Ranking books, music and movies according to some notion of "quality" is gimmicky and best and foolish at least. But, if these kind of rankings aren't taken too seriously, they can be fun and interesting.
The conservative Intercollegiate Studies Institute has released their list of the 50 best books of the twentieth century. Unlike a lot of other top books lists, this one omits literary fiction. While the list has a decidedly conservative/traditionalist tilt (which is no surprise, given the ISI's advocacy for "Great Books" curricula), I think most people would get a lot out of reading most of the books on the list. There is more balance than you might expect (they include Autobiography of Malcolm X, for instance.)
Still there are some glaring omissions (what no Timothy Leary?*). I think a few get an unfair ideological bump from likeminded editors, but there's plenty on there that I haven't actually read, so this is just speculation.
Their worst books list is much more crassly political and not really worth reading.
*joking.
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