Wednesday, January 30, 2008

So many books, so little time

I have a small dilemma.

Earlier this week I started reading "The Cider House Rules" for an online book club I belong to. Granted, it was the title that was assigned in December, so I'm a bit behind, especially considering everybody else in the club has been finished with the book for weeks.

I'm not far into the book yet, about 170 pages or so. And while that seems like a good chunk of reading material, it's deceiving. The book? It clocks in at 550 pages of really, really small type. So it's going to take me a while to finish the book.

But today? I got a second e-mail from the fine folks at the public library. And they told me that this time, the copy of "Eclipse" that I had requested was really in. Last week they tried to tell me it waiting for me on a shelf. But I went in twice and it was nowhere to be found. But today when I stopped in the library after work, there was "Eclipse" just waiting for me to get my hands on it.

I've been waiting to read "Eclipse" for what seems like forever. This is the third time it's been in my possession, almost. The first time I had it it came in before I was done reading "New Moon," the second book in the three book series. And you can't read number three before you finish number two. So I had to return it. Then I got a second chance. But the book never even made it to my apartment since it was December and I spent most of the month curled up in a fetal position with a throbbing headache.

So needless to say, I've been waiting forever to read this book.

Now here's where the dilemma comes in. Do I stop reading "The Cider House Rules" so that I can jump into "Eclipse?" Because honestly, I don't think it's going to take me that long to finish off this book. Whereas, if I decide to finish reading "The Cider House Rules" first, it could be a few days, or weeks, before I get to the vampires in "Eclipse." And that could be bad, since the library is telling me I only get to keep this book for two weeks. I wouldn't feel too awful if I stopped reading "The Cider House Rules" at the moment, because honestly? I'm not completely into the book yet. I'm not sure what to think about it and the story isn't making me feel like I.cannot.put.the.book.down.no.matter.what. I'm just not feeling it. Yet.

There's always the option of reading them both at the same time, but I'm a one book kind of girl. It's hard to keep things straight. And I don't read any faster, or more, when I've got more than one going at a time.

And this doesn't even touch on the fact that there's another book that's patiently waiting for me to read it, "Water for Elephants," for a second online book club that I'd like to participate in. All these books. So little time!

Any suggestions? What should I do?

3 comments:

Deloris said...

Read the other book.

If you are already behind the book club, The Cider House Rules can wait a little longer.

Farrah said...

You're only allowed to check out books for two weeks?

Badgergirl said...

Farrah, normally we get to check out books from the library for like a month, but "Eclipse" is still a new release so they only let us have it for two weeks. It also doesn't help that there are about a bajillion people who are on the waiting list to read "Eclipse," so I can't even renew it the one time I'm usually allowed.

Taking all of that into account, I'm thinking "The Cider House Rules" is going to get a brief break this weekend and I'll attempt to finish up "Eclipse" instead.