I’ve seen the list and have a lot of thoughts but find it hard to articulate them without sounding peevish. The list is very American (understandable; given the publication) but I feel there are many books missing, including some Australian books. Also some Irish books!
I guess it’s a fool’s errand to definitively name the “best” books because who decides what is best, and what is criteria?
It was fun to think about what would be on my list, but ultimately I decided I could only name my favourites, which is quite different to pronouncements about what is best.
I’ve got a lot of thoughts about that list from NYT, first and foremost being that it didn’t seem to have any books that were…fun? On first read through it felt very pretentious. Those books were all so serious, from what I could tell.
And this is going to make me add How to Solve Your Own Murder to my monthly TBR! I’m only reading Aardvark selections this month, and that’s one of theirs!
I have been stewing over “The List” all weekend! Hard agree on the genre erasure, and perhaps a place for Babel was too much to hope for, but I felt personally attacked by the exclusion of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell!
Great choices!
I’ve seen the list and have a lot of thoughts but find it hard to articulate them without sounding peevish. The list is very American (understandable; given the publication) but I feel there are many books missing, including some Australian books. Also some Irish books!
I guess it’s a fool’s errand to definitively name the “best” books because who decides what is best, and what is criteria?
It was fun to think about what would be on my list, but ultimately I decided I could only name my favourites, which is quite different to pronouncements about what is best.
It did what the NYT wanted: drive traffic and conversation!
True!
What is *the* criteria!
I’ve got a lot of thoughts about that list from NYT, first and foremost being that it didn’t seem to have any books that were…fun? On first read through it felt very pretentious. Those books were all so serious, from what I could tell.
And this is going to make me add How to Solve Your Own Murder to my monthly TBR! I’m only reading Aardvark selections this month, and that’s one of theirs!
Writing about joy is not easier than writing about sadness.
I had never heard of Aardvark till this week and now I see it everywhere!
They’re still pretty new, but their selections are so good!
I have been stewing over “The List” all weekend! Hard agree on the genre erasure, and perhaps a place for Babel was too much to hope for, but I felt personally attacked by the exclusion of Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell!
I spent the week stewing over the absence of long bright river.