NYT best book of the 21st century

[Anonymous]

I'm enjoying looking through this list as it's released each day. How many books have you read so far from the list? And are you planning to submit a list of your own? They have a place for reader submissions. It's really hard to narrow down to just ten, but here's my best effort.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
John Adams by David McCullough
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Circe by Madeline Miller

[Anonymous]

The only one that I've read from this list is Circe and I absolutely loved it.

[Anonymous]

OP - isn't the Great Believers already on the the NY list? FWIW - I really liked Homegoing - good addition!

[Anonymous]

I like your list, OP.

I was disappointed in how many of the NYT's picks were from the last 5 years. Some of them were good, but they will not endure and certainly don't represent the "century." "Detransition Baby"? Come on. Same with "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow." It was a fine book, just not that will be relevant in a few years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - isn't the Great Believers already on the the NY list? FWIW - I really liked Homegoing - good addition!

I assumed that reader submitted lists could have overlap with the list they've already compiled.

Feel free to share the 10 books you would submit! I'd love to see the DCUM lists.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like your list, OP.

I was disappointed in how many of the NYT's picks were from the last 5 years. Some of them were good, but they will not endure and certainly don't represent the "century." "Detransition Baby"? Come on. Same with "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow." It was a fine book, just not that will be relevant in a few years.

Agreed. I read both of the ones you mentioned and certainly can't see them standing the test of time. I think people generally remember the "new and shiny" books.

But I will say it was really hard to narrow it down to 10 and I left out a lot of favorites. I haven't submitted these yet because I want to think about it for a few days.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I like your list, OP.

I was disappointed in how many of the NYT's picks were from the last 5 years. Some of them were good, but they will not endure and certainly don't represent the "century." "Detransition Baby"? Come on. Same with "Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow." It was a fine book, just not that will be relevant in a few years.

I thought the polled authors voted for 10 books and then NYTimes compiled the tallies? I would have liked a list of the best books of all time, not just the last 24 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm enjoying looking through this list as it's released each day. How many books have you read so far from the list? And are you planning to submit a list of your own? They have a place for reader submissions. It's really hard to narrow down to just ten, but here's my best effort.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
John Adams by David McCullough
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Circe by Madeline Miller

Such a provincial, self-centered selection. Where are the great global books?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm enjoying looking through this list as it's released each day. How many books have you read so far from the list? And are you planning to submit a list of your own? They have a place for reader submissions. It's really hard to narrow down to just ten, but here's my best effort.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
John Adams by David McCullough
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Circe by Madeline Miller

Such a provincial, self-centered selection. Where are the great global books?

NP: Why be such a buzzkill? Pot shots from the peanut gallery is weak sauce. Submit your own list that includes "great global books."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm enjoying looking through this list as it's released each day. How many books have you read so far from the list? And are you planning to submit a list of your own? They have a place for reader submissions. It's really hard to narrow down to just ten, but here's my best effort.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
John Adams by David McCullough
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Circe by Madeline Miller

Such a provincial, self-centered selection. Where are the great global books?

Tell us about the great global books this poster missed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm enjoying looking through this list as it's released each day. How many books have you read so far from the list? And are you planning to submit a list of your own? They have a place for reader submissions. It's really hard to narrow down to just ten, but here's my best effort.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
John Adams by David McCullough
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Circe by Madeline Miller

Such a provincial, self-centered selection. Where are the great global books?

lol One of the requirements is that a book must be published in the U.S.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm enjoying looking through this list as it's released each day. How many books have you read so far from the list? And are you planning to submit a list of your own? They have a place for reader submissions. It's really hard to narrow down to just ten, but here's my best effort.

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
North Woods by Daniel Mason
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Children’s Book by A.S. Byatt
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
John Adams by David McCullough
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Circe by Madeline Miller

Such a provincial, self-centered selection. Where are the great global books?

Name your country and provide a list of great books published there.

[Anonymous]

Loved Wolf Hall and would certainly include it on the list; haven't read the others.

Should I read The Great Believers? I have to admit, I was disappointed by Rebecca Makkai's I Have Some Questions For You. It was a DNF for me.

[Anonymous]

Where's Murakami and Yoshimoto, and other non-American writers?

I only attempted Lincoln in the Bardo and tossed it very quickly aside. Totally unreadable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where's Murakami and Yoshimoto, and other non-American writers?

I only attempted Lincoln in the Bardo and tossed it very quickly aside. Totally unreadable.

The NYT list is not final. I'm sure these authors will appear at the top of the list.