Ontario litblogger Alex Good has posted a year-end essay surveying the state of the book world in 2005, and he’s mostly disappointed. “I think this was the year that saw the passing of an establishment,” writes Good. “So many bad books (Kafka on the Shore, Specimen Days, Lunar Park), and well-executed but mediocre books (Never Let Me Go, The March) by big-name authors that I expected more out of.”

Good adds, though, that one of the year’s bright spots was the work of Canadian small presses. “Paul Glennon and Chris Eaton should have attracted more attention with works like The Dodecahedron and The Grammar Architect. It was also nice to see a new Canadian small press, Biblioasis, start up with a solid set of titles. Good things are happening!”

Related links:
Click here for Alex Good’s year-in-review essay