So. I'm going to answer:"what's on your nightstand?" - a question pretending to be about literary taste that's really about how much of a hopeless book junkie and slattern you are.
Here's the unexpurgated list of books on the nightstand in my mum's spare room in Edinburgh, where I'm writing this blog post. That is, here are the books I have with me two long plane journeys from my house.
Ahem.
On the top:
John Gilstrap's END GAME (I'm on p. 91) This doesn't count because it's for moderating at Bouchercon.
Underneath:
AFTER THE ARMISTICE BALL (doesn't count)
ARC of THE SECRET PLACE, Tana French
A WEDDING IN DECEMBER, Anita Shreve (I read it last year and left it here to take home this year because this year I wasn't going to buy any books and I'd have room in my case)
DARK PLACES, Gillian Flynn (bought this year)
NOW YOU SEE ME, S.J. Bolton (read last year and left here to take home this year because . . .)
JOHN McPAKE AND THE SEA BEGGARS, Stuart Campbell (bought this year, but doesn't count because he's my English teacher)
MURDER PAST DUE, Miranda James (read last year and left here to take home . . .)
FATHER CONFESSOR, Russel McLean (read last year and left here . . .)
UNSEEN, Karin Slaughter (read last year and . . .)
JACK 1939, Francine Mathews (bought this year but doesn't count because it's for moderating at Bouchercon)
TIME OF ATTACK, Marc Cameron (this year, doesn't count, Bouchercon)
BLOWBACK, Valerie Plame (Ha! Sent by publisher - really doesn't count)
DID NOT FINISH, Simon Wood (borrowed from brother-in-law for Bouchercon Toastmaster interview prep - mega doesn't count)
NO SHOW, Simon Wood (ditto)
WORKING STIFFS, Simon Wood (brought over with me but . . . Bouchercon so still doesn't count)
THE SCRUBS, Simon Janus aka Simon Wood (Bcon, doesn't count)
ASKING FOR TROUBLE, Simon Wood (guess whether it counts)
DEAD MEN'S BONES, James Oswald (on a Bouchercon panel together, doesn't count)
THE LAST REFUGE, Craig Robertson (ditto)
THE NIGHT HUNTER, Caro Ramsay (on three panels together this year. Not having this book would be rude.)
So, basically, when you get right down to it, on my nightstand are one Gillian Flynn and an ARC of a Tana French. I'm travelling light. Who needs a Kindle?
6 comments:
Too funny, Catriona! When books "don't count," it's like they're invisible. So I don't see why the giant stack bothers my husband...
All this time I've been counting my TBR stack(s) wrong! Thanks for the correction, Catriona! (Your BURY HER DEEP from Killer Nashville is in my stack, and it definitely counts!)
Sympathies if you're lugging all of those. My maiden experience with the Kindle was for the recent trip to France and, for traveling, I'm sold. I now have 2 shelves each of which is 10 feet long, that are my TBR, almost all new books (ell, they were new when they landed there) and haven't even added my fellow panelists' for the upcoming BCon. When you can only look longingly at the latest Laura Lippman, Michael Stanley, and Catriona McPherson, something is out of control!
My family doesn't understand why I have lots of bookshelves and still have stacks of books on various tables. I guess I just have to be satisfied with being a misunderstood book lover.
I'll have to check and see if I have any "don't count" ones, Catriona. Hahaha!
Loved this!
Thanks Catriona.
I'm so happy to see you list my books with suffix "Doesn't count." It makes an author proud. :-/
simon
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