23. The Road (287 pp.) by Cormac McCarthy (May 18). I've been a Cormac McCarthy fan for a long time. A couple of years ago I read Suttree (book #9) which I described as grim and joyless. When The Road came out the first review I read said it was probably McCarthy's grimmest book to date and I couldn't imagine what that would be and was in no big rush to read it. Meanwhile it won the Pulitzer and everyone's read it and I finally picked it up. Oh my. I knew it was grim. I had no idea it was harrowing. I could hardly put it down, yet I wanted to avert my eyes. Here it is all in one sentence from p. 274 of the paperback:

"Ten thousand dreams ensepulchered within their crozzled hearts."

Very highly recommended.