Since I shared what was on top of my night stand, I thought I would share what sits on the shelf below it. I've got a hodge podge of things at arm's reach. Often the books that sit here are the books I've started reading but have set aside for one reason or another. Occasionally they will get rescued and I'll go back and finish them, but sometimes they just get sent back to my bookshelves (after they've sat there for long enough unopened). At the moment only two books are 'set aside' books, my oft-mentioned Bleak House (if I talk about it enough surely I'll go and pick it back up?) and May and Amy by Josceline Dimbleby. The latter was a nonfiction book that I was enjoying, but then I received a review copy of another nonfiction book and decided I could only manage one NF at a time. Alas, at the moment I have two biographies started, and I am ignoring both at the moment. Why don't I pick up NF more often? I like them when I read them, but I always grab a novel when choosing a book to read.
As for the other books--from left to right: I have two crossword puzzle books and a Su Doku to help sharpen my mind and memory. Too bad I never do them, they might help. Once again I always grab a novel to read before bedtime.
The spiral book is my book journal where I write down the books I've read. I only write author, title and the date I've finished a book. I wish now I would have written more, but now this is what my blog's for. Next to that is a little reference book, which is made up of lists of myseries written by women. It's come in handy to keep track of which books I own in a particular series, but it is sadly out of date.
Jumping over my two 'set aside' books I have the next three books in the Morland Dynasty by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. I own most of them, which I keep in a box under my bed. As I add new books to the box I have to take some out to make them all fit. So there are three lined up to read, whenever I finally get to them.
Next up is Philip Lopate's Art of the Personal Essay and keeping it good company is Litlove's wonderful book of essays The Best of Tales from the Reading Room. Because I am going to read more essays. (Actually I really do want to read more essays).
And rounding out the shelf is the first Dorothy Dunnett in the Lymond Chronicles, Game of Kings. I have the whole set of the Lymond Chronicles and also the books in the House of Niccolo. I've had this book sitting here for years, because I also really want to read Dorothy Dunnett's books. From what I understand her books are very Literary, and intellectually challenging (the two books sitting next to The Game of Kings are companions to the series--translations and explanations of references). I want to read these books, but I want to do it when I can spend time and give attention to them. Since I tend to have more books on the go than I should, I never see a moment to start reading the books. Maybe that should be my big project next year. I think starting reading them while on a vacation would be wise, as I don't want to read the books in fits and starts.
So there you have it. By the way, the night stand at one time belonged to my grandmother. It sat in her parlor next to a cushy chair and she also kept stacks of books on top and below. From what I recall there were lots of Regency romance types of books (I wish I could have those books now, it would be cool to look through them and see what she read). You see, I'm keeping up a family tradition.