NYT 100 best books of the 21st century

What is it about the holidays that makes us appreciate the classics? Is it the nostalgia baked into seasonal traditions? The coziness of reading by a fire? Whatever it is, this time of year always makes me want to re-read Little Women with a steaming mug of earl grey. And while we can all agree that Alcott, Austen, Dickens, and Hemingway penned some timeless pieces, what about the more modern classics?

Book experts at The New York Times released a list of “The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century” that features standout titles from 2001 to present, the modern classics of our era. Included in this list are legendary authors like Barbara Kingsolver, Kazuo Ishiguro, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Joan Didion, Toni Morrison, and so many more. How did they choose? Hundreds of authors, critics, librarians, and more narrowed it down to the top titles in both fiction and nonfiction.

If you’re building out your 2026 Libby reading list, this is a great place to start. Want more recent picks? Check out our list of the best books of 2025.

Dive in and discover these new classics!