Question of the Week 1/5/26
What are your top 3 favorite books?
“What is your favorite book?” can be a tough one to answer—I just asked this question to a bookworm friend of mine a couple of weeks ago, to which she immediately responded with a grimace and “I don’t really know, I can’t choose one.” There are so many factors that play into what makes a book favorite-worthy! How can a bookworm choose just one?
My top 3 favorites (not in any particular order) are The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky, and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien.
I will be writing separate blog posts going further into depth on each of these books later, so for now, I’ll just describe what about these books make them my favorites!
The Handmaid’s Tale
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Atwood is one of my favorite authors of all time. I have so much respect for her and love her work. Her approach to writing The Handmaid’s Tale is fascinating; everything that happened in the book had in some way happened in real life at some point in time, somewhere in the world. No one can argue that the novel’s elements and events are unrealistic because they are borrowed from real events.
I am a sucker for a good dystopian novel, and this one sucked me in immediately. I devoured it from the very first to the very last page (I highly recommend reading the introduction and historical notes, for those who don’t usually read those parts of the content in a book).
This is the pick for January’s Blog Post Book Club—if you’re interested in a thorough review and analysis of The Handmaid’s Tale, check back in later this month!
Crime and Punishment
Fyodor Dostoevsky
This book had me on a roller coaster! There were several moments where I needed to put the book down and just process what I read. I love to feel like I’ve been punched in the gut when I read a book, and this one left me with that exact same sensation. There was a beautiful mix of nihilistic hopelessness, antithetical optimism, and eventual redemption, ultimately making for a journey of a read. Not to mention, Dostoevsky infuses humor into the novel making great moments of comedic relief in very tense moments.
Readers of Crime and Punishment see many characters in their worst, most raw moments. Readers also see some beautiful moments for both individual characters and in connections between them. There are a lot of things I love about this book, far too many to describe in this post!
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
J.R.R. Tolkien is a master world builder, no question! As I read, I felt like I was going on the journey with the company, discovering everything with them. Tolkien’s writing is so whimsical and fun to read; I often had a difficult time putting the book down once I’d start a reading session.
As the book progressed and the company continued on their journey, the tone shifted accordingly. Like when I read Crime and Punishment, there were several moments in Return of the King where I needed to pause and process what I read. It does get heavy, but finishing was so rewarding. I will absolutely be re-reading The Lord of the Rings later once I’ve worked through my massive list of books that haven’t been read yet!
There is a personal tie to this one, too. My husband and I both love the LOTR movies, and I have fond memories of discovering them with him for the first time. Reading the books was an entirely new experience, and I loved getting to talk to my husband about how the books and movies differ (don’t worry, he doesn’t plan to read them, so he doesn’t mind the spoilers).
These are my top picks. Now, I would love to hear what yours are!