This is what my reading pile looked like early in November. I've decreased the pile by five books, which means I'll have these seven to read in December. I'm not sure I'll manage it, but I'm going to try. This week's books will be Sarah Waters's The Night Watch (I'm already halfway through it) and Harriet Reisen's biography, Louisa May Alcott (which will have to go back to the library next weekend). I've already started Georgette Heyer's These Old Shades. I planned to just read a few pages to get a taste of the story, but fifty pages later I can see this will be an absorbing read!
My Holiday binge pile has grown however. I've added Rumer Godden's The Greengage Summer. There's a group reading it for the new year and I'd like to join in. My postal book will also need to be read. This time around I have this book, which is thankfully very short. I should really start reading now--a bit each day! I have a feeling that what I want to read is going to be more than I'll have time for as I also bought these and have these in anticipation of my break. It's good a thing books don't come with expiration dates!
And now my confession. As good as I have been at reducing the number of books on my pile above, I've been doing some reading on the sly. The whole idea was to cut my current reads down significantly in order to start the new year with a more reasonable stack of books. The books that have caused me to stray? After reading Phryne's last adventure I found I was in the mood for still more cozy mysteries. Solution...Barbara Cleverly's The Last Kashmiri Rose set in 1920s India. Then Claudia Piñeiro's Thursday Night Widows caught my attention when it came in the mail. And finally on Thanksgiving night I watched the last hour of Masterpiece Theatre which was showing the recent remake of Sense and Sensibility. And there was nothing for it--I had to start reading Jane Austen, so Pride and Prejudice was pulled from the shelves for a reread. But it reads so fast...Hmm. I may have to cut my computer time back in order to find more time for reading. So, I guess if you don't see me around much this month I'll be off somewhere with a book!