Read it or Weep

The National Book Award winners for 2008 have been announced and tops of the fiction mountain is Peter Matthiessen for his book, Shadow Country. 

I say mountain because there were 271 fiction works submitted for consideration by the National Book Foundation for the award. Can you imagine reading 271 books in a year??

I realize the panelists aren’t reading all of them, but I’m still feeling woefully inadequate. I mean, I’m a lightweight when it comes to number of books consumed in general and specifically those considered to have literary merit.  I always make a New Year reader’s resolution to put more of the award-winning, critically acclaimed titles on my bedside table. Some actually do sit there. . . and sit there. . . and sit there. . .

Well, I guess I’ll just have to add Shadow Country  to my list. And Matthiessen’s previous National Book Award winner for non-fiction, The Snow Leopard.  And another finalist from 2003 that someone just told me I should read, The Devil in the White City  by Erik Larson. <sigh>

Maybe I’ll start working through the list of Caldecott winning books first. I’ve already read a couple of those. (Kitten’s First Full Moon – excellent! Make Way for Ducklings – loved it!!)

—Julie