Julian Barnes' book Nothing to Be Frightened Of, a "memoir on mortality that touches on faith and science and family," has been named one of the 10 best books of 2008 by The New York Times. "This absorbing memoir traces Barnes’ progress from atheism (at age 20) to agnosticism (at 60) and examines the problem of religion not by rehashing the familiar quarrel between science and mystery, but rather by weighing the timeless questions of mortality and aging," writes the newspaper. "Barnes distills his own experiences—and those of his parents and brother—in polished and wise sentences that recall the writing of Montaigne, Flaubert and the other French masters he includes in his discussion."