The 100 Best Books of the 21st Century.
As voted on by 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from the staff of
The New York Times Book Review.
NYT Article.
*************
Q: How many of the 100 have you read?
Q: Which ones did you love/hate?
Q: What's missing?
Here's the full list.
100. Tree of Smoke, Denis Johnson
99. How to Be Both, Ali Smith
98. Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
97. Men We Reaped, Jesmyn Ward
96. Wayward Lives, Beautiful Experiments, Saidiya Hartman
95. Bring Up the Bodies, Hilary Mantel
94. On Beauty, Zadie Smith
93. Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel
92. The Days of Abandonment, Elena Ferrante
91. The Human Stain, Philip Roth
90. The Sympathizer, Viet Thanh Nguyen
89. The Return, Hisham Matar
88. The Collected Stories of Lydia Davis
87. Detransition, Baby, Torrey Peters
86. Frederick Douglass, David W. Blight
85. Pastoralia, George Saunders
84. The Emperor of All Maladies, Siddhartha Mukherjee
83. When We Cease to Understand the World, Benjamin Labutat
82. Hurricane Season, Fernanda Melchor
81. Pulphead, John Jeremiah Sullivan
80. The Story of the Lost Child, Elena Ferrante
79. A Manual for Cleaning Women, Lucia Berlin
78. Septology, Jon Fosse
77. An American Marriage, Tayari Jones
76. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, Gabrielle Zevin
75. Exit West, Mohsin Hamid
74. Olive Kitteridge, Elizabeth Strout
73. The Passage of Power, Robert Caro
72. Secondhand Time, Svetlana Alexievich
71. The Copenhagen Trilogy, Tove Ditlevsen
70. All Aunt Hagar's Children, Edward P. Jones
69. The New Jim Crow, Michelle Alexander
68. The Friend, Sigrid Nunez
67. Far From the Tree, Andrew Solomon
66. We the Animals, Justin Torres
65. The Plot Against America, Philip Roth
64. The Great Believers, Rebecca Makkai
63. Veronica, Mary Gaitskill
62. 10:04, Ben Lerner
61. Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
60. Heavy, Kiese Laymon
59. Middlesex, Jeffrey Eugenides
58. Stay True, Hua Hsu
57. Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich
56. The Flamethrowers, Rachel Kushner
55. The Looming Tower, Lawrence Wright
54. Tenth of December, George Saunders
53. Runaway, Alice Munro
52. Train Dreams, Denis Johnson
51. Life After Life, Kate Atkinson
50. Trust, Hernan Diaz
49. The Vegetarian, Han Kang
48. Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
47. A Mercy, Toni Morrison
46. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
45. The Argonauts, Maggie Nelson
44. The Fifth Season, N.K. Jemisin
43. Postwar, Tony Judt
42. A Brief History of Seven Killings, Marlon James
41. Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan
40. H Is for Hawk, Helen Macdonald
39. A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan
38. The Savage Detectives, Roberto Balano
37. The Years, Annie Ernaux
36. Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
35. Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
34. Citizen, Claudia Rankine
33. Salvage the Bones, Jesmyn Ward
32. The Lines of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst
31. White Teeth, Zadie Smith
30. Sing, Unburied, Sing, Jesmyn Ward
29. The Last Samurai, Helen DeWitt
28. Cloud Atlas, David Mitchell
27. Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
26. Atonement, Ian McEwan
25. Random Family, Adrian Nicole LeBlanc
24. The Overstory, Richard Powers
23. Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage, Alice Munro
22. Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Katherine Boo
21. Evicted, Matthew Desmond
20. Erasure, Percival Everett
19. Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe
18. Lincoln in the Bardo, George Saunders
17. The Sellout, Paul Beatty
16. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Michael Chabon
15. Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
14. Outline, Rachel Cusk
13. The Road, Cormac McCarthy
12. The Year of Magical Thinking, Joan Didion
11. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Junot Diaz
10. Gilead, Marilynne Robinson
9. Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
8. Austerlitz, W.G. Sebald
7. The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead
6. 2666, Roberto Bolano
5. The Corrections, Jonathan Franzen
4. The Known World, Edward P. Jones
3. Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
2. The Warmth of Other Suns, Isabel Wilkerson
1. My Brilliant Friend, Elena Ferrante
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Use this as an excuse to dump a bunch of Hatchetfield headcanons, go wild.
Wow ok here we go:
-Ted Spankoffski is a pineapple pizza enjoyer.
-While we’re on the topic of Ted, Tinky definitely keeps clumps of his hair in a bag somewhere.
-Like Richie, Steph used to have dyed hair at some point.
-Becky Barnes is very much an animal person. She definitely got multiple pets once Stanley was gone.
-I didn’t create this headcanon, but I just adore it: Duke named his cat after Miss Holloway.
-Paul likes ice Carmel frappes. He just orders black coffee because it’s easy for Emma.
-Alice Woodward listens to Chappell Roan religiously.
-Webby’s favorite brother was Wiggly. They used to be really close.
-Miss Holloway definitely had the gift even before she made the deal. She saw Webby and stuff.
-Ruth is a Hamilton fanatic.
-Despite the fact that he didn’t make it, Pokey loves the phantom of the opera. He tries to make Paul be Cristine. He hates it, obviously.
-Xander Lee is John’s husband.
-Max and Stephanie were childhood friends.
-Lex and Ethan are bi4bi
-The nerds cosplay together. Ted takes them to conventions and teases them about it, but he secretly loves going.
-Miss Holloway runs karaoke nights at the diner. Her and Duke do duets together.
-Richie’s favorite food is the Miku ramen.
-Hannah Foster likes the Percy Jackson books.
-Also, Hannah didn’t speak until she was like 10 or 11.
-Charles Coven had involvement with Peip. He knew John and Wilbur.
-Nibbly is either the best cook ever or burns everything he touches. No in between.
-Shelia Young and Linda Monroe are both heavy red wine drinkers. Also, Shelia knows the Murrays through the church so she definitely knows Linda.
-I’m not really sure about this one, but I think it would be cool if Miss Holloway was related to the Waylon family.
-Max is secretly a musical theatre enjoyer.
-Kyle isn’t in the best of you scene because Grace killed him before Jason.
-Grace learned how to bury bodies from watching the Jerries. Or perhaps she learned from her mother.
-Benji, the kid who was said to have been able to talk to dogs in yellow jacket, was Scrags from the solve it squad.
-Blinky is an avid smut reader.
-Hannah made Ethan a bracelet. It’s his prized possession.
-Grace used to have a crush on Alice.
-Wilbur Cross has green eyes, like bright green. Idk that he doesn’t. I think he should.
-Charlotte makes her own sweaters. She gave the CCRP gang ones for their birthdays. Bill and Melissa love theirs. Paul hates his. Ted pretends to dislike his, but he’s glad that she made him one.
-Melissa and Woman are gay and in love.
-The reason that Webby taught Hannah how to play the ukulele was because her brother Pokey taught her how to play instruments.
-Linda’s mom was definitely a honey queen.
-Pete is really interested in space. I think it suits him, but also know he can be the space bastard to Ted’s time bastard.
-Forever and Always!Paulkins adopt a dog and multiple kids.
-Nibbly’s human forms are inspired by past honey queens.
-Zoey and Zach used to be very close as kids.
-Steph is very good at makeup. She practices her skills on Pete.
-Some movies Miss Holloway likes are labyrinth and the princess bride. She will not watch a movie made past the 90s. Brenda calls her old.
-Paul doesn’t hate Moana. He is the only one who knows all the lyrics.
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YOUR SONG • THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY (season 1)
Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, Ben, Viktor
just imagine these songs being in the OST and playing during those “scenes” ;) you’re number 8 btw. english isn’t my first language so sorry if you spot any mistake. enjoy ☂️
LUTHER
/ your power : telepathy /
"I'm going to miss you..."
"I'll miss you too..."
Against his broad chest, you held back your tears as his hand gently caressed your scalp.
"We'll talk every night, won't we?"
"I promise..."
You pulled away and looked at him for a long time. He fixed his gaze on your lips, weighing the pros and cons of his intentions. Just as he was about to close the distance between you, your father burst into the room.
"It's time to go, Number 1. Clear out, Number 8, this isn't the time to distract him."
Luther finally planted a quick kiss on your cheek, leaving you breathless, a terrible frustration swelling within you.
Days, months, and years passed. Every night, you would retreat to the roof to gaze at the moon, talking to Luther thanks to your telepathy ability. You often fell asleep first, and Grace would come to cover you with a blanket when the nights grew a bit chilly. Luther loved to hum a song, Flares, as if to remind himself that you would always be there for him, sending him out flares.
DIEGO
/ your power : see the future /
A soft light filtered into the gymnasium's basement. A faint music coming from upstairs woke you up. You grumbled and stormed up the stairs. Wearing nothing but an old t-shirt belonging to your brother—and, incidentally, your boyfriend (no, thankfully, it’s not incest)—you flung the door open and saw Diego dancing with a mop in the ring. You burst out laughing, which made him jump.
"Am I dreaming, or are you laughing at me?"
You tried to respond, but tears were welling up in the corners of your eyes. Bent over with laughter, you suddenly felt warm droplets splash across your face: he had just splashed you with the mop. You stared at him for a long moment and jumped on the ring trying to catch him.
A wild fight ensued, in rhythm with the music, with the floor becoming extremely slippery due to the water. You delivered several kicks at him, which he blocked with the broomstick. It was a fight worthy of a Bruce Lee movie. Since both of you were very skilled in martial arts (and because you could anticipate each of his moves thanks to your power of visualizing the near future), you lowered your guard to let him win for once. Diego grabbed you by the waist, and you both tumbled near the entrance.
You ended up on top of each other, just like in all those wonderful clichés. Just as Number 2 was about to kiss you, the boss of the place stormed in. He flew into a rage and rushed toward the radio. Unfortunately, he slipped and crashed face-first onto the floor, making you both burst out laughing. Well... you had to clean up everything afterward, and in silence. Still, those moments of total hilarity were and still are the best ...
ALLISON
/ your power : water manipulation /
Having become a renowned actress, Allison traveled extensively. As for Patrick, he worked a lot. You were the perfect candidate to look after Claire. Having left the Umbrella Academy at the same time as your sister, you were inseparable, and whenever she returned from a shoot, you were so happy to spend time together.
Claire adored you, and you managed to calm her tantrums easily, greatly relieving Allison.
One evening, as your sister came home late, you put Claire to bed. She was having trouble falling asleep. So, you waved your finger over a glass, filling it with fresh water, and placed it on her nightstand. Then, with a soft and soothing voice, you hummed the lullaby Wendy sings to the Lost Boys in Peter Pan, her favorite cartoon. It was a routine that worked every time. Allison arrived in the middle of your performance and deliberately stayed behind the door to listen. Once Claire was asleep, you chuckled.
"I know you're there," you whispered.
"I know you know." she giggles.
"I heard a rumor that you stop spying on me."
"You know I can’t help it. It’s adorable. Thanks for everything."
You chuckled and rolled your eyes. It didn’t bother you at all. You went downstairs and opened a bottle of wine to celebrate her return. Patrick left you two alone, and you silently thanked him because these moments with your sister were the best.
KLAUS
/ your power : animal metamorphosis /
It was an evening like any other. Or at least, that’s what you hoped. You were waiting for Klaus outside the nightclub he was in so you could take him home. You preferred to be the one who did so rather than letting him leave alone in a terrible state. As the agreed-upon time had passed, you sighed and stormed out of your car. You entered the club without any difficulty, as the bouncer recognized you immediately. It had its perks to be a member of the Umbrella Academy back then. You searched the entire club for Klaus and finally found him on the rooftop. He was shouting incomprehensible things while walking along the edge of the building. You rushed to join him.
"Klaus, get down. Right now," you ordered, pulling on his sleeve.
"Oh Y/N, I’m so happy to see you!" he chirped, his persistent sniffles confirming to you that he had relapsed again.
"It’s not funny, Klaus, you could..."
Before you could even finish your sentence, he slipped off the edge of the building and fell into the void. Immediately, you transformed into a falcon and dove toward the ground, but it was too late: he had already crashed. Blood was pouring from the back of his head, but that didn’t stop you from kneeling beside him and resting his head on your lap.
"Damn it, Klaus..." you cried, pressing your forehead against his. "You’re such an idiot..."
It was as if your world had just collapsed, all because of some damn white powder and a brother who was a little too dependent. Suddenly, he took a huge breath, coming back from the dead. You were completely shocked.
"Oh! I knew you’d catch me. You always catch me," he chuckled, pressing his temple against your chest like a little child.
And then he fell asleep. You were stunned and took him back to your car. He had been dead... and then alive. High but alive. You didn’t quite understand what had just happened, and you never talked to him about it until he discovered his ability to resurrect in 1963. That explained a lot …
FIVE
/ your power : healing /
Since Five disappeared, not a day had passed without you searching for a way to find him. You studied all sorts of science books, looking for theories on time travel or anything related. Then, you expanded your research to history books, wondering if he might have done something that left a mark on time. When you were too tired to read, you helped Viktor make peanut butter sandwiches just in case he reappeared.
After leaving the Umbrella Academy when you came of age, you continued your research, scouring every library. But what you didn’t know was that a certain organization known as The Temps Commission had taken an interest in you and was considering recruiting you. Whether it was for your relentless determination, your knowledge of time travel, or your healing abilities, you could only be an asset.
When The Handler found you in an aisle of the Dallas Central Library, you immediately accepted her offer. If anyone had information on Five, it would be them. But your disappointment was immense when you found no trace of him once you were there. That didn’t stop you from continuing your search for many years, so much so that, after a while, Herb secretly helped you through the Infinite Switchboard. And that’s how you found Five, in the middle of the apocalypse. Having no right to interfere with the timeline, you begged The Handler to recruit him as an agent, just like you.
"I’ll think about it," she had said, even though she had already been watching him for 30 years.
Then, one fine day, you were summoned to The Handler’s office. Five was there too.
"Five, I present to you your partner, Y/N Hargreeves. Well, you already know each other. I’ll leave you to it."
She left the room, leaving you two standing there, arms hanging by your sides.
"I found you," he let out.
"I found you," you replied. "I trusted the signs, so I made my way back to you somehow."
"Pathetic," he chuckled, though a smile tugged at his lips.
"I'm glad to see you too, Five," you sighed, smiling just as much.
BEN
/ your power : invisibility /
As Ben was reading, an upbeat music filled the house. The 11-year-old boy went to the living room and saw Grace and you dancing the Rock'N Roll while laughing. Mom was teaching you some steps, her eternal pristine smile fixed on her face.
"Oh, Ben, you’re here! Do you want to give it a try?"
You jumped at the sight of your brother and suddenly disappeared, your cheeks turning red.
"Y/N, show yourself…" Grace sighed, amused.
"Yeah, you were doing great!" exclaimed the young boy.
You reappeared, looking at him with hesitation.
"Really?"
"Cross my heart!"
"Alright, kids, let's continue! Take my hand and follow my steps!"
So you listened to him, dancing awkwardly on the living room carpet. Your siblings watched you from the walkway. At one point, Ben let go of Mom and made his tentacles appear. He began making sort of waves in rhythm, which made everyone laugh. Your father and Pogo were in the surveillance room. The chimpanzee glanced at his master: he was smiling discreetly. Eventually, all the other children came to join you, even Viktor, who had always felt excluded. These moments of joy and freedom were rare. Your gaze met Ben's, sparkling. So, this was happiness.
After Ben's death, whenever you felt sad, your radio would turn on by itself to play that eternal song, warming your heart. Much later, Klaus told you that Ben's ghost had been watching over you and, not wanting to scare you, this was the most discreet way to comfort you.
VIKTOR
On this September 6th, 1997, everyone felt relaxed because it was Saturday, and every first Saturday of the month was a day off for the Umbrella Academy. No training until Monday. Of course, the children were encouraged to study, but that was certainly not on your mind, nor on Viktor's. As you were watching TV, sitting on the floor, a news flash interrupted your documentary on Canadian otters. Lady Diana's funeral was being broadcast live from London.
"She was so beautiful," you sighed, resting your chin on your knees, which were encircled by your arms.
"I'm sure it wasn't an accident," Viktor murmured conspiratorially, looking absent-minded.
His pale face suddenly lit up, and he immediately straightened.
"Look! It's Elton John!"
Immediately, you pressed your little noses against the screen to watch the singer enter the abbey. The presenter announced that he was going to sing a final tribute to his late best friend.
"Move away from the screen, you'll hurt your eyes," Grace gently instructed, holding a tray filled with cookies.
“Mom! Can you record this, please?" you exclaimed without even turning around.
“Of course, Number 8," she replied.
"Imagine if we could play this song ! You with the violin and me with the piano !" you giggled.
Viktor nodded with a large smile, still absorbed by the man's performance. Ever since, you've watched repeatedly the tape Grace made you, learning the partition thanks to your perfect pitch. You'd usually play along to distract your father who appreciated it. Oh he never said so but his silence was quite approving.
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Masterlist
★ Also, if requesting please add what gender you would like if it is for NSFW!! (Gender neutral is okay too!)
★ Btw! Please, do not spam like my posts!
★ from this point on, July 20 2024, I will STOP writing for bands. Extremely sorry but it makes me uncomfortable to be writing about real, living people. I will continue to do games however!
★last updated: September 15, 2024★
Before we get into this, info for requests and such!
★ I do nsfw, angst, fluff, ECT.
★ I do NOT allow/do racism, homophobia, rape, icky bodily fluids, anal, beastiality, etc.
★ I will do character x character, character x reader, character x character x reader!
★ hope this makes sense!!
+ if I missed anything I'm so sorry!
----------------★---------------
Bands I do
Guns n Roses
Mötley Crüe
KISS
Hanoi Rocks
Megadeth
(No longer writing bands)
Other
Call of Duty mw2-mw3
Red Dead Redemption 1-2
----------------------★-----------------------
Mötley Crüe
All of them together x reader
Mötley x reader hc's
🖤Nikki Sixx🖤
Sick mötley x reader
Mötley dealing with you being drunk
Taking care of him after tour
Fourth of July with mötley
You pampering mötley
Big ol' crybaby
Doing so good
⛓️Mick Mars⛓️
Sick mötley x reader
Mötley dealing with you being drunk
How to take care of him after tour
Fourth of July with mötley
Please, stay
Bubble bath- with cats?
Peachy Keen
You pampering mötley
Mick Mars x Reader injury (appendix, I think)
NSFW hc's
🌜Vince Neil🌛
Sick mötley x reader
Mötley dealing with you being drunk
Fourth of July with mötley
You pampering mötley
NSFW Alphabet
❤️🔥Tommy Lee❤️🔥
Sick mötley x reader
Mötley dealing with you being drunk
Fourth of July with mötley
You pampering mötley
You're still beautiful
🥀Terror Twins x Reader💣
Terror Twins x Reader hc's 1
Terror twins x Reader hc's 2
Terror Twins x reader hc's 3
Terror Twins x reader hc's 4
Terror Twins x reader hc's 5
Terror Twins x reader hc's 6
Sick!Terror Twins x reader hc's
My turn
So, so good
Cuddle..sex?
Calm down, ey?
(y'all are so hungry for Terror Twins omg...)
Hanoi Rocks
🌚Razzle🌝
Late night kisses
🕸️Sami Yaffa🕸️
NSFW Alphabet
Such a tease, huh?
KISS
💫Paul Stanley💫
Snow
Guns n Roses
🎩Slash🐍
Do you love me more?
They fell asleep with your kid
❤️Axl Rose💋
They fell asleep with your kid
Axl x Kurt Cobian sister!Reader hc's
NSFW Alphabet
Cold baby?
Bad day?
🎸Duff McKagan🎸
They fell asleep with your kid
🚬Izzy Stradlin🚬
Sick as a dog
Sweetheart
They fell asleep with your kid
🍿Steven Adler🍿
The, fell asleep with your kid
Paradise City
NSFW Alphabet
Megadeth
🍃Dave Mustaine🍃
Your not my baby
Tour rat
NSFW Alphabet
Dating Dave head cannons
Call of Duty (COD)
🦴Alex Keller🦴
Coming soon!!
🖤Simon "ghost" Riley🖤
Reader with sensory issues
💣König💣
Dating him head cannons
Roommate könig
🧼John "Soap" Mactavish🧼
Coming soon!!
🌜Farah Karim🌛
Coming soon!!
🥃John Price🥃
Coming soon!!
🦎Nikto🦎
Red Dead Redemption (2)
Coming soon!!
🦌Arthur Morgan🦌
If they were parents
🦬Charles Smith🦬
If they were parents
🃏Dutch Van Der Linde🃏
If they were parents
🐀Micah Bell🐀
If they were parents 2
🎸Javier Escuella🎸
If they were parents
🐎Kieran Duffy🐎
If they were parents 2
🐺John Marston🐺
Coming soon!!
🖤Jack Marston🖤 (1911)
If they were parents 2
🪶Eagle Flies🪶
Coming soon!!
🍷Molly 0'Shea🍷
If they were parents
🔪Sadie Adler🔪
If they were parents
🪻Abigail Roberts🪻
Coming soon!!
☘️Sean Macguire☘️
If they were parents 2
Character x Character
Coming soon!!
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