The To Be Read Pile

I spent most of yesterday cataloging my fiction library. (okay, I'm only a little obsessed about being organized. Honest!) I only got through three cases (six shelves each) before aching muscles made me quit. I have approximately double that to go to finish both fiction and non-fiction.

I can hear my family's comments now. "But you had them all cataloged once before." - Yes, but that was before we moved. I got rid of 765 books during the move (donated to good causes). And I've added so many more since then. So, I started all over again.

My database is rather simple so it doesn't take long to do - I just have author last name, first name, title, genre, notes and whether it's TBR - to be read - yet.

Of the 605 books I did yesterday, 197 of them are TBR. 197!!!!! That completely flabbergasted me. Figuring if I read even one book a week, that's nearly four years of reading. Before I started writing and editing for a living, I used to read three or four books a week, now I'm lucky if I read one a month. But 197! Yikes. I need to get reading.

I do know one thing. I used to read a book the entire way through, even if I didn't like it. I kept reading to see if it got better (usually they didn't). I've found if I don't like the first few chapters, I usually don't like the entire thing. Now, I don't have the time to waste on something I don't like. Unless I'm reading it for review, if I don't like it at the beginning, it's gone. I will not finish it. I might read the last chapter or two to see how the story comes out, but I'm not going to waste my time on the whole thing. And it will immediately go into the discard pile.

I also don't have time to read favorites more than once. I used to read some of them multiple times, picking up different nuances each time I read them. Not any more. I've got four years worth to get through. I told my husband I'm not allowed to buy any more books until I whittle the piles down.

And if you know me, you know that's not going to happen. I'll keep buying them and adding them to my piles and read when I can.

But six more cases to catalog? And that doesn't count the e-books on the computer.

Time to stop typing and get reading. :)
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Birthdays: Saul Bellow, Maurice Sendak, Terence Rattigan

Tips and Teasers: Stretch your senses. Eat something prepared five different ways (vanilla ice cream – 1)plain, 2)with a crunchy topping, 3)fried, 4)with a liquid topping, 5)with fruit). Be even more adventurous and try something you've never tried before. Make notes on the experience.

Thought for the day: "Everyone thinks they can write a play; you just write down what happened to you. But the art of it is drawing from all the moments of your life." - Neil Simon