NYTimes: Readers Pick Their 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

When the Book Review published a list of the 100 best books of the century, we knew we'd hear from readers who were incensed or gutted or driven wild by grief. How could So-and-So's book not make the cut?

One of the best things about working in books is just this: the passion of our constituency. No way would we deprive readers of the chance to vote for their own list and make their voices heard.

And so you have. There's some overlap between your list and ours — we agreed on 39 books. As for the 61 new entries here, what stands out most is that they're the books that captured cultural moments and sparked lively literary conversations. They're also great. Enjoy!

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/reader-best-books-21st-century.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Best historical fiction set in the south

"The paradox is that, although it's obviously still quite segregated, and there is a huge suspicion on either side, these parallel worlds are tightly braided."

https://fivebooks.com/best-books/best-historical-fiction-novels-set-american-south-xan-brooks/

The underfed hunger for quiet, sustained attention

David Foster Wallace on why reading feels so hard:

https://www.threads.com/@alexandbooks_/post/DQ8HxtMANJn?xmt=AQF0BPSe1nPtp36GfUST5AHrPy_AFQuRDRQFjVIxh8daHk7f8vNoXM9oJq1oiz5IpHupfSY&slof=1

Summer ‘24

"Every new novel by Cusk is a major literary event, although her experiments with form—and her unpicking of what she has previously called the "underpinnings" of narrative—are often initially received with bafflement"

https://fivebooks.com/best-books/notable-new-novels-of-summer-2024-cal-flyn/

Window or painting

"You can consider whether a novel is like a window you look through to see the people beyond on the other side, or whether the novel is like a painting you just look at."

https://fivebooks.com/best-books/contemporary-fiction-robert-eaglestone/

Powers on music & mortality

"The use of music is to remind us how short a time we have a body."

If you love music, slake your soul on this: https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/10/15/richard-powers-music/

We’re all novelists