Prognosticating For Beginners

January 4th, 2006 · 2 Comments
by Booksquare

Far be it for us to offer tips on how to do one’s job, but, well, we have to go there. We can’t sit back and watch folly. As you’re surely aware, now is the time of year for all manner of lists. A lot of “Best Of” stuff is happening, and a lot of earth-shattering approaches. Our friend Jim, for instance, put an old release (or two) on his round-up of last year’s best music. This after making fun of someone for putting an old record on her list last year. We will not name names (oops, we did), but seems like someone owes someone an apology.

There are ways to compile lists, and a time-honored tradition is to actually interact with the list items. Like, oh, if you’re doing a best books or even best upcoming books list, it would be cool to have read the books. Unless you’re the Boston Globe, in which case you do things your own way:

Though most of those books [released in the predicted-to-be-fecund 2006 or the-previously-fecund years before] are dreck, there also was and will be this year a deep and wide supply of great or at least worthwhile books, so many that no one could read them all. So herewith a sampler of promising books in 2006, due between now and August, based on a browse through advance copies and publishers’ catalogs.

Now we trust advertising copy as much as the next sucker, but relying on publishers’ catalogs to choose the upcoming bests? Brave approach.

Our prediction? The only title getting any degree of serious advance buzz is A.M. Holmes’s This Book Will Save Your Life. We’re predicting a lot of misfiling in self-help sections leading to stronger-than-expected sales.

Predictions over and out.

File Under: Books/Mags/Blogs

2 responses so far ↓

  • Joan Kelly // Jan 4, 2006 at 9:03 pm

    I know it’s gotten old that this is all I ever have to say – I can’t help it. I love Booksquare. In what feels to me like the same way I love my cats. Which is to say, more every day. But thank you for not having any side effects like bad litter box skills or snoring. At least at my place.

  • Booksquare // Jan 4, 2006 at 9:44 pm

    Booksquare does snore. Allergies. But Booksquare blames all snoring on the cats — she is that type of person. Her cats are loud sleepers (one presumes chasing mice in their sleep). Also her litterbox skills are exemplary. Other cleaning? Well, one cannot be perfect. We should probably keep this between the two of us, huh?

    Missed your comments these past weeks. If I recall correctly, the big release date is coming soon (oh, February 14???). Seems like you’ll be writing something for this humble blog then. Or so I hope. Are you on Amazon yet? Inquiring minds want to know.