Books by the Bed

Last night I attacked the heap of books that had accumulated next to my bed. This is a task that happens every 4-6 months. I do it when I realize that I have now read most of what was there, so back to the bookshelves with the read stuff, and then I browse the shelves and put a couple of new items on the floor. Of course I sweep first. Eventually it will be a heap again.

Some books stay. I keep two historical atlases (one world history, one medieval history) next to the bed all the time. Wild Swans is still there because I've got about 2 1/2 chapters left. So is the stack of short stories that Amilynne gave out at Christmas (what a great gift). I'm only halfway through it. There's also a study by a professor in my mom's department about how current education trends have ruined one neighborhood school in Texas. (Teaching is scary business--no one, espeically if they're in power, trusts you to know how to do your job.)

Sometimes (like this time) I find a borrowed book. A copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in Italian, which one of my professors loaned me and which I really must return before the class I'm taking from her ends this summer. (Incidentally, in Italian they have translated "muggles" as "Babbani." Strange word, so's the English one.)

I put my Billy Collins books (all of them) on the shelves, but that will be shortlived, as I have ordered others from Amazon and they will be here soon, so I'll need the old ones back out to compare them with.

I could honestly not buy a new book for a year and still have more than plenty of reading material here. But that won't happen. Book shopping is fun!

Anyway, that's the report. The floor is open now, waiting for a new heap to form.