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New York Times Critics' Top Books of 2021

The Times's staff critics give their choices of the best fiction and nonfiction works of the year. Includes selections by The New York Times's daily book critics of their favorite titles from the past 12 months. The choices come from the four staff critics, Dwight Garner, Jennifer Szalai, Molly Young and Alexandra Jacobs, as well as Parul Sehgal, who was a critic for The Times until July of this year. In addition to the Times staff critics, Sarah Lyall, Janet Maslin and John Williams also review on occasion throughout the year, and some of the books they admired most in 2021 are included.
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Reign of Terror (Spencer Ackerman)
Reign of Terror
1
Spencer Ackerman
Traveling Black (Mia Bay)
Traveling Black
2
Mia Bay
JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF REASON: The Life of Kurt Gödel (Stephen Budiansky)
JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF REASON: The Life of Kurt Gödel
3
Stephen Budiansky
The Copenhagen Trilogy (Tove Ditlevsen)
The Copenhagen Trilogy
4
Tove Ditlevsen
KING RICHARD: Nixon and Watergate: An American Tragedy (Michael Dobbs)
KING RICHARD: Nixon and Watergate: An American Tragedy
5
Michael Dobbs
All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the Germ (Rebecca Donner)
All the Frequent Troubles of Our Days: The True Story of the American Woman at the Heart of the Germ
6
Rebecca Donner
On Juneteenth (Annette Gordon-Reed)
On Juneteenth
7
Annette Gordon-Reed
Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Film in a White World (Wil Haygood)
Colorization: One Hundred Years of Black Film in a White World
8
Wil Haygood
PATRICIA HIGHSMITH: Her Diaries and Notebooks, 1941-1995 (Anna Von Planta (Editor))
PATRICIA HIGHSMITH: Her Diaries and Notebooks, 1941-1995
9
Anna Von Planta (Editor)
SOLID IVORY: Memoirs (James Ivory)
SOLID IVORY: Memoirs
10
James Ivory
PLUNDER: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure (Menachem Kaiser)
PLUNDER: A Memoir of Family Property and Nazi Treasure
11
Menachem Kaiser
Tom Stoppard: A Life (Hermione Lee)
Tom Stoppard: A Life
12
Hermione Lee
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out (Jeremy Atherton Lin)
Gay Bar: Why We Went Out
13
Jeremy Atherton Lin
In the Eye of the Wild (Nastassja Martin)
In the Eye of the Wild
14
Nastassja Martin
Until Justice Be Done (Kate Masur)
Until Justice Be Done
15
Kate Masur
All That She Carried (Tiya Miles)
All That She Carried
16
Tiya Miles
A Ghost in the Throat (Doireann Ní Ghríofa)
A Ghost in the Throat
17
Doireann Ní Ghríofa
THE LOFT GENERATION: From the De Koonings to Twombly (Edith Schloss)
THE LOFT GENERATION: From the De Koonings to Twombly
18
Edith Schloss
THE RIGHT TO SEX: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century (Amia Srinivasan)
THE RIGHT TO SEX: Feminism in the Twenty-First Century
19
Amia Srinivasan
The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir (Sherry Turkle)
The Empathy Diaries: A Memoir
20
Sherry Turkle
Pessoa: A Biography (Richard Zenith)
Pessoa: A Biography
21
Richard Zenith
Second Place (Rachel Cusk)
Second Place
22
Rachel Cusk
Playlist for the Apocalypse (Rita Dove)
Playlist for the Apocalypse
23
Rita Dove
Crossroads (Jonathan Franzen)
Crossroads
24
Jonathan Franzen
Intimacies (Katie Kitamura)
Intimacies
25
Katie Kitamura
The War for Gloria (Atticus Lish)
The War for Gloria
26
Atticus Lish
The Magician (Colm Toibin)
The Magician
27
Colm Toibin
Our Country Friends (Gary Shteyngart)
Our Country Friends
28
Gary Shteyngart
The Days of Afrekete (Asali Solomon)
The Days of Afrekete
29
Asali Solomon
Wayward (Dana Spiotta)
Wayward
30
Dana Spiotta
New Teeth: Stories (Simon Rich)
New Teeth: Stories
31
Simon Rich
The Anomaly (Hervé Le Tellier)
The Anomaly
32
Hervé Le Tellier
Harlem Shuffle (Colson Whitehead)
Harlem Shuffle
33
Colson Whitehead
A Calling for Charlie Barnes (Joshua Ferris)
A Calling for Charlie Barnes
34
Joshua Ferris
The Devil May Dance (Jake Tapper)
The Devil May Dance
35
Jake Tapper
The Life of the Mind (Christine Smallwood)
The Life of the Mind
36
Christine Smallwood
Beautiful World, Where Are You (Sally Rooney)
Beautiful World, Where Are You
37
Sally Rooney
Albert and the Whale (Philip Hoare)
Albert and the Whale
38
Philip Hoare
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