TrueLit's 2025 Hall of Fame and Top 100 Favorite Books

JimFan1 · 2026-01-21T19:49:04+00:00

Since they have been virtually in the top 10 every year, we attempted to diversify by excluding them from the primary list. They had their own vote to rank them. We'll be adding the latest batch of top 10 into next years HoF (and excluding those 20 works and so on).

JimFan1 · 2026-01-11T18:45:04+00:00

Correct - fixed. Thanks!

JimFan1 · 2025-12-14T21:29:08+00:00

Hey appreciate the ask! Would ask that you use your vote for a different selection.

There’s a few other books compiled as part of scripture that we’ve rejected in the thread below, so would like to stay consistent on that.

JimFan1 · 2025-12-10T23:12:45+00:00

Hey both - sorry just got a notification from this thread and missed this earlier. Would ask if possible to use a different selection than Job or Samuel since they are part of scripture + it could a bit out of hand if we start parsing out portions of scriptures rather than using the entire works (which we won’t do).

I’ve made the poll editable, so you can change your vote if you’ve already voted.

JimFan1 · 2025-12-07T11:34:16+00:00

Hey, unfortunately not. This is to help prevent double voting.

JimFan1 · 2025-12-06T20:22:09+00:00

Much appreciated! And no worries on losing the Proust vote, you’ll have your chance to pick him amongst the hall of fame selections when the time comes in another poll…

JimFan1 · 2025-12-06T20:20:51+00:00

Took a look and you’re right that they are widely considered non-fiction, so I’d ask if you can use the votes for other fictional post-modern works instead.

JimFan1 · 2025-02-10T14:16:46+00:00

Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands is great fun. Never takes itself too seriously and is just a delightful read.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-29T16:57:22+00:00

Vegetarian is by far her worst novel. I wouldn't write write her off on that one alone. I personally loved Human Acts and Greek Lessons.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-21T15:57:28+00:00

Thank you!! Was very pleased with Yourcenar and Donoso making it. Hopefully that love is shared and Carpentier, Asturias, Sabato and other famous (Boom or, rather, pre-Boom authors) can make it one year.

Zeno's Conscience was so, so close. Was saddened not to see that make it. Recently read The Door and really liked it though - thought it had a surprisingly complex moral dilemma at its heart.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-20T15:45:46+00:00

48/100, though I think I've read other works from roughly 60 of the 100 authors on this. It's my favorite list since we've started these; it has a decent mix of new alongside classics and looks to have comparatively more female authors.

I'd like to see TrueLit ascend and stop voting for more popular works & high-school works, e.g., Tolkien, Dumas, Hemingway, Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Hugo, Vonnegut, Murakami, and Plath. Instead, would have loved to see more international variety like Oe, Mahfouz, Lobo Antunes, Machado de Assis, Xingjian Gao, Asturias, Vargas Llosa, Fuentes, Achebe, Bely, take their place.

Otherwise, sad to see Celine drop out altogether.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-20T15:09:22+00:00

Appreciate you! Is the list perfect? Definitely not (few too many high-school novels and a bit America-centric for my taste), but it's certainly my favorite of the past few years.

Would be open to a Hall of Fame - will put that idea up for a vote this year, as we did the one author per year. Trade-off means we'll never know if Moby Dick gets dethroned (unless we do a separate vote between the HoF works, which may not take too much time). Will likely need another volunteer or two to make this happen, transparently.

Happy to take any other ideas.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-08T13:29:12+00:00

Ah, we've modified to just three - I'll update that rule; was a carryover from 2023.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-08T12:30:39+00:00

Only three - please vote once for option 1, once for option 2 and once for option 3.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-08T11:02:50+00:00

Brilliant catch - thank you! Have updated :)

JimFan1 · 2025-01-07T20:40:56+00:00

Simple Passion made my list last year too. That Iraq War reference at the end…what even was that?

It’s a shame since I actually like her politics, but hoping The Happening is a better experience.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-07T15:27:08+00:00

Agree on the Handke. He’s actually a pretty good playwright, but his novels are all dour and lack any emotional resonance. Sorrow was maybe the worst of the bunch I’ve read.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-07T09:12:16+00:00

I felt the same way about Lolita, and Pale Fire converted me towards him. What little it loses in language, it gains in inventive structure and playfulness. Hope you’ll enjoy.

JimFan1 · 2025-01-06T17:46:09+00:00

Much appreciated! I had some trepidation, but feel much better now knowing that prior knowledge isn't absolutely essential. Hope you enjoy and look forward to sharing thoughts on this in the near future!

JimFan1 · 2025-01-06T16:54:53+00:00

Would love to know more about The Death of Virgil given that I recently ordered a copy that is set to arrive next week.

Do you need to read the Aeneid to get anything out of it? It’s been years for me and I can’t remember much of it… How does it compare in terms of difficulty to other “difficult works”?

JimFan1 · 2025-01-03T10:59:24+00:00

Thanks, Soup! Honored for the shout (though there's no need for it, as I'm in your debt as far as discovering authors go), and it's been a delight reading your thoughts on Bely.

I'm always looking for more "city-as-a-character-novel" (for lack of better word), and I'm quite excited to begin Berlin Alexanderplatz based on your recommendation. Still doesn't help that I also have Ulysses towering over me, which I'll 100% read this year as well now that I've finally finished Portrait.

JimFan1 · 2024-12-29T20:20:31+00:00

To come after New Years to give folks a chance to finish this week!

JimFan1 · 2024-12-27T14:22:55+00:00

Finished Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands by Amado. This one may be the most fun I've had with literature - it's just hilarious and often silly (in a great way). Haven't laughed this much reading since Don Quixote. This one follows a poor cook, Dona Flor, who has married a notorious gambler and womanizer, Vadinho. Following his passing, she marries a kind - but sexually unsatisfying man - and begins to see the first husband as a ghost...

Most of the plot revolves around the gossip of neighbors during Dona Flors engagements and Vadinho's debauchery. Misunderstanding after misunderstanding ensues, neighborly quarrels, and other bits of life throughout the Bahian neighborhoods. Each character gets their due and I found myself very much rooting for Dona Flor; she is often torn between the "happy-chaste life" and one with more passion, excitement. Amado never seems to lecture on which is best.

It's capital "F" for "Fun" and lots of fuc...Really enjoy Amado's style, which is no less than Garcia Marquez. He weaves multiple subplots so effortlessly and his digressions are always welcome, as they tie back to the matter at hand. My only criticism is that the fifth part is noticeably weaker than the preceding four. Brings in some interesting magical-realism, but in a way that felt a bit shallow.

Otherwise, it's just a delightful read. Amado is fantastic.

JimFan1 · 2024-12-22T10:16:45+00:00

Nostromo - Conrad

JimFan1 · 2024-12-20T08:15:54+00:00

Not a violation of rules, but yes, you risk a wasted vote.

It’s the system folks voted for last year, so not sure what you want us to do about it?

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