Thursday, August 30, 2012

Marcia's Nightstand

Maybe this isn't quite representative. The TBR pile isn't as tall as it usually is. But usually the books are piled in a single stack, and the table contains hand lotion, a water bottle, a pen cup, a pad of paper, a tissue box, a book light, a calculator, a manicure set, and lip balm. I've spared you all that, all the better to see the books. But they don't show up very well here, so let's try a second shot...






Not quite so good yet? Well, Mewy has always been a rather literary cat,
making a pest of herself um, "participating in my process" in my office and occupying my lap when I read. So I guess she figured she should pose. Unless, of course she's here because she can read titles...


I was particularly looking for MG mystery when I compiled this stack, so that genre predominates here. On the right-hand side, we have, from top to bottom, my journal; Room One, by Andrew Clements; Closed for the Season and Deep and Dark and Dangerous, both by Mary Downing Hahn; and Witness, by Karen Hesse.

And on the left, we have, from top to bottom, Eleven, by Patricia Reilly Giff; the Thompson Chain Reference Bible; Emily's Fortune, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor; and three books on writing craft: Second Sight, by Cheryl Klein; Plot vs. Character, by Jeff Gerke; and Mewy's choice, by Blake Snyder -- Save the Cat!

What's in your TBR pile?

71 comments:

Faith E. Hough said...

My TBR list is really obscenely long; too long for a blog comment. But on the top is Insignia, by S. J. Kincaid. It's a little masculine for my tastes, but extremely well-plotted and paced. (Actually, I started it two days ago, but then my husband snatched it and stayed up until 1 am reading it!)
Let me know how you enjoy yours! I love MG mysteries!

Anonymous said...

Oh, my. Your bedroom looks so nice! {sighs, pulls self together} My In Progress and TBR piles include The Toaster Project (adult, science) by Thomas Thwaites, which might end up as a multiple purchase for gifts; My Life as a Stuntboy (MG) by Janet Tashijian, and The Long Road to Antietam (adult, history) by Richard Slotkin. But a whole buncha others I'd reserved just came in; I might have to do triage.

D.E. Malone said...

Right now I'm trying to finish Legend, and have the Mulberry Project by Linda Sue Park up next. Also Anna Dressed in Blood is there, too. Unfortunately, I'm not motivated to read right now. I don't know why that happens sometimes, but the spell passes quickly.

Bish Denham said...

Oh gosh, my TBR pile is so big right now, I doubt I'll get through it by the end of the year. Just one stack includes, Nikolas & Company by Kevin McGill, Camp by Elaine Wolf, Mysteries of the Middle Ages by Thomas Cahill, The White Assassin by Hillary Wagner, The Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi, and The Fairytales of Herman Hesse.

Vijaya said...

Love the kitty posing on the books. I only have a journal, my rosary, and some pens on my night-stand. Sometimes I read in bed, but it is bothersome to my husband, so my piles are in the living room, and the kids are constantly messing them up. They got a rude awakening when they flipped through my medical burns/recovery books. Can you hear the ewwwws and yucks?

You've got some great books in your pile. Happy reading.

Mirka Breen said...

Mewy is great. I’ll read him first.
Your pile is about twice what mine is, because I have this funny thing about piling too many, which would keep me from touching the pile at all. So I cheat by having a bookshelf nearby hold most of the books, so I can think of the three or four books by the bed as the only ‘to reads.’

Barbara Watson said...

I love knowing what people are reading or trying to find time to read! My library bought FOUR books that have been on my to-read list for awhile...I'm hoping to get to all of them before they're due! Right now I'm reading Kate Messner's CAPTURE THE FLAG. JUMP INTO THE SKY is also in my pile.

Kelly Hashway said...

My TBR pile is so big. I have paperbacks and hardcovers stacked on my dresser, and my Kindle is about to explode. LOL

Emily R. King said...

My TBR pile isn't as long. I try not to buy books until I'm ready to read them or they haunt me day and night. :) And it's easier on my pocketbook.

Marcia said...

Faith -- There are physical TBRs and written-down TBRs, and the second is usually even worse! Er, that is, longer.

Anne -- Thanks, Anne! But what did I shove aside that's not in the pictures, hm? Only Mewy knows for sure. The variety in people's piles is really fun and eye-opening.

Dawn -- I've had some reading slowdowns recently, too. Maybe I'm getting into more of a cycle?

Bish -- Oh, for a reading retreat...

Vijaya -- Your nightstand sounds so orderly. One night I turned over in bed and knocked the pen cup on the floor. Impromtu alarm clock.

Mirka -- I've learned something about too high a pile, too -- not that it's permanently cured me. Having too much to read tempts me to speed through it too fast. I'm hoping to keep my pile smaller so that I slow down and savor each book more. We'll see how my good intentions work out.

Barbara -- I actually just put Capture the Flag on reserve. All these titles in the comments will send my pile up to the ceiling!

Kelly -- LOL, I never thought about the danger of exploding Kindles. Modern life is so complicated. :)

Emily -- Buying them when you're ready to read makes good sense. Once or twice, I've had to wonder if a huge pile represents greed. Do I really need to be hoarding all that, days and weeks before I can get to it?

Kelly Polark said...

I love how your cat had to get into the photo! I keep my books in the bottom opening of my nightstand and it is PACKED!
I am reading THE CLASSROOM by Robin Mellom right now.

Jaye Robin Brown said...

Mine towers too! The top 3 books on the table top are The Roots of the Olive Tree (adult women's fic by Courtney Miller Santos), Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore, and Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. The cross bar at the bottom which also houses books first three, top to lower are Where she Went by Gayle Foreman, As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, and The Daughter's Walk by Jane Kirkpatrick. There's a hobbledy pile of mail that needs sorting and pitching!

My craft books live on my writing desk.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

I have a huge TBR pile...well three of them plus my Nook. I have a ya stack, mg stack and a pb stack...

Jennifer R said...

My to-read pile is huge, too many to list. I've read Second Sight - it is very insightful and full of great examples.

Daisy Carter said...

Oh, I ADORE Save the Cat! And Save the Cat Goes to the Movies, and Save the Cat Strikes Back, and...

Haven't read Second Sight, but I've heard it's great.

My TBR pile is a hodgepodge at the moment. Agatha Christie, Rebecca Stead, "20 Master Plots" from Writers Digest, and some thriller YAs I just bought. Plus, the standbys that never seem to make it back to the shelf: To Kill A Mockingbird, The Sky Is Everywhere, and a Nancy Drew!

Marcia said...

Kelly -- I loved that she showed up when she did. Putting the cat in was completely unplanned!

Jaye -- My craft books tend to spend time in the pile before they go to my office, where most of them move to a shelf near my desk, but the big favorites are ON the desk.

Sharon -- I mix my stacks together. #organizedbutnotuberorganized

Jennifer -- I've actually finished Second Sight, too. I should move it down to my office, and keep it handy for the next revision cycle.

Daisy -- My favorite tip from Save the Cat is "Pope in the Pool." Once I checked out from my library a stack of OLD Nancy Drews I'd read as a kid. So much fun to relive them! I have 20 Master Plots on my shelf, too.

Anonymous said...

My TBR pile is mainly on my Kindle and iPad. I read 3-6 books at a time.

It was great seeing a glimpse of a your pile. I bought Save the Cat last week. I can't wait to read it.

Ruth Schiffmann said...

Oh, I love seeing an actual picture of your TBR pile (and Mewy.) Witness is also in my pile, as is Second Sight. I've read it once but I plan to read it again.

Susan Fields said...

I'm doing a lot of beta reading for an upcoming revision retreat right now, so I've got quite a few manuscripts (by other people) waiting for me on my Kindle right now.

Marcia said...

Medeia -- Wow, you write AND read multiple books at a time! I rarely read more than one novel at a time. If I'm reading several books at once, it's usually one novel plus a couple of NF.

Ruth -- Wow, two duplicates. :) The variety in everybody's pile probably shouldn't amaze me, but it just points out all over again how many books there are.

Susan -- I'm really attracted to the idea of having an e-reader for beta purposes. I might ask for one for Christmas.

Sharon K. Mayhew said...

Strange....I thought I commented on your post already???

I have three TBR piles, YA, MG, and PB.

Right now I am reading STARTERS. (It's great!) I just bought The Emotional Thesaurus. (It's really good.)

Marcia said...

Sharon -- You did, about halfway up the list. :) I knew those three TBR piles sounded familiar :D. Thanks for coming back.

Angela Ackerman said...

Mewy! I love that name. Lol. Glad to see he approves of Save The Cat, too!

The Happy Whisk said...

That second shot is priceless.

Marcia said...

Angela -- My son named her when she was a kitten. I think it's perfect. :)

Whisk -- And it was honestly, totally unplanned. Of course, if I'd TRIED to put her in the picture, it wouldn't have worked.

The Happy Whisk said...

It's fun taking shots of them. I hate when they do something cute and my camera is in the other room.

Have a great weekend :-)

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