Too. many. books. Too many in progress, too many wanting to go on vacation with me, too many that will be left behind. Too many arriving in packages, too many with my name on them on the library holds shelf. Too many unceremoniously being returned to the library unread, too many being renewed although rationally I know I won't get around to them until some time in, oh, say, 2008. Too many languishing pathetically on the book shelves and end tables and *cough, cough* sofa itself begging for a brief moment's attention while I attend to nonreading matters (yes, on occasion I do things other than read). Too many to finish by the end of the month for the R.I.P. Challenge and the Slaves of Golconda discussion to afford any deviation from October's list; reading at whim this month is strictly prohibited.
Even the publishing industry is wondering if there are too many good books this fall. (Scroll down for the Mental Multivitamin mention.)
And what has happened to the public library? I could always rely on them to process the new books I wanted a month or more after their publication date. I used this slowless to rationalize many a new book purchase. This fall the library is processing as fast as they're being published--Mark Haddon' s last month and Cormac McCarthy's last week. I'm tempted to inactivate my hold on The Echo Maker for a couple of weeks since I cannot possibly squeeze it in before November, but chances are I'll be able to renew it. If a local review sends library patrons scurrying after it I'll need to endure the university library's lollygagging around until Thanksgiving or later before I can read it.
Stefanie sent me a copy of The Looking Glass Wars this week, complete with accompanying cd. My pre-ordered in August copy of One Good Turn arrived Friday evening and Moral Disorder, slated to be a birthday present from my mother-in-law later in the month--along with yet another book that will be delivered by the end of the week--arrived on Saturday. They all look wonderful, but there are already too many books in progress and they will have to wait their turn.
I cannot possibly read fast enough.
A bang, not a whimper
Two months into L.'s retirement, and I'm finished with the stockpiling of books. No more book purchases! Or at least, no purcha...
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(See also Musee des Beaux Arts ) As far as mental anguish goes, the old painters were no fools. They understood how the mind, the freakiest ...
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When I finished Kevin Brockmeier's A Brief History of the Dead last spring I immediately did a search to see if the Coca-Cola Corp. had...
Wow -- what riches! I guess that's the way to look at it, rather than despairing that there's so much to read -- which is what I've been doing lately :)
ReplyDeleteYou know, sleeping is overrated so maybe you can sneak a few more reading hours in there! ;)
ReplyDeleteI am exactly in the same place. The Bookmooch books, the library holds, the overwhelm and start-stop of reading four books at once and then having to drop one or two in favor of one or two library books that come in, and yes... I'm reading blogs instead because I just can't face the pile!
ReplyDeleteHang in there. :)
Oh, I can SO relate to this post! I am behind in everything including my blog reading. And I have been disgustingly bad with ordering books and now I have another few am contemplating getting. No sense of control whatsoever. But then life's short, so oh well.
ReplyDelete