Thomas R. Howell 14.8K subscribers · Oct 24, 2025

ranking every book i've read in my lifetime

  • Ranking · 49 books

Reviews49

Assassin's ApprenticeRobin Hobb
Loved it

This felt so human and tender. She really has a way of writing and I absolutely adored Assassin's Apprentice. I'm going to go ahead and say right now it's memorable.

Boy's lifeRobert McCammon
Loved it

first two pages I was instantly pulled in. I didn't grow up in the 60s, but I did grow up and I was once a child. This book is just so relatable and so beautifully written and presented.

CarrieStephen King
Loved it

Was blown away by it. again, how he presents a story, how he's able to do flash forwards, flashbacks, have you on the edge of your seat, giving you a little taste of what's to come with some foreshadowing. Good book.

JawsUnknown
Not a fan

I thought I was going to get into more of a horror story with it being about a shark, but it was more about the shark's presence and how it impacted and changed the town. I did not like that book. That was a stinker.

Lonesome DoveLarry McMurtry
Loved it

These characters are so real. how they talk to each other, how they are presented and how you learn little bits about them and their backstory. It's so fully realized and so human.

MiseryStephen King
Loved it

This is my favorite Stephen King book. No King book has ever made me feel so uncomfortable, so uneasy, so on edge.

Same thing with these, but I enjoyed them. I enjoyed the layers and depth of Subcowsk's writing. There's always a layer beneath the surface and then another layer and another.

The BodyStephen King
Loved it

Perfect summer book. Perfect coming of age story. Nothing scary, nothing spooky, but emotional and deep and it hits hard.

The HobbitUnknown
Mixed

this wasn't an all-time. I don't even think it was memorable, but it wasn't bad. So, The Hobbit goes into the good readads.

It changed how I looked at books and looked at words. It really allowed me to appreciate books and writing and stories and how they were told. The moment I finished Name of the Wind, I approached reading in a whole new light, with a whole new attitude and perspective.

The OutsiderStephen King
Not a fan

It started so strong. I was so enticed and intrigued. But then it got into just this weird like telling, not showing, overtelling, and characters just wouldn't talk like that.

These were some of my favorite books in the series because I could just live in the world. I didn't have to learn a whole lot more. It was a lot slower and more methodically paced than the other books.

The WitcherAndrzej Sapkowski
Loved it

Same thing with these, but I enjoyed them. I enjoyed the layers and depth of Subcowsk's writing. There's always a layer beneath the surface and then another layer and another.

Winter's HeartRobert Jordan
Loved it

These were some of my favorite books in the series because I could just live in the world. I didn't have to learn a whole lot more. It was a lot slower and more methodically paced than the other books.