Earlier tonight, I was sitting in my living room, watching TV. During the commercials I would read a bit from Terry Brooks's latest, A Princess of Landover. At some point, I managed to bring Kurt Newton's Dark Demons into the room. I picked it up from somewhere in the house, after getting a drink or going to the bathroom or whatever, and I read a little of that as well.
Then I noticed Under the Dome, Stephen King's latest that is more like a slab of concrete than a book, sitting atop one of many TBR piles scattered around the house. Man, I should start reading that I thought. Then the little man in my brain shouted, "Enough! No more! Finish the goddamn books you've started already, you dick!"
What an asshole.
But he's right. I'm not sure where or how it began, but I simply begin reading too many books these days, and it takes me ages to finish just one of them. Until about two years ago, I'd read one book at a time, nothing more. Currently, I'm in the midst of reading the following:
A Princess of Landover, by Terry Brooks (pg. 218)
Dark Demons, by Kurt Newton (pg. 174)
Nightmares & Dreamscapes, by Stephen King (pg. 427)
October Country, by Ray Bradbury (pg. 39)
Open Your Eyes, by Paul Jessup (pg. 18)
Opening Atlantis, by Harry Turtledove (pg. 150)
Peaceable Kingdom, by Jack Ketchum (pg. 153)
The Devil's Labyrinth, by John Saul (pg. 161)
The Orc King, by R.A. Salvatore (pg. 65)
A bit ridiculous, I'm sure you'll agree. It's one thing to set aside short-story collections, as I tend to do that between stories, but stopping mid-novel is insane. And these aren't novels I necessarily dislike—I actually enjoy them. I simply have too many damn books laying around my house unread. So if I happen to be near one, I'll crack it open and start reading a little. And then I'm committed; I can't just abandon it!
And so it goes. I've got too many commitments and not enough time. I feel like Octo-Mom, only far less annoying.
Anyone else have this problem (besides Octo-Mom of course)?
10 comments:
You're a sick man, Ken. LOL
I usually have two or three running at one time, but nine? Is there a twelve step program for out of control readers?
I'm terrible too but my problem is that I buy a bunch of books at a time and then take forever to start them. Once I start reading them I do perceiver....usually.
At least, a few of those are anthologies though. Good stuff on that list. Peaceable Kingdom has one of my fav Ketchum stories in it "Meaghan's Law."
Ketchum is really good. I just started reading him recently, after I got one of his books at Necon. Wicked impressed. He's very straightforward and brutal, you know.
I do the same thing. It's counterproductive and slightly schizophrenic, but there you go.
-Mercedes
I'm definitely a one book at a time girl, with a dash of short stories on the side. My brain would implode if I tried nine books at once.
Oh, you're nothing like Octomom, Ken. You're much, much cuter.
Um...The "Octo-Mom" does not strike me as much of reader.
I juggle like 3 or 4 books at a time, myself.
Octo-Mom reads eight books at a time. They're magically inserted into her brain by an unscrupulous wizard.
(Joke Fail #1,278,983)
Yup. I do exactly the same thing. Then I'll forget which ones I started, start them over again, and go 'this sounds familiar, I must already have read it', put it down, remember about a month later that I STARTED it, pick it up, and it's like I never opened it in the first place.
It's a wonder I EVER finish a book.
I need to update that gif. I've actually finished two of those listed and quit another. I do not recommend that Harry Turtledove book. Blah!
Unless, of course, you want to learn how to write super-boring alternate history.
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