Listing the "books of the year?"

It is December and it's time for all the top ten lists and top 100 lists and such. I love the literary top ten lists and am planning to do my own next year. The remaining questions: How does one go about putting together a list about which people might care? What books do you read? Do you choose from new releases only? Do I read fiction and nonfiction?

I think I will stick to the NYT best seller list and I think I will read nonfiction and fiction. That'll be fun. I think I will also do a list with classics because I think they are under reported upon outside the classroom. Top ten lists also need to be broadened and I think I will find a way, how about a bottom 10 literary list? Bottom 10 magazines? Bottom 10 public personalities? Tiger's got that covered for this month. It is only a matter of time until Elin will capture his spot, I'm sure.

I guess a natural following thought to the top ten list meanderings would be why on earth we need to rate things the way we do. Do we need them so we feel inadequate because we haven't even recognize any of the names on the lists? Do we need to relate to the list and feel validated because we have so much time on our hands that we do, indeed recognize the names? Do we need to scrutinize the judgment of the author. I have a feeling it is a little bit of all of them and that's cool.

I have no lists for 2009. I've been busy. I have survived my 40th year on earth. I have helped my three kids survive their 16th, 14, and 10th year on earth. My marriage is intact for the 19th time and I think it is 19 times better than it was 19 years ago. We survived the worst recession since the depression and our entire income relies on real estate. That's saying something for the man I've depended on for 19 years, he's smart AND tough. I finished my degree. I made new friends and lost one. My home is cluttered and messy but it is prettier than it was last year. I read some very good books but I don't think I finished enough to rate them. That's my next job.