A must-read booklist for the fall from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram:

1. I Am Charlotte Simmons, by Tom Wolfe

2. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke

3. The Plot Against America: A Novel, by Philip Roth

4. The Grim Grotto, by Lemony Snicket

5. Chain of Command: The Road From 9/11 to Abu Ghraib, by Seymour M. Hersh

6. Devil in the Details: Scenes From an Obsessive Girlhood, by Jennifer Traig

7. Confessions of an Heiress: A Tongue-in-Chic Peek Behind the Pose, by Paris Hilton

8. Runaway, by Alice Munro

9. The Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty, by Kitty Kelley

10. The Double, by Jose Saramago

Writer Christopher Kelly explains each of his choices as selections that will “intimidate both good friends and complete strangers at our very next cocktail party.” (He even offers mini-cliff notes appropriate for idle chit-chat.)

Hmmm. Can’t see how many people will be dazzled by my thorough knowledge of Paris Hilton’s “memiors” or Kitty Kelley’s trashy expose. But I’m definitely planning on picking up Roth’s newest novel–Kelly hits it on the nose when he calls Roth the greatest living novelist.

Also another one I give a thumbs-up to, the new Lemony Snicket book, which comes out next week. If you aren’t familiar with the Unfortunate series, check it out. The snarky tone of the books makes for interesting reading. Like Harry Potter, it’s not just for kids.