The 100 Best Books of the Decade(2000)

This is one of the 759 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.

About this list

Times, 100 Books

The Time's list of the 100 Best Books of the 2000s. It's a mix of fiction and nonfiction.

This list was originally published in 2009 and was added to this site over 12 years ago.

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Cover of 'The Road' by Cormac McCarthy
The Road

Cormac McCarthy

Cover of 'Persepolis' by Marjane Satrapi
Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi

Cover of 'Dreams from My Father' by Barack Obama
Dreams from My Father

Barack Obama

Cover of 'Masterworks of the Classical Haida Mythtellers' by Robert Bringhurst
Masterworks of the Classical Haida Mythtellers

Robert Bringhurst

Cover of 'Suite Française' by Irène Némirovsky
Suite Française

Irène Némirovsky

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

Malcolm Gladwell

Cover of 'Life of Pi' by Yann Martel
Life of Pi

Yann Martel

Cover of 'Payback' by Margaret Atwood
Payback

Margaret Atwood

Cover of 'Atonement' by Ian McEwan
Atonement

Ian McEwan

Cover of 'The Da Vinci Code' by Dan Brown
The Da Vinci Code

Dan Brown

Cover of 'War and Peace' by Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace

Leo Tolstoy

Cover of 'A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius' by Dave Eggers
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Dave Eggers

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

W. G. Sebald

Cover of 'Reading Lolita in Tehran' by Azar Nafisi
Reading Lolita in Tehran

Azar Nafisi

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

Richard Dawkins

Cover of 'Rapture' by Carol Ann Duffy
Rapture

Carol Ann Duffy

Cover of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' by J. K. Rowling
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

J. K. Rowling

Cover of 'Bad Science' by Ben Goldacre
Bad Science

Ben Goldacre

Cover of 'The Corrections' by Jonathan Franzen
The Corrections

Jonathan Franzen

Cover of 'White Teeth' by Zadie Smith
White Teeth

Zadie Smith

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

Philip Roth

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

Philip Pullman

Cover of 'The 9/11 Commission Report' by 9/11 Commission
The 9/11 Commission Report

9/11 Commission

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

Kazuo Ishiguro

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 'Bad Blood' by Lorna Sage
Bad Blood

Lorna Sage

Cover of 'Oxford English Dictionary' by Oxford University Press
Oxford English Dictionary

Oxford University Press

Cover of 'The Rest is Noise' by Alex Ross
The Rest is Noise

Alex Ross

Cover of 'The Accidental' by Ali Smith
The Accidental

Ali Smith

Cover of 'The Kite Runner' by Khaled Hosseini
The Kite Runner

Khaled Hosseini

Cover of 'The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel' by Amy Hempel
The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel

Amy Hempel

Cover of 'Everything Is Illuminated' by Jonathan Safran Foer
Everything Is Illuminated

Jonathan Safran Foer

Cover of 'Chronicles' by Bob Dylan
Chronicles

Bob Dylan

Cover of 'Seabiscuit' by Laura Hillenbrand
Seabiscuit

Laura Hillenbrand

Cover of 'The Arrival' by Shaun Tan
The Arrival

Shaun Tan

Cover of 'How I Live Now' by Meg Rosoff
How I Live Now

Meg Rosoff

Cover of 'Selected Stories' by William Trevor
Selected Stories

William Trevor

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

Andrew Solomon

Cover of 'Runaway' by Alice Munro
Runaway

Alice Munro

Cover of 'Sir Gawain and the Green Knight' by Simon Armitage
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Simon Armitage

Cover of 'The Secret Scripture' by Sebastian Barry
The Secret Scripture

Sebastian Barry

Cover of 'Fun Home' by Alison Bechdel
Fun Home

Alison Bechdel

Cover of 'Thursbitch' by Alan Garner
Thursbitch

Alan Garner

Cover of 'Freakonomics' by Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner
Freakonomics

Steven D. Levitt, Stephen J. Dubner

Cover of 'London' by Peter Ackroyd
London

Peter Ackroyd

Cover of 'Middlesex' by Jeffrey Eugenides
Middlesex

Jeffrey Eugenides

Cover of 'Collected Poems of Ted Hughes' by Ted Hughes
Collected Poems of Ted Hughes

Ted Hughes

Cover of 'A Short History Of Nearly Everything' by Bill Bryson
A Short History Of Nearly Everything

Bill Bryson

Cover of 'The Ghost' by Robert Harris
The Ghost

Robert Harris

Cover of 'No Logo' by Naomi Klein
No Logo

Naomi Klein

Cover of 'Home' by Marilynne Robinson
Home

Marilynne Robinson

Cover of 'Youth' by J. M. Coetzee
Youth

J. M. Coetzee

Cover of 'Wolf Brother' by Michelle Paver
Wolf Brother

Michelle Paver

Cover of 'Eats, Shoots and Leaves' by Lynne Truss
Eats, Shoots and Leaves

Lynne Truss

Cover of 'Imperial Life in the Emerald City' by Rajiv Chandrasekaran
Imperial Life in the Emerald City

Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Cover of 'If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things' by Jon McGregor
If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things

Jon McGregor

Cover of 'Fleshmarket Close' by Ian Rankin
Fleshmarket Close

Ian Rankin

Cover of 'Dart' by Alice Oswald
Dart

Alice Oswald

Cover of 'Moondust' by Andrew Smith
Moondust

Andrew Smith

Cover of 'Collapse' by Jared Diamond
Collapse

Jared Diamond

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

Alan Hollinghurst

Cover of 'Fingersmith' by Sarah Waters
Fingersmith

Sarah Waters

Cover of 'The Blank Slate' by Steven Pinker
The Blank Slate

Steven Pinker

Cover of 'Staying Alive' by Neil Astley
Staying Alive

Neil Astley

Cover of 'Peeling the Onion' by Günter Grass
Peeling the Onion

Günter Grass

Cover of 'Cloud Atlas' by David Mitchell
Cloud Atlas

David Mitchell

Cover of 'The Kindly Ones' by Jonathan Littell
The Kindly Ones

Jonathan Littell

Cover of 'Out Stealing Horses' by Per Petterson
Out Stealing Horses

Per Petterson

Cover of 'My Name is Red' by Orhan Pamuk
My Name is Red

Orhan Pamuk

Cover of 'The PowerBook' by Jeanette Winterson
The PowerBook

Jeanette Winterson

Cover of 'Experience' by Martin Amis
Experience

Martin Amis

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

Peter Carey

Cover of 'Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman' by Haruki Murakami
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman

Haruki Murakami

Cover of 'War Music' by Christopher Logue
War Music

Christopher Logue

Cover of 'The Damned Utd' by David Peace
The Damned Utd

David Peace

Cover of 'England in Particular' by Sue Clifford, Angela King
England in Particular

Sue Clifford, Angela King

Cover of 'Collected Poems of Michael Donaghy' by Michael Donaghy
Collected Poems of Michael Donaghy

Michael Donaghy

Cover of 'Giving up the Ghost' by Hilary Mantel
Giving up the Ghost

Hilary Mantel

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

Chris Ware

Cover of 'The White Tiger' by Aravind Adiga
The White Tiger

Aravind Adiga

Cover of 'The Emperor's Children' by Claire Messud
The Emperor's Children

Claire Messud

Cover of 'Born Yesterday' by Gordon Burn
Born Yesterday

Gordon Burn

Cover of 'Fatal Purity' by Ruth Scurr
Fatal Purity

Ruth Scurr

Cover of 'The Enchantress of Florence' by Salman Rushdie
The Enchantress of Florence

Salman Rushdie

Cover of 'Twilight' by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight

Stephenie Meyer

Cover of 'My Father and other Working-Class Football Heroes' by Gary Imlac
My Father and other Working-Class Football Heroes

Gary Imlac

Cover of 'Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned' by Wells Tower
Everything Ravaged, Everything Burned

Wells Tower

Cover of 'The Ascent of Money' by Niall Ferguson
The Ascent of Money

Niall Ferguson

Cover of 'Maximum City' by Suketu Mehta
Maximum City

Suketu Mehta

Cover of 'This Republic of Suffering' by Drew Gilpin Faust
This Republic of Suffering

Drew Gilpin Faust

Cover of 'Unless' by Carol Shields
Unless

Carol Shields

Cover of 'Berlin' by Antony Beevor
Berlin

Antony Beevor

Cover of 'District and Circle' by Seamus Heaney
District and Circle

Seamus Heaney

Cover of 'The Carhullan Army' by Sarah Hall
The Carhullan Army

Sarah Hall

Cover of 'The Emperor's Babe' by Bernardine Evaristo
The Emperor's Babe

Bernardine Evaristo

Cover of 'The Looming Tower' by Lawrence Wright
The Looming Tower

Lawrence Wright

Cover of 'The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao' by Junot Diaz
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Junot Diaz

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

Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Cover of 'The Lost Leader' by Mick Imlah
The Lost Leader

Mick Imlah

Cover of 'The Position' by Meg Wolitzer
The Position

Meg Wolitzer