Thank you for sharing your list! I am 41 yr old woman and have been a voracious reader since I was 6. I have gone through romance eras, gen fic, mystery, westerns, urban paranormal, fantasy, YA, historical… I have never made a list because I simply become paralyzed at the thought of the 1000’s of books I’d have to go through! Kudos to you! I’ve read most of your top 10, and one of them is actually in my worst books of all time, lol. But that’s what’s so great about readers! We can all cheer each other on in our reading journeys and fully realize that not every book is for every reader. Thanks again, Theo, I enjoyed this!
@@messy678 I love it! Thanks for this :) I think keeping a top 10 list will be extremely difficult as I continue to read more and more wonderful books!
Dudeeeee yes!! Love the SK love near the top! You’ve also got me pumped up to read a bunch of books on here I haven’t read yet but are definitely on my list. I’ve still yet to read any Sanderson, but I’m thinking of making next year my “Year of Sanderson.” I’m definitely going to read Boy’s Life soon. I enjoyed Swan Song a lot. Didn’t know ASOS took the whole cake for you!! That’s so awesome man. Love seeing your list and hear you just gush about all of these awesome books.
Great list, Theo! I liked your personal approach from the start, which made many of your selections very unique. And you should continue with Drenai - if you take the external story away from Legend, I think Waylander might be even better!
Solid list man, Enemy of God was the biggest surprise for me this year and it definitely made it to my own top 10 list (still in the works). Also, you and Mike's Book Reviews have gushed over Boy's Life so much so I guess its going on my TBR now, go figure
This was a great introduction to your channel. I agree that A Storm of Swords is the best ASOIAF. My favourite books (off the top of my head): 1. Last Argument of Kings (Abercrombie, First Law #3) 2. A Fool's Hope (Mike Shackle, Last War #2) 3. Tiamat's Wrath (Corey, Expanse #8) 4. Of Blood and Fire (Cahill, The Bound and the Broken #1) 5. Demon In White (Ruocchio, Suneater #3) 6. House of Leaves (Danielewski) 7. Final Empire (Sanderson, Mistborn #1) 8. Hitchhikers' Guide... (Adams, #1) 9. Legend (Gemmell) 10. Lost War (Anderson, Eidyn Trilogy #1)
Great list. I’m glad you included Harry Potter. Here is mine: 1. 1Q84-Haruki Murakami 2. The Alienist-Caleb Carr 3. Sea of Silver Light-Tad Williams 4. Fool’s Fate-Robin Hobb 5. Hyperion-Dan Simmons 6. Perdido Street Station-China Mieville 7. The Drawing of the Three-Stephen King 8. Kindred-Octavia E. Butler 9. Hero of Ages-Brandon Sanderson 10. Jade Legacy-Fonda Lee
I finished an initial read of your No.4 (Fool's Fate) early this month (Jul 2024). A fitting ending for a marvelous series. My eyes misted during its closing pages. Hobb's "Realm of the Elderlings" books as a totality have entered my Pantheon of Top Tier Fantasy. If forced to choose a favorite amongst the various sub-series, I'd opt for Liveship Traders, but all are great reading.
Thanks for mentioning Harry Potter, like it’s not a shame, as I have seen many avoiding it classifying it as YA, criminally. World excited for a midnight book release is a legend. I don’t think I will ever see it again in my life time, I myself would do that again if winds of winter or doors of stone ever comes out 😅
You are my hero now 🤣 I’ve been trying to put together a top 10 for months and I can’t wiggle it down… Love your top 10 list. Lots of books I haven’t read yet but your enthusiasm while talking about them is contagious. lol.
Shoutout to Legend! Love that! Read the Drenai series when I was a teenager! And also, that number 1 is soooooo deserved, truly one of the greatest of all-time!
@@RekindledReader I actually read this on the ferry during my daily commute. The day I finished, I was ugly crying on the way to work. Paused when I arrived. Worked all day. Then finished up the book and more ugly crying on the way home. Big hug with my son when I got home. I love books that truly impact me as a reader.
Probably unsurprisingly, the Mistborn trilogy is also what rekindled my love for reading. Would absolutely be in my top 10 as well. Harry Potter is the first book I remember choosing to read myself, and I loved the first 2, but funnily enough, I never read further than that. The third is probably my favorite movie, though. So, it would probably be my favorite of the novels as well.
My list would be dominated by fantasy and sci-fi. I’m not sure if this is truly the order, I’d have to do a lot more thinking, but off the cuff I’d say: 1. Harry Potter (Book #1, #3 or #4) 2. Dune (Frank Herbert) 3. The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss) 4. Wrath (John Gwynne) 5. The Great Hunt (Robert Jordan) 6. Assassin’s Apprentice (Robin Hobb) 7. Morning Star (Pierce Brown) 8. The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien) 9. The Blade Itself 10. Mistborn (Book #2 or #3)
Mad respect for whittling it down to ten, and even without honourable mentions!! Love the variety on this list, so many great stories to discover regardless of genre 🤩 I wonder if reading Boy's Life as a 21yo woman was just not the right timing for me lol, it was just quite fine for me but every time I hear someone else gush about it I can totally understand why they love it so much. And gosh now I am getting all nostalgic for Harry Potter hahah, I am way overdue a reread! Great list, Theo 🥰
Never a bad time for an HP reread. And you know, I think Boy’s Life is one where, writing and story aside, it just hit me differently and evoked a ton of nostalgia and wonder, because of where I am in life, being a thirty something guy. I can totally appreciate that that must have had a role :)
@@RekindledReader I truly love that that story resonated so deeply with you, those are the kind of experiences that make you remember why you fell in love with reading in the first place!
100 points to Slytherin for no honorable mentions! (I award all house points to Slytherin. Biased.) Love the video and the channel vibe. Thank you for adding to my "must-watch" channels. I didn't already have 1000 channels....
Great list, Theo. Oh man, this would be tough for me, for series installments in no particular order: The Unholy Consult / R Scott Bakker Sarantine Mosaic/ Guy Gavriel Kay - A duology but ultimately 1 story. A Storm of Swords / GRRM Midnight Tides / Steven Erikson Enemy of God / Bernard Cornwell Fool's Errand / Robin Hobb Last Argument of Kings / Joe Abercrombie Changes / Jim Butcher God Emperor of Dune / Frank Herbert Look to Windward / Iain M Banks A Price of Spring / Daniel Abraham Wall of Storms / Ken Liu Red Seas Under Red Skies / Scott Lynch Standalones: A Brightness Long Ago / Guy Gavriel Kay Gates of Fire / Steven Pressfield Lonesome Dove / Larry McMurtry Frankenstein / Mary Shelley Piranesi / Susanna Clarke The Stand / Stephen King The Road / Cormac McCarthy The Heroes / Joe Abercrombie The Word for World is Forest / Ursula K. LeGuin Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / PKD The Terror / Dan Simmons Flowers for Algernon / Daniel Keyes The Perks of Being a Wallflower Bound to have forgotten some but oh well 😅 went overboard there 😂
Great list! I've read most of them and now I want to reread them all plus adding the ones I haven't read. No need to apologize for your picks. They are yours, after all.
Some of the best books ever, right? Yeah IT was phenomenal, I loved it. I just have to re-start The Stand and finish it, I got halfway many years ago. I think that might rank highly in my Stephen King list, too :)
You have some serious bangers on your list. Some I've read and others I need to read. I'm salivating over that copy of Prisoner of Azkaban. It's absolutely gorgeous!
Of the possible 50 stars you can give these 10 books, I collectively gave them 46.5 stars. Which is pretty awesome. But I give Storm of Swords 8.5/5 stars so looks like we have a perfect score
I would find it so difficult to limit myself to 10 in all genres. Loved seeing HP on the list and Legend. I don't see many people mention Gemmell. I have to agree about IT having one of the best coming of age stories. Boy's Life I haven't read yet. The Road is very bleak in my view and now you've made me want to re-read ASOIF. I'll have to think hard as to what would make my top 10. Great video and loved how well you articulated your reasons for loving these books.
This was so awesome Theo! Love seeing Storm of Swords at the top. It’s my favorite series of all time still lol. Hard agree about Boys Life and Enemy of God too. Such great books!
Half blood prince was my favorite from HP books. There are some books from your list that I would like to read at the moment. My favorite book is Open by Andre Agassi.
The Jim Dale Harry Potter audiobooks were one of my first gateways into audio reads and it still rank up there as one of the best narrations I've experienced. I'm primarily an audio reader these days, a good performance really enhances the source material. Also so happy to see Boy's Life on your list, it really is a top all-timer for me, I've never seen coming of age done better.
1. Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck 2. Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield 3. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter 4. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence 5. Glitterati by Oliver K. Langmead 6. The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill 7. Slow Time Between The Stars by John Scalzi 8. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman 9. Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente 10. Uzumaki by Junji Ito i am ALWAYS on reddit recommending these (mainly 1, 2 and 9), and am CONSTANTLY getting replies and/or DMS back from people saying they read one of these based off my rec and they absolutely loved them/it's now their favorite book of all time (usually book 1 or 2).
@@wifeunderthesea wow interesting list. Rage of Dragons has been on my tbr for too long. And I didn’t click with Prince of Thorns but I mean to try Lawrence again. I’ll check some of these out as well, thank you :)
@@RekindledReader you're welcome! Rage of Dragons is INCREDIBLE. i think my goodreads review says something like "5 million stars. epic. all-time fave."
@@TheBeardedBookBeast I read a prequel called The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend. It was pretty cool backstory. I plan to read more in the Drenai series for sure 🤙🏻
Great video! Great books! Definitely agree with you 100% on Mistborn, The Road, It and Storm of Swords. You sold me on Boy's life and Legend, so they'll probably be my next reads. Thanks!
Great list, I’m currently 3/4 through Winter King and loving it, was going to read something else afterwards now I may go right into Enemy Of God! Love every my personal favorites are Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun (probably book 2- Claw of the Conciliator) and Of Mice and Men, cheers
Of Mice and Men is awesome. And I have Gene Wolfe on the shelf, I’ve been intimated though! Maybe some day haha. I think you’ll want to head straight into Enemy of God, and because it’s such a good book 2, I would recommend it!
Great list my friend, love seeing Wrath on here, I still think about it, i'll never recover from some of those moments. You have inspired me to do my own top 10, i've been thinking about it for over a year, now might be the right time to do it!
Mate, no shame in loving Harry Potter. It turned a whole generation on to fantasy! Song of Achilles was excellent! Have you read The Iliad? Worth it. Read Boy’s Life a couple months ago and LOVED it! 😀 And so many of the rest of your list are reads I really need to get to. Good to have you back, brother. So when do we get your “My new ink” video? 🤔
Thanks, Matt! I’m reading Circe right now and it’s excellent as well. Boy’s Life was so special for me. Appreciate the love, man - I’ve missed ya. You know, I might show more of the ink on an update sometime, just waiting to finish the sleeve. Believe it or not, it’s far from done 😜
Just finished HoA! The final act when everything was tying together was so freaking epic goddam. What an incredible roller coaster ride this trilogy was! So invested with the characters its sad to let go! Bittersweet is all I’m feeling right now. Gonna miss them all.
That's an excellent list my friend. I read The Road and Boy's Life this year and both are on my favs of the year list. I think I like Swan Song a tad more than Boy's Life though. I'm a Goblet of Fire kinda guy myself, as well. lol. Good to see you back in the swing of things my man. 💪💪
This is a great list! Thanks for the reminder to get back to Legend, which I was reading earlier this year--I tend to bounce between books, and sometimes that means perfectly good books languish in my "currently reading" category. I may have to put together a top 10 list of my own.
I REALLY need to read more Cormac McCarthy. Like you said, his stuff kind of need to be mood reads and being in that kind of mood isn’t always fun lol. I also need to get to Legend. Definitely a pillar of fantasy that I haven’t read. Great list, Theo!
Thanks, bro! Yeah McCarthy is a weird one. I think, No Country for Old Men might be my next one. And dude, watch my video for Legend before you try it. Keep in mind the metaphors (even the different names he gives the layers of the stronghold) and you’ll appreciate it all the more.
I’m only 17 and I got back into reading a year or two ago after being a really avid reader as a kid. Started off with the Harry Potter books (as you do) and then I started reading the shining by Stephen King. Best decision I have ever made. I’ve read like 10 of his books now and as much as I love them I’m trying to broaden my horizons. I just started reading Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb and I’m loving it so far. Favourite book of all time has to be The Stand though, 11.22.63 is a close follower
11/22/63 is it very close second Stephen King book for me as well. I loved Pet Sematary too, those are my favs behind IT. I’m reading Ship of Destiny but taking my time finishing it, as I have been in the mood for some faster books recently. But I really like Hobb myself. Thanks for being here!
@@RekindledReader I used to say that Pet Semetary was my favourite but after a book as epic as The Stand it changed pretty quickly. Keep up the videos man 🙏
@@alistaircarrigan6206 thank you! You know, I read half of The Stand years ago, so who knows, when I finally re read and finish it, it may top the list!
That would be my number 1 as well. Still trying to find someone with the characters that George crafts, there are some great ones out there but nothing of this magnitude.
You had me at Prisoner of Azkaban!!😍I need to read Boys Life, I know I'll love it because Swan Song was incredible.Yesss!!!! Storm of Swords!!!! Fantastic list Theo!!!
I'm looking forward to those infamous Gwynne battle scenes! I'm about 160 pages in Malice, and I can't wait to see where this series takes me. IT and Boy's Life -- great picks! I read IT when I was a kid and then re-read 2021, and it was better on the re-read (mainly because I understood more of what was happening) but also caught a lot of nuance and scenes I had completely forgotten about.
I feel like a lot of people on booktube over the years have seen the hype of game of thrones and have kinda discredited the books for how good they actually are. I don't think any fantasy author writing today writes as well as George in terms of character, world building, prose anything tbh.
Great video. I am intrigued bu Bernard Cornwell' s King Arthur book. It free on my kindle so great way for me to try hom out. My number one book is Andy Weir "The Martian ". I just love it. i am due for a reread soon...
I'd have to say my absolute favorite is Lonesome Dove. I re-read it every year, it is so good. LD and the sequel/prequels are the only Westerns I have ever read.
@@lydiam.1833 you know what? I’ve never tried a true western, but I do own Lonesome Dove and have been meaning to try it. I think I’m going to fit it in soon enough. 🤞🏻
How dare you not include (insert obscure book here) on your list? 😂 Props though, not too often you see a top ten list with this number of "not the first in the series" books listed. I still need to read Boy's Life. LOVED Swan Song and I've read almost all of his horror, but never picked this one up. Great list.
HAHA I’m sorry to everyone for not including everyone’s favourites, ever LOL. Thanks for watching, I appreciate you being here 🤙🏻 I think you’ll appreciate Boy’s Life :)
Our overlaps are nuts, on my own top books list earlier this year were Wrath, Song of Achilles, Enemy of God, and a bunch of others from the same series (Half Blood Prince, Clash of Kings) or same author (11/22/63 for King, and I went with Words of Radiance for Sando, but like you it was Hero of Ages that truly rekindled my love of reading as an adult). Legend was epic, and the Road was such an impactful read 💪 Seems like I have to read It and try out Robert McCammon!!
@@RekindledReader definitely! Broke my heart when my book club read Boy’s Life and most of them didn’t like it. It will be so hard for a book to dethrone that one for me!
@@DustinHarrisWHBC I HAD to splurge and buy the Suntup edition - even at a premium because I missed the initial launch. It’s my favourite standalone and I plan to reread it soon :) I totally understand!! Those peeps don’t know what they’re talkin’ about! I’m afraid for my wife to read it for the same reason LOL
I love the GoT series! I recently read Kindred by Octavia Butler that was really good. Also Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristof is my book of the year so far.
Hi Theo. I haven't chosen a Top 10 list for myself. I'll say I also loved Boy's Life. After long delay I'm currently reading A Game of Thrones and am enjoying it more than I thought I would. I wasn't 'under a rock' I was reading other books.
If I had to pick a couple of my favorites it’d have to be: Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Something Wicked this way Comes by Ray Bradbury (also) The Hero of Ages by Brando Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
@@RekindledReader Vonnegut is very similar to other post modernist writers like Thomas Pynchon or David Foster Wallace. It’s always a good time and incredibly ridiculous with undertones of reality laid out in satirical fashion. Outer Dark can be very “messed up” at times, but I was really into the writing style and the internal messages.
@@jwsjourney I haven’t read it!!! Can you believe it?? I read The Hobbit, but I do plan to read the LotR books at some point. To be completely honest, I have no idea where they’ll land for me. I think I’ll appreciate them, but can’t say if it’ll be an all time favourite. We’ll have to see! Did you read and enjoy the trilogy??
well we don't share any Top 10 but that's okay I forgive you. jk jk. I do want to read The Road though. I like how you mixed up the genres.. I have my favorite genres of course but do read a variety in general and appreciate the mix here. It would be hard for me to narrow down ALL my favorites to just 10.. I would have had 20 honorable mentions 😂
I have always had issues with reading books that i’ve already seen the show/movies of. Worth investing in the game of thrones books? i feel like i don’t allocate enough time towards reading and they’d take me forever haha
Ok. So. I thought that too. For this series, I would emphatically say, yes. There is so much more to the books than can ever be conveyed in an adaptation. As the books progress, you’ll find more and more that wasn’t done as well in the show, although the show is fantastic mostly.
@@RekindledReaderHey thanks for the response! You’re most definitely right with the expansive details. I think i owe it to myself to read these books, as i adore the show (esp first 4 seasons). Boy’s life i’ve considered for awhile now as well. LOVED Swan Song. thanks for the recs, you do a wonderful job with these videos.
@@henrybodem448 ok so I loved Swan Song and then read Boy’s Life which was magic to me. And don’t you worry, reading A Song of Ice and Fire will only make you MORE fond of the books. You’ll appreciate the world and its characters even more! This is one of the few times that I will say, if you like the adaptation so much, don’t worry, the books will only add to your love for the IP. Sometimes, going back to read the books after, it can feel not the same, or too different. I have a good feeling you’ll find much to appreciate! And thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate you being here 🙌🏻
I disagree because GRRM going Hollywood doesn't change how good his actual books are. Stormlight is cool and all but the writing quality is nowhere near as good as GRRM.
@@Kornbhangra-hc2tf appreciate the honesty. I can understand why Legend didn’t stand out to most people, but it held much deeper meaning for me which held its ranking. And Wrath was a great conclusion to a series that I thoroughly enjoyed at the perfect time in my reading journey and I get nostalgic thinking about it. I’m actually halfway done a re-read, I need to finish the last 2 books again. But you know what, as I continue to read more awesome fantasy, I can absolutely see this list getting shaken up! Part of the beauty of the journey, and it’ll be interesting to see the changes year over year. Thanks for being here!
Thank you for sharing your list! I am 41 yr old woman and have been a voracious reader since I was 6. I have gone through romance eras, gen fic, mystery, westerns, urban paranormal, fantasy, YA, historical… I have never made a list because I simply become paralyzed at the thought of the 1000’s of books I’d have to go through! Kudos to you! I’ve read most of your top 10, and one of them is actually in my worst books of all time, lol. But that’s what’s so great about readers! We can all cheer each other on in our reading journeys and fully realize that not every book is for every reader. Thanks again, Theo, I enjoyed this!
@@messy678 I love it! Thanks for this :) I think keeping a top 10 list will be extremely difficult as I continue to read more and more wonderful books!
Prisoner of Azkaban is my favorite HP book as well - nice list! Boys Life has been on my TBR!
@@TheWanderingZhoop 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻
Dudeeeee yes!! Love the SK love near the top! You’ve also got me pumped up to read a bunch of books on here I haven’t read yet but are definitely on my list.
I’ve still yet to read any Sanderson, but I’m thinking of making next year my “Year of Sanderson.”
I’m definitely going to read Boy’s Life soon. I enjoyed Swan Song a lot.
Didn’t know ASOS took the whole cake for you!! That’s so awesome man.
Love seeing your list and hear you just gush about all of these awesome books.
Love you, bro!
I’ve read some Sanderson, but I’m planning to start the Stormlight journey soon. Maybe we will overlap a bit :)
Great list, Theo! I liked your personal approach from the start, which made many of your selections very unique. And you should continue with Drenai - if you take the external story away from Legend, I think Waylander might be even better!
Thanks, Josh!! I do intend to continue with Drenai! Thanks for the reminder and making me excited to, I remember you quite liked what you read so far.
Great list! I have not heard of some of these but very intriguing.
Thanks for watching! 🙏🏻❤️
Great list! I'm happy you mentioned The Hero of Ages🎉
🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
Solid list man, Enemy of God was the biggest surprise for me this year and it definitely made it to my own top 10 list (still in the works). Also, you and Mike's Book Reviews have gushed over Boy's Life so much so I guess its going on my TBR now, go figure
@@SplinteredLight_ YESSSSS!!
I’m half way through well of ascension and you got me excited for hero of ages, great video 👌🏻
@@IAmEric2010 🎉🙌🏻🎉🙌🏻
So glad you’re back Theo!! One of the more personable and charismatic booktubers out there. Great list and great video, hope you keep it rolling!
@@timolson6836 omg thanks so much, wow 🙏🏻🙌🏻
This was a great introduction to your channel. I agree that A Storm of Swords is the best ASOIAF.
My favourite books (off the top of my head):
1. Last Argument of Kings (Abercrombie, First Law #3)
2. A Fool's Hope (Mike Shackle, Last War #2)
3. Tiamat's Wrath (Corey, Expanse #8)
4. Of Blood and Fire (Cahill, The Bound and the Broken #1)
5. Demon In White (Ruocchio, Suneater #3)
6. House of Leaves (Danielewski)
7. Final Empire (Sanderson, Mistborn #1)
8. Hitchhikers' Guide... (Adams, #1)
9. Legend (Gemmell)
10. Lost War (Anderson, Eidyn Trilogy #1)
@@tomjoyce7037 I’m so glad you’re here - thank you!!
Awesome list!!
Great list. I’m glad you included Harry Potter. Here is mine:
1. 1Q84-Haruki Murakami
2. The Alienist-Caleb Carr
3. Sea of Silver Light-Tad Williams
4. Fool’s Fate-Robin Hobb
5. Hyperion-Dan Simmons
6. Perdido Street Station-China Mieville
7. The Drawing of the Three-Stephen King
8. Kindred-Octavia E. Butler
9. Hero of Ages-Brandon Sanderson
10. Jade Legacy-Fonda Lee
I’m reading my first Murakami as we speak…🤫 Stay tuned 😬
Great list - I have a few of those on my TBR!
I finished an initial read of your No.4 (Fool's Fate) early this month (Jul 2024). A fitting ending for a marvelous series. My eyes misted during its closing pages. Hobb's "Realm of the Elderlings" books as a totality have entered my Pantheon of Top Tier Fantasy. If forced to choose a favorite amongst the various sub-series, I'd opt for Liveship Traders, but all are great reading.
@@Decrepit_Productions I’m personally still working through Ship of Destiny. I’ve heard such good things about the Fitz and the Fool stuff!
Thanks for mentioning Harry Potter, like it’s not a shame, as I have seen many avoiding it classifying it as YA, criminally. World excited for a midnight book release is a legend. I don’t think I will ever see it again in my life time, I myself would do that again if winds of winter or doors of stone ever comes out 😅
COMPLETELY Agree! Hopefully we do get Winds of Winter so we can relive the hype.
Absolutely epic picks! Thanks again for such an insightful video. Will definitely pick up a few. Big props from Miami. 👊🏼
Yoooo thank you!!! Appreciate you stopping by 🤙🏻
You are my hero now 🤣 I’ve been trying to put together a top 10 for months and I can’t wiggle it down…
Love your top 10 list. Lots of books I haven’t read yet but your enthusiasm while talking about them is contagious. lol.
@@FineReads THANK YOU! Yeah making these lists is difficult LOL. I try and spread joy and enthusiasm like it’s the pandemic again.
Shoutout to Legend! Love that! Read the Drenai series when I was a teenager! And also, that number 1 is soooooo deserved, truly one of the greatest of all-time!
💯
Great list with lots I’m interested in reading in the future. Harry Potter 3 and Storm of Swords are both just so amazing!
SO GOOD!!!
The Road changed my approach as a father and a coach. It is a very difficult read, but well worth it.
I can TOTALLY understand that.
@@RekindledReader I actually read this on the ferry during my daily commute. The day I finished, I was ugly crying on the way to work. Paused when I arrived. Worked all day. Then finished up the book and more ugly crying on the way home. Big hug with my son when I got home.
I love books that truly impact me as a reader.
@@joshsalwen WOW. I get it. It’s one where, if I have a son, I know I’ll re-read it, and I’m also terrified to.
Theo!! I got out of the rock I was under! I’m reading Game of Thrones and loving it! Hahaha I’m on A Feast For Crows. Thanks for the rec 😉😂😂😂
@@elainedejong2806 OMG YESSSSSSS!!!!
Awesome list! So many good ones. I read The Song of Achilles and Warlord Chronicles this year and love to see them here 😁
Yes!!! They’re SO GOOD!
Yass! THIS is must read strea-ming! Also, no honorable mentions? Pure balls.
HAHAHA I know. I might do a vid on my “Almosts”
Probably unsurprisingly, the Mistborn trilogy is also what rekindled my love for reading. Would absolutely be in my top 10 as well. Harry Potter is the first book I remember choosing to read myself, and I loved the first 2, but funnily enough, I never read further than that. The third is probably my favorite movie, though. So, it would probably be my favorite of the novels as well.
@@N.A.Summur book 3 was awesome!! Haha. Yeah Mistborn was a reawakening for many :)
My list would be dominated by fantasy and sci-fi. I’m not sure if this is truly the order, I’d have to do a lot more thinking, but off the cuff I’d say:
1. Harry Potter (Book #1, #3 or #4)
2. Dune (Frank Herbert)
3. The Name of the Wind (Patrick Rothfuss)
4. Wrath (John Gwynne)
5. The Great Hunt (Robert Jordan)
6. Assassin’s Apprentice (Robin Hobb)
7. Morning Star (Pierce Brown)
8. The Hobbit (J. R. R. Tolkien)
9. The Blade Itself
10. Mistborn (Book #2 or #3)
@@kingzzz6509 pretty good list I’d say 🤙🏻
What a list.
Love that martins number 1.
ASOIAF is unmatched to this day 🙌 🎉
YEP 👊🏻
Mad respect for whittling it down to ten, and even without honourable mentions!! Love the variety on this list, so many great stories to discover regardless of genre 🤩
I wonder if reading Boy's Life as a 21yo woman was just not the right timing for me lol, it was just quite fine for me but every time I hear someone else gush about it I can totally understand why they love it so much. And gosh now I am getting all nostalgic for Harry Potter hahah, I am way overdue a reread! Great list, Theo 🥰
Never a bad time for an HP reread. And you know, I think Boy’s Life is one where, writing and story aside, it just hit me differently and evoked a ton of nostalgia and wonder, because of where I am in life, being a thirty something guy. I can totally appreciate that that must have had a role :)
@@RekindledReader I truly love that that story resonated so deeply with you, those are the kind of experiences that make you remember why you fell in love with reading in the first place!
@@esmayrosalyne 💯
100 points to Slytherin for no honorable mentions! (I award all house points to Slytherin. Biased.) Love the video and the channel vibe. Thank you for adding to my "must-watch" channels. I didn't already have 1000 channels....
🐍🐍🐍
Thank you, sssssiiiir! 🐍
Great list, Theo.
Oh man, this would be tough for me, for series installments in no particular order:
The Unholy Consult / R Scott Bakker
Sarantine Mosaic/ Guy Gavriel Kay
- A duology but ultimately 1 story.
A Storm of Swords / GRRM
Midnight Tides / Steven Erikson
Enemy of God / Bernard Cornwell
Fool's Errand / Robin Hobb
Last Argument of Kings / Joe Abercrombie
Changes / Jim Butcher
God Emperor of Dune / Frank Herbert
Look to Windward / Iain M Banks
A Price of Spring / Daniel Abraham
Wall of Storms / Ken Liu
Red Seas Under Red Skies / Scott Lynch
Standalones:
A Brightness Long Ago / Guy Gavriel Kay
Gates of Fire / Steven Pressfield
Lonesome Dove / Larry McMurtry
Frankenstein / Mary Shelley
Piranesi / Susanna Clarke
The Stand / Stephen King
The Road / Cormac McCarthy
The Heroes / Joe Abercrombie
The Word for World is Forest / Ursula K. LeGuin
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep / PKD
The Terror / Dan Simmons
Flowers for Algernon / Daniel Keyes
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Bound to have forgotten some but oh well 😅 went overboard there 😂
Some bangers on there. Some on my tbr I need to get to for sure!
@@RekindledReader any particular stand out?
Great list! I've read most of them and now I want to reread them all plus adding the ones I haven't read. No need to apologize for your picks. They are yours, after all.
🤙🏻🙏🏻👊🏻
Enemy of God and Storm of Swords!!! ❤🎉 You have me so excited to get to IT! 😊
Some of the best books ever, right? Yeah IT was phenomenal, I loved it. I just have to re-start The Stand and finish it, I got halfway many years ago. I think that might rank highly in my Stephen King list, too :)
Awesome picks!
You have some serious bangers on your list. Some I've read and others I need to read. I'm salivating over that copy of Prisoner of Azkaban. It's absolutely gorgeous!
Those are the sexiest HP editions I’ve found. I think so far only the first 3 are out :( Thanks, buddy ❤️🤙🏻
Of the possible 50 stars you can give these 10 books, I collectively gave them 46.5 stars. Which is pretty awesome. But I give Storm of Swords 8.5/5 stars so looks like we have a perfect score
✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼✊🏼
I would find it so difficult to limit myself to 10 in all genres. Loved seeing HP on the list and Legend. I don't see many people mention Gemmell.
I have to agree about IT having one of the best coming of age stories. Boy's Life I haven't read yet.
The Road is very bleak in my view and now you've made me want to re-read ASOIF.
I'll have to think hard as to what would make my top 10.
Great video and loved how well you articulated your reasons for loving these books.
Thank you so much! 💙💙💙
Nice list! Many here I’ve gotta get to but The Road I read recently and really loved it. Cheers 🤘🏽
Great list, very eloquently put. Cornwell, Gemmell and Gwynne were already on my TBR list, added Miller now 🙂
Hope you enjoy it! Thank you!!!
This was so awesome Theo! Love seeing Storm of Swords at the top. It’s my favorite series of all time still lol. Hard agree about Boys Life and Enemy of God too. Such great books!
Great minds think alike my friend!!!
Half blood prince was my favorite from HP books. There are some books from your list that I would like to read at the moment. My favorite book is Open by Andre Agassi.
The Jim Dale Harry Potter audiobooks were one of my first gateways into audio reads and it still rank up there as one of the best narrations I've experienced. I'm primarily an audio reader these days, a good performance really enhances the source material.
Also so happy to see Boy's Life on your list, it really is a top all-timer for me, I've never seen coming of age done better.
@@Kellen81 I agree all around!
1. Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck
2. Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield
3. The Rage of Dragons by Evan Winter
4. Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence
5. Glitterati by Oliver K. Langmead
6. The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill
7. Slow Time Between The Stars by John Scalzi
8. The Golden Compass by Phillip Pullman
9. Comfort Me With Apples by Catherynne M. Valente
10. Uzumaki by Junji Ito
i am ALWAYS on reddit recommending these (mainly 1, 2 and 9), and am CONSTANTLY getting replies and/or DMS back from people saying they read one of these based off my rec and they absolutely loved them/it's now their favorite book of all time (usually book 1 or 2).
@@wifeunderthesea wow interesting list. Rage of Dragons has been on my tbr for too long. And I didn’t click with Prince of Thorns but I mean to try Lawrence again. I’ll check some of these out as well, thank you :)
@@RekindledReader you're welcome!
Rage of Dragons is INCREDIBLE. i think my goodreads review says something like "5 million stars. epic. all-time fave."
@@wifeunderthesea 😮😮🙌🏻
Great list Theo! Those are all bangers. I need to read some Legend!
Dooo iiiiit! 🤙🏻❤️🙏🏻
@RekindledReader Hahaha I will! Did you read any more in that series?
@@TheBeardedBookBeast I read a prequel called The First Chronicles of Druss the Legend. It was pretty cool backstory. I plan to read more in the Drenai series for sure 🤙🏻
@@RekindledReader Nice, I will look for that one too!
Great video! Great books! Definitely agree with you 100% on Mistborn, The Road, It and Storm of Swords. You sold me on Boy's life and Legend, so they'll probably be my next reads. Thanks!
AMAZING! I hope you have a blast with those! Sounds like we have similar taste :)
Great list, I’m currently 3/4 through Winter King and loving it, was going to read something else afterwards now I may go right into Enemy Of God! Love every my personal favorites are Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun (probably book 2- Claw of the Conciliator) and Of Mice and Men, cheers
Of Mice and Men is awesome. And I have Gene Wolfe on the shelf, I’ve been intimated though! Maybe some day haha. I think you’ll want to head straight into Enemy of God, and because it’s such a good book 2, I would recommend it!
Great list my friend, love seeing Wrath on here, I still think about it, i'll never recover from some of those moments. You have inspired me to do my own top 10, i've been thinking about it for over a year, now might be the right time to do it!
❤️❤️ YESSSSS!!! 🙏🏻🙌🏻
Mate, no shame in loving Harry Potter. It turned a whole generation on to fantasy! Song of Achilles was excellent! Have you read The Iliad? Worth it. Read Boy’s Life a couple months ago and LOVED it! 😀 And so many of the rest of your list are reads I really need to get to. Good to have you back, brother.
So when do we get your “My new ink” video? 🤔
Thanks, Matt! I’m reading Circe right now and it’s excellent as well. Boy’s Life was so special for me. Appreciate the love, man - I’ve missed ya. You know, I might show more of the ink on an update sometime, just waiting to finish the sleeve. Believe it or not, it’s far from done 😜
Hi 👋 good books on ur list!! Happy reading to you!! 😊
Just finished HoA! The final act when everything was tying together was so freaking epic goddam. What an incredible roller coaster ride this trilogy was! So invested with the characters its sad to let go! Bittersweet is all I’m feeling right now. Gonna miss them all.
@@mig900 YES I AGREE!!!
That's an excellent list my friend. I read The Road and Boy's Life this year and both are on my favs of the year list. I think I like Swan Song a tad more than Boy's Life though. I'm a Goblet of Fire kinda guy myself, as well. lol. Good to see you back in the swing of things my man. 💪💪
Awesome! Thanks for the love, my dude 🤙🏻
This is a great list! Thanks for the reminder to get back to Legend, which I was reading earlier this year--I tend to bounce between books, and sometimes that means perfectly good books languish in my "currently reading" category. I may have to put together a top 10 list of my own.
I do the same thing to, I totally get it haha. Looking forward to your list!!!
Not a bad book on that list. Im particularly happy to see A Song For Achilles. That book might even be in my top 5. Beautiful. Enjoy Circe!
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Great, eclectic list! I am SHOCKED by your number 9 pick!
Thank you!! Right?? Me too lol.
Thank you for sharing them Theo!!
Thank YOU for watching!!
I REALLY need to read more Cormac McCarthy. Like you said, his stuff kind of need to be mood reads and being in that kind of mood isn’t always fun lol. I also need to get to Legend. Definitely a pillar of fantasy that I haven’t read. Great list, Theo!
Thanks, bro! Yeah McCarthy is a weird one. I think, No Country for Old Men might be my next one. And dude, watch my video for Legend before you try it. Keep in mind the metaphors (even the different names he gives the layers of the stronghold) and you’ll appreciate it all the more.
What a list! Harry Potter, Circe, The Road, Legend, Enemy of God and A Storm of Swords are amazing! Wrath is alright as well......
Right??? And yeah, Papa Gwynne is a blessing ✊🏼
Thanks for sharing your list! I’ve put library holds Boys Life and Enemy of God immediately!
🙌🏻🙌🏻❤️❤️
Make sure to read The Winter King before Enemy of God, and then Excalibur! What Ana amazing trilogy 😍😍
I’m only 17 and I got back into reading a year or two ago after being a really avid reader as a kid. Started off with the Harry Potter books (as you do) and then I started reading the shining by Stephen King. Best decision I have ever made. I’ve read like 10 of his books now and as much as I love them I’m trying to broaden my horizons. I just started reading Assassin’s Apprentice by Robin Hobb and I’m loving it so far. Favourite book of all time has to be The Stand though, 11.22.63 is a close follower
11/22/63 is it very close second Stephen King book for me as well. I loved Pet Sematary too, those are my favs behind IT. I’m reading Ship of Destiny but taking my time finishing it, as I have been in the mood for some faster books recently. But I really like Hobb myself. Thanks for being here!
@@RekindledReader I used to say that Pet Semetary was my favourite but after a book as epic as The Stand it changed pretty quickly. Keep up the videos man 🙏
@@alistaircarrigan6206 thank you! You know, I read half of The Stand years ago, so who knows, when I finally re read and finish it, it may top the list!
@@RekindledReadergotta finish it man, that climax is incredible!
That would be my number 1 as well. Still trying to find someone with the characters that George crafts, there are some great ones out there but nothing of this magnitude.
@@thomashays9332 TRUTH
You had me at Prisoner of Azkaban!!😍I need to read Boys Life, I know I'll love it because Swan Song was incredible.Yesss!!!! Storm of Swords!!!! Fantastic list Theo!!!
Ah thanks, Venus!!!
I couldn’t agree more about SK…he is such a fantastic character writer. Thanks for the reminder to pick up Enemy of God!!! Great list!!
Yes!! And OMG READ ENEMY OF GOD LOL
My favourite book of all time is A Storm of Swords (from 2019)
Damn right!!!
Awesome video man! Definitely subscribing, super fun to watch and listen to 😁
Back at ya, buddy. Excited to check out more of your stuff 🤙🏻
@@RekindledReader thanks man! I really appreciate that!!!
That's a cool mix, nice list!
Thanks!
Great list, Theo!!🎉
Thanks, Penny!!
I'm looking forward to those infamous Gwynne battle scenes! I'm about 160 pages in Malice, and I can't wait to see where this series takes me.
IT and Boy's Life -- great picks! I read IT when I was a kid and then re-read 2021, and it was better on the re-read (mainly because I understood more of what was happening) but also caught a lot of nuance and scenes I had completely forgotten about.
Gwynne is so much fun - every book in that series gets better and better. Yeah Boy’s Life and IT…so good! Thanks for watching!
I feel like a lot of people on booktube over the years have seen the hype of game of thrones and have kinda discredited the books for how good they actually are. I don't think any fantasy author writing today writes as well as George in terms of character, world building, prose anything tbh.
I’m inclined to agree.
Great video. I am intrigued bu Bernard Cornwell' s King Arthur book. It free on my kindle so great way for me to try hom out.
My number one book is Andy Weir "The Martian ". I just love it. i am due for a reread soon...
Thanks! Bernard Cornwell is a fantastic author. Have you read Project Hail Mary? That’s my favourite Andy Weir :)
@RekindledReader Yes, I loved Project Hail Mary, another great book. Andy Weir is just a great story teller.
i just bought IT and paid 35.00 for it.....because after you raved about it,i had to read it.....😊❤❤❤❤
@@lavenderlady7441 oh dear - I hope you enjoy it. It’s a classic horror novel for a reason, it’s quite the journey.
I'd have to say my absolute favorite is Lonesome Dove. I re-read it every year, it is so good. LD and the sequel/prequels are the only Westerns I have ever read.
@@lydiam.1833 you know what? I’ve never tried a true western, but I do own Lonesome Dove and have been meaning to try it. I think I’m going to fit it in soon enough. 🤞🏻
How dare you not include (insert obscure book here) on your list? 😂 Props though, not too often you see a top ten list with this number of "not the first in the series" books listed. I still need to read Boy's Life. LOVED Swan Song and I've read almost all of his horror, but never picked this one up. Great list.
HAHA I’m sorry to everyone for not including everyone’s favourites, ever LOL. Thanks for watching, I appreciate you being here 🤙🏻 I think you’ll appreciate Boy’s Life :)
Enemy of God was the first audiobook I’ve ever argued with. “No. Nope, you can’t DO that, stop”
HAHAHA amazing
Our overlaps are nuts, on my own top books list earlier this year were Wrath, Song of Achilles, Enemy of God, and a bunch of others from the same series (Half Blood Prince, Clash of Kings) or same author (11/22/63 for King, and I went with Words of Radiance for Sando, but like you it was Hero of Ages that truly rekindled my love of reading as an adult).
Legend was epic, and the Road was such an impactful read 💪
Seems like I have to read It and try out Robert McCammon!!
I love how much we have in common HAHA!! 11/22/63 is a banger, IT JUST beat it out!
Boy’s Life is my favorite book of all time! If you haven’t read Ordinary Grace by Krueger you should also check that out!
@@DustinHarrisWHBC I DID read it! Boy’s Life is still my fav, though 😋
@@RekindledReader definitely! Broke my heart when my book club read Boy’s Life and most of them didn’t like it. It will be so hard for a book to dethrone that one for me!
@@DustinHarrisWHBC I HAD to splurge and buy the Suntup edition - even at a premium because I missed the initial launch. It’s my favourite standalone and I plan to reread it soon :) I totally understand!! Those peeps don’t know what they’re talkin’ about! I’m afraid for my wife to read it for the same reason LOL
I was just working/reworking my top 10 today and we have several books in common!
DAMN RIGHT!!!
@@RekindledReader I just read Boy’s Life this year and form the prologue I was hooked!
Pretty good list
Not bad, right??
@@RekindledReader definitely had a great mix of genres for all readers
11/22/63 is my all time favorite
@@leezirkle7840 I think it’s right up there for me too. My second place King is probably 11/22/63 or maybe even Pet Sematary, depending on the day.
Try Jacob Pepper. Saga of the Known Lands, pretty good
Added to the TBR - thanks for the rec!
I love the GoT series! I recently read Kindred by Octavia Butler that was really good. Also Empire of the Damned by Jay Kristof is my book of the year so far.
I really liked Kindred as well! I need to read Empire of the Damned, maybe after a reread of EotV.
Hi Theo. I haven't chosen a Top 10 list for myself. I'll say I also loved Boy's Life. After long delay I'm currently reading A Game of Thrones and am enjoying it more than I thought I would. I wasn't 'under
a rock' I was reading other books.
😂😂 I WAS under a Rock!! Hope you enjoy the rest of A Game of Thrones!!
No one book is my fav 🥲
You should read sword of kaigen
@@ishratkona1212 I’m planning to! I have the paperback and the beautiful special edition Kickstarter. I hope to get to it soon, I think I’ll love it!
Enemy of God! Yesssssss!!!
@@laurablakeauthor damn right!
If I had to pick a couple of my favorites it’d have to be:
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
Something Wicked this way Comes by Ray Bradbury
(also) The Hero of Ages by Brando
Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
Oh awesome. Outer Dark…need to check that out. Also Vonnegut, he’s been on my tbr for a while.
@@RekindledReader Vonnegut is very similar to other post modernist writers like Thomas Pynchon or David Foster Wallace. It’s always a good time and incredibly ridiculous with undertones of reality laid out in satirical fashion.
Outer Dark can be very “messed up” at times, but I was really into the writing style and the internal messages.
I only read classics, but I was so surprised since you like fantasy that The Lord of the Rings wasn't on your list
@@jwsjourney I haven’t read it!!! Can you believe it?? I read The Hobbit, but I do plan to read the LotR books at some point. To be completely honest, I have no idea where they’ll land for me. I think I’ll appreciate them, but can’t say if it’ll be an all time favourite. We’ll have to see! Did you read and enjoy the trilogy??
well we don't share any Top 10 but that's okay I forgive you. jk jk.
I do want to read The Road though.
I like how you mixed up the genres.. I have my favorite genres of course but do read a variety in general and appreciate the mix here.
It would be hard for me to narrow down ALL my favorites to just 10.. I would have had 20 honorable mentions 😂
I ALMOST did have 20 honorable mentions so then I said, nah, let’s try and make it work 😂
I have always had issues with reading books that i’ve already seen the show/movies of. Worth investing in the game of thrones books? i feel like i don’t allocate enough time towards reading and they’d take me forever haha
Ok. So. I thought that too. For this series, I would emphatically say, yes. There is so much more to the books than can ever be conveyed in an adaptation. As the books progress, you’ll find more and more that wasn’t done as well in the show, although the show is fantastic mostly.
@@RekindledReaderHey thanks for the response! You’re most definitely right with the expansive details. I think i owe it to myself to read these books, as i adore the show (esp first 4 seasons). Boy’s life i’ve considered for awhile now as well. LOVED Swan Song. thanks for the recs, you do a wonderful job with these videos.
@@henrybodem448 ok so I loved Swan Song and then read Boy’s Life which was magic to me. And don’t you worry, reading A Song of Ice and Fire will only make you MORE fond of the books. You’ll appreciate the world and its characters even more! This is one of the few times that I will say, if you like the adaptation so much, don’t worry, the books will only add to your love for the IP. Sometimes, going back to read the books after, it can feel not the same, or too different. I have a good feeling you’ll find much to appreciate! And thanks for the kind words, I really appreciate you being here 🙌🏻
I think George RR Martin LOST me when he sold out to Hollywood. Brandon Sanderson's STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE moved him above Martin!
@@janecitizen7714 I can appreciate and understand that. That gives me such high hopes for Stormlight. I am going to start it very soon!!
I disagree because GRRM going Hollywood doesn't change how good his actual books are. Stormlight is cool and all but the writing quality is nowhere near as good as GRRM.
You were correct when you said that we were both adults. However where you go wrong in assuming we can still be friends if we disagree. That is false
I disagree with this. Does that negate our original, if any, disagreeing? Friends still on?
Downvoted for not including How To Win Friends and Influence People in the top 3
I should probably read that one again 😬
You mean well, but legend and wrath seem pretty ordinary to me. I like the contemptless familiarity of your video though. Subscribed.
@@Kornbhangra-hc2tf appreciate the honesty. I can understand why Legend didn’t stand out to most people, but it held much deeper meaning for me which held its ranking. And Wrath was a great conclusion to a series that I thoroughly enjoyed at the perfect time in my reading journey and I get nostalgic thinking about it. I’m actually halfway done a re-read, I need to finish the last 2 books again. But you know what, as I continue to read more awesome fantasy, I can absolutely see this list getting shaken up! Part of the beauty of the journey, and it’ll be interesting to see the changes year over year. Thanks for being here!
Well answered.
@@Kornbhangra-hc2tf 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻