The Dozen Dash

The Boston Marathon is coming up, and though I didn’t train for it, I feel a certain kinship with these brave souls. You see, I have my own little race coming up in the next few weeks. Let’s call it the “Dozen Dash.”

Backstory: I make very good use of my library’s hold system. (What up, BPL! Word.) I try to plan my requests so that I have a pleasant mix of genres/popularity. Generally, it works, and I am a giddy little bookworm with a manageable reading load. Sometimes though, my literary eyes are bigger than my stomach. This is one of those times.

A whole barrage of books came in right on top of each other, mostly new and highly prized titles. After I made happy hold notification noises, I picked them up on Saturday and staggered home under their weight. I’m so stoked to have all of these books staring at me from my nightstand, but there’s a teeny, tiny problem: I can’t renew ANY of them.

All the titles I have now are on their 5th renewal cycle or are requested by other library patrons. What this means for me: I have a lot of reading to do! Normally, I get through 6-7 books a month and post their reviews in a timely manner. This schedule doesn’t stress me out and leaves time for work/socialization. However, I’ve got 12 books that need to be read/reviewed before April 30th. That is DOUBLE my normal output.

I’m either crazy or up for a challenge. Let’s just say the second one, OK? Here’s the lineup (in no particular order):

1. Let’s Take the Long Way Home by Gail Caldwell (Review here!)
2. Scumble by Ingrid Law
3. Ascendant by Diana Peterfreund (Review here!)
4. Room by Emma Donoghue
5. Finishing the Hat by Stephen Sondheim
6. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
7. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob De Zoet by David Mitchell
8. Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
9. The Tiger’s Wife by Téa Obreht
10. The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
11. A Widow’s Story by Joyce Carol Oates
12. You Wish by Mandy Hubbard

…Wish me luck! I hope I don’t sprain a muscle.