i love books

When CJ and I dream of our second home (which, by the way, we're going to have to build, because no house exists today with all of our specifications), we imagine one room that we will make our study, complete with a beautiful desk (similar to what I already have, but of a higher quality) and a rich, dark chocolate leather couch. And every wall will have floor to ceiling bookshelves, complete with a sliding ladder. And all of those bookshelves will be full (we've already got a good start).

These daydreams only feed my tiny little addiction.

Rediscovering the library a few years ago helped curb this addiction, because while I never blew a big part of my budget on books, I would buy what I wanted and then essentially waste it by not reading it. The library to me is like shopping for free. I can check out books, and if I really like one, I'll buy it, usually checking to see if I can find used online first. If I don't like the book, I take them back and I've saved us $15. But since it's like free shopping, I have a tendency to check out ten books at once. Occasionally I'll force myself to finish one before hopping back on my hold list for the library, but usually I have no self restraint. So now, I literally have piles of books in nearly every room of our house.

Here's what's on tap these next few weeks: Firefly Lane (which I'm not so into, but I'll try for a few more chapters before writing it off), The Secret Life of Bees (my mother-in-law recommended it), Nickel and Dimed: On Not Getting By in America (seems like the type of liberal book I wouldn't like, but it's actually pretty interesting and not preachy), Inkheart (although CJ stole it from me first and said it was just okay), Uncommon (Tony Dungy's new book), What's Submission Got to Do with It? (I liked the first three pages), the second Percy Jackson book (which I'm attempting to read for the third time now), and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

To kill time last night pre-movie, we stopped at Barnes & Noble, and I ended up with Modoc, some story about an elephant. The story sounded good, but I really think the cute cover was what persuaded me to buy it...

And here I am this morning, with another tab opened to Amazon.com, not necessarily to buy (although I have been wanting a used copy of this other book I started reading, Naked Economics), but to peruse their new selections and find other books to add to my waiting list.

I probably shouldn't ask, but does anyone else have any recommendations?

I have finished a few books lately, though. I devoured the Twilight saga, "second-rate vampire novels" as CJ said. (Seriously though, isn't that half the point of reading -- to be transported into this other world, no matter how unbelievable?) And I also loved A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I received a few Christmases ago and never read. It's by the same author as Kite Runner, which I liked better, but I still highly recommend.

It looks like I've got my work cut out for me, so I guess I should pour myself another cup of coffee and try to find a clean place in the house to sit (see post below).