I own a lot of books.

I mean, it’s nowhere near that library Belle was twirling around in in “Beauty and the Beast.” And I’m sure my collection is significantly smaller than other people’s.

But I enjoy surrounding myself with books I love. Books that have fed my spirit and sparked my imagination. Books that I have an emotional attachment to, and books that I didn’t always like (or even finish) but that made me think—even if that thought was, “Why the hell did I pick up this book?”

My partner likes to make fun of me because I own so many books but rarely, if ever, does he see me reading one. And it’s true. I used to read all the time but over the past few years, life has gotten in the way and I find myself spending more time on my phone or watching TV or just dealing with all the twists and turns that come with getting older.

Growing up, though, books were my escape. When my parents wanted to reward us or treat us to something special, I didn’t ask to go to the toy store—I asked for a trip to Barnes & Noble. I would spend hours browsing and balancing a stack of books in my arms that I would then beg my parents for.

And now, as a soon-to-be parent, I can’t wait to build a library of all my favorite books, and all the books I’ve yet to meet, for my little one.

I’m also hoping that instilling a love of books in him will reignite the spark I once had to jump back in to my own collection.

Last week, The New York Times released their latest book list entitled, “The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.” As I read through the list and realized how few I’ve actually read, or even heard of, I found myself making a not-so-mini-list in my head of all the new titles I felt an energetic pull to read.

Here’s how the list was compiled, according to the Times Book Review staff:

“Many of us find joy in looking back and taking stock of our reading lives, which is why we here at The New York Times Book Review decided to mark the first 25 years of this century with an ambitious project: to take a first swing at determining the most important, influential books of the era. In collaboration with the Upshot, we sent a survey to hundreds of literary luminaries, asking them to name the 10 best books published since Jan. 1, 2000.

We hope you’ll discover a book you’ve always meant to read, or encounter a beloved favorite you’d like to pick up again. Above all, we hope you’re as inspired and dazzled as we are by the breadth of subjects, voices, opinions, experiences and imagination represented here.”

Check out the full list below:

 

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Is this a complete list of all the best books from the past almost 25 years? Absolutely not.

And the comments section does a great job of pointing out tons of books that readers were disappointed (and, frankly, enraged) didn’t make the list—so much so that the Times released a second list: “Readers’ Choice: Best Books of the 21st Century.” Surprisingly, there were only 39 books that made both lists!

 

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What books from these lists have fed your spirit? And what books would you have loved to see make either list? Let us know in the comments!

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