Last week, the New York Times released a list of its top books since 2000. Glancing down at the titles of both the 10 Best Books from each year and the Notable Books, I realized that, at least for the first few years, I had read at least one book. So, I decided it might be fun to post the list of books I have read from each year. I only looked at the titles shown by their covers in the article, skipping the long lists of Notable Books.
2023
From the 10 Best Books:
None yet, but I have The Bee Sting and Northwoods in my pile.
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- After Sappho by Shelby Wynn Schwartz
- Birnam Wood by Eleanor Catton
- Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
And I have The Covenant of Water in my pile.
2022
From the 10 Best Books:
- The Candy House by Jennifer Egan
- Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
- Trust by Hernan Diaz
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- Afterlives by Abdulrazak Gurnah
- The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
2021
From the 10 Best Books:
- No One Is Talking about This by Patricia Lockwood
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- Bewilderment by Richard Powers
- Burnt Sugar by Avni Doshi
2020
From the 10 Best Books:
- A Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet
- Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- Beheld by TaraShea Nesbit
2019
From the 10 Best Books:
- The Yellow House by Sarah M. Broom
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman (I still can’t believe I read the whole book.)
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
2018
From the 10 Best Books:
- Educated by Tara Westover
- There There by Tommy Orange
- Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
- Crudo by Olivia Laing
- Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
2017
From the 10 Best Books:
From the 7 top Notable Books
- 4321 by Paul Auster
- American War by Omar El Akkad
- Anything Is Possible by Elizabeth Strout
2016
From the 10 Best Books:
- The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead
- The Vegetarian by Jean Kang
From the 7 top Notable Books
- All That Man Is by David Szalay
2015
From the 10 Best Books:
- H Is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
- The Sellout by Paul Beatty
From the 7 Top Notable Books:
- Beatlebone by Kevin Barry
2014
From the 10 Best Books:
- All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
- Euphoria by Lily King
From the 7 top Notable Books
- All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
- The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt (This was actually #8, but I included it because I loved it.)
- The Assassination of Margaret Thatcher by Hilary Mantel
2013
From the 10 Best Books:
- Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
- The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
2012
From the 10 Best Books:
- Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
- N-W by Zadie Smith
From the top 7 Notable Books:
- Arcadia by Lauren Groff
- Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
2011
From the 10 Best Books:
- The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach
- Swamplandia! by Karen Russell
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- The Tiger’s Wife by Tea Obrecht
From the top 7 Notable Books:
- IQ84 by Haruki Murakami (Now, we’re to ones I read before I started blogging. So, no link.)
- The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje
2010
From the 10 Best Books:
- Room by Emma Donoghue
- A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
- The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
From the top 7 Notable Books:
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest by Stieg Larsson (I cheated again, because this was #10.)
2009
From the top 7 Notable Books:
- Await Your Reply by Dan Chaon
2008
From the 10 Best Books:
- Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri
2007
From the 10 Best Books:
- Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
- The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
2006
From the 10 Best Books:
- Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick
- The Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- All Aunt Hagar’s Children by Edward P. Jones
- Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
2005
From the 10 Best Books:
- On Beauty by Zadie Smith
- The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- Beyond Black by Hilary Mantel
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. R. Rowling
2004
From Editor’s Choice:
- Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
- Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
- The Master by Colm Tóibín
- Snow by Orhan Pamuk
- Will in the World by Stephen Greenblatt
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- The Amateur Marriage by Anne Tyler
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
2003
From the Editor’s Choice:
- The Known World by Edward P. Jones
- Samuel Pepys by Claire Tomalin
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- Any Human Heart by William Boyd
2002
From Editor’s Choice:
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
- Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
2001
From Editor’s Choice:
- The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen
- John Adams by David McCullough
- True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
2000
- Beowulf translated by Seamus Heaney
- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by David Eggars
From the 7 top Notable Books:
- The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Have you read any of these books? What did you think?
And here’s an added bonus,
My Favorites of the Books in This List
In the order in which they occur:
- Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll
- The Dutch House by Ann Patchett
- Educated by Tara Westover
- Everything Under by Daisy Johnson
- All the Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld
- The Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt
- The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
- Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel
- Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
- Any Human Heart by William Boyd
- Atonement by Ian McEwan
My Least Favorite
Again, in the order in which they appear, and there were some that I really hated:
- The Vegetarian by Jean Kang
- All That Man Is by David Szalay
- The Sellout by Paul Beatty (DNF)
- Beatlebone by Kevin Barry
- Beyond Black by HIlary Mantel (DNF, sorry Hilary, I usually love you)
- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by David Eggars
whatmeread 
I’ve read a surprising number of those. Surprising to me, anyway, since I mostly read books my library has, and newish title often have a long wait list, and I lack the patience. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and Cloud Atlas were particularly enjoyable.
My library isn’t so bad about that. Anyway, I just put them on hold and when they get there, they get there.
Impressive! I suspect I won’t have read nearly as many – I’ll check later. Of your favourites I also enjoyed Any Human Heart, Atonement and Bring Up the Bodies. And I hated The Vegetarian! Admittedly I also hated The Goldfinch…
Oh, that’s too bad. I liked it.
Not achieved nearly so many as you but I’ve read quite a few. Of the favourites I loved The Dutch House, Educated, Cloud Atlas. Loved The Goldfinch too. We’re due for another Donna Tartt. Hated Life after Life.
I think Life After Life was one of those books that people either loved or hated. I loved it.
A marmite book.
This is so fun! I somehow missed seeing the list from the NYT, so first of all thanks for sharing that.
Of the ones you’ve read, I’ve only done Room, Omnivore’s Dilemma, and Harry Potter. Quite a few of these are on my miles-long to-read list. Based on your “favorites” perhaps I ought to move Bring Up The Bodies and Atonement a little higher on that list!
Be sure to read Wolf Hall before Bring Up the Bodies.