Listers are impatient people and have been making “Best of the 21st Century (so far)” lists for years now, even though this century is less than three decades old. I’ve collected these lists and made meta-lists for the best films, books and music of the 21st Century so far. I published the first version of this meta-list in 2017, but I’ve been updating as I find new lists. Where I have seen a movie, read a book or listened to an album, I also provide my 1-10 rating (1-5 for books).
NOTE: Because the “Best of the 21st Century” lists I’ve included in this meta-list come from a range of years, beginning as early as 2012, the meta-list is biased toward films, books, and music from the earlier part of the century. I’m not sure how to overcome this inherent bias, so I have left it alone for now. I will keep adding lists as I find them.
I. MOVIES
On 23 lists
There Will Be Blood (US, 2007) Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson (9/10)
On 19 lists
Spirited Away (Japan, 2001) Dir: Hayao Miyazaki (9/10)
No Country for Old Men (US, 2007) Directors: Joel & Ethan Coen (10/10)
On 18 lists
Mulholland Drive (US, 2001) Dir: David Lynch (10/10)
On 16 lists
The Social Network (US, 2010) Dir: David Fincher (8/10)
Boyhood (US, 2014) Dir: Richard Linklater (10/10)
Moonlight (US, 2016) Dir: Barry Jenkins (10/10)
On 14 lists
In the Mood for Love (China, 2000) Dir: Wong Kar-Wai (10/10)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (New Zealand/US, 2001) Dir: Peter Jackson (10/10)
Before Sunset (US, 2004) Dir: Richard Linklater (9/10)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (US, 2004) Dir: Michel Gondry (10/10)
Pan’s Labyrinth (Mexico/Spain, 2006) Dir: Guillermo del Toro (9/10)
The Hurt Locker (US, 2008) Dir: Kathryn Bigelow (8/10)
The Dark Knight (US, 2008) Dir: Christopher Nolan
A Separation (Iran, 2011) Dir: Asghar Farhadi (9/10)
Mad Max: Fury Road (Australia, 2015) Dir: George Miller (7/10)
On 13 lists
Yi Yi (Taiwan, 2000) Dir: Edward Yang (10/10)
Lost in Translation (US, 2003) Dir: Sofia Coppola (8/10)
WALL-E (US, 2008) Dir: Andrew Stanton (5/10)
On 12 lists
City of God (Cidade de Deus) (Brazil, 2002) Dir: Fernando Meirelles with Kátia Lund (9/10)
On 11 lists
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (Taiwan/US, 2000) Dir: Ang Lee (8/10)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (New Zealand/US, 2003) Dir: Peter Jackson (10/10)
4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (Romania, 2007) Dir: Cristian Mungiu (10/10)
On 10 lists
The Royal Tenenbaums (US, 2001) Dir: Wes Anderson (10/10)
Children of Men (US/UK, 2006) Dir: Alfonso Cuarón (9/10)
Zodiac (US, 2007) Dir: David Fincher (8/10)
A Prophet (France, 2009) Dir: Jacques Audiard (9/10)
12 Years a Slave (UK/US, 2013) Dir: Steve McQueen
Inside Llewyn Davis (US, 2013) Dir: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (9/10)
Under the Skin (UK/US, 2013) Dir: Jonathan Glazer (9/10)
On 9 lists
Brokeback Mountain (US, 2005) Dir: Ang Lee (7/10)
Grizzly Man (US, 2005) Dir: Werner Herzog (10/10)
The Tree of Life (US, 2011) Dir: Terence Malick (10/10)
On 8 lists
Almost Famous (US, 2000) Dir: Cameron Crowe (9/10)
Memento (US, 2000) Dir: Christopher Nolan (9/10)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (New Zealand/US, 2002) Dir: Peter Jackson (9/10)
Oldboy (South Korea, 2003) Dir: Park Chan-Wook (9/10)
Dogville (Denmark/Netherlands, 2004) Dir: Lars Von Trier (10/10)
Caché (Hidden) (France, 2005) Dir: Michael Haneke (9/10)
The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen) (Germany, 2006) Dir: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (10/10)
The White Ribbon (Das weiße Band, Eine deutsche Kindergeschichte) (Germany/Austria, 2009) Dir: Michael Haneke (10/10)
Her (US, 2013) Dir: Spike Jonze (9/10)
Get Out (US, 2017) Dir: Jordan Peele (8/10)
On 7 lists
Werckmeister Harmonies (Hungary, 2000) Dir: Béla Tarr with Ágnes Hranitzky
The Gleaners and I (France, 2000) Dir: Agnès Varda
Amélie (France, 2001) Dir: Jean-Pierre Jeunet (9/10)
Bridesmaids (US, 2011) Dir: Paul Feig (6/10)
Zero Dark Thirty (US, 2012) Dir: Kathryn Bigelow (6/10)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (US/Germany, 2014) Dir: Wes Anderson (9/10)
Roma (Mexico/US, 2018) Dir: Alfonso Cuarón (9/10)
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (France, 2019) Dir: Céline Sciamma (9/10)
Parasite (South Korea, 2019) Dir: Bong Joon Ho (9/10)
On 6 lists
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (US, 2001) Dir: Steven Spielberg
Y Tu Mamá Tambien (Mexico, 2001) Dir: Alfonso Cuarón (8/10)
Far From Heaven (US, 2002) Dir: Todd Haynes
The Incredibles (US, 2004) Dir: Brad Bird (8/10)
Sideways (US, 2004) Dir: Alexander Payne (8/10)
A History of Violence (US, 2005) Dir: David Cronenberg (9/10)
Let The Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in) (Sweden, 2008) Dir: Tomas Alfredson (8/10)
Inception (US, 2010) Dir: Christopher Nolan (4/10)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Thailand, 2010) Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
The Act of Killing (Denmark/Norway/US, 2012) Dir: Joshua Oppenheimer (10/10)
Ida (Poland, 2013) Dir: Pawel Pawilkowski (9/10)
The Wolf of Wall Street (US, 2013) Dir: Martin Scorsese (8/10)
Timbuktu (Mauritania/France, 2014) Dir: Abderrahmane Sissako
Inside Out (US, 2015) Dir: Pete Docter & Ronnie Del Carmen (6/10)
Toni Erdmann (Germany/Austria/Romania, 2016) Dir: Maren Ade (9/10)
Call Me By Your Name (Italy/France/Brazil/US, 2017) Dir: Luca Guadagnino
On 5 Lists
Talk to Her (Hable con Ella) (Spain, 2002) Dir: Pedro Almodóvar (10/10)
25th Hour (US, 2002) Dir: Spike Lee
Punch-Drunk Love (US, 2002) Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson (8/10)
Finding Nemo (US, 2003) Dir: Andrew Stanton (7/10)
Moolaadé (Senegal, 2004) Dir: Ousmane Sembène
Tropical Malady (Thailand, 2004) Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (US, 2004) Dir: Adam McKay (5/10)
L’Enfant (The Child) (Belgium/France, 2005) Dir: Jean-Pierre Dardenne & Luc Dardenne
The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Romania, 2006) Dir: Cristi Puiu
Casino Royale (UK/US, 2006) Dir: Martin Campbell (7/10)
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (UK/US, 2006) Dir: Larry Charles (8/10)
Waltz With Bashir (Israel, 2008) Dir: Ari Folman (9/10)
A Serious Man (US/UK/France, 2009) Dir: Joel Coen & Ethan Coen (8/10)
Inglourious Basterds (US, 2009) Dir: Quentin Tarantino (7/10)
Fish Tank (UK, 2010) Dir: Andrea Arnold (8/10)
The Turin Horse (Hungary/France/Germany, 2011) Dir: Béla Tarr
Margaret (US, 2011) Dir: Kenneth Lonergan (9/10)
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey, 2011) Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Stories We Tell (Canada, 2012) Dir: Sarah Polley
The Master (US, 2012) Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson (9/10)
Carol (US/UK, 2015) Dir: Todd Haynes
Manchester by the Sea (US, 2016) Dir: Kenneth Lonergan (9/10)
I Am Not Your Negro (Switzerland/France/Belgium/US, 2017) Dir: Raoul Peck (8/10)
Lady Bird (US, 2017) Dir: Greta Gerwig (9/10)
Shoplifters (Japan, 2018) Dir: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Burning (South Korea, 2018) Dir: Lee Chang-dong (9/10)
On 4 Lists
Requiem for a Dream (US, 2000) Dir: Darren Aronofsky (10/10)
Elephant (US, 2003) Dir: Gus Van Sant (8/10)
Ratatouille (US, 2007) Dir: Brad Bird (5/10)
Slumdog Millionaire (UK/India, 2008) Dir: Danny Boyle (10/10)
35 Shots of Rum (France/Germany, 2008) Dir: Claire Denis
White Material (France/Cameroon, 2010) Dir: Claire Denis
Dogtooth (Greece, 2010) Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos (8/10)
Melancholia (Denmark/Sweden/France/Germany, 2011) Dir: Lars Von Trier (9/10)
Holy Motors (France/Germany, 2012) Dir: Leos Carax
Amour (France/Germany/Austria, 2012) Dir: Michael Haneke (9/10)
Gravity (US/UK, 2013) Dir: Alfonso Cuarón (6/10)
The Great Beauty (Italy, 2013) Dir: Paolo Sorrentino (9/10)
Spotlight (US, 2015) Dir: Tom McCarthy (9/10)
Phantom Thread (US, 2017) Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson (9/10)
The Favourite (UK/Ireland/US, 2018) Dir: Yorgos Lanthimos (10/10)
Black Panther (US, 2018) Dir: Ryan Coogler
Drive My Car (Japan, 2021) Dir: Ryusuke Hamaguchi
On 3 Lists
Gladiator (US/UK, 2000) Dir: Ridley Scott (8/10)
Moulin Rouge! (Australia/US, 2001) Dir: Baz Luhrmann (10/10)
The Pianist (France/Poland, 2002) Dir: Roman Polanski (8/10)
Kill Bill: Volume 1 (US, 2003) Dir: Quentin Tarantino (7/10)
Munich (US, 2005) Dir: Steven Spielberg
The 40-Year-Old Virgin (US, 2005) Dir: Judd Apatow (6/10)
Inland Empire (France/Poland/US, 2006) Dir: David Lynch
Eastern Promises (UK/Canada/US, 2007) Dir: David Cronenberg (7/10)
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (France, 2007) Dir: Julian Schnabel (8/10)
Persepolis (France, 2007) Dir: Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud (8/10)
Michael Clayton (US, 2007) Dir: Tony Gilroy (8/10)
Summer Hours (France, 2008) Dir: Olivier Assayas
Wendy and Lucy (US, 2008) Dir: Kelly Reichardt (7/10)
The Headless Woman (Argentina/Spain/France/Italy, 2008) Dir: Lucrecia Martel
Bright Star (UK/Australia/France, 2009) Dir: Jane Campion (7/10)
Weekend (UK, 2011) Dir: Andrew Haigh
Beasts of the Southern Wild (US, 2012) Dir: Benh Zeitlin (9/10)
Lincoln (US, 2012) Dir: Steven Spielberg (6/10)
Leviathan (Russia, 2014) Dir: Andrey Zvyagintsev
Son of Saul (Hungary, 2015) Dir: László Nemes (9/10)
Zama (Argentina/Spain, 2017) Dir: Lucretia Martel
The Florida Project (US, 2017) Dir: Sean Baker (10/10)
Hereditary (US, 2018) Dir: Ari Aster (7/10)
Marriage Story (US, 2019) Dir: Noah Baumbach (9/10)
The Souvenir (UK/US, 2019) Dir: Joanna Hogg (10/10)
Uncut Gems (US, 2019) Dir: Josh Safdie & Benny Safdie (9/10)
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (US/UK, 2020) Dir: Eliza Hittman
The Power of the Dog (New Zealand/Australia, 2021) Dir: Jane Campion (9/10)
The Zone of Interest (UK/Poland/US, 2023) Dir: Jonathan Glazer (10/10)
II. MUSIC
On 13 Lists
Elephant (2003) – The White Stripes (8/10)
On 11 Lists
Stankonia (2000) – OutKast (8/10)
Kid A (2000) – Radiohead (8/10)
On 10 Lists
Is This It (2001) – The Strokes (8/10)
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010) – Kanye West (8/10)
On 9 Lists
Discovery (2001) – Daft Punk
Back to Black (2006) – Amy Winehouse (9/10)
On 8 Lists
Funeral (2004) – Arcade Fire (10/10)
Sound of Silver (2007) – LCD Soundsystem (8/10)
In Rainbows (2007) – Radiohead (8/10)
On 7 Lists
The Blueprint (2001) – Jay-Z
Vespertine (2001) – Björk (8/10)
Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) – Arctic Monkeys (8/10)
Fleet Foxes (2008) – Fleet Foxes (8/10)
Channel Orange (2012) – Frank Ocean (7/10)
To Pimp A Butterfly (2015) – Kendrick Lamar (7/10)
On 6 Lists
The Marshall Mathers LP (2000) – Eminem
Original Pirate Material (2002) – The Streets
Fever to Tell (2003) – Yeah Yeah Yeahs (10/10)
American Idiot (2004) – Green Day (8/10)
The College Dropout (2004) – Kanye West (7/10)
Untrue (2007) – Burial
On 5 Lists
Voodoo (2000) – D’Angelo
Toxicity (2001) – System of a Down (8/10)
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002) – Wilco (10/10)
The Black Album (2003) – Jay-Z
Madvillainy (2004) – Madvillain
Illinois (2005) – Sufjan Stevens (10/10)
Donuts (2006) – J Dilla
For Emma, Forever Ago (2007) – Bon Iver (8/10)
Let England Shake (2011) – PJ Harvey (10/10)
Good Kid, m.A.A.d City (2012) – Kendrick Lamar (7/10)
Lost in the Dream (2014) – The War on Drugs (8/10)
On 4 Lists
Stories From the City, Stories From the Sea (2000) – PJ Harvey (10/10)
Relationship of Command (2000) – At The Drive In
Time (the Revelator) (2001) – Gillian Welch (8/10)
Aaliyah (2001) – Aaliyah
Jane Doe (2001) – Converge
White Blood Cells (2001) – The White Stripes (8/10)
Up the Bracket (2002) – The Libertines
Songs for the Deaf (2002) – Queens of the Stone Age
I Am A Bird Now (2005) – Anohni and the Johnsons (8/10)
xx (2009) – The xx (8/10)
High Violet (2010) – The National (8/10)
The Idler Wheel Is Wiser Than the Driver of the Screw and Whipping Cords Will Serve You More Than Ropes Will Ever Do (2012) – Fiona Apple (8/10)
Modern Vampires of the City (2013) – Vampire Weekend (8/10)
Yeezus (2013) – Kanye West
Black Messiah (2014) – D’Angelo & the Vanguard (8/10)
I Love You, Honeybear (2015) – Father John Misty (8/10)
Lemonade (2016) – Beyoncé
[Black Star] (2016) – David Bowie (7/10)
Blonde (2016) – Frank Ocean
Damn (2017) – Kendrick Lamar
Ctrl (2017) – SZA (8/10)
Norman Fucking Rockwell! (2019) – Lana Del Rey (8/10)
On 3 Lists
All That You Can’t Leave Behind (2000) – U2 (10/10)
White Pony (2000) – Deftones
Rated R (2000) – Queens of the Stone Age
Supreme Clientele (2000) – Ghostface Killah
Since I Left You (2000) – The Avalanches
Mama’s Gun (2000) – Erykah Badu (8/10)
Lateralus (2001) – Tool
Songs in A Minor (2001) – Alicia Keys (8/10)
Miss E… So Addictive (2001) – Missy Elliott
Love and Theft (2001) – Bob Dylan (8/10)
( ) (2002) – Sigur Rós (9/10)
Sea Change (2002) – Beck (9/10)
The Rising (2002) – Bruce Springsteen (8/10)
Turn on the Bright Lights (2002) – Interpol (8/10)
Hot Fuss (2004) – The Killers (8/10)
Three Cheers For Sweet Revenge (2004) – My Chemical Romance
Franz Ferdinand (2004) – Franz Ferdinand (8/10)
Smile (2004) – Brian Wilson (8/10)
More Adventurous (2004) – Rilo Kiley (9/10)
The Woods (2005) – Sleater-Kinney (9/10)
Demon Days (2005) – Gorillaz (8/10)
Extraordinary Machine (2005) – Fiona Apple (8/10)
Savane (2006) – Ali Farka Touré (7/10)
Sam’s Town (2006) – The Killers
Ys (2006) – Joanna Newsom (9/10)
The Black Parade (2006) – My Chemical Romance
Kala (2007) – M.I.A. (8/10)
Hell Hath No Fury (2007) – Clipse
Blackout (2007) – Britney Spears
The ’59 Sound (2008) – The Gaslight Anthem (8/10)
808s and Heartache (2008) – Kanye West
Merriweather Post Pavilion (2009) – Animal Collective (8/10)
The Hazards of Love (2009) – The Decemberists (9/10)
Body Talk (2010) – Robyn
Take Care (2011) – Drake
21 (2011) – Adele
Lonerism (2012) – Tame Impala (8/10)
Boys and Girls (2012) – Alabama Shakes (8/10)
AM (2013) – Arctic Monkeys (7/10)
Beyoncé (2013) – Beyoncé
1989 (2014) – Taylor Swift
Metamodern Sounds in Country Music (2014) – Sturgill Simpson (8/10)
Emotion (2015) – Carly Rae Jepsen
Carrie & Lowell (2015) – Sufjan Stevens (8/10)
Currents (2015) – Tame Impala (7/10)
Something More Than Free (2015) – Jason Isbell (8/10)
Skeleton Tree (2016) – Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds (8/10)
Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides (2018) – Sophie
Folklore (2020) – Taylor Swift (8/10)
Punisher (2020) – Phoebe Bridgers (8/10)
Renaissance (2022) – Beyoncé
III. BOOKS
On 12 Lists
The Road (US, 2006). By Cormac McCarthy [fiction: novel] (5/5)
On 11 Lists
White Teeth (UK, 2000). By Zadie Smith [fiction: novel] (5/5)
Atonement (UK, 2001). By Ian McEwan [fiction: novel] (5/5)
On 10 Lists
The Corrections (US, 2001). By Jonathan Franzen [fiction: novel] (4/5)
The Year of Magical Thinking (US, 2005). By Joan Didion [nonfiction: memoir] (5/5)
Wolf Hall (UK, 2009). By Hilary Mantel [fiction: novel]
On 9 Lists
Gilead (US, 2004). By Marilynne Robinson [fiction: novel] (4/5)
2666 (Chile, 2004). By Roberto Bolaño. Translated by Natasha Wimmer. [fiction: novel]
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Dominican Republic/US, 2007). By Junot Díaz [fiction: novel]
On 8 Lists
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (US, 2000). By Michael Chabon [fiction: novel] (4/5)
Persepolis (Iran/France, 2000). By Marjane Satrapi. Translated by Blake Ferris and Mattias Ripa. [nonfiction: graphic memoir]
Middlesex (US, 2002). By Jeffrey Eugenides [fiction: novel] (5/5)
Oryx and Crake (Canada, 2003). By Margaret Atwood [fiction: novel]
Cloud Atlas (UK, 2004). By David Mitchell [fiction: novel] (4/5)
Never Let Me Go (UK, 2005). By Kazuo Ishiguro [fiction: novel] (5/5)
The Neapolitan Novels (four books) (Italy, 2012-2015). By Elena Ferrante. Translated by Ann Goldstein. [fiction: novels] (5/5)
On 7 Lists
Austerlitz (Germany, 2001). By W.G. Sebald. Translated by Anthea Bell. [fiction: novel] (5/5)
The Namesake (US, 2003). By Jhumpa Lahiri [fiction: novel]
The Line of Beauty (UK, 2004). By Alan Hollinghurst [fiction: novel] (4/5)
Gone Girl (US, 2012). By Gillian Flynn [fiction: novel]
On 6 Lists
Kafka on the Shore (Japan, 2002). By Haruki Murakami. Translated by Philip Gabriel. [fiction: novel] (4/5)
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell (UK, 2004). By Susanna Clarke [fiction: novel]
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (US, 2006). By Michael Pollan [nonfiction: food] (5/5)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (UK, 2007). By J. K. Rowling [fiction: novel]
On 5 Lists
American Gods (UK, 2001). By Neil Gaiman [fiction: novel]
Bel Canto (US, 2001). By Ann Patchett [fiction: novel]
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America (US, 2001). By Barbara Ehrenreich [nonfiction: journalism/sociology] (4/5)
The Kite Runner (Afghanistan/US, 2003). By Khaled Hosseini [fiction: novel]
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (UK, 2003). By Mark Haddon [fiction: novel] (3/5)
The Plot Against America (US, 2004). By Philip Roth [fiction: novel] (4/5)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Sweden, 2005). By Stieg Larsson. Translated by Reg Keeland (Steven T. Murray). [fiction: novel]
No Country for Old Men (US, 2005). By Cormac McCarthy [fiction: novel]
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic (US, 2006). By Alison Bechdel [nonfiction: graphic memoir] (4/5)
My Struggle (six books) (Norway, 2009-2011). By Karl Ove Knausgård. Translated by Donald Bartlett. [fiction: novels]
A Visit from the Goon Squad (US, 2010). By Jennifer Egan [fiction: novel]
Citizen: An American Lyric (Jamaica/US, 2014). By Claudia Rankine [poetry] (5/5)
Between the World and Me (US, 2015). By Ta-Nehisi Coates [nonfiction: memoir/sociology]
On 4 Lists
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft (US, 2000). By Stephen King [nonfiction: memoir/writing]
The True History of the Kelly Gang (Australia, 2000) By Peter Carey [fiction: novel] (4/5)
The Amber Spyglass (UK, 2000). By Philip Pullman [fiction: novel]
Fingersmith (UK, 2002). By Sarah Waters [fiction: novel]
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (US, 2003). By Erik Larson [nonfiction: history]
The Known World (US, 2003). By Edward P Jones [fiction: novel] (5/5)
The Book Thief (Australia, 2005). By Markus Zusak [fiction: novel]
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (UK, 2005). By J. K. Rowling [fiction: novel]
The Name of the Wind (US, 2007). By Patrick Rothfuss [fiction: novel]
The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism (Canada, 2007). By Naomi Klein [nonfiction: economics]
The Hunger Games (US, 2008). By Suzanne Collins [fiction: novel]
The Hemingses of Monticello (US, 2008). By Annette Gordon-Reed [nonfiction: biography] (5/5)
The Art of Fielding (US, 2011). By Chad Harbach [fiction: novel]
Thinking, Fast and Slow (Israel/US, 2011). By Daniel Kahneman [nonfiction: psychology/economics]
On 3 Lists
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (UK, 2000). By J.K. Rowling [fiction: novel]
The Blind Assassin (Canada, 2000). By Margaret Atwood [fiction: novel]
Me Talk Pretty One Day (US, 2000). By David Sedaris [nonfiction: memoir/essays]
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (US, 2000). By Dave Eggers [nonfiction: memoir] (5/5)
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference (Canada, 2000). By Malcolm Gladwell [nonfiction: psychology/sociology]
The Secret Life of Bees (US, 2001). By Sue Monk Kidd [fiction: novel]
Life of Pi (Canada, 2001). By Yann Martel [fiction: novel]
The Shadow of the Wind (2001). By Carlos Ruiz Zafón. Translated by Lucia Graves. [fiction: novel]
Erasure (US, 2001). By Percival Everett [fiction: novel]
Coraline (UK, 2002). By Neil Gaiman [fiction: novella]
The Time Traveler’s Wife (US, 2003). By Audrey Niffenegger [fiction: novel]
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (UK, 2003). By J. K. Rowling [fiction: novel]
Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation (UK, 2003). By Lynne Truss [nonfiction: language]
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything (US, 2005). By Steven D. Levitt [nonfiction: economics]
The Thirteenth Tale (UK, 2006). By Diane Setterfield [fiction: novel]
Half of a Yellow Sun (Nigeria/UK, 2006). By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie [fiction: novel]
The Yiddish Policemen’s Union (US, 2007) By Michael Chabon [fiction: novel] (4/5)
A Thousand Splendid Suns (Afghanistan/US, 2007). By Khaled Hosseini [fiction: novel]
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time (US, 2007). By Greg Mortenson & David Oliver Relin [nonfiction: memoir/journalism]
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (US, 2008). By Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows [fiction: novel]
The Help (US, 2009). By Kathryn Stockett [fiction: novel]
Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen (US, 2009). By Chris McDougall [nonfiction: journalism/memoir]
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet (UK, 2010). By David Mitchell [fiction: novel]
Freedom (US, 2010). By Jonathan Franzen [fiction: novel]
1Q84 (Japan, 2010). By Haruki Murakami. Translated by Jay Rubin and Philip Gabriel [fiction: novel]
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (US, 2010). By Rebecca Skloot [nonfiction: biography/science] (4/5)
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration (US, 2010). By Isabel Wilkerson [nonfiction: history] (5/5)
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (US, 2010). By Siddhartha Mukherjee [nonfiction: medicine]
The Night Circus (US, 2011). By Erin Morgenstern [fiction: novel]
The Sense of an Ending (UK, 2011) by Julian Barnes [fiction: novel]
Salvage the Bones (US, 2011). By Jesmyn Ward [fiction: novel]
The Swerve: How the World Became Modern (US, 2011). By Stephen Greenblatt [nonfiction: history/criticism] (4/5)
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind (Israel, 2011). By Yuval Noah Harari. Translated by Harari with John Purcell and Haim Watzman [nonfiction: anthropology/history] (4/5)
The Fault in Our Stars (US, 2012). By John Green [fiction: novel]
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (US, 2012). By Cheryl Strayed [nonfiction: memoir] (3/5)
Life After Life (UK, 2013). By Kate Atkinson [fiction: novel]
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets (Belarus, 2013). By Svetlana Alexievich. Translated by Bela Shayecivh [nonfiction: oral history]
Americanah (Nigeria/US, 2013). By Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie [fiction: novel]
How to Be Both (UK, 2014). By Ali Smith [fiction: novel]
Outline (UK, 2014). By Rachel Cusk [fiction: novel]
A Brief History of Seven Killings (US, 2014). By Marlon James [fiction: novel]
A Little Life (US, 2015). By Hanya Yanagihara [fiction: novel]
The Argonauts (US, 2015). By Maggie Nelson [nonfiction: memoir/philosophy]
The Underground Railroad (US, 2016). By Colson Whitehead [fiction: novel]
The Hate U Give (US, 2017). By Angie Thomas [fiction: novel]
Lincoln in the Bardo (US, 2017). By George Saunders [fiction: novel]
Normal People (Ireland, 2018). By Sally Rooney [fiction: novel]
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