Best Books of the 21st Century #61-80
What does “best” mean?
Hello,
I was thrilled by all the excitement about and excellent comments on yesterday’s installment of the list (if you missed it, you can see slots #100 - 81 and read about the methodology here). Today I’m sharing slots #61 – 80 on my crowdsourced “Best Books of the 21st Century” list.
But before we get into it, let’s talk about the word “best.”
Oxford Languages defines best as “of the most excellent, effective, or desirable type or quality.” Hmmm…. Not very helpful in this context.
According to this essay about the making of the New York Times list, the criteria given to voters was very open to interpretation:
We received some criteria from the Times but not much: our chosen books could be fiction or nonfiction, as long as they were published in the United States in English on or after Jan. 1, 2000.
In fairness, the criteria I gave was similarly vague. So, how does one go about determining what is “best”? Certainly, we’ve divorced “best” from “best-selling.” The taste of the sheep-like book-buying population (which may or may not even exist) can’t be trusted to determine “best.” That’s how we end up with a bestseller list with 7 Colleen Hoover titles. [ed note: heavy sarcasm.] Best has some je ne sais quoi.
Author also grappled with the question of how to determine “best” in a recent newsletter:
Did it mean most enjoyable? Most beautifully written? Most immersive? Funniest?
I ended up answering the question in two ways: best as the books that have stayed with me the longest; and best as in the series I turned to when my mother was dying, and I wanted to be in a different world.
Sadly, I don’t have the answer, if that’s what you hoped. But I think this subjective quandary is at the heart of why the original list has been so divisive.
For my part, I chose books that expanded my perspective or changed me as a reader (introduced me to a new genre; challenged my understanding of a given genre). With only ten spots, I didn’t even have space for my most recommended book for pure entertainment/pleasure (In case you were wondering: The Idea of You by Robinne Lee).
But I’m curious how you interpreted the prompt and made your selections. Let’s chat about it in the comments.
But now, onto the list:
80. The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer (2013) – 32 votes
Oh, yay! I voted for this one. I loved this one. I have a soft spot for books about friend groups and this book about six kids who meet at summer camp and how their relationships grow and change as adults is a modern classic, IMO.
79. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (2021) – 32 votes
Certain authors show up on this list over and over and Backman is one of them. This book about people held hostage during an apartment showing took me a minute to get into, but it was so, so worth it.
78. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (2005) – 33 votes
Confession time: I’ve never read Joan Didion. I think I’ll start with The White Album (only because I already own it), but seeing this title, which tells the story of the year of Didion’s husbands sudden death and her daughter’s mysterious illness, appear on all three lists (this list, NYT main list, NYT crowdsourced list) makes me think it will be next up.
77. Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese (2009) – 33 votes
This book about twin brothers born in Ethiopia, who both become doctors wasn’t on the original NYT list, but clocked in at 28 on the NYT crowdsourced list. Goodreads tells me I read and enjoyed it, but I can’t remember anything about it. I shamefully feel that way about quite a few titles on this list (just me?). Perhaps I need to create a list of books to revisit when my TBR someday shrinks to a manageable size.
76. Babel by R.F. Kuang (2022) – 33 votes
This unique fantasy novel focuses on the power of language itself—translation to be exact—while also managing a scathing critique of imperialism and the industrial revolution. It was an instant #1 New York Times bestseller and author Alix E. Harrow calls it “a perfect book.”
75. An American Marriage by Tayari Jones (2018) – 34 votes
Everyone from Barack Obama to Oprah has endorsed this book about a couple who are the seeming embodiment of the American Dream. The dream is shattered when the husband is sent to jail for a crime his wife knows he didn’t commit.
74. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (2016) – 34 votes
ACOTAR girlies know, the second book of this series is the best book.
73. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016) – 35 votes
Another three-fer for this historical fiction chronicling an escaped slave’s journey on Whitehead’s imagined alternate version of the Underground Railroad
72. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett (2001) – 35 votes
A friend recently raved about this book—everyone from her, to her husband, to her brother loved it. Another must for what is shaping up to be a big backlist fall for me. The story follows attendees of a birthday party at the home of the Vice President of a South American Country who are held hostage by terrorists.
71. Yellowface by R.F. Kuang (2023) – 36 votes
Look at R.F. Kuang showing up twice in this segment of the list! This searing satire of the publishing industry follows two authors—one white, one Asian. When the latter dies, the former steals her just-finished novel to pass off as her own.
70. Writers & Lovers by Lily King (2020) – 36 votes
This is a title I saw come up frequently in the snub conversation around the original NYT list. Set in the late 90’s, it tells the story of a young woman reeling after her mother’s death and a failed love affair, who arrives in Boston intent on carving out a creative life for herself.
69. Verity by Colleen Hoover (2018) – 36 votes
You know what really irked me? One of the top comments on the IG post about the NYT crowdsourced list reads: “We’re so blessed that Colleen Hoover is not on this list.” It’s been liked 8,486 times. Love her books or hate them, they outsold the actual bible in 2022 (by 2.3M copies, no less). I was happy to see this twisty thriller make it onto my list! It feels earned and certainly represents a huge reading moment in the past 24 years.
68. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (2015) – 36 votes
Another huge cultural phenomenon that’s underrepresented on the NYT lists: Romantasy! LFG, ACOTAR!
67. The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead (2019) – 37 votes
Another dramatized historical fiction novel from Whitehead, this one tells the bone-chilling story of a horrific reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida.
66. Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (2022) – 37 votes
A romance! YAY! Not to make it all “us v. them,” but another hugely underrepresented category on the NYT lists. This dual-timeline romance follows childhood best friends turned first loves, who are brought back together by a funeral and forced to hash out what went wrong between them. The most fantastic summery vibes!
65. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (2003) – 38 votes
The way high-school-aged me loved this book! Thrilled we’re entering this list’s romance era.
64. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (2009) – 38 votes
I’m trying so hard not to yuck anyone’s yum in my commentary about this list, but I’ll just leave this here.
63. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017) – 38 votes
Another YA! Also underrepresented. This book about a teen girl who witnesses the murder of her childhood best friend in an instance of police brutality feels like the exact type of book that would show up on a list voted on by mostly young women that would be passed over by a more serious literary crowd.
62. Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell (2020) – 39 votes
A speculative historical novel about Shakespeare and his lost son who inspired the name of one of his most famous works.
61. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff (2015) – 39 votes
Another much-discussed title in the snub conversation. Thrilled we get to “un-snub” this portrait of a marriage and the secrets held between its members.
20 more tomorrow.
But in the meantime, let’s head to the comments section. I want all your thoughts, and I especially want to hear how you defined “best” for the purposes of your selections.
See you tomorrow,
Becca
PS: Lucky you! The next installment of this list is already live. You can see it here.
I defined best as books that I couldn’t put down that I think about often, books I refer to in casual conversation, books I’ve recommended to friends to get them into reading. I guess that boils down to books that have had a lasting impact on me?
This list is shaping up to be so much more connected with the cultural phenomenon of books in the beginning of the 21st century than the NYT list IMO. Even if I didn’t read it or wouldn’t call it “the best,” I know that these books were (and maybe even still are) huge at their time of release. Love it!!