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 LOVE Good Omens, it’s a book I have re-read many times and find it as wonderful as the first time I read it. Some of my others favourites are: The Mists of Avalon, The Hobbit, Stardust (I love the book and the movie of this Neil Gaiman story), Heart’s in Atlantis(The movie isn’t bad, but is nothing compared to the book by Stephen King). I could go on and on, I do love Anne Rice’s vampires too.
I’ve thought about doing this top 10, but I just don’t think I can. It would regularly change as well. Maybe I will one day, but the Book Thief, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Paddy Clarke, Wild Swans, To Kill a Mockingbird and Oliver Twist would be all in there somewhere. Woah. I’ve literally almost done my top 10.
I have had a reading gap, I used to be a three books a week man but… well, you know, family, divorces, addictions, disease and pestilence, all that sort of stuff. However, with everything settling down and coming back to reading again now, I find I’ve discovered Terry Pratchett after my daughter introduced me. Three weeks in and I’m on my eighth Discworld, hooked. If you read my blog you can probably see why his humour appeals to me.
Douglas Adams is another favourite from previous life so I am happy your other recommendations can be added to my regrowing ‘to be read’ list that had been hibernating for about thirty years. I think Iain Banks’ ‘The Crow Road’ might be on a top ten too but I’m sure it’ll change as I continue into my second age of bookworminess.
Great collection of books, Phil. I’m so sorry Douglas Adams is gone. “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” Back to work now. Hugs.
Thank you Teagen!
Great list. I love Christopher Moore. I remember reading Practical Demonkeeping about 30 years ago and loving it! I recently read a book that isn’t anything like these books but really sucked me in and made me read it in two and half days. It was called Education: A memoir by Tara Westover. https://www.npr.org/2018/02/20/587244230/memoirist-retraces-her-journey-from-survivalist-childhood-to-cambridge-ph-d
I have heard of her, but I haven’t heard of that book. Also, Christopher Moore is a tremendously nice guy. Years ago in the early days of my blog, I emailed him and asked if I could interview him. He emailed right back and over a couple of days I got to interview him by email. When I published it, he shared it to all of his social media
We’ve read several of the same books, Phil, and I’ve had Good Omens in my TBR for quite a while. Christopher Moore is always someone I’ve wanted to read – just time, you know?
Good Omens is a great read! If you enjoy Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, you will enjoy Christopher Moore. And if you need any suggestions about his books I would certainly be happy to share my thoughts. Also, Christopher Moore is a tremendously nice man. Five years ago when my blog had about a 10th of the following that I do now I interviewed him for my blog. We emailed back-and-forth for a couple days. When I published it he shared it to all his social media. I’m going to repost that interview on Thursday
Put it on the calendar!
Good ones, Phil.
The Vampire Lestat was my FAVE Anne Rice novel and 11/22/63 was a great Stephen King book. I also love Duma Key and Rose Madder.
I really liked Duma Key too! A lot of people haven’t heard of it but I really enjoyed it. I haven’t read Rose Madder yet
Pingback: Top 10 Books – Losing the Plot
My list is up on my site and you are linked in 🙂
On my way there now!
We have so much book crossover you might actually live in my kindle.
Lamb has a place of honor on my “could read over and over” list, but once you go down the Christopher Moore rabbit hole there really isn’t anything you’ll regret picking up.
Also, sorry for all the times I stuffed you under my pillow.
LOL. Tomorrow for Throwback Thursday Im going to post an interview I did with Christopher Moore five years ago
He was tremendously nice.
Well, I do have books. that I have written, So you could literally have me in your Kindle
I have at least one of yours in my kindle 😉
Aww thanks!
Oof, we don’t share preferences here. Three and four, though!
I can’t possibly pick ten. What is there, a gun to my head? 😉