The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century, According to the New York Times
The New York Times has released their list of the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century as chosen by hundreds of "literary luminaries."
Always books. Never boring.
View All posts by Community
You can also check out the full top ten ballots of many of the authors who participated, including Stephen King, Min Jin Lee, Marlon James, Roxane Gay, and many more.
While browsing through the list, you can check off the books you’ve read and the books you want to read to create a shareable graphic at the end.
Here are the top ten books of the 21st century, according to the New York Times:
10) Gilead by Marilynne Robinson (2004)
9) Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)
8) Austerlitz by W.G. Sebald, translated by Anthea Bell (2001)
7) The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (2016)
6) 2666 by Roberto Bolaño, translated by Natasha Wimmer (2008)
5) The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen (2001)
4) The Known World by Edward P. Jones (2003)
3) Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (2009)
2) The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson (2010)
1) My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein (2012)
Several authors appear on the list multiple times, including Elena Ferrante, who has three titles in the top 100: My Brilliant Friend at #1, The Story of the Lost Child at #80, and The Days of Abandonment at #92.
Alice Munro has two titles on the list at the same time as the literary world grapples with her legacy this week in the wake of her daughter sharing how Munro dismissed her experience of being sexually assaulted by Munro’s husband. Since the list has been in the works for a long time, this inclusion is bad timing — but Junot Díaz was asked to participate and has a title included, despite multiple allegations of sexual harassment and misogynistic harassment , including directed at several other authors.
You can see the full list at The New York Times .
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books .
Also In This Story Stream
- All the Finalists for the 2024 National Book Awards
- The Most Read Books on Goodreads This Week
- 4 of the Most Anticipated Books This Fall, According to Bookshop.org
- The 2024 National Book Awards Longlist for Translated Literature
- Watch the New NICKEL BOYS Trailer, Starring Daveed Diggs and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor
- GOOD OMENS Season Three Paused at Amazon
- The Bestselling Books of the Week, According to All the Lists
- The Most Read Books On Goodreads in August
- NaNoWriMo Gets Backlash After Defending the Use of AI
- Disney has Paused Neil Gaiman’s THE GRAVEYARD BOOK Adaptation in Light of Sexual Assault Allegations
You Might Also Like
The Book Review
- UPDATED BIWEEKLY
The world's top authors and critics join host Gilbert Cruz and editors at The New York Times Book Review to talk about the week's top books, what we're reading and what's going on in the literary world. Listen to this podcast in New York Times Audio, our new iOS app for news subscribers. Download now at nytimes.com/audioapp
Robert Caro on 50 Years of 'The Power Broker'
Robert Caro’s 1974 biography “The Power Broker” is a book befitting its subject, Robert Moses — the unelected parochial technocrat who used a series of appointed positions to entirely reshape New York City and its surrounding environment for generations to come. Like Moses, Caro’s book has exerted an enduring and outsize influence. This week, Caro tells host Gilbert Cruz how he accounts for its enduring legacy.
Kate Atkinson on the Return of Jackson Brodie
The British writer Kate Atkinson has had a rich and varied career since publishing her first book in 1996. But she may be best known for her Jackson Brodie series of crime novels. Sarah Lyall speaks with Atkinson about the sixth entry in the series, "Death at the Sign of the Rook."
21st Century Books Special Edition: Isabel Wilkerson on 'The Warmth of Other Suns'
As part of its recent "100 Best Books of the 21st Century" project, The New York Times Book Review is interviewing some of the authors whose books appeared on the list. This week, Isabel Wilkerson joins host Gilbert Cruz to discuss her 2010 book about the Great Migration.
Book Club: 'My Brilliant Friend,' by Elena Ferrante
The New York Times Book Review recently published a list of The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century. The top choice was “My Brilliant Friend,” by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein. In this week’s episode, MJ Franklin discusses the book with fellow editors Joumana Khatib, Emily Eakin and Gregory Cowles.
21st Century Books Special Edition: Jennifer Egan on 'A Visit from the Goon Squad'
As part of its recent “100 Best Books of the 21st Century" project, The New York Times Book Review is interviewing some of the authors whose books appeared on the list. This week, Jennifer Egan discusses discuss her Pulitzer-winning novel about the music industry, "A Visit From the Goon Squad."
Liz Moore on Her Summer Camp Mystery "The God of the Woods"
A summer camp in the Adirondacks. A rich girl gone missing, 14 years after her older brother also disappeared. A prominent local family harboring dark secrets. On this week’s episode, author Liz Moore chats with Gilbert Cruz about her new novel “The God in the Woods.”
What We're Reading This Summer
On this week’s episode, host Gilbert Cruz chats with his colleagues Joumana Khatib and Anna Dubenko about the books that have been occupying their attention this season.
21st Century Books Special Edition: George Saunders on 'Lincoln in the Bardo'
As part of its recent "100 Best Books of the 21st Century" project, The New York Times Book Review is interviewing some of the authors whose books appeared on the list. This week, George Saunders joins host Gilbert Cruz.
Hosts & Guests
Gilbert cruz, george saunders, sarah jessica parker, min jin lee, colson whitehead, lev grossman, mj franklin, joumana khatib, lauren christensen, griffin dunne, ratings & reviews.
Very weird that you’ve never read house of mirth!
cyndyluwhoo
MJ, please practice your presentation and lose the unnecessary word “like”! I find myself starting to count the number of “likes” you use and then have to stop listening. I would love to stick with the discussion but the irritation over the adolescent speech pattern chases me away.
Summer reads
My favorite episode for now. I learned but mostly I laughed. Thank you for teaching and tickling me.
New Favorite Episode
Just finished listening to the August 9 episode and I relished every minute. Maybe because Gilbert C and I are enjoying the same book at the same time? But no, Anna Dubenko and Joumana Khatib were just as much fun. These are all readers with wide interests and firm opinions (don't try to borrow a book from Anna) and their love of books and reading shines through. I might listen again.
Information
- Channel The New York Times
- Creator The New York Times
- Years Active 2006 - 2024
- Episodes 507
- Rating Clean
- Copyright © 2023 The New York Times Company
- Show Website The Book Review
More From The New York Times
Updated 02/03/2017
Updated Weekly
Updated Monthly
Updated 06/18/2020
You Might Also Like
Updated Semiweekly
Updated Daily
Updated Biweekly
To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.
Stay up to date with this show
Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Africa, Middle East, and India
- Brunei Darussalam
- Burkina Faso
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Congo, The Democratic Republic Of The
- Guinea-Bissau
- Niger (English)
- Congo, Republic of
- Saudi Arabia
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
- Tanzania, United Republic Of
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
Asia Pacific
- Indonesia (English)
- Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Malaysia (English)
- Micronesia, Federated States of
- New Zealand
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Solomon Islands
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- France (Français)
- Deutschland
- Luxembourg (English)
- Moldova, Republic Of
- North Macedonia
- Portugal (Português)
- Türkiye (English)
- United Kingdom
Latin America and the Caribbean
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina (Español)
- Bolivia (Español)
- Virgin Islands, British
- Cayman Islands
- Chile (Español)
- Colombia (Español)
- Costa Rica (Español)
- República Dominicana
- Ecuador (Español)
- El Salvador (Español)
- Guatemala (Español)
- Honduras (Español)
- Nicaragua (Español)
- Paraguay (Español)
- St. Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- St. Vincent and The Grenadines
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Turks and Caicos
- Uruguay (English)
- Venezuela (Español)
The United States and Canada
- Canada (English)
- Canada (Français)
- United States
- Estados Unidos (Español México)
- الولايات المتحدة
- États-Unis (Français France)
- Estados Unidos (Português Brasil)
- 美國 (繁體中文台灣)
You have exceeded your limit for simultaneous device logins.
Your current subscription allows you to be actively logged in on up to three (3) devices simultaneously. click on continue below to log out of other sessions and log in on this device., new york times book review reveals top 10 books of 2021 | book pulse.
The New York Times Book Review revealed their top 10 books of the year in a virtual event for subscribers . Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti is the December GMA Book Club pick. More Best of the Year lists arrive. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan gets reviewed. LJ posts the May 2022 Prepub Alert complete list. Bernardine Evaristo will preside over the Royal Society of Literature. Interviews arrive with Faith Jones, Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan, Mel Brooks, and Mario Vargas Llosa. Stephen Graham Jones’ forthcoming novel, Don't Fear the Reaper is due out in August 2022. Plus, authors Anne Helen Petersen and Charlie Warzel reconsider the future of work.
Want to get the latest book news delivered to your inbox each day? Sign up for our daily Book Pulse newsletter.
Book clubs, awards, & best of the year.
Editors at The New York Times Book Review revealed their top 10 books of the year in a virtual event for subscribers .The list will be published later today.
Dava Shastri's Last Day by Kirthana Ramisetti (Grand Central) is the December GMA Book Club pick .
Time releases the 100 must-read books of 2021.
The Chicago Tribune picks its top 10 books of the year.
Book Page delivers its Best Books of the Year lists.
Merlin Sheldrake wins Royal Society Science Book Prize for Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures . The Bookseller reports.
The Guardian reviews Renegades: Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen and Barack Obama (Crown): “if that person in your life who has everything deserves a reminder of how rock’n’roll can be more moral than its enemies, of how, sometimes, the arc of history bends towards justice a little more noticeably, Renegades will stuff that stocking amply.”
Briefly Noted
Bernardine Evaristo will preside over the Royal Society of Literature . The Guardian reports.
Salon has a conversation with Faith Jones , Sex Cult Nun: Breaking Away from the Children of God, a Wild, Radical Religious Cult (Morrow; LJ starred review), about “leaving a religious cult and re-discovering who she was.”
People talks with Alfonso Ribeiro about whether or not he will read his friend’s memoir, Will , by Will Smith (Penguin Random House).
Bustle explores the question, “Is There A Better Way To Write About Interracial Friendship?” with co-authors of the novel, We Are Not Like Them (Atria), Christine Pride and Jo Piazza.
FoxNews share s details from Brothers and Wives: Inside the Private Lives of William, Kate, Harry, and Meghan by Christopher Andersen (Gallery Books).
The LA Times has 6 books for December .
LitHub shares 12 books out this week .
Bustle has 10 new books for the week.
Jakucho Setouchi, Buddhist nun and best-selling Japanese author, dies at 99 . The Washington Post has an obituary.
Authors On Air
Mel Brooks talks to Good Morning America about his remarkable life in show business and his new memoir, All About Me! (Ballantine: Penguin Random House).
NPR has an interview with Mario Vargas Llosa about his new book , Harsh Times , trans. by Adrian Nathan West (Farrar).
Netflix will no longer produce the adaptation of Alice Sebold memoir. The Guardian reports.
LitHub shares a clip of Chadwick Boseman reading Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass .
Vanessa Lachey, Life from Scratch: Family Traditions That Start with You , written with Dina Gachman (HarperOne) will be on with Drew Barrymore tomorrow, and Andy Cohen, Glitter Every Day: 365 Quotes from Women I Love (Holt), will be on The Real.
Get Print. Get Digital. Get Both!
Add comment :-, comment policy:.
- Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
- Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
- Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
- Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
- If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.
First Name should not be empty !!!
Last Name should not be empty !!!
email should not be empty !!!
Comment should not be empty !!!
You should check the checkbox.
Please check the reCaptcha
Ethan Smith
Lorem Ipsum is simply dummy text of the printing and typesetting industry. Lorem Ipsum has been the industry's standard dummy text ever since the 1500s, when an unknown printer took a galley of type and scrambled it to make a type specimen book.
Posted 6 hours ago REPLY
Jane Fitgzgerald
Posted 6 hours ago
Michael Woodward
Continue reading.
Libraries are always evolving. Stay ahead. Log In.
Added To Cart
Related , national book award nonfiction and poetry longlists | book pulse, helen czerski & michael malay win wainwright prizes for nature writing | book pulse, national book award longlists for translated literature and young people’s literature | book pulse, oprah picks elizabeth strout’s ‘tell me everything’ for book club | book pulse, ‘here one moment’ by liane moriarty tops holds lists | book pulse, ft and schroders business book of the year longlist | book pulse, "what is this" design thinking from an lis student.
Run Your Week: Big Books, Sure Bets & Titles Making News | July 17 2018
Materials on Hand | Materials Handling
LGBTQ Collection Donated to Vancouver Archives
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, --> Log In
You did not sign in correctly or your account is temporarily disabled
REGISTER FREE to keep reading
If you are already a member, please log in.
Passwords must include at least 8 characters.
Your password must include at least three of these elements: lower case letters, upper case letters, numbers, or special characters.
The email you entered already exists. Please reset your password to gain access to your account.
Create a Password to complete your registration. Get access to:
Uncommon insight and timely information
Thousands of book reviews
Blogs, expert opinion, and thousands of articles
Research reports, data analysis, -->