The Sweet Allure of Books and Music

My stack of books I'm currently reading is growing too tall. It's now reached the height of a small child.

I've never developed the self-discipline to not purchase books because I don't have enough space on the shelves or because I have too many already on the shelves just waiting to be read. And I hope that discipline never develops.

I also have a tendency to read several books at the same time. I've been trying to read more fiction lately. But, I still can't leave a good book unopened. So, I am still reading about the lost library of Alexandria (made more interesting since watching Rome on HBO. Caesar has just conquered Egypt and Ptolemy XIII), The Four Witnesses, and The Rescue Artist.

Were you to see my bookshelves, you'd see some order, but not much. For the most part, books are categorized according to subject matter. However, I've had to lay books horizontally, double stacked vertically, or even on top of the bookshelves. It's less than ideal, but it'll have to do.

But when it comes to magazines, I've purposefully limited myself to three: Bon Appetit, Texas Monthly, and Vanity Fair. Over time, I've let my ESPN Magazine and Time subscriptions expire. I just don't have enough time for weeklies. I need the entire month to make my way through them.

Well, last night I perused the latest installment of Bon Appetit. My two favorite issues are the ones at the beginning of summer (barbecue recipes) and winter (pumpkin-inspired desserts). I found a great recipe for pumpkin cheescake I'm going to have to try quickly.

The feature article covered different ways to host a Thanksgiving dinner. One was rather casual, one was very formal, and the other was traditional but still comfortable. It was a great day to dream of the upcoming holidays. Usually, I don't start thinking of Christmas until the end of the first week of December. But since the temperatures have been so low and I've been able to wear sweaters for two days in a row, I'm already a bit antsy for them to arrive.

The very end of the article even had a list of music to play to set whatever mood you want to create. One of the artists they suggested was a Canadian jazz vocalist by the name of Leslie Feist. The cd is entitled Let It Die. I listened to a few snippets of iTunes and was immediately gripped her soothing voice but her acerbic lyrics. So, in the mood for instant gratification, I downloaded the cd, fell asleep to it last night, and listened to it on the way in to work. And will listen to it on the drive back home.

Fortunately, tonight is a mindless television night. Hopefully, I can finish one of these books someday soon. Maybe before Christmas.