Booked by 3

The NY Times announced its 10 Best Books of the Year. And of course, there's the list of the 100 Notable Books chosen by the NY Times. I can't list all 100 here (well, I could, but it would make for a very long post), but I will list the top 10.

FICTION

ABSURDISTAN
By Gary Shteyngart. Random House.

THE COLLECTED STORIES OF AMY HEMPEL
Scribner

THE EMPEROR'S CHILDREN
By Claire Messud. Alfred A. Knopf

THE LAY OF THE LAND
By Richard Ford. Alfred A. Knopf

SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS
By Marisha Pessl. Viking

NONFICTION

FALLING THROUGH THE EARTH
A Memoir.
By Danielle Trussoni. Henry Holt & Company

THE LOOMING TOWER
Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11.
By Lawrence Wright. Alfred A. Knopf

MAYFLOWER
A Story of Courage, Community, and War.
By Nathaniel Philbrick. Viking

THE OMNIVORE'S DILEMMA
A Natural History of Four Meals.
By Michael Pollan. The Penguin Press

THE PLACES IN BETWEEN
By Rory Stewart. Harvest/Harcourt

1. Have you read any of the top 10 or any from the 100 Notable Books list?

Nope, not a one of them. I recognize about 75% of them as books that I've cataloged, and I paged through several of them, especially the nonfiction (looking at the pictures). But, no--strike out completely!

2. Are any of these books on your To Be Read list?

I'd like to read Stephen King's new one eventually, and maybe Yehoshua's. The book on reading like a writer looks good too...and I like Jane Gardam but didn't know she had a new book out this year.

3. Is there any book listed you think shouldn't be a Notable Book or one that you think should have made the cut?

I'm surprised Eat, Pray, Love was on the list; I read a lot of really negative reviews of it. Otherwise, no. I can't keep track of when books were published, so I can't say there was anything missing. Did the James Tiptree book really come out this year? Seems like ages ago!