The 100 best books of the 21st century

This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

The Guardian, 100 Books

Dazzling debut novels, searing polemics, the history of humanity and trailblazing memoirs ... Read our pick of the best books since 2000

This list was originally published in 2019 and was added to this site over 6 years ago.

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Cover of 'Wolf Hall' by Hilary Mantel
Wolf Hall

Hilary Mantel

Cover of 'Gilead' by Marilynne Robinson
Gilead

Marilynne Robinson

Cover of 'Secondhand Time' by Svetlana Alexievich
Secondhand Time

Svetlana Alexievich

Cover of 'Never Let Me Go' by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go

Kazuo Ishiguro

Cover of 'Austerlitz' by W. G. Sebald
Austerlitz

W. G. Sebald

Cover of 'The Amber Spyglass' by Philip Pullman
The Amber Spyglass

Philip Pullman

Cover of 'Between the World and Me' by Ta-Nehisi Coates
Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates

Cover of 'Autumn' by Ali Smith
Autumn

Ali Smith

Cover of 'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas

David Mitchell

Cover of 'Half of a Yellow Sun' by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Half of a Yellow Sun

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Cover of 'My Brilliant Friend' by Elena Ferrante
My Brilliant Friend

Elena Ferrante

Cover of 'The Plot Against America' by Philip Roth
The Plot Against America

Philip Roth

Cover of 'Nickel And Dimed' by Barbara Ehrenreich
Nickel And Dimed

Barbara Ehrenreich

Cover of 'Fingersmith' by Sarah Waters
Fingersmith

Sarah Waters

Cover of 'The Sixth Extinction' by Elizabeth Kolbert
The Sixth Extinction

Elizabeth Kolbert

Cover of 'The Corrections' by Jonathan Franzen
The Corrections

Jonathan Franzen

Cover of 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy
The Road

Cormac McCarthy

Cover of 'The Shock Doctrine' by Naomi Klein
The Shock Doctrine

Naomi Klein

Cover of 'The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time' by Mark Haddon
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Mark Haddon

Cover of 'Life After Life' by Kate Atkinson
Life After Life

Kate Atkinson

Cover of 'Sapiens' by Yuval Noah Harari
Sapiens

Yuval Noah Harari

Cover of 'Tenth of December' by George Saunders
Tenth of December

George Saunders

Cover of 'The Noonday Demon' by Andrew Solomon
The Noonday Demon

Andrew Solomon

Cover of 'A Visit From The Goon Squad' by Jennifer Egan
A Visit From The Goon Squad

Jennifer Egan

Cover of 'Normal People' by Sally Rooney
Normal People

Sally Rooney

Cover of 'Capital in the Twenty-First Century' by Thomas Piketty
Capital in the Twenty-First Century

Thomas Piketty

Cover of 'Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage' by Alice Munro
Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage

Alice Munro

Cover of 'Rapture' by Carol Ann Duffy
Rapture

Carol Ann Duffy

Cover of 'My Struggle' by Karl Ove Knausgård
My Struggle

Karl Ove Knausgård

Cover of 'The Underground Railroad' by Colson Whitehead
The Underground Railroad

Colson Whitehead

Cover of 'The Argonauts' by Maggie Nelson
The Argonauts

Maggie Nelson

Cover of 'The Emperor of All Maladies' by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The Emperor of All Maladies

Siddhartha Mukherjee

Cover of 'Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel
Fun Home

Alison Bechdel

Cover of 'Outline' by Rachel Cusk
Outline

Rachel Cusk

Cover of 'The Hare with Amber Eyes' by Edmund de Waal
The Hare with Amber Eyes

Edmund de Waal

Cover of 'Experience' by Martin Amis
Experience

Martin Amis

Cover of 'The Green Road' by Anne Enright
The Green Road

Anne Enright

Cover of 'The Line of Beauty' by Alan Hollinghurst
The Line of Beauty

Alan Hollinghurst

Cover of 'White Teeth' by Zadie Smith
White Teeth

Zadie Smith

Cover of 'The Year of Magical Thinking' by Joan Didion
The Year of Magical Thinking

Joan Didion

Cover of 'Atonement' by Ian McEwan
Atonement

Ian McEwan

Cover of 'Moneyball' by Michael M. Lewis
Moneyball

Michael M. Lewis

Cover of 'Citizen' by Claudia Rankine
Citizen

Claudia Rankine

Cover of 'Hope in the Dark' by Rebecca Solnit
Hope in the Dark

Rebecca Solnit

Cover of 'Levels of Life' by Julian Barnes
Levels of Life

Julian Barnes

Cover of 'Human Chain' by Seamus Heaney
Human Chain

Seamus Heaney

Cover of 'Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi

Cover of 'Night Watch' by Terry Pratchett
Night Watch

Terry Pratchett

Cover of 'Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?' by Jeanette Winterson
Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal?

Jeanette Winterson

Cover of 'Oryx and Crake' by Margaret Atwood
Oryx and Crake

Margaret Atwood

Cover of 'Brooklyn' by Colm Toibin
Brooklyn

Colm Toibin

Cover of 'Small Island' by Andrea Levy
Small Island

Andrea Levy

Cover of 'True History of the Kelly Gang' by Peter Carey
True History of the Kelly Gang

Peter Carey

Cover of 'Women & Power' by Mary Beard
Women & Power

Mary Beard

Cover of 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' by Michael Pollan
The Omnivore's Dilemma

Michael Pollan

Cover of 'Underland' by Robert Macfarlane
Underland

Robert Macfarlane

Cover of 'The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay' by Michael Chabon
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Michael Chabon

Cover of 'Postwar' by Tony Judt
Postwar

Tony Judt

Cover of 'The Beauty Of The Husband' by Anne Carson
The Beauty Of The Husband

Anne Carson

Cover of 'Dart' by Alice Oswald
Dart

Alice Oswald

Cover of 'This House of Grief' by Helen Garner
This House of Grief

Helen Garner

Cover of 'Mother's Milk' by Edward St Aubyn
Mother's Milk

Edward St Aubyn

Cover of 'The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks' by Rebecca Skloot
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Rebecca Skloot

Cover of 'On Writing' by Stephen King
On Writing

Stephen King

Cover of 'Gone Girl' by Gillian Flynn
Gone Girl

Gillian Flynn

Cover of 'Seven Brief Lessons on Physics' by Carlo Rovelli
Seven Brief Lessons on Physics

Carlo Rovelli

Cover of 'The Silence of the Girls' by Pat Barker
The Silence of the Girls

Pat Barker

Cover of 'The Constant Gardener' by John le Carré
The Constant Gardener

John le Carré

Cover of 'The Infatuations' by Javier Marias
The Infatuations

Javier Marias

Cover of 'Notes on a Scandal' by Zoë Heller
Notes on a Scandal

Zoë Heller

Cover of 'Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth' by Chris Ware
Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth

Chris Ware

Cover of 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism' by Shoshana Zuboff
The Age of Surveillance Capitalism

Shoshana Zuboff

Cover of 'Nothing to Envy' by Barbara Demick
Nothing to Envy

Barbara Demick

Cover of 'Days Without End' by Sebastian Barry
Days Without End

Sebastian Barry

Cover of 'Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead' by Olga Tokarczuk
Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead

Olga Tokarczuk

Cover of 'Thinking, Fast and Slow' by Daniel Kahneman
Thinking, Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman

Cover of 'Signs Preceding the End of the World' by Yuri Herrera
Signs Preceding the End of the World

Yuri Herrera

Cover of 'The Fifth Season' by N. K. Jemisin
The Fifth Season

N. K. Jemisin

Cover of 'The Spirit Level' by Richard Wilkinson
The Spirit Level

Richard Wilkinson

Cover of 'Stories of Your Life and Others' by Ted Chiang
Stories of Your Life and Others

Ted Chiang

Cover of 'Harvest' by Jim Crace
Harvest

Jim Crace

Cover of 'Coraline' by Neil Gaiman
Coraline

Neil Gaiman

Cover of 'Tell Me How It Ends' by Valeria Luiselli
Tell Me How It Ends

Valeria Luiselli

Cover of 'The Cost of Living' by Deborah Levy
The Cost of Living

Deborah Levy

Cover of 'The God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins
The God Delusion

Richard Dawkins

Cover of 'Adults in the Room' by Yanis Varoufakis
Adults in the Room

Yanis Varoufakis

Cover of 'Priestdaddy' by Patricia Lockwood
Priestdaddy

Patricia Lockwood

Cover of 'Noughts and Crosses' by Malorie Blackman
Noughts and Crosses

Malorie Blackman

Cover of 'Bad Blood' by Lorna Sage
Bad Blood

Lorna Sage

Cover of 'Visitation' by Jenny Erpenbeck
Visitation

Jenny Erpenbeck

Cover of 'Light' by M. John Harrison
Light

M. John Harrison

Cover of 'The Siege' by Helen Dunmore
The Siege

Helen Dunmore

Cover of 'Darkmans' by Nicola Barker
Darkmans

Nicola Barker

Cover of 'The Tipping Point' by Malcolm Gladwell
The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell

Cover of 'Chronicles' by Bob Dylan
Chronicles

Bob Dylan

Cover of 'A Little Life' by Hanya Yanagihara
A Little Life

Hanya Yanagihara

Cover of 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

J. K. Rowling

Cover of 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' by Stieg Larsson
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Stieg Larsson

Cover of 'Broken Glass' by Alain Mabanckou
Broken Glass

Alain Mabanckou

Cover of 'I Feel Bad About My Neck' by Nora Ephron
I Feel Bad About My Neck

Nora Ephron