What impact do book lists have? - ABC News & Headlines – Australian Broadcasting Corporation

With so many books published every year, even the most enthusiastic bookworm sometimes feels overwhelmed. So it's no surprise that many people turn to book lists for inspiration. And the number of lists continues to grow. 

You've got the heavy hitters... like the influential New York Times Best Seller List, user-voted rankings on Goodreads, and major celebrity book clubs like Oprah's and Reese Witherspoon's. Former US President Barack Obama shares two lists each year -his summer reading list and an end-of-year favourites list. 

Even ABC Radio National is in on the game. Our Top 100 Australian Books voting period is now open... and we'll ultimately offer up a list of the top Aussie books. 

So do you embrace lists? See them as a challenge ... how many have I read? And how do book lists impact our reading choices and the book industry? 

Catriona Menzies-Pike is a writer and arts critic and former editor of the Sydney Review of Books.