What they have in common is essentially nothing, except that they are all sitting next to me on my couch.  And why do you get to see a picture of them?  Because it’s almost 10pm on Saturday night and we just got home from my dear friend Lauren’s daughter’s first birthday party and I needed to post something.  It’s been a while since I posted book art, so here it is.

At the top is my “naked” copy of Deborah Harkness’ wonderful The Book of Life, which I don’t want to write about yet.  I’m on page 200 of 561, and I’m liking it pretty well so far.  I feel like I need to read the first two books in the trilogy again though.

Ken Follett’s Winter of the World, book two in his Century Trilogy, is next. It just came out in Mass Market recently and I was at The Avid Reader in Davis and decided I’d just  go ahead and get it.  I am not going to read this trilogy until the third is available–it’s better for me if I marathon trilogies so I don’t forget important details (see my comments on the All Souls Trilogy above).  Of course, this begs the question, “Why am I bothering to buy the books as they come out if I’m not going to read them for at least two years?”  And the answer is, of course, “I wanted them.”  I don’t attempt to justify my crazy book purchases anymore.  It’s too hard.

Next is Wallace Stegner’s Crossing to Safety.  Bethany and I have yet another reading challenge coming up.  It’s sort of an offshoot of The Numbers Challenge and involves us choosing two books that we have read that we think our co-blogger would like, and saying, “Here.  Read these.”  This is one of the ones Bethany told me to read.  The other is East of Eden, which I probably should have gotten out for this photo shoot, but I didn’t think of it until right now.  Too late!  This book is the reason I went to The Avid Reader yesterday.

Next is my well-worn movie-tie in cover of Pat Conroy’s The Prince of Tides.  Yes, friends, PAT CONROY MONTH!! is almost upon us, and this year I’m going to subject myself to staring at Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand’s naked profiles on the cover of this book.  Maybe something will happen to it and I’ll need to buy a new copy.  One can only hope.

And after that is The Island of the Day Before, which is my September Numbers Challenge book.  I seriously doubt I’m going to get through this one and also The Prince of Tides in one month, but I’ll do my best.  I added this one to my list because I tried to read it about ten years ago in the midst of vet school and just couldn’t get into it.  I think that I’ll like it, but that I didn’t have the necessary brain power to devote to Eco at the time.  I hope I have it now.

Wally Lamb’s newest just came out in paperback.  The cover of We are Water is really pretty.  I’ve only read one of Wally Lamb’s books, his first, She’s Come Undone, which I loved about fourteen years ago.  I have religiously purchased his other books and shelved them ever since.  I have no doubt this will be the same.  Purchased yesterday at The Avid Reader.

And last but not least is The Complete Stories of Flannery O’Connor.  This is a Bethany Book if it’s anything.  Bethany has spoken of Flannery O’Connor with love and respect quite a few times on the blog.  I have read several of her stories over the years, mostly in high school, and I figured I should take a stab at them someday, and, you know, I was at The Avid Reader anyway….

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday night.