Katy McKenna Raymond  
Personal blog of christian writer Katy McKenna Raymond in Kansas City, Missouri

Personal blog of christian
writer & fallible mom
Katy McKenna Raymond
in Kansas City, Missouri


Katy is represented by
Greg Johnson at
WordServe Literary

Read more Katy at
LateBoomer.net

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So Many Books, So Little Time…

I weeded through my bookcase (and by that I mean, the one by my side of the bed, as opposed to Doug's bookcase or the many other shared bookcases throughout the house) yesterday.

I sent a number of politcal books upstairs to their next-to-final resting place. Once they go up, the next stop is the Friends of the Library donation bin. Then again, I might reconsider and hold on to them for posterity.

Heck, I've got a humor book called "The Wit and Wisdom of Spiro T. Agnew" that I wouldn't part with for the world. ("Bushisms" are funny, but Spiro T. Agnew is a classic.) It's sits right next to a mass market paperback (I think it sold for 79 cents) called "The True Story of the Beatles." We're talking antiques here, people!

I organized what was left on my personal bookcase so that I've got a whole half-shelf devoted to my "to be reads." Every time I glance at that shelf, I smile.

"A Tree Grows In Brooklyn" is a novel I meant to read in the '70s and you know what? I'm going to get to it before I'm in my 70s! In addition, I'm anticipating the joys of "Empire Falls," by Richard Russo, "Peace Like a River," by Leif Enger, and Anne Tyler's "The Amateur Marriage."

Then there are the novels by friends: Nancy Moser's "Second Time Around," BJ Hoff's Emerald Ballad Series, Lisa Samson's "Songbird" and "Tiger Lillie," and even "Godiva," the first novel of our pastor from the good, old Jesus freak days, David Rose.

Do you have a collection just dying to be read? What's on your bookcase?
Posted by Katy on 11/05/04 at 06:11 PM
Fallible Comments...
  1. The closest thing I have to a bookcase in my apartment is my slowly growing 'stack'. You see, the stack is where things that can be put off indefinitely reside, and occasionally (maybe each weekend, if I find time) I go through the stack and weed out unimportant things and rearrange the stack.

    So in my stack I currently have two issues of Inc. magazine, one issue of Roundel magazine, and one issue of European Car.

    Sigh. Someone put a few more hours in the day for me, please...

    -----
    Posted by Kevin  on  11/06/04  at  05:21 AM
  2. My bookcase is full to bursting! I need another one!

    Books I've recently(in the last six months)read.

    *Les Miserables
    *The Merchant of Venice
    *Don Quixote
    *Much Ado about Nothing
    *The Fourth Turning
    *Pride and Prejudice
    *Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
    *The Screwtape Letters
    *Uncle Tom's Cabin
    *What is Seen and What is Not Seen

    And as for books I have on my shelf waiting to be read. They are far too numerous to list. Here are a few off the top of my head.

    *The Making of America
    *The Majest of God's Law
    *The Adams/Jefferson Letters
    *Dumbing us Down
    *Principle Centered Leadership
    *Prelude to Glory
    *Alas Babylon
    *Walden
    *The One Minute Teacher
    *Multiple Intelligences
    *Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers
    *Great Expectations

    To name a few! LOL
    Posted by Tamra  on  11/06/04  at  06:29 AM
  3. Most of the books in my bookcase are crying out to be read! But I think it's the Dickens that haunt me the most. I still haven't read him, I'm ashamed to admit...
    Posted by irene  on  11/06/04  at  08:12 AM
  4. katy....."peace like a river" is my favorite novel - enjoy, it gets you from the first page. i've been on a novel kick myself mixing up sci-fi with a few historical novels, if you can call them that. i just finished "sea glass" not too long ago and really enjoyed it. i have limited myself to not buying any new novels until i read the ones i have on my shelves. so, enjoy reading and i might see you tomorrow with the new imac!!
    Posted by brooke  on  11/06/04  at  05:32 PM
  5. I keep trying to finish Watership Down. I'll start it and then get really busy and put it back on the shelf. Pretty soon I can't remember much about what I've already read, so I have to start over. And then there are the others: several Dickens, some Vonnegut, assorted novels from the bargain rack. Like Brooke, I have committed to reading what I have before I purchase any more.
    Posted by Mary  on  11/06/04  at  07:51 PM
  6. Oh Katy, I could not even begin to list the books that I have "on deck". I am a chronic collector. I read a lot, but I still have a much larger supply than I can meet the demand in my personal reading!
    Posted by will  on  11/06/04  at  08:05 PM
  7. Katy,
    I read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" back in about 7th grade, I think. It is not one I even remember at all, so it's definitely not one of my favorites. I'll be interested to see what you think.
    Posted by Bridget  on  11/06/04  at  08:58 PM
  8. I just read "Honey For A Woman's Heart" by Gladys Hunt -- great book by a bibliophile who suggests books for women. She is a Christian, but doesn't limit herself to only "christian" books. So as a result, my "to read" list is huge! I am currently reading: "The Betrayal" by Beverly Lewis and "The Ragamuffin Gospel" by Brennan Manning. My "to reads from the library" that must happen soon or be returned unread -- the ultimate crime in my own mind -- are "You Can't Make Me" by Cynthia Ulrich Tobias and "Reunion" by Karen Kingsbury. On my bedside table is a stack of books either owned or borrowed by me: "The Light and The Glory", the entire Shiloh Legacy series by the Thoenes, the Shenandoah Sisters series by Michael Phillips, "Keeping a Princess Heart" by Nicole Johnson, and my sisters copy of the complete novels of Jane Austen, volumes 1 and 2. My ultimate vacation would be a week by myself with a huge selection of wonderful books, meals brought to me in my room, and lots of good coffee. I'd say a month, but I couldn't stand not seeing my husband and kids for that long. Not too mention what my house would look like when I got back!
    Posted by Carrie  on  11/07/04  at  04:57 AM
  9. my stack, shelves, and bedside table are all heavy with books i need to have near but don't have enough hours in a day to get to. and yes, i prefer overdue to unread as far as library books go, which is yet another stack...
    currently i'm trying to get through dr. kevein leman's birth order book, better homes and garden's kitchen idea file, don't waste your life by john piper (still)...i went on a novel kick last fall but am now in reference mode. the other night, incidentally, i was at the library and picked up, per request, a "few" things for each of my kids along with my pile..the librarian asked me if i was a teacher, and laughed at me when i told her it was all for my crew. i've been a book nerd all my life and it's so fun to see my kiddos all learning to read and loving it.
    Posted by lisa  on  11/07/04  at  03:44 PM
  10. Carrie, your comments above, starting, "My ultimate vacation..." brought to mind a book I read by Anne Tyler- 'Ladder of Years.' Her comments about the genesis of that book are here: http://www.randomhouse.com/vintage/read/ladder/tyler.html
    ...so this might be another book to add to your already long list.
    Posted by violet  on  11/07/04  at  04:22 PM
  11. Just bought a few Anne Tyler's myself. Am starting The Amateur Marriage. Earthly Possessions soon. Life of Pi awaits as as well.
    Posted by lisa s.  on  11/07/04  at  10:40 PM
  12. The Wisdom of Spiro T. Agnew?

    That needs to go up on Ebay...assuming you haven't colored all the pages yet.

    Sorry...old joke.

    My bedside bookstand is cluttered with everything from " Wild at Heart" to cheap detective novels. Since Amy has been hooked up to IV's and taken residence on the couch (or as we like to call it Camp Amy) her side of the bed is also now a book depository.

    She pointed this out to me the other day that I have two Bibles, a novel, and now the newly released book of my friend Chuck (blatant plug for the World According to Chuck).

    I suppose I should make my bed before it gets out of hand...
    Posted by Michael Main  on  11/07/04  at  11:33 PM
  13. My house is a wayword home for lost books. All of us are readers and collectors of books. Floor to ceiling books shelves in the family room are oerstuffed. Bed room books shelves are far past capacity. Books can be found in TV stands, cupboards, and night stands. My night stand has Michael Crichton's "Timeline", Victor Frankl's "man's Search for Meaning" and Leo Stober's "The case for a Creator".

    Take Care
    Michael
    Posted by Michael  on  11/08/04  at  02:06 AM
  14. Well, this has been inspiring! Only now I'm adding exponentially to my Amazon wish list. No one has mentioned RealLivePreacher.com yet, but it's gonna get ordered. The World According to Chuck looks like my kind of book, too.

    Right now, I'm stuck on fiction, but I have significant backlog of non to enjoy, too. New Way to Be Human is waiting, along with Don't Waste Your Life and several titles by Ravi Zacharias. Our son turned us on to Getting Things Done which, if I get the reading of it done, may cause me to spend less time commenting on blogs--or who knows? It may free up more time!

    Thanks for all the great book suggestions, everyone! Happy Reading!
    Posted by Katy Raymond  on  11/08/04  at  03:33 PM
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