As we continue to tabulate the consensus very best books of 2021, the roster has remained one of the most interesting and competitive we have seen in years of aggregating. Distinctions are fine, with all of the top titles receiving similar totals of “picks” from across the lists we monitor. At the very top, works of fiction and nonfiction are closely matched for “book of the year” honors — and across the top 10, the list is more balanced than usual, with five works of nonfiction and six novels. (Eight are from Penguin Random House, with one each from Simon […]