I know entirely subjective, but then again so was the “worst book ever written?” thread.
my vote goes to To Kill a Mockingbird.
My top 3:
- Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
- The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye
- Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
My all-time favorite book is Ender’s Game’’ by Orson Scott Card, but I wouldn’t consider it in the ‘‘best book ever written category.’’
you got two of my favorite as well! Ender’s Game, and Lonesome Dove are wonderful, but I think Dove was written a little bit better, and Ender’s had a really enticing story.
did you read any of the prequels/sequels to Ender’s Game? They weren’t as good as the original, but I though that the one about Bean (Ender’s Shadow?) was pretty good.
Ender’s Game and Lonesome Dove would definitely be in my top 10 - great picks.
I’d have to go with *The Confessions of Nat Turner *by William Styron or Watership Down by Richard Adams as my all-time favorites.
I read all of the books in the Ender ‘‘Saga,’’ by none were as good as the original.
Big fan of Steinbeck’s East of Eden, but The Grapes of Wrath is genius. In prose, character development, storyline, descriptive writing, historical and social significance - pure brilliance across the board. Every book since has been somewhat of a disappointment.
The Kite Runner, A Walk in the Woods, To Build a Fire, Old Man and the *Sea, Walden *& Into Thin Air may not be worthy of that title, but they’ll always have a place on my bookshelf.
You all are so high brow, I say “The Dirt” by Motley Crue…yes, it’s a book, not an album. 
I’ll agree on To Kill A Mockingbird
my parents got me a biography about Harper Lee; it is called Mockingbird. I’ve read a little of it, really cool.
To Kill a Mockingbird was very good. When I was younger (read: I haven’t read this book in a while), I was fascinated by The Good Earth by Pearl Buck. I’ll have to read it again to remember why.
Jeff
Frankenstein comes to mind too. I hate that book but it is very well written and there is A LOT to it.
I loved Enders Game. And then I read the rest of the saga too. I’ll read any Orson Scott Card book now. I just finished Sarah. At the end there is a couple pages on OSC. Reading about him sort f explained a lot about all of his writings.
Don Quixote I read it ever summer. Moby Dick is a close second.
Funny that many of the books on this list are also on the “Worst Book Ever” list.
I don’t feel like I can name the “Best Book Ever”, there are so many books in so many languages! Who knows?
Two terrific books by Barbara Kingsolver:
Prodigal Summer
The Poisonwood Bible
not that this question can be answered, but my vote goes to “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” is great. Shelby Foote’s trilogy on the Civil War is great history. I also loved “The Catcher in the Rye”…I was surprised to see it mentioned so much on the “worst books” thread.
Spot
According to Librarians…
Ulysses by James Joyce is widely regarded as best 20th C novel written…
In terms of wow factor, aside from that novel, books that have made me go wow have been The Shipping News, 100 Years of Solitude, Midnight’s Children, Foucault’s Pendulum, Catcher in the Rye, Trainspotting.
A few of my favorites are:
The Silmarillion by J.R.R. and Christopher Tolkien
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Source by James Michener
The Foundation by Isaac Asimov
The Iliad by Homer
I don’t know if any of these could be considered “the best” though.
Bernie
you read the iliad in the poetic form?
I have read some of it. Honestly though, it is too much for me that way. More power to those that have.