Book Lists

What is it about TOP TEN lists that seduce readers? When the New York Times or The Boston Globe print their top ten books of the year, or such library tools as Library Journal or Booklist print their lists, I am always checking to see if I have read these titles and if I agree with their ratings. I look forward to these lists and often choose my own readings based on them. So when I came upon the review of a new book titled The Top Ten: Writers Pick Their Favorite Books edited by J. Peder Lane, I immediately went to the web site (toptenbooks.net/list.html) to see who the 125 writers who responded chose as their favorites. It is beyond interesting to see what titles writers such as Jonathan Franzen, Alice Hoffman, John Irving, Ha Jin, Claire Messud, Annie Proulx or Anita Shreve pick as their 10 favorites. This list should keep me busy for years until the next Top Ten list appears somewhere else and I am side-tracked again. The adage, “So many books, so little time” is oh, so true!