📖 21 Best Books of the 21st Century / EACH

The failing New York Times recently shared the 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.

We found the list to lean heavy on literary fiction, but we were glad to see more than a dozen green light books featured.

Between the two of us, we've green lit more than 300 books in the last 11 years so we're sharing each of our own ballots of the 21 books we would have submitted for consideration.

My book choices are emphatic and indulgent, as in, this is a list of my literary whims and influences over the last 25 years.

The primary metric I used for list inclusion was to identify books that had a kind of influence on me both immediately and well beyond the experience of reading. I wanted to list out books that either have kept me thinking still to this day OR that actively changed a perspective or lens on how I saw the world.

I stayed entirely in the 21st century, otherwise Donna Tartt’s The Secret History would have been included.

The Anomaly by Herve Le Tellier (Science Fiction): During a terrifying storm, Air France flight 006 - inexplicably - duplicates. For every passenger, there are now two: a double with the same mind, body and memories.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green (Essays): John Green's gift for storytelling shines throughout this artfully curated collection about the shared human experience.
Before The Fall by Noah Hawley (Mystery): A private jet plunges into the sea. The only survivors are down-on his luck artist Scott Burroughs and JJ Bateman, the four year old son of a super-rich TV executive.

The Bomber Mafia by Malcolm Gladwell (History): Weaving together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history.
Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (Science Fiction): Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this explosive debut novel.
Commonwealth by Ann Patchett (Literary Fiction): The enthralling story of how an unexpected romantic encounter irrevocably changes two families' lives.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Historical Fiction): The story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer in southern Appalachia, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. *on the NYT list
Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne (History): Tracing the rise and fall of the Comanches, the most powerful Indian tribe in American history. Includes the epic saga of the pioneer woman Cynthia Ann Parker and her mixed-blood son, Quanah, who became the last and greatest chief of the Comanches.
The Fish that Ate the Whale by Rich Cohen (Business Biography): The untold tale of Samuel Zemurray, the self-made banana mogul who went from penniless roadside banana peddler to kingmaker and capitalist revolutionary.

Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (Historical Fiction): A father-son story featuring none other than Abraham Lincoln, as well as an unforgettable cast of supporting characters, living and dead, historical and invented. *on the NYT list
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold (Mystery): Susie Salmon is adjusting to her new home in heaven, a place that is not at all what she expected, even as she is watching life on earth continue without her. *available on Kindle Unlimited
The Monster's Bones by David K. Randall (Science): A gripping narrative of a fearless paleontologist, the founding of America’s most loved museums, and the race to find the largest dinosaurs on record.

Pathogenesis by Jonathan Kennedy (History): An account of how the major transformations in history—from the rise of Homo sapiens to the birth of capitalism—have been shaped not by humans but by germs.
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Dystopia): A searing, post-apocalyptic novel about a father and son's fight to survive. *on the NYT list
Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman (Pop Culture Essays): A discerning take on massively popular culture—set in Chuck Klosterman’s den and your own—covering everything from the effect of John Cusack flicks to the crucial role of breakfast cereal to the awesome power of the Dixie Chicks.

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight (Business Memoir): Nike founder offers an illuminating look at his company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (Fantasy): A tale of gods, kings, immortal fame, and the human heart that reimagines Homer’s enduring masterwork, The Iliad. *available on Kindle Unlimited
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Dystopia): Set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. *on the NYT list

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Contemporary Fiction): Sam and Sadie—two college friends, often in love, but never lovers—become creative partners in a dazzling and intricately imagined world of video game design, where success brings them fame, joy, tragedy, duplicity, and, ultimately, a kind of immortality. *on the NYT list
We Are The Light by Matthew Quick (Contemporary Fiction): A poignant novel about a widower who takes in a grieving teenager and inspires a magical revival in their small town.
The Wide Wide Sea by Hampton Sides (History): An account of the most momentous voyage of the Age of Exploration, which culminated in Captain James Cook’s death in Hawaii, and left a complex and controversial legacy still debated to this day.

Narrowing this list down to only 21 books resulted in misery and Moose Tracks. I want to immediately tell you about the reads I left behind, while also declaring that these were the correct choices for me.

These books all represent reading experiences that either chipped away or added on to me in meaningful and profound ways. For example, Lisa Kleypas' novel was my introduction to the idea that bodice rippers could also be top notch literary experiences.

May the rest of this century of reading be just as superb.

11/22/63 by Stephen King (Science Fiction): A dramatic novel about a man who travels back in time to prevent the JFK assassination.
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld (Historical Fiction): A kind, bookish only child born in the 1940s, Alice Lindgren has no idea that she will one day end up in the White House, married to the president.
Caste by Isabel Wilkerson (History): An examination of the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.

Columbine by Dave Cullen (True Crime): Ten years in the works, the definitive account of the Columbine massacre, its aftermath, and its significance.
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (Memoir): From the indie rocker known as Japanese Breakfast, a memoir about family, food, grief, love, and growing up Korean American.
A Darker Shade of Magic by V. E. Schwab (Fantasy): In parallel Londons, a smuggler magician and a daring thief embark on a perilous adventure to save multiple worlds from treacherous magic.

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas (Historical Romance): Desperate to escape her scheming relatives, Evangeline Jenner has sought the help of the most infamous scoundrel in London. A marriage of convenience is the only solution.
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe (History): A devastating portrait of three generations of the Sackler family, famed for their philanthropy, whose fortune was built by Valium and whose reputation was destroyed by OxyContin.
Evicted by Matthew Desmond (Sociology): Princeton sociologist and MacArthur “Genius” Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they each struggle to keep a roof over their heads. *on the NYT list

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Mystery): With his wife's disappearance having become the focus of an intense media circus, a man sees the spotlight turned on him when it's suspected that he may not be innocent.
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (Historical Fiction): Ghana, eighteenth century: two half sisters are born into different villages, each unaware of the other. One will marry an Englishman and lead a life of comfort in the palatial rooms of the Cape Coast Castle. The other will be captured in a raid on her village, imprisoned in the very same castle, and sold into slavery.
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson (Social Justice): An unforgettable account of an idealistic, gifted young lawyer’s coming of age, a moving window into the lives of those he has defended, and an inspiring argument for compassion in the pursuit of true justice.

Know My Name by Chanel Miller (Memoir): A gutting yet hopeful memoir about trauma, healing, and resilience, challenging cultural biases and criminal justice system failures in sexual assault cases.
The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich (Historical Fiction): Based on the life of the author's grandfather who worked as a night watchman and carried the fight against Native dispossession from rural North Dakota all the way to Washington.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (Science Fiction): Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance space mission—and if he fails, humanity and the earth itself will perish. Except, he doesn’t know that. He can’t even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

Salvage The Bones by Jesmyn Ward (Literary Fiction): A gritty but tender novel about family and poverty in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. *on the NYT list
So You've Been Publicly Shamed by Jon Ronson (Sociology): A riveting book about online shaming and its historical antecedents.
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (Dystopia): Set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. *on the NYT list

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (Historical Fiction): A daring novel that chronicles a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. *on the NYT list
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (Feminism): One author’s exploration of what it means to be a woman now—and an of-the-moment rallying cry.
Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (Historical Fiction): In the ruthless arena of King Henry VIII's court, only one man dares to gamble his life to win the king's favor and ascend to the heights of political power. *on the NYT list

NOT ENOUGH? SEE ALL THE BOOKS WE'VE GREEN LIT HERE.

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What about audiobooks?

• Audible // This is Amazon's audiobook company. They have the biggest selection, and you buy monthly credits to redeem books. On Prime Days, you can get 3 months for free.

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• Your local library // Audiobooks can get expensive. Your library probably also has those too! Save money and boring car trips with free audiobooks on loan from the library. Find your local libary with this tool. Also, make sure you listen to books after you've listened to us.

If you're not able to visit your favorite bookstore in person, you can always support them through Bookshop.org! Bookshop is offering FREE SHIPPING on July 16 and 17. If you spend $100+, you'll also receive a free tote bag!

One last thing: you are our favorite in the 21st century. No judgment if you dog ear your books like an animal, but we've made you some Popcast bookmarks so that you think of us every time you open and close a book. Download them here. Happy reading!

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