Drowned In Sound’s best books of the 21st century - VOTE! (closes 9am Weds 2nd October)

Entertainment!
41

interested to see how this list will turn out. I think there’ll be far less commonality across lists than with albums, which means anything vaguely popular and well known stands to do very well. So Harry Potter is probs in with a shout. Which is a harrowing thought.

42

The Fellowship of the Ring: Visual Companion (2001)

7 Likes
43

Yeah. I think the individual lists are gonna be more interesting that the aggregated one tbh.

2 Likes
45

was old men in love his only novel from this century?

a life in pictures is amazing, really loved that. never got his book of prefaces which is probably good as well

46

Dead certs for my list

1 Like
47

Harry Potter and the Deathly Harrowing Thought?

1 Like
48

Just tried to make a list and realised that I am basic af and haven’t read enough books and scrapped it

but

1- Philip Pullman - Amber Spyglass

lets have that on the list at least

7 Likes
49

Guinness Book of Records 2000
Guinness Book of Records 2001
Guinness Book of Records 2002
Guinness Book of Records 2003
Guinness Book of Records 2004
Guinness Book of Records 2005
Guinness Book of Records 2006
Guinness Book of Records 2007
Guinness Book of Records 2008
Guinness Book of Records 2009
Guinness Book of Records 2010
Guinness Book of Records 2011
Guinness Book of Records 2012
Guinness Book of Records 2013
Guinness Book of Records 2014
Guinness Book of Records 2015
Guinness Book of Records 2016
Guinness Book of Records 2017
Guinness Book of Records 2018
Guinness Book of Records 2019

8 Likes
50
  1. My Beautiful Friend - Elena Ferrante
  2. The Invisible Bridge - Julie Orringer
  3. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay - Michael Chabon
  4. 2066 - Roberto Bolaño
  5. The People’s Act of Love - James Meek
  6. The Glass Palace - Amitav Ghosh
  7. Eowyn Ivey - To the Bright Edge of the World
  8. Tree of Smoke - Denis Johnson
  9. The Old Ways - Robert Macfarlane
  10. Wildwood - Roger Deakin

Quite tilted towards things I’ve read in the last 5 years or so. Hope I can remember more from the '00s before next Wednesday.

4 Likes
51

Do you have a go-to book recommendation for both of those things?

52

I assume this also means that if a book was published in its’ original language before 1st Jan 2000 but not translated to english until after that date then that’s off the table too?

53

I shall be in this vote. And I shall ram it down everyone’s throat.

54

Good question. Let the people decide!

  • Included
  • Excluded
0 voters
55
  1. Phillip Pullman - The Amber Spyglass
  2. Iain M Banks - Hydrogen Sonata
  3. Justin Cronin - The Passage
  4. Cixin Liu - The Three Body Problem
  5. Nick Harkaway - The Gone-Away World
  6. Hugh Howey - Wool
  7. Haruki Murakami - Kafka On The Shore
  8. Roberto Bolano - 2666
  9. Iain M Banks - Look To Windward
  10. Iain M Banks - Surface Detail
  11. Cixin Liu - The Dark Forest
  12. Hugh Howey - Shift
  13. Claire North - The Sudden Appearance of Hope
  14. Justin Cronin - The Twelve
  15. Cixin Liu - Death’s End
  16. Laurell K Hamilton - Obsidian Butterfly
  17. Adrian Tchaikovsky - Children of Time

I have read more than 17 books written in the 21st century. Just went with those which resonated in various ways, be it through beauty, sadness, world-building, grand ideas… There’s a common theme of sci-fi and post-apocalyptic fiction, a smattering of magical realism, plus an obligatory vampire entry for Laurell KH

Probs a bunch I’ve forgotten but hey-ho!.

Order beyond the top 5 is fairly arbitrary.

1 Like
56

Published in November 1999 I’m afraid.

4 Likes
57

Should be 2666 by Bolaño, sorry.

1 Like
59

:wink:

2 Likes
60

Oh sorry bud :grimacing:

1 Like
61

Not thought through halfway enough. Really illuminates that I need to read more books by people of colour. Books are good, hey?!

  1. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead - Olga Tocarzuk
  2. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman
  3. The Pale King - David Foster Wallace
  4. You Too Can Have a Body Like Mine - Alexandra Kleeman
  5. The City & the City - China Mieville
  6. Light - M John Harrison
  7. Priestdaddy - Patricia Lockwood
  8. Night Watch - Terry Pratchett
  9. The First Bad Man - Miranda July
  10. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon
  11. White Teeth - Zadie Smith
  12. No Country for Old Men - Cormac McCarthy
  13. Lincoln in the Bardo - George Saunders
  14. Milkman - Anna Burns
  15. Hot Milk - Deborah Levy
  16. House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski *
  17. Harvest - Jim Crace
  18. The Wall - John Lanchester
  19. The Idiot - Elif Batuman
  20. Platform - Michel Houllebecq **

*b/c it was right good fun at the time, probably doesn’t hold up…
**not because I like it, or him, but because it was irritatingly prescient

5 Likes
62

I think Danielewski books (I’m still reading the Familiar, on book 4 now) are fun and feel completely unlike anything else in terms of the experience of reading them but I don’t think they are amazing in terms of content

(Johnny Truant is the worst named character of all time as well)

I like books on this list and I might look up some I haven’t read. feel like Olga Tocarzuk will be good!