So Much To Read, So Little Time To Do It!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                           Here I am, darlings, absorbed in Caleb Carr's present day serial killer thriller, "Surrender, New York," unable to tear  myself away from it, and what does The New York Times do, but remind me of how much more reading I have yet to do, this year.  On Wednesday, they published their list of "The 100 Most Notable Books Of 2016."  From this is culled "The Ten Best Books Of 2016," which, for me amounts to "The Five Best Works Of Fiction."

                           The big surprise for me is that "Swing Time," by Zadie Smith, made the list!  The Times was not kind to it, so who is Miss Smith buying off.  I still recall what a fuss was made over her first novel, "White Teeth;" so much so, I actually read it twice, convinced something was wrong with me.  Its greatness still eludes me.  So, I skipped her next book, "The Autograph Man," and had no intention of reading "On Beauty," until I discovered it was a riff on one of my favorite works, "Howard's End," by E.M. Forester.  Expecting it to be apiece of crap, I found myself captivated. So, while I admit Miss Smith can write, I am not trusting enough to keep up with her work.  And I freely confess I have not.  So. what she is doing on this list?

                            Let me first enumerate the 16 most noteworthy (in my estimation) titles.  I will follow this up with a post that I hope will combine what on the list I have read, and what I think should be on the list.  Am I going to predict The Times?  No, because there are some far fetched titles that do not bear mentioning, but I predict at least a few of those will turn up on the Fiction list.  So, here we go.

                            The Noteworthy Sixteen.
                            1. Barkskins, by Annie Proux--waiting on my table!
                            2. Before The Fall, by Noah Headley
                            3. Commonwealth by Ann Patchett--have GOT to read it!
                            4. Everybody's Fool, Richard Russo--love Russo, but, hey never read the predecessor, so how can I read the sequel????????????
                            5. A Gambler's Anatomy, by Jonathan Lethem--another author I need to keep up with!!!!!!!!!!!!!
                           6.  Here I Am, by Jonathan Safran-Foer--how can I possibly ignore this one?????
                           7.  The Little Red Chairs, by Edna O'Brien--I have picked this one up several times, but will wait to see how it fares on the list, before I read it!
                           8. Moonglow, by Michael Chabon--hey, it's Michael Chabon! 'Nuff said!
                           9. My Name Is Lucy Barton, by Elizabeth Strout
                         10. The Nix, by Nathan Hill
                         11. The Sport Of Kings, by C.E. Morgan
                         12. Swing Time, by Zadie Smith--will I HAVE to read it??????????????
                         13. Today Will Be Different, by Maria Semple--I want to see where she goes after "Where'd You Go, Bernadette?"
                         14.  The Underground Railroad, by Colson Whitehead--not a favorite, but I have heard much buzz on this one!!!!!!!!!!!
                          15.  The Vegetarian, by Han Kang--exotica enough to captivate me!!!!!!!!!!!!
                          16.   Zero K, by Dom De Lillo--one just can't ignore him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                          So, that is what I think rates getting on the list.  The unremarked books are the ones I read, which I will deal with next, as well as what I think may should be on the list.

                            Happy Reading, Girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!