BOOKS . . . SO, WHAT ARE YOU READING?

I seldom read one book at a time. I'd like to think it's because I'm easily bored, as opposed to attributing it to some sort of obsessive-compulsive or attention deficient disorder . . .

Believe it or not, I'm currently reading (or thumbing through) a total of 9 books. The titles on my list include:

1) MORAL DISORDER (Margaret Atwood) Category: Fiction, Short story collection; Why: I'm a fan of both short story collections and Ms. Atwood's work; Source: Purchased at Park Road Books in Charlotte, NC; Notes: I almost put this one down in disgust after reading the first two stories. But I'm glad I kept reading. I'm a couple of stories short of finishing the collection.

2) WHAT I KNOW FOR SURE (Tavis Smiley) Category: Non-fiction, Autobiography; Why: My interest was piquied after stumbling upon a C-SPAN interview of him talking about his life; Source: Purchased at Urban Knowledge Bookstore in Memphis, TN; Notes: Most folks seem to either really love Smiley or really hate him. I've always been somewhere in the middle. After the C-SPAN interview, I had a greater respect for him and a desire to learn more;

3) PUBLICIZE YOUR BOOK (Jacqueline Deval) Category: Non-fiction, Reference; Why: I'm in the process of forming my own strategy for AFTER THE DANCE; Source: Purchased at Barnes & Noble in Charlotte, NC; Notes: Great source of information for the new author. I highly reccommend;

4) A HAND TO GUIDE ME (Denzel Washington) Category: Non-fiction, Essays; Why: I almost bypassed this one. On first glance, I thought it was just another celebrity biography. Thank goodness it's not. As the subtitle indicates, it's a book about those who inspired various leaders and entertainment personalities; Source: Purchased at Borders, Charlotte, NC; Notes: Proceeds from the book go toward the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

5) THE LEGEND OF QUITO ROAD (Dwight Fryer) Category: Fiction, Novel; Why:

Dwight is a friend and a fellow Memphian. I've been planning to read his book for some time now; Source: Purchased at Barnes & Noble in Charlotte, NC; notes: I try to limit the number of fiction titles I'm reading at one time. So, I'll really get into this book after I've finished Atwood's Moral Disorder;

6) BLACK, WHITE AND JEWISH (Rebecca Walker)

Category: Non-fiction, Autobiography; Why: It's something I've been planning to read for years. When I noticed it on the bookstore's discount table, I didn't have a reason to put it off any longer. Source: Purchased at Barnes & Noble in Richmond, Ohio; Notes: I'm finding Ms. Walker's perspective as the bi-racial, only child of author Alice Walker even more interesting than I thought it would be.

7) TURN UP THE HEAT (G. Garvin) Category: Non-fiction, Cookbook; Why: I'm always looking for new recipe ideas and I'm a big fan . . . okay, groupie of G. and his show on TVOne; Source: Christmas gift from the hubby; Notes: As G. likes to say, "It's all about cooking the healthy Soul way, baby!"

8) HOME: THE BLUEPRINT OF OUR LIVES (Sen. John Edwards)Category: Non-fiction, photos & essays; Why: I saw a Life Magazine write-up about the book; Source: Christmas gift from the hubby; Notes: It's a nice coffee-table book.

9) LETTERS TO A YOUNG ARTIST (Anna Deavere Smith) Category: Non-fiction; Why: I bought this last year for a friend's graduating granddaughter and ended up buying one for myself; Source: purchased at Borders in Beachwood, Ohio; Notes: It's a neat book for a "young" artist. It also has me wondering if Ms. Smith has ever considered doing something similar for us "old" artists.

How does one read 9 books at one time? In bits and pieces. I literally keep books all over the house--living room, kitchen, study, next to the tub and next to the bed. Also, not being terribly interested in television helps. I'm sure there's someone who does this, besides me, right? (smile) In any case, feel free to share your own reading habits and/or list.