Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Bests and Notables?

Why?

Oh dear. I have been skimming the Internet looking at the many lists of Best Books of 2012. From New York Times's One Hundred to GQ's Twelve, there is nary a one that I have read. At least on Amazon's 100 Top Sellers list there are two I have read:  Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and Getting Things Done by David Allen. As those were published long ago I don't think they count as notable books of 2012. 

On all those lists, there isn't even a book that I think I want to read. There are stories of Iraq and the brutalities of war, depression, broken marriages, broken lives, broken cites. Add to those subjects middle-class decline, brutality, dystopian futures, addiction, loss, and betrayal and it isn't any wonder that not one of these "Bests" is on my bookshelf. 

Oddly enough, all of these tales full of drama and trauma did lead me to put one book, that is supposed to be deft and amusing, on my reserve list at the library: Why Does the World Exist?: An Existential Detective Story by Jim Holt.




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