We're grateful that picking a best book of the past 125 years is tough

There’s so much literature from across the centuries to be grateful for that any best-of list will inevitably disappoint more than a few of us.

That said, some bookworms can’t resist trying to come up with some answer to the question of which book is the best of an era, a genre, or any other category you can dream up.

For the New York Times Book Review, the category at issue is the past 125 years — i.e., the length of time it has existed.

Last month, readers were invited to nominate top titles from that era; now, they’re invited to pick up to three from the shortlist of twenty-five to determine an overall winner.

Voting is now open for the best book of the past 125 years, and along with each title, you’ll see an excerpt from a nominator and from Book Review coverage.

And for more traditional Thanksgiving reading material, we present these posts from the archive ...

• A Thanksgiving tradition: Holiday reading recommendations 

• You tell us: What should we read for Thanksgiving?

• Thanksgiving eve fun and games 

• Test your Jane Austen feast knowledge

• Thanksgiving stories from L.M. Montgomery, Louisa May Alcott 

• Mark Twain audio series may whet your Thanksgiving appetite

• Thanksgiving thoughts from beloved authors