Before Bookcase
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I collect books. Oh not rare books, not a certain genre of books, just books. And it’s really not intentional either. I just love browsing bookstores and when I see something that looks or sounds interesting, I buy it. Not just that, but I make lists of books I want, and for the holidays, Chris’s Dad and/or Aunt usually end up buying me even more books. Then what happens to most of these books? They sit.
And they sit, because lately, I read so much during the day (trip reports, vacation rental reviews, etc.) that by the end of the day, the last thing I really want to do is read more. I mean, for the last few months, the only books that I’ve made it through are the ones that either entertained me so much (can you say Stephanie Plum or May Janice Davidson’s vampire series), or intrigued me so much (The Historian really grabbed me), that they pushed me to read through tired eyes.
After Bookcase
So now I have piles of books that I haven’t read. Well, they’re not piles any more because two weeks ago, as part of my new year resolution (yes, I do resolutions in the September time frame. It always feel like a new year, with school starting and Rosh HaShanah – the Jewish new year, where coincidentally God writes our names in what else? A book – the Book of Life that is – anyway I way digress). Where was I?
Oh yeah, resolutions. So I resolved to read the books I have. The first step though was to figure out what books they are – so I organized my books on the shelves (I really could use another book case – but that’s another issue), and made a list of all the books I own, that I want to read (there are a few books I saved from my parents’ purge that I’m on the fence about – but again, another story). I don’t think I’m in any danger of reading all these books over the next year, but I’ll settle for reading a bunch. I also have not made any promises to me (because who are we kidding?) that I won’t buy any new books, I will. But at least now I can just add them to the list.
So here it is (not in order of importance or anything): Feel free to comment if you’ve read any of them or if you have any you think I should add – because as I said, I collect books.
Random Authors
Les Miserable (need to finish)
I’m Not Scared
Paris to the Moon (need to finish)
Paris – a Biography of a City (need to finish)
Garlic and Sapphires
Birth of Venus
Lord of the Flies
Seasons in Basilicata
Back to Bologna
Girl in Hyacinth Blue
Galileo’s Daughter
The Sun Also Rises
Staying Dead
A Treasury of Royal Scandals
Just One Look
Michelangelo and the Pope’s Ceiling
Plot Against America
The Runes of the Earth
Wicked
Imperium
Fountains of Rome
The Man in the Iron Mask
Ciao America
Miracle of St. Anna
Uncommon Justice
Portraits in Sepia
Timeline
The Reef
Black House
Cape Mayhem
I Know This Much is True
The Glory
The Switch
Family Orchard
Dragon Riders of Pern
A Winter’s Tale
Heat
Phillipa Gregory
The Boleyn Inheritance
The Virgin’s Lover
Janet Evanovich
Lean Mean Thirteen
Metro Girl
Eleven on Top (maybe, I can’t remember if I read this or not)
The Dune Series (need to get the proper order)
Dune – Battle of Corrin
Hunters of Dune
House Atreides
House Harkonen
House Corrino
The Machine Crusade
Buttlerian Jihad
James Michener
Chesapeake
Covenant
Mexico
Book Club Books I Should Have Read or Finished
John Adams (I got most of the way through)
Confessions of a Shopaholic (need to finish)
The Secret Life of Bees
Memory Keeper’s Daughter (need to finish)
My Sister’s Keeper (this is our next selection)
#1 Ladies Detective Agency
Potential Book Club Books
Bonesetter’s Daughter
1776
Shadow of the Wind
Emperor of Ocean Park
In Cold Blood
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Colleen McCullough
The Grass Crown
Caesar
Caesar’s Women
Fortunes Favorites
That Avalon – Arthurian Series
The Mists of Avalon
Lady of Avalon
The Forest House
Okay – some items missing – The Wheel of Time series. I read the first three of this fantasy series by Robert Jordan and stopped when I made the rule, no more series until they are completely finished. After Stephen King was hit by a car while in the midst of writing his Gunslinger series, I decided not to invest in series until they were finished for the fear that the author might stop writing (or worse die) in the midst of the tale and would leave the readers without closure. Sadly, last month, Robert Jordan did pass away from a rare disease before he could complete the twelfth and what many believe would have been final book in his incredible tale. So if someone is able to finish this series posthumously, then I will add those nine books to the list.
As for Stephen King’s gunslinger series, I’m still pissed it took him so long to finish it (I saw an interview with him like 15 years ago where he promised just a couple more years, and I think it still took him like 12 more years – way too long). Anyway, I’ll probably read those too – I just don’t know about over the next year.
I feel like I may be missing some from this list and will need to go check the bookcases again but for now, I think that’s it.