I got lists of lists waiting to be listed here, y'know

Speaking of lists...

• The longlist for the 2005 Booker prize has been announced. These kinds of lists usually just make me feel bad, because I've most likely never heard of most of the nominated titles. Or authors. (Ouch.) Looking over the list, I can say right now I'm gunning for Kazuo Ishiguro to take home the freaking huge stack of cash because Never Let Me Go was a really awesome novel. And because it's the only book on the list I've read. Well, I did try to read Ian McEwan's Saturday, but, ah...well, hey, Maud Newton says it so much better than I could. I was going to say I didn't realize Zadie Smith had a new book out, then I learned that her book isn't out yet, so I don't feel so bad. (I've had trouble finishing her books, as much as I've enjoyed reading them. Maybe third time's a charm.) Salman Rushdie's book isn't out yet either, but I'm looking forward to it, despite the fact that it has "clown" in the title, which gave me a real heeby-jeeby creepy feeling when I first read it. (His classic, Midnight's Children, by the way? Read it.) Anyways, if you're looking for contemporary BritLit that's been validated by a process, look ye no further.


• And speaking of lists and books that aren't out yet, I forgot to mention in my last post that Tod Goldberg's Simplify would be on my TBR pile, were it out yet. Yeah, crap. Like I really need to start a virtual TBR pile on top of the physical TBR pile. Er...aw, crap.


• Also, if you're interested in music lists, what was known as Audioscrobbler is now Last.fm, as powered by Audioscrobbler. Yeah, I was confused for a minute, too. Anyway, you can check out my profile page here if you're inclined towards pseudovoyeuristic pleasures. There's all sorts of fun charts and lists and stuff, historical and current (or as current as the overloaded servers will allow). It's about as close as I'll ever come to sticking a web cam directly into my ear drums.