Hi Bookworms. It rained for three days this past week so that helped with the wildfire smoke and drought. My golf and tennis were canceled but at least things are looking greener. The sun came out and we biked in a Granfondo ride event yesterday, which went well. Meanwhile we’ve had a Mama deer and her two fawns staying around our place for the past couple weeks. I haven’t been able to get a picture of the little fawns with their spots but the Mama deer (pictured here) has been more available.
These deer — along with others who visit — are eating machines. I told them they could have the bird seeds from the feeders that fall on the ground but not to eat the plants, trees, and bushes near the house. This talk with them was only partially successful and I need to get the anti-deer spray for a few essential plants. Generally we give them quite a bit of leeway and don’t scare them off .. as the fawns are cute little things and Mom is hungry. But occasionally we have to draw the line.
In book news I’m making good progress on Douglas Stuart’s novel John of John in hardback and Patricia Cornwell’s memoir True Crime on audio. Both seem pretty good and hopefully I’ll finish them next week for a review.
Till then I thought we could discuss the New York Times’ recent ranking of the 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century, which came out a few weeks ago. A few other bloggers have also talked about the list, which is interesting to look at and see which ones you’ve read. Granted, I often say I don’t read many “thrillers” but as go through the list I actually see I’ve read quite a few of these and/or seen the screen adaptations. I’m not generally a big mystery reader but I occasionally will read crime fiction.
And I agree a lot of these on the list are quite good. Gillian Flynn, S.A. Cosby, Liz Moore, and Dennis Lehane are pretty go-to authors for me when I’m in the mood for a whopper. I still need to start into the books by Tana French (!) and Attica Locke. I’ve put asterisks by ones on the list (below) that I’d like to read and I’ve put parentheses besides books (below) that I’ve either read or seen the screen adaptation for. Some I’ve read and seen.
A few on the list I don’t really consider thrillers … Donna Tartt’s epic The Goldfinch (#23) and Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer (#30), both of which I’ve read … seem more like great literary fiction in my estimation. They have crimes or secrets that are found out by the end … but in a general sense they are more literary epics and less fast-paced thrillers. Sarah Waters’s novel Fingersmith might also be a bit like this, but I haven’t read it yet. The list makes me want to read more of these …. and some I haven’t thought of in years.
All have their own thriller style or formula. Some of them are super intense like: Emma Donoghue’s Room, or Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin, or William Landay’s Defending Jacob … and others are twisty crazy (Gone Girl! The Girl on the Train) … and others start more subtly and then explode in some surprising way, like Blacktop Wasteland and Shutter Island.
Apparently the books on the list were voted on by 291 crime novelists, editors, booksellers, librarians and other book lovers. I think they did a pretty good job placing these. If they want to put crazy Gone Girl as #1 and dark Mystic River at #2 … I think I’m okay with it, lol. What are your thoughts on the list? Do you have any recommendations?
The New York Times’ List of the 50 Best Thrillers of the 21st Century
- Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (book & movie)
- Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane (movie)
- In the Woods, by Tana French *
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson (book & movie)
- No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
- My Sister, the Serial Killer, by Oyinkan Braithwaite (book)
- The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore (book)
- Razorblade Tears, by S.A. Cosby (book)
- Slow Horses, by Mick Herron (TV series)
- Bluebird, Bluebird, by Attica Locke *
- Blacktop Wasteland, by S.A. Cosby (book)
- The Girl on the Train, by Paula Hawkins (book & movie)
- Case Histories, by Kate Atkinson (book)
- We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver (movie)
- Dare Me, by Megan Abbott
- The Lincoln Lawyer, by Michael Connelly (TV series)
- Shutter Island, by Dennis Lehane (book)
- 11/22/63, by Stephen King *
- Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn (TV series)
- Broken Harbor, by Tana French *
- Room, by Emma Donoghue (movie)
- The Constant Gardener, by John le Carré (movie)
- The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt (book & movie)
- The Dry, by Jane Harper (book & movie)
- Winter’s Bone, by Daniel Woodrell (movie)
- The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown (book & movie)
- Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty (TV series)
- The Perfect Nanny, by Leila Slimani (book)
- The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz (book)
- The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen (book)
- Defending Jacob, by William Landay (book & TV series)
- Notes on an Execution, by Danya Kukafka *
- The Witch Elm, by Tana French *
- The Likeness, by Tana French *
- All the Sinners Bleed, by S.A. Cosby *
- The Silent Patient, by Alex Michaelides
- Your House Will Pay, by Steph Cha (book)
- I Am Pilgrim, by Terry Hayes
- Fingersmith, by Sarah Waters *
- Dark Matter, by Blake Crouch
- Tell No One, by Harlan Coben
- You, by Caroline Kepnes
- Lush Life, by Richard Price
- Jar of Hearts, by Jennifer Hillier
- Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia *
- Before I Go to Sleep, by S.J. Watson (book)
- The Push, by Ashley Audrain (book)
- All the Colors of the Dark, by ChrisWhitaker
- Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
- None of This Is True, by Lisa Jewell
That’s all for today. I hope you all are enjoying your Sunday. August is flying by and sadly I’m not getting to the beach this month. I hope you are. Cheers.
I have read exactly half of the books on this list and enjoyed them all.
Hi Dorothy, that’s a good number. And there seems to be a good variety on this list. Glad you enjoyed them. Cheers.
Most of these thrillers I have enjoyed via movie or TV series adaptations. Read read, only 4 from the entire list, but I have many more on my TBR for someday. I agree with you that some choices were more literary fiction than thriller, but what do I know?! The Palm House was not much to write home about; I think you are interested in reading that one. It’s plotless and not in a good way, and I think you don’t like plotless much, if that helps. I’m reading The Intrigue and making good progress. Next is John of John, whose hold came from the library at the end of last week; I wanted to read the shorter Booker longlists first, but since you’re reading it I don’t want to be left behind. 😉 By the way, that deer family is precious. Don’t expel them, please! I’ve seen a few along the years, quite close too, but of course I don’t know how it is to host them in the yard and have them eating vegetables from my garden. 😮
Hi Carmen, glad to get your take on The Palm House … maybe I might skip. I have about 2 or 3 more days left of John of John. I plan to read Switzy on the Booker list … but other than that I might wait till the short list … unless you think there is something fabulous. Keep me posted on The Intrigue.
I guess I thought I didn’t read thrillers … but somehow I’ve read quite a few of these. And the deer seem to be doing all right … chomping away at night, despite my apprehension. Enjoy your reading!
I know I keep saying this, but I’m so jealous of your rain. I just checked my rain app and we haven’t had rain in 25 days. 🙁
Sweet mama deer. We’ve had a young buck in our neighborhood this summer. Thankfully, he’s not eating my plants. A big, fat bunny has been keeping our “grass” mown though, which is nice. We have a tiny patch of wild grass that pops up every summer. Not enough to buy a weed wacker, but it can get long, so I’m glad the bunny is visiting.
I’m looking forward to hearing your thoughts on John of John. It’s not on my summer reading list, but it’s on my top shelf, so I’ll get to it after Labor Day.
I highly recommend Tana French’s Dublin Murder Squad series. They are all excellent! I tried Bluebird, Bluebird on audio and couldn’t get interested. Might try the print edition some day. Oh, and 11/22/63 is outstanding. I rarely read ebooks, but did with this one since it’s so big. I’ve read a lot from the list, too.
Sorry you aren’t getting to the beach this month. I took a walk out along the bluff today and it was beautiful. I have to remind myself that we live in such a lovely spot here. Easy to take it for granted sometimes.
Hi Lesley, which rain app do you use? I think that’d be good for me to get.
We seem to have quite a few deer right now … just trying to keep them from too many plants near the house. Hope the bunny doesn’t raze too much.
I have a couple more days of John of John so we’ll see how it ends.
And yes I must try Tana French’s series sometime … and the King novel I heard is great. Glad you have liked these. I will keep them on my list.
Your coastline is amazing there … are there areas where people can swim?
Enjoy your reading. Cheers.
I use an app called RainDrop. I don’t have the Pro account, so I can’t view historical data, so I try to remember to take a screen shot at the end of the month. It does tell me rain year to date along with how low (or high) we are for the year. It also gives a forecast, which includes temp, precip, and wind. I find it worthwhile and pretty accurate.
There are a few beaches to the north and south of us where I see people surfing in wetsuits, but nobody really swims since the water is so cold. And, the waves can be very unpredictable and dangerous, especially if there are any logs hidden in the water.
Oh thanks for the info. I think I’ll get the app. It seems helpful. I’m curious about our rain amounts here.
And interesting to hear about the beaches there. I gathered that was likely the case. I did go to the Oregon Coast once circa 1990 … to the east of Portland. It was a pretty beach with picturesque rocks. I was visiting a friend at Lewis & Clark law school and we went there. A bit more wild than the beaches in Calif.
Hi Susan, thanks for sharing the NYT thriller list with us. I’ve read a number of these books and would recommend;
Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz
Defending Jacob, by William Landay
The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt – suprised it was listed as a thriller but but a big recommendation from me.
In the Woods, by Tana French – partially read this but loved what I did read and want to get back to it.
Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane – want to read this novel but a little nervous about it.
Hi Kathy, these are good recommendations, thanks! I have read The Goldfinch and Defending Jacob — both excellent. I wouldn’t say Goldfinch is a “thriller” but I enjoyed it a lot. I will try to get to the others you note here … especially the Tana French series … those have been on my TBR forever. Happy reading.
I looked at that list and counted 21 that I have read, but I did not approve of their including some authors more than once and, as you say, some of these books aren’t really thrillers. All the Colors of the Dark, for example, was one of the strangest and saddest books I ever read, although there was a mystery at its core.
I spent the weekend on Cape Cod with family. It is sort of amusing to see that my nephews have graduated from Percy Jackson to business books they think will help their aspiring banking careers (but less fun).
Hi Constance, you’ve read quite a few of these. Impressive that you made it through the very long All the Colors of the Dark …. and glad for your take on it. It seems different for sure.
And your nephews’s reading seems quite practical these days … though I didn’t get to read much back when I was full on into the career either, so can’t blame them. Enjoy your reads.
I’ve only read about a dozen of the list though I’m familiar with all the titles and authors, God of the Woods and All the Colours of the Dark are probably highest on my TBR.
I hope the deer take your rules seriously 🙂
Thanks for sharing your week, happy reading!
Hi Shelleyrae, I fear a bit the deer are taking over lol … there seem to be many of them as fall is approaching here …
And the two thriller books you mention are long reads. You’ll need a block of time to knock those off. Good luck whenever you get to them. Cheers!
If I label a book a thriller if it jerks me around emotionally and then keeps me filled with anxiety for days after I finish it, then, yes, I’d say Goldfinch and We Need to Talk About Kevin and Room and No Country for Old Men would be books I’d consider thrillers. It’s funny because these books are all books I felt very uncomfortable about reading, and the stories haunted me (not in a good way) for months. Just typing those titles reminded me how much I wished I’d never read those books, though they were unquestionably brilliant reads. Maybe I should copy this list and mark all of them personally as poison for my soul. I wonder if others have such strong reactions to these books.
Wow Deb, that’s a strong reaction. I did not read Room, or No Country for Old Men, or the Kevin book … as they seem too much for me as well. They probably are the most disturbing on the list. But the Goldfinch to me is different and I liked the boy’s coming-of-age journey and the writing quite a bit — it’s no thriller in my book unless they think Demon Copperhead is too which is a similar kind of boy’s journey. I think there’s quite a variety on this list … some are mysteries, some crime, some intrigue. Not all are harsh … but it seems it’s safe that you eschew thrillers as much as you can. We all have certain genres we don’t relish … to me it’s often sci-fi and fantasy. Cheers.
I’ve read about 10 of these and none of them I would consider a thriller — more like a good murder mystery. (I don’t think of murders as thrillers, unless kidnapping and torture is involved! And even then, it still sometimes falls into the mystery genre for me, depending on how it is handled). So, Magpie Murders? I think not. “Case Histories”? Nope. “The Goldfinch” — what were they thinking? And like you, I need to read Tana French.
Good luck on the deer. Last year they ate my sweet peas down to the nub!
Hi Jeanie, good point about the list … I would agree that various of the books on the list are more mysteries than thrillers, so go figure. And to see The Goldfinch and the Sympathizer on the list made me scratch my head. I hope we both get to Tana French’s Dublin series sometime. It’s been on my TBR forever.
Sorry to hear about your sweet peas … the deer razed my hostas to the nub too. Ugh. We’ll try to make it through fall. Cheers.
Laughing about your deer. They have relatives here in our area I think – ha! Yes, they are eating machines for sure. We have had them eat all kinds of plants, even ones that are supposedly deer-resistant (not sure that completely exists). Good luck!
Enjoyed reading the thriller list above. I will recommend that you try Tana French’s books, especially her Dublin Murder Squad ones. I didn’t like The Witch Elm as much as those. I have read at least half of the ones listed. Maybe 60%. Have fun trying ones you haven’t read!
Hi Kay, I agree … some of the “deer-resistant” plants are not really resistant at all. They’re like cotton candy to these deer, lol. I hope you are able to save as many of your plants as you can … the eating machines are coming more now that fall is nearing. hmm.
Good to know your take on the list … I definitely hope to get to Tana French’s Dublin series. The books sound very good … and I think they’ve been on my TBR for so long. Probably time now. Cheers.
I’ve read 22 of those on the list, almost all of them in the top 25…not sure how that happened. I’m familiar with many of the ones I haven’t read yet, especially because I read some of the same authors, and hope to get around to those someday. But like all of us, I keep getting overwhelmed by all the new ones that come out every year – especially if they are written by some of my regular go-to authors.
Love the deer pictures. We had about a dozen of them living just outside the neighborhood here that I used to see almost every day before some idiot company decided to clear the land buffer of brush and trees so that something could be built there…and then decided not to build, after all. Sadly, the deer are long gone now.
Hi Sam, it seems you’ve read a good number on the List. There’s some good ones right? I guess I should polish off the Tana French Dublin series sometime. I try not to read too many of the new thrillers these days.
It’s too bad to hear about the land clearing there … ugh. The modern world takes away so much wildlife habitat … there’s no where for animals to go, sadly … though they seem to be stocking up at my house.
Enjoy your reads.
In the Woods is great! A little unsettling at the end. And I really liked The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, The Lincoln Lawyer and My Sister, the Serial Killer. I’ve read a few other books on the list, but probably only like 8-10 in total. And I do read a lot of thrillers. Just apparently not these. ;D
Hi Lark, I’m glad you mention these titles. Good ones! I liked The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and My Sister the Serial Killer. And the TV series of Lincoln Lawyer. I’d like to read the Dublin Murder series … it’s on my list. You read some scary ones. Enjoy your reads. Cheers.
Momma dear is so cute, but yes I know what you mean about drawing the line. I use the Deer Mace and it works well, we just have to keep up with spraying.
I enjoyed The Plot, by Jean Hanff Korelitz and loved the sequel! I also loved Big Little Lies, the audio and mostly enjoyed the film series adaptation. Watched The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, the original version with subtitles. Not sure if I watched the 3rd installment. Was there one?
Hi Rachel, glad to hear about the deer mace … I need to get some for the plants. Even the deer-resistant plants are not safe!
You have read some good ones from the List. I remember reading the Dragon Tattoo books … and seeing both movies for the first book — the Swedish and American versions. But I didn’t see the 2nd and 3rd book movies … but apparently they were made in the Swedish versions. The American version went straight to a 4th book movie The Girl in the Spider’s Web in 2018 which I haven’t seen. Crazy right? How many versions there were.
The deer are photos are great. l know that they are pests but I wish I could get that close.
When I went through the list of top thrillers, I found only 10 I had read and 5 I want to read. And I read a lot of mysteries. But many thrillers are not enjoyable for me for many reasons. Too tense, too contrived, sometimes very uncomfortable. And most of the time I don’t even want to go there. So I was not surprised at my low numbers.
I agree that some of them are not thrillers. I agree with Constance that an author should have been on the list once only. I think Tana French is a very good writer and I have read all except one of her Dublin Murder Squad books, but she had four on there!
Hi Tracy, the deer are nice to look at … even though they eat so much.
I agree with what you say about thrillers … often being too tense or contrived … and it seems many mysteries are different than thrillers … so aren’t on this List. I think it’s okay to skip quite a few of these …. if you’re not too into thrillers per se.
And good point that an author should only make the List once! I need to try the Tana French books. Cheers.
I agree with you and Carmen that many of these would fall under literary fiction (for me). Also Lesley is spot on about Tana French but you’d have to be a fan of suspense/police procedurals. Love the settings in Ireland and I have read all of French’s Dublin Murder Squad as well as Witch Elm. That said, I do not like her Cal Hooper series, but I’ve read all her others.
Any by Jane Harper but they sure cast the wrong actor for the tv series to play AAron Falk
Gone Girl had that “over the waterfall moment” midway through when you realize – whoa! Like you, I have read it and watched it. Mystic River – I thought the book was better than the movie.
So many good books on this list for me to comment on but I’ve rambled on enoough. If you haven’t watched the mini series on 11/22/63 I’d recommend it as it follows the book fairly well.
Oh, the deer! When we lived in the country and had a garden we eventually bought a cheap bag of deer corn and placed it far away from the garden and house. They would focus there instead as it was easy pickings. Not sure if that would work for you in your area or it would encourage lots more deer to show up! But it worked for us.
Hi Tina, thanks for your good comments. I think I would like the Dublin Murder series … and should try them. They seem to have been on my TBR forever.
You didn’t like Eric Bana as Aaron Falk? Or was he just in the movie versions? Hmm. Maybe I don’t know the TV series.
I probably should read Mystic River. Lehane is a master of sorts. And Robert liked the book 11/22/63 a lot but I have gotten to it yet. Must read first but it’s a long one!
Interesting to hear about your deer corn … they like to eat at the bird feeders here which I think attracts them … I’m not sure it’d work here … as we could get hundreds more. But it’d likely distract them from the plants. thanks.
Happy reading.
Well now I need to go through that list and see what I have read! Lol.
I love the deer in the yard!!
Thanks Erin, the deer Mama is fun to watch here … with the two little fawns. You might have read some of these thrillers … or seen the movies.
Cheers.
I’m in L.A. and I don’t remember our last rain so I had to Google it!! April 14th! Downtown got rain on May 5th.
Here are the ones on the list that I have read and/or watched.
Gone Girl, by Gillian Flynn (Book 5 stars)
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson (I don’t remember if I read the book or saw the movie but I wasn’t impressed)
We Need to Talk About Kevin, by Lionel Shriver (book & movie 5 stars)
Sharp Objects, by Gillian Flynn (Book 1 star / TV series 5 stars)
Room, by Emma Donoghue (Book & movie 5 stars)
The Goldfinch, by Donna Tartt (Book 5 stars)
Winter’s Bone, by Daniel Woodrell (Book 3 stars / Movie 5 stars)
The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown (Book 5 stars)
Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty (TV series 5 stars)
You, by Caroline Kepnes (Book 5 stars)
The Push, by Ashley Audrain (book) – (Book 5 stars)
Hi Jinjer, Sorry to hear L.A. is baking with so little rain this past year, yikes.
It looks like you liked quite a few of these on the List … interesting to get your take. I agree some are 5 stars, right on! Did you try the Gone Girl movie? Usually the books are better … but I still like seeing some of the screen versions. We Need to Talk About Kevin movie and Room are Whoa! So intense. Thx for your thoughts.
Hi Susan, I sent a prior post but it didn’t arrive. So resending. Thanks for this list. Read a number of these thrillers and for me the standouts are:
Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz and I also liked Defending Jacob, by William Landay
I read about 100 pages of In the Woods, by Tana French amd I must finish it because what I read was gripping.
Mystic River, by Dennis Lehane is on my TBR
Hey Kathy : I just wanted to say so sorry your previous comment got hung up on my site for approval. Sometimes I dont catch those till late. My apology. I did respond to your first comment above. Thanks for your thoughts. I also have trouble at times putting comments on your site …. I don’t know if they go thru or if you see them waiting for approval. Oh the joy of web sites right?
I thought the NYTimes list was pretty good too, with some of my favorite thriller authors listed and doing well. I really need to read Gone Girl!
Love that you have the deer hanging out for a while, though I am sure them eating everything is annoying!
Hi Helen, Yes see what you think of Gone Girl …. it’s been a while now since it came out but it’s a doozy …. I think you saw the movie right?
The Mama deer was fun to watch with the fawns …. but now as fall approaches more & more deer seem to be around eating a lot. Hmm. I think the bird feeders attract them a bit. Enjoy your reads.
Love the photos of Mama and fawns–you are very kind to let them munch. I just let the dog scare off a huge flock of starlings that were feasting at the birdfeeders for way too long. We do have to draw the line somewhere!
I am picking up John of John this afternoon!
I have read only 14 of the books on the list, mostly Tana French, although I didn’t finish Witch Elm as it freaked me out so much.
Yeah, The Goldfinch was a lot of things, but it wasn’t really a thriller. The last few chapters don’t cancel out the mind-numbing time spent in Las Vegas.
Hi Jane, I despise when starlings flock and stay for days or a week … they are terrible. I gladly want them to leave. We had more this summer than usual, sigh. And the deer Mama & fawns we were nice to … but other deer we often have to move along. Too many deer coming now that fall is approaching, eating everything not tied down.
I’m almost done with John of John …. see what you think of it. I will (eventually) get to the Tana French Dublin books. a long time on the TBR. And I laughed at your response to The Goldfinch …. funny. Yes I recall the very long decadent & druggy chapters set in Las Vegas. Wasn’t sure the book would ever depart there, lol. But I made it through. Still I eagerly await Donna Tartt’s next venture … Goldfinch came out in 2013 so I suspect she will pop one out in the next year or so? Donna are you out there?? Cheers.
I have read, watched or heard of pretty much all of these. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Hena …. good to hear you know these thrillers. Most are pretty popular – either the book or movie or both. Hope all is well there.