My bibliolust list is shorter this month because it becomes more and more clear than there just ain’t enough time. September was a perfect example. Several of the books on my August and September list finally got to me on the library reserve list. There just wasn’t time to read two of them so I returned them within days so others could read them. But I still want to read them so have added myself back to the reserve list.
Recognizing that conundrum, I have lowered my sights a tad. Here’s what’s the current focus of lust:
Bright-sided: How the Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Has Undermined America, Barbara Ehrenreich — I’ve read a number of Ehrenreich’s books and figured my cheerful and optimistic outlook on life would enjoy her take on positive thinking in America.
Brodeck, Philippe Claudel — A review of this novel about dealing with collective guilt generated by World War II drew it to my attention.
Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do?, Michael J. Sandel — There’s been enough buzz about this book based on the highly popular course at Harvard — lectures of which are now part of a WGBH series — that I got on the library reserve list.
The Skating Rink, Robert Bolaño — I can’t decide how much of Bolaño is hype, how much I’m too stupid to grasp and how much is genius. But I’ve got some willingness to keep trying to figure that out.
One other thing is probably cutting down on my bibliolust — hockey lust. The NHL kicks off tonight and the USHL tomorrow night, thereby significantly impacting the hours available for reading.
There are 10,000 books in my library, and it will keep growing until I die. …. If I had not picked up this habit in the library long ago, I would have more money in the bank today; I would not be richer.
Pete Hamill, “D’Artagnan on Ninth Street“
