[Editor's Note: It has been a minute. I realize. When last we spoke I had several posts planned, even written. All I needed to do was push the publish button and there would have been fresh content to keep the blog... relevant....maybe too strong a word, but still. Anyway time passed, maybe one day I can salvage some of it. Today, however, forward]
At the height I had no idea how many books I needed to read. There was a sinking feeling that I would never read most of them. I entertained notions that in the next house the spare room would become a library, but the next house turned into a one bedroom apartment. Putting them in storage probably meant a future of water damage from all and mold for most.
The decision making process was ruthless. Things I never read and who didn't belong to an author I was not currently reading went. Aborted series, disappointing stand-alones, and flyers taken on overstock tables at booksellers all went out the door and into the local library.
Over three hundred. The to be read pile dropped precipitously.
With all those books, then and now. I don't get a rush out of it. Right now I have 45 books in the queue and I am always undone about it. And whether it is 40 or 400 the next book always looms. On occasions I look at them and think, at some point I won't read these books because, ya know, I'll die.
Two things about that. 1. Yikes, get some therapy. 2.) First world problems.
Well, yes and yes, but we all worry about something. This is that something for me.Or at least the something I want to do something about.
The plan is to get the too be read pile down to less than 2-3 books. Why not zero? Well it doesn't seem realistic. I buy 8-12 books a year. Some books I read in a weekend, some take a few weeks. A natural backlog will develop. Although I suppose I could exercise a bit of self control and only buy books when the aforementioned shelf is bare, but lets not get ridiculous....
The time frame I am giving myself to complete this project is December of 2018. Why this date? Mainly because it feels a long way off, but reasonably close to hopefully spur a bit of a competition within myself. I did find a website that could calculate this date and it gave me March 2020. Ugh. I'll need to be a bit quicker than that. My best year as a reader was 50 books and that was exhausting. So a little less than two years to read what is going to be about 70 books....the to be read pile plus the books I will buy between now and then.
I've neglected The Hungry Detective. I hope to rekindle it, but no promises. I'll post about the books, maybe a review, or a little something about my connection to the book or author. I like crime fiction, and I would like to try writing about it again.
So the first book is THE HEAVENS MAY FALL by Allen Eskens. It's his third book. Loved his first, completely forgot his second. Hope to report more soon.
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