The ninety-eighth book: #381 The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien
I've had The Hobbit as one of the books I wanted to read most of the ones remaining on the list. The Lord of the Rings looms large in the history of fantasy, and The Hobbit is its smaller, more accessible cousin. It has the history and world building, but is also aimed at a younger audience, simpler without talking down in most places. While epic in places, it also has more sillier moments, more songs, and at least one big event gets skipped because Bilbo is knocked unconcious... a bit of a cheat, really. While clearly also aimed at children, the novel also has a lot of wordplay and linguistic tricks that stand out compared to others like it and it stays fun for those moments as much as it does for a good fantasy story without going too epic.