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Post by masterofallgoons on Jul 12, 2024 15:51:32 GMT
NY Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century"As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review." They've been updating this list throughout the week (20 per day), and now it's complete. You'd think that maybe the end of the year might make sense since the quarter century would actually be complete, but they seem to believe that mid-July was the best time. Also, they asked these hundreds of experts to create a top 10 of their choosing based on any criteria of their choosing, which doesn't necessarily seem like the best way to create a top 100, but I also don't have a much better suggestion. You can see a handful of authors' top 10 lists as well, and it tells you which of those titles appears on the master list, which is kind of interesting. Stephen King is, presumably, the only voter who voted for his own book, and amusingly he chose Under the Dome which isn't even his best work of the century (his short story collections are better, Revival is a much better novel, and 11/22/63 received votes from other writers). And Stephen Graham Jones' The Only Good Indians was (by my count) the favorite book by these authors that didn't appear on the master list.. which is cool. Anyway, I haven't read the vast, vast majority of these, which is no surprise, but I'm a little surprised by how many I haven't even heard of...but I'm also not tuned into a whole lot of history and non-fiction. Glad to see some of these titles though, and happy to learn of the existence of a lot of these that are apparently considered significant books, even if I know I'll only ever get to reading a handful.
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Post by Rufus-T on Jul 12, 2024 17:26:19 GMT
Thanks for the post. I love books. The link doesn't work. Here is the link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/best-books-21st-century.htmlI have started again to read a lot the last few years since the pandemic. Almost exclusively non-fictions, but like to get back to fiction which I used to read a lot. I never heard of almost all of them in the top 100. I saw the Human Stain, the movie. Just a couple months ago a friend recommended Pachinko. This is the top 20 from the NY Times list 1. My Brilliant Friend (2012) - Elena Ferrante; translated by Ann Goldstein 2. The Warmth of Other Suns (2010) - Isabel Wilkerson 3. Wolf Hall (2009) - Hilary Mantel 4. The Known World (2003) - Edward P. Jones 5. The Corrections (2001) - Jonathan Franzen 6. 2666 (2008) - Roberto Bolaño; translated by Natasha Wimmer 7. The Underground Railroad (2016) - Colson Whitehead 8. Austerlitz (2001) - W.G. Sebald; translated by Anthea Bell 9. Never Let Me Go (2005) - Kazuo Ishiguro 10. Gilead (2004) - Marilynne Robinson 11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) - Junot Díaz 12. The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) - Joan Didion 13. The Road (2006) - Cormac McCarthy 14. Outline (2015) - Rachel Cusk 15. Pachinko (2017) - Min Jin Lee 16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000) - Michael Chabon 17. The Sellout (2015) - Paul Beatty 18. Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) - George Saunders 19. Say Nothing (2019) - Patrick Radden Keefe 20. Erasure (2001) - Percival Everett |
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Post by masterofallgoons on Jul 12, 2024 18:07:42 GMT
Thanks for the post. I love books. The link doesn't work. Here is the link: www.nytimes.com/interactive/2024/books/best-books-21st-century.htmlI have started again to read a lot the last few years since the pandemic. Almost exclusively non-fictions, but like to get back to fiction which I used to read a lot. I never heard of almost all of them in the top 100. I saw the Human Stain, the movie. Just a couple months ago a friend recommended Pachinko. This is the top 20 from the NY Times list 1. My Brilliant Friend (2012) - Elena Ferrante; translated by Ann Goldstein 2. The Warmth of Other Suns (2010) - Isabel Wilkerson 3. Wolf Hall (2009) - Hilary Mantel 4. The Known World (2003) - Edward P. Jones 5. The Corrections (2001) - Jonathan Franzen 6. 2666 (2008) - Roberto Bolaño; translated by Natasha Wimmer 7. The Underground Railroad (2016) - Colson Whitehead 8. Austerlitz (2001) - W.G. Sebald; translated by Anthea Bell 9. Never Let Me Go (2005) - Kazuo Ishiguro 10. Gilead (2004) - Marilynne Robinson 11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) - Junot Díaz 12. The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) - Joan Didion 13. The Road (2006) - Cormac McCarthy 14. Outline (2015) - Rachel Cusk 15. Pachinko (2017) - Min Jin Lee 16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000) - Michael Chabon 17. The Sellout (2015) - Paul Beatty 18. Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) - George Saunders 19. Say Nothing (2019) - Patrick Radden Keefe 20. Erasure (2001) - Percival Everett Odd that no matter what I do it won't let me fix the link. Strange. I have a harder time getting into non-fiction. Something about the writing in books like those, including some of the highly regarded ones, doesn't work for me. I've been having a much easier time with literary and genre fiction. Of these in the top 20 I've only read a few, but by my count I've heard of at least 13. I've been trying to read more too, but finding the time is tough. Occasionally I'll dip into audiobooks. Usually I prefer short stories in that format, but there are some terrific audiobook productions. Sometimes a good performer just reading is great, but there are some full on productions sometimes, like the number 18 title Lincoln in the Bardo. That audiobook has a full score and multiple actors performing different chapters, and it's excellent. |
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Post by sdm3 on Jul 12, 2024 18:12:51 GMT
From the top 20, I've read The Underground Railroad, Never Let Me Go, The Road, Pachinko, and Lincoln in the Bardo. I have Wolf Hall but it's still on my bookshelf.
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Post by klawrencio79 on Jul 12, 2024 21:41:20 GMT
This makes me sad, simply because of the books listed here, I've only read The Road. I used to be such an avid reader when I was younger, but pretty much slowed down to one book (for pleasure) per year when I travel. That's it. It's a habit I'd like to rekindle as I get older because I really do love reading. It's just the, ya know, 10 hours a day of reading I do of the driest shit imaginable.
Anyway, I read The Road and after reading it, I was ready to go buy a shotgun and build myself a panic room. Gripping novel, never saw the movie.
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Post by FrankSobotka1514 on Jul 12, 2024 22:43:43 GMT
The only one in the top 20 I've read is Never Let Me Go. I own one or two others but haven't yet read. I'll bold the ones I've even heard of.
1. My Brilliant Friend (2012) - Elena Ferrante; translated by Ann Goldstein
2. The Warmth of Other Suns (2010) - Isabel Wilkerson
3. Wolf Hall (2009) - Hilary Mantel
4. The Known World (2003) - Edward P. Jones
5. The Corrections (2001) - Jonathan Franzen
6. 2666 (2008) - Roberto Bolaño; translated by Natasha Wimmer
7. The Underground Railroad (2016) - Colson Whitehead
8. Austerlitz (2001) - W.G. Sebald; translated by Anthea Bell
9. Never Let Me Go (2005) - Kazuo Ishiguro
10. Gilead (2004) - Marilynne Robinson
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007) - Junot Díaz
12. The Year of Magical Thinking (2005) - Joan Didion
13. The Road (2006) - Cormac McCarthy
14. Outline (2015) - Rachel Cusk
15. Pachinko (2017) - Min Jin Lee
16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (2000) - Michael Chabon
17. The Sellout (2015) - Paul Beatty
18. Lincoln in the Bardo (2017) - George Saunders
19. Say Nothing (2019) - Patrick Radden Keefe
20. Erasure (2001) - Percival Everett
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Post by FrankSobotka1514 on Jul 12, 2024 22:58:44 GMT
This makes me sad, simply because of the books listed here, I've only read The Road. I used to be such an avid reader when I was younger, but pretty much slowed down to one book (for pleasure) per year when I travel. That's it. It's a habit I'd like to rekindle as I get older because I really do love reading. It's just the, ya know, 10 hours a day of reading I do of the driest shit imaginable. Anyway, I read The Road and after reading it, I was ready to go buy a shotgun and build myself a panic room. Gripping novel, never saw the movie. I haven't read it nor seen the movie but I know the plot of it. It sounds dark as fuck. My life is depressing enough, I don't want to spend the little free time I have reading something even darker than I am. I'll stick to Tiffani Thiessen's cookbook, thank you very much. ![]()  |
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Jul 13, 2024 12:10:41 GMT
I own ‘2666’ and ‘Pachinko’ but I haven’t read them yet.
I have read practically everything else from Kazuo Ishiguro but not ‘Never Let Me Go’.
Michael Chabon and Elena Ferrante are on my radar.
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Post by Rufus-T on Jul 24, 2024 16:24:53 GMT
As I look through the list of 100, one omission I noticed is Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. I have not read the book, but I heard it mentioned a lot. Anyone here read the book?  |
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Post by Jep Gambardella on Jul 24, 2024 16:33:33 GMT
As I look through the list of 100, one omission I noticed is Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. I have not read the book, but I heard it mentioned a lot. Anyone here read the book? I haven't - but if there is a 25th Anniversary Edition then it is not a 21st century book! |
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Post by Rufus-T on Jul 24, 2024 16:38:46 GMT
As I look through the list of 100, one omission I noticed is Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. I have not read the book, but I heard it mentioned a lot. Anyone here read the book? I haven't - but if there is a 25th Anniversary Edition then it is not a 21st century book! You are right. I thought it is published in 2010 when actually this edition is published on 2010. The book is originally published in 1985. |
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Post by masterofallgoons on Jul 24, 2024 18:42:58 GMT
As I look through the list of 100, one omission I noticed is Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian. I have not read the book, but I heard it mentioned a lot. Anyone here read the book? I've read it a couple of times, and return to passages from it every so often. It is indeed remarkable, but it is indeed from 1985. McCarthy is represented on this list though, via The Road, which is a less violent, dark, and nihilistic read, if you can believe it. |
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Jul 24, 2024 23:48:55 GMT
I think its far to early to name the best books of the 21st century, such a list should not be made until 2099.
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Post by masterofallgoons on Jul 25, 2024 0:04:29 GMT
I think its far to early to name the best books of the 21st century, such a list should not be made until 2099. Well... yeah. They presumably thought it went without saying '...so far.' |
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Post by Rufus-T on Jul 26, 2024 18:45:32 GMT
I think its far to early to name the best books of the 21st century, such a list should not be made until 2099. To be particular about it, in order to take into account the test of time for the books release at least in the last decade, the list should not be made til 2150. I can't wait to see that list. |
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Post by nutsberryfarm 🏜 on Jul 27, 2024 23:22:41 GMT
NY Times: 100 Best Books of the 21st Century"As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of The New York Times Book Review." They've been updating this list throughout the week (20 per day), and now it's complete. You'd think that maybe the end of the year might make sense since the quarter century would actually be complete, but they seem to believe that mid-July was the best time. Also, they asked these hundreds of experts to create a top 10 of their choosing based on any criteria of their choosing, which doesn't necessarily seem like the best way to create a top 100, but I also don't have a much better suggestion. You can see a handful of authors' top 10 lists as well, and it tells you which of those titles appears on the master list, which is kind of interesting. Stephen King is, presumably, the only voter who voted for his own book, and amusingly he chose Under the Dome which isn't even his best work of the century (his short story collections are better, Revival is a much better novel, and 11/22/63 received votes from other writers). And Stephen Graham Jones' The Only Good Indians was (by my count) the favorite book by these authors that didn't appear on the master list.. which is cool. Anyway, I haven't read the vast, vast majority of these, which is no surprise, but I'm a little surprised by how many I haven't even heard of...but I'm also not tuned into a whole lot of history and non-fiction. Glad to see some of these titles though, and happy to learn of the existence of a lot of these that are apparently considered significant books, even if I know I'll only ever get to reading a handful. No way! |
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