Stack of Books. Photo by Matt Emerson

The editors of the New York Times Book Review have released their list of the 10 best books of 2013, which includes 5 selections for both fiction and non-fiction. I’m happy to see two of my favorite authors on the list, Chimamanda Adichie and Donna Tartt. At nytimes.com the editors provide a short description of each book and why they chose it, but here is the basic list:

Fiction:

Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

Life after Life, by Kate Atkinson

Tenth of December by George Saunders

 

Non-fiction:

After the Music Stopped: The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead by Alan S. Blinder

Days of Fire: Bush and Cheney in the White House by Peter Baker

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink

The Sleepwalkers: How Europe Went to War in 1914 by Christopher Clark

Wave. by Sonali Deraniyagala

 

What do readers think? What do you recommend? What have you read from 2013 that must be savored and shared?

Matt Emerson's essays have appeared in a number of publications, including AmericaCommonweal, and the Wall Street Journal. The Catholic Press Association named his September 2012 essay "Help Their Unbelief," published in America, as the "best essay" in the category of national general interest magazine for 2012. He is the author of the book Why Faith? A Journey of Discovery (Paulist Press 2016).Articles:Fruitful Searching (Jan. 5-12, 2015)Preambles for Faith (May 13, 2013)Help Their Unbelief (Sept. 10, 2012)Posts at The Ignatian Educator