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,* […]
Best of
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 […]
Best Of: NYT/NYPL Illustrated Books; Waterstones Scottish Book of the Year
The New York Times and New York Public Library announced their best illustrated children’s books of 2021: I Am the Subway, written and illustrated by Kim Hyo-eun, translated from Korean by Deborah Smith The Night Walk, written and illustrated by Marie Dorléans Time Is a Flower, written and illustrated by Julie Morstad It Fell From the Sky, written and illustrated by Terry Fan and Eric Fan The Little Wooden Robot and the Log Princess, written and illustrated by Tom Gauld ¡Vamos! Let’s Cross the Bridge, written and illustrated by Raúl the Third, colors by Elaine Bay While You’re Sleeping, written […]
Barnes & Noble’s Best Books of the Year
Barnes & Noble kicked off best books of the year season, this time announcing their “top ten-ish” (e.g. 11) titles, along with a full package of top tens from across 14 categories. Selected by the chain’s buyers, four of the top books, noted below with asterisks, have not been published yet — but presumably BN already secured significant copies to avoid going out of stock on the promotional titles. The 1619 Project, by Nikole Hannah-Jones* Burnt Toast & Other Disasters, by Cal Peternell Call Us What We Carry, by Amanda Gorman* Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr Crying in H […]