How Many Books?

I have often wondered how many books I could read in a year’s time, so this past year, I kept track. I totaled 75. Many of the books I read were paperback romances by ACFW authors. It is fun to read them because I know some of the authors personally. I can picture them sitting at their desks, carefully selecting the right words to make up their story. I find myself wondering how many times a certain scene was rewritten before it reached publication, or which character’s name was changed during the course of rewrites.

However, when I look over my list, it frustrates me to see how few books I read that others are talking about. Every time I read some of the loop emails, I gather another list of books I want to read “someday”. This last week, I ordered A Passion Most Pure by Julie Lesseman and the new book on writing romance that Gail Martin wrote. Then, I was introduced to Karen Kingsbury when I received the first book in her Redemption series as a Christmas gift. So, of course, after finishing the first one, I had to run to my local Christian bookstore and buy the next one in the series, Remember.

In the meantime, one of the ladies on our library board and a long time friend, not to mention former teacher to both of my kids back in the day, loaned me a book she thought I would like. I returned it to her after reading it and doesn’t she arrive at our next board meeting with two more books for me to read.

I joined the LI book club in August and they were sending me four books a month with frequent offers to get two “extra books” free if I do thus and so. I changed that one so now I am supposed to only receive four books every two months, but they still seem to arrive in the mal faster than I can read them.

I couldn’t resist the bargain table at Wal-mart the other day. What reader can resist a hardback novel for under three bucks, for goodness sake! I couldn’t settle for one, so I walked out with two. That totals close to a dozen books I have acquired over the past week.

Carla Stewart, in responding to a “tag game” on her blog, mentions several books I have heard of and wanted to read, but never have. Everywhere I go and everything I read seems to lead me to another book, another possible adventure, another “must read experience”.

Like most avid readers, I have stacks and stacks of books, some neatly organized on bookshelves, most piled up here and there on end tables, the coffee table, the wall unit. I know I need to weed out and get rid of some of them, but it’s like making a choice between old friends. How do you decide you will never want to look at one certain favorite book again over another? It is a daunting decision and one I am agonizing over as I struggle every day to get organized.

I look forward to all the great books I will read over the next twelve months and I will grieve the ones I give away out of necessity. Each one holds a hidden treasure of knowledge and adventure between its covers.

There are many things I believe about heaven, but these are for sure two. There will never be a limit on the amount of time we have to read and the selection of books we can choose from will be virtually immeasurable.

Interview with author Cheryl Wyatt coming soon!

Thanks for reading my blog.