Choosing the Top Ten Books of 2020: A Nearly Impossible Task
The best of the best
Oh, the Editorial Stress!
It happens every year, this task that must be as difficult as a tropical ant hiking to Antarctica. How would you ever choose the “Best” books of 2020?
The New York Times does it every year. This year, it was a little different from previous years. Subscribers could watch a virtual announcement before the list was released. (If you’re a subscriber, you can still see it.) The event was produced by Mindy Kaling and featured Pamela Paul, the Editor of the New York Times Book Review along with other editors who discussed their choices.
Criteria for the editors choosing a book doesn’t depend on whether they agree with a book or not. It doesn’t depend on how they feel about the author. What DOES matter is that it stands on the merits of prose and storytelling and that the book transcends “the moment” to stand the test of time.
Choosing One Hundred Is Easier
Before the top ten best books are selected, the NYT staff chooses 100 Books of 2020. Still a gargantuan task, but not as hard as narrowing it down to just ten books.
If you’re a reader, you know how hard it is to respond when someone asks you about…
