Four Top Ten Best Books lists are now available, giving us an opportunity to see if there is any critical mass. Library Journal released theirs yesterday, following Publishers Weekly‘s and the Amazon editors‘ lists. In addition, the National Book Award’s 5 fiction and 5 nonfiction finalists can be considered a top ten (winners will be announced Wednesday night).

Reflecting a diversity of tastes, a total of 35 titles get nods and no title appears on all or even three of the lists.

Two titles received two picks each. Anthony Marra’s debut A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, (RH/Hogarth) is a top ten for both LJ and PW (it was on the NBA long list, but is not a finalist). James McBride’s The Good Lord Bird, (Penguin/Riverhead; Dreamscape Audio; Thorndike) is a PW Top Ten and a National Book Award Award finalist.

Author Rainbow Rowell is having quite a year. Her Y.A. debut, Eleanor & Park, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s), which came out in February, is a Top Ten pick for both PW and Amazon (as a YA title, it is ineligible for LJ‘s list). Her second book, Fangirl, (Macmillan/St. Martin’s), which followed in September was chosen as the #1 LibraryReads title for the inaugural September list. UPDATE: Thanks to Sarah for pointing out in the comments that Elearnor & Park is Rowell’s debut YA title. Her first novel, published as an adult title, was Attachments, (Penguin/Dutton, 2011). We’ve corrected the post to reflect that. We should also note that Rowell’s next book, Landline (Macmillan/St. Martin’s Press), coming in July, is also an adult title (or, as the author says on her blog, it’s adult “To the extent that it’s about people in their 30s“).

The smallest press to appear on the top ten lists is McPherson & Co. which PW recognizes for Sea of Hooks by Lindsay Hill,  a debut they’ve championed throughout the year, featuring it as one of their  “Big Indie Books of Fall 2013,” giving it a starred and boxed review, calling it “The Most Underrated Book of 2013,” and interviewing the author.  McPerson has received national recognition before. In 2010, Lord of Misrule, by Jaimy Gordon made a sensation as the dark horse winner of the NBA in fiction.

See if your favorites made any of the lists, download our 2013 Top Ten Picks.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 15th, 2013 at 9:42 am and is filed under Best Books 2013. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.