Like the title says, these are the ten best books that I have ever read. They’re my favorites. Yours may be different. In fact, I’m hoping they are. Either in the comments or, in your own blog post with a link back, I’d like you to share some of your favorite books so that we can all maybe find a new favorite book or author from each other. Of course I won’t shamelessly plug my own books by putting them on my list, but if you want to, I won’t argue.
10. The Vampire LeStat: by Anne Rice. Unbeknownst to most people (you know it’s serious when I use big words like unbeknownst) it wasn’t Stephanie Meyer who invented the vampire genre, but Anne Rice about fifteen years earlier. LeStat, referred to as the Brat Prince, is such a fun character you’ll want to become one of the undead just to hang out with him for eternity.
9. The Da Vinci Code: by Dan Brown. The first in the series was easily the best. Don’t watch the movie because Tom Hanks stars in it with a ridiculously bad hairdo, but read the book.
8. How to Succeed in Evil: by Patrick E. McLean. Edwin Windsor is an Evil Efficiency Expert who contacts out his services to help supervillains be more villanous. Hilarious! You end up rooting for evil!
7. Bite Me: by Christopher Moore, award winning, New York Times bestselling author who I interviewed for The Phil Factor about three years ago. Spoiler alert: This won’t be his only book on the list. Trust me on Christopher Moore. You’ll want to read so many of his books. Bite Me skewers the vampire genre with brilliant sarcasm.
6. Dave Barry’s Complete Guide to Guys: by Pulitzer Prize winning Dave Barry, whom I interviewed for The Phil Factor in 2013. If you’re a woman, you’ll laugh as you read countless hilarious examples of the idiocy of men. If you’re a guy you”l see yourself in so many of the true stories.
5. 11/22/63: by Stephen King. I hope you didn’t watch the Hulu miniseries. They took some liberties with the plot that I didn’t think were necessary and detracted from the story. Read the book. It’s a surprising love story.
4. Good Omens: by Neil Gaimans and Terry Pratchett. Read. Laugh. Thank me later. Both authors are cherished titans of English literature, and their other solo works are brilliantly funny. Together they don’t disappoint.
3. The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy: by Douglas Adams. This book is a literary classic. Do not, I repeat, DO NOT watch the movie. Read the book. Your cultural education cannot be considered complete until you’ve read this book.
2. A Dirty Job: by Christopher Moore. Being the Grim Reaper is a tough job, but somebody’s got to do it. Hilarity galore. If you enjoy the absurdity of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, then you’ll also love Christopher Moore.
1. Odd Thomas: by Dean Koontz. In general I consider Dean Koontz to be Stephen King lite, but Odd Thomas is his signature character. I read books from a first person point of view. I become the protagonist when I read. Some characters fit in my head better than others. Odd Thomas fit me like a glove. For me, he was one of those characters where I wasn’t sure if I wanted to be him or have him as my best friend. I read the first Odd Thomas novel at least a decade ago and was disappointed earlier this year when, after 16 novels, the series came to an end.
Those are my top ten. What are yours? Answer in the comments or create a post and link back so we can all find a few more good reads.
Have a great Tuesday! ~Phil
I don’t usually read Stephen King, because I have always been extremely nightmare prone. But I am also a JFK assassination buff, and I read 11-22-63. I loved it.
I was initially put off by the cover art and didn’t end up reading it until a year or so after it came out. Great book!
What’s your favorite book of all time?
Great list. Have not read any of these but have heard of them. Odd Thomas here I come!
Trust me, you’ll love Odd Thomas. What’s your favorite book of all time?
Ahh cool-i need a book for my upcoming vacation. Good question…the list is so long. Its a tie between The secret life of bees by Sue Monk Kidd and The Invention of Wings-same author. Will def pick up Odd Thomas at the library. Thanks!
Agree with you on the Hitchhiker’s Guide! My grandson’s are now reading it. How did you ever limit your favorites to only 10 books. Is that a permanent ten, or does it change with your mood and what you are reading now?
It may change if I come across new books I like better and this list could change with my mood as well. It was tough to cut it down to 10. What’s your favorite book ever?
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein is my most recent favorite.
Awesome list! You know I agree with at least half of those! 😀 Although, I’m just discovering Neil Gaiman as an author… Nor just a writer for Doctor Who! Some of mine include: Dune, by Frank Herbert… My Side of the Mountain, by Jean Craighead George (I read this as a kid. It honestly changed my life.) Robinson Crusoe, Lucky You, by Carl Hiassen (actually I just adore Carl Hiassen) and I like mystery writers like Michael Connelly and Jonathan Kellerman. Also I love the Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child.
Holy crap! You interviewed Dave Barry! I cried laughing through everything I’ve ever read of his. That is so cool! 😀
I love Neil Gaiman. You’ve got to read his stuff. He’s a literary icon in England. I did read Dune a long time ago as well. I’ve read some Lee Child and Jonathan Kellerman. Yes, interviewed Dave Barry but I got the sense that he only did so grudgingly. His assistant kept putting me off but I was persistent in my follow up until I got him.
Oh, that’s disappointing… I think he’s hilarious.
Have we talked about Dr. Who before?
I’m not sure! I talk about the doctor a lot! 😀
Another thing we think alike on.
Surprise! How about Hiassen? I think you’d really like his books. The older ones, though. His more recent stuff isn’t as good.
I’ve never tried Hiassen, but if you like it, then I probably will. After I finish my current read I’ll try one of his and let you know.
I am sure you will!
Any recommendations for my first Hiassen?
Lucky You or Double Whammy –
Favorite Doctor?
Old series: Tom Baker. New series: David Tennant
Don’t have a fav in the old series. New series Matt Smith. Favorite companion?
Tie: Donna Noble with ten, Amy Pond with eleven!
Oh no! I hated Donna Noble! My wife likes her too and I just don’t get it. My two favorites are Amy Pond and River Song.
Too snarky? I liked Donna as a companion because there was no underlying romantic thing going on. Like with Rose and Martha. Even Amy in the beginning. She was the doctor’s conscience. Ah, well… I guess we can’t agree on everything!
I definitely didn’t like Martha either. I thought she was pretty boring. Although in later seasons she grew and became a bigger and more important character.
What do you think about Peter Capaldi?
I would like to like Capaldi. I actually have trouble understanding his accent sometimes. I don’t like how they wrote Clara opposite him either. I’m anxious to see how it goes with a new companion next season. And a new show runner. Chris Chibnall is a great choice!
I want to like Capaldi too but they haven’t achieved it yet. Last seasons lightening up of Capaldi’s Doctor seemed forced to me. I agree on Clara. I thought she was going to be a good companion but she’s never been written well.
Hey, do you watch Sherlock?
You know it!
I’m messaging you from a phone in a phone case that is door 221B on the back
Ahahahaha! That’s brilliant!
I had a TARDIS case for my last phone!
I have a tardis tie
Because TARDIS ties are cool! 👍
They’re bigger on the inside!
😃😃😃
Hey, you know what you missed on Instagram? A month ago I was at Epcot and at a shop in the Marrakesh section I grabbed a fez and my wife took a pic and I posted it to IG with the caption “Fezzes are cool’
Going to check it out now!
You’ll have to scroll back a bit
Found it! That’s awesome!!!
Hey, do you play Words with Friends?
No I never tried it
It’s scrabble in an app and you can lay anyone from anywhere
You play?
Yes. I’m not great, but it’s a nice little distraction to break up the day
LOL ! I just looked at my blog. It says 51 comments today. It’s almost entirely our conversation. Oh well, that makes it look like I’m more popular than I am!
Are you still off work?
Nope. Went back yesterday
So you really are goofing off! 😜
How about you?
I really, realy wanted to like Christopher Moore more than I did. And sadly, I haven’t liked Dean Koontz since sometime in the 90s. Oh well. Dave Barry is awesome though and his book of the worst songs ever (which I had read the columns about at the time) is an instant earworm/laugh.
I don’t always like Dean Koontz, but the Odd Thomas character is great. If you do read the Odd Thomas novel and don’t like it, I will give you you’re money back. That’s how much I liked it.
Agh, I can’t think about favorite books! LOL. My top 3 would be Beneath Claire’s House, Sorrow’s Point, and Ender’s Game.
I honestly can’t remember the last book I read. I used to read a lot as a kid. It’s quite sad I don’t read books anymore really
Not even books about music?
Nopes
Not even my books?
Not even 🙁
I’ll trade you one for a coffee mug
Oh yeah…it’s a really bad postal service from the uk – did you not know that? 🙁
Apparently it takes a while. I’ll expect the wine around Christmas time
Maybe I should hand deliver it. Quite fancy a wee Christmas break to NY
You probably don’t want to visit here in the winter
Oh i do especially at Christmas 🙂
I actually think that you might like white picket prisons
#3, Hitchhiker’s Guide…classic! And so true about the movie, Yikes! Have you ever read any Piers Anthony? Recommend “The Seven Incarnations of Immortality”. Great read. I am a voracious reader so top 10 is hard! 🙂
On your recommendation I will try the Anthony! I will let you know how I like it.
Wonderful! Enjoy!
I really liked Stephen King’s Hearts in Atlantis. The movie wasn’t bad. I agree about 11/22/63, the TV series sucked. (I’m allowed to say that, right?)
Yes you are!
I’m going to have to check out how to succeed in evil. I completely agree that Good Omens belongs on this list. I no longer lend my copy out to anyone as I have had to replace it now five times as no one EVER wants to return it. And it is worth being bought five times.
Good Omens is definitely a classic. I only own it electronically so I can never lend it. How to Succeed in Evil is definitely a fun read.
Love the list, and you and I agree on many. I stopped reading Dean Koontz for a time due to the story always being the same plot, just change the names. Odd Thomas is great! I would have to add Stephen King’s The Stand as well. I have an old paperback copy in my emergency preparedness backpack. I would add to mine, and I am sure many folks will think this silly, The Little Prince. I simply adore the story, and it wells up emotions in me I don’t normally tend. I have not seen the movie because I am afraid it will ruin the beauty of the book.
I don’t think you’re silly for The Little Prince. I considered putting Where the Wild Things Are on the list.
Oh yeah! I totally forgot that one. I hated the movie though.
Good list! I’ve read four of them, and am about to discover Christopher Moore for the first time with “A Dirty Job”. I’m a fan of Terry Pratchett, so I’ll be curious to see how Moore’s Grim Reaper measures up to Pratchett’s.
Please come back and tell me how you liked A Dirty Job. Good news for you is that the sequel to Dirty Job, Secondhand Souls, is already out
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