The also-reads
The books that made it onto the New York Times Books Review’s DeRothdike-heavy list of the best works of American fiction of the past 25 years needed more than one nomination from the 125 writers polled. Well, wondered the curious folks at Critical Mass, “the blog of the National Book Critics Circle board of directors,” what of the books that got only one nomination?
CM dug around to compile a partial list of the also-rans. Not surprisingly, it is slightly more diverse than that of the winners, with authors like Donald Barthelme and Isaac Bashevis Singer mixed in among the Anne Tylers and the Michael Chabons.
The list’s one real eyebrow-raiser is John Irving’s The Cider House Rules – not for its inclusion, but for who nominated it: one John Irving. “I voted for myself, suspecting that, otherwise, I might not receive a single vote,” Irving admits. “We all know presidents vote for themselves, and they do far more harm than writers do.”
They get paid better for their books, too.
Related links:
Read Critical Mass’s list of uni-nominated American books
