Reflections on the NYT best 100 books of the 21st Century

There’s not much I love more than a ‘best of’ book list, and so when I spotted the New York Times 100 best books of the 21^st Century trending on bookstagram, I jumped aboard.

I visited the NYT website and started scrolling down from the 100^th book, spotting some of my own favourites and lots that were completely new to me.

The books were chosen by a range of bookish professionals, including well-known authors, publishers, poets, and famous booklovers including Stephen King, Bonnie Garmus, Roxane Gay and Sarah Jessica Parker.

There were some books that I have loved on the list: Elena Ferrante’s incredible My Brilliant Friend and The Story of the Lost Child, Philip Roth’s The Human Stain, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, Kate Atkinson’s Life After Life, Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead, Zadie Smith’s White Teeth and An American Marriage by Tayari Jones.

There were books that have been sitting on my shelf for far too long – Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders – and others that I’ve been recommended and looking forward to reading – Tommorow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin.

While I was happy to see a book that I had read and loved in first place, I had never even heard of the book that finished second (The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson).

In a digital age when it seems like everyone is reading exactly the same books, it’s exciting to know that there are wonderful books out there that aren’t Book Tok famous.

There wasn’t a book on the list that I had read that I didn’t agree should be there, which makes me realise that all of the books I haven’t read on there are well worth checking out.

However, I was a little disappointed that none of my favourite Australian authors – Melissa Lucashenko, Charlotte Wood, Hannah Kent, Anna Funder or Sofie Laguna – made the list. I guess it was compiled by an American newspaper so I can’t really argue. And as much as I LOVE a booklist, there are always going to be differences of opinion about what should and should not be included. That’s the fun of them, and of seeing what someone else might choose.

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying seeing other people’s lists (set out on the template supplied by @rev.alicia.reads) on Instagram, and comparing my own favourites with theirs.

Of course, I did have to put together my own list. What about you? Are there any books that you think should have made the NYT best 100 of the 21^st century list?

My best of the 21st Century: