The Anne's have it

I've been in a period of intense reading for the past several months. In hopes that some of the genius genes of the authors will rub off on me, I suppose. And of course I've always been a reader and go through phases of more or less intensity. I currently have 10 books sprawled out on my coffee table and end table to pick up at a moment's notice. I notice that I'm reading alot books by authors who start with the name "Anne" - just to mention a few: Anne Tyler, "Breathing Lessons"; Annie Proulx, alot of her short stories; Anne Lamott, "Bird by Bird" and "Blue Shoe"; and in the past I've read the diary of Anne Frank(who hasn't), poems of Anne Sexton, Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Return from the Sea" and of course all the Anne of Green Gables series - which doesn't really count since that's not the name of the author - but since it's written in first person you almost feel like it is. I've never ventured into Anne Rice's Vampire series and don't think I ever will.

Don't even get me started on the Anne's or Ann's in my life because there are plenty - to include my grandmother Anna, my other grandmother Annie and my mother, Ann.

I had a fantasy when I was in 3rd or 4th grade when I really began to notice libraries that before I died I would read all the fiction books in the stacks, going chronologically from A to Z. As all good fantasizes go that one vanished soon enough - especially as the school years progressed and I had to spend more and more of my time reading nonfiction in order to study for tests and write papers. Surely there must be less novels by people of the same name vs last name - what a minute what am I thinking - it wouldn't make any difference - it would still be the same number of books. Math was never my long suit....

I've also recently joined a "Paperback Book Swap" Club (it also includes hardbacks)online. You can list books that you want to give away as well as books you want to receive and the club matches you with fellow readers from all over the US. It's been fun to screen my small library(currently due to the move)to chose which books I'm willing to part with and then indulge in a wish list for new ones. I've started seriously haunting the used book section of the library, thrift stores with a books section and book sales of all types - choosing books I can list to give away - but they also must be books I want to eventually read so if no one wants them I won't feel stuck with them.

Yesterday I scored at the gym because someone had left three hardback new books in the lost and found. After two weeks there're up for grabs and boy are they good ones, "Beach Music" by Pat Conroy; "Pigs in Heaven" by Barbara Kingsolver and one by Patricia Cornwall that I can't remember the name of. But the problem is that Pat Conroy and Barbara Kingsolver are two of my favorite authors and I don't have those two books - even though I've read them. I might just have to keep them for my ever increasing library.