After the publication of the New York Times Best Books of 21st Century, I loved seeing everyone pick their own best books of the twenty-first century. I read 7.5 off the New York Times list (I am technically in the middle of Warmth of Other Suns), and this was significantly harder than I expected (I am already thinking of more as I post this), so I followed my first instincts.

I also wish I had gotten through a few more books on my TBR, as I have seen several on others’ lists. I tried to include genres I felt were not well represented on the NYT list, including romance, middle grade, thriller, and young adult. I do want to state that I went back and forth about including HP due to JK Rowling (I acknowledge she sucks), but ultimately, that series has been so impactful to my childhood and love of reading I left it. I almost posted five more, but if everyone else could narrow it down to ten, I could too. My picks— in no particular order:

•Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (2022)

•Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe (2021)

•A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum (2019)

•The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson (2005)

•The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2007)
•The Prospects by KT Hoffman (2023)
•Educated by Tara Westover (2019)

•The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah (2015)

•Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013)

•Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling