Saturday, December 06, 2014

Notably, The Best of The Best Books of 2014

Publishers Lunch


With a number of "best books of the year" lists landing this week, we are ready to begin our own tabulation of the consensus very best books of the year. As in the past, we aggregate a wealth of selective lists from a broad selection of sources to produce what always turns into a collection of indisputably worthy books. We have factored in 30 lists so far; going by previous results, we'll have 50 to 60 "votes" counted by the end of the year. Our collection includes retailers (Amazon, BN, Indigo, Hudson News, Indie Next No. 1s); awards nominees; major newspapers, magazines and online publications; trade publications; and libraries (via the Library Reads No. 1s and Library Journal). With many votes still to be counted, at least a few clear leaders have emerged which you will be sure to find on our final year-end lists. Works of fiction are leading the pack so far this year, comprising 8 of the top 11 books (though 6 of the 7 books tied for No. 12 are nonfiction, so that, too, is subject to change):

The Consensus Top 10, So Far
1. All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr (11)
Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
3. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James (10)
4. The Bone Clocks, David Mitchell (7)
Lila, Marilynne Robinson
6. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?, Roz Chast (6)
Redeployment, Phil Klay
The Sixth Extinction, Elizabeth Kolbert
We Were Liars, E. Lockhart
In The Kingdom Of Ice, Hampton Sides
The Paying Guests, Sarah Waters

Next in Line:
On Immunity, Eula Biss (5)
Being Mortal, Atul Gawande
The Empathy Exams, Leslie Jamison
Euphoria, Lily King
The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace, Jeff Hobbs (4)
Yes, Please, Amy Poehler
What If?, Randall Munroe

For a look back, check out the best fiction and nonfiction of 2013.

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