What’s on Your Nightstand?

My “nightstand” is a desk next to my bed–I keep most of my current library books there (if they fit).

Feel free to take a peek:

I know, it’s a lot to take in. So I’ll break it down for you:

To Be Read:

Reading Every Book

I’ve written before about my quest to read every book in Eiseley Library–so I won’t go into too much detail here. Suffice to say that once I have read every book by a certain author or in a certain Dewey decimal category, I can “close out” that category and won’t be required to read anything more in that category even if the library acquires more books. If I were smart (hah!) I would work feverishly to close out authors that are still writing prolificly. But alas, I am not smart–and instead work on closing out all sorts of dead authors.

In the children’s section, I’m working on two picture book authors (Dr. Seuss and Ludwig Bemelmans) and two juvenile fiction series (The Boxcar Children and The Hardy Boys). These are my current selections from each.

• Hop on Pop
• Green Eggs and Ham
• Great Day for UP
• Madeline’s Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans
• The Woodshed Mystery by Gertrude Chandler Warner
• The Shore Road Mystery by Franklin W. Dixon

In adult non-fiction, I’m hard at work on 640.43 (Time Management) and 649.122 (Infant and Toddler Care). I’m two books away from completing 640.43 (and those two books are on my nightstand now). 649.122 reproduces too rapidly for me to make any real progress.

• Managing Workplace Chaos
• Mom, Inc. by Neale S. Godfrey
• Growing up Green by Dierdre Imus

Compliments of other Bloggers

My blog reader is always suggesting new books or authors for me to read–so much so that I can’t keep up on reading both at the same time (blogs and books, that is). Several books that are on my nightstand now were recommended to me by other bloggers (or I got interested in the topic because of a blogger.)

The 5 Minutes for Books review of Mistaken Identity convinced me that I had to read it.

• Mistaken Identity by Van Ryn and Cerak

When Jolanthe was studying Antarctica with her kids, they studied Shackleton’s adventure on the Endurance. The reminder was enough to re-spark my interest. I’ve been reading up on Shackleton since December.

• The Endurance by Caroline Alexander
• Sea of Ice: The Wreck of the Endurance

Anna is a big fan of Grace Livingston Hill–and quotes from her on a semi-regular basis. I haven’t read much Hill since I was a preteen, but I nabbed one of her books from the library a while back. It has, unfortunately, been sitting on my desk for WAY TOO LONG!

• The Street of the City by Grace Livingston Hill

I had no clue what to expect when I borrowed The Mysterious Benedict Society from the library–only that I’d heard it’s name favorably on a dozen occasions from my most respected bookie bloggers. It was AMAZING! I was telling my little sister about it and trying to see if the library had another copy she could borrow when the librarian informed me there was a sequel. So–I have book 2.

• The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey by Trenton Lee Stewart

We weren’t able to find a second copy of The Mysterious Benedict Society for Grace, so she didn’t get it. But I checked out a few of her recommendations:

• Daughter of Silk by Linda Chaikin
• Nobody’s Princess by Esther Friesner

Just Because/That Looks Interesting

I’m a big fan of randomly browsing the library, picking up whatever looks interesting. These fit the bill.

• Dorling Kindersley’s Inventions & Discoveries
• Reader’s Digest’s Vegetable Gardening
• The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints
• Men without Women by Ernest Hemingway
• Woodwind by Wendy Lynch
• The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
• Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
• Forever, Erma by Erma Bombeck
• Milestones of Medicine
• A Collection of Beauties at the Height of their Popularity by Whitney Otto
• Fleeced by Dick Morris and Eileen McGann
• The Quiet Gentleman by Georgette Heyer

To Be Reviewed

I’m trying to review the books I read more often on my Book Review page, but I’m always hopelessly behind. Recently read books are piled on my desk/nightstand awaiting review.

• Powder and Patch by Georgette Heyer
• Filthy Rich by Dorothy Samuels
• Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller
• The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart

Hidden Elsewhere

My bag (and bed itself) acts as a cache for a few more books:

• The Book of General Ignorance
• The Prince by Francine Rivers
• A Single Thread by Marie Bostwick

Check out some other nightstands at
5 Minutes for Books.