The Sunday Washington Post issued a set of "Best of 2011" lists, and in the Arts section listing of the 100 most notable books (50 in fiction, 50 in nonfiction), the Post fulfilled its annual tradition of promoting its own staffers. In the fiction category was Bloodmoney by Post columnist David Ignatius.
On the nonfiction list were Playing With Fire by Pamela Constable, The Triple Agent by Joby Warrick, Never Say Die by blogger Susan Jacoby and Rawhide Down by Del Quentin Wilber (on the 1981 Reagan assassination attempt). Former Post reporter Robin Wright was mentioned for Rock the Casbah (which was not about the Clash). The selections were made from among books that received book reviews from the Post, so this is a double-dip for Post staffers, a little publicity in the Christmas stocking.
Other newspaper reporters were also singled out. The New York Times was honored by mentions of financial-crisis books -- one by Gretchen Morgenson and one by columnist Joe Nocera -- as well as Alan Riding on Paris and Janny Scott on Barack Obama's mother. Time's Douglas Waller, former Newsweek writer Steven levy, and former NBC reporter Jeff Madrick were also included.
Other liberals on the list were Roger Ebert, Toure, Michael Lewis, Joan Didion, and Jimmy Breslin. None of the nonfiction works the Post recommended as "notable" were by conservative authors.
