Booking Through Thursday: Unread

This week's Booking Through Thursday question spoke to me, so though it's almost Friday, I realized I had to participate this week.

“So here today I present to you an Unread Books Challenge. Give me the list or take a picture of all the books you have stacked on your bedside table, hidden under the bed or standing in your shelf – the books you have not read, but keep meaning to. The books that begin to weigh on your mind. The books that make you cover your ears in conversation and say, ‘No! Don’t give me another book to read! I can’t finish the ones I have!’ "

Ack! I have so many books on this pile, I don't think they'll fit in a picture. But I have gathered together a representative sampling. Here they are:

I guess the challenge is to get working on this pile...

Do any of your piles of unread books haunt you?

Book Gluttony: Summer Reading Begins

My budget-imposed moratorium on book buying has ended, as I thought it would, in a furious spending spree on books, most at nearly full price. I held back for months and months longer than I thought I would be able to, however, [pats self on the back] so I feel okay about it all.

The first two books on the stack are my 13-year-old son's summer reading for school. Sorry, bub, but I paid for the books, so I'm reading them first.

I have never read any Tony Hillerman, so I'm looking forward to A Thief of Time, and yay! my son's also been assigned to read Laurie Halse Anderson's Fever 1793. All my blogging buddies have read and loved her book Speak, so I've been dying to read something by Anderson. Plus now I follow her on Twitter, and I like her style. And I happen to love books like this--historical and young adult and all about a plague--excellent!

I'm finally getting down to business and reading The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov, for my own self-imposed summer reading project. Thank you Matt (at A Guy's Moleskine Notebook), for kicking my butt to read this one.

No Great Mischief, by Alistair McLeod is one of those books that I happened upon in the blogosphere, and sadly, can't remember exactly which blog, so can't give credit where credit is due. Has this ever happened to you? I can only remember it happening to me once before, but it's very annoying. If you are the blogger who turned me onto this book, could you please let me know in the comments? Thanks. I appreciate it. My sieve-like brain thanks you, too.

Next up, The White Tiger: A Novel, by Aravind Adiga. Recommendation by my book-loving cousin-by-marriage. Man Booker Prize-winning book, too, which I'm always interested in.

Wandering Stars, by Sholem Aleichem, is my book group's next pick. We're trying to squeeze in one last meeting before we take a break over the summer. So I really had to buy this one (she says, with a guilty wince). It's newly reissued, and I think the cover is beautiful.

People of the Book: A Novel, by Geraldine Brooks, has been on my list for a really long time. Actually, it's been on my BookMooch list, and finally I successfully mooched it! Yes! So it's the only book I didn't pay for. And a beautiful hardcover copy, too, so I'm thrilled.

So, tell me, what are your summer reading plans?

The Line-up

I've floated down from the cloud I was on after attending the Festival of Books last weekend, and now I'm back in the swing of things here at home. We're packing to go for a long weekend to New York/Connecticut, for my niece's bat mitzvah. Yes, swine flu epidemic and all, I'm taking my three kids across the country...don't worry, I've stocked up on hand sanitizer.

Which of course brings me to the question of what to read on the plane. Those of you who know me know flying is not my favorite thing, so usually I bring comfort reads, because anything that makes me more comfortable (including a Xanax) is good.

I think first into the suitcase will be Vanina Marsot's book Foreign Tongue. Since I got it signed by the author. And it sounds charming. And it's about Paris. And did I mention I got it signed by the author?

Next up is Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan. I bought this one at the Festival of Books, too, because there was a discount! (20% off, come on, I had to!) It's my next book group read, and I'm looking forward to it. We have an architect in my book group, so I'm interested to hear what she has to add about Frank Lloyd Wright when we have our discussion.

I just received a reader's copy of Love and Obstacles, by Aleksandar Hemon, from Picador. I don't know much about the book yet but I love the cover.

I also received a copy of Genesis, by Bernard Beckett, from HMH. It's not my usual thing, as it's a thriller set in a post-apocalyptic future, but hey, I'm open to it.

Another one from HMH is Ginnah Howard's novel Night Navigation. I've started this one, and I'm enjoying it so far, but I don't think I'll be bringing it with me. I doubt it's a comforting airplane read. It's about a mother and son relationship while the son is going through a particularly harrowing drug rehab, and I think reading it on the plane might set me on edge. But I do like the writing so far.

Last but not least is David Ebershoff's novel The 19th Wife, which I'm reading before I host Mr. Ebershoff and the book on a TLC book tour on June 17th. I'll update you on the details of that soon. I'm looking forward to starting this one!


My 10-year-old son had to put his two-cents worth into my picture. And he says, "peace out!"

This pile snuck up on me

In an attempt to put myself on a stricter budget, and to force myself to read through some of the ridiculously large pile of books next to my bed, I made a resolution not to buy any new books this year. Okay, I knew that wasn't going to last. But I did want to see how long I could make it without getting out my wallet to buy books.

I'm actually proud of myself for the restraint I've shown so far this year. And I am making inroads into the crazy book pile. But I guess I'm a bit of a book magnet--I've still been acquiring books, even without buying many. I keep getting books as gifts, and ARCs. And I did make an exception to my "no buying" rule for book group books, of which there have been a few.

So here's the pile I've accumulated, despite my best intentions:

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery. This one is for my book group's next meeting. I've heard this described as both "the best book I've read all year" and "pretentious". Hmm...

The Believers, by Zoe Heller. Also for my book group. Also given mixed reviews.

Five Quarters of the Orange, by Joanne Harris. Given to me as a very, very belated birthday present, along with

Gentlemen and Players, by Joanne Harris. In which I am warned to watch out for something shocking. Again, hmm...

A Mercy, by Toni Morrison. Borrowed by my mother from her good friend, and left here accidentally on a visit. Sorry, Mom! I'll send it back to you when I'm done.

Any thoughts on these?

Thanks, S. Claus!

I had a lovely surprise waiting for me when I returned from my holiday trip. A bag of books addressed to G. Reader, from S. Claus. I don't know who my secret Santa was, but I really appreciate the gift! Here's a photo of my new stack of books, thanks to Santa's generosity.

I was planning to do a year-end round up of my favorites from 2008, but...I'm too lazy. Instead I've formed a resolution for 2009. I would like to try to do what Nan at Letters from a Hill Farm is doing (I've been a long-time lurker and fan of her blog), but I'm not as resolute as she is. She is going to try not to buy any new books this year, and get through her piles instead. I won't go that far, but I will say that I'm going to try to get as far into 2009 as I can without buying any new books. That's because, as I've mentioned ad nauseum here, I'm drowning in books. And they're all good books, books that I plan to read. Some day. My problem is that I keep getting distracted by the interesting books that I read about on my dear friends' blogs, or hear about from my sister-in-law, my cousin-in-law, or my book groupers.

So I'm resolving to get some badly-needed focus in my life, and to read my way through my piles and piles of books.

Begged, Borrowed, and Stolen

Okay, I didn't beg, borrow, or steal these books. But I didn't pay for them, either! I'm trying not to actually acquire books at the moment, because the piles next to my bed are threatening to engulf me while I sleep. And I figure I'll save my book-buying for the holidays (see last post), so I'd better start saving some money now. So the books on this pile are either from a publisher or a gift...oh yeah, one is actually borrowed. So the pile grows...

The Blind Assassin: A Novel, by Margaret Atwood--on my list for a long time, I borrowed this to read for the Orange Prize Project challenge.

Purple Hibiscus: A Novel, by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie--I loved her second novel, Half of a Yellow Sun, so I thought I'd read this for the Orange Prize Project challenge, too.

Who by Fire: A Novel (P.S.), by Diana Spechler--I thought the family that this book is about sounded extremely dysfunctional and would make me feel much better about my own family.

To Catch the Lightning: A Novel of American Dreaming, by Alan Cheuse--I decided to take this review copy partly because I like NPR commentator Alan Cheuse's on-air book reviews, partly because I was intrigued by the idea of a novel based on the life of photographer Edward Curtis.

Mother on Fire: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting!, by Sandra Tsing Loh--Loh is a local writer, performance artist and radio personality here, and she's often quite funny, so I'm looking forward to laughing while reading this unusual mommy memoir. I'm also looking forward to feeling less alone as a parent. I hear you don't have to have kids to appreciate this book...