First of all, I amended yesterday’s post with those books on that NYT list that I’ve read — 9 of them — and those I have copies of but not yet read — 14 of them. And now I’ll off-handedly suggest some titles that I have found personally the most worthwhile books I’ve read, from the 21st century. Which are not included on the NYT list.
Second, judging from the big list, most people favor fiction, i.e. novels about people, contemporary or historical, that illuminate the human condition and the potentials of human life. And nonfiction that is concerned with social issues. There’s nothing here about nonfiction that addresses science, or the big issues in life that transcend mundane life, including politics.
Clearly, my interests are not those of the majority of litterateurs. But I’m fine with that! NYT added a page for readers to submit their own top 10 titles. So after a few moments thought, here are what I submitted (from bottom to top). Most of these I think I’ve reviewed here on this blog.
- Why We’re Polarized, Ezra Klein
- Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman
- 21 Lessons for the 21st Century, Yuval Noah Harari
- The Righteous Mind, Jonathan Haidt
- Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari
- The Big Picture, Sean Carroll
- The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert
- Aurora, Kim Stanley Robinson
- Stories of Your Life and Others, Ted Chiang
- The Better Angels of Our Nature, Steven Pinker
And when I think about this a bit longer, there would be more titles.
