Now a total of three books by author Jesmyn Ward have been placed on The New York Times’ best books of the 21st century. She’s a native of DeLisle, a small town not far from Pass Christian. She’s landed the No. 33 spot for “Salvage the Bones” and the No. 30 spot for “Sing, Unburied, Sing.”

The Times' list seeks to catalog what it defines as the most important, influential books of the first quarter of this century.

The New York Times has released a list ranking the 100 best books of the 21st century. NBC News' Ellison Barber sits down with New York Times Book Review Editor Gilbert Cruz to discuss how the list came to be.

The New York Times has been gradually revealing its picks for the best 100 books of the 21st century, and the complete list is now here. More than 500 writers, critics, and others weighed in, with Italian author Elena Ferrante (a pseudonym) getting top honors for My Brilliant Friend of 2012.