Hey, it's the holidays, so let's have some fun.

Nosing around, we visited the home page of venerable Time magazine. There, we came across Time's list of "All-Time 100 Novels," explained this way: "Time's (book) critics pick the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present" (go to www. time.com/time/2005/100books/the_complete_list. html).

What – another books list? Well, here's the punch line: Click on any title and you'll get the original review as it appeared in Time. Looking back, some of the reviews are ironic, others spot-on.

Take Ernest Hemingway's 1926 classic "The Sun Also Rises." In part, the review said, "Now Hemingway's first novel is published and while his writing has acquired only a few affectations, his interests appear to have grown soggy with much sitting around sloppy cafe tables in the so-called Latin (it should be called American) quarter of Paris. ... The reader is very much inclined to echo a remark that is one of (the protagonist's) favorites and, presumably, Hemingway's too: 'Oh, what the hell!'"

About John Steinbeck's 1939 "The Grapes of Wrath": "The publishers believe it is 'perhaps the greatest modern American novel ...' It is not. ... It is 'great' in the way that 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' was great – because it is inspired propaganda."

About William Styron's 1967 "The Confessions of Nat Turner": "Inevitably, Styron will be compared to William Faulkner. He lacks Faulkner's almost fatalistic sense that evil is part of the human condition; he also lacks his facility for creating a whole stageful of memorable characters. Styron's achievement is that his one towering figure dominates the entire book. ... Nat's blood... is part of the American soil."

Of Margaret Atwood's 2000 "The Blind Assassin": "Iris Chase is a brilliant addition to Atwood's roster of fascinating fictional narrators. Not only is her story sinuously complex, but she is entertaining company. Her comments are crotchety and amusing. ... This inexorable bubbling-up ... makes 'The Blind Assassin' unforgettable.

You may wish to try ...

We're looking for a few good reads:

"Poe's Children: The New Horror," edited by Peter Straub (Doubleday, $24.95, 544 pages): Multi-award-winning novelist Straub knows the supernatural genre, having written some of the best of it himself ("Ghost Story," "Koko" and, with Stephen King, "The Talisman" and "Black House"). In this chilling collection of superb tales reprinted from magazines and anthologies, Straub rounds up short stories by 24 of horror's best writers (including King and Straub himself). Open this book, turn the lights low and pay no attention to those noises coming from the back of the house ...

• "In the Footsteps of Marco Polo" by Denis Belliveau and Francis O'Donnell (Rowman & Littlefield, $29.95, 288 pages): In you missed the PBS special, you can still join the authors on their two-year, 25,000-mile journey that retraced the route of young Polo, his father and his uncle. The text is illuminating, the photos are revealing.

• "Dead Boys" by Richard Lange (Back Bay, $13.99, 272 pages): These dozen stories are troubling, yet possess an ironic sense of humor. Set in Los Angeles, they scrutinize various slackers and 20-something young men who insist on making bad decisions. Publisher's Weekly magazine says the collection "recalls the work of Thomas McGuane and Denis Johnson."

• "Love Matters" by Delilah (Harelequin, $16.95, 224 pages): Some 7 million fans listen to the nationally syndicated radio show hosted by Delilah Rene Luke. Format: The self-proclaimed "Queen of Sappy Love Songs" lends an ear to those with sob stories, offers sympathetic advice and then selects and plays songs to help soothe the situation. Here, she chronicles inspiring love stories from some of her listeners.

• "Gold Miner 49er" by Reginald Jay Gould (Gould Engineering, $22.64, 332 pages; buy it at www.lulu.com): For those who love the romance of gold mining, this self-published title could be for you. Retired electrical engineer Gould – who lives in nearby Garden Valley – recounts the history of area gold and silver mines and tells of his adventures in same. In a recent letter, he wrote, "I have been mining for over 50 years (and) all the devices in the book are my own inventions."

Brought to you by UCD

Inside the bookstore on the campus of the University of California, Davis, (530-752-9072) is a section designated "Campus Authors." That's where books written by UC Davis faculty, alumni and staff are showcased.

Here's a sampling:

• "Grape vs. Grain" by Charles Bamforth (Cambridge University Press, $27, 224 pages): The chair of the university's food science and technology department approaches his topic with care and humor. Who says wine is more sophisticated than beer?

• "The Global Game," edited by Alon Raab, John Turbull and Thom Satterlee (Bison, $19.95, 316 pages): Writers and poets from myriad cultures gather in these pages to laud soccer.

• "Health at Every Size: The Surprising Truth About Your Weight" by Linda Bacon (Benbella, $14.95, 224 pages): The UC Davis nutritionist has assembled a "healthy living manual" for body and mind, full of straightforward advice.

• "The Bike to Work Guide" by Paul Dorn (Adams, $7.95, 224 pages): The assistant director of marketing for campus recreation offers advice for veteran and beginning bicyclists.

• "How Wikipedia Works: And How You Can Be a Part of It" by Phoebe Ayers, Charles Matthews and Ben Yates (No Starch, $29.95, 536 pages): Wikipedia's 2 million entries can be helpful for research, but what about their reliability? After all, most anyone can contribute content – not all of it objective or accurate. This is a thorough user's guide on how to navigate and be a part of the online semi-encyclopedia. Ayers is a librarian at the UC Davis Physical Sciences and Engineering Library and organizer of Wikimania conferences.

Help the felines

The group Cats In Need – which describes itself as "a nonprofit, no-kill animal-rescue group" – will hold a fund-raising sale of books, CDs and DVDs from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday and Sunday. It will be at 2166 Swetzer Road in Penryn. Information: Lynn Willingham at (916) 663-1608.