which to read?

which to read?, originally uploaded by carmencita158.

I've gotten to where the only time of day I indulge in a good book anymore is just before sleeping at night. And when I pick up a new read it had just better grab me from the very beginning, or I will not hesitate to put it down in favor of something new. The way I see it, there are just too many good books out there to waste my time on any one that I don't love instantly!

So last week I finished my most recent favorite book, The Secret Life Of Bees. Still a little infatuated with the characters of that story, I waited a couple of days before I thought of moving on. And then, over lunch and then dinner in the same day, I asked two very different people for their recommendations. The books above are the result of those conversations. I checked them both out of library the following day.

I couldn't decide which one to try, so I read the first chapter of each and then stewed it over for a few days. The first is about a man who basically falls for a kitten next door and steals the little guy from his neighbor. The second is about a high school teacher / mask collector with a borderline-obsessive passion for one author's books. From what my friend told me of the first book, I will really relate to this story and the way the main character discovers love for an animal he never thought he could even tolerate. And the jacket of the second book promises a bizarre ride into the illustrated idea of what would happen if I somehow entered into the world of one of those books I know and love. Hmmm.

I'm not sure which book I'll end up diving into first. It really depends on my mood when it's time to read, I think. But this experience of mulling over the possibilities is interesting to me in itself. The stories are blending together in my head as if they are both part of the same plot, and I am not sure which characters belong where. It's a little unsettling.

The moral of this story is: I am only capable of reading ONE book at a time. This trait comes from the same place as does my preference for one-on-one as opposed to group conversation, to relationships as opposed to the dating of many. Leave it to me to find a connection between books and my love life!

Actually, I have no love life at the moment. I'm taking a break from dating altogether. But that is a story for another day.