I have yet to read many 21st century works. I started with classic literature and have been working my way up through 20th century works that are enduring the test of time. But I have read 'Station Eleven' - it is very good, and will probably become a minor classic among its sub-genre. It has a Wyndham dystopian quality to it.
For fantasy, Susanna Clarke has been the powerhouse of the early 21st century, reviving literary fantasy. 'Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell', along with the short story collection 'The Ladies of Grace Adieu', really solidified a fantasy style combining literary style with traditional faery lore, and will be beloved among fantasy fans. But it is Clarke's most recent book, 'Piranesi', that is poised to reach the level of general literary classic - it has that timeless, multi-faceted character.
'Island of the World' (2007), by Michael D. O'Brien is also going to be a minor classic. Its genre is difficult to define - mystic realism? - but it has a slow-burning, painful beauty.
Daniel Nayeri's 'Everything Sad is Untrue' is YA classic material.
Within my own sub-culture, Karen Swallow Prior's 'The Evangelical Imagination' is moment defining.
John le Carre had a way of writing spy thrillers of their time, which made that time comprehensible to those reading them out of it: 'A Most Wanted Man' is no exception.
The epistolary 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' is in the rank of one-off books that are an unexpected delight.
Sea of Tranquility to me was probably the better SF and it had an amazing pay off. I do probably prefer Station Eleven but nice to see someone else read Sea of Tranquility! Have you read others other books? I haven’t and would be interested in any recommendations!
The Road by Cormac McCarthy for sure. As the future gets more and more strange, it increasingly becomes a kind of guide on how to retain our humanity in a hellscape: “Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden.”
Two off the top of my head, one non-fiction, one fiction. Charles Murray is controversial in some circles, but his *Coming Apart* was very well done and may be the most important book written about American politics so far this century. As for fiction, Georgi Gospodinov's *Time Shelter*, which won the 2023 International Booker Prize, is a really good and thought-provoking book.
The only book on your list I've read is Dominion, which I liked a lot. Andrew Klavan's The Great Good Thing is a nice memoir of his conversion from being a secular Jew to a Christian. I've given copies to several friends. His Cameron Winter mystery series is excellent fiction. Finally, I just started reading a book called The Idea Machine. It's too early to tell, but it looks promising! :)
Rules of Civility or A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Hannah Coulter or Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Maybe these are too basic...but some of my favorites! Also I would love to hear about why Station 11....I enjoyed it, but have not found Emily St. John Mandel as life changing as other literary people claim to.
Too many good books written in the last 25 years to pick the best. However, the books I reread are Annihilation by Jeff Van Der Meer, Piranesi by Susanna Clark, Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, and the non-fiction book Murderland by Patty Nieman. Ask me tomorrow, and I'll probably come up with a different list of books.
*Gregory Hayes translation of Marcus Aurelius’ meditations
Shafak’s How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division
History:
Black and British David Olusoga
Democracy by Paul Cartledge
Memoir:
Airhead by Emily Maitlis
Getting Better by Michael Rosen
For fiction :
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Just a few …
Screenwriting:
The entire series of Succession
Play:
Giant by Mark Rosenblatt about Roald Dahl and antisemitism (saw it performed and wrote about it on here)
I did read the Wolf Hall trilogies and the research was meticulous.
BUT
For character and general emotional pulling of my heart strings - I preferred the less well known but fascinating two novel series about Theodora by Stella Duffy - fascinating stuff.
I also want to include 2 non-fiction picture books that are great for all ages:
“The Elements “ by Theodore Gray with photos by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann. This book is a great visual guide to the periodic table and all the elements that can be photographed.
“Saints Around the World “ by Meg Hunter-Kilmer with illustrations by Lindsey Sanders. This book tells the stories of more than 100 largely lesser known saints from more than 60 countries with great illustrations.
Agree on The Road and Station Eleven for fiction. For non-fiction, “The Revenge of Analog” by David Sax comes to mind. In it, he points out how the digital age was not perfectly winning… that people still liked analog tech and it wasn’t out of some sense of nostalgia. Whether Sax knew or not, I think when he wrote the book in 2016 he was identifying the roots of a lot of the “New Romantic” and Anti or Intentional Tech movements that have really exploded in the last few years. Will people read it in 100 years? Probably not… but he was identifying something very early that I think we see now was spot on.
I agree with Gilead being a remarkable book. I love McEwan's Atonement. Han Kang's The Vegetarian, which I read recently, is an extremely well crafted and unsettling read. Marlon James's A Brief History of Seven Killings and Paul Beatty's The Sellout also impressed me.
The two I like best of the 21st century have a small problem. They are both uncompleted series. And not in the sense of episodic story. So they may still fail to stick the ending.
But *Witch Hat Atelier* by Kamome Shirahama and *Starquest* by John C Wright have both impressed me.
I have yet to read many 21st century works. I started with classic literature and have been working my way up through 20th century works that are enduring the test of time. But I have read 'Station Eleven' - it is very good, and will probably become a minor classic among its sub-genre. It has a Wyndham dystopian quality to it.
For fantasy, Susanna Clarke has been the powerhouse of the early 21st century, reviving literary fantasy. 'Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell', along with the short story collection 'The Ladies of Grace Adieu', really solidified a fantasy style combining literary style with traditional faery lore, and will be beloved among fantasy fans. But it is Clarke's most recent book, 'Piranesi', that is poised to reach the level of general literary classic - it has that timeless, multi-faceted character.
'Island of the World' (2007), by Michael D. O'Brien is also going to be a minor classic. Its genre is difficult to define - mystic realism? - but it has a slow-burning, painful beauty.
Enjoyed JS & Mr N but agree that Piranesi is for the ages.
Adding my vote for Island of the World!
Thinking further:
Daniel Nayeri's 'Everything Sad is Untrue' is YA classic material.
Within my own sub-culture, Karen Swallow Prior's 'The Evangelical Imagination' is moment defining.
John le Carre had a way of writing spy thrillers of their time, which made that time comprehensible to those reading them out of it: 'A Most Wanted Man' is no exception.
The epistolary 'The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society' is in the rank of one-off books that are an unexpected delight.
A big yes to "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"!
Wolf Hall, yes.
For me, with Mandel, Sea of Tranquility is better than Station Eleven.
Also: Case Histories (2004) by Kate Atkinson;
The Bone Clocks (2014) by David Mitchell
Sea of Tranquility to me was probably the better SF and it had an amazing pay off. I do probably prefer Station Eleven but nice to see someone else read Sea of Tranquility! Have you read others other books? I haven’t and would be interested in any recommendations!
The Road by Cormac McCarthy for sure. As the future gets more and more strange, it increasingly becomes a kind of guide on how to retain our humanity in a hellscape: “Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden.”
https://amzn.to/44RYYNE
Two off the top of my head, one non-fiction, one fiction. Charles Murray is controversial in some circles, but his *Coming Apart* was very well done and may be the most important book written about American politics so far this century. As for fiction, Georgi Gospodinov's *Time Shelter*, which won the 2023 International Booker Prize, is a really good and thought-provoking book.
The only book on your list I've read is Dominion, which I liked a lot. Andrew Klavan's The Great Good Thing is a nice memoir of his conversion from being a secular Jew to a Christian. I've given copies to several friends. His Cameron Winter mystery series is excellent fiction. Finally, I just started reading a book called The Idea Machine. It's too early to tell, but it looks promising! :)
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
Rules of Civility or A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
Hannah Coulter or Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Maybe these are too basic...but some of my favorites! Also I would love to hear about why Station 11....I enjoyed it, but have not found Emily St. John Mandel as life changing as other literary people claim to.
I was just going to say Peace Like a River, so I'll add my vote for that.
Too many good books written in the last 25 years to pick the best. However, the books I reread are Annihilation by Jeff Van Der Meer, Piranesi by Susanna Clark, Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa, and the non-fiction book Murderland by Patty Nieman. Ask me tomorrow, and I'll probably come up with a different list of books.
I think I might add these for NF:
Women & Power by Mary Beard
Knife Salman Rushdie
Aristotle’s Way Edith Hall
Eckhart Tolle A New Earth
The Comfort Book Book Matt Haig
*Gregory Hayes translation of Marcus Aurelius’ meditations
Shafak’s How to Stay Sane in an Age of Division
History:
Black and British David Olusoga
Democracy by Paul Cartledge
Memoir:
Airhead by Emily Maitlis
Getting Better by Michael Rosen
For fiction :
The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
Frankissstein by Jeanette Winterson
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Just a few …
Screenwriting:
The entire series of Succession
Play:
Giant by Mark Rosenblatt about Roald Dahl and antisemitism (saw it performed and wrote about it on here)
I did read the Wolf Hall trilogies and the research was meticulous.
BUT
For character and general emotional pulling of my heart strings - I preferred the less well known but fascinating two novel series about Theodora by Stella Duffy - fascinating stuff.
Overstory (2018) by Richard Powers
The Island of Missing Trees (2021) by Elif Shafak
Loved Station Eleven as well. I would include Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr.
In no particular order, my favorite 21st century books include:
“Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke
“The Night Circus “ by Erin Morgenstern
“Gilead” by Marilynn Robinson
“The Dignity of Dependence “ by Leah Libresco Sargeant
“The Shallows” by Nicholas Carr
“The Golem And The Jinni” by Helene Wecker
The “Red Rising” trilogy by Pierce Brown
The “Jesus of Nazareth “ series by Pope Benedict XVI
“Laudato Si” by Pope Francis (yes, it’s technically an encyclical, but it’s published in book form, so it counts).
I also want to include 2 non-fiction picture books that are great for all ages:
“The Elements “ by Theodore Gray with photos by Theodore Gray and Nick Mann. This book is a great visual guide to the periodic table and all the elements that can be photographed.
“Saints Around the World “ by Meg Hunter-Kilmer with illustrations by Lindsey Sanders. This book tells the stories of more than 100 largely lesser known saints from more than 60 countries with great illustrations.
Agree on The Road and Station Eleven for fiction. For non-fiction, “The Revenge of Analog” by David Sax comes to mind. In it, he points out how the digital age was not perfectly winning… that people still liked analog tech and it wasn’t out of some sense of nostalgia. Whether Sax knew or not, I think when he wrote the book in 2016 he was identifying the roots of a lot of the “New Romantic” and Anti or Intentional Tech movements that have really exploded in the last few years. Will people read it in 100 years? Probably not… but he was identifying something very early that I think we see now was spot on.
Mine are:
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks
Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell
Loved Hamnet. So moving
I agree with Gilead being a remarkable book. I love McEwan's Atonement. Han Kang's The Vegetarian, which I read recently, is an extremely well crafted and unsettling read. Marlon James's A Brief History of Seven Killings and Paul Beatty's The Sellout also impressed me.
Wolf Hall, yes.
For me, with Mandel, Sea of Tranquility is better than Station Eleven.
Also: Case Histories (2004) by Kate Atkinson;
The Bone Clocks (2014) by David Mitchell
The two I like best of the 21st century have a small problem. They are both uncompleted series. And not in the sense of episodic story. So they may still fail to stick the ending.
But *Witch Hat Atelier* by Kamome Shirahama and *Starquest* by John C Wright have both impressed me.
Hmm, for completed works I will add *Piranesi* by Susanna Clark