Clearance

I don't think the phrase quite goes "you can judge a woman by the size of her sidebar." Nonetheless, I keep adding to it. You can already see what I'm currently reading, but as I'm not in the habit of writing extensive reviews of most of the books I read, I've decided to add another feature called "Redux," which is where I intend to keep the most recent books I've read and loved. In the hopes of answering the question I always love to get and give: "read anything good lately?"

Also, C. Max Magee over at The Millions highlights some advice on giving up that nasty habit of collecting more books than you know what to do with. Forget the Library, I need the Priory. Honest to goodness book rehab. I'm currently reading three books simultaneously (more out of desperation than pleasure), my shelves are still filled with plenty of good books that I haven't even had the chance to peek at, and yet I've still managed to purchase five books in the past 2 weeks. The TBR pile groans with goodness: The new Tom Perrotta. Jamestown by Matthew Sharpe. Watchmen. Lots of Shirley Jackson. Cryptonomicon. Lydia Millett's My Happy Life. Louis Bromfield's The Farm. Didion Didion Didion.

This is just the tip of the iceberg.

(My recent Commitments spotting made me want to re-read Roddy Doyle's Barrytown trilogy, but I don't want to seem arrogant, narrow-minded, or dim.)

Maybe tomorrow's holiday will give me the time I need to crack some spines and plow through the ever-expanding shelves of dust collectors. Or maybe I'll finally have the gumption to start throwing some of them out.

Or maybe I'll just watch the tennis instead. (Oh how I want to type: "I don't know Butchie instead.")

I know: I'll watch the tennis while throwing books out the window one by one until I'm complaining that there's nothing left to read.

Look out below. Nasty old books.