my favourite books of all time | the best books I've ever read 

1:34 Phantom of the opera 3:48 phantom 5:26 Book of Hours 9:37 Cloud Atlas 13:30 House of Leaves 16:50 The picture of Dorian Gray 18:17 After Dark 22:05 100 years of solitude 23:57 Solaris 26:03 Frankenstein in Baghdad 27:26 Dark Interval 31:46 The turn of the screw 32:44 War and Peace 34:38 The iliac Crest, Untold night and day 37:02 The bloody chamber 38:11 A castle in the clouds 39:12 Frankenstein

The way you talk about literature is something that touches me really hard, the love and passion that you put into your speech makes me crave to read the most books I can and experience that feeling of satisfaction that this authors gift to us, thank you for that Emma.❤️

you've introduced so many beautiful books and authors to me that i doubt i would've found myself. so thankyou for existing

My favourite books of all time: 1) Les Miserables by Victor Hugo 2) The man who laughs by Victor Hugo 3) And then there were none by Agatha Christie 4) The picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 5) Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden 6) The Kite runner and A thousand splendid suns by Khaled Hosseini 7) Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes 8) Biography of Frida Kahlo by Hayden Herrera 9) Alice in Wonderland and Through the looking glass by Lewis Carroll 10) The white guard by Mikhail Bulgakov 11) Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Montgomery

I wish everyone could read One hundred years of solitude in spanish. I'm very sure you can grasp the beauty of the book with a good translation, but besides transforming me deeply, that book made me realize my language is so beautiful. I haven't read anything else in spanish as beautiful as that book. Or maybe it's just the book itself, idk, this book is crazy good... heck I think it's even worth it to learn spanish in order to read this book in the original version

I feel like I found Emma at just the right time in my life. She's been such a comfort through difficult times 💜

I don't know how old this sweet kid is but she is in for a lifetime of joy. She has so much literature in her future to look forward to.

I love watching people talk about their favourite books. It's one of those moments where you can see the sheer passion being exuded so palpably. Hope you're doing well. 🤍

It's so rare hearing people mention The Phantom by Susan Kay, so happy you talked about it again! It's one of my all time favourites too, absolutely breathtaking.

The way you explain and advertise your love for these books, is so poetic and believable that I added them to my list as well. You’re the type of person to give the love of reading to those who don’t. Amazing.

i really love how you always introduced books that i never heard of. i recently read Iliac Crest and had a good mindblowing moment. thank you for this video! my tbr shelf is shaking 😂

So so sooo happy you introduced me to the Iliac Crest! Some of my all-time faves currently are: • Cursed bunny - Bora Chung, Anton Hur • The Master & Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov • On Earth we're briefly Gorgeous - Ocean Vuong • Know my name - Chanel Miller • In the dream house - Carmen Maria Machado • The unbearable lightness of being - Milan Kundera • The Poppy War - R F Kuang

the vibes i get watching your videos is like being in a magical light academia dream and i love it

I literally started tearing up when you read that passage from The Dark Interval. I've been dealing with grief these last two years and it has changed me a lot, so I'm definitely picking that book up as soon as possible. Brilliant video as always!

i just have no words. this might be one of my favorite booktube videos ever. you've opened my eyes to books i never even knew existed and reminded me of others i'd dismissed for no obvious reasons. also a reminder that i CAN get through War and Peace.

some of my favorite books of all time would probably be: - beartown by fredrik backman: i think that, if i could choose, this would be my favorite book that i've read at this point in time. i still cannot wrap my mind around it and love it so, so much. it's so poignant and full of heart and depicts humanity in the most accurate way. fredrik backman is an astounding writer. i heavily recommend it if you are interested. (check trigger warnings) - heidi by johanna spyri: this was my favorite book as a child and has instilled in me an ever-present dream of visiting the alps one day, lol. it means so much to me and feels like a warm hug. i feel like i'm due for a re-read soon. - percy jackson and the olympians by rick riordan: just the whole series. these books have always been my greatest source of comfort through thick and thin and i hold them very dear to my heart. i think i've re-read them 4 or 5 times each. there's definitely more, but these are the big three. also, thank you for all the beautiful recommendations, i'm currently reading letters to a young poet because of you!

Your love for literature makes me want to engross myself in the world of reading again. I love how you talk about books, its beautiful.

Thank you so much for recommending a castle in the clouds or “Wolkenschloss” in german. I have been searching for good german books to read and couldn’t be happier with this one Im currently reading it and it’s just been the most wonderful experience. I literally love it so much, it’s definitely going to be one of my all time favorite books too! Just like you said this book is pure joy and serotonin. I’m nearing the end but I really really don’t want to finish it 😭 I’ve been watching your videos for a few months now and i love the way you talk about books in your videos. It’s so soothing and comforting and calming and I really enjoy watching them and getting great book recommendations and just learning more in general. You are such a kind and wonderful soul so thank you so much for creating these videos and sharing your experiences with all of us

wow this was so great! i could listen to you talk about books endlessly. your love for books is so infectious so thank you for that:) i’ve added so many books to my tbr now 💖

War and Peace was definitely a landmark read for me. I don't think I've ever read a book that has left such an impact on me. I so badly relate to Pierre and honestly he is my favorite character ever.

I love the way you talk about your experiences reading those books, so intense! To read a book and have this kind of reaction to it, just amazing. Thank you for sharing.

Actually, the first book I have read is the best book I have ever read and it is: One Hundred Years of Solitude and the others are: 2. The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoevsky 3. The Idiot by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 5. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse 6. Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 7. Stoner by John Williams 8. Swann's Way by Marcel Proust ( I absolutely love the whole series but my favorite is the first one) 9. The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

this video was so wholesome, hearing you talk about books and describing your experiences and the way you talked about everything just made my heart full. thankyou for this video :)

thank you as always for your words! it amazes me how you always put me in the mood to read and to fall in love with reading all over again!💕

i get so excited when u upload a new video 🥺 and i feel so grateful knowing this channel exists. u radiate such comforting energy ! i feel so very safe when i listen to u 💌

I love your genuine optimism for reading. It’s absolutely contagious

Thank you so much Emmie… the passion you have for these books is contagious. You words are so heartfelt and honest…

I love the way you talk about books, it’s really beautiful and shows the power a really good book can have on a reader.

It's beautiful to see your connection to these books. Great recommendations with comments that pique your interest. I loved ✌🏾

I'm so excited about this, Emma! The other day I was glancing over a video with your shelves and adding books to my wishlist. I'm so excited for this video, I think I'll sit down with my Booktopia account and add as I watch the titles you recommend 👌☺️

I have read a lot of books that you have recommended, Em. All so good. Thank you! I'm going through a break up actually just last week and I have to keep myself busy to divert my attention... watching your videos is a huge help and I'll surely read some of the books in this video. Much love, beautiful human!!!

You've recommended books I've never seen or heard of that's one reason I love to listen to your reviews of books and your favourites. I've just purchased a Rilke you've recommended and the After Dark stories, I'm so excited to be able to read them. I now have a list in my journal of books that have been reviewed and recommended by you, so I have no excuse but to open my mind to reading, some perhaps out of my normal comfort zone! Thank you so much!

You really are my reading twin!! I absolutely love House of Leaves. I read the wiki page after I finished it and it mentions how a woman came up to the author and told him that HoL was a love story and its something I agree with. Yes it's about trauma but it's about the love between Johnny and his mother and Will and his family. If I ever reread it, I would read it from that angle. I read After Dark when I was 17 years old and it absolutely changed my life. Without Murakami, I wouldn't be the reader I am today. Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is his best work imo but AD has such a special place in my heart

Wow, I'm surprised to see someone even mention Cloud Atlas let alone have it be one of their favorites! The book and film are some of my favorite things, both are gorgeous and thought provoking and have stayed with me for years. You have good taste!

one of my absolute favorite books has got to be the perks of being a wallflower. that book makes me feel so comforted and seen and heard. i think everybody can identify with Charlie in some way and just the way it’s written makes it so intimate and it really is like he’s writing letters to you. and the way Charlie sees the world is just so unique and pure and poetic and just. I love that book. I can’t wait for my yearly re read.

The way you talk about books is so eloquent and beautiful, you make me want to read again when I am in a slump. Also, as an athlete I understand the concussion struggle completely! So happy that you’re doing better now 💛

any book at the receiving end of Emma’s praise goes straight to my tbr ☺️

Without you, I would forever be in a reading slump. Thank you for all these amazing recommendations:) I hope you're having a great day!

thank you so much for being so vulnerable and willing to show us a glimpse into your authentic soul. my imagination is already churning just from listening from you discussing these novels! thank you so much! brb logging onto thriftbooks

The enthusiasm in the way you talk about your favourite books is just so satisfying and calming omg

grateful for this video!! when I cam across your channel a while back I knew that I found a wonderful treasure trove of bookish content and I would get amazing recommendations from you ☺💖 I have already read some really great books that you have gushed about, and I'm so glad I did!!! Excited to check a lot of these titles out (especially Phantom of the Opera, which I have been dying to read for a while but especially after I've heard you gush about it so much)... have a wonderful day 🤗

new subscriber here! i am absolutely enamored with the way you describe books with so much love. thanks for making this video, i'm excited to dive into your recommendations! :)

It is honestly such a flex to be someone who inspires people to pick up a book and read (myself included). You are seriously one of the most impressive people I have ever come across. Greeting from Brisbane Australia 🇦🇺!

You are so inspiring. So intuitive and in touch with what you love and what moves you. And you’re so good at explaining it to us. I feel like someone very dear to me who I lost has been somehow channeled through you, Emmie. She was a well-known book reviewer and editor, and she absolutely lived to read.

You make every book you recommend sound like the best book I’ve never read. You’ve got yourself a new subscriber!

Honestly 100% read House of Leaves again. I read it for the first time last summer and reread it at the end of the year into the start of this year and I honestly thought I wouldn’t get much more out of it but Omg I was wrong! You get so much more from a reread. Highly recommend doing that! Also one of my all time favs ❤️

Just watched this in the morning before dawn, while having quiet time before work. I really appreciate your videos both for their cozy atmosphere, and the book recommendations (:

I love how I already have all of these on my "emmie-recs" shelf on goodreads and have already read a bunch of them... I love your recommendations, they are the absolute best and the fact that we have a lot in common (not just reading wise) makes me trust them blindly and you have never disapointed me so far haha thanks again i love these kinds of videos ^^

I've been wanting to know your favourite books for so long. Thank you so much for finally making this video.😁❤️❤️

100 years of solitude was profound for me. I read it in Spanish for a college class, and it just gave me life as a reader. But one of my all time favorite books is Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

honestly i have this itching feeling of wanting to immerse myself in reading some classics for the first time and also some dark and lonely feeling recently due to my present personal situation that i really appreciated your recommendations! i can’t really begin to tell you how hard it’s going to be to try and narrow the ones that i want to and can order now and the ones that i will wait a bit for! - also i’m having eye surgery so i’m going to have to wait a little, that’s def not going to be fun lol anyway, thank you so much Emmie

you introduced me to phantom of the opera almost a year ago and it completely changed my life. Genuinely could not imagine my life without that story. 🖤

im calm IM CALM. it's not like i have been waiting for this since i was born or anything. EMMA THANK YOU FOR THIS ILY HAVE A GREAT WEEK

Brilliant, I am very excited for this one 😊 Honestly I wish I loved any writer as much as Emma loves Rilke.

Thank you for this list - I ordered a bunch of your recommendations! Can’t wait to read them! Your love for books is inspiring ❤️

emmie, you are everything ♡ thank you for introducing me to all these books. im loving them so much !

Yes !! ❤ we have two favorite classics in common, War and Peace and Frankenstein ❤

Waiting for so long for this kind of content, Emma, Thanks for sharing. Definitely will be on my TBR.

i love the way you speak. you use beautiful words and it’s not pretentious. they flow so well and describe exactly what you’re thinking. i love this about readers. they understand the importance of words.

I loved seeing all of your favourite books! Reading the dark interval with you honestly changed my life in such a profound way, I'm so grateful for the experience xx

It's our midterms tomorrow and you posting will be my serotonin and my motivation because i will add more books in my tbr

Omg I love the phantom of the opera. Is often considered silly or just not good literature but personally I believe it contained so many points for discussion especially Erik and Christine’s characters had so much depth. I read phantom recently and it was just as good.

I am so so encouraged by your mention of brain injury. I am new new and stumbled into your channel, rather ironically - I haven’t read more than a few pages in nearly 2 years. I am struggling with PCS and the trauma of multiple concussions, I am so sorry you know that struggle personally. But seeing you light up while you talk about books is so wonderful, and your insights are refreshing. 🤍🤍 would love to hear more on your concussion experience. Take care ❣️

i have so much trust in your taste that i’ve added so many of your recommendations to my list since i started watching ur videos last year! haven’t gotten to them yet but i hope some of them land in my all time favorites list :) much luv emma!

Your channel, and the passionate way you talk about books, inspired me to get into classic literature. I started the year with Frankenstein, then Pride and Prejudice, just finished Wuthering Heights, and now reading Crime and Punishment. All three I have finished are my favorite books of all time! Immediately after finishing Wuthering Heights I restarted it to start annotating

Yesss! I’ve been waiting for this video! Your book recommendations are always so good and I just finished my last book so perfect timing! 💜 can’t wait to pick up some of them ☺️

I want to love and understand books the way that you do and being able to articulate your sheer love for these books is so admirable. istg half the time when i talk about my favorite books i take a lot from what other people have said about it that resonated the most with how i felt

I've bought and picked up so many of these books simply because you've talked about them, i hope i love them as much as you do!

Beginning 100 Years of Solitude next week! I enjoy your videos so much-In this crazy world they are like a breath of fresh air.

Love this list! If you wanted another Stanislaw Lem recommendation, His Master's Voice is one of my favourite books, about scientists trying to decipher what they think is communication from alien life across the galaxy. And definitely check out the Tarkovsky film version of Solaris if you haven't, it's very slow and creepy and meditative (the one from the 1970s, not the 2000s version with George Clooney lol)

The way you describe your feelings about reading Rilke's work was so beautiful ❤️. That was so accurate of how I/readers feel whenever we read a book. Like being seen, being understood , its so intimate and magical! Also, I bought Phantom of the opera on your recommendation, excited to read it. And you are one of the most wonderful persons I've ever seen. Your love for books & art is ❤️❤️. I also want to read so much, all the great books from all over the world & your recommendations really help. Much love ♥️

Thank you, Emma. I've read some of those, and hope to find the time to read some of the others. Hopefully around Easter this year I will have a new tbr. Great to see you!

I just bought The Dark Interval after you spoke about it. Sounds exactly like what I need in my life right now. Thank you for your fantastic content once again, Emmie. Also, I need to find a roommate like that, haha.

I just bought phantom of the opera because of you, so I’m very excited to read it!!!

The way you talk about books in this video honestly made me cry. Thank u!

I was told to read the bloody chamber by my tutor at university, I was looking at the grotesque and gothic fairytale narrative, as a fine art student. It’s awesome to find someone else who’s read it as well! The way Angela Carter uses descriptions, I still have memories of what my imagination conjured up with the stories. She understood historical fables so well. I haven’t put it so eloquently as you have, I’m just glad that you’ve read it as well😅 Plus I loveee Phantom of the Opera as well, it’s such a good mystery thriller, and set in the gorgeous 19th century France!

Excited to read One Hundred Years of Solitude with you! I've been wanting to read it, and you mentioning doing a read-along sounds like just what I need. Thank you for being you and all your glorious book recommendations that I can't wait to devour in the future :)

I just love to watch these videos that people talk about their favorite books! People have different book tastes and different favorite books and that's so interesting :)

Honestly, I have never been so intrigued to watch book talks and others. I have had the ritual to just pick up books at random. But you made my book journeys and bibliophilia so nuanced & cultured... Thank you so much Emmie.... 😘

I bought a print from an artist that was inspired by house of leaves. I had never heard of the book before buying but after hearing your description it makes me appreciate & understand the piece so much more. All while being more afraid to start the book.

Aww thank you so much Emmie for this! I absolutely love your taste in books. I am very grateful for these beautiful recommendations

I only picked back up my reading habit recently, so I really haven't read a lot of books, but my favorite list definitely includes The Three Body Problem (all three books as a whole). It just has so much impact on me, for one thing, my interest in astrophysics increased 100 folds (I studied Math as a major, but did not really like Physics in school). It also challenged the boundary of my understanding of the physical world. Reading the trilogy made me feel my existence and even the existence of the whole human race is so insignificant, but at the same time gives me this romantic feeling towards the vastness of the universe and our beautiful planet earth. Another book that I really like is On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I know some people love it and some people hate it. And I think it's interesting that I actually like it, because I come from a completely different cultural background than the generation that the author is writing about, but I enjoyed the experience of reading his words that described his experiences and feelings. I could really feel the author's love of America as is described in the intro of the book. Based on all the hype, I'm planning to pick up 100 years of solitude soon!

Solaris! That book basically got me into reading. I found the atmosphere and the philosophical themes very interesting that it stuck with me for years. It made me understand how much there is to discover in literature.

I'm so glad to see someone speak about cloud atlas in such a poetic way! Truly a wonderful book.

Just what I needed. Thank you for this. You’ve recommended excellent books that made it to my favourite lists like Turgenev’s First Love. I love hearing your recommendations.

A wonderfully cozy video that feels like having a cozy chat in their home space. Thank you for all of your videos! You've done so much to support my exploration into classics! Have you read "The Mirror" by Marlys Millhiser or "Slade House" by David Mitchell or "Marilla of Green Gables" by Sarah McCoy? These are a few of my favorite books. I also enjoyed "The Lost Memoirs of Jane Austen" by Syrie James. That was really great of your room mate to read Solaris to you!

it feels so special knowing what books exactly are going to be here just because i've been watching u for a long time, and i also distinctly remember what u said about them in ur old videos, ah time flies by

Been reading your recommendations since last year & I trust you with everything I've got. Your videos & your recs, both heal me. And I particularly loved this video. Thank you! ❤

yay! 🥰 I love a good recs room kinda video. Can't wait to jot some of your faves even tho I've been watching for a long time. real nice to have video concentrated on this. Also, if phantom of the opera 👻 was not on here I would've thrown my laptop out to the NYC fire escape LMAO! xoxo emma

There is nothing in this world that compares to reading 100 years of solitude for the first time. I'm glad someone from a completely different culture loves it so much! Also ur adorable 👉👈

I also had a debilitating brain injury. When I was eight I had a large stroke. I know completely what it’s like to have to grieve the loss of the person you used to be, and I am still learning to accept that now, 13 years later. You are growing and healing, and you should be proud of that!

THANK YOU! I can’t begin to say how much I loved your post! Your book picks were fantastic!

i was thinking about „the picture of Dorian Gray” like should I read it, is it good? and you made me believe that it is so definitely will read it

Please do a try to solve with “the seven and a half lives of Evelyn hard castle” if you haven’t read it yet. The agatha Christie one was so fun and I think this is a perfect book for it

The way you described how Rilke's words affected you, like a salve to your wounds... that's EXACTLY how I felt when I read The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath ❤

How beautiful was this video ! 😭💙💙 Wow your descriptions are brilliant and accurate, your book taste is great and you are cute 🥺💜

Love these kinds of videos!! Saved to my favorites so I can read some of these books!! I loved Phantom!!! Such a great book! 🥰📚🐛🧡💛 Ps. Loved your intro to Phantom of the Opera!!

I’m as obsessed with The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde as you are with Phantom of the Opera, which I have on my shelve waiting to be read. You are amazing Emma!! My name is also Emma, I know 6 Emma’s personally. 😊

Some of these books I didn’t like, but I just loved hearing you talk about your favorite books and seeing your passion for them. I’m hopeful one day that I’ll have more books I feel that way about

this is random but out of all your videos, this is The Most Calming and i listen to it whenever im stressed or when i couldnt sleep