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The Most Important Novels of the 21st Century (At Least According to "Goodreads")

Not sure what qualifies these books, which range from masterpieces to Jonathan Franzen, as "important" except that they're literary. Certainly, genre fiction like the Harry Potter and Twilight series have sold more copies and inspired more imitations (and movies), which makes them, in a cold-bloodedly economic sense, far more important than Margaret Atwood's bleak depictions of female entrapment. But what are the English majors of 2214 going to be downloading to the microchips implanted in their brains -- "The Blind Assassin" or "Fifty Shades of Grey?"
How much importance have you downloaded to your Kindle?
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from goodreads.com · made by putzberger
avg. score: 8 of 100 (8%)
required scores: 1, 2, 5, 8, 13 
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How many have you read?

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The Road (Cormac McCarthy)
The Road
1
Cormac McCarthy
Cloud Atlas (David Mitchell)
Cloud Atlas
2
David Mitchell
Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro)
Never Let Me Go
3
Kazuo Ishiguro
1Q84 (Haruki Murakami)
1Q84
4
Haruki Murakami
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (Michael Chabon)
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
5
Michael Chabon
The Corrections (Jonathan Franzen)
The Corrections
6
Jonathan Franzen
A Visit From the Goon Squad (Jennifer Egan)
A Visit From the Goon Squad
7
Jennifer Egan
Oryx and Crake
Oryx and Crake
8
Kafka on the Shore (Haruki Murakami)
Kafka on the Shore
9
Haruki Murakami
The Pale King
The Pale King
10
Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides)
Middlesex
11
Jeffrey Eugenides
Life of Pi (Yann Martel)
Life of Pi
12
Yann Martel
Atonement (Ian McEwan)
Atonement
13
Ian McEwan
The Blind Assassin (Margaret Atwood)
The Blind Assassin
14
Margaret Atwood
The Sense of an Ending (Julian Barnes)
The Sense of an Ending
15
Julian Barnes
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (Junot Díaz)
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
16
Junot Díaz
The Song of Achilles (Madeline Miller)
The Song of Achilles
17
Madeline Miller
Wolf Hall (Hilary Mantel)
Wolf Hall
18
Hilary Mantel
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (Mark Haddon)
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
19
Mark Haddon
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
20
Everything Is Illuminated (Jonathan Safran Foer)
Everything Is Illuminated
21
Jonathan Safran Foer
Empire Falls (Richard Russo)
Empire Falls
22
Richard Russo
Bel Canto (Ann Patchett)
Bel Canto
23
Ann Patchett
House of Leaves (Mark Z. Danielewski)
House of Leaves
24
Mark Z. Danielewski
The Master
The Master
25
The Art of Fielding (Chad Harbach)
The Art of Fielding
26
Chad Harbach
Half of a Yellow Sun
Half of a Yellow Sun
27
Gilead (Marilynne Robinson)
Gilead
28
Marilynne Robinson
Kite Runner (Khaled Hosseini)
Kite Runner
29
Khaled Hosseini
The Little Friend (Donna Tartt)
The Little Friend
30
Donna Tartt
White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
White Teeth
31
Zadie Smith
2666 (Roberto Bolaño)
2666
32
Roberto Bolaño
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN (Cormac McCarthy)
NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN
33
Cormac McCarthy
After Dark (Haruki Murakami)
After Dark
34
Haruki Murakami
Bring Up the Bodies (Hilary Mantel)
Bring Up the Bodies
35
Hilary Mantel
Room (Emma Donoghue)
Room
36
Emma Donoghue
Let the Great World Spin (Colum McCann)
Let the Great World Spin
37
Colum McCann
The Year of the Flood (Margaret Atwood)
The Year of the Flood
38
Margaret Atwood
Austerlitz (W.G. Sebald)
Austerlitz
39
W.G. Sebald
What Is the What
What Is the What
40
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