PEOPLE Picks the Best Books of the 2010s
This is one of the 743 lists we use to generate our main The Greatest Books list.
About this list
PEOPLE Magazine, 15 Books
In celebration of our 50th year, we're looking back at some of our favorite reads over the decades.
The 2010s presented a vast selection of award-winning, beloved books throughout the decade. From novels that helped to change the way we think to groundbreaking nonfiction books to help us better understand ourselves and the world around us, there was no shortage of incredible literature during this time, many of which could be considered new modern classics.
PEOPLE staffers have come together to select some of our favorite books of the decade, in celebration of the magazine’s 50th anniversary. Read on to see some of our picks.
This list was originally published in 2024 and was added to this site over 1 year ago.
| Rank | Book | Authors | Year | Country | Language | Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4677 | The Tiger's Wife | Téa Obreht | 2011 | Serbian | English | |
| 2800 | Fates and Furies | Lauren Groff | 2015 | American | English | |
| 2410 | There There | Tommy Orange | 2018 | American | English | |
| 5108 | Swamplandia! | Karen Russell | 2011 | American | English | |
| 1816 | The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks | Rebecca Skloot | 2010 | American | English | |
| 6806 | Seven Husbands Of Evelyn Hugo | Taylor Jenkins Reid | 2017 | American | English | |
| 14901 | The Woman In Cabin 10 | Ruth Ware | 2016 | British | English | |
| 1969 | The Emperor of All Maladies | Siddhartha Mukherjee | 2010 | American | English | |
| 908 | The Warmth Of Other Suns | Isabel Wilkerson | 2010 | American | English | |
| 2318 | Being Mortal | Atul Gawande | 2014 | American | English | |
| 6528 | Hold Still | Sally Mann | 2015 | American | English | |
| 14901 | White Trash | Nancy Isenberg | 2016 | American | English | |
| 1019 | Lincoln in the Bardo | George Saunders | 2017 | American | English | |
| 6518 | Born A Crime | Trevor Noah | 2016 | South African | English | |
| 2109 | Just Kids | Patti Smith | 2010 | American | English |