Apparently I’ve been in a pretty good mood the last few months, or maybe I’ve just been on a good run of novels. Whatever the case, this last batch of four novels was pretty darn good.
So as I often do after every 4-5 novels, I thought I would explain why I ranked these recent novels as I did. So here you go:
The Lord of the Rings (current rank: 2): That’s right–#2! You can’t believe the internal struggle I went through before placing LOTR ahead of To Kill A Mockingbird. But I did it, and I fully believe it’s only second to The Great Gatsby of the novels I’ve read to this point.
The Sportswriter (current rank: 29): Good novel. Love Richard Ford’s writing style. Frank Bascombe somehow manages to be likeable in his creepiness. It’s an emotional story, especially if you’ve ever been through a difficult relationship.
Appointment in Samarra (current rank: 18): I loved this book. It’s enjoyable in that watching a train wreck kind of way. Julian English is a disaster. What starts as a fun read, though, definitely takes a darker turn toward the end. Still, this is a quick, entertaining book.
The Confessions of Nat Turner (current rank: 14): William Styron wrote an impressive novel with The Confessions of Nat Turner. Brutal, violent, and extremely dark—but it’s a novel that sucks you in from the beginning and never releases its pull until the end. Great novel.
Go here if you’d like to see the entirety of my rankings—including all 75 novels I’ve read so far from the Time list. Will anyone ever pass The Great Gatsby at #1? Doubtful, but who knows?
Do you agree or disagree with my highly subjective and completely pointless rankings?
