I desired to kill myself at a party last fall. All I wanted to do was drink beer and play a refreshing round of "I Never," but the main blowout activity was a heated jabber session on Jean Genet. Eugh! I have, however, had an outrageously fun time with the same partygoers getting drunk and blabbering about whether Toni Morrison is an essentially modern or postmodern figure. So while I'm not always up for book-related banter, not only can it be amusing, it can be necessary—especially in this city of self-proclaimed aesthetes, stylish intellectuals, and annoying populist fakers. Thus, a list of 10 titles you'll want to be able to discuss—because you never know who you'll want to impress, and the time may arrive when "I Never" finally feels too philistine (like when a fool bursting with pride claimed, "I never snorted a line of coke off... More >>>