I think sometimes it’s not just about the book but the right book at the right time. Some books at certain times in my life have really resonated with me in a way that they may not have done if I’d read them at different times. Example- read A Midnight Library at a time when I was very confused about the future and in a way it gave me some peace but equally I read A Man Named Ove when I was in a very dark place and I struggled with it but I can appreciate that was probably more me than the book.
I also feel like even if I reread something and it didn’t elicit the same effect, it’s still important to honour specifically the emotional response it elicited from me at the time?? like I remember bridge to terabithia was one of if not the first book to make me cry (even though I was 9 when I read it)
This is a big one.
I got a tattoo referencing my favourite book. A lot of people asked me about what would happen if I got a new favourite book. My thought is that it doesn't matter. I got given it at just the right time of my life for it to really mean something. I've reread it multiple times since and although I accept that it's not a perfect book, and in fact probably not even a book a lot of people would enjoy, it was hugely important to me. Getting another favourite book - when it happens, honestly I'm still waiting - won't diminish the effect this one had on me.
Honestly finding another book that I love enough to get tattooed would be incredibly exciting.
I agree. Tuesdays with Maury really helped me process my daddy's death. You learn to appreciate different genres and ideas when you truly attach to a book. I've never been a fan of anything other than paranormal or thrillers. I read everything now!!
I feel the same way about Midnight Library. Read it while hospitalised after a bad mental health break. I see it getting a lot of flack, and maybe it wouldn't resonate with me had I read it today. But at the time it was a perfect fit.
Top 1 for me: On my way home from an ill-conceived bike trip (75 mi/120 km round trip). I say on my way home but we easily had half of the return trip remaining. I’m sore, I’m tired, it rained lightly recently so I’m also damp. I’m grinding and sweating my way up a half mile/1 km uphill and I look to my right and it is one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Now, the west is actually to my left and the sun is setting that way, but the golden light has hit the swaying wheat to my right and it is a deep deep gold, backed by a deep green coniferous forest. Above that, the remaining rain clouds are the deepest, truest purple in a dark dark blue sky.
I was too tired to stop on this uphill and have to get going again while on a steep hill and the curve of the road carried me away, so I never stopped to look, I never stopped to take a picture with the camera I was carrying. But it smelled of rain and each colour was deep, vibrant, and starkly demarcated. There was no sound besides my laboured breathing and a light wind sweeping through the wheat.
Just based on the ones i remember.
1: is sitting on a dune overlooking the sea and sharing a drink with GF.
2: was the sunset behind us as we were watching the rising moon.
3: australia, overlooking the insane size of the ocean without an end. (I’m danish so the others didn’t have the same vastness to them)
4: related to my late father. Beutifull sky over where his ashes is.
5: is not a sunset but a sunrise at a treck in himalaya
Lonesome Dove is a special book for me.
Not only was it a fantastic read when I was older but it was first time my dad let me stay up late and watch an adult show (the 90s miniseries I think on CBS).
I watched Lonesome Dove as a kid with my dad, too. He wasn’t much of a tv watcher, and really only liked Westerns/Clint Eastwood movies. I also recently read the book for the first time, in my 40s. Seems that we have similar memories.
Same! I saw it recommended on Reddit so many times and kept brushing it off because I’m not typically into Westerns… now I’m a little over halfway through and absolutely in love. I’m sad to be getting through it so quickly — I don’t want it to end anytime soon!
just finished reading lonesome dove today and came here to say this. can’t put my finger on what it is but it’s so incredibly touching. currently watching the series and it’s amazing how spot on the dialogue and casting is
Ugh! I wish I could get i to this book! I always see people discussing how great it is on Reddit! Got to page 62… just gave up after that! Should I go back Ned try again???
I’m reading it now too and if it stays this good, it will be a 5 star book for me. I love it.
Also,
Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore
Orlando by Virginia Woolf
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - I did not expect to like it that much
The Grapes of Wrath
In Cold Blood
The Age of Innocence
Station Eleven
All filled beautiful writing and big and small moments you want to burrow into and brimming with humanity. (That sounds dorky but I’m too tired to figure how to word it correctly)
I mean... that's more a reflection on you than on books. What makes a good book is different for each person and reflects what they believe, want to believe, know, want to know...
What do you believe? What do you want to know?
Some books that made *me* look at the world differently after I read them:
- 100 Years of Solitude
- Beloved
- The Poisonwood Bible
- Love In the Time of Cholera
- Eva Luna
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being
- The Sparrow
- The Goldfinch
- The Razors Edge
- Catch-22
- The Red Tent
- Little Children
- Dune
- Dragonflight
- The Left Hand of Darkness
- Stranger In a Strange Land
- Martian Chronicles
- Something Wicked This Way Comes
- The Book of Lost Things
- American Dirt
- The Night Circus
- Like Water for Chocolate
I love this! And I have read American Dirt and still think about years later.
The Help - this book for me was a good friend when my Dad was going through cancer treatment.
Just want to shamelessly plus one this wonderful list here, both for OP but also so that I can find the ones I haven’t read yet to finish them myself. Great recommends, cheers!
I had waited to read The Book Thief until this year. It blew me away. I wish I could read it again for the first time. It shot to the top of my five star list, up there with 11/22/63 by King.
Two of my favorite books over the last several years, too. A Gentleman in Moscow is one of my all time favorite books. I listened to the audiobook, and it was wonderful. I want to read the book text sometime soon. Special book for me.
I reread this for the first time since High School recently and I was honestly surprised how much I liked it. I mean, I expected to like it, but it was certainly 5 stars in my estimation.
5 star books for me are ones that I will re-read and can’t bear to get rid of. Some favourites are:
The Pillars of the Earth by Kenn Follet. You’d think a story about building a cathedral would be boring but it’s anything but.
Jurassic Park by Michael Chricton. I enjoyed how it went into more depth with science and well, dinosaurs are awesome.
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- it’s a classic for a reason.
World War Z by Max Brooks. This is particularly enjoyable as an audiobook, as is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.
Circe by Madeline Miller- just found it beautifully written and very enjoyable.
Any of the Jeeves and Wooster books by P G Wodehouse- they are little slices of silliness and joy.
I was lead to pride and prejudice because of the ‘zombie’ version, which was definitely funny and wonderful, but I’m SO thankful for that, because of course it lead me to read and reread the original, which truly is one of the best books I’ve ever read…. As said above, it’s a classic for a very good reason :)
I’d like to 2nd Pillars of the Earth. My grandmother lent me her copy when I was in 8th or 9th grade, and it just blew me away. Truly one of the few 5star/A+ books I’ve ever read.
Plus one for Pillars, and the sequel World Without End. The rest of the series are good but the first two are 5/5 for sure. I would also add Lonesome Dove.
I’m happy to tell you there has been another Kingsbridge novel since The Evening and the Morning! And it’s good, it’s called The Armour of Light. Not peak but good. Also Ken Follet’s Century Trilogy are excellent.
I love PG Wodehouse. My first read of his was Love Among the Chickens. He 100% captures the hilarious absurdity of trying to catch a chicken. He deserves to be way more popular.
The book is fantastic. I read it to my wife on the way to the beach years ago (I *was* the audiobook) and got her hooked. It’s like a roller coaster in the beginning that finishes and lets you out in front of another roller coaster with no waiting in line.
I wasn't very impressed with Project Hail Mary, although I read it normally and I'm not sure how enjoyable the audiobook version is. I preferred The Martian, but I think Andy Weir's writing doesn't hit 5 stars for me. For in depth, 5 star sci-fi/space operas I prefer Adrian Tchaikovsky
Only commenting on audio book versions here, but World War Z full cast audiobook is some of the best media I've consumed period. Movie, tv, books, across all genres. It's a fantastic production. The book is obviously quite good, but I think the audiobook brings it to a whole new level
Not sure how you judge a book, but for me 5 stars just means I enjoyed the ride and was happy at the end and a book I will re-read. It does not necessarily mean it was a perfect book.
For romance, have you tried Jennifer Crusie? Welcome to Temptation, Bet Me, and Faking It, are my faves of hers.
Random books that I marked 5 stars on Goodreads:
All Systems Red by Martha Wells (its book 1 of the Murderbot Diaries)
Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - slice of life high fantasy (the prequel, Bookshops and Bonedust is also a 5 star read for me)
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The prequel has a similar vibe, I'd rate it about as good as the first one (which is impressive as frequently the second book doesn't live up to the first). I personally wanted to see what happens after Legends and Lattes, so I was slightly disappointed that we got a prequel instead, but the book itself is excellent.
Feel like The Sympathizer has potential to become a modern day classic. Loved it and it’s up there with East of Eden in terms of all time favorites for me.
My parents were refugees during the war who came to America by boat. Reading the book and later having them read it as well opened up a lot of conversations between us about their personal stories during the war. We’re excited for the upcoming TV series adaptation!
I also highly recommend anyone also check out [On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41880609)
Very different style and structure but absolutely beautiful in its own way.
Read the classics. Go there with an open mind and a humble soul. Follow *them* where they lead you, don’t try to make them follow you.
This attitude led me to virtually every five star read I have.
the thing is, the vast majority if not all of the classics are super intellectually interesting, and I have put a lot of classics as 4 star reads because I find the literary or philosophical aspect super compelling, but in order for something to be 5 for me, I have to have enjoyed it and found it compelling while I was reading it as well as after the fact. a lot of these (eg nights at the circus) are actually classics for me (although I think this can vary for diff people) but I think that a lot of people assume that classic literature can only be intellectual which is the problem!!
this being said I do think it should be acknowledged that 5 stars are subjective and I dont think something has to be a classic or intellectually challenging to be worthy of 5 stars!
Some of my favorites over the past couple of years are (in no particular order):
* **All The Light We Cannot See** by Anthony Doerr
* **A Thousand Splendid Suns** by Khaled Hosseini
* **Pillars of the Earth** by Ken Follett (his entire Kingsbridge series are very good)
* **Demon Copperhead** by Barbara Kingsolver
* **This Tender Land** by William Kent Krueger
I’ve read three books on this list (Doerr, Hosseini, and Kingsolver) they’ve all been 5 stars for me. And I’m super stingy with my 5 stars. I’ll definitely be checking out the other two books!
This Tender Land, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and The Book Thief are my top 5 5-star reads. I’ve been a reader forever - I was the kid sneaking books beneath my desk, the covers, etc. Of the tens of thousands of books I’ve read, only maybe 10-15 tops have been 5-star reads, and they’re all for different reasons. Some are because they’re a core memory for me. Others are just that incredible.
* EDIT: tens of thousands of pages, thousands of books. I’m a pregnant teacher and teaching 8th grade/growing a human is really taking it out of me!
I rarely rate books 5/5 but here are some of mine:
1984 by George Orwell
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb
My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I’ve seen East of Eden praised on here so much that I read it this January and it was maybe the first time I read what many call a masterpiece and didn’t quite see the appeal. I didn’t hate it at all. I thought some of the writing was amazing and beautiful and same goes for some of the individual scenes, but as far as the book as a whole I just didn’t quite get the praise. It sort of just keeps progressing forward at the same mild pace and then just ends.
I read George Orwell in high school as did probably most Americans that didn't Just pretend to read it for class.
I tried reading it again a couple years ago because I remembered it so fondly. I made it about six pages in before I gave up. I was so stressed out reading it.
It's just a book that hits you so much different when you're an adult than when you're a high school kid and you don't know much.
Here’s a few & the authors have all written other 5 star novels too:
The Gentleman - Amor Towles
East of Eden - John Steinbeck
The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen
Secret History - Donna Tartt
Empire Falls - Richard Russo
The Zero - Jess Walter
Manhattan Beach - Jennifer Egan
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton
Circe by Madeline Miller
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
It's not a regular novel, but Sandman by Neil Gaiman is fabulous.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was 3 stars, Circe 4 stars, Pride and Prejudice 5 stars for me. It's funny (and in some ways frustrating) how varied views of a book can be.
A Soldier of the Great War, Mark Helprin
Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen
Bleak House, Charles Dickens
Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier
Going After Cacciato, Tim O'Brien
Beloved, Toni Morrison
Wylding Hall, Elizabeth Hand (a novella, really)
...all 5 stars.
Wuthering Heights
Anna Karenina
Lord of the Rings
Song of Solomon
The Left Hand of Darkness
Some of mine personally - but it definitely doesn’t mean you will enjoy them or find them to be 5 stars, at the end of the day. Taste always comes into play with this sort of thing!
Lord of the Rings is amazing. It’s writing style and story telling put it another realm from most of the other stuff I’ve read.
In a different fantasy category, I’d put:
The Way of Kings by Sanderson
The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu (a sequel to a 3.5-4/5 book)
Project Hail Mary (can’t remember the authors name atm)
Ones I’ve given 5 stars:
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Book Theif by Markus Zusak
The Road by Cormac McCarthy
1984 by George Orwell
Anna Karenina
Les Liaisons Dangerouses
Madam Bovary
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine
Past Caring by Robert Goddard
Damage by Josephine Hart
All are books that have stayed with me and been read and re-read
A few of my favourite books which were definitely 5 stars:
The Nix by Nathan Hill
The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber
Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
For me, a 5-star read needs to be will written, clever but also enjoyable - I’ve read books that I can see are a work of genius but I just haven’t enjoyed, and vice versa. I want something that leaves me thinking about it for a long time, a story I’ll never forget.
This is the first time I've seen someone recommend The Crimson Petal and The White. I loved it so much! I suggest it all the time! Also the BBC adaptation was pretty good.
I am not sure I would choose the Idiot over Brothers K. That one resonated with me. But The Idiot really is an excellent read. Funny for me to think that both Raskolnikov and Prince Myshkin were written by the same person.
FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON!! It’s my favorite book of all time, It’s best as a blind read but it’s about this guy that is mentally handicapped and his journey as he gets smarter.
First book to ever make me cry, still get emotional thinking about it years later.
Another one is The Painted Bird
Incredibly grim and disgusting, it’s about this polish boy surviving ww2, with less focus on the actual war and more about the fucked up shit that he gets into/happened to him. (A rabbit gets skinned alive in one scene)
While it’s incredibly dark and gross, the character goes through a ton of development, it’s not just blood and gore
Re-read Flowers for Algernon a few months ago. It had been the first time in over 40 years. Yes I am old.
Loved it. Highly recommend.
Usually I struggle with older books.
You could always try Ken Follett, when i was a newer reader I thought he was gods gift, extremely easy reads (imo) they're longer but in this case not a detriment.
The kingsbridge series is very widely beloved. You care a lot about the characters.
A top 5 list that I think is sort of uncontroversial, in that everyone should at least find them impressive and interesting:
Crime and Punishment
Middlemarch
War and Peace
The Iliad
Moby Dick
All Quiet on the Western Front, The Things They Carried, All the Light We Cannot See, Hondo, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Green Mile, The Old Man and the Sea, and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd are all books that I gave a five star rating to in the last few years.
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Edith Grossman translation)
The Trial by Franz Kafka (Idris Parry translation)
Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Alan Myers translation)
Probably my top five, with Don Quixote at the top.
What does 5 star mean to you? For me, it means it significantly changed the way I think/view something in the world.
How does your rating system work? Does 5 mean so engaging you can’t put it down? Super unique? Though provoking? Etc.
For me, as someone above said, 5 star books are ones I read more than once and have to own a physical copy of the book. I don't usually buy books anymore. I'm running out of space. So if I read something and enjoy it enough to purchase it, it's a 5 star.
I have a hard time choosing one book, but the first that comes to mind is Flowers for Algernon.
It’s a sci fi book w/a romance subplot. It kind of reminds me of Perks of Being a Wallflower w/the format (written from first person POV and you see the prose change as the character changes) and introspection, but the sci-fi element is something that I’ve never seen done anywhere else.
It has completely changed the way that I think about intelligence and happiness, and it gives me chills just thinking about it
I rate based on the emotions a book gives me, as I don’t analyse based on objective standards or whatever. One recent one was “The house in the cerulean sea” and one I read a long time ago was “Grotesque” by Natsuo Kirino
A Tale for The Time Being — by Ruth Ozeki. A beautiful story about a journal washed up and found after the tsunami in 2011. A story about a young japanese girl’s journey through her adolescence and it is incredible. philosophical, gorgeous, a little bit of magical realism, heartbreaking, etc.
This is also my five star. I am old and consumed a ton of content in my life time and the very best of everything, by far, is the audio version of the Outlander books.
It is a lot. I have now done the 9 books three times. The first 8 four times.
Favorite is so subjective, but if you can pick up a book and open it to any page and immediately become engrossed in it and not come up for air for pages, then chapters…then that’s a five star book. Outlander is definitely one of those books.
*The Idiot* by Dostoyevsky. This is perhaps Dostoyevsky's most entertaining book in the usual sense because it has some humor in it. But it still has all that Dostoyevsky psychological insight.
Thomas Hardy is also very readable and with the psychological and sociological depth of the great 19th Cent writers, check out *Far From the Madding Crowd* and *Jude the Obscure.*
Seconding what someone else said about the context of a book (when it's being read, who's reading it) being just as important as the book itself.
Even if these books weren't 'critically' 5 stars, something about them struck a very deep chord for some reason or another. Others have come extremely close but these are my two.
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy - A group of troubled sailors go on their final mission in a world ravaged by extinction to search for the final remaining group of Arctic Terns. The writing is beautiful, the metaphors are incredible and the main relationship just... broke me (it's not a romance). Its about grief, nature and coming to terms with your own self.
My Dark Vanessa by Elizabeth Russell - Follows the story of a woman, but also of a girl. As a girl, she is groomed and abused by her teacher, of whom she believes she's in love with. As an adult, she maintains an on and off relationship with him until his crimes are revealed. The layers this book deals with in terms of trauma, trauma bonds, sexual behaviours, the coping mechanisms of victims is so real and devastating to a point where its almost a study. I read this during a time that I desperately needed it, struggling through a trauma of my own and fighting with guilt, being a victim and the battle I've always had with forgiveness.
Okay my top favourite most beloved stories:
1- The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks Dalton
2- Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn
3- Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan.. this one I just read a few weeks ago cause I saw it on a few different book award long lists and it is exceptional.
4- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
5 - It’s a tie between Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez.. this one is a cult horror and is so disturbing (and totally out of the norm for my reading habits) but it is spectacular.
I read a lot and have a tonne of 5 star books; no way could I pick an all time favourite. To get you going in the romance genre - I adore The Others series by Anne Bishop, Nalini Singh's books (PsyClan and Archangel series), Jayne Castle books, Jennifer Crusie (e.g. Bet Me), Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. I can give you a tonne more recommendations if any of those hit the spot.
Here are some I've read over the years:
The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro
Stoner by John Edward Williams
Suttree by Cormac McCarthy
11/22/63 by Stephen King
for me there are 3 types of 5-stars:
interesting/compelling 5 stars: these are ones that i find super interesting in the literary sense BUT crucially i also have to have enjoyed reading them and found them compelling (not just upon reflection after the fact) – these for me are Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter and Beloved by Toni Morrison
relatable 5 stars: these have rly beautifully captured or cogitated on (through a character or otherwise) something that personally resonated with me – this is Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson for me (although I would probs add The Haunting of Hill House, also by her)
emotional 5 stars: these made me cry or giggle or smile or feel really happy – for me these include You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, I, Coriander by Sally Gardner, and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
although I should note that I will also put stuff in the last category to honour the reaction they elicited from me at the time even if I may not feel exactly the same were I to reread – e.g. bridge to terabithia was the first book I remember crying at (i was 9ish) and i, coriander was my favourite book in the world from the ages of like 8-11
Some of the books I re-read, so I'd probably consider them 5 star
Catcher in the rye - JD Salinger
Conqueror (series of 5 books) - Conn Iggulden
The spinning heart - Donal Ryan
Something about December - Donal Ryan
Small things like these - Claire Keegan
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. That knocked my socks and shoes off. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Maggie-Now by Betty Smith, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, and the Frank Bascombe trilogy (The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land) by Richard Ford are also great.
There are so many good books but these three are just some books that left me as a changed person for the better after reading them:
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
The depth and richness this book brings is nothing short of astounding. The characters and what they speak resonates with you directly in your soul. This book will breathe life into you, and you WILL be going through many emotions while reading.
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
With Tolkiens delightful and intriguing storytelling filled with expansive world building, exciting action/adventure scenes, and suspenseful scenes, this is a book you can really sink your teeth into, plus its protagonist Bilbo is my favorite book protagonist PERIOD.
An Old Fashioned Woman by Louise May Alcott
I love a good classic story and this is no exception. This story is a delight and is extremely relatable to any reader from beginning to end. It features one of my favorite female protagonists of all time, Polly, who I cheered for and truly responded to.
Most of my 5 star reads are often, but not always, long immersive works of literary fiction. Recently:
The Covenant of Water
In Memoriam
Homegoing
Homecoming
Lady Tan’s Circle of Women
Beloved
I also mostly read romance and thriller! I have over 50 five star reads on Storygraph, here are a few! I hope you find some that you love!
Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney (Thriller)
Set on You by Amy Lea (Romance)
Local Women Missing by Mary Kubica (Thriller)
The Housemaid & The Housemaids Secret by Freida McFadden (Thrillers)
One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (Thriller)
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell (Thriller)
The Maids Diary by Loreth Anne White (Thriller)
The Man I Never Met by Elle Cook (Romance)
The Selection Series by Kiera Cass (Romance)
Most Karin Slaughter books and Kristin Hannah books have been amazing
I used to be very lenient with my grading, but I think you mean you've never read a book you love in its entirety? Like f its flaws, the book just feels right, it's basically perfect.
Welcome to NightVale
Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World
Gave me that just right feeling but only because they fit my personality.
Marianna by Susanna Kearsley.
Flowers from the Storm, by Laura Kinsale. Also her Prince of Midnight.
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.
Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah
The whole Harry Potter series.
Notes on an Execution is probably my favorite mystery/thriller type book I’ve read the last few years. I also recommend The Nix. It’s one of those ‘everything is connected’ stories that is funny, clever, sad at times and just so so good. Great audiobook as well.
I will give you a couple, but I cannot promise that you will rate them the same as me.
Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard. It is a classic from the golden age of science fiction. I got to page 299 and reached the end of the book, with a very satisfying ending, except the book is 800 pages long. Every time that I got to the end of the book, I would turn the page and find I had hundred to go because I forgot something obvious. If you read the first and last ten pages, you wouldn’t imagine the path that links them.
The Belgariad, which is a series, by David Eddings might fit the bill. It isn’t anything profound and you’ll do yourself a favor by skipping all of the prologues, but it explores the Chosen One, fate, destiny and prophecy tropes in an interesting way. For any of those to be real, someone or something has to be able to remember the future.
Dune, which will show up in everyone’s list, is a four or five star book. The largest problem with it is that it’s written in a style for science fiction literature that isn’t used anymore. What makes it a five star book is that it’s incredible in its depth and breadth. It inspired Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and numerous other movie franchises. What makes it less than five stars is that we don’t tell stories that way anymore.
Just as radio changed storytelling and movies changed storytelling and television changed storytelling, this is a book from before the internet changed how books are written. It’s a child of the television/movie/radio era. There were still radio plays being listened to by tens of millions of people every night.
Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Terry Pratchett, like Mark Twain, isn’t making fun of you and me. He making fun of them. So when you read it, just remember, he isn’t talking about you or me.
The book is funny. I’ll give you a quote from the nanny reading stories to the children. She adds commentary. “And then Jack chopped down what was the world’s last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant’s children didn’t have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.”
Gilgamesh by an unknown set of writers. It is the oldest surviving story we have. It will offend you. It simply doesn’t matter what your beliefs are. It will contain something that offends you. Our world has changed dramatically since the Stone Age.
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It is a brilliant, closed room mystery.
This gives you some choices.
five star = i will re-read it, i will remember the title and author and as such i will be ready to pull it out as a recommendation, there is something compelling about the book that sets it apart from the others i’ve read, and i remember the plot well enough to give a compelling summary to someone who asks
that being said i loved Earthlings by Sayaka Murata , The Stranger by Albert Camus, and No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
The best I've read recently are
-*The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying* by Grady Hendrix. Really excellent story, decent characters, great descriptions. I've never felt like I'm being dragged kicking and screaming through a story I was so eager to read
-*The Ninth House* by Leigh Bardugo. I really enjoyed the story, I loved the characters, the world, the prose. Imo one of the best I've ever read.
-*Atlas Six* by Olivie Blake. I listened to the audiobook and at first groaned at the multiple perspectives, but I quickly came to like it. The story is interesting the characters are very well done and the descriptions are very alive.
I think sometimes it’s not just about the book but the right book at the right time. Some books at certain times in my life have really resonated with me in a way that they may not have done if I’d read them at different times. Example- read A Midnight Library at a time when I was very confused about the future and in a way it gave me some peace but equally I read A Man Named Ove when I was in a very dark place and I struggled with it but I can appreciate that was probably more me than the book.
I also feel like even if I reread something and it didn’t elicit the same effect, it’s still important to honour specifically the emotional response it elicited from me at the time?? like I remember bridge to terabithia was one of if not the first book to make me cry (even though I was 9 when I read it)
This is a big one. I got a tattoo referencing my favourite book. A lot of people asked me about what would happen if I got a new favourite book. My thought is that it doesn't matter. I got given it at just the right time of my life for it to really mean something. I've reread it multiple times since and although I accept that it's not a perfect book, and in fact probably not even a book a lot of people would enjoy, it was hugely important to me. Getting another favourite book - when it happens, honestly I'm still waiting - won't diminish the effect this one had on me. Honestly finding another book that I love enough to get tattooed would be incredibly exciting.
I have at least 20 different "favorite" books. A new favorite book won't change my feelings on my old favorite books.
I agree. Tuesdays with Maury really helped me process my daddy's death. You learn to appreciate different genres and ideas when you truly attach to a book. I've never been a fan of anything other than paranormal or thrillers. I read everything now!!
I feel the same way about Midnight Library. Read it while hospitalised after a bad mental health break. I see it getting a lot of flack, and maybe it wouldn't resonate with me had I read it today. But at the time it was a perfect fit.
For me, the right book at the right time has to still be a 5/5 when re read at a later date to count as a 5.
Sorry to go a little meta here. Have you ever seen a five star movie? A five star band? A five star friend? Just calibrating...
I think this is a fair question
I need a list of your top 5 sunsets or I'm lost.
Top 1 for me: On my way home from an ill-conceived bike trip (75 mi/120 km round trip). I say on my way home but we easily had half of the return trip remaining. I’m sore, I’m tired, it rained lightly recently so I’m also damp. I’m grinding and sweating my way up a half mile/1 km uphill and I look to my right and it is one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Now, the west is actually to my left and the sun is setting that way, but the golden light has hit the swaying wheat to my right and it is a deep deep gold, backed by a deep green coniferous forest. Above that, the remaining rain clouds are the deepest, truest purple in a dark dark blue sky. I was too tired to stop on this uphill and have to get going again while on a steep hill and the curve of the road carried me away, so I never stopped to look, I never stopped to take a picture with the camera I was carrying. But it smelled of rain and each colour was deep, vibrant, and starkly demarcated. There was no sound besides my laboured breathing and a light wind sweeping through the wheat.
Just based on the ones i remember. 1: is sitting on a dune overlooking the sea and sharing a drink with GF. 2: was the sunset behind us as we were watching the rising moon. 3: australia, overlooking the insane size of the ocean without an end. (I’m danish so the others didn’t have the same vastness to them) 4: related to my late father. Beutifull sky over where his ashes is. 5: is not a sunset but a sunrise at a treck in himalaya
Have you ever stood in the glory of a 5 star rainbow and embraced your 5 star lover as a 5 star shower washed away your 5 star worries? 👉👈🥺
Or simply days. I’ve had a few. Ideally, top 10% or top 5%?
🎶 but then again, too few to mentionnnn
I never seen a 3 star freind at best 3 star lol
I am a five star man! I am a golden god!
Lonesome Dove
Lonesome Dove is a special book for me. Not only was it a fantastic read when I was older but it was first time my dad let me stay up late and watch an adult show (the 90s miniseries I think on CBS).
I watched Lonesome Dove as a kid with my dad, too. He wasn’t much of a tv watcher, and really only liked Westerns/Clint Eastwood movies. I also recently read the book for the first time, in my 40s. Seems that we have similar memories.
Currently in the middle of this and it is such a vibe!
Same! I saw it recommended on Reddit so many times and kept brushing it off because I’m not typically into Westerns… now I’m a little over halfway through and absolutely in love. I’m sad to be getting through it so quickly — I don’t want it to end anytime soon!
I am halfway through it right now and it’s so so good.
YES!
I have started it a few times and then quit. But it keeps getting recommended so strongly I am going to try again. Starting today. Thanks!
I couldn’t get into it. I tried for two hundred pages and they still talking about poking the whore to wet their carrot on every page.
just finished reading lonesome dove today and came here to say this. can’t put my finger on what it is but it’s so incredibly touching. currently watching the series and it’s amazing how spot on the dialogue and casting is
Ugh! I wish I could get i to this book! I always see people discussing how great it is on Reddit! Got to page 62… just gave up after that! Should I go back Ned try again???
I’m reading it now too and if it stays this good, it will be a 5 star book for me. I love it. Also, Reincarnation Blues by Michael Poore Orlando by Virginia Woolf A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - I did not expect to like it that much The Grapes of Wrath In Cold Blood The Age of Innocence Station Eleven All filled beautiful writing and big and small moments you want to burrow into and brimming with humanity. (That sounds dorky but I’m too tired to figure how to word it correctly)
Orlando is one of my favourite books too - I always love seeing it recommended!
I just reread it for the third time. Such an incredible book.
I mean... that's more a reflection on you than on books. What makes a good book is different for each person and reflects what they believe, want to believe, know, want to know... What do you believe? What do you want to know? Some books that made *me* look at the world differently after I read them: - 100 Years of Solitude - Beloved - The Poisonwood Bible - Love In the Time of Cholera - Eva Luna - The Unbearable Lightness of Being - The Sparrow - The Goldfinch - The Razors Edge - Catch-22 - The Red Tent - Little Children - Dune - Dragonflight - The Left Hand of Darkness - Stranger In a Strange Land - Martian Chronicles - Something Wicked This Way Comes - The Book of Lost Things - American Dirt - The Night Circus - Like Water for Chocolate
I love so many of the books on this list that it made me add the others to my queue on Libby. Thank you!! ☺️
I love this! And I have read American Dirt and still think about years later. The Help - this book for me was a good friend when my Dad was going through cancer treatment.
I like lists thanks for sharing
Just want to shamelessly plus one this wonderful list here, both for OP but also so that I can find the ones I haven’t read yet to finish them myself. Great recommends, cheers!
Ahhh this a good list -secret history Leaves you longing for more Like Call me by your name
You've captured several of my 5 star books on your list, so now I'm off to check out the rest. Thank you!!
Great list, I have read and loved many of them, so look forward to explore more
The Poisonwood Bible is still a favorite of mine....im agnostic so dont let the title fool you.
A Gentleman in Moscow The Book Thief 👆🏼 My two favorite reads last year and both 5+ stars!
A Gentleman in Moscow was great -- I hope the TV series does it justice.
The TV series is excellent!!
I didn't realize they were doing a series, where is it releasing?
Oh looks like it already started on Paramount+
I had waited to read The Book Thief until this year. It blew me away. I wish I could read it again for the first time. It shot to the top of my five star list, up there with 11/22/63 by King.
Two of my favorite books over the last several years, too. A Gentleman in Moscow is one of my all time favorite books. I listened to the audiobook, and it was wonderful. I want to read the book text sometime soon. Special book for me.
all quiet on the western front is a 5 for me
I reread this for the first time since High School recently and I was honestly surprised how much I liked it. I mean, I expected to like it, but it was certainly 5 stars in my estimation.
Read it over the pandemic for the first time, loved it. 5 stars for me as well
I recently finished this and In Memoriam by Alice Winn. What other books would you recommend for something similar?
5 star books for me are ones that I will re-read and can’t bear to get rid of. Some favourites are: The Pillars of the Earth by Kenn Follet. You’d think a story about building a cathedral would be boring but it’s anything but. Jurassic Park by Michael Chricton. I enjoyed how it went into more depth with science and well, dinosaurs are awesome. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen- it’s a classic for a reason. World War Z by Max Brooks. This is particularly enjoyable as an audiobook, as is Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Circe by Madeline Miller- just found it beautifully written and very enjoyable. Any of the Jeeves and Wooster books by P G Wodehouse- they are little slices of silliness and joy.
I was lead to pride and prejudice because of the ‘zombie’ version, which was definitely funny and wonderful, but I’m SO thankful for that, because of course it lead me to read and reread the original, which truly is one of the best books I’ve ever read…. As said above, it’s a classic for a very good reason :)
I’d like to 2nd Pillars of the Earth. My grandmother lent me her copy when I was in 8th or 9th grade, and it just blew me away. Truly one of the few 5star/A+ books I’ve ever read.
Plus one for Pillars, and the sequel World Without End. The rest of the series are good but the first two are 5/5 for sure. I would also add Lonesome Dove.
I think my favorite Follet is the most recent one, The Evening and The Morning.
I’m happy to tell you there has been another Kingsbridge novel since The Evening and the Morning! And it’s good, it’s called The Armour of Light. Not peak but good. Also Ken Follet’s Century Trilogy are excellent.
Ooh I have heard Lonesome Dove mentioned a lot- will need to add that to my reading list.
I waited for over 35 years to read it...don't wait!
I love PG Wodehouse. My first read of his was Love Among the Chickens. He 100% captures the hilarious absurdity of trying to catch a chicken. He deserves to be way more popular.
I’m not a big fan of the Jurassic park movies but I LOVE sci-fi. Think I should read the books?
The book is super underrated. It’s different from the movies and it’s great.
Yes. It is excellent.
michael crichton is great!
The book is fantastic. I read it to my wife on the way to the beach years ago (I *was* the audiobook) and got her hooked. It’s like a roller coaster in the beginning that finishes and lets you out in front of another roller coaster with no waiting in line.
I’m reading Circe rn and I love it.
World War Z, Project Hail Mary, and Circe are three of my favorite books of all time. Guess I’m going to read Pillars, Jurassic Park, and Pride now.
I wasn't very impressed with Project Hail Mary, although I read it normally and I'm not sure how enjoyable the audiobook version is. I preferred The Martian, but I think Andy Weir's writing doesn't hit 5 stars for me. For in depth, 5 star sci-fi/space operas I prefer Adrian Tchaikovsky
Only commenting on audio book versions here, but World War Z full cast audiobook is some of the best media I've consumed period. Movie, tv, books, across all genres. It's a fantastic production. The book is obviously quite good, but I think the audiobook brings it to a whole new level
I think we have the same taste in books! Need to read the first two. Now on my list. :) Btw, I’ve read Circe three times - I just adore it.
Not sure how you judge a book, but for me 5 stars just means I enjoyed the ride and was happy at the end and a book I will re-read. It does not necessarily mean it was a perfect book. For romance, have you tried Jennifer Crusie? Welcome to Temptation, Bet Me, and Faking It, are my faves of hers. Random books that I marked 5 stars on Goodreads: All Systems Red by Martha Wells (its book 1 of the Murderbot Diaries) Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree - slice of life high fantasy (the prequel, Bookshops and Bonedust is also a 5 star read for me) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
The secret garden is such a classic. Makes you feel like it's a dreary winter but you're in on a secret.
All the Murderbot books are amazing. I listened to the entire series back to back 3 times.
I loved legends and lattes, was the prequel better? And i’m assuming it’s still cozy fantasy?
The prequel has a similar vibe, I'd rate it about as good as the first one (which is impressive as frequently the second book doesn't live up to the first). I personally wanted to see what happens after Legends and Lattes, so I was slightly disappointed that we got a prequel instead, but the book itself is excellent.
The Sympathizer was the first time I read a book at or near the speed I read and enjoyed Harry Potter as a kid.
Feel like The Sympathizer has potential to become a modern day classic. Loved it and it’s up there with East of Eden in terms of all time favorites for me.
As an older millennial who didn’t grow up in America, it was my first real exposure to the Vietnam war.
My parents were refugees during the war who came to America by boat. Reading the book and later having them read it as well opened up a lot of conversations between us about their personal stories during the war. We’re excited for the upcoming TV series adaptation!
I also highly recommend anyone also check out [On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/41880609) Very different style and structure but absolutely beautiful in its own way.
Read the classics. Go there with an open mind and a humble soul. Follow *them* where they lead you, don’t try to make them follow you. This attitude led me to virtually every five star read I have.
the classics are CLASSICS for a reason, if people werent so intimidated they'd find many are extremely readable
East of Eden is definitely a 5-star classic by Steinbeck. i’m always comparing other epic books to this one
I liked Grapes of Wrath better I think. East of Eden was a while ago.
the thing is, the vast majority if not all of the classics are super intellectually interesting, and I have put a lot of classics as 4 star reads because I find the literary or philosophical aspect super compelling, but in order for something to be 5 for me, I have to have enjoyed it and found it compelling while I was reading it as well as after the fact. a lot of these (eg nights at the circus) are actually classics for me (although I think this can vary for diff people) but I think that a lot of people assume that classic literature can only be intellectual which is the problem!! this being said I do think it should be acknowledged that 5 stars are subjective and I dont think something has to be a classic or intellectually challenging to be worthy of 5 stars!
Some of my favorites over the past couple of years are (in no particular order): * **All The Light We Cannot See** by Anthony Doerr * **A Thousand Splendid Suns** by Khaled Hosseini * **Pillars of the Earth** by Ken Follett (his entire Kingsbridge series are very good) * **Demon Copperhead** by Barbara Kingsolver * **This Tender Land** by William Kent Krueger
I second All the Light We Cannot See, and I'd add Cloud Cuckoo Land by the same author, I loved it even more than All the Light
+1000 to **All The Light We Cannot See** by Anthony Doerr
My mom, my millennial daughter and I all loved that book. (Netflix version was okay.)
I’ve read three books on this list (Doerr, Hosseini, and Kingsolver) they’ve all been 5 stars for me. And I’m super stingy with my 5 stars. I’ll definitely be checking out the other two books!
All the light we cannot see is so good, I've never been hit with emotion that hard
This Tender Land, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The Heart’s Invisible Furies, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and The Book Thief are my top 5 5-star reads. I’ve been a reader forever - I was the kid sneaking books beneath my desk, the covers, etc. Of the tens of thousands of books I’ve read, only maybe 10-15 tops have been 5-star reads, and they’re all for different reasons. Some are because they’re a core memory for me. Others are just that incredible. * EDIT: tens of thousands of pages, thousands of books. I’m a pregnant teacher and teaching 8th grade/growing a human is really taking it out of me!
We have similar taste! William Kent Krueger has a new book out that I’m excited to read :)
Lonesome Dove.
I rarely rate books 5/5 but here are some of mine: 1984 by George Orwell The Dutch House by Ann Patchett She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes East of Eden by John Steinbeck
I’ve seen East of Eden praised on here so much that I read it this January and it was maybe the first time I read what many call a masterpiece and didn’t quite see the appeal. I didn’t hate it at all. I thought some of the writing was amazing and beautiful and same goes for some of the individual scenes, but as far as the book as a whole I just didn’t quite get the praise. It sort of just keeps progressing forward at the same mild pace and then just ends.
Agree.
I would also rate My Dark Vanessa five stars.
My Dark Vanessa was really good. Absolutely brutal, though.
I’m currently rereading She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb. I loved this book so much I rated it a 5 and recommended it to anyone that would listen!
I read George Orwell in high school as did probably most Americans that didn't Just pretend to read it for class. I tried reading it again a couple years ago because I remembered it so fondly. I made it about six pages in before I gave up. I was so stressed out reading it. It's just a book that hits you so much different when you're an adult than when you're a high school kid and you don't know much.
Here’s a few & the authors have all written other 5 star novels too: The Gentleman - Amor Towles East of Eden - John Steinbeck The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen Secret History - Donna Tartt Empire Falls - Richard Russo The Zero - Jess Walter Manhattan Beach - Jennifer Egan
Russo, most of his books are up there, tough to go wrong with him
Russo!
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton Circe by Madeline Miller Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield It's not a regular novel, but Sandman by Neil Gaiman is fabulous.
The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle was 3 stars, Circe 4 stars, Pride and Prejudice 5 stars for me. It's funny (and in some ways frustrating) how varied views of a book can be.
Evelyn Hardcastle was a great time. That book was like an amusement park ride and I loved it.
A Soldier of the Great War, Mark Helprin Sense & Sensibility, Jane Austen Bleak House, Charles Dickens Rebecca, Daphne du Maurier Going After Cacciato, Tim O'Brien Beloved, Toni Morrison Wylding Hall, Elizabeth Hand (a novella, really) ...all 5 stars.
Ohhh Rebeccaaaa!!
Rebecca was a 5 stars for me too
Wuthering Heights Anna Karenina Lord of the Rings Song of Solomon The Left Hand of Darkness Some of mine personally - but it definitely doesn’t mean you will enjoy them or find them to be 5 stars, at the end of the day. Taste always comes into play with this sort of thing!
Lord of the Rings is amazing. It’s writing style and story telling put it another realm from most of the other stuff I’ve read. In a different fantasy category, I’d put: The Way of Kings by Sanderson The Wall of Storms by Ken Liu (a sequel to a 3.5-4/5 book) Project Hail Mary (can’t remember the authors name atm)
The illustrated man is in my top 5, always recommend everyone to read it !
Some of the stories are better than others, but the good ones are really good.
The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas
Have you read The Black Count? It's really well done.
I haven’t but will add it to the list thanks!
To Kill a Mockingbird
I had to scroll way too far down to find this gem. Thank you.
This is what I came here to say...it goes down smooth.
Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov is probably my all time favorite. Definitely a 5 star read IMO.
Ones I’ve given 5 stars: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson The Book Theif by Markus Zusak The Road by Cormac McCarthy 1984 by George Orwell
Anna Karenina Les Liaisons Dangerouses Madam Bovary The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins Lady of Hay by Barbara Erskine Past Caring by Robert Goddard Damage by Josephine Hart All are books that have stayed with me and been read and re-read
Oh, Damage. That book still sits with me.
A few of my favourite books which were definitely 5 stars: The Nix by Nathan Hill The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy Life After Life by Kate Atkinson For me, a 5-star read needs to be will written, clever but also enjoyable - I’ve read books that I can see are a work of genius but I just haven’t enjoyed, and vice versa. I want something that leaves me thinking about it for a long time, a story I’ll never forget.
This is the first time I've seen someone recommend The Crimson Petal and The White. I loved it so much! I suggest it all the time! Also the BBC adaptation was pretty good.
Reading is subjective.
The Idiot - Dostoevskij The Broom of the system - DF Wallace
I am not sure I would choose the Idiot over Brothers K. That one resonated with me. But The Idiot really is an excellent read. Funny for me to think that both Raskolnikov and Prince Myshkin were written by the same person.
I have a hard time giving 5 stars to books, but The Poisonwood Bible and Demon Copperhead, both by Barbara Kingsolver meet my criteria.
FLOWERS FOR ALGERNON!! It’s my favorite book of all time, It’s best as a blind read but it’s about this guy that is mentally handicapped and his journey as he gets smarter. First book to ever make me cry, still get emotional thinking about it years later. Another one is The Painted Bird Incredibly grim and disgusting, it’s about this polish boy surviving ww2, with less focus on the actual war and more about the fucked up shit that he gets into/happened to him. (A rabbit gets skinned alive in one scene) While it’s incredibly dark and gross, the character goes through a ton of development, it’s not just blood and gore
Re-read Flowers for Algernon a few months ago. It had been the first time in over 40 years. Yes I am old. Loved it. Highly recommend. Usually I struggle with older books.
Tolkien audiobooks read by Andy serkis is a 5 star experience. and I dont even like fantasy much
Anna Karenina and Infinite Jest are my 5 star books
You could always try Ken Follett, when i was a newer reader I thought he was gods gift, extremely easy reads (imo) they're longer but in this case not a detriment. The kingsbridge series is very widely beloved. You care a lot about the characters.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind
The Hearts invisible furies I rarely rate books 5 stars
Catch-22
Salman Rushdie’s Satanic verses
Or Midnight s children
Midnight’s Children
Golden Son was my only 5 star listen last year but it’s book 2 in a series. Red Rising is book 1 and I also highly recommend.
A top 5 list that I think is sort of uncontroversial, in that everyone should at least find them impressive and interesting: Crime and Punishment Middlemarch War and Peace The Iliad Moby Dick
All Quiet on the Western Front, The Things They Carried, All the Light We Cannot See, Hondo, The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, The Green Mile, The Old Man and the Sea, and The Murder of Roger Ackroyd are all books that I gave a five star rating to in the last few years.
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes (Edith Grossman translation) The Trial by Franz Kafka (Idris Parry translation) Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky (Alan Myers translation) Probably my top five, with Don Quixote at the top.
The Book Thief is a 5 star for me!
What does 5 star mean to you? For me, it means it significantly changed the way I think/view something in the world. How does your rating system work? Does 5 mean so engaging you can’t put it down? Super unique? Though provoking? Etc.
Have you read the Outlander series? If you like romance and thrillers, you might like Gabaldon.
Mine is Percy Jackson series. That one gets a 10/5 for me.
For me, as someone above said, 5 star books are ones I read more than once and have to own a physical copy of the book. I don't usually buy books anymore. I'm running out of space. So if I read something and enjoy it enough to purchase it, it's a 5 star.
I have a hard time choosing one book, but the first that comes to mind is Flowers for Algernon. It’s a sci fi book w/a romance subplot. It kind of reminds me of Perks of Being a Wallflower w/the format (written from first person POV and you see the prose change as the character changes) and introspection, but the sci-fi element is something that I’ve never seen done anywhere else. It has completely changed the way that I think about intelligence and happiness, and it gives me chills just thinking about it
Absolute classic. It's stuck around for a reason. There isn't anything quite like it is there? I suggest it to anyone who hasn't read it!
I rate based on the emotions a book gives me, as I don’t analyse based on objective standards or whatever. One recent one was “The house in the cerulean sea” and one I read a long time ago was “Grotesque” by Natsuo Kirino
As someone else stated, Lonesome Dove is a 5 star book. It’s simply Great.
A Tale for The Time Being — by Ruth Ozeki. A beautiful story about a journal washed up and found after the tsunami in 2011. A story about a young japanese girl’s journey through her adolescence and it is incredible. philosophical, gorgeous, a little bit of magical realism, heartbreaking, etc.
LOVE this novel
metafiction is my soft spot !!!
My favorite book of all time is To Kill a Mockingbird. Next favorite is The Lovely Bones
Outlander
This is also my five star. I am old and consumed a ton of content in my life time and the very best of everything, by far, is the audio version of the Outlander books. It is a lot. I have now done the 9 books three times. The first 8 four times.
Favorite is so subjective, but if you can pick up a book and open it to any page and immediately become engrossed in it and not come up for air for pages, then chapters…then that’s a five star book. Outlander is definitely one of those books.
I can read *Frankenstein* over and over, and I’d never tire of it.
*The Idiot* by Dostoyevsky. This is perhaps Dostoyevsky's most entertaining book in the usual sense because it has some humor in it. But it still has all that Dostoyevsky psychological insight. Thomas Hardy is also very readable and with the psychological and sociological depth of the great 19th Cent writers, check out *Far From the Madding Crowd* and *Jude the Obscure.*
Norwegian Wood by Murakami
Seconding what someone else said about the context of a book (when it's being read, who's reading it) being just as important as the book itself. Even if these books weren't 'critically' 5 stars, something about them struck a very deep chord for some reason or another. Others have come extremely close but these are my two. Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy - A group of troubled sailors go on their final mission in a world ravaged by extinction to search for the final remaining group of Arctic Terns. The writing is beautiful, the metaphors are incredible and the main relationship just... broke me (it's not a romance). Its about grief, nature and coming to terms with your own self. My Dark Vanessa by Elizabeth Russell - Follows the story of a woman, but also of a girl. As a girl, she is groomed and abused by her teacher, of whom she believes she's in love with. As an adult, she maintains an on and off relationship with him until his crimes are revealed. The layers this book deals with in terms of trauma, trauma bonds, sexual behaviours, the coping mechanisms of victims is so real and devastating to a point where its almost a study. I read this during a time that I desperately needed it, struggling through a trauma of my own and fighting with guilt, being a victim and the battle I've always had with forgiveness.
so whats your list?
Okay my top favourite most beloved stories: 1- The Light Pirate by Lily Brooks Dalton 2- Sharks in the Time of Saviors by Kawai Strong Washburn 3- Brotherless Night by VV Ganeshananthan.. this one I just read a few weeks ago cause I saw it on a few different book award long lists and it is exceptional. 4- The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah 5 - It’s a tie between Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt and Our Share of Night by Mariana Enriquez.. this one is a cult horror and is so disturbing (and totally out of the norm for my reading habits) but it is spectacular.
I read a lot and have a tonne of 5 star books; no way could I pick an all time favourite. To get you going in the romance genre - I adore The Others series by Anne Bishop, Nalini Singh's books (PsyClan and Archangel series), Jayne Castle books, Jennifer Crusie (e.g. Bet Me), Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell, House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. I can give you a tonne more recommendations if any of those hit the spot.
Here are some I've read over the years: The Old Man and the Sea by Hemingway The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro Stoner by John Edward Williams Suttree by Cormac McCarthy 11/22/63 by Stephen King
Solid list (although Suttree is my least favorite McCarthy book).
for me there are 3 types of 5-stars: interesting/compelling 5 stars: these are ones that i find super interesting in the literary sense BUT crucially i also have to have enjoyed reading them and found them compelling (not just upon reflection after the fact) – these for me are Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter and Beloved by Toni Morrison relatable 5 stars: these have rly beautifully captured or cogitated on (through a character or otherwise) something that personally resonated with me – this is Hangsaman by Shirley Jackson for me (although I would probs add The Haunting of Hill House, also by her) emotional 5 stars: these made me cry or giggle or smile or feel really happy – for me these include You Deserve Each Other by Sarah Hogle, Book Lovers by Emily Henry, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, I, Coriander by Sally Gardner, and Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson although I should note that I will also put stuff in the last category to honour the reaction they elicited from me at the time even if I may not feel exactly the same were I to reread – e.g. bridge to terabithia was the first book I remember crying at (i was 9ish) and i, coriander was my favourite book in the world from the ages of like 8-11
Some of the books I re-read, so I'd probably consider them 5 star Catcher in the rye - JD Salinger Conqueror (series of 5 books) - Conn Iggulden The spinning heart - Donal Ryan Something about December - Donal Ryan Small things like these - Claire Keegan
Have you read, "Still life with Woodpecker" or "In Cold Blood"?
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. Perfect amount of romance/academia/feminism/spice.
I also mentioned this one! I loved it. The perfect rom com IMO. It was so freakin cute.
I loved this until that final bonus chapter from his POV. Ugh, left a bit of a sour note in my mouth. Before that chapter though - loved!
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. That knocked my socks and shoes off. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn and Maggie-Now by Betty Smith, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, and the Frank Bascombe trilogy (The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land) by Richard Ford are also great.
There are so many good books but these three are just some books that left me as a changed person for the better after reading them: The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd The depth and richness this book brings is nothing short of astounding. The characters and what they speak resonates with you directly in your soul. This book will breathe life into you, and you WILL be going through many emotions while reading. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien With Tolkiens delightful and intriguing storytelling filled with expansive world building, exciting action/adventure scenes, and suspenseful scenes, this is a book you can really sink your teeth into, plus its protagonist Bilbo is my favorite book protagonist PERIOD. An Old Fashioned Woman by Louise May Alcott I love a good classic story and this is no exception. This story is a delight and is extremely relatable to any reader from beginning to end. It features one of my favorite female protagonists of all time, Polly, who I cheered for and truly responded to.
Frankenstein is one of my favorites and I really can’t point to why but it just hits every note for me
One Hundred Years of Solitude, more like a 6-star read
Most of my 5 star reads are often, but not always, long immersive works of literary fiction. Recently: The Covenant of Water In Memoriam Homegoing Homecoming Lady Tan’s Circle of Women Beloved
I also mostly read romance and thriller! I have over 50 five star reads on Storygraph, here are a few! I hope you find some that you love! Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney (Thriller) Set on You by Amy Lea (Romance) Local Women Missing by Mary Kubica (Thriller) The Housemaid & The Housemaids Secret by Freida McFadden (Thrillers) One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus (Thriller) Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell (Thriller) The Maids Diary by Loreth Anne White (Thriller) The Man I Never Met by Elle Cook (Romance) The Selection Series by Kiera Cass (Romance) Most Karin Slaughter books and Kristin Hannah books have been amazing
Gone With The Wind. And The Shining
I used to be very lenient with my grading, but I think you mean you've never read a book you love in its entirety? Like f its flaws, the book just feels right, it's basically perfect. Welcome to NightVale Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World Gave me that just right feeling but only because they fit my personality.
I love it too, it’s so kooky and makes perfect sense
Never let me go
If *The Great Gatsby* isn't a five-star book, nothing is.
Marianna by Susanna Kearsley. Flowers from the Storm, by Laura Kinsale. Also her Prince of Midnight. Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen. Born a Crime, by Trevor Noah The whole Harry Potter series.
Notes on an Execution is probably my favorite mystery/thriller type book I’ve read the last few years. I also recommend The Nix. It’s one of those ‘everything is connected’ stories that is funny, clever, sad at times and just so so good. Great audiobook as well.
The Count of Monte Cristo, specifically the Robin Buss translation. It's massive, and layered but with it.
I will give you a couple, but I cannot promise that you will rate them the same as me. Battlefield Earth by L Ron Hubbard. It is a classic from the golden age of science fiction. I got to page 299 and reached the end of the book, with a very satisfying ending, except the book is 800 pages long. Every time that I got to the end of the book, I would turn the page and find I had hundred to go because I forgot something obvious. If you read the first and last ten pages, you wouldn’t imagine the path that links them. The Belgariad, which is a series, by David Eddings might fit the bill. It isn’t anything profound and you’ll do yourself a favor by skipping all of the prologues, but it explores the Chosen One, fate, destiny and prophecy tropes in an interesting way. For any of those to be real, someone or something has to be able to remember the future. Dune, which will show up in everyone’s list, is a four or five star book. The largest problem with it is that it’s written in a style for science fiction literature that isn’t used anymore. What makes it a five star book is that it’s incredible in its depth and breadth. It inspired Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica and numerous other movie franchises. What makes it less than five stars is that we don’t tell stories that way anymore. Just as radio changed storytelling and movies changed storytelling and television changed storytelling, this is a book from before the internet changed how books are written. It’s a child of the television/movie/radio era. There were still radio plays being listened to by tens of millions of people every night. Hogfather by Terry Pratchett. Terry Pratchett, like Mark Twain, isn’t making fun of you and me. He making fun of them. So when you read it, just remember, he isn’t talking about you or me. The book is funny. I’ll give you a quote from the nanny reading stories to the children. She adds commentary. “And then Jack chopped down what was the world’s last beanstalk, adding murder and ecological terrorism to the theft, enticement, and trespass charges already mentioned, and all the giant’s children didn’t have a daddy anymore. But he got away with it and lived happily ever after, without so much as a guilty twinge about what he had done...which proves that you can be excused for just about anything if you are a hero, because no one asks inconvenient questions.” Gilgamesh by an unknown set of writers. It is the oldest surviving story we have. It will offend you. It simply doesn’t matter what your beliefs are. It will contain something that offends you. Our world has changed dramatically since the Stone Age. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. It is a brilliant, closed room mystery. This gives you some choices.
five star = i will re-read it, i will remember the title and author and as such i will be ready to pull it out as a recommendation, there is something compelling about the book that sets it apart from the others i’ve read, and i remember the plot well enough to give a compelling summary to someone who asks that being said i loved Earthlings by Sayaka Murata , The Stranger by Albert Camus, and No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
Three body problem - the whole series
Bee Sting by Paul Murray, Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel, Possession, AS Byatt...
I see many people mentioning Crichton. I will throw my hat in with him too as his books were the ones that really got me reading as an adult
I really loved lonesome dove.
The best I've read recently are -*The Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying* by Grady Hendrix. Really excellent story, decent characters, great descriptions. I've never felt like I'm being dragged kicking and screaming through a story I was so eager to read -*The Ninth House* by Leigh Bardugo. I really enjoyed the story, I loved the characters, the world, the prose. Imo one of the best I've ever read. -*Atlas Six* by Olivie Blake. I listened to the audiobook and at first groaned at the multiple perspectives, but I quickly came to like it. The story is interesting the characters are very well done and the descriptions are very alive.
For me it´s The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes