First came the NYT Top 100 Books of the 21st Century, as chosen by the critics. As my book club pal Janet said – perhaps a bit premature.
Statwise:
- 17 books read
- 7 books definitely want to read
- Many books I’d never even heard of (WTF)
- No interest in reading book #1: My Brilliant Friend
Read:
Bel Canto
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow
Olive Kitteridge
The Friend
The Plot Against America
The Great Believers
Middlesex
Life After Life
Persepolis
The Goldfinch
Between the World and Me
Americanah
Atonement
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
The Year of Magical Thinking
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Never Let Me Go
Definitely want to read:
The Human Stain
On Beauty
An American Marriage
Demon Copperhead
Fun Home
Wolf Hall
Small Things Like These
Then came the NYT Top 100 of the Century as chosen by readers. Now, this list is my vibe. Lotsa books I’ve read and loved.
Statwise:
- 28 books read
- 10 books definitely want to read
- Hardly any books I’d never even heard of
- Definitely, desperately want to read #1 Demon Copperhead
Read (* indicates on critics’ list also):
A Gentleman in Moscow (#3, yay)
The Goldfinch*
Educated
Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow*
Never Let Me Go*
Atonement*
Middlesex*
Americanah*
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay*
Bel Canto*
Normal People
The Year of Magical Thinking*
The Great Believers*
Olive Kitteridge*
The Kite Runner
Life After Life*
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao*
Between the World and Me*
Gone Girl (really?)
The Hunger Games (like, huh?)
Just Kids
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (yay)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (yay)
Tom Lake
When Breath Becomes Air
Life of Pi
The Plot Against America*
The Glass Castle
A Thousand Splendid Suns
Definitely want to read:
Demon Copperhead
Wolf Hall
Hamnet
Circe
The Book Thief
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
Lessons in Chemistry
Small Things Like These
The Vanishing Half
The Dutch House
And what overlooked books should have been on one or both lists?
