The List (Book Enthusiast’s Version): #41 – 60
This list is biased and the NYT one is, too.
Hiya!
Halfway through the week, halfway through the list. I’m having a great time. Are you?
In case you missed it: you can check out slots 100 – 81 here (along with notes on voting and methodology) and yesterday’s letter with slots 80 – 61 here.
Before we get into today’s list, the time has come for us to talk about bias. BREAKING NEWS: this list is biased. So is the New York Times’ list. But I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.
Let’s talk about our list first. To quote Taylor Swift: “It’s me—hi!—I’m the problem. It’s me!” I am the source of the bias. Since the ballot was initially circulated via this newsletter and my Instagram, it was mainly seen by people who self-selected to follow me. It stands to reason they did so because they relate to me in some way (if you’re a hate-follower, please let me live in ignorant bliss). I’m a 37-year-old woman who reads 50+ books a year. And we can see that reflected in the demographic data of the respondents, who are mostly young, mostly female, and read a lot.
From there, some friends and followers re-posted the ballot (if that was you, thank you!), but from what I saw, no one who shared it was a total head-scratcher.
And, honestly, that’s fine. It’s an interesting exercise to see what this mostly young, mostly female audience selected as the “best” books as compared to an legacy media brand and/or their readers. There’s a quote from The Idea of You by Robinne Lee that I think of often:
We have this problem in our culture. We take art that appeals to women—film, books, music—and we undervalue it. We assume it can’t be high art. Especially if it’s not dark and tortured and wailing. And it follows that much of that art is created by other women, and so we undervalue them as well. We wrap it up in a pretty pink package and resist calling it art.
So far, I’ve been really delighted by the swirl of female-focused genre novels with more serious literary novels on our list.
OK, what about the New York Times’ list? Well, frustratingly they only disclosed 53 of the voters, except the list was voted on by “503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.” So, we’re left to guess who the remaining 450 are.
I think it’s fair to assume that most writers they are invited are the fancy sort. The kind who have their books reviewed in the New York Times Book Review. Your Aunt Shiela who writes erotic fan-fiction about young Alan Alda was probably not invited.
So, what do we know about fancy writers? They all share the same career, for starters. That likely means they read a lot of similar trade publications—ones that review books and whose reviews determine buzz and excitement around said books before they even come out. They probably over-index on having MFAs, as the MFA to literary writer pipeline is well established. I have no firm proof, but I’m guessing the participants skew older. The average age of the authors at publication of their book included on the main NYT list is 50—which could just mean it takes time to gestate a “best” book—and the average current age (if living) of list-makers is 60.
Again, this isn’t bad. Neither list is definitive. In fact, I’d be incredibly curious to see other “best” lists curated by niche communities.
Enough pontificating, let’s get to today’s chunk of the list:
60. Rules of Civility by Amor Towles (2011) – 41 votes
Another title I voted for! I get excited whenever something I picked makes the list (I gather from the comments you do, too). I thought I didn’t love historical fiction, but this novel about post-Depression-era New York changed my mind.
59. Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (2021) – 41 votes
An orphan in 15th century Constantinople; an octogenarian in modern-day Idaho; a spaceship in the not-so-distant future. I can’t possibly guess how these threads come together, but everyone I know who’s read this book raves about it!
58. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi (2016) – 42 votes
Admittedly, our list is lighter on non-fiction. But here’s a powerful one: the memoir of a neurosurgeon diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer and goes from doctor to patient.
57. Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (2019) – 42 votes
Not just a romance, but a queer romance! The son of the US President has an enemies-to-lovers romance with the Prince of England. A pure delight from start to finish.
56. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (2021) – 42 votes
A beloved memoir about food, the Korean-American immigrant experience and identity, and the grief of losing one’s mother.
55. Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano (2023) – 43 votes
My podcast co-host named this family saga—also an homage to the classic, Little Women—as one of her favorites of last year, and she has great taste!
54. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson (2008) – 45 votes
This was a MOMENT! The head of one of Sweden’s wealthiest family disappears. 40 years later her aging uncle tries to find her with the help of a journalist and his assistant, the titular “girl with the dragon tattoo.”
53. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (2002) – 46 votes
Another rare three-fer, another book Goodreads tells me I read and enjoyed but I can’t remember clearly. A story of a gene passed down through generations of a Greek-American family and manifests in our narrator, changing their gender identity.
52. Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (2014) – 46 votes
Ohhhhh… so this chunk of the list is where all the non-fiction’s been hiding. This book follows a young lawyer who takes on the case of a man convicted of a notorious murder he insists he didn’t commit.
51. Becoming by Michelle Obama (2018) – 46 votes
My jaw dropped when I realized this book didn’t make either the main NYT list or the crowdsourced NYT list. What an obvious snub! Anyway, we’re here to un-snub this poignant memoir from the former First Lady.
50. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante (2012) – 48 votes
Drama! Intrigue! The #1 book on the main NYT list comes in at 50 on ours. How do we feel about this? I have no opinion since I haven’t read it. Also, I didn’t realize there was a mystery around Ferrante’s identity (the name is a pseudonym!). This is the first in a quartet of novels following two female friends from childhood through old age.
49. A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman (2013) – 48 votes
A cranky old man forms an unexpected friendship with the family who moves in next door. This is our 2nd (but not our last) Backman on the list.
48. The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls (2005) – 50 votes
An hugely popular memoir about growing up in a deeply dysfunctional family. This feels like another BIG BOOK MOMENT to me. It made the crowdsourced NYT list at #89, but not the main one.
47. 11/22/63 by Stephen King (2011) – 50 votes
I don’t know why I’m so tickled that Stephen King voted for his own book on his ballot for the main NYT list, and it wasn’t even this one about an alternate history where the Kennedy assassination didn’t happen, which made both our list and the NYT crowdsourced list. (He voted for Under the Dome).
46. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (2018) – 52 votes
I will not yuck other people’s yum. I will not yuck other people’s yum. I will not yuck other people’s yum.
45. The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (2019) – 52 vote
Our 3rd Ann Patchett novel on this list! This one’s a family saga about two siblings who are cast out of their stately family home by their evil stepmother. Somewhat related, I absolutely adore this interview with Patchett about the making of this book.
44. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005) – 52 votes
Another three-fer. This novel with a subtle science fiction twist follows three students who meet at an English boarding school as children and reunite as adults.
43. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling (2000) – 54 votes
Our second of three Harry Potter books on the list.
42. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (2016) – 54 votes
I didn’t realize this book about an aristocrat sentenced to house arrest in a Moscow hotel was polarizing until I entered the world of “list discourse.” Personally, I loved it and was thrilled to see it here. It also came in at #3 on the NYT crowdsourced list.
41. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (2011) – 56 votes
This alternate history reimagining of The Iliad had a huge TikTok renaissance a couple years back.
Update: so far (out of 60) we only have 9 crossovers with the main NYT list and 24 with the crowdsourced NYT list. Much like David S. Pumpkins, this list is its “own thing.”
More tomorrow! Excited to get closer to the tippity-top of the list.
Xo,
Becca
PS: Best news ever! The next installment of the list is already live. Keep going!
OK I've read 14 of these, bumping me up to 36.
I loved Cloud Cuckoo Land. It takes a bit but once you get into it, it's amazing. I am not sure if it is your type of book if you ever read it I'd be so excited to hear your thoughts!!!
Cat Willet needs to make tote bags. Or mugs! Love her graphics.