Best books? Says who?

[Sandra Parshall]

The Publishers Weekly list of the "100 best books of 2009" includes shockingly few works by women. So what else is new? The Sisters in Crime response has been posted by SinC President Marcia Talley at http://sisters-in-crime-sinc.blogspot.com/.

Take a look and offer your own views on the topic.

[I. J. Parker]

Well, if there's a certain amount of unanymity, you may want to check it out, right?

And I like all things that end up selling books.

[Sandra Parshall]

Some would argue that the real "best" list is the list of the year's top sellers. But one look at some of the books that sell a huge number of copies is enough to scratch that notion. I can read and thoroughly enjoy junk, but I know it's junk and I know that a few months from now I won't remember a thing about it. The great books are the ones that make us feel and think, the ones that stay with us. Of all the books I've read this year, Kathryn Stockett's THE HELP is the one I know I'll remember years from now. And no, it's not a mystery. It's also not on PW's list.

[B.R.Stateham]

Betcha they never read my book. Trying to create the illusion they've picked the 100 Best Books kinda sounds arrogant to me.