Maybe if we all agree that the NBCC Good Reads thing ought to be considered more of a statistically-driven historical record than a real working list of active recommendations of lesser-known titles we can all accept what it is for what it is and find something else to complain about four times a year.

I am saying this as someone who hasn't read a single book on the Spring list. Were I more interested in staying completely current on the most visible, most widely discussed elements of the contemporary literary scene, I'd certainly use this list to help get myself there. Truth is I've only read one book this year published this year. It's a habit I ought to change, like all the habits I'll never quite get around to changing.