Stacks of books sitting on stacks of books.
Such a pretty (if cluttered) sight, don't you think? This is what I'm going to be doing tomorrow on my day off from work. I don't often get a free day right smack dab in the middle of the work week, but in a way it's kind of nice. Not enough time to begin any big projects or try to accomplish anything really significant. So, forget the picnics, forget the barbecues, forget the fireworks (okay, may peek outside later in the day to see what the neighbors are up to) . . . I'm going to spend an entirely guilt-free, lazy day reading. I say that whenever I have an extra day off, but I have a very sophisticated and developed sense of guilt in that I can reward myself by being lazy, IF I do something first in order to deserve it. Sick, I know, but there you have it. Not tomorrow, though. I've thought it all through.
I've been thinking longingly of all the wonderful short story collections I've been amassing, and they seem the perfect option for one day off. Not too much of a commitment. I can dip into whichever book appeals at the moment, read one and then move on to something else. A little instant gratification you see. Here's the rundown of the books I've got on the pile--I won't write anything more about them now, but later will share what I've read (links provided just in case you're curious about any of them right now).
Moon Lake by Eudora Welty
Varieties of Exile by Mavis Gallant
Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett
Open Secrets by Alice Munro
Paris Metro Tales by Helen Constantine
The Lotus Singers: Short Stories from Contemporary South Asia edited by Trevor Carolan (read half of this last year)
Randall Jarrell's Book of Stories
The Woman with the Bouquet by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt (I won this one!)
Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry by Christine Sneed
This New & Poisonous Air by Adam McOmber (forgot to add this one to the pile--it's already 'in progress' as I started reading it as soon as I got it)
However you're spending your Wednesday--have a great day and I hope it includes a few good books! I'll be back on Thursday with more bookishness.