Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, featuring a different top 10 theme each week. This week’s topic is 21st Century Books I Think Will Become Classics.
This is a hard one! And what do we mean by classics anyway? I’m going with ten books that I think will be read and discussed for many years to come — or at least, for some of these, books that I think SHOULD be read and discussed, even if they’re a bit under the radar right now.
My list skews mostly toward science fiction and fantasy, with a couple of others mixed in as well.
Here are my top 10:
- The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak: I know this one is already being taught in high schools. So beautiful and powerful.
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel: This book probably got a fresh wave of readers thanks to the TV adaptation.
- The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller: It was hard to choose between this book and Circe! Both are wonderful. It’s so impressive to see classic stories made so fresh and compelling.
- The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden: Gorgeous storytelling build on Russian fairy tale elements.
- The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison: Simply my favorite piece of fantasy world-building! Deserves to be much more widely read.
- Binti by Nnedi Okorafor: This novella, combinating Afro-futurism and science fiction storytelling, provides a fresh voice in the sci-fi/fantasy world.
- Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey: The entire Expanse series is super impressive — a great achievement in the world of science fiction.
- Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein: Heart-breaking every time I read it, as well as an innovative approach to storytelling.
- The Martian by Andy Weir: Geek fiction for the win! This deserves to be a sci-fi classic.
- Piranesi by Susanna Clarke: So strange and beautiful. I think this book needs to be read more than once to fully absorb it.
What books made your list this week? Do we have any in common?
Share your links, and I’ll come check out your top 10!
Bookshelf Fantasies 
I definitely could’ve added Code Name Verity to my list as well!! That novel blew me away!
My TTT: https://nonbinarylibrarian.wordpress.com/2022/03/29/ttt-21st-century-books-i-think-will-become-classics/
I push people to read Code Name Verity all the time, but also try to avoid telling them anything about it!
Three of these books are also on my list!! Don’t know why I didn’t think of The Bear and the Nightingale. Would love if it became a classic!
I should probably reread the rest of the trilogy — I loved the first book the most, but the whole thing is so good.
Binti and The Martian are both great picks!
My post: https://lydiaschoch.com/top-ten-tuesday-21st-century-books-i-think-will-become-classics/
Both felt so eye-opening and innovative when they were released.
The Song of Achilles! Yes! ❤️
My book group is reading Song of Achilles later this year, and I’m excited to have an excuse (or actually, an obligation!) to read it again.
It was so good but heartbreaking at the same time ❤️
Oh some great books on here! Like The Martian and Binti!
Thanks! I loved both of those.
Great list! I love that you put The Bear Nightingale on your list. I love that trilogy so much! It’s one of my favorites. I didn’t even think of it this week. I’m so sad, lol.
Haha, this was a hard topic! The Bear & the Nightingale is so gorgeous!
I thought this week’s TTT was a hard one, too; who am I to say what’s a classic or not? Which is why I didn’t even try to do a list. But I love the books you chose for yours. 🙂
Right, I felt that way too! Who am I to judge? 🙂
Oh yes, Code Name Verity is such a good choice, would be a really good one to study in terms of structure of storytelling and use of unreliable narrator (as well as just being a fabulous book!). The Book Thief seems to be a universally agreed upon classic this week, it’s been on almost everyone’s lists.
My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/03/29/top-ten-tuesday-361/
For sure, I’ve been seeing The Book Thief everywhere today!
🙂
Great list. I just bought Piranesi! I have House in the Cerulean Sea on my list too. I completely forgot about The Book Thief!!
My Top Ten!
I wanted to include House in the Cerulean Sea… just ran out of space! I hope you enjoy PIranesi.
I understand! Lots of books to choose from!
Station Eleven is also on my list! http://bibliographicmanifestations.blogspot.com/2022/03/21st-century-books-i-think-will-become.html
Such a good book! I’d like to reread it, especially now that I watched the HBO version.
Wasn’t Piranesi amazing? Way out of my comfort zone, but I loved it. Great post!
Oh yes, I loved it! Isn’t this week’s topic thanks to you? Great idea!!
I loved The Bear and the Nightingale. Yet to read Code Name Verity, Pirenesi and Song of Achilles. I did love Circe.
If you loved Circe, then for sure you’ll love Song of Achilles too!
So many good ones! I still need to read Piranesi and Leviathan Wakes😁
I think you’d like them both! (and after holding off for a few weeks, I’m going to start the final Expanse book this week!)
Code Name Verity made such an impression on me. What a great list!
Thanks! Code Name Verity is such an unforgettable book.
I have only read The Book Thief on your list (and it is on mine as well). The Bear and the Nightingale sounds fascinating.
Here is my list – Wonderful 21st Century Books: The Classics?
I’ll check out your list! The Bear & the Nightingale is definitely worth reading.
I’ve read most of these! I need to pick up The Song of Achilles. It’s been on a lot of lists this week.
It’s really wonderful. If you like audiobooks, it’s a great listen — the narrator is really talented.