100 21st Century Novels to Love

[@annenilsen2665]

Wow! You and I are on the same wavelength lately. I am compiling a list of 100 books to read starting 1/1/2023

[@penelopem2176]

Thank you so much for this wonderful video Eric. I’ve only read 15 of the books, I’ve DNFed 3 (Wolf Hall, Cloud Atlas and Atonement) and I own another 20. Of those I’ve read the ones that stick in my mind are Grief is a thing with feathers, A visit from the Goon Squad, Conversations with Friends and We need to Talk about Kevin. I love Douglas Copeland but Girlfriend in a Coma is my favourite. Of those I’ve not read I’m most keen to read Olive Kitteridge, Brooklyn and Any Human Heart.

[@RunwrightReads]

Thanks for bringing this list to our attention. I love book lists and I agree that some of these books are some of the best I've read recently. Great to see Jim Crace's Harvest on here because it's one I haven't heard that much about and I really loved it. I would have liked to see The Known World by Edward P. Jones, Human Acts by Han Kang and Ruth Ozeki's A Tale for the Time Being. I agree about The White Tiger that I loved but don't remember much about it now. Celeste Ng's first novel was also very powerful and I think I admired both equally. As for my number, I've read 14 (although I feel like I should get extra credit for having read the 4 Neapolitan novels) LOL. So many more are on my TBR though and I should probably read more of them now.

[@eddie_d1233]

I've read 23 which makes me happy. The best read I've had was My Struggle by Karl Ove Knausgaard which wasn't listed. To me he takes the novel to another place with these five autobiographical books displaying his introspective passion. (I haven't read 6 yet, waiting for it to come out in paper.) Thanks for going through all these.

[@Amy_Yuki_Vickers]

I really enjoyed this video. I've only read a handful of the books on this list, but it was so interesting to hear you talk about all of them. It makes me want to comb the list and add them to my TBR.

[@cheryllovestoread]

Great video! Thanks for tackling such a long list. I have Burial Rites but haven’t picked it up yet. I did love The Good People though, so I need to get on it. I’ve just started Grief is a Thing with Feathers and so far it’s a thumbs-up.

[@annenilsen2665]

Pps. I have read Olive Kitteridge, and several others on your list. I haven’t read Lincoln in the Bardo, but now I will. Thanks!

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Lincoln in the Bardo is so good! 👍

[@elizabeth-betsyjohnson7195]

Great video! Going through the list I find myself to have only read a pitiful 10% of the list. I have an additional 5 on my shelves, which leaves me with MANY books to explore 😁

[@layoversandliterature7821]

I also love Margaret Atwood and I've read 9 or 10 of her books. The Blind Assassin is my favorite of hers. I feel like it's her writing at it's best. Very lyrical but also sharp.

[@drawntostories5940]

Such an Anglocentric list. Not a huge fan. Loved to hear your take on it, though. I would have included Sofi Oksanen's Purge on the list. But then again, this wasn't 'The Best of' list, and Purge can be a bit tough one to love.

[@EricKarlAnderson]

I've only read When the Doves Disappeared be Oksanen but always meant to get to Purge.

[@Moonpome]

Hi Eric, I enjoyed your discussion of this list. They’ve left off so many of my favorite authors (Ali Smith, Donna Tartt, Richard Powers, to name a few) so I don’t really trust their judgement 🤓 I prefer the Vulture list. Of course there are many here, that I’ve also intended to read. Btw, I agree on Never Let Me Go and Gilead, both were lauded and neither was a treasure for me. Thanks for the wonderful video.

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Yes, there were many more I could have added and talked about. But that's what makes lists like this a fun discussion point. I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt that way about those books by Ishiguro and Robinson.

[@robinsummers9141]

Hi Eric! What a list. I have two of the books. I have read Burial Rites by Hannah Kent. I also own The Essex Serpent but haven't read it yet. I need to get in gear and read more. I am seriously behind.

[@tonybennett4159]

It's very difficult when the title of the list is "100 21st century novels to love". The difficulty comes in that last word. Is a cerebral or literary novel one that can be loved? Can one love a book where the most horrific events unfold? One can love "Some Like it Hot", and admire "Citizen Kane", yet arguably , Kane is the greater film for many reasons. So, with that proviso in mind, I'd say that the list features some books that are far too recent to be able to judge, and as you say, some choices may be of an author's lesser work. I agree with some of your warm recommendations, and I think of the ones that you listed, "English Passengers" and "Star of the Sea" which both use an historical tragedy as a central idea, are, nonetheless so well written that there is real pleasure to be had from them. "The Secret River" and its companion "The Lieutenant" are great explorations of the Australian experience, and well worth your time. "Austerlitz", I think is Sebald's masterpiece, and its unusual approach makes for an enjoyable yet moving read. "The Blind Assassin" is Atwood at her best : enough said. Of the books that I haven't read, I am most drawn to "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Woo", as I think it will give me an insight into an unfamiliar culture.

[@iceberglettuce1129]

The Blind Assassin is one of my favorite books ever. Super fun to read, and the writing style is amazing, of course being an Atwood. But I would definitely recommend that one! I'm just starting Conversations with Friends now and I'm very excited.

[@JayneCatherineOnBooks]

Home Fire was a favourite for me. I preferred Half a Hello Sun too. I could not finish Cloud Atlas and really disliked Grief is a thing with feathers. It's great that we all have such differing views. Thank you for this post. X Catherine

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Yep, always great to hear different perspectives! 😀📚

[@leticiabr6111]

Very nice and informative video, Eric! May I also suggest you read "The Fishermen" by Chigozie Obioma. Not sure if you have when it was shortlisted for Man Booker in 2015. Such a diverse and touching story, I'd love to hear your thoughts on it :)

[@Phillybookfairy]

I agree with Gilead and Homefire being on the list. Those i thinknare the only two ive read although i have about ten of those on my shelf that i havent gotten to yet like Submission and Middlesex.

[@NeftoonZamora]

Hi Eric. I was interested in your thoughts on a book that you mentioned in this video but wasn't one of the 100 books. I just finished Tim Winton's The Shepherd's Hut the other day for my book club on this upcoming Sunday. One of the things that struck me was wondering how non-Australians would find this book, considering how slangy it is. Did you find the language a hinderance at all in your reading of the book?

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Hmm, I don't remember being confused by the language in The Shepherd's Hut. Maybe I could get it from the context or becaue some slang words are similar or the same to British slang. Hope you have an interesting discussion about the novel with your book club!

[@hedgiecc]

These lists make for fun discussions - thanks for an enjoyable video. You’ve read far more than me, but I largely tended to agree with you on the books we share: Martin Amis (100%), ‘Fingersmith’, ‘Cloud Atlas’, ‘The Line of Beauty’, ‘The Master’, ‘Home Fires’, and ‘Green Road’. We are even on the same page with ‘Wolf Hall’: I’ve not finished it either despite several attempts. And I know the history so no excuse! ‘Essex Serpent’ I thought wildly overpraised: it’s a good but flawed effort from a developing writer. Left me a bit cold, and not only because I was cheated of a monster. ‘The Noise of Time’ I liked but didn’t think his best. ‘Lincoln in the Bardo’ I really enjoyed reading. Technically it’s very accomplished and formally perfect but overall thematically I thought a bit inconsequential as a potential ‘great’. ‘Atonement’ I do think a masterpiece (& I recommend ‘Nutshell’ too if you can bear another peek into McEwan, it’s hugely fun). My book group read ‘The Natural’ by Ross Raisin and we loved it; it’s beautiful writing. I purchased ‘God’s Own Country’ on the back of that but have still to read it. Many other commenters have said there are major omissions from this list. I would add Marlon James’s ‘A Brief History of Seven Killings.’

[@andreahull405]

no ali smith? why in the world did they skip her?

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

I've read 5? ( in the show notes)on your list. I loved The Green Road Brooklyn Conversations With Friends wasn't that great. The Curious Incident is an important book for me. I have an adult son with autism. I gave away lots of copies on World Book Night. I liked The Essex Serpent West is on my kindle TBR as it's on the Booktuber prize list. I want to read All My Puny Sorrows for exactly the same reason. I've just finished Women Talking 💕 Lincoln in the Bardo was great as an audio with a full cast. Home Fire was good and heartbreaking. Middlesex is one I've wanted to read but haven't yet. This could be a new reading challenge/ readathon. You could make a list of all the books you haven't read and then split them into piles of 8/10. Then make videos asking which we've read & would recommend. It might encourage others ( like me) to read books on the list that we haven't read yet.

[@whatpageareyouon]

oh I've read more of these than I thought! While I found books like All The Light We Cannot See and Little Fires Everywhere very lukewarm, I can't argue that I do think they can be good books of reference to get people into reading, as they were quite likable books to me, but not very memorable either or stayed with me. But I love a good Ferrante!! I think you'd really love her series and writing in general.

[@EricKarlAnderson]

I really out to get to Ferrante's books soon!

[@blancamyriamlafuente8211]

Loved Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend and the sequel.

[@sandeesandwich2180]

Just listening to this now. I admit I own a few of these that I haven't read, and I've read a few of the others but didn't like them enough to remember them. (Like I'm pretty sure I read Goon Squad, but I don't remember it.) I did read and love Life of Pi. And I am a big fan of Mark Haddon. Even though The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time is the most well known, I really loved The Red House and A Spot of Bother more. I've noticed with Haddon that every character, no matter how incidental, has a completely formed identity and true depth. I don't know how Haddon does it, but I totally am in awe. I read probably the first half of The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz. Even though it is a short book, I found it so painful to read I could not finish it. I don't think I've read Never Let Me Go, but I have read a lot of Ishiguro and his books are very inconsistent. My favorite is An Artist of the Floating World. Never Let Me Go sounds a tiny bit like my favorite contemporary novel of all time, Borderliners by Peter Hoeg.

[@KenzWils]

I’m really shocked A Brief History of Seven Killings isn’t on this list. That book has stuck with me in so many ways since I read it a year ago. Middlesex and The Road would both definitely be on my list as well! I feel like All The Light We Cannot See is good for sure, but seriously overhyped. I’ll have to get to more of these books, some of them sound wonderful.

[@haroldleboeuf8648]

Suite Francais is one of my favorite novels....the prose so beautiful also BROOKLYN. LOVE IT.

[@jamiebbooks]

Out of this list I've read 22, and have maybe 10 more on my shelves. I agree on Half of a Yellow Sun. I liked Americanah, but it didn't stick with me the way Yellow Sun did. I really enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, especially since up to that book I had not read much that humanized non-verbal autism. I am on the autistic spectrum, though thankfully non non-verbal, so I especially related to that book. I'm not sure if Middlesex and Cloud Atlas would be in my top 50, but they also stuck with me. I really liked We Need to Talk About Kevin. I also really liked The Noise of Time. I've been working my way through all of Kazuo Ishiguro, Ian McEwan, Sarah Waters, Martin Amis, and Julian Barnes over the past year or so. Fingersmith was fun, though my fave of hers is still Night Watch. . The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao is one of my top 20 books. My top 10 favorites rarely show up on lists, but this list does have a few I really want to get to soon.

[@johnnamurraycamp5100]

Might books in translation be a fascinating subject to address? Translations of writing by well-known authors of yore such as Hrabal, Proust (both ways), Saramago, and Zweig plus many that were written in (or have finally become available in English during) the 21st century, e.g. Barba, Bourdeaut, Luiselli, Meruane, Ogawa, Schweblin, Szaba +. Just a thought ~

[@eamonnoneill6183]

Brilliant list, thank you for your insights! Just as you mentioned pronunciation, Colm Tóibín's name is pronounced "Toe-been"

[@ramblinganna]

I have read a lot of the authors on the list but not necessarily the books chosen. I just finished Stay With Me and loved it, and I recently bought The Interestings, so that is probably my most anticipated read from the 100. I think my list would be very different. I do love book lists though!

[@EricKarlAnderson]

So glad you enjoyed Stay With Me!

[@annabaillie-karas1100]

Thank you, what a great round-up! Overall a fairly safe, Euro- and US-centric list. But always a fun discussion. ;) I’m dying to read Olive Kitteridge, Grief is the Thing with Feathers & Fingersmith. Loved Then We Came to the End, Goon Squad, Breath, Burial Rites, year of the Runaways, Wolf Hall, Lincoln in the Bardo, My Brilliant Friend and Suite Francaise (but it was written in 1942). I DNFed Brief Wondrous Life, War and Turpentine and Flights. Keen to read more Javier Marias. Are Ali Smith and Richard Flanagan missing? Han Kang, Haruki Murakami? Or did I miss them. Many I would add - food for thought!

[@shawnbreathesbooks]

Anna Baillie-Karas I bailed on Turpentine and Brief Wondrous Life Too - high five!

[@blancamyriamlafuente8211]

Start with My brilliant Friend and the sequel and Olive Kitteridge.

[@lisasstitchingandsuch]

While I've head of most of them and been meaning to read most of them, I have actually only read 12! I'm always surprised when The Corrections comes up on these lists because it feels like such a 90's book even though I'm guessing it was published 2000/2001 so it is eligible. Old Filth is actually one that I would advocate; I read it last year borrowed from the library and promptly went out and bought the full trilogy and the short stories. I've just read the second one which was from Betty's pov. The book on the list I'm most interested in the Your Face Tomorrow trilogy.

[@julianowak4798]

Thanks so much for this! And for adding scores of books to my TBR :-/ I really didn't like The White Tiger. I just found the protagonist utterly unsympathetic, but not in an interesting Humbert Humbert way. It was one of the first time I disagreed with the critical consensus about a book, and I was oddly proud of myself.

[@CharlieBrookReads]

I loved Home Fire and I really want to read The Road . I have that in my shelves to read !! It sounds quite creepy which isn't normally my thing but heyho I like to challenge myself Xxx I love book lists so thank you for sharing this with us xxx ❤️

[@EricKarlAnderson]

To be honest, The Road is more sombre than creepy - although there are some scenes which are very scary. But it also captures the simple love between father and son in a tragic situation in a beautiful way.

[@laurieeyebee]

You read 37? I'm embarrassed...I'll be 64 this month, read something every day, and the only thing I've read on this list is Little Fires Everywhere! I enjoyed it, but I didn't love it, and it wasn't one of those books I said to people "You just HAVE to read this" as I did with Where the Crawdads Sing, for example. Seems like it wasn't a big splash on any of the reading groups I belong to online, either. But I'm glad to have read it. One that's in my TBR pile is All the Light We Cannot See, and that's one I do want to read (Olive Kitteridge too). My dad, at 97, has always been a voracious reader and I keep him supplied with books; he isn't fussy about genre, but is not patient if something doesn't grab him. I was a little surprised to see his bookmark moving steadily forward with this one. "It talks about places I've been in the War," he told me. Then he gave me a synopsis. That's good enough for me. :-)

[@bookishshenanigans4769]

I've only read 15 from the list but I own quite a few of them. I definitely preferred Normal People to Conversations with Friends but it's a pretty decent list.

[@barbradingwall3502]

Oh dear, I think I've only read 3... I do have another 15 on my shelves that I will get to someday. Should I protest that I love non-fiction and that keeps my fiction reads somewhat reigned in?

[@EricKarlAnderson]

You shouldn't feel guilty at all. These lists are just for fun and it's great you read a lot of non-fiction! 😀📚

[@4travelinggirls]

I've only read ...2 of these? 😬 I've heard the Yacoubian Building is a great book in arabic writing. I feel like I would love Elena Ferrante's books and Max Porter

[@sarah-roadworthy]

Two of my favorite historical fiction novels are on this list. I still think about how powerfully Dunmore depicted the cold and hunger in the The Siege. I believe I read it when it first came out and I still remember some scenes quite vividly. I also loved The Son by Philip Meyer. Its a family saga and Meyer really made the different time periods depicted actually feel like different time periods. It is a good old yarn too.

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Great! I'll try to get to reading them. Sound like books I'd really enjoy!

[@michaeldornan7737]

The Underground Railroad, Lincoln in the Bardo and Line of Beauty would be the three I enjoyed most. I agree with you about Ian McEwan ... not my favourite. Loved Middlesex. What I would like to read from this list is the Max Porter novel. He sounds very exciting but must get on with Tessa Hadley's The Past, which is just SOOOO English but enjoyable!

[@shawnbreathesbooks]

You pronounced Toews 100% correctly! 👏👏

[@davidlohrey4793]

The Corrections seems terribly overrated. Oh, my...what is this all about?

[@mantisamygdala]

H is for hawks and Against the day I miss.

[@mom2triplets04]

We need to talk about Kevin was such a good book. I also liked All the light we cannot see was okay. I really liked burial rites. I have a few of those books on my long TBR list. I certainly want to read fingersmith and little fires everywhere. Gilead I DNFd It was just not for me. I didn't like the book the perfect nanny it was missing something. Heard my brilliant friend was good I have the first book just so little time so many books.

[@annenilsen2665]

Ps. The list has one book from each year from 1922 on. A century of books! 😀

[@Katiejollyhenry]

Really appreciate your review! My list has added your favorite books

[@michaeldornan7737]

Forgot to mention that I am a huge fan of Lawrence Osborne... He travels the world in his books and he takes you with him!!!

[@davidlohrey4793]

I agree that Martin Amis is a disappointing writer, highly rated but of limited interest. Still...he does get into some interesting topics.

[@MarcNash]

I don't know if that list has just omitted books that move the novel on, or it reflects that there have been few and far between in the current century. It strikes me as a bit of a populist and mainstream list, I mean I enjoyed Tessa Hadley as well, but groundbreaking? I don't think so. I think David Vann's "Legend Of A Suicide" isn't wholly successful, but you might got a lot out of it.

[@EricKarlAnderson]

It probably reflects their taste more than books they think of as groundbreaking since it is just books a small group of individuals loved reading. It's true that it is quite populist in that I'd at least heard of almost all the books. I do wish there were some more surprising choices and books I'd novel heard of before from more independent presses, etc.

[@AuburnAfterglow]

Loved The Essex Serpent, yay! :) Also, just finished Stay With Me and really enjoyed it. I want to read Home Fire and Brooklyn for sure. Also Elena Ferrante - I only read her book The Days of Abandonment and loved it! Highly recommend it! :) Wolf Hall... after what you've said I feel even more intimidated to read it XDD (I got it for my birthday last year from someone who just looooooves it haha)

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Lots of people love Wolf Hall so maybe it was just me.

[@amelian9677]

Home Fire really is spectacular 💔

[@readerofacertainage4407]

Middlesex is an outstanding novel.

[@adw8451]

No Wolf Hall?

[@joshfriesen1981]

Cormac McCarthy is a great author

[@AminTheMystic]

How so? He is an interesting author, certainly. But what he writes is mostly drivel. He has the "prose" talent [he can pen a sentence] to write but what he writes about and how he writes it is what makes him a terrible author.

[@robertelder5770]

Sally Rooney is fantastic! She is the hottest thing since ice cream!