NYT best book of the 21st century

[Anonymous]

Fun to compare the 2 lists. I’ve read 25 on the pros list, and at least 5 l tried to read but gave up quickly, including number 1!!

[Anonymous]

My top 10 might be

Ian McEwan - Atonemant
Jeffry Eugenidus - Middlesex
Isabel Wilkerson - Caste
Tara Westover - Educated
Karl Ove Knausgaard - My Struggle
Ta-Nehisi Coates - Between the World and Me
Helen Dewitt - The Last Samurai
Joan Didion - The Year of Magical Thinking
AS Byatt - The Children’s Book
Sally Rooney - love all of them l can’t believe she didn’t make the first list

I found Elena Ferrante and Hillary Mantle unreadable

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NYT just published 100 best books from the NYT readers. I’m seeing the list on the NYT instagram account. Some terrible books made the cut.

The Nightingale oh how I disliked that book. Most of the others seem expected/good/fine.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:NYT just published 100 best books from the NYT readers. I’m seeing the list on the NYT instagram account. Some terrible books made the cut.

Weird, I’m looking at the NYT insta and not seeing it…

[Anonymous]

Sorry, it’s New York Times Book account, separate from the main NYT account

[Anonymous]

NYT Books Instagram account

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NYT just published 100 best books from the NYT readers. I’m seeing the list on the NYT instagram account. Some terrible books made the cut.

The Nightingale oh how I disliked that book. Most of the others seem expected/good/fine.

I was just thinking the same thing about Where the Crawdads Sing. Couldn’t finish it. Watched the movie instead to find out the ending. Otherwise it’s a fine list- some books are to expected just because they were cultural phenomenons. Like Crawdads.

[Anonymous]

ok, from the readers version—

I’m surprised that Hamnet, Just Kids and Circe weren’t included on the critics list! Agree with those adds.

Glad that know my name, Henrietta lacks, breath becomes air, and empire of pain are added. There were some thrilling nonfiction books left off. What about Bad Blood?

Happy to see a couple Murakami selections made it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:NYT just published 100 best books from the NYT readers. I’m seeing the list on the NYT instagram account. Some terrible books made the cut.

Nice! A much more "populist" list with lots of books to enjoy. I've read 56 of them. I see the value in both versions. Next I'd like to see a list thought out by a panel that tries to choose books with more intention to creating a diverse list. And including books that may not have been popular or widely read, but that pushed the envelope in some way.

There was an interview with 3 NYTimes books critics who contributed their 10 top lists. The first question was what does “best” mean. And of course they all have very different definitions.

[Anonymous]

I have read 18 from the original list and 38 from the Reader’s list so I agree much more with the Readers list, except for Crawdads Sing, which was crap.

[Anonymous]

Joshua Cohen, The Book of Numbers

Lucy Ellmann, Ducks, Newburyport

[Anonymous]

Interesting!

"According to Circana, the top 10 books on the list saw an average sales boost of 113% last week. Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald saw a sales boost of more than 600%, likely as it was one of the most under-known books at the top of the list. Pretty impressive."

https://bookriot.com/the-new-york-times-best-books-of-the-21st-century-is-moving-units/

[Anonymous]

Can someone post the readers’ list for those of us not on insta? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I want to echo some other posters that All the Light We Cannot See should be on the list. Such a beautiful, sad book.

So should Homegoing. That book is really powerful and I think portrays generational trauma and oppression artfully.

I realize everyone has different tastes but I just can’t imagine thinking “I am going to spend my weekend reading a novel of generational trauma and oppression.” It sounds like emotional self-flagellation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I want to echo some other posters that All the Light We Cannot See should be on the list. Such a beautiful, sad book.

So should Homegoing. That book is really powerful and I think portrays generational trauma and oppression artfully.

I realize everyone has different tastes but I just can’t imagine thinking “I am going to spend my weekend reading a novel of generational trauma and oppression.” It sounds like emotional self-flagellation.

Wow this is a weird post. There are many of us who would read books like that on weekends.

Go read People magazine.