Friday, February 27, 2009
So-Called Best Books of 2008
For the heck of it, I looked up the 100 best books of 2008 to see how many (actually how few) I've read.
Who the hell picks these?
From Amazon, the editors' picks
NYT, Notable Books of 2008 (unnumbered)
Washington Post, Holiday Guide - Best Books of 2008 (unnumbered)
And that's it. Either I'm not well-read, or I'm reading the wrong books, or I have different tastes than people who read best sellers.
I'm going with the last one.
Who the hell picks these?
From Amazon, the editors' picks
- #58. Anathem, Neal Stephenson (Actually I haven't read it yet, but I bought it, I love Stephenson, and its close to the top of my queue. I'm including in because I feel a bit guilty about how my reading doesn't overlap with anyone else's)
- #38. People of the Book: A Novel, Geraldine Brooks (same status as Anathem)
- #73. Losing It: And Gaining My Life Back One Pound at a Time, Valerie Bertinelli
- #86. Anathem, Neal Stephenson
NYT, Notable Books of 2008 (unnumbered)
- The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, Leadard Mlodinow
- This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, Drew Gilpin Faust. (On my stack. Actually a different stack - this one I'll be reading for my killology studies)
Washington Post, Holiday Guide - Best Books of 2008 (unnumbered)
- This Republic of Suffering: Death and the American Civil War, Drew Gilpin Faust.
And that's it. Either I'm not well-read, or I'm reading the wrong books, or I have different tastes than people who read best sellers.
I'm going with the last one.
Comments:
Well, you're dong better than I am. I only read one out of the entire list (though two more are on my wish list). I'm almost ashamed to admit it was Breaking Dawn of the Twilight series. Not because I think there's anything wrong with the series (I loved reading the series). It just sort of highlights the fluff I tend to like to read.
I skimmed Twilight. I was at a weekend family reunion, and someone left the book unattended. Silly person. That means the book gets passed around until you can reclaim it. So I "read" it in about an hour, and really liked it, but not enough to fork over the cash for the next three books.
I have nothing against fluff. I just wish that I had more money to pay for it. (and time to read it)
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I have nothing against fluff. I just wish that I had more money to pay for it. (and time to read it)
