# 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:** 3
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/41 "2025-12-02T21:39:56Z")
Today: _The Wind in the Willows_ - Grahame _La Nausée_ - Sartre _Night Watch_ - Pratchett ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/42 "2025-12-02T21:57:19Z")
God Emperor of Dune - Frank Herbert Steel Beach - John Varley Bridge of Birds - Barry Hughart ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/43 "2025-12-02T22:08:12Z")
Without thinking about it too much: 1 - The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald 2 - The Overstory - Richard Powers 3 - Atonement - Ian McEwan ---
**Author:** ![Author\_Balk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Author\_Balk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Author_Balk)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/44 "2025-12-02T22:11:56Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut > > Catch-22 - Joseph Heller > > Jitterbug Perfume - Tom Robbins I came up with four. I’m still deciding which one to kick out to get top 3. This has two of the four. Based on this I’m adding Jitterbug Perfume to my “to read” list. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/45 "2025-12-02T22:20:33Z")
In no particular order, since that would change day by day: _Blindness_ - José Saramago _The Crossing_ - Cormac McCarthy _Station Eleven_ - Emily St. John Mandel ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/46 "2025-12-02T22:21:41Z")
**Piece of Cake** - Derek Robinson **Black Sunday** - Thomas Harris (of Dr. Lecter fame) **The Moon is a Harsh Mistress** - Robert Heinlein ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/47 "2025-12-02T22:27:20Z")
1. _All the Light We Cannot See_–Anthony Doerr 2. _Jayne Eyre_–Charlotte Brontë 3. _Lonesome Dove_, Larry McMurtry ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/48 "2025-12-02T22:35:37Z")
I might lose friends over this. _The Catcher in the Rye_, Salinger _Dandelion Wine_, Bradbury _Catch-22_, Heller PS: _A Prayer for Owen Meany_ is a lovely choice. I just recommended that book to my husband yesterday. > [@TroutMan](#): > > _Station Eleven_ - Emily St. John Mandel Also an excellent choice. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/49 "2025-12-02T23:23:11Z")
_The Fool’s Progress_ Edward abbey _Snow Crash_ Neil Stephenson _Hitchhiker’s Guide_ Douglas Adams ---
**Author:** ![Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/prof.pepperwinkle/32/13627_2.png) [@Prof.Pepperwinkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Prof.Pepperwinkle)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2025, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/50 "2025-12-02T23:34:11Z")
The Last Unicorn, Peter S. Beagle The Princess Bride, William Goldman Hogfather, Terry Pratchett ---
**Author:** ![Patx2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/73ab20/32.png) [@Patx2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patx2)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/51 "2025-12-03T00:01:36Z")
I just don’t know if I can put a list together, this is a very tough question. Master and Margarita is an excellent choice. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/52 "2025-12-03T00:14:51Z")
Yeah, three is hard. I chose novels that I go back to again and again. ---
**Author:** ![Wallaby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/dc4da7/32.png) [@Wallaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallaby)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/53 "2025-12-03T00:14:59Z")
_ **The Sirens of Titan** _ - Kurt Vonnegut _ **A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court** _ - Mark Twain (or _ **Huck Finn** _ - aaargh!) _ **3 Men in a Boat** _ - Jerome K Jerome ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/54 "2025-12-03T00:24:18Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > Yeah, three is hard. I chose novels that I go back to again and again. I used a little different criteria. Novels I go back to repeatedly are more my “comfort novels” that I know I can always enjoy re-reading, like _LoTR_ or _The Expanse_ series. But for favorite novels, it has to be something that really has an impact on me, and those tend to be novels I can’t read too often. Either criteria is certainly valid depending on what “favorite” means to you. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/55 "2025-12-03T00:35:47Z")
Well, _Catcher in the Rye_ helped me find my own writers voice at age thirteen, so I picked that one. I enjoy it every time I read it. _Dandelion Wine_ is my pick by my favorite author of all time, Ray Bradbury. When I first started reading it (it’s not fantasy) I thought, “What even are you doing, Ray Bradbury? This is more like a series of small town vignettes than a cohesive story!” But by the end, I was leveled. It’s greater than the sum of its parts. I think it’s a masterpiece. _Catch-22_ is brilliant and funny and endlessly entertaining, while also making some pretty sobering points. I can’t really explain why I elevated these above other books I adore (except _Catcher_. It’s my first love.) On another day I might make different choices. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/56 "2025-12-03T00:47:30Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I used a little different criteria. Novels I go back to repeatedly are more my “comfort novels” that I know I can always enjoy re-reading, like _LoTR_ or _The Expanse_ series. But for favorite novels, it has to be something that really has an impact on me, and those tend to be novels I can’t read too often. Yeah, it’s murky. If I went with just comfort novels, I’ve probably read the Aubrey/Maturin series more than anything else. It’s my go to stuck at the cabin, don’t want to look at a screen choice. But those three novels are all kind of part of me and I’m just realizing that I the first time I read them was at important developmental moments, middle-school, early high school and when I was studying in Moscow. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/57 "2025-12-03T00:49:41Z")
The Dharma Bums-Jack Kerouac Poisonwood Bible- Barbara Kingsolver Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets-Dav Pilkey ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/58 "2025-12-03T00:51:43Z")
_Swallows and Amazons_ – Arthur Ransome _Starship Troopers_ – Robert A Heinlein _Metzger’s Dog_ – Thomas Perry > [@madmonk28](#): > > Yeah, three is hard. I chose novels that I go back to again and again. Ditto. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/59 "2025-12-03T00:57:02Z")
_All Quiet on the Western Front_ Erich Maria Remarque _Breakfast of Champions_ Kurt Vonnegut _The Last Go Round_ Ken Kesey ---
**Author:** ![Zoobi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/13edae/32.png) [@Zoobi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zoobi)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2025, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316/60 "2025-12-03T01:11:50Z")
Foucault’s Pendulum 2666 Cloudsplitter [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-your-all-time-three-favorite-novels-in-order-no-more-than-three-please/1025316.md?page=4)