In a parallel universe I am finished reading all the books on my night stand. In that parallel universe these books would be what I am reading now: Frenchman's Creek by Daphne Du Maurier (by the way I am getting itchy fingers and am contemplating a UK order...), Longitude by Dava Sobel (or maybe Seafaring Women by David Cordingly or They Went Whistling by Barbara Holland...I have a hard time deciding on nonfiction books!), And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander, The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas (or maybe Persuasion by Jane Austen), Night and Day by Virginia Woolf and The Long Shadow by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. A mere six books (a slimmed down version of what you would find right now waiting for me to read)--with the possibility of an odd book club book thrown in as well. There is actually sort of a method to my madness (which will no doubt evolve over time)--a fiction, nonfiction, mystery, and a classic book on the go at all times. Even though I am already behind in the Woolf for Dummies group, I would like to read her works in the order they are studying them. I'll get to them eventually! And I really do want to read all the books in the Morland Dynasty series (all 29 of them...though there might be a few more still). A nice selection of books, don't you think. In this parallel universe I wouldn't go crazy starting new books on any sort of odd whim, and I would check out only a very few library books at a time--and then drop them in to the pile as something gets rotated out. Can you tell I am trying to subtlely change my thinking about what or how I read? It's going to work. Really. I can feel it...
However in this universe, I am still reading the same old books. Although I have only crossed one out of thirteen books off my list, I am close to finishing two more. Indiana and The Observations are in in the last 100 pages. The Observations has gotten really good, and I don't want to put it down (though I have to give equal time to Indiana in order to finish it before Sunday). I always get that little thrill of excitement when I get down to those last 100 and then 50 pages! Usually I start thinking what I will read next (see preceding paragraph), but this time around I will be contemplating which book(s) from my current reads pile get all my attention. Perhaps it is time to get back to Dorothy Sayers. I have been in the mood for a good mystery! Let's see...only nine weeks left in the year. 63 (a tad bit more really) reading days left. Not so sure I will fit them all in...must read faster.