Baby Got Book Back Log

this looks an awful lot like
the stacks along my bed.

If I were to go and count how many books I have bought over the years and haven't yet gotten around to reading, it would be over a hundred. A hundred books I've picked up on a whim at used book sales, in bargain bins, ordered on Amazon, waiting on my Kindle, bought fresh and new because I was having a bad day and needed something to lift my spirits, was lent by friends... I have plenty to read, and more to share. It's kind of the reason why I started this blog - to talk about what I've been reading. You ever stroll around your local bookseller and spot the "Our Employee Recommendations" shelf? Not everything is hot off the presses on that shelf. But it's fun to see what fellow book lovers are reading, and what they're saying about it.

But I am not the kind of person who can buy a book new and go home and start reading it cover to cover. I'm a pretty slow reader. Often times, I only read a minimum of 50 pages a day. That's the goal I set for myself - get at least as far as this, and if you want to, go further. Or pick up another book and read 50 pages more of that. Because reading one book at a time isn't enough for me. I have this stock pile of books in my home, and it's growing. If I read one book at a time, I'd never catch up. Lord knows I probably never actually will.
I don't understand people who only ever go to the book store or library "because they have nothing to read." I don't understand "having nothing to read." It's baffling to me.

But then, what do I do with the books I have read? I need to make room for the new kids on the shelf. I'm pretty generous with my books - I'll give bags of them away to my cousins (in their teens or pre-teens) and if it's something they might be too young for I send them to the local thrift store. I know they'll find a good home there, because a lot of the people who live in my hometown don't have the means to drive to Lafayette and buy brand new shiny books. And besides, even if they could, their budget isn't more than $1 anyway.
Speaking of Lafayette, if I have any paperbacks I might bring them to my favorite used book store where I can trade them in for store credits (I had $600 in store credits there once upon a time - though that was a joint effort, I have to admit). This bookstore also has some pretty friendly cats who like you to greet them with a scratch behind the ear, then they'll ignore you. It's a bit on the small side - the way that used bookstores tend to be. Not as glossy and new as the big box bookstores, but it's got it's fans.
Personally, I like lending books out, even though I don't expect to see them again. I try not, however, to lend them out unless I've read them first. And I have a few extra copies of my favorites just in case anyone admits to me that they've never read Jane Eyre - if that's the case, then I have a copy just for you. Keep it. It's yours.