My ever increasing To Be Read pile

If you haven't figured it out by now, I love to read. I love to read as much as I love to write. Every single week, I check my local library for new books that have come in that I want to read. God only knows how many books I'm actually on a waiting list for there. And I go through Barnes & Noble's upcoming releases list to know what I should be looking forward to reading.

Now that I'm back at work full time--for the most part--it means that my reading is falling by the wayside just a little. When I didn't have to work, I could read a book in a single day if I really sat down and put my mind to it. But now I've got so many things to do that it seems like I'm doing everything BUT reading.

And I've also decided that I'm going to review nearly every book that I read. Mostly because it helps me get into the habit of picking out both the good and the bad in other books, and it allows to me to be able to do the same in my own books. And it makes me pay attention to what I'm reading. I find that I enjoy a novel more if I actually pay attention and think about it, rather than just mindlessly stare at the pages. I even keep a little notepad beside me so that I can write down the things that are really good and the things that aren't so great about the book.

Right now, not including the book I'm in the process of reading at the moment, I've got six books in my to be read pile. Usually I can read pretty fast. Usually, it takes me a week at most to read a book. It's a rare thing for me to have to renew books from the library. Now I've had to renew some of them twice. It's strange for me, and I have to read much faster. Less sleep, less talking, and much more reading.

I would say less writing, but that's not an option.

I could always cut down on the amount of books I'm reading or request fewer novels from the library at a time. But that seems so strange to me. And the librarians look at me as if I'm kind of odd or sick if I don't come in once or twice a week to check out books.

You can check out my book blog for reviews over at Ley's Library.

My librarian knows me better than my best friend

Some people might say it's a bad thing living next door to the town librarian. I think it's the best thing in the world. Especially since I'm in the library so often that they all not only know me by name, but they also know what I like to read and ask me for suggestions on what to buy.

Librarians and town libraries--especially small town libraries--are often taken for granted. School libraries too. Not only do librarians have to deal with keeping track of books and dealing with patrons, they also have to make sure that they have things on the shelves that people actually want to read. And you know as well as I do that it's hard to get teens interested in reading. And sometimes, it's hard to get adults to read.

Librarians have a thankless job sometimes. But I love the librarians in my town. They've been so supportive of my writing. They put my book in the public library. They've suggested it to people who've come in and seem to like to read the same things. They're even giving away a prize pack of my books during the summer reading program for the adults and teens. Librarians are some of the biggest unsung heroes a writer can have. They fight for our books on the front lines with readers, and I think sometimes that's forgotten.

My librarian is awesome. Sometimes she'll pop up at my door and deliver a book that I didn't request or even know about all because she thought I'd like it. And she does this solely because she remembers me, she remembers what I like to read. That's a humbling thing for someone like me, someone who pretty much reads anything and everything I can get my hands on.

Sometimes, I think my librarian knows me better than my best friend. And that can be pretty amazing.