Best books lists: what are you reading?

I love to read so I get that question a lot. The irony is, I’m in two book clubs and I review books for work, so I rarely have time to choose the books I’m reading.

Yet I still obsess over my mushrooming reading list on my Blackberry. If I hear or read about a book that interests me, I’m compelled to add it. Just like my DVR saved programs screen, my book list is full of unmet potential.

Sigh.

But I won’t stop adding books to my list because, unlike TV, it’s never too late to read a great book, no matter how long ago it was published. I fantasize about a mild illness or subtle injury that causes very little pain and discomfort but keeps me laid up in bed for days on end. Or maybe it’s the fabled desert island where I’ll bring my pile of books to devour in the sun.

Someday.

In that spirit, I offer you fellow book lovers a terrific list I found last month. Many magazines, websites and newspapers offer their own best books of the year lists, but books are so subjective, and there are so many to consider in a year, it’s difficult to find one list that’s agreeable to all.

But this Flavorwire link is the mother of all lists. They compiled a tally from 14 great book sites– from Publisher’s Weekly to the New York Times to The Daily Beast– and then named the books that were listed most often in all the lists combined.

I’m embarrassed to say that the only book on the Flavorwire big list that I’ve read is Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl (which I loved.) But I was so jazzed by some of the other titles, I brought them to my book club meeting and hopefully will get to read a few in the coming months.

I’m most pumped to delve into Kevin Powers’ The Yellow Birds, Jess Walters’ Beautiful Ruins, and Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, by Ben Fountain.  Thoughts?

I have so little time to read for pleasure that I hate to waste it on flimsy fiction. Check out the Flavorwire list on the link above and let me know if you’ve read any of the books and whether you’d give a green or red bookmark… and tell me in the comments.

Happy reading!