As if I need any more books to read . . .

I have ordered two new books from Paperbackswap. And when I say new books, I mean new books! Hardcovers, even! Paperbackswap occasionally buys overstocks of a certain title and then makes them available to members at a great price. These are two books that were on my wish list but, had I waited for a swap, it would very likely have taken years to get a copy of each.

First up is The Melting Season by Jami Attenberg. I heard of this book from a reviewlet I saw in one of those fluffy brainless magazines nearly a year ago. I have no recollection of the review's content, but something in it must have caught my interest. And since I am never immune to book recommendations, regardless of the source, it went on my list. I don't know what the book is about and I kind of like it that way.

Just now I ordered a copy of The Distant Hours by Kate Morton. I am not quite sure how it is that Paperbackswap is able to mail out copies of this one when it's scheduled for release on November 9th of this year, but shhhh, please don't tell anyone. If it's a mistake, I don't want them to figure it out until they've already shipped my copy.

The Distant Hours was quite a bit more expensive than other new books I've ordered from Paperbackswap, but at only 10 cents more than the Kindle version (which I couldn't get for nearly two more months anyway) I went ahead and ponied up. I don't have any idea what this one is about either, but after how much I enjoyed The House at Riverton (and how much I expect to enjoy The Forgotten Garden), I figured there was a pretty good chance this would be a good one too.

Is it as clear to you as it is to me that I am collecting books at a far faster rate than I am reading them? Thoreau is reported to have said, "Read the best books first, or you may not have a chance to read them all." I'm beginning to fear that will be true for me, even if I manage to stick with only the best.