I have too many books. This is pretty much a chronic condition for me– if any book catches my eye at the library, I don’t hesitate to check it out and drag it home. Let someone mention a book in a chat room, and whoosh I have looked it up on Worldcat and placed a hold for the title in whichever of my local area library systems owns it. Right this moment, I have seven novels competing for my attention.
I am about halfway through Kathleen McKenna’s The Wedding Gift. It’s rather a genre-bending book that has elements of ghost story, murder mystery and coming of age story. I am also about halfway through Stephen McCauley’s Alternatives To Sex- McCauley’s fifth novel and another of his wonderful comedies of manners. I am only a handful of pages into Aimee Bender’s novel The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake. I 
heard so many great things about this book. And there were a zillion requests for it at the library–so I will definitely have to give it back after three weeks. And I really do want to read it. I am to chapter three in Gaile Parkin’s Baking Cakes In Kigali.
I expect I will finish the McCauley novel soon. Whether I will manage to tackle Lemon Cake before it must go back to the library I am less certain. As for McKenna’s The Wedding Gift, I will have a lot to say though my reading of this novel has kind of stalled. In addition to these four novels in various stages of being read I have three other novels on hand which I am beginning to doubt I will even manage to start.
Handsome Harry by James Carlos Blake called to me from a library shelf awhile back. Looking at the cover, I can’t honestly recall what it was about this book that appealed to me. I suspect poor Harry will get sent back to the library without my ever having read even the first word of it.
I also have a Young Adult novel, Stolen by Lucy Christopher. I think this was a book I ordered based on _someone’s_ review or recommendation, but I can’t actually remember. I even have a junior novel, The Runaway Dolls by Ann M Martin et als. I found the cover striking, but somehow never got around to reading it.
At the library, my eyes are almost always bigger than my stomach. And sometimes, at least, I find that I want you, my readers, to just take a peak at the huge stack of books next to me on the sofa, even though I haven’t had time to finish reading or write a review of any of them.
What about you, do you start more books than you finish?
Alan, I am awed just reading your list! I used to have several books on the go at one time. However, I know it is better for me to just do one book at a time and this is what I have done for the last ten years. I have to work quite hard at keeping myself on a level and not having too many pots bubbling on my stove, otherwise my levels of anxiety go sky high. This can happen for me with something as simple as having 3 or 4 books on the go at once. I sort of get anxious about which one I should be reading and feel guilty for not reading the others I have started or perhaps I am reading one and wondering if the other would be better. Absolute madness but thats how my silly head works. I do read a lot, it steadies me and is perhaps the greatest joy in my life, but its one book at a time. I am currently reading ‘The Senator’s Wife’ by Sue Miller and rather enjoying it – not too challenging and a well-paced story unfolding.
Juliana, I have to confess that even as I posted this admission that I haven’t had time to finish reading any books to review, it is acknowledging a real slow down for me. While I am now up to page 70–80-something in Lemon Cake and am up to page 185 in the McCauley I haven’t read any of the other books mentioned in the last week or two and am frankly spending most of my time writing for BrooWaha where I don’t have to read an entire book before I can write three hundred to five hundred words. If you ever like a book enough to want to share it, I’d be thrilled to publish any guest review you submit.
a
Keep reading for me, I am living the book reading life through your site. I don’t have time to read books except online and blogs. Thanks for posting the reviews.
How lovely to have found you. I haunt the library and my eyes are definitely bigger than my stomach! Have just finished the Help, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society alas I never remember Authors names and the books have been returned. All wonderful and I am sorry I have read them now and no longer have them to look forward too. Still with my memory I will be able to go back next year and they will be new once again!!!! Monday I will go and see if I can get Lemon Cake. Thanks.
Julienne,
Thank you so much for stopping by and for commenting. I have heard much about all of the books on your reading list. If you’d live to write a review of one of them, just shoot me an e-mail and I’d be glad to publish it. I finished reading Lemon Cake and will review it either on Wednesday or more likely next week. I will be sure to visit your site!
Alan