Daily Telegraph (UK) - Top 100 Books of the Decade

[Bilbo1967]

So, in the Daily Telegraph in the UK today is a list of the top 100 books of the last decade (or "100 books that defined the decade" as they put it, which, I suppose might be slightly different).

I'm not going to list them all in this post (the full list can be seen here), but the top 10 (in the traditional reverse order) are:

10.The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Stieg Larsson)
9. Atonement (Ian McEwan)
8. White Teeth (Zadie Smith)
7. The Savage Detectives (Roberto Bolano)
6. Being Jordan (Katie Price)
5. The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins)
4. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Dave Eggars)
3. The Da Vinci Code (Dan Brown)
2. Dreams From My Father (Barack Obama)
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (J.K. Rowling)

Clearly, some of these are works of genius by towering literary figures (Dan Brown and Katie Price, for example ) but I'd be interested in people's views.

[vivaldirules]

Just to clarify, they state:

"As we near the close of 2009, The Daily Telegraph has selected the 100 most influential reads of this, the first decade of the new millennium. From Harry Potter to Barack Obama, fiction to memoir, the most iconic representatives of the decade's cultural and political life are chosen here."

I think they are under the influence, all right.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

Just to clarify, they state:

"As we near the close of 2009, The Daily Telegraph has selected the 100 most influential reads of this, the first decade of the new millennium. From Harry Potter to Barack Obama, fiction to memoir, the most iconic representatives of the decade's cultural and political life are chosen here."

I think they are under the influence, all right.

You don't think that Harry Potter and Barack Obama are "icons" of the last decade? Sorry, but they certainly seem that way to me.

My only argument with this is that it's a year early. The "first decade of the new millennium" doesn't end until the end of 2010.

[vivaldirules]

Originally Posted by HarryT

You don't think that Harry Potter and Barack Obama are "icons" of the last decade? Sorry, but they certainly seem that way to me.

I can't disagree, Harry. They are perhaps accurate, unhappily, at least for the top three picks.

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by vivaldirules

I think they are under the influence, all right.

it just seems to me that we see these lists "of the decade / century" at least once a year. shouldn't they all get together and make up the One List to Rule Them All ?

[WT Sharpe]

Coincidentally, all 100 are books sold in the Telegraph Bookstore!

[zelda_pinwheel]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Coincidentally, all 100 are books sold in the Telegraph Bookstore!

i noticed that too. *shocking* coincidence !

[Bilbo1967]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Coincidentally, all 100 are books sold in the Telegraph Bookstore!

That certainly is a fortuitous coincidence

[dreams]

How very sad to think that it might be a representation of what is read toay.. I have only read one of the top ten (because my son bought it).

[HarryT]

It's probably no better and no worse than the type of things that people have always read. When we remember the books of the past, we tend to only remember the "gems" and forget all the trash.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by HarryT

The "first decade of the new millennium" doesn't end until the end of 2010.

A lot of people believe that the "new millennium" started in 2000. If that were the case (which of course it isn't), the "first decade" would end in dec 31st 2009.

[HarryT]

As you say, the fact that a lot of people believe it, do not make it true .

[kindlekitten]

Originally Posted by zelda_pinwheel

it just seems to me that we see these lists "of the decade / century" at least once a year. shouldn't they all get together and make up the One List to Rule Them All ?

oh no!!!! not the....


LIST OF POWER



!!!!????

[GeoffC]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Coincidentally, all 100 are books sold in the Telegraph Bookstore!

Nah - must be an accident .....

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

oh no!!!! not the....


LIST OF POWER



!!!!????

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by Pablo

A lot of people believe that the "new millennium" started in 2000. If that were the case (which of course it isn't), the "first decade" would end in dec 31st 2009.

Stephen Jay Gould wrote an excellent and extremely readable book on the subject: Questioning the Millennium: A Rationalist's Guide to a Precisely Arbitrary Countdown. I haven't read the Revised Edition of that yet, but the original was great.