Soul Music

by  Terry Pratchet

I should just have a boiler plate for Pratchet books:  Addictive behavior.  

Love Wife

by Gish Jen

I tend to panic when it comes to packing.  Maybe it has something to do with the heat wave I encountered in Seattle, when I had only packed for cold and wet.  Or the Palms Springs trip with almost flooding rain when I was expecting (and packed for) a warm week by the pool.

Whatever the reason, when I pull out the suitcase I suddenly have the need to shove a pair of shoes for everyday I'm gone, with an extra pair 'just in case' and an outfit for any conceivable occasion (including spontaneous car repairs or formal dinners.  Neither of which has ever actually happened on vacation)

The over packing problem extends to reading material.  Because what if everyone I'm visiting with suddenly decides to go horse back riding, only I'm allergic to horses, so I'd have time to fill, and I'm almost done with the book I'm reading so I clearly need to bring an extra one with me.  And what if it turns out I don't really like that one, I better bring three.  And what if everyone decides to watch football all afternoon?  I don't like football, so I'll end up reading, so I better bring four.  

Usually this type of thinking just means I've got reading material to double my suitcase weight.  But a couple of months back I suddenly found myself going on an unexpected trip, lacking the time to go to the library or local bookstore to load up on books.  Fortunately for me I have the world's greatest neighbor, who in addition to being an almost endless source of snacks, also has a vast collection of books I haven't read yet.  So one slightly panicked phone call later I had a comforting pile of books stashed in my duffle bag.  Which due to the shortness of the trip, and the total absence of horse back riding or televised football I didn't have a chance to read.

But I've been working my way through the pile, and that is how I came to read the Love Wife.

Monstrous Regiment

by Terry Pratchett

Another Disc World book pulled of my bookshelf for a re-read.  The thing about Pratchett is that his books are like potato chips, it's hard to stop at one.  So once I've pulled one out, I tend to keep reading them...

Men At Arms

by Terry Pratchett.

Years ago I dated a guy who was nice enough, though not very memorable except for the fact that he introduced me to Terry Pratchett.  Not personally (though that would have been really cool, and would have made the guy I dated much more memorable...) but by lending me one of Pratchett's books.  And then another.  And then I was hooked, and now I own all of the Disc World books.

Occasionally I pull a book I've already read off the bookshelf because if you don't, why bother keeping them?  I think I pulled this one off the shelf the other day because I was running out the door, and needed a paperback small enough to fit in my pocket to keep me company while I was out and about, with the generic waiting that sometimes entails.