A Momentary Taste of Being

100 Greatest Nonfiction Books

10 Japanese Writers you should know--or not Well, at least contemporary--it would seem a shame to ignore Soseki, Kawabata, Tanazaki, Basho, Shonagon, Murasaki, Issa, and countless others--but this is a nice short photo guide to 10 who might be worth your interest.  Ryu Murakami gave rise to a book that in turn gave rise to one of the most disturbing of all of the Japanese or Asian horror films-- Audition .  Hmm, but what of a list that does not include Yoko Ogawa?

An annotated reading list

50 Quintessential British Novels   For me the list fails by the omission of Iris Murdoch and Henry Green-- Loving may be THE quintessential British novel.

A TOR books poll lists them I have to admit to really liking Scalzi's Old Man's War , to not yet having penetrated the length of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell and to being relatively ignorant of the rest.  So, I must make headway in the list and see if my tastes still coincide with those of the insiders.

Believer lists five for the year, including James Hynes's Next. Indeed, I thought next a powerful novel.  I'm not sure it qualifies for underappreciated from most of the reviews I've read, but it is good to see it on a list likely to promote others to read it.

You are asked to name the 10 greatest poets My list according to their rules: Rumi Basho Li Po Tu Fu Shakespeare Keats Yeats Eliot Wordsworth Stevens Now to order them Oh well. I can't.  Let's just say this forms the top ten in my estimation. And I have to say that it is a quickly considered top ten--not one with great thought behind it.  So. . . perhaps I should think more and post again.  Though I probably won't.

An interesting discussion-starter list of American Fiction

Most Useful Cultural Archives A nice list of where to go online for some really spectacular information.  Also via Books Inq.  I think.

Ten greatest philosophers Rene Descartes and John Locke are the only ones referenced from the Modern Era.  I'd be interested in the opinions of any itenirant philosophers out there.

Prof. Myers comments on the list of most essential Jewish Fiction

50 Essential Works of Jewish Literature One can't help but feel a little disappointment to see Judy Blume on the list but not Jane Yolen (particularly, but not limited to The Devil's Arithmetic

Books notable for their fine translations- -it doesn't say anything about the quality of the book itself, but the list may provide some very interesting reading for those looking for work originally published in languages other than English.

Egyptian Fiction--a list

Authors who terrify me. . . An interesting list of the intellectually formidable and otherwise terrifying authors.

Nonfiction reading guide to Egypt

Two interesting lists of books- -those worthy of more attention--those less worthy of the attention they already get.

50 Best

Rated merely by airplay, not by worth, top 100 songs of the 20th Century via Underbelly.

Nominations for best works in translation