Wondering what Dopers think of this annual list of the best books since 2000 which appeared in the New York Times? (Have read very few of them, often find these lists very progressive, sometimes to a fault).
I only read four, so I’m not equipped to comment. There were at least a couple of dozen I’d like to read.
Huh, i’ve only read five of them, but there are perhaps as many as a dozen of them I’ve taken a run at and failed to finish. Maybe I will take a run at some of these otjers.
Mayflower - 10/10, i’ve read it twice. It helps that much of it takes place in my area.
Special Topics in Calamity Physics - 7/10. I enjoyed its cleverness while I was reading it, but it did not stick with me.
Middlesex - 6/10. Man was this hot when it came out, and I liked it well enough, but I wonder how well it has aged.
Atonement - 10/10, also read twice.
The Nine. ?/10. I think I enjoyed it, but God knows how dated it would feel now given how even more nutty the Supreme Court has gotten.
Oh, wait: 11/22/63. 6/10. Liked it well enough.
I happen to be reading Pachinko right now, but I’m having a hard time sticking with it.
This list really shows the gaps in my reading. I don’t read much contemporary literature, though classic literature interests me.
The only book on this list that I fully read was A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggars and I loved it.
I later started reading The Circle by the same author but I did it because I was trying to help another writer. He was a writer of literary fiction who insisted structural rules don’t apply to literary fiction so I read this book he was really into to try to break down the scenes and show him the structure. It was a futile endeavor and I never was interested in finishing the book.
I read part of Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma which was fine but DNF.
I’ve never heard of most of these, but I’ve read other books by some of these authors. For example John Updike’s A Prayer for Owen Meany was spectacular, but I haven’t read anything of his since.
I just, yeah, I don’t really like contemporary literary fiction, or memoir. I’m more interested in genre fiction and classic literature. I’m not saying I wouldn’t pick something up if it came really well recommended. I’ll attempt to read anything.
I would have a whole different set of books.
He wrote a book with the same title as John Irving’s? What are the odds?
There are relatively few books there that I’ve even heard of, and even fewer that I’ve read, though the few that I have read were pretty good.
Lol. You got me.
I do this all the time now.
He’s confusing that with A Prayer for Harry Angstrom.
This is one of my favorite books. I’ve read it three or four times over the years since its release. The story is decent but what captures me is how well it immerses me in its setting (late 1950’s/early 1960’s America). I love a great story as much as anyone but cultural/historical immersion is probably my favorite experience, whether in media or real life. I drive my family crazy on vacations because I like getting lost in new places and talking endlessly with people who live there. I really enjoy expanding my limited sliver of experience of the world (the present, the past and even hypothetical futures). Stephen King takes me on an experiential trip to mid-20th century America with this one.
Uncanny Valley - Total Meh. Good job cashing in on the current tech boom, but don’t think it was all that interesting.
I enjoyed both Americana and The Goldfinch but didn’t think they were amazing.
Thinking Fast and Slow was great and I recommend it all the time.
1Q84 - Fuck this book. Most boring thing I’ve ever read.
The Dark Side - Very good. Important to remember how fucked up the US was / can be.
Middlesex - Thought it was written by a trans person when I picked it up. Still don’t know how I feel after learning it wasn’t.
The Corrections - Enjoyed a lot. Franzen is obviously very talented but reading this also made me think he’s probably insufferable.
The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier and Clay was really fun and everyone in my friend group read it al the time.
I don’t recognize the vast majority of those books. Which is probably the norm?
I’ve read 22 of these books, so recognize about one per year. None of them are in my favourite hundred.
I think I’ve read nine of them:
Definitely read:
Chain Gang All-Stars
Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
H is for Hawk
Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk
Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince
The Plot Against America
I think I read:
The Fortress of Solitude
Altered Carbon
Alif the Unseen
Alif the Unseen is really familiar, but from the description I can’t quite tell if it’s the book I’m remembering. The other two, I’ve read other books by them, but can’t remember either of these titles definitively.
About 90-95% of my reading is fantasy or science fiction, so it’s interesting that what I’ve read from the list is still weighted toward mimetic fiction. And I’m really surprised to see absences from the list like Black Leopard, Red Wolf, or The Fifth Season.
Of the ones I know I read, Plot Against America was truly excellent, as was H is for Hawk. All the others were quite good, but I wouldn’t put them on my Best Of list.
Oh wait, I only looked at the top books, not the Notable as well. I’ve read more of those…
Five!…counting the notables.
Just so I’m clear, did you only look at the Notables that were showing, or did you click the buttons and look at all of them? As best I can tell, there are more than 1500 Notables listed.
Not to be confused with The Poorhouse Rules.
Only the ones showing. Now you’ve given me something else to do.
Of the top ten lists, I’ve read nine. Three I think are absolutely brilliant, and are among my favorites that I think about often and have recommended:
The Best Minds
Pachinko
The Warmth of Other Suns
Others that I read and enjoyed:
Educated
The Goldfinch
Room
Alexander Hamilton
Life after Life
Did not enjoy:
The Fraud
Sixteen! And that’s it. If someone points out another drop-down or link, I’m done. 
Oh, didn’t look at the extended lists; read another 22. A bunch of good non-fiction and The Road. Disliked How to be an Anti-Racist and think Kendi is a grifter.