The Losers Awards.

The problem with taking a day off and promising something big the next day is that, well, you should provide something exciting the next day. I hope I didn't promise too much, but here goes...

So, hot on the heels of all the Best Books of 2008 lists, all the awards lists have now started coming out. Two in particular that I checked out were the National Book Critics Circle Award Finalists, and the American Library Association 2008 Notable Books. (Okay, three lists; I also perused the New York Times Notable Books list when it came out.)

In a word? Snore.

In a few more words: Really, New York Times? You're really calling Philip Roth's novel Indignation and Thomas Friedman's Hot, Flat, and Crowded "notable"? How do I come to work for your books page and start phoning it in for the big bucks?

Okay, of course, there's good books on all of those lists. The people who chose them are people after my own heart--book critics and librarians. And yes, just because a book gets a lot of press and sales attention, doesn't make it bad. To steal yet another line from Broadcast News, "I grant you everything." But I have to say it: these lists, along with the National Book Awards lists, totally put me to sleep. Come on, Jane Mayer's The Dark Side and Dexter Filkins's The Forever War? Would they have to be on all the lists? Patrick French's long biography of V.S. Naipaul, The World Is What It Is? Did anyone actually make it all the way through that book? And how that Mark Harris book Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood keeps making it on these lists, I don't know. I mean, it was okay, but it wasn't all that thrilling. I can't say the fiction choices on either list did a ton for me either. I'm so tired of seeing Marilynne Robinson's name, I can't tell you.*

I don't know why these lists have left me feeling so cantankerous. But they did leave me with the very strong impression that we need some new, or at least some different, types of book lists. So, without further ado, I would like to present the (patent pending) Citizen Reader List of the Year's Most Wrongfully Ignored Books of 2008.** For short, I'm thinking of calling them simply the "Losers," as I didn't find them on many other award lists. Here goes!

The 2008 Losers, Nonfiction

The Oxford Project, Peter Feldstein and Stephen J. Bloom. Feldstein photographed all 700 residents of Oxford, Iowa, in 1984, and re-photographed as many as he could 25 years later.

The Limits of Power, Andrew Bacevich. If Jane Mayer's political book The Dark Side is on every "best list," this succinct title should be there as well.

The Food Life: Inside the World of Food with the Grocer Extraordinaire at Fairway, Steven Jenkins. Longtime Fairway manager and cheese guru Jenkins ruminates on the New York chain and his love affair with food.

Confessions of an Eco-Sinner: Tracking Down the Sources of My Stuff, Fred Pearce. British journalist Pearce investigates where all his stuff, including his gold wedding ring and his food, comes from.

The Lives They Left Behind: Suitcases from a State Hospital Attic, Darby Penney and Peter Stastny. Historians re-create the lives of long-term mental health hospital residents by examining their suitcases, which were found in the hospital's attic.

The Dangerous Joy of Dr. Sex and Other True Stories, Pagan Kennedy. A charming group of essays about the man who wrote "The Joy of Sex," as well as more personal subjects.

Trailer Trashed: My Dubious Efforts Toward Upward Mobility, Hollis Gillespie. Contains one of the most perfectly formed essays I've ever read.

Home Girl: Building a Dream House on a Lawless Block, Judith Matloff. Matloff and her husband buy a fixer-upper in Harlem and set about making it home.

Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir from an Atomic Town, Kelly McMasters. McMasters grew up in a Long Island town perilously close to a government research lab with spurious environmental practices, and examines its affect on her hometown and its residents' health.

Vanishing America: The End of Main Street Diners, Drive-Ins, Donut Shops, and Other Everyday Monuments, Michael Eastman. An unsettling but beautiful photography book.

The Great Derangement, Matt Taibbi. Again, listmakers, if you're desperate to list a political book, why not this one??

The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, Vincent Bugliosi. I'm not surprised no one had the balls to list this one. No one had the balls to review it in the first place. And yes, it's a totally partisan choice. But if you want to read one book that proves why W. is a very bad man, this is that book.

Gang Leader for a Day: A Rogue Sociologist Takes to the Streets, Sudhir Venkatesh. Venkatesh is a little in love with the sound of his own voice, but I ask you: who just walks into the projects in Chicago and asks to witness gang activities? Fascinating and unsettling.

Caught in the Middle: America's Heartland in the Age of Globalism, Richard Longworth. Everything you need to know about our country's lack of a manufacturing base, basic economics, and immigration, all in one book.

Hubert's Freaks: The Rare-Book Dealer, the Times Square Talker, and the Lost Photos of Diane Arbus, Gregory Gibson. Gibson spins tales of a seedy, lost, and wonderful New York City, with great empathy and gentleness.

The 2008 Losers, Fiction

A Country Called Home, Kim Barnes. Reviewed earlier this week.

Suzy, Led Zeppelin, and Me, Martin Millar. A softly beautiful novel about love, friendship, Great Britain in the 1970s, and Led Zeppelin.

Frida's Bed, Slavenka Drakulic. A short but meaty novelization of the life of Frida Kahlo.

Crime, Irvine Welsh. A British cop coming off a tragic case takes a holiday in Florida to get away from his problems, and stumbles on a pedophilia ring.

She Was, Janis Hallowell. Doreen Woods's past and her inadvertent crime as a Vietnam War protestor catches up with her.

Honorable Mention for the Best Book That Looks Like a Kid's Book but Isn't, 2008:

Hatched: The Big Push from Pregnancy to Motherhood, Tanen Sloane. Okay, it's a 2007 book, but I just found it this year. Pregnancy, hilarity, and little yellow chickens. Need I say more?

So, there you have it. My list of Losers that deserved much, much more attention than they got. How's about it? What books do you feel were unjustly ignored this past year?

*And no, I didn't read her newest novel Home, but her novel Gilead was so boring it put me to sleep, after which I woke up and threw it across the room.

**In other news, all links at Citizen Reader now go to Powell's online book store. I don't get any kickback or anything, I just wanted to start linking to the (independent) Powell's rather than the (behemoth) Amazon. Also, Amazon's pages take forever to load lately and have been pissing me off for quite some time.

Comments

[Heidi]

Just checking in - it's been awhile since we've e-chatted. Thanks for this list, and the reminder about The Lives They Left Behind, I'm going to pick that up today!

[sherry (nite swimming)]

I think you should spend more time thinking of a better name for your lists. The books you've singled out for attention are far from losers. Once you have a better name, I'm going to post your lists in the side bar of my blog -- if that's OK with you.

Thanks for recognizing the need for real lists of notable/exceptional books and for taking the time and effort to create something useful.

BTW - a couple of the books on your nonfiction list were also on IndieBound lists that are generated by recommendations of indie booksellers.

Also, I too refuse to link to amazon from my blog. Amazon is not only killing off bricks and mortar bookstores, big and small, it's moving in on electronics and all kinds of other retail. It's robbing local and state economies of much needed tax revenue.

[Becky]

I swear you and I were separated at birth. I too completely don't understand the Marilynne Robinson fuss. I find her books so so so so dull....Thanks for the good list of losers.

[Jessica]

Thank you! This was awesome.

I was so pleased to see I had read three books in a row off your list: The Great Derangement, The Prosecution of George W. "I didn't vote for him" Bush for Murder, and Gang Leader for a Day. Then I remembered that I read these books because you reviewed them. Go figure.

...But... you didn't *like* Gilead?

[Eva]

Fun list-thanks for putting it together! I tend to ignore the print Notable Books, just because there seems to always be a certain standard.

[Citizen Reader]

Hi Heidi! Good to hear from you. Be careful not to read "The Lives They Left Behind" if you're in a pensive mood at all--it's such a sad (but good) book. Let me know what you think of it!

[Citizen Reader]

Sherry,
Oh, there's no doubt I should take more time with everything I do. (Half-assed should be my middle name.) Unfortunately, once you pick a title, Typepad is very unforgiving about letting you change it. And part of the fun of the Losers Award is that these books so obviously aren't losers--except to the book reviewers who ignored them. I can't help it. Nothing I do can be easy, and I just can't go along with the boringness of the "Best Books" heading. This list is officially called The Most Wrongfully Ignored Books of 2008, if that's any better; otherwise, if you'd prefer not to link to the Losers title, I completely understand.

Yeah, Amazon. It's like anything else. Okay in moderation, but it's just becoming too big. Also: I respect that Powell's often offers a used variation of titles for sale.

And--thank you for the note about the Indie lists. I'm totally going to go check those out.

[Citizen Reader]

Becky, my long lost twin,
Tee hee. I don't think Robinson's bad, I just don't quite understand the huge fan base. But then there's lots of popular authors I don't understand--Mitch Albom, Jodi Picoult, James Patterson, etc. But I'm always glad to find a kindred spirit in you.

Eva:
Your "certain standard" descriptor is about right for these award lists. Every year I think they're going to surprise me but they never do, sticking with the same old stolid history, current affairs, and bio choices they always stick with. Come on, listmakers, how about some memoirs? Some good investigative nonfiction? Some big beautiful photography books? Work with us here!

[Citizen Reader]

Hi Jessica!
How did you feel about the three books you read? You can be honest; I don't mind if you didn't like them, I'd just like to hear your reactions. Particularly to the Gang Leader one.

And no, sadly, Gilead was not for me. I don't think it was a bad book, but it just had too much overt religion in it. I like my religion hidden under layers of fly fishing and tragedy, a la Norman Maclean.

[Peter Feldstein]

Thanks for listing us as losers. I'm glad you noticed. But our book has done really well for a book of its kind and we're not finished yet.

Peter Feldstein, co author of The Oxford Project.

[Citizen Reader]

Wow, Peter Feldstein! Might I just say thank you for your spectacular book? My earlier review said much better things than calling your a Loser (although I meant that as the highest compliment). Your book actually stopped time for me. I'm so glad to hear it's doing well--which it deserves to do--but I still say it's a crime you're not on that New York Times Notable list.

[Tripp]

No love for the Forever War? Too bad! Great idea and great list!

I'm equally attracted and repelled by Crime. It looks great, but I think I may need to shower after reading. You really liked it?

[Greg Gibson]

Thanks for the plug for Hubert's Freaks. I'm sorry it made your list, but glad you liked it.

[Citizen Reader]

Dear Greg:
I was sorry your book didn't make the NY Times list either. Ridiculous. They should know better--your story is about their city, for chrissakes! For those of you so inclined, please also consider Gibson's Gone Boy: A Walkabout, which my friend the Laundress (http://thelaundress.blogspot.com) recommended highly and which I hope to read this year.

[Citizen Reader]

Tripp,
I actually didn't read "The Forever War" yet--I'm still on hold for it. I'm sure it's fine, I'm just annoyed when all these lists just cover the same titles.

I really liked Crime. The subject matter was very ugly, granted, but the book itself didn't make me feel as dirty as most Jodi Picoult novels or Oprah books make me feel. It was the first Irvine Welsh I've been able to finish since Trainspotting, which I also really loved and felt was strangely upbeat as a reading experience (even though its subject matter was also ugly). Let me know if you read it and what you think, okay?

[Tripp]

CR,

Sure, there is a boring sameness to many of the lists and the notion of "best" is hard to define. I like what you have, which is a list of books you are most likely to gift/evangelize/promote.

I will certainly let you know what I think about Crime, should I become bold enough to read it!

[The Laundress]

Cutie, YOU ROCK and your list by far outshines any others. GREG GIBSON -- You and anything you write will ALWAYS be on my favorites lists. Thanks to you, I have spent the last three months spelunking through Moby Dick and a half-dozen whaling memoirs and assorted whale histories. Dewd, you have your finger on some really weird but completely thrilling pulses!

tl

[Kim Barnes]

Thank you for the shout-out! It's an honor to be in such good company.

Kim Barnes
A Country Called Home

[Citizen Reader]

Wow, hello, Kim Barnes!
Now that several authors have popped in I am starting to feel rather bad about the Losers title of this list. Please be assured I think your book was anything but. Thank you so much for writing it. I hope your next novel makes that NY Times list, since obviously their reviewers were nodding off and wrongfully missed you this year.

[sarah]

Fascinating how the authors "found" themselves - I wonder if they Google daily? I think you are becoming THE alt place for books. You could have an online salon.

[Savvy Working Gal]

I have this habit of checking your blog after reading 50-100 pages of a book just to see what CR thought. I'm reading Gang Leader and really liking it, but had to snicker when I read this guy is in love with his own voice. I thought so too. For an investigative reporter he talks a lot.

[Citizen Reader]

Savvy,
That's one of the nicest compliments I've ever gotten, that you would check this blog re: what you're reading. Thank you!
Yes, Venkatesh. I really kind of enjoyed him (although I think you might prefer an earlier book of his, titled something like The Underground Economy. Less flashy, but more thoughtful and eye-opening, I thought).
I think the talking a lot and having a lot of self-confidence probably stood him in good stead in the neighborhood where he hung out for this book. I don't think it's any environment in which to be timid. Let me know what you think of the whole book when you're done!