A Few Good Books

KW

Around about this time each year, we start seeing wrap-up stories ~ the best of this, the worst of that. The ones that interest me most are the ones about books. Who says people don't read anymore? If they didn't, why are there so many books being published? This list alone, from the wonderful nerds over at NPR, boggles the mind with its breadth and ~ well, length: http://apps.npr.org/best-books-2015/
   Now. what would you guess was the best-selling book of 2015, as determined by its sales on Amazon.com? Go Set a Watchman? Something by Erik Larson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, or Anne Tyler, perhaps?: http://www.cnn.com/2015/12/09/living/best-selling-books-amazon-feat/
   Here's a list of five books recommended by PRI (Public Radio International) reporters ~ and you know that's going to be an eclectic and maybe even obscure lot: http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-12-08/five-great-books-you-should-think-about-reading-2016
   from The Atlantic's editors and writers: http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/12/the-best-book-i-read-in-2015/419529/
   from Vulture: http://www.vulture.com/2015/12/10-best-books-of-2015.html 
   Huffington Post reviews: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/best-books-2015-fiction_566078cce4b072e9d1c5035b
   Some new ones to look forward to, compiled by USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/books/2015/12/06/new-and-noteworthy-books/76464466/
   What would any grouping of literature reviews be without an entry from The New York Times?: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/12/02/books/review/best-books-of-2015.html?_r=0
   Then, there are those reviews that read more like books in and of themselves and from which one can learn all sorts of fascinating things beyond the quality of the tome in question: https://nplusonemag.com/online-only/book-review/ride-the-lightening/
   An interesting thing is how few books are on all the lists and how many differences there are among said lists. So finally, for those who'd rather not compare and contrast them all, the best of the best-of lists, according to the Wall Street Journal: http://graphics.wsj.com/best-of-the-best-books-2015/ and Quartz: http://qz.com/566945/what-critics-agree-are-the-best-books-of-2015/