From here on out, the rain won't stop ? not in any significant way. From October through May, it rains in Portland. I'm not complaining. Rain gives many gifts; the most obvious being that I can stay inside and read. Adrienne and I are tied at 92 books for the year. (Lynn, the viper, she's at over 150 books read for the year so it's like she doesn't count.) I can pull ahead of Adrienne. All it's going to take is a couple of quiet, rainy weekends and a stack of books at hand. It is important to have books at the ready. On a recent Saturday the phones were quiet and we all had a chance to talk books. I wanted suggestions, so I asked everyone what they were reading.
We've got our history fans ? I can usually rely on Karin to be reading a historical book and she is: Gossamer Years. Of course, she just finished the latest Dick Francis Under Orders ? I don't want you thinking she's all serious.
Blane is reading volume three of the Will Durant series The Story of Civilization: Caesar and Christ. We do sometimes have single volumes of that 11 volume series but it looks like Blane's got the only volume three in the place!
Heidi just started Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and Shannon just finished Pretty Birds ? both novels about real events. And Alex is reading The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God, a short story collection by an Israeli writer. Maybe it is my mood, but that is a bit too much reality in my fiction! Give me the book our coworker India is starting ? The Master and Margarita. I want my history surreal. (Check out the Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky translation.)
Before you start thinking that we're the kind of booksellers who only read "serious" fiction... Michael is reading Going Postal. He picked it up not because my love of Terry Pratchett's books has rubbed off, but because he thought it was about postal workers. Before he joined us, Michael was probably the best mail carrier in Portland. I'll be interested to see what he thinks of Ankh-Morpork's postal system!
Tim is reading Wigfield, from the genius of Amy Sedaris, Paul Dinello, and Stephen Colbert... the book has got to be experienced; it cannot be described. And if you like the lighter side of Janet Evanovich, Mindy says you'll enjoy Big Hair and Flying Cows.
I doubt I can read all of these books by midnight, December 31st. Not unless I call out sick for a month. I need short books, quick reads, if I'm going to beat Adrienne. Help me out here ? what are you reading?