Top Five Books of the Century So Far

In July, I embarked on my reading mission that I still find myself slowly but surely completing: reading all 100 of the NYT Best Books of Century (Readers’ List).  My strategy with this challenge has morphed since its founding, at one point even considering reading only the fiction pieces. I’ve thankfully come back home to my original mission to read every single one no matter my preference. The reason for my change of heart happens to be on this very list!

It has been an incredibly fulfilling year of reading, all due to this well-curated list. No list is perfect, and this one is certainly flawed with instances of recency bias among other issues, but there’s no doubt: this is a great list for anyone looking to read some of the best, most experimental, and well-written works published since the year 2000. In an era where some claim TikTok has “ruined” intellectualism in reading (that’s a whole other post in itself), I urge these individuals to seek out lists like these that are readily available and proof of the livelihood of the our working brains, as many of these pieces are almost academic in their style while still remaining deeply enjoyable. 

I’ve picked up novels I’d never have touched otherwise, and some of these have shocked me with my own positive reception to them. I’ve read a total of 35 books from this list, 27 of those read this year. Of those 27, these are my top 5! I hope to make another post like this later when this challenge has been conquered and I hold a complete viewpoint of this list in all its strengths and faults,  but for now you can read my work in progress opinions (and get some really great books recs). Enjoy! 

Honorable Mention: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

You didn’t think I could actually narrow it down to just 5 books, did you? Of course not!

Pachinko is an expansive family saga, following generations of a Korean (and Korean-Japanese) family line through the Japanese occupation in WWII. I imagine I’m not alone in being largely ignorant of this historical event; still this novel is a breeze and pleasure to read. Min Jin Lee is deft with her characterization, her ability to span years without leaving the reader in the dark, and the empathy she shows to her nuanced characters of many different times. Pachinko is not a novel of perfect people but rather imperfect humans doing their best for their loved ones in spite of powers much larger than themselves at play. It is an ode to powerful women and the pain they endure for their families often without complaint or reward. I was admittedly daunted by this novel before picking it up, and was pleasantly surprised to find it sincerely enjoyable. Yes, this is historical fiction on a topic I’m generally unfamiliar with and yes it is a tome of a book, but it is not dense or pedantic. It is historic but human-focused. 

Some critiques I hear often of Pachinko are in its final half/third wherein some readers find the ending rushed or character deaths brushed over. I personally did not feel this way; for how sweeping and wide-reaching this story is, as well as the general tone it carries, having slightly detached death scenes did not feel out of place. I also personally found the execution quite shocking and thus interesting. It is #7 on the NYT list for a reason.

5. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Oh, how I loved Bel Canto. In my Goodreads review, I compared the reading experience to that of eating a decadent chocolate cake, and I stand by the metaphor. It just demands to be savored, read slowly and leisurely. Patchett shows up three times on this NYT list and for good reason. Her writing is truly special; it is beautiful in the way it breathes in the atmosphere of its story. Bel Canto has a particularly classy energy, but Patchett’s writing itself is so elegant, the way she sees the world is just lovely. Her descriptions of environments, people, feelings, music, everything are detailed without being overly verbose, honest without being unkind. It is almost supernatural the ability she has to make a story arc out of the emptiness of day-to-day life in a hostage situation, as we see in the tale of Bel Canto. At a birthday party in South America, a group of rich business people, politicians, and one enchanting opera singer are taken hostage in a failed coup by a South American paramilitary group dedicated to righting the wrongs of their corrupt government. We follow their bonds, their individual quirks, and their mutual journeys in the space of one mansion over the course of weeks. It is not eventful in the traditional sense, but its impact is large. I often send myself back to the beautiful space of Bel Canto, and I carry some of the magic it exudes still.

4. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke

My first thought in the premiere pages of Piranesi was “oh no.” Based on the description and reviews, I had high hopes but was immediately met with winding vestibules upon vestibules and abstract realisms and nonsense dating mechanics. However, I implore that you push past this when you pick it up. It requires about 20 pages, give or take, for the world you’re being absorbed in to sit right, to click into place appropriately for your immersion and understanding. Once I was in, I was so in. Piranesi is a short little burst of magic in the mundane, an absolutely delightful immersion into a dream world unlike any other I’ve encountered. I wish I could return! The main character, our protagonist and narrator, is a charming, earnest fellow with a whole world opening up to him. His likeability is a force itself as you peruse a world of an infinite museum. I personally feel there is a lot of skill in knowing when to end a book, and Piranesi is the perfect length. You explore and investigate and question just long enough to be satisfied but never bored. The payoff, too, is satisfying. Such a pleasurable, mystical little read. I love that something as fantastical as this made it onto the list, and it was a welcome change of pace for me in my current list-induced sad lit-fic stasis. 

3. Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe

What an impressive feat this novel is. You see, in only my second blog post ever, I was already backing out of this reading challenge because I discovered that non-fiction novels were also on the list and for whatever reason I was not expecting that. You can read my rambling justification for skipping these select non-fiction picks here. But, even with my announcement and justification, it didn’t sit right with me to already be giving up on what I set out to do. So, in a Hail Mary move, I decided I should try audio-booking these non-fiction picks and see if that worked better for me. Spoiler alert: it does. A lot. I was also lucky enough to pick Say Nothing at random as my first nonfiction pick. I’ve since read more non-fiction from the list, but Say Nothing is in a league of its own not only in terms of its nonfiction peers but novels in general. Radden Keefe writes real life with such intensity, empathy, and detail that it's hard to believe he compiled all of this through research, hard to believe he wasn’t attending the very events he’s detailing. 

Say Nothing covers The Troubles in Ireland, a time where Northern Ireland was plagued by attacks by a paramilitary group called the IRA that resented the rulership of England as they sought to be a part of the independent Republic of Ireland. I do have such a special place in my heart for Ireland, so that certainly could be a factor in my extreme adoration for this book. But beyond your relation to the subject matter, Say Nothing is just buzzing with action and life, swinging you from the life of a young paramilitary set of twins to the men leading the charge to an innocent woman caught in the crossfire and leaving children behind. At times harrowing but always thoroughly human, I have never read anything quite like this. Upon finishing Say Nothing I felt a true grief that I would no longer be the omnipotent perspective in the lives of these very nuanced, very real people and their escapades. How’s that for a change of heart? Radden Keefe did the impossible and made me love nonfiction, thus forever having my gratitude as well as my vigorous word of recommendation. 

2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

Probably my most divisive favorite, The Road is brutal, cold-cut, and unforgiving in its telling of a nameless father and son traversing a post-apocalyptic hellscape of grey. The Road is divisive mainly in its style choices. For some, they can’t get past the lack of quotation marks, the short snappy sentences. For others, the repeating motif of color and the wasteland setting are too monotonous. And others just simply can’t get behind McCarthy’s writing, in general. I am not these people. If you love The Last of Us, you will likely love this, as that game, which I lovingly refer to as my “soul game,” is of very similar theme and plot to The Road. The intimate and beautiful love of father and child, the meaningless landscape they nevertheless fight through, the existentialism piquing only to be quieted in the face of love and human perseverance. There is just nothing that wrings my heart quite like these themes, these stories. To me, all the “flaws” I’ve read from critics are elements that elevate the dire tone of the novel. Might be a case of you get it or you don’t, but if you get it, you get it.

1. The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

I’m fatigued just thinking of all the ways I love this. In my book, The Bee Sting is an instant modern classic. I have yet to read any other books written in recent times that have this much well-done foreshadowing, symbolism, overarching themes, and memorability. I finished The Bee Sting and was reeling for days about the butterfly effect, the choices we make in life and how they affect us on a larger scale than we may ever expect. The way Murray takes an overall mundane family life and increasingly spins it out of control is masterful. He takes his time and creates characters that are bones and flesh, all pumping hearts and overworked minds. I’ve never read anything like it and will likely never shut up about it. If you’d like to read my whole blog post nerding out over this one, you can read that here. 

And that’s a wrap! It has been a wonderful year and rekindling my love for reading is a huge part of that. Say what you will about this silly little list I’ve challenged myself to complete, but it has really revolutionized my adult reading habits. I hope you enjoy the recs and hope to see you more in this fresh new year! 

Have you read any of these? What did you think?