My top five novels of all time, in order:

· Moby Dick, or The Whale
· The Fountainhead
· The Caine Mutiny
· The Age of Innocence
· The Picture of Dorian Gray

As of this writing (2018), only one of these authors is still alive. Can you name him (or her)?

Moby Dick is one of those books everyone knows about, but nobody reads. Believe it or not, I've read Melville's masterpiece four times, and I'm almost ready for another helping. This novel contains single sentences which are better than entire books, and has nearly ruined the art of writing for me. It may yet do so.

Atlas Shrugged gets all of the libertarian press, but The Fountainhead is a far better novel. It also contains four of the greatest characters ever created. I still want to be Howard Roark.

My pet nickname for The Caine Mutiny is "FrankenNovel". Each chapter, each paragraph, each individual sentence is so meticulously constructed as to defy belief. Like Moby Dick, the climactic naval scene is also one for the ages.

The Age of Innocence is far and away the most romantic novel of all time. Romance isn't romance without tragedy, and while I'm holding this book I often feel as if Ms. Wharton is reading my mind.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is an iconic horror story, and has some of the most gripping and intricate dialogue of any novel. It also boasts Lord Henry Wotton -- one of the great all-time "diabolical mentors" -- who is soon overtaken by his pupil, with notorious consequences.