Ten Books, Two Women

The Times Book Review has announced its list of the ten best books of the year. Eight of them are by men, including all five of the novels (and Philip Roth was not among them).

Congrats to Alex Ross for making the list with The Rest is Noise. That book is a wonderful introduction to the music--classical music, I suppose one should say--of our time, written with the warmth and pluralistic outlook that grace his columns and blog. It's reassuring to know that the Times Book Review sees its worth. If anyone can bring this kind of music back into the cultural conversation, it's Ross.

The rest of the list looks equally worthy. Still, it's a surprise to see so few women on it.