If you’ll recall, when we started this blog, my initial hare-brained scheme was that we would all get in on the wacky internet meme going around at that time – namely, we would each read 50 books in 2005 and write about them. I quickly realized that if I was to have any company here at all, that whole 50 books thing was going to have to go out the window. And it did. So while not really taking it very seriously, I decided to keep track of my books just to see how I would measure up against that arbitrary yardstick. It turns out if I could have squeezed in two-and-a-half more books, I would have been there. If you are interested, here is a link to my 2005 list of books read (not including the half that I couldn’t finish). I can’t imagine reading any more than I did this year. I have no idea what I typically read in a given year, but this felt like substantially more than average. That’s a good thing. Read more »
First of all, let me extend large props to DJ Cayenne for setting up this blogtastic experience for all of us. This opportunity to exercise my First Amendment rights actually encouraged me to read more books than ever before (by my count, I finished over 25 this year). Now I don’t have to cower in the corner when I’m at a fancy party and people start talking about books, because I’m almost like those people.
While I had bad experiences with a number of my selections this year, I can definitely come up with seven books that deserve “best of” status. Here they are, in order:
1. (Tie) The Confessions of Max Tivoli and The Kite Runner
2. How I Paid for College
3. Home Land
4. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
5. Suspect
6. A Million Little Pieces
There were plenty of honorable mentions, but I’ll try to be like the DJ and cap it at the ones that I think I can recommend without qualification.
Happy New Year everyone. I hope that you have all resolved to make your blog bigger and better in ‘06 by increasing your participation. If not, add it to your list now – we’ll wait.
You may have missed it, but last night scientists added a leap second to the atomic clocks that measure official time. Steve Martin writing as Bill O’Reilly explains why liberals love the atomic second and why that’s bad for America.
Books | Tim | 
January 2, 2006 10:10 am | 
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