Now Is The Time To Deal With "The New York Times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

                              What hell hath this newspaper wrought now?

                              Having had several days to process all this, I am now able to deal with "The New York Times Ten Best List Of Books Of 2017."  Each year, it seems they up the ante on mistakes.  Remember when "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali made the Ten Best List?  If published today, it would not have.

                               And don't even get me started with the omission of "Golden Hill," by Francis Spufford.   Not only did it fail make to make the Ten Best, which it should have, it did not even make the 100 Most Notable Books List!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Is there any excuse for that, now??????????

                                 As for what actually made the list this year, well, all I can say, if Joan Didion wasn't a confirmed drunk already, seeing this list might have driven her to become one, had she not been.  If I was not diabetic, I would seriously consider it.

                                  But first a review.  Let's start with what I thought SHOULD have made the list:

                                   1. Home Fire, by Kamila Shamsie
                                   2. Lincoln In The Bardo, by George Saunders
                                   3. Manhattan Beach, by Jennifer Egan
                                   4. Golden Hill, by Francis Spufford
                                   5. Sing Unburied Sing, by Jesmyn Ward

                                    And if one of these did NOT make it, then "White Tears,"  by Hari Kunzru.

                                    Now, a review of what I thought The Times WOULD List:
                   
                                    1. American War, by Omar El Akkad
                                    2. Exit West, by Moshin Hamid
                                    3. Fresh Complaints: Short Stories by Jeffrey Eugenides, by Jeffrey Eugenides
                                    4. Lincoln In The Bardo, by George Saunders
                                    5. New People, by Danzy Senna

                                    Again, to remind you, I am concerned primarily with Fiction.  I leave the Non-Fiction to others.  I have enough to deal with here, as it is.

                                      So, how did I do?  Pretty bad!  Frankly, The Times list sucked!

                                       Here is what THEY chose:

                                       1. Autumn, by Ali Smith--While I have heard good things about this, where
                                           was this pulled from?  It is the first of a series, meaning once having
                                            read this, the reader is committed to the series.  Some author gimmick,
                                            I say.  Ahh.........and I just got done with Elena Ferrante!!!!!!!!!
                                         
                                     

                                       2. Exit West, by Moshin Hamid--Oh, come on!  If you are going for
                                            political, "Home Fire" or "Lincoln In The Bardo" easily beats
                                            this thing out. Did not do a thing for me.  So, why am I not
                                            surprised it is on the list?

                                        3. Pachinko, by Min Jin Lee--Is this The Times' nod to populism?
                                             I mean, this is the author who wrote "Free Food For Millionaires,"
                                             which I understood to be Asian chick lit; one step, granted,
                                            above Lisa See, but really???? So, now I have to read BOTH????

                                        4. The Power, by Naomi Alderman--Remember  "The Sellout," by Paul
                                             Beatty? Who ever heard of it, until it made the list?  Same with
                                             "The Power."  If it wasn't on here, who the hell would go near
                                             it?  I'd rather read "Anthony Adverse" again!  Now, THAT is
                                             a novel!

                                         5. Sing, Unburied, Sing, by Jesmyn Ward--The most remarkable thing
                                             is Ward breaks the second novel jinx with this book.  The other
                                             surprise is it is actually good, which makes me wonder how it
                                             ended up here. Maybe the Gothic elements grabbed a staffer,
                                             as it did me.  And her style is admirably Faulknerian!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        No poetry, no short story collections--what the hell is going on here?  Hey, Times, I have news for you--you are turning from a newspaper of note to a rag, and maybe your Book Review staffers, male and female both, are on the rag!!!!!!!!  If you don't bring me on soon to restore some integrity to this list, we will run the danger of seeing the likes of Nora Roberts, or Janet Evanovich, turn up on the list!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        Remember, once Jacqueline Susann was considered trash.  NOW, she is literature!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                         Get with the program, "New York Times."

                                          Or, better, disregard their list, and listen to MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                           That's all, darlings--for NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!