The NYT Best Books of the 21st Century

My Reflections and Lists, Lists and More Lists !

Hi All!

This has been a remarkably fun week to be a reader thanks to the New York Times Best Books of the 21st Century project. If you missed it, I highly recommend perusing the list to be reminded of books you loved and books you want to read and also to think about the books that are missing from the list.

The list was voted on by “novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review.” Along with the list itself, there are read-alikes, some of the ballots created by writers and the chance to mark books on the list that you want to read.

I thought it would be fun to share top picks from my read and to be read list and also to create lists of titles I would have picked if I had been asked to include a ballot along with authors who are missing from this list and absolutely deserve to be included.

Top 3: Books I’ve Read

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

• Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

Top 3: Books I Want to Read

• Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

• Atonement Ian McEwan

• Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

My Personal Top 10

• Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

• Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

• 11/22/63 by Stephen King

• Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward

• Homegoing Yaa Gyasi

• Serverance by Ling Ma

• Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell

• Martyr! by Kavah Akbar

How Does This List Exist without….

• Louise Erdrich

• James Baldwin

• Jhumpa Lahiri

• Lauren Groff

And now it’s your turn- please share your thoughts and/or your lists!

Happy Reading!

xo,

Stacey

---