I am forever grateful to Nerdette for introducing me to The Great Circle. It’s so good! Also The Three Mothers looks really interesting—I just taught a class with a unit on the civil rights movement and I feel like this perspective would add a lot to the discussion. And love that you included An Everlasting Meal!
I haven’t been able to commit a top 10! So many amazing books! Here are today’s version of my top ten. These are not in order (except the first one!)
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Fight Night by Miriam Toews
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Americanah by Chiminanda Ngozi Adichie
It pains me to leave off books like They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall, Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark, Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin, Beautyland and SO MANY MORE! I might have to make my own top 100.
Love this list and definitely using it as my "To Read" going forward - I would add The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo and The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (surely a coincidence that these are both sibling stories).
Station Eleven w r e c k e d me (also, my professor had us read it during the semester after the pandemic started, so it definitely hit hard). Weirdly, I could not finish Circe despite loving Song of Achilles.
The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel was a very unique read, as were Death Valley and The Vaster Wilds (Melissa Broder and Lauren Groff).
I was relieved to see my fave novel of the 21st century on the NYT list—Life After Life by Kate Atkinson; I ADORE this book—and pained that so many were left off. I would have added A Gentleman in Moscow, The Thursday Murder Club, The Anthropocene Reviewed, Sorrow and Bliss... just to name a few. And MORE Ann Patchett! All the Ann Patchett!! Love seeing your list Greta, so many great picks!
Many favorites on your list! Circe, Hamnet, Station Eleven, and several others. But I might substitute a few w these, which I adored - some are my favorite of all time. A Gentleman in Moscow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois, Ready Player One, The House of the Spirits
I was so flabbergasted that "Great Circle" wasn't on anyone's list -- so glad you recommended for book club!!!!
I am forever grateful to Nerdette for introducing me to The Great Circle. It’s so good! Also The Three Mothers looks really interesting—I just taught a class with a unit on the civil rights movement and I feel like this perspective would add a lot to the discussion. And love that you included An Everlasting Meal!
I didn’t even look at the NYT list because I don’t want to get worked up when/if I don’t see my faves hahaha! Some of my faves are below:
Beautyland
Greenwood
Chain Gang All-Stars
The Vaster Wilds
A Fine Balance
Half of a Yellow Sun
The Covenant of Water
The Poisonwood Bible
The Garden of Evening Mists
A Gentleman in Moscow
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Homegoing (Yaa Gyasi)
Pachinko
The Adventures of Amina al-Sirafi
The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois
All the Sinners Bleed
I am now upset that I didn't get Amina or Pachinko on my list!!!
I gotcha covered! 😆
Yes! I love this list! I would also add “the Vaster Wilds” by Lauren Groff.
I haven’t been able to commit a top 10! So many amazing books! Here are today’s version of my top ten. These are not in order (except the first one!)
A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri
Fight Night by Miriam Toews
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer
Exhalation by Ted Chiang
The Round House by Louise Erdrich
Americanah by Chiminanda Ngozi Adichie
It pains me to leave off books like They’re Going to Love You by Meg Howrey, The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall, Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark, Fresh Water for Flowers by Valerie Perrin, Beautyland and SO MANY MORE! I might have to make my own top 100.
Aaah, I LOVED the history of love!
I'm so glad you introduced me to Great Circle. It is one of my favorite books of all time now. Such beautiful writing. Thank you, Greta.
My top ten of the century so far:
1) Bel Canto - Ann Patchett
2) Carry On - Rainbow Rowell
3) Cemetery Boys - Aiden Thomas
4) Gideon the Ninth - Tamsyn Muir
5) How to Keep House While Drowning - KC Davis
6) Mexican Gothic - Silvia Moreno-Garcia
7) Taste: My Life Through Food - Stanley Tucci
8) The Dead Romantics - Ashley Poston
9) The Raven King - Maggie Stiefvater
10) This Is How You Lose the Time War - Max Gladstone & Amal El-Mohtar
I get that my personal list is pretty niche, but #10 is the one I’m most shocked not to be seeing on more “response” lists.
aahhh I feel remiss that it wasn’t on my list! so good.
Love this list and definitely using it as my "To Read" going forward - I would add The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo and The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (surely a coincidence that these are both sibling stories).
Station Eleven w r e c k e d me (also, my professor had us read it during the semester after the pandemic started, so it definitely hit hard). Weirdly, I could not finish Circe despite loving Song of Achilles.
The Last Animal by Ramona Ausubel was a very unique read, as were Death Valley and The Vaster Wilds (Melissa Broder and Lauren Groff).
I was relieved to see my fave novel of the 21st century on the NYT list—Life After Life by Kate Atkinson; I ADORE this book—and pained that so many were left off. I would have added A Gentleman in Moscow, The Thursday Murder Club, The Anthropocene Reviewed, Sorrow and Bliss... just to name a few. And MORE Ann Patchett! All the Ann Patchett!! Love seeing your list Greta, so many great picks!
Many favorites on your list! Circe, Hamnet, Station Eleven, and several others. But I might substitute a few w these, which I adored - some are my favorite of all time. A Gentleman in Moscow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, The Love Songs of W.E.B. DuBois, Ready Player One, The House of the Spirits