My Top 7 Favorite Novels of All Time

For today’s post, I have decided to do a countdown of the current ranking of my seven favorite novels of all time.   Now, this list is subject to change, as I am an avid reader, but these have been favorites since the first time I read them, as each has that sort of impact!   I will admit that two of them are actually series and one is a novella, so some people may think I am cheating.   However, as it is my list I make the rules, so I included them!

Number 7: The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

~So, I will start by acknowledging that I hate Marion Zimmer Bradley as a person.   What she did to her daughter is unforgivable!   If you do not know what I mean by that you can look it up, as I do not want to go into detail.   However, someone can be a trash person while still creating a beautiful work of art.   This is the case with The Mists of Avalon which is a novel of the Arthuriad told from the female perspective, namely Morgaine le Fay!   This novel would go on to inspire so many other works of art both on the page and screen, making it important for its level of influence.   My adoration of Arthurian legends and especially of Morgana le Fay made this a novel that I adored the first time I read it.   I am just now getting to the point where I can separate the art from the artist, as I found out about her history after I had read the book two or three times.   So, I look forward to re-reading this fantasy epic!

Number 6: The Otherworld Series by Kelley Armstrong

~This series of thirteen novels introduced the readers to several different narrators over the course of the series run.   All of these narrators were female, which is why it is sometimes referred to as the Women of the Otherworld Series instead.   It is a great fantasy novel series that shows us many different types of supernatural beings, as well as what it is like to live as one of them!

Number 5: Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

~Truman Capote’s novella is the only work on this list with no fantasy elements.  I just adore this novel beyond expression and view it as a very different but equally amazing work of art from the film it inspired.   I really love reading it and imagining Marilyn as Holly, the way that Capote originally wrote her!   

Number 4: Circe by Madeline Miller

~My favorite of the Greek myth-based novels that have become popular over the last few years is by far Circe.   It combined some of my favorite things, a redemption tale (as Circe is often maligned in the original myths) and mythology-based fiction!   Miller is an incredible writer, whom I am so glad that I began to read.   I cannot wait to see what else she may come up with!   However, I feel that nothing can compare with Circe, as even her earlier novel about Achilles does not compare in my opinion (though it is also a great read)!

Number 3: The All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness

~What is better than a book about a vampire and a witch?   One where they fall in love as epic soulmates!   Oh, not to mention the bonus point of this being a technically forbidden love story!   Add on all the epic historical references throughout, as well as the time travel element, and you get an epic series of books to read!

Number 2: The Sea Priestess by Dion Fortune

~I only read Dion Fortune for the first time at the very end of last year.   I am so glad that I finally picked up her novel and that I started with The Sea Priestess!  It has rapidly become my absolute favorite occult novel ever, as well as an incredible read in general.   I cannot recommend this well-written and iconic book highly enough!

Number 1: Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

~My number one pick will likely not be a surprise to my long-time readers.   I have written about my adoration for this novel several times before.   It has been my favorite 19th-century novel for my entire life.   I mean that literally, as I first read this book when I was only seven years old!   It is also one of my most read books, as I adore reading it yearly, always finding new ways to appreciate the prose as I grow and evolve!   The story of Cathy and Heathcliff is a truly haunting, if problematic, love story.   I have often told my husband that I would love to haunt the Moors with him after we are dead, as Cathy and Heathcliff ultimately do when he joins her in the afterlife 18 years after she died!   I find this so lovely and tragically romantic!

~I hope that you have enjoyed this countdown.   Do you love any of these novels?   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

On a Side Note: As today is the first of August, I wanted to wish a Blessed Lughnasadh to all!