Books to the Sky

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.

- Arnold Lobel

I have a confession to make. I love books. More specifically, buying books. I love the idea of what is in it. I love the smell of new books. I love how it always mixes in my sensory memory with the aroma of coffee. "Jen," you may say, "There's nothing wrong with that."

Here's what's wrong with that. I have every intention of reading the books that I buy...as soon as I finish the book that I'm reading now. However, when I finish that book, I may be in the mood to read something else. Long story short, I have stacks, stacks (!) of unread books.

Today, I have made a vow. A solemn vow that I intend to keep. I will not buy any more books until I finish all of the unread books that I currently possess. In order to keep that promise, I'm going to list them right here until I finish them all.

1. Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs by Chuck Klosterman
2. Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame Smith
3. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
4. The Girl who Played with Fire by Stied Larsson
5. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
6. About a Boy by Nick Hornby
7. Love is a Mix Tape by Rob Sheffield
8. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
9. Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris
10. Always Looking Up by Michael J. Fox
11. I Like You by Amy Sedaris
12. When You Are Engulfed in Flames by David Sedaris
13. The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry*
14. Born Standing Up by Steve Martin*

* These are actually books I borrowed and haven't read yet, so they're going on the list.

Folks, I'm going to read 'em all. And then I'm going to get a library card and make my own coffee.