Do you care enough to read the very 'Best'?
by Whitney Matheson
from her USA Today weekly column 'Pop Candy'

Of all the things that make me feel guilty — and, I assure you, there are way too many to name here — my New Yorker subscription might even surpass my mother.

Although I'd love to be one of those people who reads every page of every issue and quotes from the "All About Town" section at cocktail parties, in reality, I keep a stack of half-read New Yorkers on my coffee table, right next to the stack of Vanity Fairs, Rolling Stones and all other periodicals that arrive faster than I can read them.

The good news is, at about this time every year, I start finding out what I've missed.

Each fall I go bananas for any book with "Best American" in the title: Best American Short Stories, Best American Magazine Writing, Best American Poetry. Some may compare these annual compilations with, say, the NOW music CDs, since they're essentially the year's "greatest hits" from magazines, newspapers and literary journals. In response, I want to throw candy corn at these folks, who are clearly snobby and uninformed.

Talk Candy

"Best of" books like these have been published since 1915, when The Best American Short Stories launched Houghton Mifflin's top-selling series. If you haven't read one before, you must! After all, where else can you catch up on The Onion, Smithsonian magazine and Alaska Quarterly Review in one place?

Here, in my opinion, are this year's best of the Best:

·The Best American Non-Required Reading. (Houghton Mifflin, $13) Right now I'm spending every second of my free time reading this perfect compilation, edited by McSweeney's genius Dave Eggers. Launched in 2002, Non-Required includes cartoons, offbeat anecdotes, and anything else that defies categorization. According to the publisher, it's the second-best-selling "Best American" book on the shelves.

Don't miss: J.T. Leroy's marvelous examination of Stuff; Lynda Barry's cartoon about the smell of people's houses; and David Sedaris' hilarious account of his redneck brother's seaside wedding.

·Da Capo Best Music Writing 2003 (Da Capo Press, $16.95) I nearly dropped my donut when I heard Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons (and former rock critic) is this year's guest editor. I buy this book every year, and I think 2003's edition might be the best yet. Each page makes me want to either dance or visit a rock star's grave.

Don't miss:Viva Morrissey!, Chuck Klosterman's totally true account of heterosexual Latinos who love the Smiths; and Play It Like Your Hair's On Fire, Elizabeth Gilbert's inspired Esquire profile of Tom Waits.

·The Best American Science and Nature Writing. (Houghton Mifflin, $13) There's a passage in The Philosophy of Andy Warhol where Warhol applauds scientists, and says he'd love to host a dinner party where every guest was required to bring a piece of science news to the table. (Wouldn't that be fantastic?) About halfway through reading this year's installment, guest edited by Richard Dawkins, I cursed myself for watching Golden Girls reruns while apparently, new constellations were being discovered over my head.

Don't miss: Ian Frazier's "Terminal Ice," which begins with the frightening phrase "We are melting;" and David Ewing Duncan's equally scary/fascinating DNA As Destiny.

·The Best American Poetry (Scribner, $16) I fell in love with Yusef Komunyakaa in a college poetry class, where we studied his book, Neon Vernacular. Komunyakaa serves as this year's guest editor and includes quotable poems from Billy Collins, Louise Gluck, Robert Pinsky and bundles more.

Don't miss: Galway Kinnell's epic, incredible poem about Sept. 11, "When the Towers Fell."

·The Best American Essays (Houghton Mifflin, $13) Anne Fadiman helms this collection of brief, often funny pieces from writers most of us have never heard of. If you live in a big city, I highly recommend this for subway reading!

Don't miss: I hate to gush over the same essay that's mentioned in the press release and every review, but it's true: "Bumping Into Mr. Ravioli," Adam Gopnick's account of his daughter's imaginary friend, is so perfect, I wish I'd written it myself.

·The Best American Short Stories (Houghton Mifflin, $13) Dorothy Allison, E.L. Doctorow, Louise Erdrich and Edwidge Danticat are all featured in this year's installment (always the series' biggest-selling book), edited by Walter Mosley. It's like getting 20 nail-biting novels in one.

Don't miss: A single story. They're far more stimulating than most current best sellers, I assure you.

·The Best American Recipes (Houghton Mifflin, $26) I'm so happy Fran McCullough and Molly Stevens took the time to sift through thousands of recipes this year. I'm even happier to see they range from simple to advanced, so I can work my way up to "Pomegranate-Braised Brisket with Onion Confit" in due time.

Don't miss: "Martin Sheen's Favorite Cheesecake," of course.

And I didn't even mention: The Best American Travel Writing, The Best American Mystery Stories, The Best American Political Writing, The Best American Sports Writing and The Best American Magazine Writing. Whew! All of these titles are available in 2003 editions.

OK, now that I've gotten that off my chest, I must to return to my autumn reading. (And once I finish this stack of books, you better believe I'm throwing a cocktail party to share the knowledge.)