The Top Books of 2016

Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

The Italian writer Italo Calvino defined a classic as “a book that’s never finished saying what it has to say.” This year, The Times’s daily critics reviewed nearly 250 titles. What follows are their lists of the fiction and nonfiction books that most moved, excited and enlightened them in 2016 — books that, in their own ways, are perhaps not finished saying what they have to say.

The New York Times has three daily book critics: Michiko Kakutani, Dwight Garner and Jennifer Senior. Because they review different titles, it is impossible for them to compile a single unanimous Top 10 list. They have favorites, however, and are happy to have a chance to list them here. There is also a list from Janet Maslin, who has stepped down from full-time reviewing but remains a frequent contributor of reviews to The Times.

The critics have presented their lists in rough order of preference.

The Origin of Just About Everything, Visualized

SLIDE:1 / OF14. Caption:Caption:The Origin of (Almost) Everything is a visualized science book that explains the origin of (almost) everything, like dark matter.JENNIFER DANIEL/NICHOLAS BREALEY

THE WORLD IS full of simple questions that have complicated answers. For example: What is the universe made of? Why do we have wax in our ears? And where exactly does belly button lint come from? “There are so many great scientific origin stories out there,” says Graham Lawton, features editor at New Scientist.

In his new book, The Origin of (Almost) Everything, Lawton worked with designer Jennifer Daniel to unravel dozens of life’s biggest mysteries. Lawton crafts the narration while Daniel handles the infographics. Together they’re able to answer nagging questions that have inspired centuries of scientific inquiry.

The Origin of (Almost) Everything doesn’t look like a typical science book. It’s friendly and colorful. Its blocks of text and ample images, makes it read more like a magazine than textbook. “We wanted to almost invent a new genre of science book,” Lawton says. Origins is divided into six sections—the universe, the planet, life, civilization, knowledge, and inventions—with each page dedicated to a different topic.