My Rankings
Time Magazine didn’t rank the top 100, so I thought I’d have a little fun and rank them myself. This is totally subjective, my opinion, and in no way represents the opinions of the editors at Time.
After I read each book, I’ll ask myself one question: Did I enjoy this book? That’s it. If I enjoyed the book, I’ll rank it high. If I hated it, or if I just didn’t like it as much, then I’ll rank it accordingly.
Rankings updated through Book 56: Ragtime (5/7/13)
- The Great Gatsby
- To Kill A Mockingbird
- I, Claudius
- Catch 22
- Things Fall Apart
- Infinite Jest
- 1984
- The Sun Also Rises
- Invisible Man
- An American Tragedy
- American Pastoral
- Never Let Me Go
- A Handful Of Dust
- The Bridge Of San Luis Rey
- The Grapes Of Wrath
- The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter
- The Power And The Glory
- Animal Farm
- The Blind Assassin
- Native Son
- Falconer
- The French Lieutenant’s Woman
- Blood Meridian
- The Corrections
- Revolutionary Road
- One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest
- Atonement
- Pale Fire
- Wide Sargasso Sea
- Go Tell It On The Mountain
- The Moviegoer
- A Clockwork Orange
- The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
- Rabbit, Run
- The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
- The Catcher in the Rye
- Deliverance
- Beloved
- Watchmen
- The Assistant
- The Golden Notebook
- The Big Sleep
- Death Comes For The Archbishop
- Ragtime
- Gone With The Wind
- Slaughterhouse Five
- Lord of the Flies
- Under The Volcano
- Snow Crash
- Dog Soldiers
- Lolita
- Neuromancer
- Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
- The Sound And The Fury
- Mrs. Dalloway
- A Dance To The Music Of Time
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I admire the idea behind your blog. Bravo and happy reading.
Love this! It’s a great idea.
Read the novel ‘Its not about the bike- My journey back to life’. Its a biography by Lance Armstrong. I know you are interested in novels rather than non-fiction. But try reading this, you will surely like it. By the way, nice ordering of books…
You’ve motivated me to start a similar project but relating it to preparation for the Graduate Records Examination to enter a dual masters degree. Thanks so much for all your inspiration!
Awesome! Good luck with it and keep me posted.
its a gud idea
Dilip, you flatter him far too much.
I am sad to see Lord of the Flies ranking so below on your list. You’ve actually got it below Lion, Witch, and Wardrobe, which I thought was pretty ordinary stuff
Sorry to disappoint. Sometimes I wonder if I have Lord of the Flies too low as well!
I love the concept of your blog/project.
Nineteen Eighty-Four is my all-time favourite, bar none.
Good blog. I’m a sucker for the 100 best novels idea. Not too many foreign novels there. If Dostoevsky saw this list he’s rise up from his grave. And then we’d only have to bury him again.
I love the idea of this blog, going through the 100 best books, and from the books that I’ve read on your list I mostly agree with you, though personally Catch 22 would be my top book.
I haven’t read Mrs. Dalloway or A Dance to the music of Time but I totally agree with your ranking of The Sound and the Fury.
I’m on pins and needles, wondering where you will be ranking Pale Fire. Looking forward to the revelation!
)
I took a quick look a your rankings, up to the list on the page, top 51.
My first comment is: the majority of the books are by American authors.
Saul Bellow isn’t on the list. An omission, I think.
The Adventures of Augie March is on the list. I just haven’t got to it yet.
Fab idea!
Lord of the Rings? The Hobbit?
Lord of the Rings is on the list. I haven’t got to it yet. Your looking at my rankings of the books I’ve already read.
how about ranking blogging sites? I see your alexa traffic ranking is 1,250,588,
Oh no! I’ve always wanted to be in the top 1,250,500. So close.
I actually hated Catch-22, The Great Gatsby, and The Catcher in the Rye. I felt like they all had a misogynistic undertone. Something a man might not notice. I love Slaughterhouse Five, and pretty much everything else Vonnegut wrote. I love lists like this. I’ve read most of the authors, but not the exact works listed.
It’s a great idea. But I wonder if you are always inspired enough to read the big names. Sometimes it is so much fun to pick up just anything and read! Do you find yourself taking a break from the list once in a while?
I’m happy to see “Things Fall Apart” rated so highly on this list! It’s a book I’ve returned to several times throughout my life and each time I’m moved by how powerful of a story it is. I know several Authors and Students that can’t stand it, so it’s refreshing to see others appreciate it as well.
Very inspirational idea! Have you found any underlying similarities in the books you’ve enjoyed the most?
I flinched hard at some of the ratings, and then smiled because you read all these and gave them time and chances and differing opinions are not the devil or anything, but rather a sign of character.
Have to admit I couldn’t get through Mrs. Dalloway! Loved Slaughterhouse Five though…
What did you find so great about the Great Gatsby? To be honest, I found it a bit underwhelming, but I’m thinking of giving it another read.
I love that you have A Handful of Dust in your top 20. I feel that that novel doesn’t get the recognition it deserves, everyone is always so focused on Brideshead Revisited. Personally, A Handful of Dust is one of my favorite novels, alongside This Side of Paradise and The Catcher in the Rye. So this makes me very happy. It’s also great to know not everyone is on the Lolita-is-an-amazing-piece-of-work bandwagon
Strange that over the last week, I have independently thought about your top four books, all of which I read as a teenager, and thought “I must revisit that book”.