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The 100 Best Books of the Century?

A closer look at the literary megalist from The New York Times Book Review

By Ashly Moore Sheldon • July 28, 2024

A few weeks ago, The New York Times Book Review published a piece entitled The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century and it has garnered lots of attention. In creating their list, The New York Times (NYT) sent a survey to hundreds of novelists, non-fiction writers, academics, book editors, critics, poets, translators, booksellers, librarians, and other literary luminaries, asking them to pick their top ten books of the 21st century. They offered no guidance on the definition of "best" and simply let respondents use their own criteria. Here's the top 10, along with highlights, a reading guide, and more.

The Top 10

  1. Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
  2. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
  3. Austerlitz by W. G. Sebald
  4. The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
  5. 2666 by Roberto Bolaño
  6. The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
  7. The Known World by Edward P. Jones
  8. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
  9. The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
  10. My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Highlights

Authors with more than one book on the list

Debuts

Books translated from other languages

NYT reading guide

A hundred books is a lot to parse through, so the NYT offered a handy guide for distilling the list down to something you might enjoy best. We've summarized it here.

The top pick!

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

A short book you can read in a day

Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
We the Animals by Justin Torres
The Days of Abandonment by Elena Ferrante

Maybe you want something enormous

Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Septology by Jon Fosse
2666 by Roberto Bolaño

A thought-provoking choice for your book club

On Beauty by Zadie Smith
Trust by Hernan Diaz
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

Something your book-loving teen might enjoy

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Stay True by Hua Hsu
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin
Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Books that are laugh-out-loud funny

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
The Sellout by Paul Beatty
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Tenth of December: Stories by George Saunders

Books that will give you a good cry

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders
The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
The Friend by Sigrid Nunez

A novel that takes you back in time

The Known World by Edward P. Jones
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon

A non-fiction book that takes you back in time

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets by Svetlana Alexievich
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright

An absorbing memoir or biography

The Passage of Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro
The Copenhagen Trilogy: Childhood, Youth, Dependency by Tove Ditlevsen
Stay True by Hua Hsu
Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom by David W. Blight
The Return: Fathers, Sons and the Land in Between by Hisham Matar

A book packed with thriller-y tension

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland by Patrick Radden Keefe
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

Books about complex family dynamics

Far From the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon
The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
Atonement by Ian McEwan

Author favorites that didn't make the list

As we mentioned, The New York Times polled hundreds of literary luminaries to create their list and they published the full ballots of some of these notables in a related article. In another piece, participating authors shared their favorites that didn't make the cut. Here are some of their would-be winners.

Like these authors, we have lots of favorites that we think deserve a place on this list. Why don't they ask readers? Well, as it turns out, they have. You can submit your own ballot to the NYT.

It's been fun dissecting this ambitious project. We hope it helps you get a sense of some of the great 21st century literature you might like to read. As always, we'd love to hear your thoughts.

Follow us on FacebookTwitter (X), and Instagram to connect with a community of readers like you and get daily book recommendations, literary tidbits, and more.

Read more by Ashly Moore Sheldon

Books mentioned in this article
Gilead
Gilead
Marilynne Robinson

from: $4.19

Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

from: $7.29

Austerlitz
Austerlitz
W.G. Sebald

from: $7.19

The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead

from: $4.09

2666
2666
Roberto Bolaño

from: $21.69

The Corrections
The Corrections
Jonathan Franzen

from: $4.69

The Known World
The Known World
Edward P. Jones

from: $5.19

Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel

from: $3.99

The Warmth of Other Suns
The Warmth of Other Suns
Isabel Wilkerson

from: $8.19

My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
Elena Ferrante

from: $5.09

I giorni dell'abbandono
I giorni dell'abbandono
Elena Ferrante

from: $9.89

Storia della bambina perduta
Storia della bambina perduta
Elena Ferrante

from: $8.19

Pastoralia
Pastoralia
George Saunders

from: $13.90

Tenth of December
Tenth of December
George Saunders

from: $4.19

Lincoln in the Bardo
Lincoln in the Bardo
George Saunders

from: $4.99

Men We Reaped
Men We Reaped
Jesmyn Ward

from: $6.09

Salvage the Bones
Salvage the Bones
Jesmyn Ward

from: $5.49

Sing, Unburied, Sing
Sing, Unburied, Sing
Jesmyn Ward

from: $5.09

Runaway
Runaway
Alice Munro

from: $4.19

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
Alice Munro

from: $4.09

Los detectives salvajes
Los detectives salvajes
Roberto Bolaño

from: $10.29

All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories
All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories
Edward P. Jones

from: $4.79

Bring up the Bodies
Bring up the Bodies
Hilary Mantel

from: $4.29

On Beauty
On Beauty
Zadie Smith

from: $4.49

White Teeth
White Teeth
Zadie Smith

from: $4.79

The Human Stain
The Human Stain
Philip Roth

from: $4.49

The Plot Against America
The Plot Against America
Philip Roth

from: $4.89

Tree of Smoke
Tree of Smoke
Denis Johnson

from: $9.09

Train Dreams
Train Dreams
Denis Johnson

from: $11.79

The Sympathizer
The Sympathizer
Viet Thanh Nguyen

from: $5.89

Detransition, Baby
Detransition, Baby
Torrey Peters

from: $13.19

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Siddhartha Mukherjee

from: $8.09

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Michelle Alexander

from: $6.19

We the Animals
We the Animals
Justin Torres

from: $6.49

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Alison Bechdel

from: $6.49

Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx
Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx
Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

from: $4.49

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Katherine Boo

from: $4.89

Hurricane Season
Hurricane Season
Fernanda Melchor

from: $14.16

Septology
Septology
Jon Fosse

from: $18.31

Время сэконд хэнд: конец красного человека
Время сэконд хэнд: конец красного человека
Svetlana Alexievich

from: $12.69

The Vegetarian
The Vegetarian
Han Kang

from: $10.49

Persepolis
Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi

from: $4.09

The Years - Winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature
The Years - Winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature
Annie Ernaux

from: $16.35

When We Cease to Understand the World
When We Cease to Understand the World
Benjamín Labatut

from: $13.39

Small Things Like These
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan

from: $14.89

A Brief History of Seven Killings
A Brief History of Seven Killings
Marlon James

from: $6.19

The Goldfinch
The Goldfinch
Donna Tartt

from: $4.89

Trust
Trust
Hernan Diaz

from: $5.79

Demon Copperhead
Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver

from: $16.81

Middlesex
Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides

from: $3.99

Stay True
Stay True
Hua Hsu

from: $14.12

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin

from: $12.49

Americanah
Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

from: $5.09

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Díaz

from: $4.39

The Sellout
The Sellout
Paul Beatty

from: $4.19

The Year of Magical Thinking
The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion

from: $7.09

H is for Hawk
H is for Hawk
Helen Macdonald

from: $3.99

The Friend
The Friend
Sigrid Nunez

from: $15.12

Pachinko
Pachinko
Min Jin Lee

from: $12.69

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Michael Chabon

from: $3.89

Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945
Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945
Tony Judt

from: $7.49

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
Lawrence Wright

from: $4.59

Leave a Comment

Books Mentioned in this Post

Gilead
Gilead
Marilynne Robinson

from: $4.19

Never Let Me Go
Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

from: $7.29

Austerlitz
Austerlitz
W.G. Sebald

from: $7.19

The Underground Railroad
The Underground Railroad
Colson Whitehead

from: $4.09

2666
2666
Roberto Bolaño

from: $21.69

The Corrections
The Corrections
Jonathan Franzen

from: $4.69

The Known World
The Known World
Edward P. Jones

from: $5.19

Wolf Hall
Wolf Hall
Hilary Mantel

from: $3.99

The Warmth of Other Suns
The Warmth of Other Suns
Isabel Wilkerson

from: $8.19

My Brilliant Friend
My Brilliant Friend
Elena Ferrante

from: $5.09

I giorni dell'abbandono
I giorni dell'abbandono
Elena Ferrante

from: $9.89

Storia della bambina perduta
Storia della bambina perduta
Elena Ferrante

from: $8.19

Pastoralia
Pastoralia
George Saunders

from: $13.90

Tenth of December
Tenth of December
George Saunders

from: $4.19

Lincoln in the Bardo
Lincoln in the Bardo
George Saunders

from: $4.99

Men We Reaped
Men We Reaped
Jesmyn Ward

from: $6.09

Salvage the Bones
Salvage the Bones
Jesmyn Ward

from: $5.49

Sing, Unburied, Sing
Sing, Unburied, Sing
Jesmyn Ward

from: $5.09

Runaway
Runaway
Alice Munro

from: $4.19

Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage
Alice Munro

from: $4.09

Los detectives salvajes
Los detectives salvajes
Roberto Bolaño

from: $10.29

All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories
All Aunt Hagar's Children: Stories
Edward P. Jones

from: $4.79

Bring up the Bodies
Bring up the Bodies
Hilary Mantel

from: $4.29

On Beauty
On Beauty
Zadie Smith

from: $4.49

White Teeth
White Teeth
Zadie Smith

from: $4.79

The Human Stain
The Human Stain
Philip Roth

from: $4.49

The Plot Against America
The Plot Against America
Philip Roth

from: $4.89

Tree of Smoke
Tree of Smoke
Denis Johnson

from: $9.09

Train Dreams
Train Dreams
Denis Johnson

from: $11.79

The Sympathizer
The Sympathizer
Viet Thanh Nguyen

from: $5.89

Detransition, Baby
Detransition, Baby
Torrey Peters

from: $13.19

The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Siddhartha Mukherjee

from: $8.09

The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Michelle Alexander

from: $6.19

We the Animals
We the Animals
Justin Torres

from: $6.49

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Alison Bechdel

from: $6.49

Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx
Random Family: Love, Drugs, Trouble, and Coming of Age in the Bronx
Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

from: $4.49

Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity
Katherine Boo

from: $4.89

Hurricane Season
Hurricane Season
Fernanda Melchor

from: $14.16

Septology
Septology
Jon Fosse

from: $18.31

Время сэконд хэнд: конец красного человека
Время сэконд хэнд: конец красного человека
Svetlana Alexievich

from: $12.69

The Vegetarian
The Vegetarian
Han Kang

from: $10.49

Persepolis
Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi

from: $4.09

The Years - Winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature
The Years - Winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature
Annie Ernaux

from: $16.35

When We Cease to Understand the World
When We Cease to Understand the World
Benjamín Labatut

from: $13.39

Small Things Like These
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan

from: $14.89

A Brief History of Seven Killings
A Brief History of Seven Killings
Marlon James

from: $6.19

The Goldfinch
The Goldfinch
Donna Tartt

from: $4.89

Trust
Trust
Hernan Diaz

from: $5.79

Demon Copperhead
Demon Copperhead
Barbara Kingsolver

from: $16.81

Middlesex
Middlesex
Jeffrey Eugenides

from: $3.99

Stay True
Stay True
Hua Hsu

from: $14.12

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Gabrielle Zevin

from: $12.49

Americanah
Americanah
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

from: $5.09

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Junot Díaz

from: $4.39

The Sellout
The Sellout
Paul Beatty

from: $4.19

The Year of Magical Thinking
The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion

from: $7.09

H is for Hawk
H is for Hawk
Helen Macdonald

from: $3.99

The Friend
The Friend
Sigrid Nunez

from: $15.12

Pachinko
Pachinko
Min Jin Lee

from: $12.69

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Michael Chabon

from: $3.89

Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945
Postwar: A History of Europe since 1945
Tony Judt

from: $7.49

The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
Lawrence Wright

from: $4.59

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