My to-be-read stack should be shrinking

But it's not.

What good is a to-be-read stack when it's 75 books high? Most of those have been waiting to be read for over four years.

So I decided it was time to purge. Majorly. Into the garage-sale/donate-to-library box went at least 60 titles. My stack looked manageable for all of three days.

Then my sister returned a bunch of books to me, and the stack grew again. D'oh!

Worse yet (or better yet), in two months I'm going to the national RWA conference, where I know from past experience I'll be toting home dozens of fresh to-be-read books.

But that's two months away. In the mean time, I've been trying to dwindle down the remaining to-be-read stack by actually reading. /gasp (Seriously, I don't read enough.) But that's just had the effect of making me find more books that I want to buy. I can't seem to win. :P

"Finishing a good story is like coming out of an altered state. I feel like I should have a sign around my neck: 'Be Gentle! I Dwell in the Land of Imagination.'"
-- Grace d'Otare, Spice author

So, without further ado, here's what I've been reading (Note: These are not really meant as reviews. I'm mostly writing about them because the process of blogging about a book helps me set it more firmly in my memory):

Gabriel's Ghost (futuristic, Sci-Fi, romance, published 2005) by Linnea Sinclair

I first read Linnea Sinclair's An Accidental Goddess a few years ago for the (now defunct) Windy City Choice Awards. For some reason (perhaps because my to-be-read pile was too large?), even though I thoroughly enjoyed the book, I didn't follow up and buy more by the author. Then, two years ago, I saw that Sinclair had won the prestigious Rita award in the Paranormal category from Romance Writers of America for Gabriel's Ghost. The book has been on my must-read list ever since. Now, her other books are on my list, especially the sequel to Gabriel's Ghost, called Shades of Dark, which is coming out in July.

Kitty and the Midnight Hour (contemporary, paranormal, fantasy, published 2005) by Carrie Vaughn

I'm not sure how this book made it into my to-be-read stack. I don't remember buying it, so it must have been a loaner (Jules, is this your copy?). Seems like it wants to be a little bit Anita Blake Vampire Hunter (pre sex orgy days) and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. There are werewolves, vampires and other preternatural creatures in her universe. A fun read. I especially like the way the author writes the talk-show scenes. Evidently there are already four books in the series. I'll have to check out the second book, Kitty Goes to Washington. (And while I'm at it, I guess there's a new Anita Blake novel coming out next week titled Blood Noir (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, Book 16). Add that to the list, too.)

Destiny (paranormal, contemporary, historical, romance, published 2001) by Maggie Shayne

I'd read other Maggie Shayne books and enjoyed them, but for some reason I burned out on her. I've had this book in my to-be-read stack for a few years, and I finally got to it. Now I remember what I liked about Maggie Shayne in the first place. An interesting plot that easily pulls the reader between the present day and ancient Sumer. A world of immortal witches, both light and dark. I had a few issues with how the romance resolved itself, but overall I enjoyed this book. I see that Shayne has a vampire series that started just last year with Demon's Kiss. I'm curious what six years does to an author's voice. Add another one to my reading list.

1001 Nights of Snowfall (graphic novel, fantasy, published 2006) by Bill Willingham

I wrote about this Fables series a few weeks ago. The setup for the Fables universe is this: A great dictator, the Adversary, has taken over the magical kingdoms where the characters in our beloved fables and folktales live. Snow White, Prince Charming, The Big Bad Wolf and many of our favorite fairytale characters have had to flee their magical world and are living in exile in New York City in a secretive community known as Fabletown.

1001 Nights of Snowfall is the prequel book that gives the back-stories of a lot of the Fables characters. We learn how The Big Bad Wolf got so big and bad, how the witch from Hansel and Gretel survived being burned in the oven, and what happened to the Frog Prince's family. The stories are told by Snow White and presented ala Scheherazade and The Arabian Nights. Fun. And definitely for grownups.

Fables Volume 10 The Good Prince comes out in July. It's already been ordered. I can't wait.