbr. I also thought about including The Master and Margarita, maybe if it was a top 20. 🤔 Thank you for watching.

[@ReadtoFilth]

I been wanting to read beloved and a thousand splendid sun for a while now. It will be on this year TBR

[@bartsbookspace]

Both books, in my opinion, are deserving of anyone’s time; they will move you and they will likely teach you. Beloved is a more challenging read, but so worth the effort.

[@ReadingIDEAS.-uz9xk]

Best wishes with what you choose to read. I'm currently reading the Count of Monte Cristo. It is great but I might be some time!

[@bartsbookspace]

Enjoy reading The Count of Monte Cristo, such a good book. I’m in book 3 in the Dark Tower series The Waste Lands; I’m loving it!

[@toniblessing4624]

Excellent list!

[@bartsbookspace]

Thank you! It wasn’t easy to narrow it down. 😀

[@dudleyristow9823]

Overall a great 10 list Bart. Confederacy LOL +++, Lonesome Dove, Splendid Sun, American Dirt and undisputable Pillars of the Earth but please do yourself a favor and chase up Edith Pargeter's same genre (unfortunately out of print) epic "The Heaven Tree Trilogy" It is a wow of a read and equals POLE on every level.

[@bartsbookspace]

I was only vaguely aware of The Heaven Tree, thank you for reminding me of its existence. I'll look for the books in used books stores. Thanks for watching and for the comment!

[@anotherbibliophilereads]

Some really great choices. I have read most of them. I loved Paul Auster’s 4321 and have the NY trilogy on my Kindle. I’m surprised at American Dirt. It made me laugh and it shouldn’t be the boarder is a tragedy. I think the author was writing too much with a film adaptation in mind.

[@bartsbookspace]

Thanks. I hope you enjoy NY Trilogy as much as you like 4321. I have yet to read 4321, it's a much longer book than typical Auster, but it's on my long tbr. American Dirt certainly is a contentious one. Thank you for watching and for the comment!

[@OoLaLaFrenchGirl]

Lonesome Dove is my favorite book. I read it in high school, but it's such a great read that I may need to revisit it again soon. I am going to add American Dirt to my TBR for this year. I am near the Texas border and live with the unique perspective of the issues that are both brought to our country and the problems that some are fleeing from. I am curious as to what side of the aisle this book will lean towards. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinions.

[@bartsbookspace]

Thank you for watching! Lonesome Dove is a special book for so many readers. I hope American Dirt, when you read it, will both entertain and enlighten you, as it did for me. Of course, you may be much more aware of the border problems then I was prior to reading this book. Still, I think it’s well worth picking up.

[@javaguy5783]

I thought a thousand splendid suns wasn't as good as the Kite Runner but I will have to take another look at it.

[@bartsbookspace]

I liked both of them. But, possibly because I read A Thousand splendid Suns first, it had a bigger effect on me.

[@ff-us6vy]

For sure mine is a minority opinion. Ironically, I can agree with Bart's first nine choices, but his #1 choice by Toni Morrison is a pretentious work. Morrison's first novel, The Bluest Eye, is a straightforward narrative, a masterpiece. Then it's gradually downhill from there as her novels became progressively noncoherent. Beloved reads as tho Morrison wrote a wonderful, clear, and dramatic narrative, then took scissors and cut the pages into small fragments, threw them up into the air, picked them up randomly after they had fallen to the floor, and published them in that mixed up order. It's a shame really, for Beloved could and should have been a narrative masterpiece instead of a chaotic mishmash. I find Morrison to be a puzzling novelist who, as her career progressed, sacrificed narrative power for some sort of self-conscious, self-indulgent concept of artistry.

[@bartsbookspace]

Thanks for watching and for the comment! This is what makes reading so special. It’s such a subjective form of art. To me, the nonlinear, somewhat haphazard, structure of Beloved was an added future, the story reveals itself in a stop and go fashion. It worked for me, but it does make it a bit more difficult to sink into the story.

[@ff-us6vy]

@@bartsbookspace Hello! I'm curious -- have you read The Bluest Eye?

[@bartsbookspace]

@@ff-us6vy Hi. Not yet, but I will be reading it later this year. Your comment may speed up the timeline for me! 😂 I know it’s her first published novel and it has a fabulous set up. I can’t wait to start.