It's That Time of Year

It's that time of year again, when various publications and outlets tout the "best books" of the year. I do like reading the lists and checking off books I may have missed. I sometimes think that the lists include books that are over-hyped and under-whelming, but overall I always enjoy looking them over. If you need any gift ideas, these lists will help you make your choices.

My favorite of the list-makers is NPR. I enjoy how they categorize their top picks, with headlines like Sherlockian Mysteries and Books That Stick. Click here for that list.
This weekend, I settled in front of the fire for a nice long read of the 2011 100 Notable Books List from the New York Times. I look forward to this one every year, because it inevitably fills up my own wish list for Christmas. This year's version reminded me, for the 10th time, that I want to read The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta. Definitely adding that to my holiday vacation reading stack. Click here for that list.

Finally, Barnes and Noble has its own list of the top 2011 books. Yes, I take this one with a grain of salt (are they pushing certain books that need sales help?), but I agree with many of the selections. In the category of Quirky, Beautiful, Different, for example, is one of my favorite books of the year - Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty by Andrew Bolton. Stunning. Click here for that list.

I will also give you some gift guides for the holidays. However, my lists will contain books that were not necessarily published in 2011. Rather, I'll give you a guide to my absolute favorite books from each genre, regardless of their age. First list coming up tomorrow!