. *. ⋆my favorite books of all time. *. ⋆ (as of 2022)

so apparently i've never actually compiled a definite list of my "favorite" books of all time. i certainly talk about books all the time (check out my book blog) and i have a favorites list on my goodreads with 200+ books but those are definitely outdated and wrong and have changed a lot since i first created that shelf. even my six-star shelf on gr is not the most accurate representation of books i consider to be the ultimate, top-tier literature that i could read over and over and over again without falling out of love with the plots, characters, settings, and everything else that makes the book what it is. i also do yearly wrap-ups on my blog but i wouldn't say that every single one of those are my favorite books. 

so here is my list of current favorite books of all time (which will definitely be completely changed within the next five years). this is my personal opinion and this list is very subjective. there are plenty of books on here that you guys will probably laugh at but i really don't care because these are my favorites for whatever reasons, whether it be that they helped me through darker times of my life or that they bring back good memories or that i was addicted to whatever crack they laced within the pages that somehow just didn't hit the same with other people.

these are also not necessarily in any particular order but i tried my best to rank it by most favorite to least favorite, though they're also mostly equal in my eyes.

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1. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Now, when I first read this book around two years ago, I think I rated it four stars. Let me explain. I was in my 4-star rating era where I rated almost everything four stars to be different or something. I really don't know what had possessed me in that time but ever since then, I've definitely begun rating things based on my honest opinion without caring what it does to my rating average or what other people thought about the book. I also think I just didn't fully understand some of the book the first time around and was bored by the very very long passages a lot of the chapters seem to have. 

Anyways, I have since reread the book and the uncensored version of it (updated reviews to come soon on iRead) and I can confidently say that this is my favorite book of all time. Everything about it is perfect in my eyes. I can find no wrongs. Oscar Wilde is a literary genius and I will die with those words engraved on my tombstone. This book is absolutely perfect. I don't annotate books because I don't support writing in and hence ruining things that I literally spent money on but I own several copies of this book and plan to buy more (special editions, hardcovers, etc) and I bought one used a while ago. I used that one as my official annotating copy and I found myself underlining almost every single passage. Everything was so beautiful and perfect and I was captivated the entire time. I can't explain how much I love this book. This will forever be my favorite book and when someone asks me, I don't have to pull that fake excuse of "Oh, I can't just pick one!" because yes, I now have The One. 

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2. Emily of New Moon (series) by L. M. Montgomery

Now, this one should come as no surprise to any of you. I've read these books more times than any other books, I'm pretty certain. I usually reread these once a year or so, though I haven't read them in a while (and plan to pick them up again soon). These are the first books I can truly remember wanting to sacrifice my life for. I was maybe seven or eight when I first read these and I had just come off my Anne of Green Gables high and was looking for something similar. I decided to try to read all of L.M. Montgomery's repertoire (which I have yet to do) and came across these books. 

These books fill me with a happiness that no other books can. They are actually quite depressing books, especially the third one, but something about it pushes my serotonin levels off the charts. Everything in them is perfect. At one point in my life, I had a "husband list" (I don't want to talk about it) and #1 on that list every single time was Teddy Kent, the star artist of this series. I absolutely love these books to death. I've even seen the horrific TV show adaptation of it and have the collector's edition somewhere. I'm convinced I am the only person who has ever seen that show.

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3. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Now, hear me out. I know that many people do not consider this book to be Austen's literary gem. Most people like Emma more than this one, but personally, something about this book genuinely lights a fire within me. To be quite honest, I have not read it since literally 2016 when I was like twelve years old but I still remember how feral I went over this book. I will be rereading it for my college English class this fall and I'm so excited to give it a second go-around but I adore this book with my entire soul. The movie (2005 version) and the TV show both are on my favorite movies/shows of all time and Mr. Darcy is the actual love of my life. 

I am trying to go through all of Austen's works (I believe I only have two left) and while her other books are equally superb, something about P&P just takes the cake. Please read this book if you haven't already. It's so perfect in every way and I 100% support any teacher who "forces" their students to read this one because everyone needs to be enlightened one way or another. 

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4. The Summer I Turned Pretty (series) by Jenny Han

Okay. So this one is very controversial. However, if any of you actually know me, this has always been on my favorite books list since the first time I read them. I reread them around once or twice a year and I'm definitely somewhere in the double digits. Now, objectively, are these really that good? I want to laugh at its placement on this list of classics and old English novels but something about it just gets me every time. I read these books years before they became popular after this year's Amazon Prime show version of it (which is also superb) and to my middle-school self, these were it for me. 

I wanted to name my kid Conrad one day. That's how much this book meant to me. Nothing incites so much gut-wrenching pain in me than these books. I made a fan-cast of this series like five years ago and now the show has come to life and I can't even explain how that makes me feel.

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5. Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare

Now, this is the third book in The Infernal Devices series but this is the only one that makes me want to commit some crimes. I cried in this book harder than any other for a long time. Will Herondale is my book husband and the love of my life. I know I say that about a lot of fictional men but this is the realest one. If I could only meet one fictional character... well, I'm sorry Mr. Darcy, but William Herondale please sign me up. Anyways, aside from my Will obsession, this book is so well-done. I can't explain it. It's literal fantasy with a beautiful romance subplot set in 19th-century London. Like, HELLO? It can't get any better than that. 

I've always loved Cassie and I know she has a lot of problems or whatever but when I first read her books in sixth grade, I was obsessed. City of Bones is the first book I EVER reviewed on my book blog back in 2016. She is not the most perfect person or the most perfect writer but this book will always remain close to my heart. I love the rest of the series but this is the only one I believe I rated six stars and for good reason.

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6. Like a Love Story by Abdi Nazemian

Now, prior to Dorian Gray, I cited this book as my favorite to anyone who asked. But the main issue I have now is that I genuinely cannot remember what happened in the book. I read it three years ago but it feels like ten lifetimes ago. I honestly thought I read it in middle school but apparently it was in sophomore year, which is crazy. That has got to be a lie. 

Anyways, this book made me cry uncontrollably for hours. It was heartbreaking and sad and it's something that I don't know I'll ever read again. I'm scared that it's not going to hit the same and will forever be tainted in my mind but I just know it was good in that period of my life. I literally own a copy but I'm filled with this crippling fear that I won't love it the same way and I just don't know if I can handle that. 

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7. The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Now, this one is pretty random compared to the other books on this list. I read this for my eleventh grade English class and for some reason, this book always stuck with me. It's a meta-fiction, sort-of memoir but not really account of the Vietnam War. Something about it is just so well-done and well-written. You're constantly asking yourself what is real and what O'Brien just spun out of his own ridiculously brilliant albeit a little traumatized mind. As a history person, this book really spoke to me. I finished this book in around three hours after I told myself I would just read one chapter. It's engaging, riveting, and so unbearably sad. 

This one is so unlike all the books I usually read and love but something about it was so good. All of my friends who don't even like to read normally loved this book and I think that right there says something more than any of my high-faluting language could. 

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7. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

I was very hesitant about adding this book to my list. I adore this book with my entire soul but I genuinely do not remember anything about it. It was my introduction to the rom-com, neon-cover, cartoon-character book world and for that, I'm afraid that I may have rated it higher than it deserved. I didn't know otherwise about these kinds of books so I'm just not sure if it was as good as I thought. 

However, I remember that I almost died for this book. Henry and Alex are my favorites and the political aspect was SO fun. I am unbearably excited for the movie and seeing my love Nicholas Galitzine star as my Prince Henry. I am definitely rereading this one before the film release <3

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8. Daisy Jones and the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I couldn't write this list without including some TJR read on here. I love TJR's books and am trying to read through all of them. This one is my favorite by far, however, and so I had to include this one on here. It's set in the 80s, which is my favorite decade I wish I had lived through, and it is literally about music in the 80s, which is the best part of the 80s (imo). 

It's told in such a unique way and it's perfect. A lot of people don't like how this book is written but I enjoyed it. I liked it even better than The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo (unpopular opinion) which I also rated five stars. Definitely a love of mine.

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9. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I read this book for my senior year AP Literature class and loved it. I tried it before when I was a literal child and obviously found it not quite to my liking. However, after growing up and realizing what books are, I loved this one with my whole soul. I have to reread it for my college class and I'm very excited. I love the premise and the writing.

Mary Shelley was a genius. Such a perfect horror novel. 

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runners-up:

Keeper of the Lost Cities (series) by Shannon Messenger -- because how could I not? These books took up so much of my life and the FanFiction I wrote of them changed me forever.

The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas -- so amazing and beautiful but apparently everyone hates it so my opinion of it has been changed sadly even though I loved it when I read it

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas -- the first book I ever rated six stars but I can't remember enough about it to consider it one of my favorites anymore

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery -- I didn't want to double-dip with one author taking up two slots but these books are precious to me. they're not my favorites ever though because I really only read the whole series once, whereas EoNM was 12390234 times.

To All the Boys I Loved Before by Jenny Han -- not as good as TSITP but still meant a lot to me when I was young and reading these for the first time

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott -- such a cute, quaint novel that I could read again and again but just doesn't really hit as hard as some of the other books on this list. the movies are superb though. 

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i'm going to end it here. this is honestly not the most complete list but as i scoured through all of my books, i couldn't figure out which ones deserved one of these slots. i will definitely be changing this in the future but as of right now, august 10, 2022, this is my official list of favorite books of all time. special emphasis on dorian gray though <3

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malayna <3