Final answer:
The book titles mentioned are an example of nominal data because they are categories without inherent order and do not imply any ranking.
Step-by-step explanation:
When considering whether a set of data is nominal or ordinal, we need to define the characteristics of each. Nominal data consists of names, labels, or categories. It cannot be arranged in an ordering scheme. On the other hand, ordinal data includes categories that can be organized in a meaningful order, but the differences between the categories are not defined or measurable.
In the case of the book titles mentioned such as This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz, Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple, NW by Zadie Smith, Building Stories by Chris Ware, and The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling, the data is nominal. These titles are categories without inherent order. They are simply names of books and do not imply a ranking or sequence. Time magazine may have labeled these books as some of the best fiction books in a recent year, but the data presented does not specify a rank; thus, it remains nominal.