Ok, now I really know that the end of the year is approaching. The New York Times has released their notable book selections of 2007. And, as usual, I've read barely any of them. In fact, I've read exactly one of them - the last Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Susan at The Urban Muse has a head start on me. She at least has several of the books on her nightstand. And like her I'm thinking maybe I need to read How to Talk about Books You Haven't Read. Because let's be honest, I doubt I'll ever read Ulysses or Don Quixote (I did see Ballanchine's Don Quixote as a ballet...I, um, almost took a nap). I was a bit wary when I first heard about the book (in case you haven't figured it out, I really am all about reading books...) but how can you not want to read it when it has a review like this one by Ingenue at Deepest Rivers Flow with the Least Noise:

Practical, funny, and thought-provoking, How to Talk About Books You Haven’t Read is in the end a love letter to books, offering a whole new perspective on how we read and absorb them.

Also from the list, who isn't intrigued by a collection of short stories called Throw Like a Girl?

I always go in for the brisk staccato of "look at this! and this! and how funny is this!" writing, and never seem to have the patience for fully-realized worlds, characters, scenarios that are compressed into the span of only twenty pages. [...]
Yet, Thompson has flipped my silly notion on its head. She has somehow created stories that expand, have room to breathe, but don't feel too full of extra stuff. Her women are confused, in the middle of some odd things, but they are their things, their choices...which they seem not only aware of, but willing to own. These stories are lovely.

Callie Miller at Counterbalance

What's a book list without a challenge? Of course there is a challenge and a blog based on the list. Right now they are reading through the 2006 Notable Books list. But the new year, and and a new challenge, with the 2007 list is really just around the corner.

The New York Times will be releasing the 10 10 Best Books of 2007 on the web on Nov. 28.

As Reading Matters points out this is the just the first of many lists of the season. If you are like me and feeling like maybe you should have read a few more books on the list, shop around, you'll find a list that you've done better on. Or wait until the end of the year until the bloggers start releasing their best reads of the past year. I know I always do better on those lists.

Contributing Editor Sassymonkey also blogs at Sassymonkey and Sassymonkey Reads.