100 Decade-Defining Books

[steffee]

I think some of the books in the list touch on the topics you considered decade defining, Peder. Particularly with regard to the terrorism attacks and worldwide militant terrorism.

It's nice to see Stuart: a Life Backwards by Alexander Masters making the list - I thought that was unique, and, homelessness and its associated afflictions have very much been brought into the spotlight in recent years, I feel.

I am so happy to see 'We need to talk about Kevin', but 'Never let me go' and 'Freakonomics' shouldn't be on this list.

I disagree. I think Never Let Me Go definitely deserves to make the list, and its subject matter was topical for the 'noughties'. I definitely agree with Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin. Teenagers going on killing sprees was certainly decade defining.

I've lost count at how many I've read. Many of them I hadn't heard of and some - such as Franzen's The Corrections, I had assumed were written before this decade.

 

[Peder]

Steffee,
Very good to see you!
I agree with you and BeerGood that some books on the list relate to things I regard as decade-defining. And I'll leave it at that regarding other books on the list. I've had my say.
Best regards :flowers:
Peder

 

[steffee]

Steffee,
Very good to see you!
I agree with you and BeerGood that some books on the list relate to things I regard as decade-defining. And I'll leave it at that regarding other books on the list. I've had my say.
Best regards :flowers:
Peder

Hey Peder. Nice to see you too.

I agree with you, too. I'm younger than you, so regard different things as decade-defining. For example, whilst you retired from employment, I left school and entered the world of work, left the parental home, got married (and divorced), became a university student, etc... I guess 100 books couldn't really cater to every reading individual.

I think a lot of fictional novels focus on real life events, maybe not in a personal matter, but more generally. Not just those in the list, or even those published this current decade, but a lot of books in total.

I'm glad that subjects such as cloning, advancements in medical technology, modern warfare and current problems such as the gang culture; as well as sensitive subjects such as homelessness, mental illness and all kinds of abuse, are tackled. Even if we may be currently overrun with such novels.

 

[sanyuja]

I disagree. I think Never Let Me Go definitely deserves to make the list, and its subject matter was topical for the 'noughties'. I definitely agree with Shriver's We Need To Talk About Kevin. Teenagers going on killing sprees was certainly decade defining.

When I read that book, I personally felt the book was a few years too early. I liked the book, it was my first Ishiguro and I became a big fan of his, but I don't think it 'defined' the decade or anything.

 

[eldog]

I have read 10 off the list. It is decidely British and I'm sure that I would have read more if I lived in the UK. The books I have read are:

The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
The Blind Assassin - Margaret Atwood
The Road - Cormac McCarthy
We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
The No 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
Atonement - Ian McEwan
The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown

I enjoyed all those books with the very strong exception of "The Da Vinci Code" which had a good storyline but the writing was an abomination!

 

[Heteronym]

Do you know what defines this decade?

Ignorance of elementary knowledges learned in primary school.

The decade isn't over yet. The decade won't be over until the 31st of December of 2010. This isn't me being nitpicky. This is the Gregorian Calendar, internationally accepted for the past 500 years.

And if people don't even know that, I sure as hell am not going to let them tell me which books define this decade.

 

[Libra6Poe]

43. The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

Umm. Yup.

 

[bookwordlover]

I've read:

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

and there are many on the list I still want to read!

Booklover Book Reviews

 

[bookwordlover]

Do you know what defines this decade?

Ignorance of elementary knowledges learned in primary school.

The decade isn't over yet. The decade won't be over until the 31st of December of 2010. This isn't me being nitpicky. This is the Gregorian Calendar, internationally accepted for the past 500 years.

And if people don't even know that, I sure as hell am not going to let them tell me which books define this decade.

Have to agree...