The 100 best books of all time...According to our book club members
The club’s member-ranked top 100 spans classics, contemporary fiction, fantasy, and sci-fi; East of Eden ranks first under a points-based voting system.
- Members rank 10 books: first place earns 10 points, down to one point for tenth; totals determine the ranking.
- The list reflects books appearing on many members’ top 10s, not just books ranked first.
- Use the list as a broad reading-discovery resource, but treat rankings as a snapshot of this club’s tastes.
The rankings and voting method are covered in the notes; the rest is mostly book-by-book chat. · Best for: Readers looking for varied book recommendations or curious how a book club ranks favorites.
The hosts explain how their book club collected members’ top 10 books, then discuss the resulting ranking. They note that the list has broad genre and period coverage, while reflecting the preferences of participating members rather than a universal consensus.
How the list was built1:02
- Members submit a top 10 using a club password.
- Books receive 10 points for first place, then one fewer point per lower rank; totals produce the top 100.
- The hosts say 159 of more than 700 club members had participated at the time of recording.
Books ranked 100–5110:35
- The lower half includes war fiction, classics, speculative fiction, and challenging literary works.
- The hosts discuss factors that may affect a book’s rank, including accessibility, length, and availability.
- Examples include Matterhorn, The Parable of the Sower, The Tunnel, and Jane Eyre.
Books ranked 50–2137:06
- This span includes books such as Midnight’s Children, Suttree, 2666, Dune, and The Dispossessed.
- The hosts share personal reactions and reading histories; many entries are discussed only briefly.
- They note that personal enjoyment and emotional connection can influence members’ rankings.
Top 20 and top 1050:53
- The top 10 are Blood Meridian, Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, One Hundred Years of Solitude, Lonesome Dove, Gravity’s Rainbow, The Lord of the Rings, Moby-Dick, Infinite Jest, and East of Eden, in that order.
- East of Eden ranks first partly because it appeared on many members’ lists; 11 members placed it first.
- The hosts disagree with some placements but value the list’s range.
What the results say1:01:41
- The website also ranks authors using the same scoring approach; the hosts note Steinbeck’s strong showing.
- They describe the list as spanning fantasy, science fiction, classics, and modern fiction, while observing that relatively few books by women appear.
- Members can revise their lists, so rankings may change over time.
Step by step
- Submit your 10 favorite books through the club site using the club password.
- Rank them from first to tenth; the system assigns 10 points down to one point.
- Compare the resulting book and author rankings, keeping in mind they reflect member votes and may change.
Tools & resources mentioned
- Life on Books Canon — lobcanon.com; view the member-ranked book and author lists.
- Open Library — source of book data used by the site, according to the hosts.
- Bookshop.org — linked from book entries for searching or finding books.
Notes are AI-generated from the video's transcript and may miss nuance.