Its sad that John Williams is not there. For me, underrated is an euphemism to describe him. His books changed my life. Also just wanna say that I love your work and the fact that we share the same passion for literature, which makes me wanna be a better reader. Keep going!!

Glad to see Faulkner at 10. Could have been higher, but oh well Murakami as an author is so incredibly easy to read, I don't think I've burned through a book that fast before purely because the language was so accessible. So honestly, save his work for like if you're in a reading slump or just need something super easy to read. Norwegian Wood is good, but he's written a lot, and you can't go wrong with starting most anywhere (except 1Q84) Do be prepared for rampant, casual misogyny though.

Thank you for igniting my passion for literature your guidance and enthusiasm have enriched my life in ways i never imagined grateful for the journey we're embarking on.

Dostoevsky is love ❤️ Crime and punishments was masterpiece but I felt a strange connection with Notes from underground. I really felt he was talking about me 😅. And you introduced me to Camus and many more so thank you very much ❤️

I live in Russia. I know the Russian language. I can confidently say that I am proud of it. I am very surprised and delighted that in countries other than Russia they read Tolstoy and Dostoevsky. It's amazing. Thank you, William, for such a wonderful video. P. S. I highly recommend Dostoevsky's "White Nights." It's very short. This is an unusual work of Dostoevsky, it is not so dark, combines elements of romanticism and sentimentalism. A great book to start reading Dostoevsky.

William if you see this comment, Cormac McCarthy is my favorite author.

I just started reading this year and you’ve been a great guide to many books. hats off to you!

Hey William love your channel just ordered your book can’t wait to read it keep up the good work 👍🏻

Top 3 are perfect. Makes me happy to hear. Currently reading east of eden and I HIGHLY recommend. Im deeply in love with this. Ive not cried over a character death in a long time since this book and im not even half way though. Dostoyevski is my love, my life. Took me 3 winters to finish crime and punishment. I never wanted it to end. I think about it often

I was about to write a negative comment but you mentioned dostoyevsky. Lucky you

My vote wasn't for Vonnegut, but Cat's Cradle led me back to reading again in high school and made me want to be a writer. It will always be one of my favorite books because of that and Vonnegut will always have a special place in my heart.

Great video! I'm surprised Salinger didn't crack the top 20

In my early twenties I went through a Vonnegut phase. But it wasn’t till going back to school in my thirties and rereading Slaughterhouse-Five that I was able to fully appreciate it and Kurt. Mother Night was my favorite from that first go around. It sparked the questions: at what point to we become what we pretend to be? and, do the ends justify the means? But that was now almost twenty years ago! 🫣 Maybe time for a reread to see if it’s held up.

I knew he wouldn't be up there but I was still sad to not see Erich Maria Remarque. Only author I decided to read every book by. If you like moody prose and unapologetically flawed characters I recommend.

Great video, just finished reading Fumes and really enjoyed it, would love a longer novel with more depth of characters in a similar style

Interiority? I had to look that one up. Learn something new every day. 😊

Diving into Donna Tartt as I type. So far, Secret History’s prose is magnificent. How she dances that line between someone punchy like Hemingway and someone more verbose like Salter. I’ll definitely be reading more of her in 2024.

Great Video. My favorite author is Khaled Hosseini. He should have been on that list. :)

Yet another great video, William. A lot of big names didn't make the top 20!

Sirens of Titan is my personal favorite Vonnegut and science fiction novel in general of all time

Great video! ❤

East of Eden is a masterpiece. Cathy Ames is one of the greatest villains in all of literature, up there with judge Holden

Mother Night by Vonnegut is a great read - eager to give Breakfast of Champions a try too :)

Any Poe on the list?? He’s my all-time favorite!

Much love from Ethiopia ❤️❤️

The first Vonnegut novel I read was Cat’s Cradle. I think if you’re starting Vonnegut then you should pick up Cat’s Cradle first

I still like as my favorite, Robert C Bauer, "The Kid Gallagher Story ".

A bit late to the party but The Brothers Karmazov is definitely my favorite Doestoyevsky novel. Crime and Punishment is an extremely good novel with the worst epiloge I have ever read, I wished I'd skipped it, it really dragged the book down for me. Also for any anime fans Crime and Punishment gave me some real Death Note vibes.

Thanks!

Terrific video! I've been missing your polls because I'm not on IG or FB, and YT doesn't give notifications about pists that aren't videos. Would you mind posting video announcements about these polls to KZfaq, so that subscribers will get notified and then get to participate? For my late vote, I would have said CS Lewis. I'm curious how many votes, if any, he got.

Massive Vonnegut fan here, I've read 7 or 8 of his novels. I've lost count. Cat's Cradle is fantastic, so is Mother Night (My personal favourite) and Mr Rosewater. Slaughterhouse-5 was life-changing. The film is excellent too. I really didn't like Breakfast of Champions as much as I thought I would, same with Bluebeard and Happy Birthday Wanda June. I found those to be his most disappointing works. Player Piano is good too, though Vonnegut himself kind of dismissed it. His early stuff is really where he peaked imo, and I think he himself agreed with that. You can really start wherever you would like with his works.

Think the Jonathan Franzen 1 vote is kinda accurate 🌚

My favorit Vonnegut is Galapagos

the data gathering must've been a nightmare! next time just use a shared excel or anything that would easily do the job :D btw, what's stopped you from reading Murakami so far? Any particular reason?

Let me be the third vote for Shakespeare

The great god pan/the hill of dreams/the white people by Arthur machen and Arthur Rimbaud good also heart of darkness by Joseph Conrad

Where’s Juan Rulfo ?!

Arthur Miller is propably my favourite writer along with Hemingway, but I just wanted to ask if anyone in this comment section has heard/read the Finnish writer Jörn Donner?

Wish Brett Easton Ellis, Frederick Douglas, and Mark Twain made top 20. Pablo Neruda, Chinua Achebe, and Joseph Conrad as well.

hey William, have you read any Norman Mailer?

You need to expand your territory into the international #booktok That list is more like a : "Your top 20 American Novelists who changed your life..."

Wow where the fuck is Proust 😰 haha where is Joyce? Again where is Proust?

Vonnegut and Murakami are quite overrated. East of Eden is not Steinbeck's best.

All i gotta say: I hear good things about Murakami as well so I read Norwegian Wood to start off with this summer and I found it to be the cheesiest most sexist (possibly lesbian fetish and very r*pey fetishes that murakami has shine through!) book I’ve read. Plus the characters all are knobs.

Reading fiction books is a waste of time