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)?
