The Best Novels in My Opinion

I have decided to start compiling a list of novels that I consider the cream of the crop, including both classic and contemporary authors.

This list is followed by a much shorter list of authors I am supposed to like, and many others love, but I do not. Of course, I am only listing books I have already read, which is why you might spot some gaps, but I hope to come back to this list to update it over time. An author is only represented once: if I love many of their books, I have chosen the one I love the most.

• Achebe, Chinua. Things Fall Apart. A gem from the African continent, and one of the best portrayals of the introduction and impact of colonists I have ever read.
• Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi. Purple Hibiscus. I also highly recommend Half of A Yellow Sun.
• Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women.
• Allende, Isabel. The House of the Spirits.
  
• Anonymous. One Thousand and One Nights. I never grow tired of these enchanting tales, and adventures with Scherazade, Ali Baba, Aladdin, and Sinbad the Sailor, to name a few.
  
• Atwood, Margaret. The Handmaid's Tale. I love many of her books, but this remains my favorite.
• Austen, Jane. Emma. I have yet to read Pride and Prejudice, so we shall see if Emma remains my favorite of her works.
• Bronte, Charlotte. Jane Eyre. I revel in Jane's outlook on life, her tenacity, and unfailing goodness.
• Cather, Willa. O Pioneers.
• Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. An emotional (and at the time it was written, taboo) journey that is not easily forgotten.
• Christie, Agatha. A Caribbean Mystery. The grand Dame of mysteries. It was hard to pick just one.
• Diamant, Anita. The Red Tent.
• Dickens, Charles. A Tale of Two Cities. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...
  
• Dreiser, Theodore. Sister Carrie.
• Dumas, Alexandre. The Three Musketeers. There is no adventure to big for this delightful trio.
• Greene, Graham. The Heart of the Matter. I started reading Graham not sure I would like him. What a wonderful surprise to see how much I enjoy his books!
• Garcia, Cristina. Dreaming in Cuban. This book was my first introduction to magical realism (which led me to Allende, Marquez, and many others). It remains one of my favorites in that genre.
• Golding, William. Lord of the Flies.
• Hardy, Thomas. Tess of the D'urbervilles.
• Hesse, Herman. Siddartha. In the shade of a banyan tree, a classic story is born.
  
• Hemingway, Ernest. Old Man and the Sea. I'm generally not a fan of Hemingway, but this short novel holds a special place in my heart.
• Hosseini, Khaled. The Kite Runner. Of all the books published in the 2000's that I have read, this is one of the best.
• Hugo, Victor. Les Miserables.
  
• Kidd, Sue Monk. The Secret Life of Bees.
• Kingsolver, Barbara. The Poisonwood Bible. I read this quite a few years ago, but the story still haunts me.
• Lamb, Wally. She's Come Undone.
  
• Lee, Harper. To Kill A Mockingbird.
  
• Marquez, Gabriel Garcia. One Hundred Years of Solitude.
• Martel, Yann. Life of Pi. A magical reading experience that makes you want to start all over when you turn the last page.
• McCullers, Carson. The Member of the Wedding. There's just something about Frankie that grabs your heart and holds on tight. Although, Bone in The Heart is a Lonely Hunter ranks up there, as well.
• Mitchell, Margaret. Gone With the Wind. What can I say but, divine!
• Montgomery, L.M. Anne of Green Gables. I always believed Anne and I were kindred spirits.
• Nobokov, Vladimir. Lolita.
  
• Orwell, George. 1984. Eerily prescient today, I often reflect back on this book.
• Paterson, Katherine. Bridge to Terabithia.
  
• Pym, Barbara. Excellent Women. Her representation of a certain kind of woman of a certain generation in England is spot on. All of her books are delightful.
• Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Discovering the magical world along with Harry Potter is a true delight.
  
• Rushdie, Salman. Satanic Verses.
• Salinger, J.D. The Catcher in the Rye.
• Shakespeare. The Merchant of Venice. I really need to read more Shakespeare, I've only read 3 of his plays, but this one comes out in front of Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet.
• Shaw, George Bernard. Pygmalion.
• Shikibu, Murasaki. The Tale of Genji. This book is amazing.
  
• Smith, Zadie. White Teeth. Read this one. Skip On Beauty.
  
• Steinbeck, John. The Grapes of Wrath. It is so difficult to choose just one. East of Eden, The Moon is Down, and Of Mice and Men are all great.
  
• Stowe, Harriet Beecher. Uncle Tom's Cabin. A must read for everyone.
• Thackeray, William Makepeace. Vanity Fair. Ah, Becky Sharp. Always the achiever.
• Tolkien, JRR. The Lord of the Rings.
  
• Tolstoy, Leo. Anna Karenina. The final scenes of this novel are permanently imprinted on my mind.
• Vonnegut, Kurt. Slaughterhouse-Five.
• Walker, Alice. The Color Purple. Read the book. Then go watch the movie. Both are superb.
• White, E.B. Charlotte's Web. A heart-warming tale about friendship.
  
• Winton. Tim. Blueback: A Fable for All Ages. One of the rare times a fish has managed to capture my heart.
• Wollstonecraft, Mary. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. I know, I know, this is not fiction. But I had to throw it in. Go read it!
  
• Woolf, Virginia. Mrs Dalloway. This is the only Woolf I have read so far. If you take your time reading it, her genius shines through.
• Wright, Richard. Native Son. All of his books are an enlightening read.

Books that others love, but I do not:

• Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. Go read Chinua Achebe instead.
• Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. I am not a fan of Haddon's writing style, although his portrayal of an autistic child was very good.
  
• Naipul, V.S. The Bend in the River. I think I liked this book, but I don't remember anything about it.
  
• Paton, Alan. Cry the Beloved Country. Again, I just liked this book, didn't love it.
  
• Rand, Ayn. The Fountainhead. Blaaaaahhhh. You should have stuck to philosophy, Ayn.
• Rhys, Jean. Wide Sargasso Sea. Good. Not great.
  
• Waugh, Evelyn. Brideshead Revisited. Liked it, did not love it.
• Welty, Eudora. The Optimist's Daughter. This one is on the border. I enjoyed reading it, but when comparing it to all of the books above, I felt it didn't quite fit in.