July 26, 2024 – The New York Times published their list of "Best Books of the 21st Century" last week, a list they compiled by polling hundreds of literary critics and authors. They shared the ballots of many of the authors who responded, so readers could see what Stephen King, Roxane Gay, Elin Hildebrand, Bonnie Garmus, James Patterson, and others chose. 

We thought this was a fun project, and we decided to add our own ballots to the mix. We sent the call out to library staff, and many of them responded with their own lists of the best - or at least, their favorite - books of the last 24 years. A wonderful thing about these lists, whether from our staff or from literary giants, is seeing how different they all are, proving the adage that there is a book for every reader and a reader for every book. 

Without further ado: here are our ballots, presented in no particular order.