# Name your all-time three favorite novels, in order. No more than three, please **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 2, 2025, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316 "2025-12-02T03:38:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/1 "2025-12-02T03:38:14Z")
Has this been done before? Probably. I dunno. Whatever. As mentioned, please rank your selections. And, I know it’s difficult, but please mention only three. Three shall be the number thou shalt submit, and the number of the submitting shall be three. Four shalt thou not submit, neither submit thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. My choices: 1. **A Prayer for Owen Meany** , by John Irving 2. **A Solder of the Great War** , by Mark Helprin 3. **The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay** , by Michael Chabon mmm ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/2 "2025-12-02T03:47:03Z")
1. Lord of the Rings. 2. Death of a Dude 3. Rivers of London, aka Midnight Riot. ---
**Author:** ![Ellecram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellecram/32/18948_2.png) [@Ellecram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellecram)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/3 "2025-12-02T03:52:25Z")
1. Those That Save Us by Jenna Blum 2. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follet 3. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/4 "2025-12-02T03:53:22Z")
I love novels about Washington, DC. My three favorites are **Primary Colors, Agent of Influence** , and **Thank You for Smoking**. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/5 "2025-12-02T03:54:34Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > Has this been done before? Probably. I dunno. Whatever. > [@List your three favorite books](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/list-your-three-favorite-books/614285): > > I’m sure this has been done before, but I searched this forum for “favorite” in thread titles, and went back 3 pages without finding anything so I figure I’m good. Please just list three. I’m sure many of us have a hard time narrowing it down, but try. After much thought, I will start with: [ol] [li]For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemingway[/li][li]A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving[/li][li]\*The Brothers K \*- David James Duncan[/li][/ol] > [@What are the 5 best novels you've ever read?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-the-5-best-novels-youve-ever-read/191068/2): > > I can’t bring myself to whittle my list down any more than this: For Whom the Bell Tolls Don Quixote Lolita The Grapes of Wrath The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn To Kill a Mockingbird Cold Mountain The Name of the Rose But those are quite old, and reason enough for a new thread. As for my picks, I’m going to take at least a few days to build a list, narrow it down to 10 or so, and then break my heart trying to get it down to just _three_. You heartless monster. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/6 "2025-12-02T04:14:40Z")
1. Mrs Frisby and The Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’brien 2. Replay by Ken Grimwood 3. The man who folded himself by David Gerrold ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/7 "2025-12-02T04:19:50Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > **Thank You for Smoking**. I liked the film. > [@dorvann](#): > > Mrs Frisby and The Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’brien Good but a bit downer. > [@dorvann](#): > > The man who folded himself by David Gerrold Gerrold wrote some great stuff. BYW, Poul Andersen said once my pronunciation of his first name was the closed he had heard all during that Convention. (still a little wrong, however). Fun and useless anecdote. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/8 "2025-12-02T12:51:38Z")
The Gypsy’s Curse - Harry Crews A Feast of Snakes - Harry Crews Far from the Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/9 "2025-12-02T12:55:27Z")
The Bounty Trilogy - Nordhoff and Hall. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/10 "2025-12-02T13:39:11Z")
1. Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry 2. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte 3. True Grit, Charles Portis\* \*this was Persuasion by Jane Austen but realized that was a mistake. Love JA but Mattie Ross takes the win. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/11 "2025-12-02T13:45:22Z")
The Milagro Beanfield War - John Nichols Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry Mila 18 - Leon Uris ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/12 "2025-12-02T14:04:53Z")
1. _Anna Karenina_, Leo Tolstoy 2. _El Quijote_ (a.k.a. _Don Quijote_), Miguel Cervantes 3. _Mason & Dixon_, Thomas Pynchon ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/13 "2025-12-02T14:54:57Z")
The Stand. For over a decade I would read it every year in June (the story starts in June). I prefer original version over the expanded one (except for the vignettes during the plague which are great). ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/14 "2025-12-02T15:13:16Z")
The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck On the Beach - Nevil Shute I Am Legend - Richard Matheson (Technically a “novella.” I’ve read it countless times.) ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/15 "2025-12-02T15:33:06Z")
_Lord of the Rings_, by J.R.R. Tolkien. _Starship Troopers_, by Robert Heinlein. There are a dozen books jostling for third place. Couldn’t pick just one. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/16 "2025-12-02T15:39:55Z")
Alice in Wonderland Elmer Gantry Humbolt’s Gift ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/17 "2025-12-02T15:49:19Z")
Catch-22, by Heller The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Adams Darkness At Noon, by Koestler ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/18 "2025-12-02T15:52:38Z")
1. The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson 2. Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte 3. Watership Down, Richard Adams Maybe. 🤔 ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/19 "2025-12-02T15:53:36Z")
1. Lord of the Rings 2. Moon is a Harsh Mistress 3. The Hobbit ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/20 "2025-12-02T16:00:16Z")
1. Les Miserables (Fahnestock/MacAfee translation) 2. The Lord of the Rings 3. 1984 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316.md?page=2)