What I HAVEN'T Been Reading

I love to buy books. At the library booksale, at the used bookstore, through Amazon or (free, thank god!) through paperbackswap. Every few weeks I'll get an itch, and I can't rest until I scratch it. I'll be trolling the blogs, reading reviews, or an autobuy author will have a new release and nothing will please me but I must buy the new books. Oddly enough, however, owning the book is no guarantee to actually reading the book. In fact I will often pass up the books I own to read books from the library, pass up books I know I will love to read the books I might enjoy. Testiment to this is the list of great books, languishing on my bookshelf that I have yet to read.



Several Mary Balogh books -- some have been sitting for 10 YEARS

Kingdom of Dreams by Judith McNaught -- again 10 YEARS

For My Lady's Heart by Laura Kinsale

As You Dare and All Through the Night by Connie Brockway

Outsider by Penelope Williamson

Sugar Daddy and several historicals by Lisa Kleypas

My Lord and Spymaster by Johanna Bourne

Two books by LaVyrle Spencer

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie



This does not begin to cover the many many more historical romances that I've bought over the last few years and the non-romance books sitting on my shelves.



I joke that I'm saving them for the day I break my leg and I'm stuck at home with nothing to do, or the day when civilization breaks down and no new books are produced. Do I worry that I need to save the good ones for a rainy day? I can take a chance on a questionable book now, in these heady days when there are so many new books released. But really, I'm always able to find new books I want to read, so what's with the hoarding?



Just recently I pulled one of these well-aged books of the shelf, only to be sorely disappointed. I only gave Dance, by Judy Cuevas, 100 or so pages before shipping it off through paperbackswap. Oh well, I made someone else very happy.

The Book Fairy

I've never seen her; I suspect she is invisible to the naked eye. She waits until no one is home to bestow her gifts. With a wave of her wand she deposits a neat little package, filled with those items most necessary to my happiness and sanity, books. Just yesterday the Fairy dropped of the following items:

1. Madness of Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley
2. A Hunger Like No Other by Krelsey Cole
3. View to a Kiss by Caroline Linden
4. If You Desire by Kresley Cole
5. Passion by Lisa Valdez
6. Beyond Heaving Bosoms by Sarah Wendell and Candy Tan
7. At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh
8. Romeo, Romeo by Robin Kaye

While I am grateful for her gifts, I don't understand why she brings me more books when I ALREADY HAVE SO MANY!