I mean I should make myself stop. Late last year I came to the conclusion that I would die before I could read all the books I wanted to read. It didn’t help that I was in denial about my to be read list. Sure, I had an Amazon wishlist, but you couldn’t see all the books on one page (or I couldn’t figure out how to do it). Fourteen pages of an Amazon wish list isn’t that bad, right? Perhaps not, but the wish list didn’t include all the books in my home that were sitting sadly on shelves, waiting for their day in the sun. What if I wasted time reading a dumb book and never got to the most perfect book for me, the one that would make me understand everything, be the best person I could be and live free and happy? I stopped everything and created my favorite of all things: a spreadsheet. I typed all the books into it. I figured out how to export the wish list (not an option on Amazon at the time, except to GoodReads, which lets you export to Excel – natch!).
I would love to have an app that would allow me to easily drag and drop by priority and category (I need to prioritize fiction v fiction, and non-fiction v non-fiction, etc). I have found no such app.. perhaps I should figure out how to write one and do it. I digress. Now I have my crazy spreadsheet, my prioritized list and all is good. I’m feeling organized. It helps me see progress (I have already read this year the same number of books I read in all of 2013 – Gold Star for me!). I adore my spreadsheet. Nerd alert!

I could read from my list of house books or Nook books for probably years without having to look elsewhere, but that wouldn’t let me invest in all the new books or even recent books that everyone has read except me (how many times will I mention that Gone Girl is STILL on my list?). But sometimes I can not control myself. My read all the books.. even the recent ones. In my excitement to read all the books, though there is no way to read all the books, I occasionally go on a library jag. All the books: For free! In many formats! And then… the books come in. I must go get them. There is a deadline or (gasp!) fines ensue Yes, two weeks no matter how many other books are being juggled when the email arrives that the book is waiting. It’s easy to sign up. They are new books. It will take awhile for me to arrive at the top of the list. Don’t be fooled. They will arrive.. soon, and many at once.

How does one handle this? Choices must be made. One can try to read all the books, but one most certainly can not read all the books at the same time. So the library books move to the top of the priority list, because they are here and on a deadline. Gone Girl continues languishes as one of the books on my shelf. Somewhat of a kismet affect: you must read me now, you can’t resist reading me now, you will have to return me if you do not read me now (not technically true if one doesn’t mind fines and alarmed emails from the library). What to do, what to do?

Read on.. it’s the only thing to do.