Best Books of 2005

[verbminx]

It being nigh-on December, the Best Books of 2005 lists are starting to come out. They're posting them at Bookslut as they find them, and I'm going to compile 'em right here.

Book that seems to pop up often or most (but that wasn't one of the Booker nominees) is Hilary Mantel's Beyond Black... it's on my "to read" list but quite a lot is ahead of it. Maybe I should bump it higher on the list. Also want to read Barnes's Arthur and George.

The New York Times Notables

London Times

The Guardian *

Christian Science Monitor


* note annoying pretentiousness of Chuck Palahniuk contribution. I Am Jack's Complete Lack of Surprise.

Comments

[monkeyman.livejournal.com]

Yeah, you can just hear the subtext, "And that is where all my books would reside." Pretentiousness with a huge dollop of ego.

It's like the moment in Dante's Inferno, where the occupants (mostly great philosophers and artists, as I recall) of the comfiest circle of 'hell' say to him, "You'll be here with us some day."

[verbminx.livejournal.com]

*sigh*

Exactly.

I liked Fight Club, but... I don't think the Imperator is working with a full wardrobe, here.

[monkeyman.livejournal.com]

I've never really bothered to read it. Someone lent me a book of his short stories once, and I was annoyed halfway through the first page. I made it through a story or two, but I wasn't enjoying myself at all. And I'm finally at the point where I'm too old to finish a book that isn't entertaining or informing me. ;)