Which is your current favorite J-Novel Club light novel?

jdmmis

There are a lot of series I still haven't gotten to that I want to read, but these are the one I'm constantly reading when they come out.

No particular order

Older Girlfriend
Friend's Sister
Just Friends
Apothecary Diaries
Ideal Sponger Life
Magician Who Rose From Failure
The Great Cleric
Dungeon Busters
Fushi no Kami
Instant Death
By the Grace of the Gods
Welcome to Japan Ms Elf
Archdemon Delimma
The Magic is too far behind
Arifureta
Smartphone

I would say out of the new ones the Diaries, Just Friends, and Magician who Rose from Failure are the top 3. Though if you ask me in an hour that might change. I'm really enjoying these new ones.

As for the older ones Smartphone, Arifureta and Welcome to Japan are the top 3.

HarunaChieP

Current favorite but it's not marketed as a light novel (in Japan) is Otherside Picnic mostly because the yuri level just keeps increasing the more volumes you get into. Not as scary for me but it's probably not everyone's cup of tea.

Other LNs I like from JNC are Tearmoon Empire, Sexiled, Majesty's Swarm and Bookworm. I guess it's more of me having interest if there's a female lead but I haven't been following the newer releases yet, mostly focused with Otherside Picnic here.

durask

In no particular order:

Tearmoon Empire
Altina the Sword Princess
Cooking with Wild Game
JK Haru

xdrfiredogx

Oh lord that's a tough question to answer! I guess if I'm going with a top 5...

AoB
Tearmoon (Miaitis brigade represent!)
Infinite Dendrogram
Der Werewolf
Altina

With special tip of the hat to Teogonia and Deathbound Duke's Daughter, both of which would force me to make this a top 10 list, if only either would release more volumes.

TheGrimLich

If I'm going to pick five (in no particular order)...

A. Bookworm (wanting to know what happened next in the anime got me reading the light novels, and wanting to know what happened next in the novels got me to become a member)
B. Tearmoon (the narrator reminds me of How Heavy Are The Dumbbells You Lift, and Mia is just precious — Mia Squad For Life!)
C. Slayers (the snark is coming from INSIDE THE MAIN CHARACTER'S HEAD! Seriously, Lina's narration is beautiful and I'm having just a ton of fun reading it)
D. Realist Hero (bought all the volumes on premium just so I could have the extra stories — plus Souma's just an intriguing guy)
E. I Refuse To Be Your Enemy! (I mean, the premise as a whole is super intriguing, plus the fact that the game reminds me so heavily of Fire Emblem is just another plus)

kurosov

While I've started reading some more i did subscribe just for Bookworm so it probably won't be overtaken any time soon if at all.

That said I've been enjoying The Apothecary Diaries a lot and I Shall Survive Using Potions has been entertaining.

I've held off on reading Slayers for now until there's a lot more than the previously translated stuff but i'll probably pick them up and carry on pretty soon. It was one of my favourite Anime back in the day.

Paul Nebeling

Oh God. So many titles. I've tried many times to make a "favorites" list, but as the number of pairwise comparisons exceeded 1,000, I just have to find another way. That being said, here would be my list of favorites, nor necessarily in order.

Invaders of the Rokujouma has to be my favorite title. Money talks, and I've spent more on this title than any other by a large margin.
In Another World With My Smartphone is another one where money talks. I've spent the second largest amount of money on this series.
Realist Hero would be my third based on money spent.
Outbreak Company Light, fluffy, and funny.
Kokoro Connect Quirky and fun, even if the ending was a touch on the light side.
Faraway Paladin Even though it's been years since we've gotten a volume of this series, It's still one of the best written and newer the to of my list.
Paying to win in a VRMMO was a series I enjoyed greatly and wasn't disappointed by the ending.
Bluesteel Blasphemer was a series that died suddenly. The author give us a very rapid ending, but I really would have enjoyed watching the war play out.
Wortinia War grabbed me early and hadn't let go yet.
Slightly Older Girlfriend is a very new series, but I like it a lot.

As an honorable mention...
New Life + was great, but got clobbered by international politics. I hold out hope that it will return, but it looks doubtful.

JeweledPoisonousButterfly

Let‘s see, from first place to ninth place:

Infinite Dendrogram: My favorite gaming novel with a very detailed world building and game setting. I wish we could get more such novels!
A Wild Last Boss Appeared!: I really like the world building of this novel, the game setting before this world became reality is really interesting too. Moreover I totally like the owerpowered MC, it is a huge plus point for me, that the MC possesses his “female“ game character.
Her Majesty‘s Swarm: The game the world is based on seems pretty interesting and exiting, I would love to play it too! Love that the MC is one the side of the evil-aligned faction (it‘s a first for me, to read a novel with such a MC), though I think the story is s bit too cruel to my taste.
Bibliophile Princess: Got introduced to the novel through the manga, love the mystery part of the story.
Tearmoon Empire: MC is totally hilarious, it‘s a fun story and the world building is very interesting.
Deathbound Duke‘s Daughter: Reminds me a lot of Harry Potter and I really like the detailed world building and the idea of alchemy and the wands.
The Tales of Marielle Clarac: Cute romance story exact to my likeness.
Ascendance of a Bookworm: Interesting MC and exiting and fun to read story. It‘s the only light novel where I have the feeling that it‘s similar to western novels.
I Shall Survive Using Potions!: Similar to @Liber-Monstrorum I like the uniqueness of the MC and the idea of creating these unique potions.

I haven‘t read much J-Novel Club novels so far, these are the only ones.

Shiny

Currently being released:

Ascendance of a Bookworm
Cooking with Wild Game
Altina the Sword Princess
Fushi no Kami
Tearmoon Empire

Series awaiting a new volume / discontinued:

The Economics of Prophecy
Me, a Genius? I Was Reborn into Another World and I Think They've Got the Wrong Idea!
Middle-Aged Businessman, Arise in Another World!

Completed series:

My Big Sister Lives in a Fantasy World
When the Clock Strikes Z

Series I'm looking forward to reading:

Invaders of the Rokujouma!?
Crest of the Stars

taz2

No particular order:

Tearmoon Empire
Cooking with Wild Game
Ideal Sponger Life
The Great Cleric
Fushi no Kami
By the Grace of the Gods
Welcome to Japan Ms Elf
Realist Hero
Bibliophile Princess
The Tales of Marielle Clarac
The Extraordinary, the Ordinary, and SOAP!
Middle-Aged Businessman, Arise in Another World!

Ludovico Secondo

Similarly to @grobinson2k1 and @kurosov I have come to J-Novel Club for Ascendance of a bookworm. It is top of the list, the only one I know exactly when it gets released and keeps me awake till very late to read.

Fairly recently I discovered Tearmoon Empire and have been enjoying reading that.

Darth Steel

In order

Ascendance of a Bookworm
Isekai Smartphone (was #1 for me, until I discovered Bookworm. Sorry Touya, but Myne won.)
Arifureta (A serious contender for #1, but Smartphone was what really got me into light novels in the first place, so it held the #1 spot until Myne came along...)
Realist Hero
Too Far Behind Magic
Potion Loli
By the Grace of the Gods
How Not to Summon

After that it gets really hard for me to rank them - some I stopped reading because I didn't have the money to keep buying new titles as they came out, and then got distracted by newer titles and just haven't gone back to them, such as

Elf Bride
Greatest Magicmaster
Lazy Dungeon Master
Next Life as a Villainess
For My Daughter

Then there's titles that I haven't bought many volumes of, but eagerly read the pre-pubs as they're posted, like

Least Interesting Master Swordsman
Demon Lord, Re-try!
Wild Last Boss

And then others I really enjoyed but the series seems to be dead, even though they feel unfinished to me, like

Mixed Bathing
Me, A Genius?
Bluesteel Blasphemer
Her Majesty's Swarm

rsog412

For me: I joined for Ascendance of a Bookworm and I stay for Ascendance of a Bookworm. When Bookworm is over in a few years, I will probably unsub.

But while I'm here, I'm also currently reading:

Full Metal Panic
A Wild Last Boss Appeared
Marginal Operation
The Magician Who Rose From Failure
Fushi no Kami
Mapping
Great Cleric

And I also enjoyed

Otherside Picnic
Deathbound Duke's Daughter
Her Majesty's Swarm
Outer Ragna
The Economics of Prophecy

alfonso_rd_36

Well, Let's do THIS!!!!!!

FOIST PLACE (In No Particular order).

Bookworm.
Skool 4 Maids (Girls Kingdom).
The Princes and the Regis (Altina).
Apothercary Diarrhea - I Mean Diaries -.
Demon Lord Retry!
Outbreak Co.
Older Gurlfriend
Last Boss.
Capcom, but as high School Club (Crappy Social Club).
My Instant Dead Skill is OP.
The Misadventures of Miss Hel In reception.
Super Powered Insect Queen on The Move!.
2 Women Vs entitled Children (Sexiled).
Sex Goddess vs. the Demon Lord (JK Haru).
Vampire Princess Being Dumb (Trust me, Having Little sisters isn't worth).
Money Vs VRMMO (Paying to Win).
Diet Bakarina (Deathbound Duke Daughter).

PLACE NÚMERO DOS (Haven't read / haven't been on the Catchup / Failed top Ctrl+C & Ctrl+V them).

Smahtphone-
Combat Tom Baker.
Lil Sis Can Kanji.
Arifureta 0 & 1.
Diablo, Demon Lord Extraordinary.
Catarina Claes: The RomCom.
Darkness with an extra "La", the Rom Com!
Businesswman: The Isekai.
Big Sister: The Ieskai!
Dendomonogram.

DROPPED (Might hunt on Catchups)

Slayers.

THIRD PLACE

EVERYTHING ELSE

Kamijou Touma

Isekai wa Smartphone to tomo ni
Rokujouma no Shinryakusha
Arifureta.

jazzyjeoff

Tearmoon Empire is the only reason I subscribe right now. I haven’t found another series here that I like yet. Though, I have read and enjoyed a bit of the “bookworm” and Bakarina series elsewhere, and enjoyed them a bit—so I guess I could start reading them here. Other light novels I enjoy are “The Villainess Live Twice” and A “Genius Prince’s Guide to Raising a Nation out of Debt”. I am open to suggestions. “The Villainess Lives Twice” only has unofficial translations, so it might be worth J-Novel seeing if they can be official translators.

ripxdarkness

Honestly, for me it's very difficult to list my favorites in order, as there's too many. But I can list them all, and the one series I didn't like personally. There are a few series I've had my eyes on but haven't purchased yet. However, I've got a 3 week vacation from work coming up so I will probably binge 4-6 series in that time.

Monster Tamer
In Another World With my Smartphone
I Shall Survive Using Potions
Arifureta: From Common Place to World's Strongest
How the Realest Hero Rebuilt the Kingdom
Altina The Sword Princess
By the Grace of the Gods
Lazy Dungeon Master (Currently reading the series and at volume 4. I can def say that I do not dislike this series)

The one Series I absolutely did not like was:
Mixed Bathing in Another Dimension
(sorry fans of this series. Everything was just...awful and forced)

Demonskid

1: By the Grace of the Gods
2: Campfire Cooking
3: Unwanted Undead
4: Holmes of Kyoto
5: Smartphone
6: Infinite Dendrogram
7: Mapping
8: Dungeon Busters

This is my current list of favorites. Campfire and Grace fight for the top spot though. I really love both of them.

Silver Sugar Duchess

It‘s funny how the personal taste changes over time, these novels are currently my top three:

The Apothecary Diaries
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Culinary Chronicles of the Court Flower

On fourth and fifth place:

Tearmoon Empire
Infinite Dendrogram

WingsStef

Since, I have been busy in real life lately, I am behind on some of the series I have been following. The ones, I have be enjoying the most, and not 100% on the ordering are the following:

The Apothecary Diaries
Ascendance of a Bookworm
Fushi no Kami
Dahlia in Bloom

Of ones I have enjoyed but are quite behind on yet still plan on catching up on include:

I'll Never Step Foot in That House Again!

I like this one ~~both~~ but got several sections behind. I read and own the previous volumes and really enjoyed it, so I am definitely going to continue.

I have also enjoyed Dragon Daddy Diaries, which I even more behind on, which I like for a different yet similar reason, it being so fluffy and cute.

Edit: I am also very behind a couple other stories that I am on the fence on continuing.

It amazes me how I have started several other series. More that I ever thought I would when I first joined. And I want to check out even more, even though there are several that I am behind on which caused mixed feelings. Haha