The Library of a Dork

Like most people, there is a nightstand next to my bed. On this nightstand, like most people, I regularly keep the book I am currently reading. Right now, however, there is not one, but 5 books which are all either waiting to be finished or started (not to mention the steady stream of plastic-bagged comic books).

First, there is "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. I wish I could say I am reading this because it is my favorite book, that I have read it 2 times already, and that I have found it to be life-changing. Sadly, I can only say that I will be reading it because my wife is forcing me to. She is claiming, however, that it will change my life and become my favorite. We'll see. I tried to pick it up a few weeks ago late at night and was unconscious before I was done with the second page.

Next comes "Play Poker Like the Pros" by Phil Helmuth. I can't stand the guy, or at least the bratty persona he displays in televised poker tournaments. The book is fairly well-written and is occassionally informative, however, it just sits there till I suffer a bad beat in our little weekly no-limit hold-em tournament. Then I will come home early and reread the section on no-limit hold-em for the twelfth time hoping to glean some new nugget of wisdom that will make me impervious to the dreaded "suck-out" (I swear this is a harmless poker term).

There is at least one Fodor's European travel book. We are heading to London, Paris, and Amsterdam for the holidays this year. It will be my first trip overseas, so I am studying up early. I seriously wish I could make a living out of planning my own vacations.

Not to be forgotten is "Pizza: A Slice of Heaven : The Ultimate Pizza Guide and Companion." This is filled with great stories by famous writers and celebrities about their favorite pizza, as well as regional listings for great pie.

Lastly, there is a book I won't go into much detail about here. I snagged it from "the Mrs." after she read it for her book club. Let's just say that it is more suited for the husbands and significant others of the book club girls, although the ladies themselves are sure to benefit from the contents of the book. Of course, it is nothing that I need. It's just nice to have around in case, well, just in case.

You would think that with all of these selections I would be reading every night and the stack would be dwindling. Unfortunately this is not the case and the stack is just gathering dust. This is due to my need to bump them all to the bottom of the list for at least a month or two while I re-aquaint myself with a collection of obscure books about a young wizard boy. I hesitate to give the specific name for fear that everyone will discover it and jump on the bandwagon.

Don't worry. It's not like I was in line at a bookstore last Friday night with a lightning bolt painted on my forehead. Nor did I grab a the book while shopping at Safeway the next day. In fact, I still don't have my copy of the new book and it is a full FOUR DAYS later. No need to stress though, the Amazon order is in.

While I wait for the delivery, I decided to back up and read the previous two books, as I am sure there is stuff I missed the last two times I read them. If I go slow enough I won't have to reread them all again to prepare for the new movie coming out in November...