Once again, we are able to include children’s literature in our annual process of tabulating the consensus Best of the Best Books of the year. Drawing on a slightly smaller group of 18 selective sources in all, this year the data yielded more middle grade picks than in the past (including a nonfiction book, Gary Paulsen’s memoir), with a natural group of top titles there and in young adult, and with a long roster of picture books appearing on the same number of lists: Top Middle Grade Books of the Year The Legend of Aunti Po, Shing Yin Khor Starfish, […]
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The Top 10 Best of the Best Books of 2021 So Far
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 […]
The Next of the Best of the Best Books of 2021
Here is the updated look at our aggregation-in-process of the year’s very best books. With over 40 “votes” counted from a variety of highly selective lists, awards and more, the general consensus is taking shape, though both the fiction and nonfiction lists reflect a variety of books finding favor. Unlike in many recent years, there are no runaway favorites emerging — which leaves lots of worthy titles to recommend, gift and promote. (Asterisked titles were featured pre-publication in our Buzz Books collections.) The Very Best of the Best Books of 2021: Fiction 1. The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois,* […]
The First of The Best of the Best Books of 2021
It’s time for the first tabulation of our annual aggregation of selective lists from all over — newspapers, reviewers, booksellers, librarians, book clubs, major awards and more — to provide a clear consensus on the year’s very best books. Last year Isabel Wilkerson’s CASTE led as “book of the year” from start to finish, and Brit Bennett’s THE VANISHING HALF was the clear top novel the entire way, but this year the leading picks are all tightly packed for now. In a bit of good news, a year ago when we first listed the top 11, four of the six […]
Paul McCartney’s Lyrics Is B&N Book of the Year
Booksellers named Paul McCartney’s The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year for 2021. “The Lyrics is an extraordinary book, ceo James Daunt said. “It is stunningly beautiful and a masterpiece of book design. Paul McCartney has fashioned, through the explorations of his songs with the poet Paul Muldoon, a fascinating insight into his life and creative genius. No wonder the booksellers of Barnes & Noble have hailed this magnificent and deeply original book.” Daunt will be in conversation with McCartney on B&N’s YouTube channel tonight. McCartney said: “I’m beyond honored to receive this recognition. My […]
Amazon’s Best Books of the Year
Amazon announced their Best Books of 2021, naming 20 top titles along with a full package of “bests” and a top 100 list. Five titles remain on the list from their Best So Far selection halfway through the year: Great Circle, by Maggie Shipstead; Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo Ishiguro; The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz; The Four Winds, by Kristin Hannah; and Project Hail Mary, by Andy Weir. You can sample the Korelitz now in our Buzz Books 2021: Fall/Winter anthology. Their full list: 1. The Lincoln Highway, by Amor Towles 2. Crying in H Mart, by Michelle […]