I asked 1,000 people what their favourite book is 👀 here are the top 20 novels! 

Bro how do people choose a favorite book?? I'm so indecisive, I can't choose between what cereal to eat and I only own one type of cereal

I love that there's a solid mix of classics, modern classics, and books that actually came out in the past ten years. We have range.

Thank you for this great video! I highly recommend the book WOMENS MAGIC TRUTHS on Borlest for those who want even more information. Believe me, you will never read anything like this

Anne of Green Gables is one of my most favorite books ever. I love it with my entire heart and soul. It's just such a warm comforting read.

Oh The Song of Achilles and A Little Life. Apparently bookworms enjoy suffering... Just like me. Loved those two. 😅😊

20. The bell jar - Sylvia Plath 19. Norwegian wood - Haruki Murakami 18. Call Me by Your Name - Andre Aciman 17. Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern 16. The Great Gatsby - F. Scott Fitzgerald 15. Rebecca - Daphne de Maurier 14. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky 13. 1984 - George Orwell 12. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez 11. Little Women - Louisa May Alcott 10. The Song of Achillies - Madeline Miller 9. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte 8. The Book Thief - Markus Zusak 7. Frankenstein - Mary Shelley 6. The secret history - Donna Tart 5. A little life - Hanya Yanagihara 4. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte 3. Harry Potter 2. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen 1. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde

I’m not much of a reader, but 1984 got me into reading. I think it has an absolutely oppressive atmosphere and it’s brilliantly morbid at times. My favorite book over 1984 is Brave New World. It’s another dystopian that is densely packed with brilliant ideas about life, and the narrative is crafted incredibly well.

I adore the book thief. It's so heart-wrenching. It's about war but it also isn't. It is about growing up, childhood, grief and the power of words. I've never cried more at a novel.

you should def do the least popular ones !!

You should record audiobooks. Your voice is perfect for it. 🌸

“Gone With The Wind” by Margaret Mitchell is my favorite book of all time. And I’m so surprised that it isn’t even on the list. I reread it every year and still find it perfect. The film is also amazing❤

Jane Eyre is my favorite book. "I am no bird, and no net ensnares me" is framed on my wall.

You should do a reading vlog just for the books that you haven’t read yet, would be cool to see if you agree with the voters or not

it's really fascinating for me how our generation love The picture of Dorian Gray and just Wilde generally, because every time when I'm talking to any older regular person or my professors at uni they like 'yeah, that book is ok' and when i bring this topic with people in their 20s they speaking about Wilde like he's a some sort of god and I love it

Rebecca is so haunting! You really get lost inside the narrator’s head, and the atmosphere is exquisite! I love it! The Hitchcock film adaptation is much better than the Netflix version (which isn’t bad, but messes up the ending). It’s definitely a fave. My all time fave would have to be Dracula.

I was so sad to see that A Tree Grows in Brooklyn didn't make the list :( I adored that book!

First sentence of the missing books :) Call Me By Your Name: “Later!” The word, the voice, the attitude. Rebecca: Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again. 1984: It was a bright cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen. Little Women: “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents,” grumbled Jo, lying on the rug.

'The Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini were life-altering.

I can't necessarily choose a very favorite book, but "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is definitely a Top 5! I also love the sequel that didn't come out a very long time ago entitled "Go Set A Watchman!"

Not a book, but rather a series of books. Anne of Green Gables was my comfort series during lockdown. I was pretty lonely, not being able to see my friends, and I related to the characters so much it was like they could jump out of the page and play with me. It helped me to stay entertained and sane during COVID, and I've reread them quite a few times since. My favourites are the first one and the last one.

Do you guys think that we should differentiate favourites books from comfort books? I have trouble making a distinction between the two

Pride and Prejudice itself is not one of my favorites, but I loved the fact that this is a book published in 1813 and how modern de actions, thoughts and dialogues are specially those involving elisabeth. she's an icon 😌

My favorite book is “The Master and Margarita” by Mihkail Bulgakov, I’m sorry that not many foreign readers know and love it

i absolutely adore the way u talk about all the different books in this list! you really make me want to read them all!!

the song of achilles is definitely one of my favorites. it is haunting and it describes the love of the two main characters in such way that you forgive their flaws and their (sometimes) stupid acts. it definitely makes you fall in love with the love they have and the ending is beautiful

The way she says the first sentence of each book is ART

“Rebecca” is amazing! My sister and I read it together, and we could not put it down.

my favorite book is "where the crawdads sing". it's a tragic yet so beautiful story about loss and loneliness, love and heartbreak, the beauty of nature with all its different facets... the story follows a young girl named kya through her life, from the strict, moral 1940s to the early 2000s. the story shapes the reader and takes you into a unique world. but honestly no words can do this book justice. i just love it!!

The Kite Runner is so emotionally devastating I'm surprised it didn't make this list! Definitely one of my favorites

Sis I really need to know what those 50+ completely lone votes were bc that sounds really interesting and a diff kind of hell loving a book with such a niche base

I remember reading Norwegian Wood last year in June or July and since then it has become one of the best books I have read. I can't really capture which aspect of this novel has made me love it so much, I just enjoyed everything so much. There is something so calming and quiet about Murakami's story that I cannot quite get behind.

I would have voted "Song of Achilles" too. That book is amazing and the author is so brilliant!

The song of achilles ripped my heart out, stepped on it, then burned it- but i loved every second of it. this book made me want to live the heart breaking tragedy just because of the warm, true love they shared. i honestly dont know what else to say, I killed me inside but I've never felt more alive reading a book. A true stunner. I would sell my soul to read it for the first time again.

The Book Thief holds a very special place in my heart, so moving. I recommend getting the book because of the illustrations

This was so fascinating! Thanks for putting the list together. And your reading voice is just lovely.

I recently got into books lately, I tried to dive into it years ago but it kinda felt that it wasn't really a good time. Now, I love to dissociate with the world and wrap my mind into books which just fits perfectly now than I thought. I have a lot books to read on GoodReads and you are the first book -centered content creator on RU-vid that I subscribed to! I can't wait to check out your other videos and it's just therapeutic! I never knew how big the book lover community until few months ago and I love it. Thank you for sharing this!

personally, my favorite is the little prince. it may be rather short and seem simple, but it's such a beautiful story about love, loss, and grief. it's so gentle. if you've never read it, you absolutely should. you can finish it within like 3 hours. definitely read it though instead of listening to an audio book!! there are so many pretty illustrations that really add to it :)

You really should read The Book Thief from the physical copy! The way it's formatted adds to the experience!

This video was recommended to me by RU-vid. I checked it out, and I was absolutely enchanted by you. As a child, I used to read a lot of books. In my twenties and early thirties, my book reading time was almost nonexistent. I am now in my late thirties and very much wanting to build up my reading muscle. I will be reading all the books on this list (a few will be a re-read), and I am looking forward to watching your book recommendation videos.

This video really made me want to pick up a book again and dive into reading! Thank you so much, it’s a great idea

I'm forever in love with Song of Achilles. it's a romance, it's haunting. it has mythology which I adore and is the ultimate tragedy where you can see the sad ending and are still heartbroken about it

What makes Mary Shelly's Frankenstein a real masterpiece is that she wrote it at 17.

I just read The Night Circus (and aim to read a bunch from this list) on the back of seeing this video a month or so ago and I have to say that it's become an instant favourite. I can understand some people saying it was slow (it was, at times) but it really evoked a feeling of awe and wonder and a sort of dark mystery at times. I loved it and would heartily recommend.

I know it was a small sampling; however, I was surprised Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird was not on the list. Love your channel! Keep up the good work. I just subscribed.

Personally heartbroken that “A Thousand Splendid Suns” did not appear 💔😂

I kind of want you to read The Book Thief and not listen to it, it's just that there's some illustrations in the book that make a great impact on the story. That's what I think at least, and of course you do what you think it'll be better ❤️

My favorite book is The shadow of the wind by The Spanish writer Carlos Ruiz Zafon. I'm surprised it hasn't made to the top 20. The story is amazing. Maybe it was more popular when I was younger .

WOW. This was the coolest and most humble little book review video I have ever watched. I am also shocked haha! I need more!

Frankenstein will always hold a special place in my heart - it’s just so good!!

As a Colombian who is currently reading 100 years of solitude for school (in Spanish though) I was excited to see it here but also surprised because I can’t imagine this book in English

Ok, my fav is 100 years of solitude. And the way you presented, that was instant, your channel just got me. Great work, thanks

Emmie, I enjoyed your recent post about people's favorite books---I've seen many such rosters of favorites over the years, and yours was one of the best, ever! I have read only nine of the books on your list, but you can be sure I will seek out and read the other eleven. Thank you for your diligence!

This is how book awards should be done. Gods, I never knew I wanted something like this

I'm blown away that Wuthering Heights ranked so high, always felt quite alone in my love for that book. Glad we are many!

Where the red fern grows is my favorite book given by my English teacher to get me to read more, didn't read it till few years later instantly becoming my favorite and have now read over 50 books due to lack of time

i looked for many book recomendation butttttt the method she has used is just so cool, was very helpful thank you.

I'm surprised To Kill a Mockingbird didn't make the list 🤔

Norwegian Wood was the book that made me realize I love reading! Such a wonderful, deep cut of a book. Not my fav but really a must-read

My favorite is To Kill a Mockingbird! I was expecting it to be on this list and a little surprised it wasn’t but I’m sure it’s on your spreadsheet somewhere! You make cool videos. :)

"Sometimes a Great Notion" by Ken Kesey. As an artsy Native Oregonian, growing up amidst the timber industry, this book hits so many familiar notes. I know exactly what that lunch break tastes, smells and sounds like. I know the landscape, the echoing song of the chainsaw, the different people and their attitudes, the frustrations and ways of coming to terms. It's wonderfully well-written with a novel handling of voice and perspective I've never seen in any other writing.

OMG finally someone that spills the tea on One Hundred Years Of Solitude in booktube!. It gets a lot of like, academic praise, but the absolute expirience of reading it is mind blowing, I feel like it significantly raised my standards for calling a book a great read. People have this idea that it's one of those classics that gets talked about just because it inspired authors and is "fine literature", but it is simply, I think, the best written book of all time. Subscribed without hesitation.

"If this is your favorite book, are you okay?" Oh boy, she got me, Crime and Punishment is one of my favorites

The Lord of the Rings is my all time favorite. Emma is another good one, as well as To Kill a Mockingbird. Really, just too many great books to narrow it down

Very happy to see Crime and Punishment on this list! It is one of my favorites, though I've talked to a lot of people who had to read it and thought it was boring, so I feel very validated. It really pulled me in. It's probably my second favorite, right behind Good Omens, though it is hard to compare them since they are so drastically different.

Seeing Wuthering Heights rank higher than Jane Eyre gave me a nice sense of validation I didn’t know I wanted. I always felt alone in my love of wuthering heights so it’s nice to see it ranked so highly.

Hearing you talk about One Hundred Years of Solitude was so heartwarming. I'm from Colombia and it's incredible to see how foreigners discover the country through literature. Definitely my #1 as well. I'm so glad I found this video and your channel!

I love your voice ✨it’s so calming and inspiring 💗

My favorite book of all time is The song of Achilles. And as a person who is very often close to art and artists, I have to say that that book is the closest I've ever come personally to pure art. I was half way through the book and I couldn't wait for the next time I read it. I was in a book store and was so close to buying it again, even if my copy was in my back pack. And I know for a fact that I eventually want to own three copies, all having a different cover.

I found a great podcast called "Harry Potter and the Sacred Text". They dive chapter by chapter in the Harry Potter series and analyze/relate them to themes such as loyalty, trauma, pride, etc. It's really fun to read a chapter, then listen to the corresponding podcast. I highly recommend if you want to dig deeper and analyze the Harry Potter series.

As a Colombian, I am so happy you love one hundred years of solitude. It makes me so happy to hear someone who knows Colombia from literature. Hopefully, you can read more Colombian and Latin American authors, there are so many beautiful lesser known books.

RE: Harry Potter and the Philosopher Stone: What exactly do you mean ,".. given what we now know about the author" ? Raised middle class, suffered domestic abuse, trauma,poverty and grief, became a celebrated author whose magnum opus made her the first billionaire author. She's donated millions to charities helping women, children, multiple sclerosis, literacy and many other causes. She wholeheartedly believes in helping the poor and disenfranchised. Her books are filled with condemnation of corrupt government,the need to fight evil and the value of friendship and sacrifice no matter the cost.

I did not know about your channel when this survey happened, but my favorite book is Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. It’s the most fascinating novel I’ve ever read. So many fascinating lenses - feminist, psychoanalytic, environmental, historical, biblical - I just can’t get enough of it. It’s a true work of art if I’ve ever read one.

I am one of the people who said the Secret History! I really just felt that when I read it I was completely enveloped by the characters, writing and story. I read it in a week and every day I would come home and just sit and read because I couldn’t do anything else until the book was finished. I just feel like the writing of the book is truly genius.

"I'm not gonna out anyone that their favourite author is dan brown... 🧐 are you ok thou" 😂😂😂

my favourite book is probably The Awakening by Kate Chopin. its pretty hard to put my finger on why. I havent been able to get it out of my head since I read it. Its such an amazing representation of the internal world of a woman trapped in her own life. So good.

Mine is 100 Days of Sunlight. So poetic, so heart-warming, so aesthetic, so AAAAAAAHHHH PERFECT IN EVERY WAY!

Idk why but The picture of Dorian Grey and Songs of Achilles are so so similar yet different in their beautiful writings... So pure. Currently reading The songs of Achilles !! 🤝🏻

A Little Life was so painful that just hearing the name 'Jude' makes me start to tear up

i like how you split the timeline between different books. Easy to look it back even after i have watched the video but sometimes just want to refresh my memory of your review about a certain book~👍

This was an amazing video! Thank you for all of the work that you put into this. It was so much fun to watch.

Personally "The Lord of the Rings" is my favourite book, and while I'm a tad bit surprised it wasn't on the list, the choices here were excellent. Will definitely be trying "The Night Circus" next.

my heart is breaking over the lack of woolf on this list

I made it, SCORE! 1984. It was the first book I read that actually made me ~think~ about stuff and not just hang out in someone else’s life. I often feel like other ‘future dystopia” books are standing on 1984’s shoulders. So yes, it does have bonus nostalgia and primacy points.

recommendation: if you liked the song of achilles and the secret history, if we were villains is an amazing book. It is similar to the writing style of the song of achilles and has the same vibe as the secret history! I personally have not read the secret history, but my close friend has while she hasn't read the song of achilles, but we tell each other about these books and how we thought that they were both similar to if we were villains indifferent ways. If we were villains is really an amazing book, I really recommend it!

My favourite book of all time is Anne of green gables. It's just so comforting and avonlea is just so familiar to me, through the years it has become my happy place 💕

I am really surprised "To Kill a Mockingbird" wasn't on the list. It discusses prejudice of all kinds but also being heartwarming. Edit: thanks for so many likes and I am happy that we are all so passionate about this wonderful book.

I'm surprised that The Count of Monte Cristo wasn't on the list, it's a great read.

SWAN SONG will forever be my favorite of all time. It's such an amazing book, such amazing writing, I've never had so many emotions in a book as I did in Swan Song. Can't believe it wasn't on the list.

"Anna Karenina" is my favorite by the moment ❤️ It's so beautifully written, touching, shrewd and witty!

I feel like The Book thief is definitely the kind of book to read by yourself. It is however told from the point of view of one character who is the narratof so if you happen upon a good audiobook, give it a shot. It's so beautiful, I couldn't recommend it more. I've gone back to it time and time again over the years and it still retains its beauty.

Emmie, this is a really cool idea. I'm a little late to the party, so I'm not sure if you will see this. I am a nerd in that I love reading books. I'm kind of a romantic in that way. I was drawn to the second place book on this list, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice! I love many authors, but Jane is my favorite. I was actually so intrigued by P&P, that I decided to read all six of Jane's books this last summer (they are soooo good!). I just absolutely love the characters. I decided to write a song about a character from each novel, turning it into a six-song EP album. I wanted to give it a twist. I decided to only use instruments that existed during the Regency Era. I called the album "Love, Jane." I didn't shoot for a genre, but my mom said that it seems like a mix beween classical music and pop! I'm reaching out to influencers one-at-a-time, trying to get some attention for the album. Yeah, I'm broke from paying to have it produced, so I'm basically knocking on doors, shaking people by their shoulders, saying, "Hey, can you listen to my album!" Ha, ha. Here is one song I want you to hear. This was a character from Mansfield Park, Maria Bertram who was not the nicest person. I decided to take a different angle and write about someone different. The song is "Maria". Here is the Spotify link: open.spotify.com/track/6GNvyJgobUHabGO2UwAu5c?si=9ee76d733a1f40b7

Love that your list included Night Circus, a lovely book, and Frankenstein, an often overlooked classic. The two I would most adamantly disagree on are Withering Heights (didn’t like it in college, still didn’t like it 50 years later, I detested all of the characters too much to spend time with them), and Norwegian Wood (which I haven’t read because I haven’t enjoyed any of the Murakami books I’ve tried to read.) I haven’t read A Little Life because at 73 I’ve lived through enough “darkness” and trauma, and I don’t need to add any in the name of “entertainment”. Crime and Punishment is not in my top 5 nor is it an easy read but it’s worth the trouble. Harry Potter is great but also not in my top 5. The Secret History: I remember it only vaguely so it obviously didn’t make a big impression on me one way or another. What I remember is how much I hated The Goldfinch, another book about people I didn’t want to spend time with. I loved The Book Thief. The audiobook is good but I’m prejudiced because I’m an audio-learner with vision issues. I would add A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towle and Trustee from the Toolroom by Nevil Shute, both very “quiet” books with well-developed characters it is a joy to revisit often. (I know these so well that I keep the audiobooks on my phone so I can turn it on at any random point and listen for awhile when I want a “comfort read”.) And I have to give a nod to the entire Jeeves and Wooster series by PG Wodehouse. My number one: Pride and Prejudice. Before my vision started failing I made it a point to read at least one Jane Austen every year, P&P alternating with the others picked randomly.

Little women and jane eyre have my whole heart!! The March sisters feel like family to me and Jane eyre is one of my favourite Characters of all time and the atmosphere is stunning!!!

me slowly realising i've never had an original thought in my life 💀why have practically all of these been my "favourite" book at some point

Wuthering heights made it so high! It's my favorite:) I loved following the psychological mindsets that were so contrary to each other. Hearing how it all fit together at the end. Happy to hear it was up there.

Here are a few of my favorites: The Hearing Trumpet by Lenora Carrington Even Cowgirls Get the Blues by Tom Robbins Nightwood by Djuna Barnes The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton The Baron in the Trees by Italio Calvino The Fifth Sacred Thing by Starhawk Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo The Man Who Fell in Love with the Moon by Tom Spandbauer

The Book Thief has been my favorite for years and I definitely recommend physically reading it rather than listening to the audiobook simply due to the fact that Zusak uses a lot of creative sentence structure, as well as a few illustrations, that really add to the story. (Love your video by the way and I hope you enjoy it when you do get the chance to read it!)

My favorite book is Crime and Punishment and you can be sure that no, I am not really okay...

YES, read Rebecca! I read it in elementary school and we watched it on PBS over a series of weeks. I’m 61, and I still will reread it from time to time. I’m so happy to see Little Women is the favorite of so many…it is my all time favorite. I read it as a young girl, and have read it many times again during my life. I e read most on the list, and I’m going to read those I haven’t now, and many I have again.

Enjoyed your video. I know best lists are subjective, but it a little surprising that Charles Dickens didn’t make the list with one of his classics (David Copperfield is my favorite).