The Millions has posted another update to its mathematical analyses of past award-winners. On Twitter, Millions founder Max Magee asked “Is this a list of the best books of the last 15 years?” As I’ve said before, this list is as good a gauge of the general critical reception as you’re likely to find. And it’s a fascinating list for what it reveals about the critical establishment. While books like Elizabeth Strout’s Olive Kitteredge and Marilynn Robinson’s Home have jumped into prominent positions, it’s still a list dominated by men. The top 10, in fact, is a full-on sausage fest. (Yeah, I went there. Deal with it.) As for whether they’re the best books, I don’t know. I haven’t read the first book on the list, Edward P. Jones’s The Known World, but I’m a big fan of the next three: The Corrections, Underworld and The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao.
In other news:
- The New York Times on Graham Greene and the movies. Well worth a read.
- Molly Flatt at The Guardian on whether novels can change people’s lives. I will say that no novel has ever actually changed how I live. They’ve been aesthetic influences, for sure, and they’ve provided me with entertainment and conversational fodder, but changed my life? I don’t think so. This isn’t to diminish their importance. I’d say the same about movies and music, too. Feel free to throw rocks at me in the comments.
- Click through to see Skylight Books’ awesome Pride window. I walked by it two days ago, and I couldn’t see it, but this photo makes clear how cool it is.
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Any list that can’t include God of Small Things isn’t complete. Certainly one of the 5 best books of the last 15 years in my humble opinion.