Flavorwire

Earlier this week, The New York Times published their annual list of 100 Notable Books, just in time for the holidays. While we can’t deny that every book on the list is a great pick, 100 is a pretty big number, so in case you don’t have the time or eye-strength to plow through their monster list, we’ve distilled it to the essentials, at least according to us. After all, while you probably don’t have 100 people on your holiday gift list, you probably do have 10, and you’ll find a little something for everybody here. Click through to see our favorites from their list, and let us know which of these you’re psyched to read — or which of the 100 you’d have chosen instead.

Mr. Fox, Helen Oyeyemi

This unusual, surrealistic adaptation of the Bluebeard fable tells the interwoven tale of a writer, the eponymous Mr. Fox, who is addicted to killing off the heroines of his novels. He soon becomes trapped between his questionably-real muse and his definitely-real wife as the former gives him a taste of his own medicine by forcing him into the role of the character rather than the creator. Bonus: check out the list of twisted fairy tales Oyeyemi curated for us!