New York Times Top Ten

Here it is, the influential Times' Top Ten for 2006.

And while we're at it,
Washington Post Top Ten
Christian Science Monitor's Best Fiction 2006
Boston.com's Best Fiction 2006

doing our own thing (2003)

Doing Our Own Thing: The Degradation of Language and Music and Why We Should, Like, Care (John McWhorter)

It was all the rage a few years ago to read books about why the current state of written (and any other) English sucked so bad. Well, three years later, I've read a few of these books and my English still sucks. But hey, at least now I know why it sucks. I blame poor schooling personally. Overall, the book tends to read like a history/trivia-lite book more than anything that is actually applicable or revelationary. Having said all that, I love books like this. "Did you know..."